krys

Exie, Here in joisey if a school district is experiencing the onset of an epidemic, they usually close school for a day or so and let everyone get well. NJ is THE most densely populated sate in the country, so perhaps that's the reason. I know other states and other large cities do this too, but not as often as we do. I know this from all the years I taught here.

Oh Raf, Yours is exactly the reaction I was hoping to evoke. Not all grief is intensely painful in the same way. Of course, on that particular Tuesday evening I felt so stupid, and I wished a hole would open up in the florist shop and swallowed me in it from embarrassment. But the truth is what it is, and your comment on it sets it in place for everybody reading here. I laugh at it now, and realize I was just doing my little routines as I always did. But this is also part of those "firsts" that go along with losing loved ones. Don't let yourself get all down on yourself if something like that happens. It's normal. And, in fact, I step back now and think that things like that come out of a long standing deep loving relationship. After the tears, don't feel "stupid". Instead think of how blessed you both were to have enjoyed such a relationship as long as it existed. It's a wonderful thing that many folks today don't take time to establish in their lives. k

Something else you might want to consider is preparing for something entertaining and comforting in case there is an epidemic and you find it best to stay home. Buy a new game the children would enjoy and put it away. Maybe a couple of good books for adults, or a brand new movie? Put it away and forget it until the time comes....and if it doesn't come, you've got a great head start on next year's Christmas or birthday gifts. Get a supply of sanitizing cleaning towels for door knobs and telephones and put some by every phone so they get used! Get yourself a couple of pair of inexpensive washable gloves to wear when you are out and have to touch public surfaces such as grocery carts. Put them on just as you enter the store, and when you take them off, pop them in your pocket so you con't transfer anything to where you don't want it (like your car door handle or steering wheel). When you take them off don't do it the usually way: pull from the cuff down over the fingers so they're inside out and stuff them in your pocket right away. You could purchase a box of disposable gloves and leave some in your glove compartment just for this purpose too. I'm not this neurotic normally, however, I'm one of those very high risk people and I need to take extra preventions especially in an epidemic situation. Wash your hands with soap and water. Do it often. A thorough wash means you use soap and water while you recide the alphabet to yourself and make sure you get above the wrists a little and in between your fingers too.

"Chicken Soup for the Soul" by William Shakespere "One Pot Meals for Camping Scouters" by Julia Child "How to Win Friends & Influence People" by L. Craig Martindale "The Origin of Species" by Pat Robertson

http://www.trentontitans.com/player-detail.asp?pid=157

Nika - - that was a great post. Thank you.

Yes indeed. This one may be known as "Weird Wilma" before all is said and done!

My kin are still in trouble. My brothers-in-law are gonna get whacked on the west coast, and my daughter on the east. I think it's time for the prayer room.

Don't be embarrassed if you find yourself doing something stupid. I did something really silly out of the other side of my brain shortly after my mom died. She died in March. Mother's day that year, on my way home from school on a Tuesday of the preceding week, I stopped at my favorite florist to send her flowers as I always did. Now I knew she was gone. I planned her funeral. I selected someone to gift her special motorized scooter with. Nevertheless, I stopped in the florist, picked out what I wanted, sent it, paid for it with my credit card, got in the car and drove to the supermarket to shop for supper. Shopping done, I headed home, unloaded the car and started putting stuff away. I stuck the meat in to marinate a while and then I realized what I did. I called the florist and canceled the order and by the time the call was over I was in tears. I raced upstairs and collapsed in tears on my bed. After I cried myself out I took a bath and then spent the rest of the evening by myself just thinking about things (my family was wonderful about that). But it took me a while to realize how both sides of my "brain"could work parallel to each other at the same time. Over the years of their retirement, I had established a routine about holidays, as we all do. And when I realized it was the Tuesday before Mother's Day, part of my brain kicked into that routine, and even though I was fully aware she was gone...that side just continued to operate. Don't be upset if something like that should happen to you - it's part of the process. It may not happen to you, everybody's grief is intensely painful sometimes, but everybody's healing is very different. If it helps, come back here from time to time. We cannot all understand your grief, but some of us can relate to it well, and everyone will help support you. I think of you often, and every thought is a prayer. Please allow me to help if I can. Posted with loving hugs....krys

I think I know what you're getting at! You're talking about decent people behaving decently in a nurturing society. I think "in a perfect world" most of us would like to see the same kind of behavior all over every day. But the world isn't perfect. One day a coach could have bad heartburn because he bolted his lunch and he doesn't act "normally" because he's got a belly ache. Not that that's an excuse, that's just how life is sometimes. In the case you wrote about, everybody made the "right" choice all the way through and Shay was proud and happy and everyone learned what "good" is. But not everyone has the same definition of "good" and even if we did, there are times when for whatever reason, we just don't do whatever it is that would be "good". Sometimes I think "good" is a fantasy, really. On the other hand, when that one time in a thousand happens that's really "good" drink in all the sweetness of it all so you'll have the memories to cherish.There's a rather trite saying "God gave is memories so we could have roses in December". If you really want to know what I would have chosen, I can't give you an answer because I can't see myself in the situation so I don't know how I would have fit in. If you're asking me whether I'd pass the email on, I don't know that either. When these things come in my email, sometimes I don't read them because I know who sent them and we disagree so much, I don't want to go thee. Mostly I read them, and if they strike a chord with me I may pass it on to a few friends. But I never pass these things on to a certain select group because I try to allow for people's differences and I have the time to invest in thinking about it. Well -- that was a bigger ramble than I intended and I don't think you got an answer anyway......

I would have thought that wishing 2 wonderful GSpotters Happy Birthday on the same day would have been only half as good. But not this time. You 2 actually double my joy! Have a blast and enjoy the whole thing. krys

yeah - - what Pirate said.

I'm sorry - this was a blond old lady's boo boo.

Thet're not bad. They are wonderful!

double ouch! It's been a long time since we've seen a threat this far north. We get hurricanes, but they are few and far between. This could be the year, though. It's been a crazy weather year! I don't mind though - at least it's not the Gulf Coast - again.

ouch - right over my daughter's roof!

Teach your 3 year old how to manage stress with a toy. Then when he's 7 or 8 he can practice on real chickens and you can have dinner out of it. I wonder what the child will use to manage stress when he's 12 or 13?

LG, if your point is that it's stupid to just open up any stranger's door, I agree. Who knows who's inside waiting to take you out! Maybe I should elaborate some - even then I could be the stupid one. But if so, I'll get a good education out of it. These are rather large homes. I'm quite familiar with the town and most of the sections shown on the shows.They are mostly three story raised ranch homes or 2 story colonial homes. At that hour, nobody is in the front room of the house. They don't usually watch TV in their living rooms. Most are downstairs in the finished basement, in the garage workroom or in an upstairs bedroom studying or maybe asleep. Nobody is really paying attention so it would be easy for somebody to gain entrance, and if the know the general layout of the homes (and they're mostly alike there) it's easy to find a place to hide until everybody goes to bed. Then it doesn't matter whether the door is locked or not, they're in, and can prowl around at will. Isn't that why locks are put on doors in the first place - to keep intruders out? Your point about just walking up to a front door and opening it is well taken. In this respect the news crew used the door bell to summon someone to the door if they found it open.

On Long Island, a place I used to frequent and a place that holds many memories of my youth, there is a new outburst of crime; particularly breaking and entering kind of theft. It's been going on for a while, but had made daily news coverage since last Friday. The "local" CBS network has been doing a little human interest and information for homeowners each day in addition to reporting the news. So last night they decided themselves to test how much their Long Islander viewers paid attention to their efforts. They walked up the front walk of 16 homes where there was no outside lighting to discourage a thief and tried to open the front door. It was around 9:30 - not a time when people would be sleeping, but it seemed like a good enough test. Only 13 people had their doors locked! Can you believe it? They went to the very same town which has had the greatest number of thefts, the last one, last Friday. When interviewed, one of the women who came to the door when the bell was rung, said rather naively "oh we don't bother with that here - - we live in a safe area don't we?" I hope I don't run into her on the parkway on our way to the Shore next summer. I'm not sure she's alert.

Wasn't Kennedy shot on a Thursday?

Whatever that was purchased to remove has long since passed through the concrete stage and is almost done with the petrification process.

recompute please dear exxie....many of us consider these as important matters

Yvonne? Yolanda??

Good morning Mr. Linder.

........because we can............