Thursday Thirteen! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Welcome 2015!

I can't believe we've reached the year when Marty McFly would be middle-aged (Back to the Future II, for the non-geeks). I don't have a hoverboard, and neither does anyone else.

In 1989, this year seemed so far away. I was only 26 years old and had my whole life ahead of me. And now here we are, living in it, and I'm 51 and will turn 52 in six months.

Life goes on.

It's Thursday 13 day, and I could make my new year's resolutions, but I am not up to that. I want to do something different, so I'm going to predict the new year in 2115. That's 100 years from now. What will we find?

1. Humans won't be top dog. Thanks to cyborg technology, machines will rule us.

2. However, that same technology will allow people to live a long time - almost forever (we'll make good slaves for the machines). We'll have mechanical arms and replacement parts. Maybe the revered engineers, computer programmers, and machine creators will even have total brain transplants. I'm sure that, like current health care, only the best and the ones with the most money will get that kind of attention.

3. Those machines will control the weather. Wars will be waged not with bombs, but with hurricanes and tsunamis.

4. Our homes will be solar and wind powered. We won't own them, either - we'll lease them. Everything will be leased, from our clothes to our food.

5. Everyone will have a little chip put in them at birth. Easy GPS and tracking, right?

6. Young people will get around on hoverboards. Older folks who can't have parts replacements will have hover wheelchairs.

7. Democracy in all nations will have been dead for 50 years, replaced with oligarchies run by the current shadow governments of corporations and the Illuminati. A cyborg will be president of the United Nations. The North Eastern and North Western United States, because of ancient nuclear capabilities, will be the most militarized and feared countries in the world. The Southern United States (the country will have split into three different areas in 100 years) will be a third-world, poor, and ravaged desolate area (it's not far from that now). Texas will belong to Mexico.

8. We'll communicate with telepathy, and our thoughts will not be our own. I suppose we will lease those, too. This trend will cause a whole subsection of humanity to flee cities and communities, and settle in remote and isolated areas, preferably separated off by tinfoil and aluminum fences so that the brain waves will not travel and be picked up by those dreadful machines. These people will be considered "subhuman" by others (but they will really be the only remaining humans).

9. The world will have one monetary currency.

10. We will only speak three languages: English, Spanish, and Mandarin (or some form of Chinese).

11. Colonies of wealthy people will have relocated to the moon. To make it easy to get the servants they need, we'll have space tubes that people can hop into and travel up there for work. They will speak in whatever language they want, I suppose.

12. More than 3/4 of the species that exist now will be extinct. We will not have frogs, bears, most birds, many insects, and other critters that make life interesting. Whole generations will think the only animals alive are dogs, cats, and cyborg humans.

13. War will be a constant and take place in every part of the globe, mostly over water and other natural resources.

My predictions are rather dire, I fear, but I don't really see much good coming out of humanity these days.


My other thoughts for 2015 regard you, dear reader. I hope that you have good health, prosperity, and joy in the days to come. May you be blessed (and let's not worry about 100 years from now. Most of us won't be here to see it, anyway).


Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here. I've been playing for a while and this is my 376th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

Emails Not Sent and FB Messages Not Posted

This is an email I started to send to my least favorite local hospital (biggest employer, located in downtown, you know the one):

Hello Nurse ____,

Thank you for follow-up email to my visit today to see about my ankle pain. It is very kind of you to write.

My take-away from my visit with Dr. _______ was that I have flat feet, I can try a change in orthotics and hope that stops the bones in my ankle rubbing together, and if that doesn't work, well, too bad. I was not given any options if that doesn't help. If I need to have custom orthotics, it would have been nice to have had some information about that. For example, does that require a prescription?

After my appointment I went to the shoe store as instructed and spent $200 on new shoes and orthotics, which may or may not help. In the meantime, I guess I am to tolerate the pain and keep limping along as I have for the last six months because I'm a 51-year-old overweight woman and therefore completely unimportant.

Dr. ____ probably did not spend 10 minutes with me, and he certainly did not seem to comprehend or understand that I am in a great deal of pain not only from my foot but that I also have other health care issues that affect my foot issue. I realize whole body medicine is a thing of the past, but honestly I am not just a body part. I'm a whole person.

I also realize it is not your fault that [hospital] cares so little for its patients. I was giving [hospital] a second chance but will not give it a third. Thus, I will not be back to see Dr. ______. I will try another doctor not affiliated with [hospital] if I decide to pursue this.

Happy new year to you. I hope 2015 is a good year for you, and that it is the year that [hospital] finds a heart. Goodness knows it needs one.

****

And then I started to post this on FB but didn't:

Not that anyone cares, but I still think [hospital] gives awful service and if I have my way, I will never again see another [hospital] doctor. I'm grateful they saved my husband's hand, but in my experience the doctors there treat women poorly and I do not get decent care at any of their facilities. I am treated as if I'm just in the way and certainly not like a human being. Even my husband has noticed that he is treated better than I am, and we both think it is gender-bias. You'd think a company with a female CEO would remember that half the population is not male.

****

This is just me ranting now here on my blog:

The health care in this valley is terrible. I have been lucky to find a good primary care doctor (not affiliated with any hospital, I might note) and a physical therapist (also not affiliated with any hospital or large health care provider), (and both are female), but otherwise health care here is more about popping pills and taking people's money than saving lives. I am so disgusted with the system that I expect I will die young just because I'm ornery enough to tell them all to go to hell and take their damn pills and leave me alone.

Some things do not work well as businesses. Government is not a business. Health care should not be treated as a business, either. They are entities unto themselves that have separate rules and they should not be lumped under the idiotic capitalistic money-hungry asinine society that we have created to keep people as slaves and servants to the monkeys with the money. For God's sake, will somebody realize that money is the problem and put the human equation back into the mix.

Goodbye 2014

Don't let the door hit you in the butt on your way out of here!

 

Hawk

I took these shots on a very gray day, and they did not turn out as well as I might have liked. My Nikon likes a little more light.

Sunrise, December 27, 2014

Sunday Stealing: Thank God This Year is Nearly Over

From Sunday Stealing

The New Year's Eve Meme

In 2014, I gained: more gray hair and wrinkles.

I lost: mobility.

I stopped: dreaming.

I started: getting old.

I was hugely satisfied by: my friends who rallied around me.

And frustrated by: my inability to get better.

I am so embarrassed that I: am not writing more.

Once again, I: spent too much time at the computer.

Once again, I did not: write a book.

The biggest physical difference between me last December and this December is: I am walking with a cane.

The biggest psychological difference between me last December and this December is: I am not feeling very hopeful.

I loved spending time: with my husband and friends.

Why did I spend even two minutes: thinking that certain people might change.

I should have spent more time: taking care of myself.

I regret buying: I can't think of anything.

I will never regret buying... even though with that money I could have ... Can't think of an answer to this, either.

I ate way too much.

I didn’t exercise enough.

Politics drove me crazy.

The most relaxing place I went was into the bowels of a good book. I haven't been away from home except for doctor's visits since 2012.

Why did I go to the trouble of being nice?

The best thing I did for someone else was I took care of my husband when he was injured.

The best thing I did for myself go to physical therapy.

The best thing someone did for me was to take care of me while my husband was injured.

The one thing I’d like to do again, but do it better, - I can't think of anything. I'm mostly just glad this year is nearly over.

Saturday 9: Marshmallow World

Saturday 9: Marshmallow World (1963)
Unfamiliar with this week's song? Hear it here.

1. This song likens fluffy clouds to marshmallows. What does the sky look like where you are today?

A. It is a beautiful pale blue streaked with white clouds and contrails.

 

2. The lyrics refer to snowballs. Have you ever been in a snowball fight?

A. When I was a child.

3. Chionophobia is fear of snow. What phobias do you have?

A. Fear of Sucess

4. In 2004, Canadian school children raised money for charity by setting a new world record: the most snow angels made in 24-hour period. Have you ever participated in a fundraising stunt?

A. Not that I recall, unless working to sell BBQ chicken and baked potatoes can be called a fundraising stunt.

5. When marshmallows were first introduced, they were used for medicinal purposes. Specifically to soothe sore throats. What do you take when your throat is bothering you?

A. I gargle with a mix of vinegar, salt, honey, and tabasco sauce. Really.


6. Marshmallows are an important ingredient in the Rice Krispies Treat recipe. If you were asked to prepare something for a bake sale, what would you make?

A. Fudge.

7. Darlene played Danny Glover's wife in the Lethal Weapon movies. Do you enjoy action movies?

A. Sometimes.

8. Darlene's father advised her to always, "shoot for the stars." Share some good advice you've received.

A. Don't give up.

9. Will you be returning/have you returned any holiday gifts?
A. I will be, yes. I usually wait until the crowd dies down a little.

So This Was Christmas . . . in 2014

I took no photos. Not a single one.

We put up the small artificial tree, not the big one, right after Thanksgiving.

I made 9 pounds of fudge, not 15.

James made the sugar cookies from Pillsbury dough this year, and he made the cookies the size of plates.

On Christmas Eve, we had 15 people visit, starting at 1:15 and lasting until 8:15 p.m. Visitors included my aunt, my friend Diane (who gave me one of my favorite presents this year), my brother and his family, my father and his new family, and my mother-in-law. I served up lots of huge cookies, fudge, potato chips, meat balls, corn dogs, cheese ball, and a veggie tray.

Christmas Day, I rose from the bed at 5:40 a.m. and we had Christmas within 45 minutes or so. My husband gave me jewelry, clothes, and a food laminator (vacuum sealer).

We went to my mother-in-law's house and saw my nephews and sister-in-law. We were back home by noon. It was the first time in 31 years that we'd had Christmas at my mother-in-law's house in the morning instead of the afternoon.

I've already removed the wreaths from the doors, replaced my Santa flag with a snowman one, and taken away some decorations.

This year needs to hurry on out of here.

I am ready for spring.

Thursday Thirteen #375

Merry Christmas! I hope your Christmas Day is proving to be a splendid one.

Here are 13 presents I remember receiving over the last 51 years:

1. A blue bicycle with a Batgirl doll sitting on the seat (I was 5 years old).

2. Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots. I think that was my brother's game, but it takes two to play. He generally got the better toys as far as I was concerned. I wasn't much on dolls. He received the cool things like Legos and Erector sets.

3. An Easy Bake Oven.

4. A pair of cowboy boots (from my future husband; his first Christmas present to me).

5. A string of pearls (last year from my husband).

6. An RCA stereo (from my mother the year she died).

7. A food processor (from my father, 1989).

8. A set of luggage (from my parents, when I was 16).

9. A rocking chair (when I was 11).

10. An electric Epiphone guitar (when I was 14 or so).

11. Nancy Drew books. At one time I wanted to grow up to write Nancy Drew books, or something similar. That's still really all I want to do, I think. Who wants to be burdened with writing The Great American Novel, anyway?

12. A Nikon FG-20 film camera (in 1985). This was my first good camera, and I used it for newspaper photography up until the paper started using digital photos. I still have the camera. It was a great little piece.

13. My house. While not really a Christmas present, we moved in just after Thanksgiving in 1987, so I think it counts as a Christmas present. It was the best gift of all.

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here. I've been playing for a while and this is my 375th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

Christmas Eve, 2014

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU!

A big shout-out and a thank-you to my blog readers, who keep me on my toes and help me keep up with my writing and photography. I am very grateful to you for spending time with me.

I hope that Santa is good to all of you tomorrow, and that as things wind down, you find a moment to reflect on your year and determine to change the things that were not to your liking.

Best wishes to you, one and all!

Happy Holidays from Blue Country Magic aka CountryDew aka Anita

Little Christmas Eve

In Norway and Sweden, and probably other countries, this day is known as Little Christmas Eve. I love that! I think it's a super name for the day before Christmas Eve. So I call it that, now, too.

Traditionally, this is the day to put up the tree and decorations. I imagine that comes from a time when the Christmas season didn't start before Halloween. You know, before it became the Capitalist Holiday that it is now.

I learned of this tradition from my friend Inga, who lives in England but whose family origins lie in Norway. Many years ago, when she informed me of the day, I was charmed by the idea of it, though I am not Norwegian or Swedish, as far as I know. I still love it as a lead-in to the Christmas celebrations.

Christmas Eve has always been important to me, perhaps more so than Christmas Day. Christmas Eve is the day of anticipation, when the idea of tomorrow is so great that you might pee your pants in excitement. I know of no other day that brings about such emotional turmoil (of course, then there's a huge let-down after Christmas, but that's another blog post).

Today is also my nephew's 20th birthday.  He's a quiet young man, working through his sophomore year at Roanoke College. I think about how young he is - he grew up with computers and cell phones, and lives in an age of great uncertainty. I am not happy being an old person in our current society, but I am not so sure that being a young one would be much better.

When I was 20, I married and set up housekeeping with my husband. That was 31 years ago, so long I can scarcely remember being that age. I hope he takes advantage of his youth and health. Both are fleeting.

Anyway, Happy Birthday to Trey, and Happy Little Christmas Eve to everyone else.

May all your days be blessed.

The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies

You may not want to read this if you've not see the movie, though I will try not to give away anything. This is mostly my impression of the movie and the series as a whole.

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Yesterday we ventured out to see the final movie in Peter Jackson's vision of Tolien's tale, The Hobbit. The Hobbit is a prequel to Lord of the Rings, and as prequels frequently do, the movies raised a lot of questions, including the main one: if the elves and Gandalf knew 60 years prior to Lord of the Rings that Sauron had returned, why did it take so long for them to do something about it?

That question is not answered in its entirety in the theater release, so don't expect resolution. I have been buying the extended versions of The Hobbit, which includes more film footage and a story line not even included in the theatrical release, so perhaps the query will be better answered there. But I will have to wait until next fall sometime to learn it.

In my opinion, this last movie was the weakest of the six movies, which is a pity. One should not end something so wonderful as this series of movies on the lowest note. I never thought stretching The Hobbit out into three movies was a good idea because there simply wasn't enough material there. I liked Jackson's additions, as far as they went, but he either needed to veer away more from the book or simply have two movies.

Do not think I was disappointed in the movie. I was not. But  As movies go it was better than most, but I would rate it last of the six. I rank the movies (as movies) like this: The Return of the King, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Two Towers, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, and The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies. They should be watched in order, though, and taken as a whole.

One of the things that bothered me was the change in CGI and computer effects. They are better in The Hobbit, of course, than they were in Lord of the Rings. The Lord of the Rings was filmed 12 years ago, and the technology has changed. That being said, I would have preferred The Hobbit to have been filmed in the older technology. I think that certain CGI characters should have looked like they did in the older films. The nine ring wraiths, for example, should have looked the same as they did in Lord of the Rings. And the Eye should have looked as it did in the first movies, except perhaps less. If the Eye was at full strength in Lord of the Rings, then it should have been weaker-looking, not stronger-looking, in The Hobbit.

These are, of course, picky little things, things that a geek like myself would notice. I doubt most of the theater-going public pay that much attention. I daresay they don't watch The Lord of the Rings movies two or three times a year, as I do.

The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies was a weak movie because of lack of character development. There was precious little of it, even though the movie moved along very quickly for 2.5 hours. Aside from Thorin and Galadriel, character development was minimal. Blood, at least, was kept to a minimum even though there are a lot of deaths. There wasn't even much plot, to be honest. It was just a big battle, so it was aptly named.

This is not a stand-alone movie. Anyone who sees this movie who has never seen the others will be completely lost. They will wonder what the draw is and why people love the story as a whole.

As with books, I am not much on stories that depend on things that preceded them to make them whole. A story that depends solely upon familiarity with preceding books or movies to move it along seems to me to be poorly told.

I cried at the end of this movie as I bid farewell to these much-loved characters and this series of movies. The Lord of the Rings has touched me in a way nothing else I've watched ever has. Though the books as a whole are irritating to me because of the lack of women in the stories, as allegory and commentary on humanity and society, they are difficult to beat. And Jackson, to his credit, did add some women into the stories to help offset the total maleness of Tolkien's books.

So I bid my farewell to Gandalf and Bilbo, to Frodo and Sam. I kiss the cheeks of Galadriel, Arwen, and Eowyn. I will revisit you on the small screen in my annual forays, and I will see you all in my dreams.

Sunday Stealing: The Christmas Meme

From Sunday Stealing
The Christmas Meme


1. Do you send Christmas cards?

A. Yes. I sent out about 60 cards this year.
 
2. How soon do you start shopping?

A. September.

3. Who do you shop for?

A. Friends and family.
 
4. Do you put up a Christmas tree?

A. Yes.
 
5. If so, is it fake or real?

A. Fake.
 
6. Do you like tinsel?

A. We have it on the tree.
 
7. Do you use homemade or store bought ornaments?

A. Store bought.
 
8. Do you put Christmas lights outside your house?

A. We didn't this year but we have in previous years.
 
9. Do you put lights on the tree?

A. It came with lights.
 
10. How about popcorn and cranberries?

A. No.
 
11. Is there a wreath hanging on your door?

A. Yes.
 
13. Do you hang up your stocking?

A. Yes.
 
14. Does your family read "Twas the night before Christmas?"

A. No, but sometimes I recite just for fun. I know most of it by heart.
 
15. Christmas movie?

A. It's a Wonderful Life
 
16. Character from any Christmas Movie?

A. Scrooge
 
17. Christmas Song?

A. Do You Hear What I Hear?
 
18. Christmas Memory?

A. That time I asked for a BB gun and nearly shot my eye out. No, wait. That's a movie.
 
19. Give or Receive?

A. How about both?
 
22. Ham or Turkey?

A. Either. I don't really care.
 
24. White Lights or Colored Lights?

A. Colored lights.
 
25. Blinking lights or still lights?

A. Blinking.

26. Were you Naughty or Nice this year?

A. I was nice. I'm always nice. I'm so darned nice that nice just falls right off of me in the middle of the parking lot.
 
27. What do you want for Christmas this year?

A. I didn't really ask for anything this year except for a food laminator. That, my dears, is what I call a food vacuum sealer thingy.

28. When do you open your gifts?

A. Christmas morning, for the majority. But some I open early, with friends or family members. My brother and I have a tradition of exchanging presents on Christmas Eve.
 
29. What's the best gift you've ever gotten?

A. Well, it won't be a food laminator, even if I get one. My husband gave me pearls last year and I really liked those.
 
30. What's the worst gift you've ever gotten?

A. Well, it won't be a food laminator, even if I get one, since that is what I've asked for. I don't know that I've ever gotten a bad gift; I am always grateful for whatever anyone cares to give me. Now the worst Christmas bonus I ever received from an employer was a measly $2.00, which I considered a terrible insult at the time. I'd have rather he'd gone out and bought me a box of chocolates, which at that time he could have done for that amount of cash.
 
31. Who gives you the most gifts?

A. My husband.
 
32. Have you ever had a secret Santa?

A. Not in many years.
 
33. Do you like wrapping gifts?

A. I don't anymore. I used to enjoy it.
 
34. Do you put change in those red buckets?

A. Sometimes.

35. Do you burn a yule log?

A. Nope.
 
36. Can you name all the reindeer?

A. Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixon, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, Rudolph, and Olive the Other Reindeer.
 
37. Do you bake cookies?

A. Yes. I also make darned good fudge.
 
38. Have you ever seen your mommy kissing Santa Clause?

A. I'm not going to answer that.
 
39. Have you ever gotten a kiss under the mistletoe?

A. Yes.
 
41. Do you drive around and look at the Christmas lights?

A. Sometimes.
 
42. Have you ever left Santa cookies?

A. I'm sure I did when I was quite young.
 
43. Have you ever sat on Santa's lap?

A. Yes.
 
44. Who do you celebrate Christmas with?

A. My husband, my family, my friends.
 
45. Where do you celebrate Christmas?

A. My house, my in-laws house, my father's house, sometimes. In restaurants with friends. You celebrate Christmas wherever you are when you're with people you love.
 
46. Have you ever had a white Christmas?

A. Yes.
 
47. What part of Christmas do you look most forward to?

A. The end of it, at least, this year. I'm feeling a little less happy this year than I have in previous ones.
 
48. Have you ever had your picture taken with Santa?

Yes, I have.

Me with Santa in 2012. (That's my
father in the red suit. Really.)
 

Saturday 9: Happy Holidays!

Saturday 9: Happy Holidays!

1. As you can see, Sam (the author of this meme) loved giving her annual wish list to Santa. Yet some children are reluctant to climb into Jolly Old St. Nick's lap. Did you enjoy the tradition or were you shy? Or did you by pass it altogether -- either because you wrote him a letter or because your family didn't celebrate Christmas?

A. When I was quite small I think Santa scared me, but after I aged a bit I didn't mind. I don't recall ever really writing letters. Also, I had figured out by the time I was five years old who Santa really was, which rather took the fun out of it. I was too smart for my own good.

2. Are you currently on the Naughty or Nice list? How did you get there?

A. I would hope I'm on the Nice list. I am there because I am good to my husband, kind to my friends, and polite and moral to every one else. I try to treat people like I want to be treated.


3. Did you ship any gifts to friends and family this year? If so, which one traveled the farthest?

A. I sent my grandmother, who is 94 years old and has dementia, a card with a letter inside it. I hope someone reads it to her and she has some moment of clarity wherein she understands some of it. She lives in California and I am in Virginia. But the gift that traveled the farthest went to England, to my friend, Inga.

4. Did you buy yourself a gift this year?

A. Actually, yes. I purchased two sweaters that were on sale on Black Friday because the price was terrific, and I am cold all the time. The sweaters are very warm. 
5. What's your favorite holiday-themed movie?

A. It's A Wonderful Life, although I am also partial to versions of A Christmas Carol. And it isn't Christmas without Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

6. Thinking of movies, Christmas is lucrative for Hollywood. Have you ever gone to a movie theater on Christmas Day?

A. Not that I recall.

7. Have you ever suffered an embarrassing moment at the company Christmas party?

A. I haven't been to a company Christmas party in years, since I'm a self-employed freelancer. 
8. What's your favorite beverage in cold weather?

A. Hot chocolate.

9. What will you remember most about 2014?

A. I imagine most of my readers know the answer to this one: my husband's terrible farm accident wherein he caught his arm in the hay baler. That was an eye-opening experience for us both. We are hoping for a better 2015.

The Brilliance of Tolkien

Every year since the movies came out, I revisit Tolkien's world in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy. I have the extended versions of each movie, which has scenes not viewed by the majority in the theatrical release.

This go-round, I was struck by the scene in Return of the King where Sméagol becomes Gollum. You can see a short clip of it here.

As the Ring takes Gollum, the former Hobbit-like being says, "We forgot the taste of bread, the sound of trees, the softness of the wind. We even forgot our own name."

He is so busy worshipping his new god, The One Ring, that he loses sight of every thing else. In the beginning, he weeps to be so alone, but eventually, he is more comfortable alone.

And so I began to wonder, are we all now Gollums, trapped here in our capitalistic society, where we worship not a single empowered ring but instead are so busy chasing after the worshipped manna (money) that we, too, have "forgot our own name."

You are saying, "Of course I know my name," aren't you? But it is not your given name that I speak of. I am speaking of your sacred name, your secret name, the name that life blessed you with. The name you would know if your feet felt the earth, the wind touched your skin, and you foraged for your own food. The name that you would own as yours, had you been given the choice. It's probably not the name you use now.

We have stepped away from simpler times, built ourselves concrete mansions and roadways, shied away from all that is natural and good, have we not? Our ceremonies are staid affairs, boring and culturally inclined - because we risk ostracism if we burst forth from societal norms and dance naked beneath the stars.

Our lives are singular now, built around devices that sneakily suck us in as creating connectedness. Instead, they make us more alone, so that we are fornicating with ourselves in the dark instead of making love with great passion to someone who has touched our soul. We sit in crowded coffee shops, a person to a table, or a group not speaking. Does anyone talk any more?

Today's society is built upon a past that apparently we decided, at some point, we must outrun, not embrace. Every morning my Facebook page, my newspaper, and my other information outlets have news foul enough to send me weeping into the farthest corner of my house, where I might crawl into a fetal position and hide my sorry head. I read it, as do you, as if it means nothing, as if the deaths of others do not diminish me. But we know that they do. We must know that, somewhere in our core.

We seem to have forgotten that each of us, no matter how small, can make a difference, and that our presence and our present matters to the future. We are living only for the next coin. How, I must ask, can this be healthy?

As we ravage nature, destroy her wonders, and plunder the earth, what exactly are we losing? Are we not losing resources as well as ourselves? I wonder if we are moving beyond that which is human, and evolving into some other creature. And if so, what kind of creature will we ultimately become?

We are not detached from this world. We are not Gollums hiding in caves, worshipping our golden rings. We are part of the universe, the greater good, and society as a whole. Why do we act then like Gollums, speaking riddles in the dark, knowing there is no one to answer?

It is time, I think, for a new revolution. We are free people but we have enslaved ourselves with consumerism, our passion for ownership, and our desires for more. We have no idea what it is like to dance naked beneath the stars, to feel the grass beneath our feet, to taste the tender softness of an apple plucked fresh from the tree. More worrying, most of us don't care about what we have lost, because we are so far removed from it. We don't miss what we've never known.

Christmas, alas, is the ultimate consumerist holiday, teaching our youth from a very young age how to ask for what they want, not how to give in return. I'm as guilty as the next person, I'm sorry to say, except perhaps in saner moments like this one in which I am writing. My eyes open occasionally to let Gollum go, freeing him to seek his Precious elsewhere. But the fell darkness that we have created doesn't take long to cover up whatever light I may stumble upon. My eyes darken.

I want this revolution, if not for the world, then for myself, and for you. Open your heart. I want to open my heart. I want to remember what it is like to love with yearning, to not ask for more than I need. In a world that is full of more, I want to learn how to do with less.

Am I strong enough to resist the call of The One Ring? Are you?

Thursday Thirteen

Today I thought I'd list 13 people I am thankful for:



Me and my #1 Dude

1. My husband. He is my number one dude, my best friend, my boon companion, my provider, comforter, lover  - all rolled into one big cuddly package. He is the best.

2. My brother. He is the only other person in this world who shares my childhood memories with me, and has any chance of halfway seeing them from my point of view.

3. My father. We don't spend a lot of time together, but he's still my dad.

4. My doctor. I have a wonderful primary care doctor. She listens, spends time with me, and gives really good hugs. She doesn't hesitate to say she doesn't have all the answers and will send me wherever she thinks I need to go to find those answers. She's not in with any of the big health care providers because she couldn't spend the time she wanted with her patients. She told me once she had been constantly fussed at by the bean counters for a big facility she once worked for because she wasn't in and out of a patient's room in 10 minutes. She will spend 40 minutes with me if I need it. Isn't that real health care? I think so.

5. My physical therapist. I have a terrific physical therapist who is caring and an expert at her job. She gives a lot of thought to my issues and comes up with inventive and creative ways to help me deal with my very weird and somewhat unusual pain and abnormalities. We laugh a lot together, too.

My friend Leslie

6. My friend Leslie. She has been my friend for more than 30 years, and how many people can say they have had a friend that long? We met when I went to work at the same law office, back in 1983, and have been friends ever since. She's a gentle and kind soul, and I am delighted to have her in my life.

7. My friend Brenda. We've been close friends for over 15 years now, which is also a long time. She keeps me on my toes and is always ready to lend an ear when I need a chat. She's a dear person.

8. My friend Teresa. She's a relatively new friend - we've known each other for about four years now, and been good friends for two. She has helped me tremendously with this health situation, and she was beside me when my husband was seriously hurt this summer. She's super sweet and I am grateful she's in my life.

9. My aunt, Carolyn. I don't see her much because she travels all over the country (and out of the country, too!) doing specialized computer stuff that I do not profess to understand. She's always been there when I needed her.

10. My mother-in-law. She has been a good mother-in-law and she raised my husband, so she must have been a good mother, too. She is going strong at 81 and living an enviable life for her age. She's in great health, too. I admire her ability to make a new life for herself after the death of my father-in-law, and how she just goes on and does what she wants to. She is a good role model.

Chris & Emory

Trey

11. My nephews. A three-in-one here, with the boys all grown young men now. Emory is studying medicine, Chris is a certified welder, and Trey is in college studying to be a nutritionist or something like that. I am very proud of all of three of them. They are fine fellows, and while I don't see as much of them as I would like, they do drop in occasionally to check on their ol' aunt and uncle.

Zoe'

12. My niece. She's a spiffy teenager, now. A beauty pageant queen and a dancer, Zoe' is the light in her father's eye.

13. Santa Claus. Ha! Fooled you on that one, didn't I? But what would this time of year be without that jolly ol' elf, and the lore surrounding him? All that eye-twinkling and cherry red checks stuff, and ho ho ho-ing. Isn't it fun? Doesn't it make for a splendiferous and remarkable bounty of color in an otherwise drab and dreary time?

And last but not least, I am grateful for you, dear blog reader, whoever you might be, wherever you are. I don't know who most of my readers are, but I know some of you, and I appreciate each and every one. Thank you for visiting me and spending part of your time reading my words. I wish you much joy and great festivities during this holiday season.




Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here. I've been playing for a while and this is my 374th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

My Christmas Letter

We send out about 60 cards this time year, wishing folks a joyous holiday and Happy New Year. I write personal notes in some cards, particularly to those folks whom I haven't seen in some time, or am not friends with on Facebook.

I enjoy remembering these people with kindness and love, sometimes with a story or a prayer when I think of them. However, we do not send out a holiday letter. My husband hates them and shudders at the mere mention of one. He doesn't read the ones we receive, though I do. I don't mind them. I like knowing how folks are doing and what they are up too, even if half the time I don't know who or what they're talking about.

Most folks know I am a writer of sorts, so I occasionally am asked why I don't send out something with my cards. The above would be the reason - I don't override my husband's protests (except on really important matters). The other is, I don't think we're that interesting. But if I had written a letter to stick in the cards (which have all gone out in the mail), it would have read something like this:

The year's nearly over, time's running out quick
It's been 18 months now since Anita's been sick.
It's been a rough time for this Firebaugh clan.
The summer went sour when James injured his hand.
He fought the hay baler like a knight on a steed,
but had to cry, "uncle" when the thing made him bleed.
His angel was watching, the doc saved his arm
by September he was back working the farm.
For six months, physical therapy filled up their time.
"Growing old sucks," Anita's been heard to opine.
She uses a cane now, thanks to a bad foot
And while she's still writing, she's not touched her book.
They both have gray hair, (what hair James may have)
and each morning starts out with some smelly joint salve.
Such creaking and groaning, these two when they rise
they sound like Rice Crispies, that childhood surprise.
Though the year's been a hard one, they put on bright smiles
and send you good wishes from across the miles.

Happy Holidays, whatever you do,
may your upcoming year be the best one for you.

Or maybe I could have written something like this:

Dear Friends and Loved Ones,

What a year we've had! James, as most of you know, caught his hand and arm in a hay baler on July 5. I will never forget that awful day, the way he drove himself home on the utility vehicle and then told me he'd just "cut himself" and needed stitches at the Daleville urgent care. The look on the poor doctor's face when we removed the old sheet James had wrapped around his arm would have been laughable had I not at that moment realized the extent of the injury. Needless to say, the doctor called an ambulance.

After two surgeries and five days in the hospital, James came home. I have to give a big shout-out and thank you to my brother, who was very helpful throughout this ordeal. He even changed the hot water heater elements for us, which unfortunately went out on the day James came home (and he was so longing for a shower, poor man!). Also many of you (you know who you are!) stepped forward to lend a hand, either helping with farm chores or bringing us a meal. I'm grateful.

James was housebound most of the summer - and that is not a good thing for a plow boy, I must say. He was diligent with his physical therapy, though, and was soon back at work. I am happy to report that he has recovered most of the function of his hand. He grinned from ear to ear just this past week when he was able to work the throttle and brake on his motorcycle. Oh happy day!

As for me, in January I went to UVA for my abdominal pain, but no one had any advice except to find a pain specialist. I had a CT Scan in the spring, which showed nothing, and a visit with a local surgeon produced no tangible results, either. An endoscopy in September indicated that my multiple bleeding ulcers (diagnosed in October 2013) were better. Though not quite healed, they certainly were no longer the concern they were the previous fall. That was my personal best news all year (James' recovery, of course, took the cake.)

I began physical therapy in April, and have been going consistently since August (there was a break there when James was hurt, of course). The PT has helped a little, but unfortunately, I developed a weird issue with my right foot. (Of course it's a weird issue, it's me!) My gait changed, and my foot turned outward. One theory is the adhesions in my abdomen (that's what the diagnosis on the pain is, scar tissue build-up) pulled my pelvis out of alignment, causing me to walk incorrectly on my foot and ankle and damage a tendon. I see a specialist on December 31 about that. Way to start the New Year, eh?

I also went to UNC in August for additional diagnosis on the belly pain. UNC has a Women's Hospital and I had no idea they had such a huge facility there. They couldn't help, either, though.

The cows are good - James likes the new paddocks and water troughs he installed the summer of 2013. That is working well for him. He continues to stay busy with not only the farm but also his septic tank installation work and his work at the fire department. He would like to retire from the fire department soon, but like most folks have found, health insurance is an issue.

I enjoy watching the deer out the window. Sometimes they come right up and look in the house. They are curious animals. I have also been doing a lot of reading. Current events make me sad.

The rest of the family is well. As far as I know, both of our immediate families are doing okay. We're very proud of nephews and our niece. They are growing up to be fine young people.

Hope your year has been blessed and wonderful, and that 2015 is a joyous one for you.

The Firebaughs


Anyway, that's why we don't send out letters in our Christmas cards.