Visits

My sister arrives this Saturday.  Then Sunday we are driving to North Carolina to visit my brother and his wife for a few days. This month marks my brother's 80th birthday.  Hard to believe!  Once back here she and I will have a day together.  I don't get to see my brother or sister often.  I'm lucky if it's once a year.  And we've only begun to get together somewhat recently.  There's a large age gap between us.  There's a long story there which I won't go into.  Suffice it to say that my Dad had more than one wife.  It hasn't been until we all started to get much older that we've been visiting.  My sister ( half-sister, but who cares) is the one who started it really and I'm glad she did.  My brother was never really a part of my life.  Partly because of age difference and partly because he was never home.  First it was private schools, then it was the Air Force for him.  My sister is 11 years younger.  She lived in FL, I didn't.  And even when I did live there we didn't connect.  Sad, in a way, that's it's taken all these years but at least we're connecting, albeit sporadically, now.

Power

Had a generator installed yesterday.  And a propane tank.  I'm of the age where I don't want to have to try to start a gasoline powered generator.  It makes my daughter happy.  Maybe she thinks I can't survive without one.  I have to admit that it will be nice to have heat and lights if the power goes off during a storm but I know I can survive if I had to without the generator.  I've done so before even to the point of getting the wood stove up and going in the basement when I had pneumonia.  Should there be a severe ice storm at least my daughter and kids can come up and stay if she doesn't have power.  She has no other heat source than electricity.  Nor do some of my neighbors.  That could be interesting, 'cause I would let them know they could come over to shower and such.  Of course, I might not ever go through the 250 gallons of propane.  The power company is really good about restoring power as quickly as possible.
There are so many people nowadays that couldn't deal with going without power.  Or air conditioning or electric heat.  We have become a nation (world, actually) of wimps and, should the poo-poo hit the oscillator, the only ones who will survive are those who do without now and those who grew up when there was no such thing.
What do you think?
Y'all have a good day and remember:  a day without sunshine is like...night.

Not much

I don't write here very often because I don't believe I have that much to say.  And only very few make comments.  That being said, I'm going to ramble a bit this morning.
I don't watch national news because I don't believe it is news but rather opinion or, in the alternative, sensationalized.  The news stations spew what they have been fed whether true or totally exaggerated and skewed to whichever side that particular station leans.  It used to be that reporters checked stories for truth and fact before publishing or airing.  Nowadays, not so much.
I am all for limited numbers being allowed into this country.  As for those who enter unlawfully, send them home.  Maybe then those who are on the dole will finally get off the collective asses and go to work.  Get their hands dirty, take home a pay check or, in the least, get off the streets....although some of those who hold up the signs begging for money take in thousands a year (and don't pay taxes).  The population of this country is getting too large.  Pretty soon there will be no green space and we'll be taking pills for nutrition instead of food.  Remember the movie Soylent Green?
And maybe we should send those Americans who protest against the wall and limited immigration to try to sneak into Mexico and see what happens.
As for those actors and actresses who say they're going to leave if so and so is elected, why haven't they left?  And why do they think their opinions are so important?  Hell, these days I don't even know who they are.  The really great ones were in the past and many served this country during the wars.  They knew what patriotism is.  Take the male actors of today and put them through basic training and they'll cry like babies and want their mommies.
I have had jobs where I had to clean up after others (believe me, you learn a lot about people cleaning hotel/motel rooms).  Happily, I don't have to but would if I had to.  That being said, would you?
Okay, enough.  Y'all have a good day and remember.....work may be a four-letter word but so is wage.

Weather

This summer has been a wet one.  I can't think of many days where there hasn't been rain.  The weeds are loving it.  My sinuses not so much.  There are days where I feel as though my head is stuffed with cotton, but I can breathe just fine.  Sometimes I feel as though my equilibrium is off.  On those days I just can't do anything but sit in my recliner and move as little as possible.  The companies that make sinus relief medication are loving me.  My throat is sore from constantly trying to clear it (post nasal drip).  Kimberly-Clarke loves me, too.  Boxes of Kleenex in every room.  I'm hoping that when my sister comes and we travel to visit my brother in NC all will be better with the ocean air.
On a better note...I'm now taking two fewer medications!  Thought I had developed an allergy to a replacement generic so I quit taking it.  That didn't do it so I quit taking another that I took twice a day.  Was worried about my "numbers" at my yearly physical but they were all good.  So...two less meds.  I still have the itch problem but not as bad and I can tolerate it.  Pharmacist says it might be the fillers in the pills.  Apparently different drug companies use different ones.  And companies such as Walgreen's buy by the bulk from whomever gives them the best price and it's not always the same company.  I noticed, too, that the labs are different even though the drug is the "same".  Unfortunately I won't be dropping the diabetes medications so I just have to hope that the itching will go away.  Maybe it's the heat and humidity and everything will clear up when cooler weather comes.  Keeping my fingers crossed.

Celebration

Today we celebrate our freedom.  To those men and women who fight to help us keep that freedom I salute and thank you.  I don't do the fireworks and barbecue and parades.  Crowds are not my thing.  I will listen to the fireworks tonight and every other night they are fired off.  If there is a program on TV, say with the Boston Pops, I might watch it and get teary-eyed.  (I am sentimental that way).  Otherwise it's going to be just another day.  To those who burn the flag that symbolizes our country, to those who believe they should be handed everything, I say find some other country in which to live.  In other words, if you don't like it here, LEAVE.
May peace prevail.....blessed be.