Oh My! I thought You Were a Lady!

 Ladies, Gentlemen, Boys, and Girls...the word is out.  I have shown my colors.  It would seem I am the perfect lady until you really torque my jaw.  Then..it's no-holds-barred.  And my jaw got torqued two times in two days no less!  1.  A loss, and... 2.  an expensive ink pen. 

You may know one of my boys passed away September 14th.   I got several snail mails from the University Hospital where he was always treated and always had surgery.  Moving on, they did not know he wasn't here any longer and sent a bill.  Not much.  Nominal. I emailed and told them what had happened.  They requested a copy of the certificate that I was given at the mortuary. They gave their condolences.  I mailed the copy of the certificate.  This has been repeated four times...each time with another request for that certificate--- which I will add hurts me every time I have to see it...and their promises that it would never happen again. Only to find it happened regularly once a month since March...once a month. 

I called after getting another bill a few days ago, I called and ripped them a new one!  More apologies.  I mentioned that this time he was threatened.  So...they have assured me (again) that it will cease.  If it doesn't I will go to the University in person.  NO one wants that.  I didn't have my career because I am soft and squishy.  😱   I know they can't do anything, as the person they are after is not here.  It's the principle of the thing and the sadness it engenders. 

Guy, don't feel you have to address my loss.  BUT,  if you have stories to tell about similar/differing things you have had to deal with after you have more than done your part -only to have a business or someone else continually ignore your explanations...etc etc.  It would be fun to see how many unknowing doofuses are out there that we have to contend with!  

The week is over, fellers, and I will have the dentist AGAIN Tuesday.  We just can't seem to git 'er done. 

You see this in FB?  LOVED it.  

Nightmare on East Drive!

 Jiminy gee Crickets and Toadstools, guys!  What a shocker this morning.

I got up, fed us both, took my time going through the blogs, answered some, and so on.  Still in a gown and looking pretty just-got-uppy, if I say so myself. 

I started after just over an hour to wash up, get dressed, and do all the rest of the female stuffs we do in the mornings.  Then, I went to clean out her epic works in the litterbox.  I saw something black and good-sized next to the car when I put the just collected bag of her works out for later disposal.  Standing in the doorway I noticed and I wondered if someone threw something into the driveway.   

I kept looking at it, it wasn't clearly identifiable as it was sorta sprawled out.  THEN, I really saw it.  It was my trifold wallet, black leather, sprawled open, and lying there in the driveway next to the car.  It had to have somehow fallen from my purse as I got out of the car at 2pm, wrestling with several other things I had to bring in. It laid there, wide open, in the bright hot hot sun since 2 pm yesterday.  Cars passing constantly, mailman...cats...  I went out there in my gown and picked it up.  My license and registration and insurance card and about 70$ were in there.  Even my coupons!! 😊 Whoa Nelly.  I was thankful for seeing it this morning.  Still am. I have never had that happen. 

 Once, in Walmart parking lot unknown to me of course, my iPhone fell out of my purse onto the meltingly hot paved parking lot. I was in the store, and what with everything including check out, a good half hour.  It was hot as a griddle when I  came back to the car, saw it and picked it up, thanking Goodness it was still there.  I took it home..looked up possible care of it, and let it cool.  Only then, I tried turning it on...it worked.  Two bad moments.  Oh..that reminds me.  I have found and picked up three phones this year so far.  I have always wondered why women put them in their back pants pockets where they only go in halfway, and walk around like that.  If the person happens to be more amply endowed, even more so likely to work its way out.  I always turn them into the office where I am going. 

I'm dressed, and have some Rive Gauche perfume on..(I am always perfumed...always). My face assembled, my hair combed..let's go out! Race ya to the car. 

Someone's in the kitchen with Mama!

Someone's in the kitchen I knooooooow! 

Just Thinking...(of Course).

One of the bloggers, Two Spoiled Cats in the CB, wrote her thoughts on a feature that is called "Sparks".  That is a thought that some of us present for enjoyment or contemplation regarding life and living that life.  

Here is that Spark.  

It set me to thinking as many of her chosen Sparks do.  I sent her an email saying what I thought after having read the Spark.  I hoped maybe you would like to read my thoughts too, and maybe tell us all some of your own. Go back in your memory...

Here in general is what I said:

I have thought of all that waste- or maybe I should call it newness and inexperience.  

During the time of growing up, you naturally don't have any experience in life yet,  with people of all ages.  You especially don't yet have enough give and take with people of all ages- not just teens or pre-teens as you are.  

Your life has been straightforward and always the same.  The only ripples are pop quizzes and a snarky classmate.  You always have those snarky ones to buzz like a hornet in your life.  And, did it snow too hard to walk to school? Can you get to the skating rink, and will that boy be there again this time to skate with?  Will we hold hands?  Will you know what to say to him if he is there?  My gosh, why do I feel this way, you wonder? 

Most importantly, you cannot understand or even think that you will not always be that strong, vigorous, physically perfect young person.  Of course you will always look this way.  Why, look!  You can stretch out your arm and see the flawlessly woven skin God gave you.  Of course you will always be strong, perfectly made, and a credit to your parents in school, and...someone to be reckoned with. 

You know with all your being that "that other" i.e. sickness, heartache, death, happens to other people.  Not to you.  You will always be this way you think.

I am smiling a little as I write remembering my younger self.  The jolts along the way to adulthood when life itself gave you that 'pop quiz' and usually, you failed it...but you learned for the next time... just in case it happens again.  It always did, you found. 

Many times Pam's choice of spark leads me on a short but good journey that I occasionally tell all of you. 

Lookit this!

 See? I have a wabbit!  He's learned too.  He became myopic from reading so much.  

AND Katie's brovver from NC found this in his yard.  

He, as does everyone else keeps a close eye on them, and watches for the Mom to come back.  This morning he sent a picture taken while on his walkie, of two moms and three babies.  I will post it, but I only see the two moms and one baby and possibly the leg of another.  See if you can make out the three babies.  Maybe they were  onlyvisible to him as he stood there. 

Answering Blog Questions

 Howdy.  I got a note from Jo-Anne a couple of days ago asking me or Katie if she wanted to, to answer five questions.  Here is the note and here are the five questions.

So here are my answers, and if any of you wish to also answer them, please copy the list above and do so.  Let me know. 

Girls hanging out gossiping over in Charlotte

1. Am I a Native American?   I am indeed a Native American.  We have traced my Father's ancestry very far back to the year 950.  Aside from that,  I have an ancestor who fought in 1776, in the American Revolution.  (I do belong to the DAR I will add).   Most of mine are largely British, and Scottish ancestry follows... barely behind the British.   My maiden name is so British no one could mistake it for any other heritage.  Some Welsh, just 9%.  That's on my Dad's side.  Mother's people...Irish, French and German if I remember correctly. 

2.  If I could have dinner with one historical figure, who would it be and why?  Napoleon.  No better tactician than he.  I would love to know his rationale for the choices he made through the wars he created... and about his declaring and becoming The Emporer of France.  Crowning himself!  Fascinated with him since a teen. 

3.  What would you consider your greatest achievement?  Raising my sons myself from about the time they were eight and upwards.  And supporting, them including their Universities.

4.  Other than loved ones, what is my most treasured possession?  I have none other than family.  Well, my father's police badge and part of his uniform.  He passed quite a time ago. 

5. Before blogging,  what if any,  was my main mode of personal expression.  The answer is writing, drawing, and some small painting.   

Thank you, Jo-Anne.  I enjoyed this,  And I read yours a while ago. 

Good Grief

 Well, another dear friend counseled me a few hours ago, as did many if not all of you. as well.   And like any woman, I changed my mind!  Sigh.  Here I am.  

Jo-Ann,  a blogger that quite a few of us follow, challenged me to a 5 question-answering blog.  I'd like to.     She told me to wait till Tuesday as she is publishing hers tomorrow.  

I guess we redheads are fickle like this and now we say we give up. Someone (or lots of those) set her straight and overcome the Redhair Syndrome.  So, sigh...here I am.  Thank you...you know who you are. 

Me and Her

This is in the front yard.  See the curly about- to- unfurl baby lily? Taken with 50 mm lens that my boy gave me-- and I was unaccustomed to it. 

Blog...An Addendum

 Guys!  A good friend from the blogosphere nailed it in a note to me this very morning. 

 When only two people comment, that is telling you something.  That is not what he said...but it is the answer I wrote. I told him I was unsure what I have mentioned here in the past year or so that seems to be  causing a problem, but I decided not to make that problem mine.  I have thought to leave the blog sitting, as it has a personal history in many of the topics I blogged about through the past decade.  I won't eliminate it..it will be here in the event as I told my good friend, that I am ready to gasp my last, one of the family can get on and tell ya!  👻  Just I won't journal any longer is all. Katie will unless she gets down to a couple responders as well. 

In a way, it's "The Long Goodbye".  Won't bother telling you my little thoughts and activities, but I will be coming to see each one of you.  I enjoy your blogs and ain't gonna stop now coming to see you.  

Time Passes

 I started this blog here, Ramblingon, when I left MSN Live Spaces.  They closed blogging despite the millions of people who used the site.  They were kind enough to create for each of us a Word Press account and they themselves, MSN, transported all of our blogs...think of it...over to the new accounts they made for us.  This must have been in 2010 or thereabouts.  It was a great kindness. 

I used that site as a repository for the thousand or so blogs they transported over.  There were so many friends, that it was actually fun to re-read them.  I transferred many  from WP over here to Google, one by one.  I gave up as it was a massive undertaking. 

 So, I have given much real considered thought as to whether or not to keep this blog any longer.  I have been locked out of my WP blog except to use it for replies to WP blogs nowadays.  I can't comment on some of them with my Google account "Katie Isabella".

Not idle words..just I don't seem to write ones of much fun or interest, so..I think after a few days of "warning" I will close this blog.  Katie will maintain hers a while longer. 

Many thanks to you who come to see me here to see or read rather  :-) what I am doing or thinking.  Always a joy when I pop over and see you.  Reall.  I will keep coming to see you. 

Best and loving wishes to each of you.  I will close this in less than a week.  XX

Searching in Vain

 Guys, I have a darling cat wind vane outside.  Made from metal cutouts of a cat dangling from an outstretched stick with its two front paws, and its tail swinging back and forth in stronger winds..the vane really twists and turns and it's stinkin' adorable.  I have posted it here a time or two for you all to see.  Katie did too back when I first bought it.  It gets wonderful comments when people actually see it.  It has, however, faded a lot.   And worse still, faded and lost a paw and his tail.    Can't find any decent vanes that can be for the garden on a pole.  Correction.  Amazon had some.  Plain old back cats on a stick. All black.  Meh. 

The lawn guy just mowed.  He's planting my new Gardenia and the new camellia now.  Hope they live.  They are planted.

Yesterday I started the waxing and cleaning of my wooden cabinets.  My knees HATE kneeling on the floor and/or duck walking alomg to do it.  To fix that so to speak, I am just doing a few at a time.  When I have to climb to do the top ones, no prob.  I'll have them done in no time all at once.  Minutes.  My knees are "tore up" as we say here in the South, with dropping to them so many times to do kneeling weapons quals along with all the other positions...all under time of seconds.  No time to get down gently. 

Just gave the mower another bottle of cold water.  It's hotter than a frying pan out there.  I'm watering the gardenia...will have to do it each day I would say.  Camellia is next.  

Bought Katie a new bathroom...she is slightly suspicious...and a large fat kicker.  Look at her eyes by biggafying . She wore that thing out!  I got her two candy canes too.  I just showed her one (the other is marinating) and she got up immediately again and came straight to the living room and attacked it.  

My Candy Cane!  LURVE! 

Katie's big ol
 Kicker. 

New Potty! 

Cleaned and polished the kitchen floor two days ago.  Looks super!  Have to get into the tub again. My gosh, with just a shower and a quick one, how in the eord soap can stick is past my understanding. 

Yikes!  It is 4:22.  Time flies when you're busy.  Had to go the The Big City trying to buy a weather vane in the same place.  They had nothing, and said they won't have.  But I got her toys there...so all is well. 

Alas, Farewell Dogwood

 Oh gosh, I hated that this day had to come.  My dogwood is maybe 15 feet from the roofline in front of the house. It has been dropping branches that were rotted enough to cause me to notice that fact.   This Spring the red berries were sparse, the leaves smaller and almost wilted looking.  Very few flowers bloomed. I knew its time had come to go to the Rainbow Bridge, and get refreshed so as to make cats and dogs happy.  

One boy of mine looked up their age, and it can be as young as in its late 30's that they might begin to die. This guy was maybe 40 at best guess.  They can last a lot longer if all conditions are optimal. They weren't always so here at y home. 

Sparrows have been landing, looking around without leaving quite often.  They can't understand where the tree they depended on is gone.  

I asked the man who does my lawn if he could recommend anyone to cut it down.  He said he would.  I hated that it had to happen.  It was a third rotted by then.  It shaded the kitchen well and now the light glares in.  This was him several Springs ago...and now, see the stump just below.  There was quite a bit of rot. 

Last year