Why This Easter Weekend Is More Difficult

     Good Friday, and the days after, is a hard time for Christians. We remember our Savior's sacrifice, not only for us, but for the world. Amazing...that God and His Son would care this way for us -- but They did.

They care for you, too.

Pinterest photo - weheartit.com

A good reminder is this link to a Stations of the Cross meditation. Take a moment to read the Scripture passages, and ponder. These are from the Resource Center of the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio.

    We sang this last night at Creekside's Good Friday service -- it reminded me yet again what Jesus has done for us. Thank you, Lord.

Mercy...by Matt Redman

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There is yet another reason why this weekend is harder than most -- Sunday isn't just Easter. It's April Fool's Day...the two haven't been on the same day since 1956.

It's also my dad's birthday.

The Mama used to play all sorts of tricks on him, poor guy, including salt in the sugarbowl. He would patiently stir the salt into his coffee, and drink it that way, with no expression. (Which drove Ma absolutely crazy.) Or go to the cupboard for a fresh cup and the sugar canister. Again, no comment.
      I asked him once why he continued to fall for the salt/sugar trick every single year. He looked at me and grinned. "Because it makes your mom so happy," he said. That's the kind of guy he was -- and the love he and The Mama had for each other.

Ironically, it was Easter on his natal day, in 1934.

   He will be 84... in Heaven. It's been more than nine years since he left. The Mama counts every day until they're reunited. His family misses him terribly. I miss him terribly.

Happy Birthday, Pa.  I love you -- see you soon.

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling...

There's this. Which is true.

And that made me think of this:

Let 'Em Have It!

These caught my funnybone...

partly because Charley the Wonder Dog actually took a hotdog out of one of my piano student's hands this way. (Only faster.)

One of our Weimies, Goonie, pulled the same trick on  Daughter #1 when she was little, and eating a burger. One minute she had it...the next, she didn't. The stinker.

These are from:

29 animals being jerks.      Enjoy.

Easter Eggs Redux

...they glow in the dark! 

Mavis at Hundred Dollars A Month has this great -- and easy -- idea. 

In case you're wondering, they use glowsticks. Yes, there's still space for candy, too.

Monday Stuff On the Way to Other Stuff: My New Resolve

...is to stop picking on poor Mrs. Clinton. 

A wise friend asked, "What would make you respect her?" That made me stop and think. (Not that Mrs. C. would be that interested in my opinion, of course.) The answer is simple: I want what I would expect from anyone --  myself, politicians and public figures included:

          Honesty
          Integrity
          Defending those who cannot defend themselves
          Living modestly  (including not accepting money for favors)
          Putting yourself somewhere below #1 in your list of priorities

Is this happening in the public forum right now? Not too much... although Vice President Pence seems to be doing a better job at it than some. (If President Trump had followed the 'Billy Graham Rule,' like Pence insists on, he would be in far less trouble. It would have solved a lot of John F. Kennedy's problems, too.)

     Besides, I don't think Mrs. Clinton is well right now. Falling once and trashing out your wrist is one thing -- falling again in a bathtub and re-injuring it, that's another. 
    The worst part, though, is watching her slip twice, walking down steps:

Sure, the steps are narrow. (And that's been the excuse given.) But if you watch the people around her, they're navigating them in reasonable shape. Mrs. Clinton needs not just one, but two supportive arms, to get down -- and even then, her feet come out from under her. Looking at the video again, I realized  she even lost a shoe.

There's something wrong here.

She's wearing a lot of camouflaging clothes. Not much color in her cheeks. Just doesn't look healthy.

Speaking as someone who's had to be careful walking the past few months,* this video, plus the various slips and falls collecting over the past few years, suggest she's not steady on her feet. Somehow her balance is being affected. That could be anything from Parkinson's to MS, double vision to ear infections. But why? Because it's been happening more frequently, I'd guess it's something long-term -- and serious.

So get better, Mrs. Clinton. Hopefully Bill will give you the TLC you need.

Peanuts #27 adventure, 'Get Well, Charlie Brown,' via Pinterest

The book flails on. It's going well, but my deadline is the end of this week -- and there's much to go. Nine hundred bazillion little details need to be included, and I'm afraid I'll forget some. (Which I will.)
      I won't be getting a lot of sleep this week.

* * * * * * * *

*Charley the dog put his full weight on my knee back around Christmas...then I pulled some muscles in my side, no doubt from my body trying to shift weight away from the damaged knee. I've done a lot of limping the past few months, but am starting to improve.

Whoo hoo -- University of Michigan is in the Final 8!! GO BLUE!

"Things my Irish mammy taught me."  (From Irish Central)

Celebrity photoshop fails. Some weird stuff here. SEXY ALERT -- lots of chests and behinds on view... most of them faked!

The economy of keeping chickens.  I hate to say this, but I miss them already... (From Thrifty Mom in Boise)

A fleet of Alfa Romeos...found in the basement of an abandoned castle in Belgium.  (From Messynessy) That's just like...

Expecting the unexpected.  A classic from yours truly.

Grandma's peanut butter cookies.  Always looking for good new recipes. (From Vickie's Kitchen and Garden)

Funniest cooking fails. (From Definition)

An easy to make, effective homemade tub and tile cleaner. Smells good, too.  (From Moneysaving Mom)

The astronaut twins -- one went into space, one stayed home -- are no longer alike.   Here's an article on the short-term results, and a further one on what tests are showing now.

A pot of silver and gold coins -- found by construction workers digging a pipeline in Holland.

Seven alternatives to payday loans. If you really, really have to... (U.S. News)

Mark Zuckerberg happens to sell nearly 5 million shares of Facebook... just before the company takes a huge drop in value. As the Church Lady says:

A D.C. lawmaker announces why the East Coast is getting bad weather -- it's all those Jewish bankers' fault!  Those sneaky Rothschilds...

Four novel ways to earn extra cash.  (From Len Penzo)

Overcoming 'money addiction' -- and what to do to beef up your account when it's getting low. (From Financial Samurai)

When being frugal isn't that important... and when it is.  (From Pretend to be Poor)

Barbara Brackman takes another look at the Scrap Quilt.  One of my favorite methods...and the subject of a book I'll eventually finish writing.  (From Material Culture) Including this 1845 beauty from Pat Nichol's collection at the Mingei Museum:

Alternative lighting options -- what will you do if the power goes out?  (From Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth)


Have a good week.

I'm innocent, I tell ya!

Free Pizza A Week From Monday!

(I got this wrong when I first mentioned it -- it's on APRIL 2, a week away.)

A Strong Truth

God is good... all the time.

All the time... God is good.

They're Here!

Spring's soft touch waits for the cold to lift...
    green leaves holding their breath, 
           hiding golden treasure.

Earlier this week, nothing, except a foot of snow. It wasn't even that warm.
Suddenly we have more than a dozen daffodils blooming!
The hyacinths are up, too...

Plus other items in heavy use the next few days.

*Ghost books. (I'm writing about Fort Collins, Greeley and Johnson Corners right now. Boulder and Longmont are next.)
*Measuring tape (for finishing up the appraisals)
*A retirement book by 'our guy,' Jason Wenckel. I'll explain this in a future post.
*Flowers from the Brick, the sweet man. (He knew I needed some.)

Have a good weekend.

Motherhood -- In Six Photos or Less

Thanks, Lucy, Pinterest...and the girlies!

Mrs. Clinton Fixes It

That Hillary Clinton. What a card. The more I read her words,past and present,  the more I am fascinated by her fancy footwork and double standards. 

     Take this example.

While researching the background on her 2016 speech about Donald Trump's supporters being a "basket of deplorables," I noticed something interesting.

      She attempted to fix that situation by the way,  saying that only some of his supporters deserved to be in that basket. Kind of like 'mostly dead.'

Anyways, Mrs. Clinton said this during the same speech:

That's why we've got to continue the forward march of progress."

"And we cannot do it alone. I cannot do it alone. I'm not like Donald Trump, who says, 'I alone can fix it.' I've never quite figured out what it is he alone can fix. But that's not what you'll hear from me. I think we have to do this together. 

Wait a minute. In her most recent faux pas, didn't she say:


“You know, you didn’t like black people getting rights,” she added, “you didn’t like women y’know, getting jobs, you don’t want, y’know, see that Indian American succeeding more than you are, whatever your problem is, I’m gonna solve it.”


Hmmm. All by herself, no doubt.

Ironically, former President Obama made similar "bitter comments" in 2008, but later apologized and said they were "my most boneheaded move:"

     "How it was interpreted in the press was Obama talking to a bunch of wine-sipping San Francisco liberals with an anthropological view toward white working-class voters," Obama told the Times. "And I was actually making the reverse point, clumsily, which is that these voters have a right to be frustrated because they've been ignored. And because Democrats haven't met them halfway on cultural issues, we've not been able to communicate to them effectively an economic agenda that would help broaden our coalition."

Mrs. Clinton's response to this -- at a time when she was hoping for the Democratic nomination, and actively campaigning for it -- was that Obama was "elitist and divisive."
    "People don't need a president who looks down on them. They need a president who stands up for them," she said.



Steve Hilton's commentary on Mrs. Clinton's recent speech is penetrating:

After dismissing American women who dared to vote against her as brainless robots when it comes to politics – this from the self-styled champion of women! – she went on to describe Trump supporters (roughly half the country, let’s remember) as people who “didn’t like black people getting rights, you don’t like women getting jobs, you don’t want to see that Indian-American succeeding more than you are.”

Let’s not waste too much time on how unintelligent, offensive and bigoted that remark really is. The best response might just be to point to one prominent Trump supporter who now serves in  the president’s Cabinet: U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, an Indian-American professional woman who as governor of South Carolina not only took down the Confederate flag but said that it “should never have been there.”

Not to mention Gina Haspel, newly-appointed director of the CIA. 


Please, Mrs. Clinton. Review what you've already said, before you add to the opus. Maybe you can fix it...or at least try. Please.

I need the rest.

Photos from Wikipedia

Update to Yipe!

     Remember the very funny post I just put up, about the lady who told her husband she'd found a 'pup'... and it was really a coyote?

Here it is, just in case.

Pinterest photos

Well, guess what -- something like this actually happened! Gail, one of my Aussie contacts, writes,

 One of my friends lived in Colorado Springs and came home one day to find a small coyote curled up in front of her living room fire. She freaked out and ended up running all over their house chasing or being chased by the animal.  Eventually her husband came home and managed to catch the poor creature before taking it to a wildlife sanctuary.

 My dear friend loves dogs and will cosy up to almost any cute looking animal.  She was rather taken aback though by this coyote and I don't think she will every forget that experience. She was just glad that her husband could round it up and take it away safely.  They had just moved into their new home on a new estate near the outskirts of Colorado Springs, so perhaps they were "invading" the local coyote community's territory.  It all ended well, thank goodness. They've retired to the North West now, up near Seattle. 

It made for a good story over wine for years to come, she says... I'll bet! 


P.S. The coyotes revisited a night or two last week. This time, their focus was on our neighbors' dogs, who were safely boxed in a wire run. They barked a lot -- about their only protection. But both dogs are still alive and kicking, so it must have helped.
     Charley acted very interested, but behaved himself and came when I called.

Why not hunt down some of the rabbits proliferating in our yards right now, you silly coyotes!

just in case you're not sure which is which...

The Moral of the Story:

Is Nessie In Georgia?

From what the Daily Mail says, a father-and-son duo found a very odd creature washed up on a Georgia beach. 
   Although it's thousands of miles away from Loch Ness, this part of Georgia has its own 'Nessie' phenomenon, named "Altamaha-ha" for its playful appearances in the Altamaha River.

Could this be one of the family?

The Loch Ness monster, though quieter in recent years, is also thought to still be around:

People are currently arguing about the Georgia creature, saying it's actually remains of a basking shark. But hey, that body doesn't look much like the deteriorated remains of something else...

Monday Stuff on the Way to Other Stuff: Bits & Pieces Updates

     We have so many balls up in the air now, it's difficult to see in between them. So far, everything's staying aloft. Cleaning out the house continues...though not as quickly as I always hope. The book continues... ditto. And  we've covered every one of the commitments we've needed to. It's meant less sleep and more absentmindedness, and probably some squirrelly behavior. But our friends are used to this.

     More appraisals this week. Nothing I can't handle. 

     More trying to figure which item goes where in which chapter. Writing a book is more like fitting together a large puzzle. Sooner or later, though, it all falls into place. 

     It was just supposed to rain today (Sunday). As of 2 a.m., we've got nearly a foot of snow on the ground. It's okay, though; we need the moisture. Badly. And it just means I stay home and write! 

    I just heard these great quotes on the movie Red Tails:

"Experience is a cruel teacher: it gives you the exam first, then the lesson."

"Politics is defined as delaying a decision until it is no longer relevant."

Did you see Michigan's amazing last-minute 3-pointer to win over Houston? Yow!

    And here are general scores, if you're following men's college basketball. Poor North Carolina got creamed. So did Michigan State. It's surprising, how many of the classic dominant teams are not in the running this year. 

On with life... and Stuff.


"I meant no disrespect." Hillary Clinton explains that she understands why some people would be insulted about her recent comments at the Mumbai Conclave. " I did not realize how hard it would hit many who heard it." After reading her explanation (the Facebook message is in this link), it seems like she's saying, 'I didn't mean what I said. After all, THEY [the interviewer] asked me about it -- so it's their fault. I just answered. Let's stop talking about this, quick [before you notice anything else], and look to the future!'' Strong comfort, Mrs. Clinton. I feel so much better now.

A really up-to-the-minute update on Libby Lehman -- from her sister.

Jenny Clark -- a quilter's blog.  And a good one, at that.

When your parents die broke.  This is when the Brick and I thank God that our parents on both sides were frugal types who taught us well.  (From Liz Weston) And if you enjoyed that:

What would it be like if you asked your parents to move in?

Hard cider, pruning...and a new baby. Sadly, the loss of Frugal Hound, too.  (From The Frugalwoods) Another good post from them:

How to handle family expectations -- particularly the expensive ones. 

O.J. Simpson's confession?  Sick...just sick.

Five 'practical' moneysaving tips -- that aren't.  A classic from yours truly.

Aquim Talib just got traded to the L.A. Rams.  Denver Broncos, are you nuts?!?

Three reasons NOT to follow Warren Buffett's stock ideas. At least one of them is solid, to my mind.  (From the Wealth Advisor)

Should I invest in Bitcoin?  (From The Simple Dollar)

Six years of Get Rich Slowly... and 15 tenets about finance and living well that J.D. Roth has learned over the years.

The Prague National Museum wasn't the only one to lose some valuable gemstones -- the American Museum of Natural History 'lost' a bunch!  And they're still gone... (From Smithsonian)

19 viral photos of amazing coincidences.  (From Insider)

10 ancient animals (and birds) that are still alive.  Including a parrot whose swear word and anti-Nazi vocabulary was said to have come from its owner...Winston Churchill!  (From Listverse)


Have a great week.

Photos thanks to Pinterest

An illuminating Experience at Safeway

Normally, I kind of enjoy my stops at Safeway. It's not far from my usual haunts (the library, credit union, post office), the sales are good, and they're generally pretty kind at customer service.

Until today.

I needed some meds for high blood pressure, plus ointment for a leg infection. I went to Safeway's pharmacy right after the doctor's appointment to get them filled.

'You don't have any health insurance,' the pharmacy tech announced. That was strange; the doctor's office knew we did. Maybe our insurance company screwed up and told them wrong.  (But why did they confirm to the doctor's office that we did, then?)

'It's going to be $236 to fill both those prescriptions.'

Well, that wasn't happening. 

We got the ointment filled at CVS' Target for ten bucks. (You read that right -- ten dollars.) I went without the other med, until the Brick could call the insurance company and get them to fix my record. (They eventually did. We think.)

In addition to our regular health insurance, the Brick got us on this wonderful program called GOOD RX. It costs nothing to enroll, and can save you an incredible amount of money. Type in your medication and what's needed, and it compares pharmacy prices in your area. (Kind of a Gas Buddy approach, but for medications, instead.) If you haven't looked into this, you should. The only problem: you can't use it in combination with your insurance -- sometimes it's cheaper to go that route. Anyways, it showed that filling the prescription at Safeway would save over other places in town.

Back to the Safeway pharmacy. (We needed milk, anyways.)

'Your blood pressure medicine is $414,' the bland pharmacy voice announced. What?! Wasn't it going to be less than that for both prescriptions, a week ago? When I mentioned it, the pharmacist brushed me off: 'Prices for things change.'

I was polite through all this. Really.


'But I have this Good RX coupon that says the pills should cost $14.14,' I persisted.  (Yes, folks, that's how much money you can save, using this program.) 

'Oh,' said the pharmacist. She sounded almost disappointed.

I finally got the prescription, paid for groceries, packed up the car -- and realized I'd left my library book in the cart. Back to the store to get it -- but it was nowhere to be found. While I was at customer service, I realized I'd never gotten the $25 gift card Safeway was promising with 'new or transferred prescriptions.' Sure, I'd only paid $14.14...but it was a new prescription. Didn't it qualify?

Back to the pharmacy. The pharmacist gave me a slightly dirty look: it's YOU again.  I asked her why they hadn't offered a giftcard. She responded, 'We've been giving these out all day.' (So why didn't you mention it while I was standing here?)

     She said, 'You weren't eligible because you're on a public program: Medicare, Medicaid...See?  Here's a mark on your account that says so.' (Not that she'd checked, before. Or mentioned this.)

Gee, a week ago, you were saying I didn't have insurance at all. Now you've got me on public assistance??

Of course, she didn't believe me. Nope, I had to stand there another 15 min. or so while she called and verified that I wasn't, then slooowwwwly got out the giftcards. No apology that I might have been right. And certainly no suggestion that they did anything wrong. Or might have charged me a good deal more for the same medicine.

Eventually, I got the $25 giftcard. By that point, it was personal -- God didn't make us Hollanders stubborn for nothing.

(Oh, and I found my library book still tucked in the cart, which was racked up with the others at the entrance door. Whew. Library books are expensive.)

MORAL OF THE STORY:

Don't always believe what you're told the first time around. If it doesn't seem quite right -- it probably isn't. Persist -- politely -- until you know for sure.

And don't think that pharmacy prices are the same, whever you go. They aren't.


     I will always wonder how many uninsured, poor, elderly or just plain desperate people heard that first amount -- and paid it. People who believed the pharmacists because, after all, they were professionals. People who thought they had no other choice.

     If I hadn't been treated with such indifference and/or arrogance in the first place, 
                or just so frustrated by that point...
                               I might have, too.

Postscript:  'Why are you so late?' said the Brick, after I got home. When I related my sad tale, he said, 'Gee, they always treat me well.' Maybe because he's male-- and cute?? Who knows...

Yipe!

One of our neighbors mentioned this, after a guy in an outlying neighborhood posted a photo of a 'lost dog' he trapped on one of the trails. P.S. It didn't look like a dog. He said it was "kind of vicious," with a "yip more than a bark." Maybe he was joking? After Charley's experience, I'm not as casual about the subject.

Anyways, this is courtesy of Bored Panda. Warning: swear words ahead.

If you ever find an abandoned puppy which you want to take home, make sure it’s not something else. For example, a coyote.

This is exactly how Justin Bogh felt when his wife Kayla Eby sent him a pic of a “cute little dog” she “found” outside which was obviously a coyote. His reaction was priceless. Justin even jokingly asked for a divorce.

Turns out it was just a prank by his wife. Kayla, a preschool teacher from Seaside, Oregon, created the pic in Photoshop, and now their conversation is taking the internet by storm. You can read it below.

More info: Facebook

Image credits: Kayla Eby

Image credits: Kayla Eby

Image credits: Kayla Eby

Image credits: Kayla Eby

Image credits: Kayla Eby

Image credits: Kayla Eby

Image credits: Kayla Eby

Image credits: Kayla Eby

Image credits: Kayla Eby

Image credits: Kayla Eby

Image credits: Kayla Eby

Image credits: Kayla Eby

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Erin go bragh.

I Triple-Dog-Dare You

Just for fun...

then say, "Shhhhh. Don't tell anyone..."

Wish I Was Doing This...

...but it's no use, if moving into a trailer is next on our list.



Photo from Pinterest -- I've tried to enlarge this, with no luck.  You get the general idea.



Here's a source of easy, inexpensive (well, sort of) greenhouses and seed-starters.
Many take just a little scrounging to find the proper materials...like the rotisserie chicken container used in the first photo below.







Earth Easy has a particularly interesting one: making rounded 'cloches' (hoophouses) using cedar twigs and plastic. Easy and effective.

Earth Easy photo

It even rained tonight... the first moisture we've had all month, other than some spitty snow that didn't last. (The mountains have gotten lots of white stuff -- but not down in the flatlands.)

Maybe I could at least start some greens?

Grandmas of the World, Unite!

For those of you who still have grandmas. You're lucky.

Both via Pinterest

My grandmothers are both gone. Grandma Cumings died when I was in high school. She never got to meet the Brick or the girlies, something which saddens me. I still miss her very much.
      Grandma DeVries only knew the girlies when they were little. Thanks to her dementia, she insisted that they were both boys -- something which kept them from even considering short haircuts for decades. No doubt she's brewing up unsweetened kool-aid (she had diabetes) and serving it with windmill cookies for Grandpa, while they listen to Detroit Tigers ballgames. It was her favorite thing to do on Sunday afternoons...why stop now?