I was robbed...

South Florida is a place for different cultures.....You name it, it's here and probably on your block, too. Hispanic culture would be the majority but there are many flavors of it; Cuban, Puerto Rican, Costa Rican, Peruvian, etc. Indian-Seminole and Miccousoukee are evident as well as German, Irish, Lebanese, Portugese, Polish, Italian, African-American and South African. And then there is Indian, Pakistani and Phillipino and we could never forget the islands! Jamaica, Bahamas, Trinidad and my personal favorite:Turks Caico Islands. Haiti is the other half of the Dominican Republic; I always found that fascinating, wondering when and where Creole ended and Spanish started...

Culture is a wonderful thing but I have no culture: none, nada, nothing! My mother's family was predominantly German, but I don't even have a recipe for potato salad or any kind of cabbage dish, nothing...I suspect that some of the ancestors were also Jewish, but again, no recipes, NO traditions passed on...My father's family were apparently "mutts" Irish, English? Scottish? and American Indian? My dad again, passed on NO culture or tradition or evidence of either.

We like to "pretend"we are Irish through and through on St Patty's day! We go to the parade, wear green, eat Irish food and drink beer and have a grand time of it,we do! We would 'kiss a blarney stone' for sure if ya placed one close by. But do we have Irish linen in our homes and Irish prayers on plaques on the walls? No, no we don't. Do our kids take Irish Step classes? Nope!

We are not even Catholic...my cousins and half siblings are at least Catholic...! We have no religion that is rich in tradition to pass on and fuss about.We are protestants without culture. We have nothing to pass on, except perhaps a few hymns; "Just as I am without One Plea, The Old Rugged Cross...We are as "white bread" as you can get! My husband's family is the very same! Somehow, some people came over on the Mayflower and forgot who their "PEOPLE" were.

And now our children are having children with people of culture and I am sad that we have nothing to add and I am glad that they have something to relate to. Ireland and Puerto Rico would be wonderful places to travel to with my grandchildren and I can only dream of going to both places someday...

What do I pass on? I could cry and say "Woe is me" but I can only hope that my children and grandchildren feel that they, at the very least, have a culture of love and acceptance and humor and creativity.

My daughter and I have a "tradition" of watching and enjoying movies that are absolutely rich with culture and tradition. Some of our favorites are; Tortilla Soup, Nothing like the Holidays, This Christmas, Guess Who, Mystic Pizza, Return to Me, Love Actually, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Brothers McMullen, Dim Sung Funeral and Death at a Funeral to name a few...They all have a common thread-family, love and "home"

I guess if I have given a sense of "home" to my own family, then the love we share on holidays and other days will be tradition enough. And if our culture is to embrace others and include others into our lives as friends, then that is culture enough. I have always said "Blood does not make families, love does" And so if you have become a part of our family and we steal a recipe or two or go to a different kind of church with you or even wear green, or dance a salsa with you, then we are rich in so much more than culture or tradition, we are rich in love and friendship...

I'm coming home to the place where I belong, where your love has always been enough for me

Drug of Choice is...

Recently made a comment that I was out of gas, Running on Empty. I am about to chase Forrest Gump across the US of A just to get my mojo back! It disappeared one night a few weeks ago. Just happens to coincide with when I stopped blogging... Maybe my mojo IS blogging...

Just have not felt what we in the medical profession call "well" What was supposed to be wonderful and amazing-getting a new smile-went haywire...And then it was the addiction to something so benign... and yet malicious in the end! A druggist's dream, a toothaches' "Romeo"and I was calling out for ROMEO in my sleep! OR, WAIT! Was it Motrin I was calling for???

Motrin, advil, ibuprofen, whatever 'street' name you wanna call it...it is addicting! Another misguided woman I work with, searching for her smile, was trying to 'score' some the other day at the office. I hesitated, not wanting to share my goods with her, but then I began thinking of PAIN, our real arch enemy,and I gave in, and mumbled "Yeah, yeah, I have some, but it's just generic" Hoping that "generic" would dissuade her from taking any of my precious stash, but knowing too, by the look on her face that she,too, was on the road to The Big M Addiction.

What is it about DENTAL PAIN that only Motrin can relieve? It's a top held secret that only organizations like the FDA or DEA or FBI or even the CIA really know about! If word got out on the street, how effective this drug is, then the WHOLE economy would CRASH! Think I am kidding?

If people addicted to narcotics (due to pain issues) knew, that they could go to CVS or Walgreens and actually cop this stuff OTC! (over the counter) THEN! Then they wouldn't have to go to their PCP's (primary care physicians) and pay a co-pay and then get an Rx (prescription) and pay another co-pay and get the good stuff. BUT! and it's a BIG BUTT! (huh?) Anyway, the secret is this: Motrin alone, takes away DENTAL PAIN! you say "so what?" I'll tell ya what! Let me ask you! WHAT is the WORST pain you have ever endured????

OK, forget LABOR!, we ALL know that Labor is the Mother of All PAIN! And for all you guys ( and some girls) who just 'might' be reading, I'm gonna give you this: Kidney Stones, okay? (hardly worth capitalizing the letters for, right?) ALL other pain is curable without narcotic relief! Whoops, thought of one more: Hemorrhoids! Maybe that is why the Big Butt thought popped into my brain, butt anyway...God nor man has not now or EVER come up with a cure for what most people commonly refer to as a "pain in the ass" because we all know that most of these pains are people,not hemorrhoids! So that leaves Dental Pain taking First Prize!

SO! Next time PAIN comes knocking at your door or punches you in the mouth or tries to "birth" itself out of your body or into your body( wait a second! those DO call for the IV drugs: You're gonna need a doctor for this stuff!) Well, you get the picture! Just run yourself up the street and hook up with your local drug ( I was not gonna say "dealer" of course!) store! BUTT! Stay away from my 'turf' and stay in your own 'hood, cause MY CVS better never be out of the Big M!
I look around for the friends that I used to turn to to pull me through, Looking into their eyes, I see them running too...

Just itchin to tell you...

I can’t figure out what I am allergic to…I have hives that keep coming and going…It started about a week and a half ago. My whole torso was covered! And when you are plus-sized like me, we are talking a LOT of square footage. I am "itching to get out of" this predicament, pardon the pun…

I asked myself all the typical questions; Did I eat something different? Nope, don’t think so, I’m not exactly adventurous when it comes to food-meat and potatoes, please! And of course all the fixins; corn, gravy, sweet ice tea and key lime pie for dessert…I DID drink some Peach wine from the great state of Georgia, and I cut up a fresh Georgia peach to drop in the glass…Talk about dessert! Ya know there are preservatives in wine…hmm…Oh Dear God…I can’t be allergic to wine! My life is over if there be no sip yet left from the vine, which thou art made of! Geez, guess I will stop the Shakespeare stuff and all the “whining about wine” Although, I would like a little cheese with that…Never Mind!

Next question; Is this gonna take awhile? Is this gonna be longer than an F-cat test? Is this really gonna help me find the allergy culprit? Final answer to all three: “Maybe, definitely maybe”

Now I DID sit at someone else’s desk last week, but I don’t think she has any communicable diseases. Nothing like that showed up on her profile, anyway. She has no criminal record and she got pretty good grades in college and she was married and divorced twice to the same guy…Oops! Forgot what I was trying to get to! There is absolutely no reason whatsoever that I need to bring in an FBI profiler! And yet they DO have connections to people who investigate forensic evidence! I wonder if there is a way I could ‘sneak’ that chair out of the office…Hmmm…

Oh, the drama! I will save it for my mama! And she does not have any allergies except for iodine- that’s it! There must have been some iodine in the laundry soap, or the wine, or the chair or the, the, the…Aww, just forget it! I will never figure it out until I go to say, some kinda expert in allergies like perhaps, an allergist…Some of them are even doctors!

Guess I will just glob on some cortisone cream, take some Benadryl, make an appointment and call it a day, cause the Benadryl is gonna knock me out for a few hours!

Just itchin-twitchin-itchin for a break

A new day, a new dawn...

"It just wasn't meant to be" What does that mean? I was wishing that I could recall every time that was either said to me or that I said it to someone else! I imagine all those recollections could fill an entire book and I would be a best-selling author today instead of a blogger! But... I guess "it just wasn't meant to be"

Does this statement have something to do with God? I mean, are we gonna blame HIM again? Or did some oxymoron come up with this? You could potentially make this statement about almost any and ALL situations in your life! "There is no creamer for the coffee in the frig!" Guess you were meant  to drink it black today or even worse, not drink it at all? "I didn't get a good parking space!" Guess you were "meant" to walk a city block to get to an appointment that could be cancelled if you were not on time, or even worse, find a space a little closer, only to have the car door scratched by some idiot next to you! "I didn't get a raise" How could this EVER not be meant to be, UNLESS, you were the world's worst slacker!

So why do we say this? And should we blame it on somebody, some thing or someone? Well, YES! let's just find out who this guy is! Is it someone who "forgot" to stop at the store and actually BUY creamer? Is it because someone did not give themselves enough time to get to their appointment OR if they did, was there a traffic jam, or even worse, an accident that caused this? And about that raise, were YOU a slacker or was your boss a blockhead?

But all this "meant to be" crap is MOST commonly used for stuff like: not getting to buy the new house or car that you really wanted for whatever reason...not having that really special guy or girl return your attentions...not getting a job you wanted...not winning the lottery...wait a minute! how did THAT get in there?...Because I TOLD you...it can be used for any and all situations, remember?

So I'm not gonna blame God...He takes the blame for too much stuff already! Hmm, Should I really blame myself? I had only good intentions and I am NOT a slacker, so...NO, I'm not taking the rap! Let me think now, I am close, I am gonna come up with something! OK, got it! The UNIVERSE! That's it! Sometimes "the moon is in the seventh house and Jupiter aligns with Mars"

So, another problem solved, just by blogging! Hey! Do you think "it was meant to be?" that I am here in this particular place in the universe so that I can figure out one simple statement and put everyone's queries to rest??? Hmmm, maybe I was just meant to be here....

And peace will guide the planets and love will steer the stars...

Turn Down Day...

What do you do with feelings that just can’t be expressed? How do you respond? Especially when you have tried everything you can to make changes for the better in your life? How many hoops do you have to go through until you just throw in the towel and give up?

“Tears don’t help and words won’t do it” The tears are all dried up…if I had some, what would I do with them, anyway…I got ‘rid’ of them long ago and now they are few and far between… too bad.. sometimes they actually DO make you feel better…

So what do I do with the disappointment I have? Who do I blame? People in high places, with power over my life? Myself? I have already beat myself up a million times over my mistakes, so do I just keep on doing it? Or is it God? Do I dare to blame Him?

I read somewhere that God will “let you get boxed into a corner” sometimes so that when you finally DO get out, you will know that it is He who opened the door. Well, I have been ‘boxed in’ for quite awhile and am starting to think that the ONLY thing that will help me here is to lose some weight and make some space and just “settle in” cause it’s gonna be an even longer stay…I have done all I can to get out on my own but…nothing…I could try to drink myself out or eat myself out , but that NEVER works for any problem, EVER-it just makes the ‘box’ more crowded…I could sleep myself out...

I tried to ‘shop’myself out, but just kept wandering in the store until I picked out a pretty wooden apple that was inscribed with “Have Faith” I also found something practical…those crazy ‘dryer balls’ that actually work to fluff up your towels…but that doesn’t count-spending money on something stupid, that counts.

But my brain is too tired to aimlessly shop…I will need therapy, again…I will need to call one of my friends, who know me well and just go ahead and give them the “co-pay” and just “talk”myself out…but I know they would feel bad for me and that is not what I need…I need to “have Faith” and get out of this stupid box somehow, some way all by myself…

So did I buy the wooden apple? “Apple core, Baltimore, who’s your friend? Me!” An old saying I love to tell my kids and grandkids…Maybe I need to be my OWN friend…And stop lying to myself and others for starters…I put the apple back on the shelf, I don’t need some stupid, wooden apple to tell me what to do…I WILL “keep the faith” but not today, I’ll do it tomorrow…today I will find a “lid” and close the box in around me and just give in and give up…I am spent…

And she’s buying a stairway to heaven.

Time has slipped away...

Sometimes life is just too much...I look back and wonder where did the time go? and I look forward and see it coming fast and furious...does it keep getting faster or is it just me?

A baby is born and turn around, she is two! A child is going to middle school and a girl turned 'sweet sixteen' and I am talking about my grandchildren! When I think about my own kids, the time went slower...I thought they would never stop using pacifiers or wear diapers or walk or go to school. Summers dragged and vacations really lasted two weeks and school years always gave you time to prepare for what was coming next. "I'll do it tomorrow" really did give you 24 full hours to do whatever it was you "put off" You could squeeze in raising kids, going to college, working full time and running a household...there was just more time in 24 hours!

When kids become adults, it feels like someone stepped on the gas...Turn around and they are young girls with babes of their own...That darn Paul Anka! How did he know? How did he predict the future like that? I went to see him in concert and "he" looks the same and sounds the same! He must have found the 'fountain of youth' or built a time machine when he wrote that song...

Blink your eyes and you will be telling people "Oh I am 50-something!" or "Yes, I have been married 35+years" or "I have been working here 30-something years" I quit counting how many years for quite a few years now. Because I am getting "old?" Nope because I want time to slow down or just stop and let me take a breath, already!

Something must have really happened to the "space-time continuum" when Michael J. Fox went Back To the Future...So how do we steal back time? The only way we can! By getting up an hour earlier and writing a blog, that's how! Oh, were we talking about me? or you? You have to steal it from your very own sleep! Man! That's just wrong, but it is the only way to trick time!

And the other way is to remember, just "remember the times of your life" Stop making fun of people who love to take pictures and movies and write because they are literally 'capturing' time...

If I could turn back time, if I could find a way...

New Beginings

One of my AD's (adopted daughter) wished me new beginnings and she is so right! I have a new outlook since I started writing. It's as if I have a new child. I am excited to get up each day and I wake up earlier and earlier and sometimes even in the middle of the night just to feed "her". I say "her" because I am surrounded by estrogen in my life! Everyone and everything is a GIRL! Except my husband, of course!

I have two daughters and two, make that three grand daughters and a niece who truly is my third daughter and she even has a daughter and the dog is a girl-Phew! And my new car is a girl, I just haven't named her yet! She is my newest baby, the car, that is, and she arrived yesterday! One of my dearest friends had an arrival yesterday, too. She had a second grandson born on her birthday! Cool, huh? now talk about the opposite: She has a husband and three sons and two grandsons and is surrounded by testosterone! But we have so much in common because we both LOVE our sons and daughters so very much!

All ya need is love, the Beatles sang it and my baby G-girl (grand girl) even has a T-shirt with this written on it! Boys, Girls, who cares what they are "as long as they are healthy" a phrase I have heard hundreds of times in my life and line of work.....and this is the greatest wish or blessing you could have! I used to tell my first time parents after the baby was born and I put their newborn in their arms "Now, you are a family"

I am hopeful for some other new 'arrivals' in my life and they don't all have to be humans...new days are new arrivals...new friends are new arrivals...new vacations...You get the picture! even shedding weight could be a new arrival or would that be a departure! Yes, yes it would and that is a whole 'other' blog. Although, my daughter DID say that she is trying to get down to her original weight...6# 13oz'. Funny Girl! The apple don't fall too far from the tree, right?

So my adopted daughter is right! I am not too old for new beginnings. And her birthday is tomorrow! She is so precious to me because I hand picked her or did she pick me? Doesn't matter...I love her dearly. I have another AD who's birthday is coming up soon too! I think back and wonder what the real day was when I 'adopted' these two and then I think, again,it doesn't matter. We don't need a day to celebrate our special bond. It goes without saying that I also have several other adopted girls that come with being friends with my girls and now I am finding that my G-girl has some new additions too!

I am not sure if this is my quote or I stole it from somebody, but I always say "Blood does not make a family...Love does" And I have a huge family because I have many special sister-girl friends and I will speak of them again and again. After all, each and every one of these wonderful females in my life are all characters in my book of my life!

Love is all ya need, love is all ya need...

Grapes of wrath

We have a family home in wine country. I love to bring back Summer Wine, there's nothin like it! Made from Georgia Peaches, it is great cold with cut up cubes of peaches and a splash of 7up. It really is a dessert wine and most people like it or so they say.

It tastes the best when shared with a friend or loved one. My husband loves to buy it and give it away,but he rarely drinks it. In fact, I don't drink it myself unless I have a partner in crime....Why? because I will drink the whole dang bottle, that's why! Another reason, I am limited to the amount of wine I drink is the fact that my face turns so red, it looks like I used way too much blush...A dead giveaway that I have been hittin the bottle. Some kind of metabolite crap they use to preserve it, maybe they use it in blush, too! I really rarely drink, really! I think of it as a sort of passive sport that I engage in with very special people during special times: vacations, birthdays, weddings (a requirement!) holidays, lunch with my friends, breakfast, and of course, dinner! Again, I am kidding! Honestly, I couldn't get away with it if I tried. I do love the occasional mimosa or two for brunch though-Yummy!

Drinking is optional to me, I can take it or leave it and I am very picky! Beer: Corona with lime,please! or maybe Heineken. Liquor: Vodka (give me the "absolute" best you have) tonic with lime, please! Wine: Summer Wine with peaches,please! Who would have guessed? Champagne: the best Spumante or the only Spumante you have will do. Generics of this stuff are pretty darn tasty! And make it a mimosa with orange juice, please! Oh, one more! Shots: Make it a lemon drop shot with the good "wodka" again, please!

Seems to be a theme here-Fruit! limes, peaches, oranges, lemons! Wonder what that means...Who cares? I am getting vitamin C! Now that's my kind of fruit salad!

So, sounds like I like to throw back a few, a lot, huh? Naw, not really, I am a 'lightweight' when it comes to drinking! Wow, it's GREAT to be a 'lightweight' at something! Besides, all that alcohol doesn't always mix with my blood pressure medication! So next time you see me, if I have red cheeks, I have either had a couple, it only takes two! Or my blood pressure is up! Or I have dressed up like a clown for Halloween! Here's to your health! CHEERS!

Bottle of wine, fruit of the vine...