Respect

"My curfew was the street lights. Mom didn't call my cell, she yelled my name. I played outside with friends, not online. If I didn't eat what mom made, I didn't eat. Hand sanitizer didn't exist, but you COULD get your mouth washed out with soap, your butt spanked and it was ok for the other neighborhood mamas to scold you if you did something wrong. ~Repost if you drank water out of a hose and survived !!! :)"

I found this on Facebook this morning.  Things have really changed since I was a child.  I remember when I was in school, if I got in trouble at school, I got double in trouble at home.  My parents did not put up with us children disrespecting our teachers or elders.   We were taught manners and who was the boss and it wasn't us.  I have been substitute teaching for the past 5 years.  I would rather do that then take a full time teaching job.  I can have a little freedom.  But anyway, kids now days have no respect for others.  I was having problems with one student and was trying to get him to mind and he basically told me that there wasn't anything I could do about his behavior.  I was just a teacher.  He told me to go ahead, send him to the principals office.  His dad would put the principal after he tell his side of the story.  There was no respect for me as a teacher, as an adult, or as a human being.    It was all I could do not to wipe that smirk off the child's face. 

When did we as a society forget to have respect for others?   Respect is an attitude.  Being respectful helps adults and children to be come successful in life.   Children take cues from adults.  Just like monkey see, monkey do.  If we do not respect others how can a child learn to respect.  Respect is reciprocal.  When we give respect, we also get respect in return. 

Society's mantra today is "what's in it for me" or "it's all about me".  I find myself thinking, when asked to work on a service project or to help someone, nobody helped me when I was down.  What am I going to get out of this.  I don't have time to help, I need that time for me.  Then I remember the scripture, "do unto others, as you would have them do unto you" so  I go begrudgingly to help but I don't give them all.  

People crave respect.  It validates their existence.  You don't have to be famous, rich, or popular to want respect.  When we give someone respect, we recognize that person has value.  Learning to respect increases harmony among family members, neighbors, co-workers, and life in general.  Just like an orchestra.  They must play in harmony.  It can only do that when each member respects the others.  They violin can not steal the flute's notes.  The trumpet cannot borrow the part of a trombone.  Each instrument must treat the notes of others in a way that shows their value.  Each must show value of the other instruments in they way they treat them.  Then, and only then, can they produce beautiful harmonies.

Learning and teaching respect requires effort, time and prayer.  I really think that if everyone of us worked on respecting others, the world would begin to play in harmony.  But the first place we need to start is with ourselves and our families.  I am worth something.  I will learn to respect myself, thus I will respect others.  Easier said than done.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Wordless Wednesday is a great day to post an awesome picture that “speaks” for itself, no words needed!


   

Pete

Wishing for spring

 

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Pete

I had to put to sleep my Pete this morning.  He had cancer everywhere and there was nothing we could do.  Two dogs gone in 3 months.  My heart is breaking.  At least I know that both are in a better place and not suffering.  Mom will miss your gentle soul and soft fur Pete.  I love you.

Spring Cleaning

Yup, it's that time of the year.  I groan out loud, knowing that it was coming.   It's starting to warm up, not snowing as much as during winter, birds are singing, the grass is starting to green up, the earth is starting to wake up from it's long winter nap.  What am I talking about?  Spring Cleaning. 


Not the basic daily and weekly cleaning like bathrooms, vacuuming, and dusting.  I the mean the dust out the vases, clean out the closets and breathe new life into the old home.  It means that I will have to go through the clutter that I have been hoarding over the winter.  What should I keep and what shouldn't I.  I am the first to admit that I love my stuff.  It makes me happy.  But this happy stuff is starting to take over.  I am tired of moving it from room to room.  It's time to cast off my useless accessories, relegating unused items to either the trash or give to charity, making room for air and life to flow through my house. 

Since I had a touch of adult ADD, I decided to look on the web to find a list of how and what to clean.   I found the attached list below by Martha Stewart. 

Room by Room:

Kitchen:
• Dust refrigerator coils.  Turn off power to circuit breaker or fuse box.  Coils are usually at the bottom of the refrigerator, under the grill.  Clean coils with the crevice attachment of a vacuum or a specialty refrigerator-coil brush, available at hardware stores.
• Defrost the freezer. Turn off power at circuit breaker or fuse box. Empty freezer’s contents; wipe interior with a solution of 2 tablespoons baking soda per 1 quart hot water.

Living Room:
• Swap heavy curtains, rugs and throws for light weight ones. Clean items first. To store, roll material around an acid-free tube; wrap in a clean sheet of cotton, muslin, or polyethylene; secure with twill tape, and label each bundle so you’ll know which is which.

Bedrooms:
• Rotate bed and change blankets.  Turn over your mattress to distribute the wear evenly.  Replace cool-weather bedding with warm-weather bedding.
• Clean pillows.  Whether made of natural fibers (such as down) or synthetic (often polyester), most pillows can be machine-washed. This rids them of mold, bacteria, and odors.

Bathroom:
• Discard expired cosmetics and beauty products. Secure these items in a plastic trash bag, and keep it out of reach of children and animals.
• Update first-aid kit. In addition to bandages and ointments, the kit should include a list of emergency numbers, especially the one for your nearest poison-control center.

Home Office:
• Organize files. Review insurance policies, contracts, and household inventories.
• Clean computers. Scrub casings with a solution of 1 drop mild dishwashing liquid per 1 quart of water and a lint-free cloth; dust crevices in keyboards with cotton swabs; wipe screens with a soft cloth or a dry screen-cleaning sponge.

Closets:
• Replace cool-weather clothing with warm weather clothing.  Wash or dry-clean garments before storing them in a zippered sweater or blanket bag.
• Donate apparel you no longer use.  Many charities are happy to accept old clothing and may send a truck to pick it up. They may also provide receipts for tax purposes.

Utility Spaces:
• Clean attic and basement, giving away or discarding unwanted item.  Divide whatever is left into two zones: one for things you’ll need to retrieve in the next six months, such as clothes, and the other for objects that may be there for years, such as furniture.
• Protect objects in basement.  Use concrete blocks to keep storage boxes off the ground.  Place washer and dryer on elevated pedestals (made by the appliances’ manufacturers) to prevent electrical shock during flooding.

Outdoor Spaces:
• Clean porch ceiling and walls.  Sweep up cobwebs and debris with a corn broom, and wash walls with a solution of all-purpose cleaner and water using a polyester sponge.
• Scrub decks, patios, driveways, and walk ways. Treat mildew spots with a solution of 1 part oxygen bleach to 3 parts water using a deck brush.
• Wash outdoor furniture.  Most materials, including aluminum, plastic, wood, and wicker, can handle a solution of mild dishwashing liquid and water and a soft-bristle brush.
• Inspect light fixtures.  Wash covers, and check for damaged wires and connections.

Not sure I will do all the things on this list, but it gives me an idea where to start.  Spring cleaning is about making choices.  Clutter and chaos have to be cleared away and stale rooms need to renewed.  It's up to me to have the right frame of mind and strength to get it done.

Meet Me on Monday -

Every Sunday Never Growing Old will post five get to know you  questions that you can copy and paste into your own Monday post and we  can all learn a little more about each and every one of us!






Questions:

1.  Caesar Salad or Garden Salad?
 
 I love green salads with ranch dressing.  I can eat salad every day, next to hamburgers

2.  Will you be watching the Royal Wedding on April 29th?

Probably not.  I am sure I will see the wedding on the news and that is enough for me.




3.  Last thing you spent lots of money on?

H has to have some dental work that is going to cost boo-coo bucks.



4.  Window seat or aisle seat?

 Window seat.  I would like the aisle seat but I always travel with H and he likes the aisle.  He has broad shoulders and he feels cramped by the window.






5.  Do you know your blood type?

O negative

A Land That Made Me, Me.

Long age and far away, in a land that time forgot,

Before the days of Dylan, or the dawn of Camelot

There lived a race of innocents, and they were you and me.

For Ike was in the White House in that land where we were born,

Where navels were for oranges and Peyton Place was porn.

We learned to gut a muffler, we washed our hair at dawn,

We spread our crinolines to dry in circles on the lawn.

We longed for love and romance, and waited for our Prince,

And Eddie Fisher married Liz, and no one's seen him since.

We danced to "Little Darlin" and sang to "Stagger Lee"

And cried for Buddy Holly in the Land that made me, Me.

Only girls wore earrings then, and 3 was one to many,

And only boys wore flat-top cuts, except for Jean McKinney.

And only in our wildest dream did we expect to see

A boy named George with lipstick, in the Land that made me, Me.

We fell for Frankie Avalon, Annette was oh, so nice,

And when they made a movie, they never made it twice.

We didn't have a Star Trek Five or Psycho two and three,

or Rocky-Rambo twenty in Land that made me, Me.

Miss Kitty had a heart of gold, and Chester had a limp,

And Reagan was a Democrat whose co-star was a chimp.

We had a Mr. Wizard, but not a Mr. T.

And Oprah couldn't talk yet, in the Land that made me, Me.

We had our share of heroes, we never thought they'd go,

At least not Bobby Darin, or Marilyn Monroe.

For youth was still eternal, and life was yet to be,

And Elvis was forever in the Land that made me, Me.

We never seen the rock band that was Grateful to be Dead,

And airplanes weren't named Jefferson, and Zeppelins were not lead.

And Beatles lived in gardens then, and Monkees lived in trees,

Madonna was our Mary in the Land that made me, Me.

We never heard of microwaves, or telephones in cars,

And babies might be bottle-fed, but they were not grown in jars.

And pumping iron got wrinkles out, and "gay" meant fancy-free,

And dorms were never co-ed in the Land that made me, Me.

We hadn't seen enough of jets to talk about the lag,

And microchips were what was left at the bottom of the bag.

And hardware was a box of nails, and bytes came from a flea,

And rocket ships were fiction in the Land that made me, Me.

Buick's came with portholes, and side shows came with freaks,

And bathing suits came big enough to cover both your cheeks.

And coke came just in bottles, and skirts below the knee,

And Castro came to power near the Land that made me, Me.

We had no Crest with fluoride, we had not Hill Street Blues,

We had no patterned pantyhose or Lipton herbal tea

Or prime-time ads for those dysfunctions in the Land that made me, Me.

There were no golden arches, no Perrier to chill,

And fish were not called Wanda, and cats were not called Bill.

And middle-aged was 35 and old was fifty-three,

And ancient were our parents in the Land that made me, Me.

But all things have a season, or so we've heard them say,

And now instead of Maybellien we swear by Retin-A.

They send us invitations to join AARP,

We've come a long way baby, from the Land that made me, Me.

So now we face a brave new world in slightly larger jeans,

And wonder why they're using smaller print in magazines.

And we tell our children's children of the way it used to be,

Long ago and far away in the Land that made me, Me.

I was born in the middle 50's but grew up during the 60' and 70's (or maybe I haven't grown up yet).  I can remember one day sitting class during high school,  figuring up how old I would be when I retired and what year that would be.  2020, man that seemed like forever.  A different century.  I couldn't wrap my mind around it back then.  Now that year is approaching with great speed.  I look back at the 50's, 60's and 70's and wish sometimes that things were so complicated.  We could say we were having a gay time, or I am going have coke and not offend anyone.  We didn't have to worry about having the latest and greatest gadgets.   But as I ponder my growing up years, I am very thankful that I have made it to 2011.  I wouldn't give up any of the experiences I have gained.  I look forward to 2020 and all the new things I will experience. 

Tirade

Well H has gone back to California for 2.5 weeks.  He wasn't going to go but the manager of the RV place we worked for last month called him a couple of times and asked him to come down.  He loaded up the car and left this morning.  I have mixed emotions about him going, but it is not anything I can't work though.  I have plenty to do.  We are selling our house so I have closets to go through, baseboards and walls to be washed, ironing to be done, junk to get rid of and a few craft projects to finish.  On top of that I have substitute teaching jobs for the next 2 weeks.  My problems is I don't want to do any of it.  I am not sure what I want to do, but it's not that stuff.   I have been shouldering everything by myself most of the winter and I am tired of it.  I need a vacation and not a working one.  I need some help getting this place ready for sale.  I guess I am not feeling any support right now.

While I am on my tirade I am tired of the snow.   When the heck is spring going to show up.  I could take a bit of weather if there was some sunshine mixed in with the rain. I think the sun has forgotten Eastern Idaho.   It is just one dreary day after another.

Also, what the heck is with all the prices going up.  Gas is almost $4 here.   I went to the grocery store and paid $100 for a bag and half of groceries.   I not sure what the heck I bought that was  so expensive.  Looks like we will be surviving on beans and weenies if prices keep going up.  Yum.

Wow, that felt better.  I don't usually  throw pity parties, but I decided I was entitled to one.  Thank you for listening.  I can now go do some ironing. 

10 Good Things on a Monday

http://buoyreading.blogspot.com/search/label/good%20things

Here's how it works:

1. Think of a particular group of good things you want to make a list on, does not necessarily have to be about books, e.g. your current book wish list, or your favorite book foods (you know, foods you love to eat while reading, if you're like me), or your favorite girly names, whatever you can think of, as long as it makes you feel good.
2. If you have no ideas for a list, you can always visit my blog post to check out my theme for that week and you can take a cue from my list.
3. Post your list on your blog, grab that cute ARGH button above and put it on your post too, so we'd know you're doing this meme.
4. Leave the link for your post on my own 10 Good Things post for the week, if you see others doing it, comment too and let's share our good things with everybody.
5. Everybody goes through the whole week happy.

Sometime I just like to sit down and watch TV.   I don't want to have to think about things.  Here is a list of my most favorite TV shows:

1.  NCIS




2.  CSI





3.  Law and Order SUV





4.  Boston Legal





5.  Big Bang





 6.  Law and Order





7.  Fairly Legal





8.  Charmed





 9.  Survivor





10.  House