Can Struction

Yesterday I went to a local art exhibit with my sister. It was called Canstruction. Various clubs, schools and organizations got together to have a contest about who could construct the best subject matter only out of cans of food. There was a "Dory" exhibit, a lighthouse, a glass of milk with Oreo cookies, a menorah, a bell, a house, Charlie Brown and friends and a few more. We walked around and thought they looked okay but nothing too special. They were a pile of cans. My sister had her camera and took pictures. When she reviewed the pictures as we were about to leave, we were shocked. The camera saw a totally different view. It saw the heights and depths of the cans. It saw the pictures within the pictures. It saw words spelled out. Each exhibit was actually stunning. We stood in front of each one again looking with our eyes and then through the camera's lens. Two totally different pictures. We were glad we went.

The Size Of Love

Years ago I was at work when a patient noticed a ring I was wearing. It was a large cubic zirconia that was almost outlandish in size. Just by looking at it you knew it was not a real diamond. If it was, I would not be working at a doctor's office. I would be jetting around Europe with my entourage. She looked at my hand and said that my husband must really love me to get me such a big ring. She was a middle aged woman who was never married so she must have had a fantasy in her head about love. When we see celebrities get engaged, they get huge diamond rings. Ten carats, fifteen carats. The rings cost in the millions of dollars. People tend to assume that these people have a magical love story. The bigger the ring the stronger the love? Those people never stay together for too long. They split during the engagement or shortly after the marriage. Look around. The happiest women are the ones with 1/2 to 1 carat rings. Their love comes from their hearts not from a stone on their finger. 

What Degree

Why are temperature degrees different from heat to air conditioning? In the summer when it is hot out we set the air conditioning to 72 degrees. We freeze. In the winter we set the heat to 72 degrees and we sweat. Isn't 72 still 72 whether it is from heating  or cooling? Is a cool 72 different than a hot 72? All I know is that either way my morning receptionist is not happy.

Egg Shells

Solving problems are like picking out eggshells from a dish. Have you ever cracked an egg and an eggshell dropped into the bowl? We can try our hardest to chase the eggshell but it gets away from us. We try with a fork. We try with a spoon. We try with our fingers. It keeps alluding us. The simple way to solve the problem is to scoop it out with a bigger piece of eggshell. The large piece attracts the smaller piece. They cling to one another and out it comes, in one second. Problem solving is like that. We can try many methods, but when we try the right one it is easy.

Daylight

I am dressed and ready for work but I will not leave my house for a while. I am waiting for daylight.Two months ago the light streamed in my bedroom window at 5am. Now it is almost 7am and it is still as dark as night. I prefer to drive in the daylight so it is a waiting game. I remember the clocks being turned back the second or third week in October. Someone moved it to November 6. Who did that? Was there a vote? I was never asked. So here I sit, waiting to see the light.

Reaping

Sometimes you reap what you sow and you don't even know it. My parents have sown a huge crop over the years. There is nothing they would not do for me and my sister. Now that they are older we do things for them. Some things they are not even aware of. This week my sister has logged in tens of hours discussing my parent's utility bills. Credits were not applied and billing was incorrect. Each person says they have solved the problem but the next day the problem is still there or even worse. She has called and chatted with various people and computers. Since my sister has taken over paying most of the bills, my parents are unaware of the time she is spending on their behalf. She does not want to be thanked for all of her efforts. She is just silently returning to them what they have done for us over the years.

Sense of Time

Most of us have a sense of time. I never realized that dogs also have one. Shelby likes to go to sleep at 8pm. He sleeps upstairs in my room. Ever since Hurricane Sandy he got used to being there. No matter what time he is walked, at promptly 8pm he barks and runs up to the kitchen gate to be let upstairs. In the morning, he gets up with me at 6:15am. I can go to the bathroom during the night and he never stirs. When I go to the bathroom at 6:15am, he jumps up and waits at the door. My actions are the same during the night as they are at 6am. How does he know the time? Last time I checked, he was not wearing a watch.

Provisions

This morning I was packing up the things I needed to go to work. By the time I was done, I realized that I had packed a very heavy bag. It contained my breakfast, lunch and a snack. I had an extra Tupperware that I took home to wash. There was a bag with face creams that I had to bring to a coworker. There were letters that needed to be mailed. I looked like I was packing to go away for the weekend. Too bad it was just for one day at work.

Paper Memory

I have a good memory as long as things are written on paper. I am a list maker and a calendar keeper. This week my husband thought he was being funny by changing one word on a calendar entry. He had no idea why I had written something so he had no idea that by changing it, it would complicate things. I had the word "Me" on a day that I play Mah Jongg. He changed it to my sister's name. The word "Me" meant that I was responsible for the food that night. When I glanced at the calendar, I saw my sister's name so I did not buy the necessary food items that are usually served. Last night I noticed the different handwriting and asked if he did it. He admitted that he thought it was funny. Tomorrow I am sending him food shopping for the items I would have bought the day before. That will be his punishment and show him that he is never again to change what I have written. I may also erase one of his doctor's appointments if I feel in a feisty mood.

Mystery Solved

Since my husband bought his newest car, there has been a mystery with it. Sometimes it just turned on all by itself. No one was near it but the motor went on. We were going to name it "Christine" after the movie about a possessed car. After weeks of wondering, we finally solved the mystery. It seems that the car came equipped with a self starting feature. Some people add this option into the car so it is already warmed up before you get into it. The remote control has a feature that if you hit the button three times, the car turns on. Now that we know this, he will be careful not to hit the button if the keys are in his pocket. 

Image Search

There is nothing you can't find on the internet if you know how to look for it. There are many search methods. My husband bought an old army jacket from eBay. It came with a patch on it. For the last week he has been frantically searching every red patch to find out the meaning of it. I asked him if he needed help and he said that if he could not find it, I could not. I just walked away smirking. I know a lot more about research than he does but if he wanted to waste his time, so be it. This morning I took a picture of the patch, went to Google images, dropped the picture into the search box and up came the patch. It is a 1950's anti aircraft missile command patch. In one second I found what he has been looking for, for one week. It is not that I am a genius, it is that I knew where to search.

Research

Years ago when you needed to do research you went to the reference department of the library and spoke to the librarian. She knew it all. You gave her a topic and she requested books from the basement. They came up on a dumbwaiter. It all seemed so mysterious. Who was down there putting the books in that magical basket that went up and down? Were there gnomes lurking in the darkness? When she gave you the books, she took your library card as collateral. No one would ever leave without their card so she knew that her books were safe. You read the big books and jotted down notes. When you were done, you gave them back and got your card. It was a process that made you feel like you accomplished something. Now research is done differently. You go to your computer and look up the topic on YouTube. Hundreds of videos will appear. They will show you hands on what you need to know. All from the comfort of your home.

Re-Collection

My morning receptionist had surgery yesterday. The office will have a collection and send her something. Usually she and I are responsible for collecting money and buying the gifts. I came in yesterday to set up the collection envelope. My afternoon receptionist will be filling in the morning shift until next week. She informed me that one of the doctors started a collection Friday. I was glad that someone else took the initiative until I saw how things were going. We usually ask for $10 but if you want to give more or less that is fine. She was asking for $3-$5. That will never be enough for a nice gift. We have 12 doctors in the office. Asking for $10 (maybe twice a year) is not unreasonable. When the doctor came in, I asked her where the collection envelope was. She started to take money out of her pants pocket. She said she remembered who gave to her but somehow there was only $8 and I was told that three people gave. When lunch time came around, she did not have cash so she put in the $8 collection money and said she would reimburse it. This morning I will strip her of the collection task. I will set up an envelope and list names and amounts. It will be done the correct way. Tomorrow I will buy the gift.

Drafts

Sometimes during the day I think of a good blog topic. By the end of the day I have totally forgotten what it is. I decided to write down the topic so I could refer back to it at a later date. This morning I looked at the list. I saw the titles and had no idea what they meant. I know they must have had a story line behind them but I could not even guess what they were. Now I think I have to write the topic down and add a clue to the story. I guess at my age I need a bit more prompting.

No Voice

Last week I had a cold. It seems to have settled in my throat and yesterday I had no voice. Today I have a faint squeak. I went through the day yesterday silent. I babysat my grandson and whispered what I needed to say. He asked why I was talking so low and I explained that my voice was going to be very low all day. He listened to everything I told him to do the first time and I never had to repeat myself once. During the day my husband was talking to me. I did not answer most of what he said as it hurt to talk. At the end of the day I realized one thing. Ninety percent of our daily conversation is nonsense. If we only answered the crucially important questions and did not have needless banter, we would all be happier.

October

There is something about October that makes me feel good. The cool crisp air. The sunshine. The warm orange and yellow colors. It makes me want to take a walk in the woods. Today I am babysitting my grandson all day. We will be taking him to a pumpkin farm/nursery that has animals to pet. He goes there every year but each year he enjoys it more. I can't wait to see his smiling face as we walk around the hundreds of pumpkins. It will be a fun day for everyone.

Blinded By Propaganda

For many years our nation has accused others of spreading propaganda. False truth that is published in the media becomes reality to many. This is what is happening now in our presidential campaign. One party is accusing the other of inappropriate behavior somehow forgetting what they had done in previous years. They are using "smoke and mirrors" to fool America into a false reality. The campaign has become a nasty personal battle and has strayed away from the important issues. How dare the press dredge up a 10 year old sound bit of one man while forgetting about the reality of the other? Yes, Mr. Trump says more than he should, but Mr. Clinton did more than he should and his wife defended it. While Mr. Trump boasts about kissing and possible groping, Mr. Clinton actually had sex with an intern in the oval office. Does anyone else but me remember the stained blue dress or the cigar? His wife, now our presidential candidate, called that poor young intern a pig and a slut. So much for her supporting women's rights. Her words of shame to a young girl cut deeper than what her husband did. Is this who we want representing us? This election is about a lesser of the two evils and although Mr Trump needs to "put a sock in it" sometimes, I feel that he truly cares more about getting America back on track again. That is all it comes down to for me.

Colds

Why do humans get colds and dogs do not? A few days ago I came down with a cold as did most of the people I know. Some say it is change of seasons. I say it is from a germ. Weather has nothing to do with it. As I was walking Shelby this morning, I realized that he never gets a cold. No dog or cat gets one. What is it in their immune system that repels this virus? Maybe scientists need to delve into this theory. Do dogs and cats have a cold resistant gene or do they not get colds because it is impossible to blow their noses with paws.

Test Drive

Yesterday my husband came home from his volunteer job and parked his car in the driveway. Usually the car goes directly into the garage. I asked him why he did that and he said that he wanted me to take the car out for a ride. I was home all day with a cold and did not really want to drive the car. He kept asking me to so I got into it with him in the passenger seat. I drove around the neighborhood. From the inside of the car, it drove like any other car. I put my foot on the gas and it went. That is all I require from a car. He kept asking me "how it drove" and I said fine. I am not a racecar driver so I do not know "how" a car should feel. I want to get from point A to point B. The only difference in driving this car was that everyone we passed stopped and stared at it.

Atonement

Today is Yom Kippur. It is a day of atonement. It is a day to pray and ask for forgiveness for mistakes made during the year. It is a day to reflect on the year. My year had its ups and downs, but in the end things turned out well. I have made some mistakes but none of them were earth shattering. I have atoned for them along the way. Every year I hope to do better than the last one. I pray for health and happiness for my family. I wish everyone a happy and healthy new year.

Face Your Fears

Yesterday I watched a young girl face her fear. She is extremely afraid of cats and is coming for therapy to help her. Her therapist brought in a small cat for her to look at. The cat was in a cage in her office but the girl knew it was close by. She started to yell and cry that she did not want to go near the cat. Little by little the therapist coaxed her closer. She has been in therapy a few weeks and her therapist knew that this was the right time for this exercise. I took almost an hour but in the end the little girl looked at the cat and even pet it. She realized that it was not that scary. She is by no means cured but she is on her way. If a young girl can overcome her fears anyone can.

A Bag of Cookies

Some things in life just bring pure joy. Children find that joy in small ways. The other day, when we were in New England, my grandson wanted a snack. We took him down to the vending machine and said he could pick out anything he wanted. He saw a bag of chocolate chip cookies and asked if he could have them. I put the dollar bill into the machine and he watched them being pushed out. He grabbed the bag and began to jump up and down in delight. He continued to walk through the hallway back to the room hopping and skipping and swinging the bag. Nothing in the world could have made him happier. That made me happy.

All Together

Yesterday was a wonderful day. I was with all of my children. We had not been together for over a year. The day started off at the Baptism service and continued on at a party at my son's house. There were about 20 people there and a nice number of children. The adults ate and talked and the children all played together nicely. It was a great mix of people. The food was delicious. The best part of the day, to me, was a simple act of normalcy. My older son's electric car trunk had broken. He could not get into it unless he crawled into the back seat and opened the lever. The dealer said it would cost $500 to fix it. He asked his brother to look at it since he is handy. They got out some tools and took apart the trunk. Wires were moved and fuses were reinstalled. After almost an hour, it was fixed. This is what would have normally happened if they lived close to each other. Since they live far apart, these simple brother moments cannot happen. Yesterday they did. That meant the world to me.

God's Child

Today is my younger granddaughter's Baptism. It is the day that God recognizes her as his child. He will watch over her and keep her safe. She is not being raised in my religion. That might bother other people. It does not bother me. I believe that there is only one God. The way we worship him is either inherited at birth or the way we feel most comfortable. As long as he loves her and protects her, it's fine with me.

All Together

This morning my family will be going to New England for my youngest granddaughter's celebration. This will be the first time that my younger son and his family will be meeting her. She is five months old. Sometimes it is not easy to get two families together when they are miles apart and have difficult work schedules. The stars have aligned and this weekend it will happen. I will have all of my children and grandchildren in the same house. I am ecstatic.

The Big X

There is a game show that asks people questions and then shows whether or not they have the right answer. If they are right, a large green check mark appears on the screen. If they are wrong, a large red X appears. I wish I had the ability to flash a large red X when someone is not telling the truth. If I ask a question and you give the wrong answer there would be a buzzer and a neon red X. That way you would know that I am aware of your wrong answer. When people lie are they fooling us or themselves?

Say How You Feel

It is better to just say how you feel than to hold it in and be angry. That was yesterday's theme. It started with one of my doctor's saying that he did something nice for his mother in law and she looked at him with a scrunched up face. He said to her, "Is that the new way to say thank you to someone who just went out of their way for you to make you happy?". After a moment she got it and smiled and thanked him. If he had let it go, he would have been upset all night. I also had to tell someone that they did not act appropriately. I could have held it in and been angry but I chose to tell the person in a kind way that they did something that offended me. By the end of the conversation things were back on track. Open communication is the key to a peaceful life.

XO

I have become an "XO" person. They are two letters that say volumes. It shows you care. Sometimes saying "I love you" isn't appropriate even if you do love that person. Saying I love you needs a response. That is where the "XO" in. It stands for kisses and hugs. It says that you mean a lot to me. You can say it and it does not need an answer.

Life

Last night was my holiday dinner. I looked around and saw life. I saw energy. I saw the next generation. I took a moment to watch what was going on around me. I saw the people I love the most gathered around a table eating and laughing. I saw two children running around playing hide and seek like children have done for centuries. I heard a baby crying because there was so much going on it was overwhelming to him. I saw my parent's enjoying their family. It was a snapshot in time that will forever be ingrained in my mind. I realized that I was "home". It was not because I was in my own house. It was because I was happy and comfortable and in an atmosphere of love.

Holiday

This evening starts the beginning of the Jewish New Year. It is 5776 on the Jewish calendar. If you do the math it is startling that 3760 years happened before the Gregorian calendar was established. If an average lifespan is about 78 years we are all just a speck of dust in time. How can we afford to waste even one moment of it? I will spend my day preparing dinner for my family. I set the table and soon will start to cook. My house will smell wonderful. Meats, potatoes, macaroni and vegetables all cooking to make a delicious meal. As good as the meal is, the best part is the family. I will be surrounded by the people I love the most. The ones that live far away will still be there in my thoughts. I will see them this weekend. I wish everyone a happy, healthy New Year.

The Thimble

When I redid my kitchen last year I bought a new refrigerator. I got the stainless steel kind that has the water dispenser on the door. I lost a few shelves of freezer space due to that. The main part of the unit is designed a bit differently than my old one that seemed to have a better use of space. I am preparing for a holiday dinner and the refrigerator is filled with food.I feel like I am doing a Rubix Cube puzzle when I try to fit everything in. I should get a Master's Degree in spatial development for that way things are now arranged. I feel like I am tying to fit a roomful of food into a thimble.