Cranberries and Heart Attacks...

Good Morning!

Once again to begin my entry with an non apology-   No wait, on 2nd thought, that is giving the issue WAY too much attention; so I have now chosen to 'end' this blog with that bit of info...

The photo above with the High Bush Cranberries, the evergreens and a few sumacs thrown in- Oh, I wish I was decent at framing is all-  It would make a great Christmas card too if there had been a bit of snow! 

Speaking of Christmas cards, they are another of my passions, so if you would like to be included on my little list please send me a message. (No Silly Friends of mine, do NOT put your address in the comments section)!

I spent yesterday trying to dig some old things out of the attic to list on eBay- (yes Mombie, it IS getting a wee bit chilly up in that attic)!  And to do the research on so many things just boggles ones mind...  (To me, reading is like the old Lays Potato Chip commercial... you can't eat just one).  I cannot stop reading just because (maybe)  I found the history of the item, or the mfg company that I was looking for...

Almost had my first heart attack too.  After checking the fuel oil in the tank, I thought to call Olsen Oil for a fill.  The bill? A few dollars and cents short of $500.00!    Madder than a (cold) wet hen,  I promptly turned the thermostat off!   I have since set it to a balmy 64 degrees...  Think 'balmy' -think 'warm'   -Repeat after me... "This IS more than warm enough"... "This is MORE than warm enough"... "This is MORE than warm enough"...

(Um NOPE, it's not working)! 

...And so I am back here with my turtleneck and a sweatshirt- warmish booties, (with a dog on my feet too)! And I am thinking that perhaps a blanket would be nice also...   [They were wrong again- those nasty meteorologists- They said it would only get down to 36 degrees, and right now it is 33.1 degrees,  ...and falling]!  

Funny sense of humor that God has; as I wrote this last paragraph,  I heard the furnace kick in...   (I'm not laughing)!   And yes, I know it will be getting much worse before it gets better!  It is high time to adjust my internal thermostat then...

And now, speaking of my internal thermostat- No, my internal 'upsetometer' I shall fill you in...

It has been brought to my attention that I say unfeeling and uncaring things- And that in my last few entries I have been urged to 'take it back' - ...the little jokes about the Alzheiners etc etc etc.  

Once again, it is NOT my intention to hurt anyones tender feelings, nor do I mean to make light of this terrible disease-  But I wanted to let you know that you were terribly wrong in assuming that I have never watched anyone have to die from this disease.   My mothers cousin- who was very close to our hearts- spent her last years in a nursing home-  Alone, except for the company that my mother and I, and my young children provided when we could get away- (Generally this was 2 or 3 times a week; and I am sure that my girls will also remember visiting her there)... After about 15 years of fighting this beast, she passed on-  

As I simply stated in my prior entry "Think Own Digest Feel"  I stated that 'short of murder and mayhem there are not too many scenarios that I remain virgin to'    This would be another of those experiences and scenarios.  

I shall NOT be urged to dwell on these experiences and memories as negatives- nor shall  I be persuaded to say I am sorry for making light of it.   We have learned much from them; and we have grown because of it...

If I cannot find a wee bit of joy; a twinkle in everything, then I believe I might have lost a little part of myself along the way. 

Gee,  I am thinking that in this blog alone, I have made fun of the weatherman, chickens, bills and heart failure.    Should I now be waiting to hear negative input from these persons as well?   I think not.  My own sense of humor, the ability to laugh at adversity- and yes even disease- is what makes me ME!   Stare it in the face.  Find the joy! (Think "out of the box")... Laugh often.   And then GET OVER IT already!

Another bit of insight here...  When I would go with my sister Mary to her chemo appointments, we were literally surrounded by people that were so sad, and in such dire circumstances.  We CHOSE to make light of everything that went on- including others-  (And those people actually even had the nerve to thank us for that)! For being able to see past the gloom and doom of their situations, and for bringing a bit of joy to them as they received their own chemo treatments. Some of these people had only weeks to live, and I'd like to think that giving them a few smiles hopefully made their last days of this Earth a bit easier. 

Many years ago I had cut out this writing in the paper and even though it is written with another New Year in mind, I do not hesitate to use it now...

"So there caller.  Do NOT call me unfeeling! It is just that when the New Year rings in, I am NOT engulfed in a great emotional tide. Instead, I wonder how the new year will stack up against the old one.

You don't just slice off a 12 month helping of life, digest it and forget about it.   You sort it and you savor it. You turn it over in your mind and you store away the good. You take the bad and learn from it. You chuck out the mediocre, the indifferent and the innocuous."

I have learned that without joy, there would be no reason for the new year- let alone a new day!

May you all find joy, and laughter, in each new day!

XOXO



Anne

 

And after the comment, please don't forget about my Christmas card list... (You are too that special to me)!