Our church secretary, Jenni, is a good friend and also in my Wednesday evening Life Savers Group. She's also a good story teller and recently shared this one which is so very appropriate since the ladies in our Wed. night group are sometimes asked to furnish food for different events like the ELCA Pastors’ District Meetings, Lenten church suppers and congregational breakfasts or carry-in dinners. Sometimes our culinary efforts are less than perfect or downright disasters. Anyway, here’s the story:

Alice Grayson was to bake a cake for the Baptist Church Ladies' Group in Tuscaloosa but forgot to do it until the very last minute. She remembered it the morning of the bake sale and after rummaging through cabinets, found an angel food cake mix & quickly made it while drying her hair, dressing, and helping her son pack for his Boy Scout camping trip.

When she took the cake from the oven, the center had dropped flat and the cake was horribly disfigured and she exclaimed, "Oh dirty words, there is not time to bake another cake!" This cake was really important to Alice because she did so want to fit in at her new church and in her new group of friends. So, being inventive, she looked around the house for something to build up the center of the cake. She found it in the bathroom - a roll of toilet paper. She plunked it in and then covered it with icing. [I once did a repair on a birthday cake for youngest daughter with just gobs and gobs of icing!]

Not only did the finished product look beautiful, it looked perfect. And, before she left the house to drop the cake by the church and head for work, Alice woke her daughter and gave her some money and specific instructions to be at the bake sale the moment it opened at 9:30 and to buy the “toilet paper roll” cake and bring it back home.

When the daughter arrived at the sale, she found out that her mother’s attractive, perfect looking cake had already been sold, so Amanda grabbed her cell phone and called her mom.

Alice was horrified and beside herself worrying! Everyone soon would know! What would they think? She would be ostracized, talked about, ridiculed! All night long, Alice lay awake in bed thinking about how people would be pointing fingers at her and talking about her behind her back. But by the next morning, Alice promised herself she would try not to think about that stupid cake and would go ahead and attend the fancy luncheon and bridal shower at the home of a fellow church member and try to have a good time.

She really did NOT want to attend because the hostess was such a snob and had, on more than one occasion, looked down her nose at the fact that Alice was a single parent and not connected to any of the founding families of Tuscaloosa. However, since she had already sent her RSVP, she couldn't think of a believable excuse to stay home.

The meal was elegant, the company was definitely upper crust old south and to Alice's horror, the cake in question was presented for dessert!  Alice felt the blood drain from her body when she saw the cake! She started to stand up to tell the hostess all about the cake disaster, but before she could get to her feet, the Mayor's wife said, "Oh, what a beautiful cake!"

Alice, still stunned, sat back in her chair when she heard the hostess (who was a prominent church member) say,  “Thank you, I baked it myself."

Alice smiled and thought to herself….."God is good.”

A big storm is supposed to hit us soon. That news always makes people around here scared silly, and they rush out to the grocery and drug stores to stock up on food, cigarettes and booze....except for my friend Doris and me. We went on the monthly "Art Walk" downtown instead....always a good way to get some culture and exercise at the same time. Some of the best works of art we saw were the entries by Jr. and Sr. high school students in the juried art show at Gallery 308 studio....really interesting and amazing pieces and done in all kinds of media by our area's young people. Doris and I were impressed and as a former art teacher, I was encouraged. Hopefully our state's economy will not lead to our schools cutting the art and music programs. It seems they're always the first programs to be sacrificed.....never are the schools' sacred  and untouchable athletic teams' budgets trimmed back....can't have that!

In closing, here is a cute one to cheer you up.....a link to something to keep your computer screen looking its best!  http://www.raincitystory.com/flash/screenclean.swf

An American scholar and historian and a hero of mine is gone. I often made posters with quotations from his writings to display on my refrigerator and above my pc desk. I admired his speaking out...challenging us to really think critically....shaking us up and making us look at things in a different way. He served his country courageously during WW 2, but afterward while putting his medals and papers away said, "Never again."  He pointed out the horrors of wars and protested with persuasive eloquence. He was a supporter of the Civil Rights Movement scolding JFK for not doing enough. His outspoken criticism of the university cost him his teaching job but didn't stop him. He inspired his many students, friends and readers to become more interested, aware, actve....to have courage to get involved. He died of a heart attack yesterday at age 87 in California.....but he had a very good heart in other ways. I'll miss him.

Some of my favorite quotes of his are:

1. "Dissent is the highest form of patriotism." [often wrongly attributed to Thos. Jefferson who expressed a similar view.] 2. "One certain effect of war is to diminish freedom of expression."  3. “(Nationalism is) a set of beliefs taught to each generation in which the Motherland or the Fatherland is an object of veneration and becomes a burning cause for which one becomes willing to kill the children of other Motherlands or Fatherlands” 4. "War itself is the enemy of the human race."  5. "There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people."

And speaking to us most hopefully and appropriately today are these:

"To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places — and there are so many — where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory."

"Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world."

To find out more about him: http://www.veteranstoday.com/2010/01/28/peoples-history-author-howard-zinn-dies-at-87-washington-post/ or just google "Howard Zinn"

Here's the wording of the signs I and others held up in front of us at noon today on the steps of City Hall. We were attempting to put some pressure on our party's senators and representatives to do something about our nation's broken health care system. With the wind chill factored in, the temperature definitely was below zero. Everyone in our small group was freezing their butts off and, in my case, fingers too! It is rather miraculous that even a dozen people were willing to join together with only a one day notice to make signs and take time out of their day in such cold, windy and snowy weather!!! We were representing many who share our beliefs but were unable to get away. The public will support the party who speaks loudest, strongest and most courageously about this issue and not a simpering whimpering invertabrate party!!!! One of the organizers suggested citizens should join in a move to deny Congress their own (mostly) tax supported health care insurance plans until U.S. citizens also have as good plans and coverage as our senators and representatves. Now there's a thought!

DEMOCRATS: Show Some Backbone! 

DEMOCRATS: Health Care NOW!

DEMOCRATS: Time to Fight!

We Can't Afford to Wait

Whose Side Are You On? The People's or Big Insurance Companies'?

My friend Julia and I went to the matinee of "It's Complicated" today using our $5 Kerisotes cards. We both laughed until we cried and evidently, judging from their reviews, enjoyed it much more than the movie critics. Afterward, before leaving the theater, we visited with three women acquaintances of Julia's. One had been living abroad for 11 years and had a lot to say about how other Americans living overseas view Obama and the rest of the Washington, DC politicians and the policies. She was, like the rest of us, a liberal and like the rest of us also against waging wars....especially those that can't be won and appalled by the recent SCOTUS decision.

On the way home, Julia and I discussed the Supreme Court's disastrous rollback of campaign finance laws. We agreed this was a horrible decision. Giving corporations a free rein to spend unlimited amounts of money on elections means that corporations and not the voting public will decide who will be our next president and who will be members of Congress.

The NY Times is right in saying this court decision will open the "floodgates for corporate money." There is also the danger that foreign and multi-national corporations will have more influence on the outcome of elections than will U.S. citizens. And it isn't just liberals who are concerned. Real conservatives, including David Brooks, also are dismayed by the court's decision.

I believe our only hope to undo this damage is to have Congress quickly pass public financing of elections so those who don't have corporations' backing them can afford to run for political office.  There is a bill titled "The Fair Elections Now Act," which has some strong bipartisan support. Congress really needs to prove to the public that it represents the public's interests and not just that of big industry by passing this as soon as possible. Members of Congress must choose whose side they are on..... that of the voters or of Corporations! And we the voters need to speak up NOW and make a powerful noise about this!

With this Court decision, Big Insurance could spend as much as they want to support Joe Lieberman in his efforts to keep watering down health care reform. And ExxonMobil or BP can spend millions to elect candidates who oppose clean energy. It's a disastrous decision with a disastrous outcome.

Fixing the problem of corporate money in politics is a long-term fight—and public financing is the best first step. With the Fair Elections Now legislation, candidates could get off the corporate fundraising treadmill and raise enough from small donors to be seriously competitive. If this bill passes, 95% of House members would get the same or more money than they spent in 2008—and they'd still be able to raise small contributions beyond that.

The Fair Elections Now Act is being spearheaded by Democrat John Larson and Republican Walter Jones in the House. And it's already won the support of a wide range of good-government groups who want to see Congress doing the work of the people.

This is our best chance ever to advance the cause of public financing for fair elections. The idea's been proven in numerous states. And with this Supreme Court decision, members of Congress are getting nervous about having to compete against a wave of corporate cash. Change is now possible.

Great truths that little children have learned:

1.  No matter how hard you try, you can’t baptize cats.

2.  When your Mon is mad at your Dad, don’t let her brush your hair.

3.  If your sister hits you, don’t hit her back.  They always catch the second person.

4.  Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.

5.  You can’t trust dogs to watch your food.

6.  Don’t sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.

7.  Never hold a dust- buster and a cat at the same time.

8.  You can’t hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.

9.  Don’t wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.

10.  The best place to be when you’re sad is Grandma’s lap.

Great truths that adults have learned:

1.  Raising teenagers is like nailing jello to a tree.

2.  Wrinkles don’t hurt.

3.  Families are like fudge..mostly sweet with a few nuts.

4.  Today’s mighty oak is just yesterday’s nut that held  it’s ground.

5.  Laughing is good exercise.  It’s like jogging on the inside.

6.  Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the toy.

Great truths about growing old:

1.  Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional.

2.  Forget the health food,  you need all the preservatives you can get.

3.  When you fall down, you wonder what else you can do while you’re down there.

4.  You’re getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a roller coaster.

5.  It’s frustrating when you know all the answers but nobody bothers to ask you the questions.

6.  Time may be a great healer, but it’s a lousy beautician.

7.  Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes, to  be honest, age comes all alone.

The four stages of life:

1.  You believe in Santa Claus.

2.  You don’t believe in Santa Claus.

3.  You are Santa Claus.

4.  You look like Santa Claus.

Success.....what goes around comes around:

At age 4, success is….not piddling in your pants.

At age 12, success is….having friends.

At age 17, successis….having a driver’s license.

At age 35, success is….having money.

At age 50,success is….having more money.

At age 70, success is….having a driver’s license.

At age 75, success is….having friends.

At age 80, success is….not piddling in your pants.

In conclusion:

Take time to live because life goes by really fast and sometimes is too short!

It's winter in Indiana

Gentle breezes blow

Seventy miles an hour

At thirty - five below. 

Oh, how I love Indiana

 The snow's up to your butt

You take a breath of winter

And your nose gets frozen shut. 

Yes, the weather here is  wonderful

So I guess I'll hang around

I could never leave Indiana

'cause I'm frozen to the ground!

I wish I knew the Hoosier who penned this little poem which so perfectly reflects the feelngs I and many other residents of our beloved state have this evening with the temperature outside around 12 to 14 degrees F. and not expected to get much higher this weekend. With the wind chill added in, we can subtract at least an additional 20 degrees......a way below zero feel to it!

 Lots of snow here! And cold! It snowed all day long and roads not cleared until evening. I wonder if it will be a lost cause since the weather forecast is for even more snow tonight.

I took advantage of my forced stay at home status and did mending, made a big pot of broccoli soup, caught up on reading and answering email and organizing new photos in my laptop's picture file folders, and also watched the last "Ugly Betty" episode I recorded.

And so I am sharing some of the fruits of my snow day's labor: the best of all the emails I received this cold winter day, one from my Arizona cousins (the former nun and priest) and some of the photos I organized. 

"Women Get Their Way At Last"

 Apple announced today that it has developed a breast implant that can store and play music. The "iTit" will cost from $499 to $699, depending on cup and speaker size. This is considered a major social breakthrough, because women are always complaining about men staring at their breasts and not listening to them.

The sun was really bright in my kitchen and my violets were in bloom plus the Impatiens plant I brought in before the frost had a single red blossom. I'm hoping to keep it alive over the winter. The greenhouse window over the kitchen sink is where I watch the squirrels playing all year long. I think they sometime are getting a "caffein high" digging for their buried acorns in the garden I mulched with Starbucks used coffee grounds. I was hoping the coffee grounds would discourage the critters but think they've come to like it instead!

I've learned to talk to my violets like my mother always did. I think it works. She usually spoke in gentle tones to them, but I remember her using a harsh almost angry voice one day while frowning and bending slightly forward speaking to the one plant that had refused to bloom for an unusually long spell. "If you don't start blooming I'm just going to throw you away!" Not long after, that little violet had many buds and so many blooms that it resembled a Lily Dache hat of the post World War Two 1940's. I think my youngest daughter has that beloved hat of her grandmother's hanging on her bedroom wall. It was the most expensive hat Mom ever purchased. Dad talked her into buying it. I think I'll look for the Easter Sunday photo of her wearing that hat of all silk flowers. She looked so pretty in it. I miss her.

I decided it was time to choose a more recent photo for my profile picture. The other profile photos I'd used were of me in my mid 20's and the last one was of me at around 50 years old. I needed to be more honest and admit I have all these wrinkles.   Hell, even my wrinkles have wrinkles! If all the lines on my face were red, my face would look like a detailed road map. No cosmetic doctor would have enough botox nor would I have enough money to erase them all if he did!  And why should I want to erase them anyway? I've earned every darn one of them in my almost 78 years! However, I must admit that when I looked at the 8x10 photo provided by the church directory photograph company, I sort of wished I'd said "yes" when the photographer asked me if I wanted them to retouch the photo and soften the wrinkles.....for only $35 more.....cheaper than botox or a face lift. 

The women (and now men too) in our country spend huge amounts of money fighting the signs of aging.  The advertizing and manufacture of beauty products are BIG business, and some of the highest paid physicians are those expert at turning back the clock....erasing the lines, lifting the butts and boobs that have succumbed to the law of gravity. Some justify spending the money claiming it's absolutely necessary to help them compete in today's job market or their chosen profession. They have a point.

Over the years sociologists have commented that our culture has not revered grandparents and older people in general like Asian cultures have done. Perhaps that will change as the baby boomers start turning 65.....this year! It's said there is power in numbers! We'll see if that holds true. 

My generation was just the opposite of "baby boomers" since the birth rate was down back in the 1930's when we were born. The economic hardships people were facing during the Great Depression did not encourage couples to start or enlarge their families. I wonder if the current recession will have the same effect on the birth rate....hmnnn.

All in all, growing old isn't so bad except for the occasional aches and stiffness in fingers and knees and mind.  I paid the price for the aging mind or at least a lapse in memory this past weekend when I left hot water running in the bathroom sink (with the stopper down) and forgot about it when I left to answer the phone and then got distracted and did a zillion other little things like going downstairs to adjust the thermostat before going back upstairs to the master bathroom.....a hot steamy wet flooded bathroom!!!  I called myself every bad name I could think of, a short list since I'm getting old. Anyway this hot water leaked into the vanity drawers and cupboards beneath the sink, soaking all the contents and leaked through and dissolved some plaster on the garage ceiling under this bathroom. The dissolved plaster then fell on the hood of my 2002 Buick  LeSabre which is the unofficial vehicle for the handicapped and for people in their 70's....most have the special license plate or tag hanging from the mirror....believe me.  I now have the cleanest bathroom in Indiana. I'll be getting some repairs done in the coming year as a result of this.....my own little economic stimulus package effort. Well I guess something good for someone can come as a result of my unfortunate "brain fart"......and that word really is much too tame. I have, however, forgiven myself.

Being that I'm now closer to 80 years old than 70, I must agree with these observations and some of the advantages of being a "senior citizen."

1.      Kidnappers are not very interested in you.

2.      In a hostage situation, you are likely to be released first.

3.      No one expects you to run -- anywhere.

4.      People call at 9 AM and ask, “Did I wake you?”

5.      People no longer view you as a hypochondriac.

6.      There is nothing left to learn the hard way.....(except for my above experience!)

7.      Things you buy won't wear out.

8.      You can eat supper at 4 PM.

9.      You can live without sex but not your glasses.

10.   You quit trying to hold your stomach in no matter who walks into the room.

11.   You sing along with elevator music.

12.   Your eyes won't get much worse.

13.   Your investment in health insurance is finally beginning to pay off.

14.   Your joints are more accurate meteorologists than the national weather service.

15.   Your secrets are safe with your friends because they can't remember them either.

16.   You know better than to take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night!