If the Good Lord's Willin' and the Creek Don't Rise...

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Sometimes friends are more precious than gold...

I have new friends from the most unexpected place; You Tube. One is a little girl from Sweden. She sent me her picture and it turned out, she was older than I had expected. In my mind, I envisioned a girl of about fifteen or so. But her picture looks about mid twenties and was taken six years ago. She sent the pictures with the assurance that I could still refer to her as 'honey' and my 'little girl' as I had been doing.
The other is a 'little girl' who is very young,-about seventeen. She lives in Portugal and devotes most of her time and all of her web site to remembering and admiring the great singer/song writer, Roy Orbison. Her web site, Tinorbison, is how I became acquainted with her over a year ago, when my honey, Donna Lee, was still alive. Both Donna Lee and I place Roy Orbison at the top of our all time greatest singers list. When we saw Tina's site, we sent a 'friend' invitation. She accepted our invitation and complimented us on our own musical You Tube website; JC and Donna Lee, and we immediately became close friends.
Then my honey went to Heaven and I was left with very little to do with myself. My honey and I were married for 38 years. I loved her for 32 of those years, for sure, but was 'in love' with her the next six years, after I retired from my job and discovered my honey had a beautiful and lilting voice and could sing. We began to sing together as JC and Donna Lee and attending local jam sessions and entertaining senior citizens at various Senior Centers. I never before knew how much I really loved her until that time when we began to be as one person through our music.
Then my honey went to Heaven and I realized just how much I loved her and how much I had depended on her for everything.
That's when I found out how dear a friend can be. Tina was there for me immediately and she offered loving and comforting words of condolences. She even fashioned a wonderful Memorial Tribute video, "Dedicated to Donna Lee(she went to sky)," remembering my Donna Lee, on her You Tube site, Tinorbison.
And she has been with me, reassuring and encouraging me at every opportunity ever since. Our correspondences have become of a more personal nature, wanting to know each other better-not withstanding the extreme difference in our ages.
It's true, my family and personal friends here have been wonderful to me but, with Tina, my little girl from Portugal, it's different. And, of course, Mirja, my little girl from Sweden. It's as if God understood my grief over losing my wife,- my life, my Donna Lee, and arranged for a special potion to soften the pain of losing my honey, and that potion was my two little girls on You Tube, Tina and Mirja; and Tina is the greatest blessing for me and Mirja is a bonus.
These friends truly, are more precious than gold...
Later...

Staying Busy...

It's time for me to get busy. I will play music and entertain my friends at the Shasta County Senior Citizen Nutrition Center this morning; for the lunch crowd. It ain't the same without my sweetie but I'll do it anyhow. I have a setting on my harmonizer which has a woman's voice as a double. I use it to simulate my honey doing selected songs we used to do together which are; "And I Love You So," and, "When I Fall In Love." It sorta keeps her with me some.
Gotta go. See you later...

Changes...

It's been almost a year since I last posted here. Much has happened during that time,-most not good. My sweetie, my wife,-my life, Donna Lee, went to Heaven on the fourteenth of September at four thirty in the afternoon. Her death was a tragedy. It left an empty space which can never be filled. Where love and devotion once was, there now is confusion, sadness and sorrow.
The sadness is not so much for my loss; the sadness is mostly for my sweeties' loss,-for her life, a life that, with her discovery of her wonderfully tender singing talent, had just begun to achieve a rewarding fulfillment, a satisfaction up to now, unknown to her and me, a life cut short by disease but, mostly, by mistakes made by trusted people,-the medical staff to whom she entrusted her life.
But that is a story for another day.

If I Should Die Today...

I ran this little ditty off a few days ago and thought some of you might enjoy it. It ain't something I am planning for anytime soon, but who knows. Enjoy... If I Should Die Today (What Would I Leave Behind)

If I should die today,
I'd leave behind a world I never made;
I'd leave a place where no one else has been,-
A place where memories would never fade.

If I should die today,
I'd leave behind things I alone would know,-
Things that a difference make to no one else.
I'd leave a place where no one else could go.

If I should die today,
I'd not be sad or wondering about what I should say;
I'd love and leave a shining world and all there is about it;
I'd love it and I'd show it; I'd take off and fly without it,-
I'd wear a cloak of happiness;
If I should die today.

So Many Blogs;-So Little Time ...

Whatta ya do when you have so many blogs in which to post that you become confused; don't know exactly what to do or say next? Nuthing, I reckon.

BBC News says Black Washington needs to look to Obama for good things then go on and recounts all the tired rhetoric about all us honkies doing bad things to all the blacks.

BBC News is doing just what the bigots (Jesse Jackson, Barack Obama, Al Sharpton, Louis Farrakhan, et al)want them to do. That is, keep reminding us we that some of us had ancestors who owned blacks a hundred years ago. Kinda makes you want to puke, don't it? Yeah, me. too. Especially when you consider blacks are responsible for most violent crimes committed in this country, especially in places like DC and Atlanta, cities where blacks are dominant. The whole damn country'll be like that before long,-black and islamic.

Boy, after re-reading this, I am beginning to understand why I haven't written here in some time. There's not a hell of a lot good to say.

You sure can't brag about Bush, the worse president in our history or Clinton, a broad who will be part of whatever forms the basis of this country for a while.

All we need now is Jeremiah Wright in a new position in the cabinet created by BS Obama just for Wright, as the head God-Guy in the Department of Religion of the United Black States of (?)America.

Oh well, as the magnificent, above all living, greatest of creatures and knower of all things of any consequence at all, Chico the Wonder Dog, would say, "Oh, Well!"

OH yes, isn't it wonderful that everyone who was in the Hudson River Special Flight got out alive and kicking? Maybe God is still watching us after all, at least sometimes! Thank You, Lord!

Now please excuse me. I feel some Alzheimer coming on so I need to go to the toilet and work a crossword puzzle.

A Profundity...

I read this post made by Chico the Wonder Dog and I think it is interesting enough to re-post here. Tell me what you think of it.

Why Do I Do It?...

Now that is a good question and, you may think, a hard one to answer. But, before you go off on it, think about the question a bit and think about what you are asking. It's not as simple as you may think but, also, it's not as complicated as you think it may be.

I'll start this discussion with four scenarios as examples.

#1: A ragged begger was on the corner at a street where you turn left to go home. He had a sign that read,"Hungry,-need money for food." Being a sharing type person, you pulled close to him, rolled down the window and gave him a dollar. It wasn't much but maybe it would help.

#2:A ragged beggar was on the corner at a street where you turn left to go home. He had a sign that read,"Hungry,-need money for food." You contemplated giving him a dollar but, just as you turned the corner, he dropped a cigarette onto the ground and mashed it out with his shoe sole. Immediately you decided not to give this man a dollar because, if he were actually hungry, he should quit smoking cigarettes and use the money he spent on smokes to buy food. You passed him by.

#3: Your brother is dying and needs a kidney transplant. You immediately volunteer your own kidney to save his life. The Doctor tells you it could compromise your own health by giving up one of your kidneys but you still agree to donate your kidney.

#4: Your brother is dying and needs a kidney transplant. You immediately volunteer your own kidney to save his life. The Doctor tells you it could compromise your own health by giving up one of your kidneys. You think about it and, after weighing the benefit against your risk, decide not to donate your kidney. There is a chance he can get a kidney from someone else.

Here you have four situations. In two of the scenarios you perform a generous and selfless deed but in the other two scenarios you decide against what would be generous and selfless deeds. What was the difference in the situations? Why did you make different decisions?

First, let's inspect the scenarios.

In scenario number one when you gave a dollar to a needy man, it made the needy man feel good and it made you feel good.

In scenario number two, when you decided not to give the man money, it made the beggar feel bad but it made you feel good because you thought the man didn't need food enough to sacrifice his addiction for it.

In scenario number three, your brother feels good because you are giving him your kidney and you feel good.

In scenario number four, your brother feels bad but you, even though you do not help him, feel good because you are not afraid of being compromised with only one kidney.
In two scenarios, the other party felt good but in two scenarios, the other person felt bad, but(and that's the key word) you felt good in all four scenarios.

That is the complete assessment of the four scenarios. You could use a thousand more scenarios and investigate each of them thoroughly but it would be a waste of time and effort.

The fact is, there are only two things about which to consider to reach a logical conclusion concerning why you did what you did. What are differences in all of the conclusions of the scenarios?

In scenario number one, the beggar felt good and you felt good.

In scenario number two, the beggar felt bad and you felt good.

In scenario number three, your brother felt good and you felt good.

In scenario number four, your brother felt bad and you felt good.

The single thing that should be considered is, someone else felt bad some of the times, but you felt good all the times.

Consider:

Sister Teresa spent many years caring for needy children. She lived in terrible conditions sometimes and every day sacrificed her own well being for the sake of the children. She did it because it made her feel good.

Adolf Hitler was responsible for the slaughter of millions of people by causing World War II. He did it because it made him feel good.

People give gifts to other people because it makes them feel good to see those people happy.

People do bad things to other people because they don't like those people and it makes them feel good to do those bad things.

People do good things for people because it makes them feel good.

Actually, people do anything they do for only one reason; because it makes them feel good.

Sometimes you do very unpleasant things but you do them because it somehow makes you feel good about something.

A man might commit suicide because he thinks it will make him feel good compared to how he feels now.

That's pretty simplistic, you say. Maybe so but the 'Kiss' formula applies here as it should everywhere; Keep It Simple, Stupid."

I could go on and on all day with more and different examples but that would be redundant. I have said all there is worth saying about the subject,"Why Do I Do It?".

Think about it and use any reasoning you wish but if you're completely honest, you'll always come back to this logical conclusion;

Why do I do it? - Because it makes me feel good."

Arf...

A New Christmas Poem...


I found this at: Dealing With the Changes. Thanks, Brian.

A Different Christmas Poem


The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.

The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know, Then the
sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.

Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.
A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,
"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"
For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts..

To the window that danced with a warm fire's light
Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right,
I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night."
"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.

No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
My Gramps died at ' Pearl on a day in December,"
Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers."
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ' Nam ',
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.

I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue... an American flag.
I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.

I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."

" So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."
"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son."

Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

PLEASE, would you do me the kind favor of sending this to as many
people as you can? Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to our
U.S service men and women for our being able to celebrate these
festivities. Let's try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe. Make people
stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed themselves for us.

LCDR Jeff Giles, SC, USN
30th Naval Construction Regiment
OIC, Logistics Cell One
Al Taqqadum, Iraq http://my.opera.com/maddysman2003/blog/Brian.

Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone...

Donna Lee and I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! Even with our limited finances after retirement, we are much better off than eighty percent of the rest of the world!

Thank God for a wonderful Country, this United States of America! And thank God for the young men and women who fight and die to keep us safe!

Later...

I Wrote a New Poem Today...

Actually, the 'new' poem was 23 years ago.

Mi Espousa, La Donna d'el Nebraska, (a little Mex lingo here) and I moved to Shingletown, California back in 1984 after selling a business in Modesto. After we had kicked back there for a year, I decided to write a poem right quick, so I wrote this one. I named it,"Here." It's kind of weird. Here It goes like this: Here Daylight mingles with the rising sun, Day has just begun to cover up my fears, Gray night-flashes fading one by one, Glowing embers turning to ashes of my tears. Hear the quiet of the yesterday, Start another way to push me to the line. Roaring nothings laughing in my ear, Telling me to fear what I know is mine. Hold to now, let go of other days, Push out all the rays of passions of the past! Bursting pin-point heavens ever play, Showing me the way; The breath is here at last.

Later...

A Brand New Page...

...in my life today. It is the first day of the seventy second year of the life of Mi Espousa, La Donna d'el Nebraska, (a little Mex lingo here) aka, Donna Lee, my wife.(Ain't she cute,-alpha and omega) Mi Espousa was borned on Friday the thirteenth of November in the year of our Lord, nineteen hundred and thirty six, the year of the Rat. (wait,-you say that's bad luck) Yeah, but she eventually got very lucky because she met and married moi! Now ain't that a trip! OK, OK,- I'll wait and ax her if you think I should. The last year has been an interesting year. We have just lived some days and have cogitated other days, mainly of our mortality.

The phone just rang and it was my sis-in-law, Janice, calling from San Francisco to wish her sister a happy birthday! Now wasn't that nice? Yes it was and let me be the first to say so!

We're going to Redding today and get my big brother whose birthday is the 15th (he'll be 82) and I'm taking mi espousa y el mi hermano to Home Town Buffet for their birthday lunches! Yum!! (We ain't having Burritos)

The last thirty seven years, six months and twenty three days (less three hours)have been a real trip. You wouldn't believe the things Donna and I have been into since we married. I have always been a person to say,'let's go for it,' and Donna was a very logical, reserved person before she met me. Boy, has that changed for her!

I just thought of a really good project for me and my blog! I'm going to tell about things that have happened to Donna since she married me that I'm sure wouldn't have happened to her otherwise! Start watching for them! This is gonna be fun!

In all cerealness, though, Donna Has been a wonderful, patient person as Mrs Me and I love her more than I can rationally say. Now I am going to shave and wash my hands and face and clean behind my ears and clean my fingernails and make sure my hanky is clean and...'whoops', I reverted back to the third grade momentarily (except for the shaving part) for un momento, muchas gracias. Boy, is that spooky! I was looking around for Miss Crews, my third grade teacher! 'whew'

Well, as I started to say, I need to get dressed and scrape my face and brush my snags so I can take my Honey to her Birthday Lunch. See you later!

Later...