The Passing of an Era

We buried my husband's mother this past Sunday afternoon.

If death hadn't overtaken her, it would have been the sort of
day she enjoyed. It was neither too hot or humid with a gentle
touch of fall in the soft breeze blowing. She was laid to rest next
to her husband of 63 years and surrounded by other members
of her family who had preceded her on this final journey.

Born in 1916, she had lived through some remarkable times in
our nation's history, including World Wars and the Great Depression. At age 17 she began teaching in one-room school
houses, either boarding in students homes and riding horse-back, to get there, or by mare's shanks. She quit teaching
for a number of years while raising her own family, but went
back at age 50, earning her BS first, then taking up teaching again. She finally retired at age 65, but continued to teach her
grandchildren, imparting her love for education to such an extent that my elder daughter is now a teacher too. The other
granddaughters, while not in the education field themselves, took up professions that encompass teaching and learning skills
they impart to others on a daily basis. I believe this is a fine
legacy she has left them.

I'm not sure I want to live to age 93, but to be able to
continue living in my own home as she did, might be an added incentive. And to keep my mind enough to remember and share with others the times I'd lived through as she did.

We did not always see eye to eye on family matters, but I shall
miss her presence in my life, as will all her family. A true passing of an era.

Advantages Being a Turtle

This eastern box turtle goes by the name of Star and I feel a bit like her today. We are both finally ready to come out into the sunlight, instead of hiding away in the comparative safety of our shells. Now that I feel I have a better handle on new tasks, I'm ready to bask in the sun with Star. It is absolutely amazing what confidence in one's abilities can accomplish.

July 7th marked a vast upheaval in my office with a long-time
co-worker not being rehired by the incoming board members.
This has effectively reduced a four member staff down to three.
Naturally, my work load has tripled; the slack had to be taken up. There will be no new office worker hired and until
the other two have learned what they need to; I am IT, doing it
ALL. It's not that the work in itself is terribly hard, just complicated and needing to be done exactly for it all come out as it should. While aware of what my former coworker did, I had never done all the things she had taken personal responsibility over. So, on top of my normal work load, I have been doing hers and all the other myriad tasks she did. Happily, I am now in the process of teaching these tasks to another, to help shoulder just some of these time consuming jobs. At least this person does not have to be taught the most
basic tasks; this means a great deal, in such a busy office.

I need to take at least four days off next week. Strike that, I intend to take these days. There will be a fight, I'm sure. But, oh well......!

UPDATE NOTE: I am taking the entire week off; I NEED it!

quack, Quack, QUACK

Three Little Ducks Go To The Rec room...

'Say, what's your name?' the waiter asked the first duck.

'Huey,' was the reply.

'How's your day been, Huey?' 'Great! Lovely day. Had a ball. Been in and out of puddles all day. What else could a duck want?' said Huey.

'Oh. That's nice,' said the waiter.

He turned to the second duck, 'Hi, and what's your name?' 'Dewey,' came the answer from duck number two.

'So how's your day been, Dewey?' he asked.

'Great! Lovely day... I've had a ball too. Been in and out of puddles all day myself. What else could a duck want?' The waitor then turned to the third duck and said, 'So, you must be Louie?' 'No,' she said, batting her eyelashes. 'My name is PUDDLES!'

WHAT'S YOUR PRIMARY COLOR?

You Are Blue

You are a philosophical and often inspired person. You are the master of ideas. You are open to many points of view. You believe that it's important to communicate and not judge. You have a worldly perspective, and you're always looking to broaden it. You are a true people person, but you also value your solitude and personal space.

What Primary Color Are You?

NOOSE UPDATE.....

Everyone ready for a scene? I seem to find myself in the ridiculous position of damned if I do, damned if I don't. There will be NO DIVORCE in
my immediate future; not even a "legal
separation" because neither will help, nor protect, me in any way. I'm trapped, as it were, in a 'Catch-22'
type situation.
I am in LIMBO.....Arrrrrrrrrrrrh AND
I am pissed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Getting Off the Tight-Rope

Sorry for having been missing for a while. Too
many upsetting events have been taking center
stage in my "so called life". But the time has arrived to get off the tight-rope I've walked for most of life. Simply put, I'm damned tired of that taunt rope with the imaginary safety net and am now ready for that step onto the firmness and safety offered by the platform at the rope's end. What this step symbolizes for me is that I am finally ready to concede defeat and retire from that swaying rope. This has been a most difficult decision and one that I must tell you is not, and will not, be easily done. The decisions I've reached will have drastic effects on my entire family. It is not easy to give up my long held role as Family Peace Keeper, but if I do not now become MY OWN PEACE KEEPER, I feel my "I" will disappear.
Do I feel as though I've squandered my life?
No, not at all; I have, with all my warts and other faults, produced two lovely, caring, and supportive daughters. As an added bonus, two very decent sons-in-law are also included.

SCORPIAN KING I...MEDICINAL WINES

Courtesy of: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7992575.stm

These wine jars were found in one of the many storage areas in the tomb of the real-life SCORPIAN KING I....the Rock only portrayed him.

A team of researchers in the US has discovered traces of a medicinal alcoholic drink in bottles that are more than 5,000 years old.

The scientists extracted wine compounds and plant-derived ingredients from a jar taken from the tomb of one of the first pharaohs of Egypt, Scorpion I.

This is the earliest sample of a human-made medicine.

The researchers report their findings in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Patrick McGovern, professor of anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania, led the research.

The vessels that he and his team tested came from excavated tombs in southern Egypt - the earliest of which dates from 3150BC.

"This is the earliest Egyptian vessel ever found to have wine in it," Professor McGovern told BBC News.

"It shows that, by trial and error, humans were discovering remedies over 5,000 years ago, and that alcoholic beverages were a key part of the discovery process.

Please follow the link for more in depth coverage