Where has the year gone?

Its hard to believe it's Autumn.
Since my last post we went through the summer here;I didn't realize it's been so long since I posted.

We had a terrific summer season here in our new home.Other than the 15 days in July we had record breaking temperatures of upwards 110 degrees it was a wonderful season.
I had a summer garden for the first time in many years,albeit in a whiskey barrel.We learned we cohabitate with a lot of wildlife here in our park;quail,coyote,wild turkeys,deer,jackalope,skunk to name some.Many bird species,some I have never seen before.

I have met a few more neighbors.Two ladies are originally from Germany,the homeland of my Mother's people.
The elderly man on one side of us is a fascinating character.He always has a joke and a story to tell.He is a Pearl Harbor survivor and was instrumental in the inception of the Napa Valley Wine train here in CA.
He has a memory better than most people I know.He is known to recite poetry from heart.

I have had a lot of medical tests run since last spring.I have a few more to do soon.The Oroville hospital outpatient registration for awhile was my second home.

I made a committment to stop smoking near the end of summer.I haven't totally quit yet because there have been a few days I have had one or two but a far cry from the 3 pack a day habit I once had.

My PJ will be ending his service in the Navy November 6th;he should be back in TX for his 26th birthday,November 9th.
A Mother always worries for her children but having a child in the active military during a war is surreal.
He will still have few years of reserve duty and I pray he won't be called back to active duty.
I am told there is a party planned in his honor on Veteran's Day being given by his brother Richard.

It's hard to believe my Mother is gone from us 31 years yesterday.Her loss is as real today as it was 31 years ago.It doensn't ever quit hurting,you just get used to it.

Bob lost a second cousin to cancer a couple weeks ago.His Mom and Bob grew up together.It's strange to go to Marty's and not see John in the barn playing pool or asleep on the couch while he was watching the Sci-Fi channel.

I was notified this summer that Oscar passed away in July.He died as I often thought he might.Alone and using.I never hated him but I sure hated the drugs and abuse.It's a strange feeling to know he is no longer on this earth.
I hope he has now found peace and tranquility and is basking in the presence of his Savior.That is one thing I do know for sure;he was a believer.
Rest in eternal peace,Oscar.

We had a lot of out of town company this past summer.I was in my element because I've always loved to entertain.It was nice to have a place we could invite friends and family members to visit.
It seems we are the destination point for anyone looking for rest and quiet!

Mandy moved to FT.Worth this summer.It's weird to think I have no more connection to The Woodlands where I spent such a large part of my life.
CA is begining to feel like home now.
Geographically and seasonally,it feels a lot like Ohio.
I am experiencing my first Autumn in many years except for the one I had in 2003 back in Ohio.
The trees are losing their leaves now after a few weeks of spectacular color.
One could take it for granted when they see it every year but when its been gone for 25 years it has a special significance.
It's a little sad to see the trees shed their leaves but there is the certainty that in a few months the cycle starts all over again.

Dan and Jennie have decided to home school Keisha this year and it appears to be going well.
Dan is looking for work again;his previous employer has put him on contract status.

Mandy is expecting her second child April 24th.
James started crawling last week so she is going to have her hands full with two littles ones so close together.
Alfred tells me James is a little flirt!

I miss not being a regular part of my children and grandchildren's lives.

Life is good for me right now and it's been a long time since I could make that claim.
Until the next time...

This is a test mail-to-blog post

Hi folks!  This is Dan, Margie's son and resident webmaster (lol).  Just trying to see if this works.

Check me out at my new website addresses (leave off the "www" for savings! :D):
Journey Inside My Mind Blog - http://journeyinsidemymind.com
Journey Inside My Mind Podcast - http://jimmpodcast.com

--
Dan Johnson, Jr.
Cincinnati, Ohio USA
Fax/voicemail number: +1-206-666-5466

testing

Dan is teaching me another way I can blog so this a test.

Margaret Welker

 

Learn more about Me, Myself, and I!  Click the link below for details:

http://crazymaggiemay.blogspot.com

 

---

Get your email and more, right on the new Yahoo.com

9/11

In remembrance of those murdered 5 years ago today and the troops who have been murdered because of that day.
God Bless America.

One reality of retirement

I didn't realize one season passed and another is half over since I last posted.The busy life of a retiree who is doing nothing in particular that is meaningful to anyone else but satisfying to the person who is enjoying it.

We moved into our new home and are still settling in.The spring brought with it the new sights and sounds of life in the community living near these mountains at the foothills of the Sierra.Everyday was like opening a new present.

We discovered among other' s we have two quail family living in our rosemary plants on the side of the hill;we've watched the babies hatch and they are now what we refer to as the "the teenagers".
We have two deer that thankfully visit a neighbors yard.We get to see them close enough but they don't disturb ours.
There is a resident fox that roams the community.The first sighting of him I commented that someone's really mangy dog was loose.
Numerous birds visit our many feeders on a daily basis.
We've been told there have been sightings of a bear, rattlers, and mountain cat but I don't know if that is myth or those sightings were when this community was new.
I see the mountain range from my front porch.
I sit on my back patio and its a quiet retreat away from the world.

At this stage in my life this what I needed.God always gives what you need when you need it.
Each day I thank Him for blessings.I am grateful for what I have been given.
Bob and i say at least once every day "life hardly gets better than this".

All the lessons I lived through brought me to this point.I can now appreciate the solitude of this place.
My life is simple.
I am aware of the world affairs and the crisis our country is in;my baby boy is still serving our country due to be relesed from service in a few months but maybe not depending on what happens these next few months yet there is calm about my life.

I have begun new medical care and some of the findings are not what any other doctors have found in the last 25 years.Some of the prognosis is not good yet I have a peace about me that surprises even me.

I am carefully choosing home furnishings because there is a reality this will be the last home I ever do this;instead of it being sad its been quite fun.

However, this morning the strangest thing happened.
I suppose it was bound to when you live the retirement life and one day goes into another.

I initially awoke at 5 AM.Decided to go back to sleep.I don't often do that.Woke again at 8.
Fixed the coffe, set the flag outside, blah blah, yadda yadda.
took coffee outside as usual, read paper and finished. Like in 10 minutes was finished.This was a weekday routine, not a Sunday routine.Where were the ads?The coupons?
I went back to the front page.
Monday, July 17th,2006.Well, I new it was July 17th.Its Keisha's 9th birthday.I need to call her later.I knew yesterday today was July 17th.I knew last night today was July 17th.I knew this morning it was July 17th.I just don't know when betwen last night and this morning I forgot it was Monday!
How did THAT happen?

I had to sit there for about 5 minutes and take it in.For that waking time I had my heart set on Sunday.Not that Sunday was such a spectacular day and something so special had happened i wanted to relive it but that every day is so ordinarily special I want to relive every one.
I was sad for a few moments to think I had lost a day.I had to realize I hadn't lost it,I had spent it just as I was supposed to and will spend today just am I supposed to.

And one of the ways I will spend it is being grateful for my special granddaughter who I was blessed with on this day 9 years ago.Here's hoping to not having a senior moment later in the day and forgetting to call her when she returns from day camp!

Just a bit of this and that

I just wanted to update on some of the goings on with me lately.

I received the neatest thing in the mail a couple days ago; a book Keisha's class had done from A-Z.
Each child apparently was given a letter and from it made a subject and wrote a paragraph about it.Keisha's was ironically "K" and her subject was kindness which was fitting for her,I think.
There was artwork accompanied with each page and I'm assuming each child did their own.
It really was an amazing piece of work collaberated on by the students and Mrs. Sansone, her teacher.

We are still in the settling in stage here.
Boxes are still in the garage that need to be unpacked but I've learned we are doing this on Bob's time which is slow time (as in procrastination).
It making it hard to determine exacxtly the best place for some things because every few days a box comes in and its like"oh yeah, I forgot about this".Or I know we used to have something but can't find it.

I haven't been well at all since moving.I guess the strain of the past year has caught up with me.I am in the process now of finding medical treatment that will take not only Medicare but Medi-Cal as well.

My yard is all abloom with lots of flowers I don't know the names.But it sure is pretty.
I can look from the front yard over to the mountains and its been interesting to watch the hills change almost daily as we went from the wet weather of winter right into summer, or so it seems.

The trees are budded out ready to sprout new leaves.The birds are around but not as many as i had hoped.Interestingly enough, they won't touch the feeder I brought from Pittsburg.I haven't figured that out yet.There are two others in the yard and they will feast from those but not the "foreign" one.
We have at least two quail families I've identified living under some bushes.they are fascinating to watch as they scurry from place to place.
Last evening Bob and I were out back and we noticed the one pair.They must have seen us and think we may be predators because they stopped dead in their tracks as they were when they noticed us.We stayed out there for about 15 minutes and they did not budge.

A couple days ago i was on the side of the house facing the neighbors house across the street when two deer came up the street and walked right into the neighbors yard.I think thats the closest I've ever been to live deer.They stopped to observe me as I observed them for about 5 minutes.Maybe they were thinking they never saw me before!

I counted the other evening there are 18 windows I have to open and close every day!That isn't counting the stationary ones throughout the house.

I have been reading articles on Oroville history.This particular area is steeped in California history.
There was an Indian they named Ishi who wondered out of the hills in the early part of last century.He was named Ishi because he was such a novelty at the sherrif's office where he was kept until they figured out what to do with him people would wander in and say "is he still here"? So he was given the name-Ishi(is he).
The accounts I read say he laughed all the time but didn't know a word of the language.H was alsways happy to see people .

This was the area of California where gold was discovered and mined.That is why the city has the name "Oroville"; I have been told there are still prospectors who come down out of the hills occasionally.

This area was where some of the relief effort for the city of San Fransisco came during the earthquake 100 years ago.

There is more I am learning about this area and all of it is fascinating.

For now, thats it but more coming later.

Genetics may be factor in chronic fatigue syndrome

Hi there, everyone! It's Dan, Margie's son, reporting in. I was just the browsing Google News page and saw some information that I think would be relevant to readers here. It comes from the China View online website:

WASHINGTON, April 20 (Xinhua) -- Human genetics may play a role in the development of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), a disorder hard to diagnose and poorly understood, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Thursday.

Researchers based the findings on a study of 227 CFS patients who went through detailed clinical evaluation and blood and urine testing for two days. They assessed the participants' genetics and the activity level of 20,000 genes.

Dr. William C. Reeves, head of CDC's chronic fatigue syndrome research, said the gene patterns seen in the patients "are related to their body's ability to adapt to challenges and stresses that occur throughout life, such as infections, injury, trauma or adverse events."

CDC chief Julie Gerberding said the findings are "the first credible evidence of a biological basis for chronic fatigue syndrome."

CFS was first identified in the 1980's. Many people including some health professionals have regarded it as a condition rather mental than physical.

Researchers said the study results could help find better ways to diagnose and treat the condition, which is characterized by unexplained symptoms including fatigue, problems with sleeping, memory and concentration, and often pain.

The new findings are published in this month's issue of medical journal Pharmacogenomics.

Let us know what you think!

San Fransisco Quake Centennial

I could not let this pass without commerating the San Fransisco Quake that devasted the City 100 years ago this morning.

This was our country's worst natural disaster before last summer's Hurricane Katrina.
I have visited the City only a couple times since I have lived in California and only seen a bit of what it has to offer.
What I have seen I can see why this City is beloved by so many natives and non-natives alike.
It is a City like no other.It is pretentiuous yet stately.It is grand yet simplistic.It is artsy yet subdued.It is a place where anyone can be anyone and be accepted.
The architecture from decades and now centuries old to some of the most modern within blocks of each other is magnificent.
Within blocks there is every culture and the most depressed of America's people to the most wealthy.
The gardens and the craziness of Lombard Street to the serenity of looking out at the water can bring something to the spirit that would be hard to find somewhere else.

This is the City my generation flocked to in its youth to make their statement on the world.Nearby are two of the most renowed learning institutions in the country and maybe the world, UC Berkeley and Stanford University.
The technological age happened right here in The City's back yard.
One of the country's best mass transportation marvels is here in the Bay area;otherwise known as BART(Bay Area Regional Transit).
This area boasts two major league baseball teams and two football teams.
Every conceiveable entertainment genre is possible to be experienced here.

The mountains, the Bay and nearby Pacific Ocean, the fog, the hills and all the people bustling about are part of this City's charm.

I can't help but think today about all the people along the Gulf Coast and how disheartened they may still be wondering if their lives will resume with any normalcy.
Look to this grand City by the Bay as your hope.
100 years ago the wires were reporting its demise.For 4 long days demolition was purposely destroying much of what wasn't damaged by Mother Nature.The seismic aftershocks were felt 12 minutes later in Japan and felt as far as Oregon, Los Angeles, and Reno.

The people of this City camped out in parks and began the process of rebuilding their lives and the legacy they left behind is this wonderful place so many call home and others will flock to see and experience.

The Big Easy will return someday probably different than it was;the Mississippi and Texas coast will rebuild. It may be years before we see the spirit back into these towns but it will return.It may be a different place than what was remembered but it can also be a better place.Look to San Fransisco as your hope.

100 years ago at 5:12 AM no one thought there was much hope.There was terror and chaos.
Now, look at what was rebuilt in its place.
It truly is a City that will steal your heart.

related stories:
http://www.comcast.net/news/index.jsp?cat=GENERAL&fn=/2006/04/18/370262.html

http://today.reuters.com/business/newsarticle.aspx?type=tnBusinessNews&storyID=nN18349611

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/04/18/state/n000117D26.DTL

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/04/18/MNGP5IAU4K6.DTL

Test Odeo to Mom

Motel living

Bob and I have been in Oroville now 21 days! We call ourselves the newest Orvillians!

In those 21 days I have been in 4 motel rooms.The first was a room in Antioch at the best Westwern which was awful.Not what one would expect of best Western standards and the price they charged for a substandard room should make them ashamed.

The metal thingie that is supposed to be attached to the wall behind the faucet to the tub was away from the wall exposing the pipes behind the wall; the heater did not work and it was below freezing that night.The curtain rod was coming out of the wall making operating the drapes impossible for risk of it coming off the wall.

We would have asked for a different room but were so tired from loading the moving truck all day and it was past 7 PM when we arrived.
Actually, we didn't really know the heater wasn't working until later in the night and by then we weren't going to pack up our stuff and move into another room.We knew we had to get on the rtoad early the next morning to drive to Oroville.
We had put Bob's bro and SIL up in a room also and would have had to wake them to tell them about the rtoom change.

The drive to Oroville was miserable.It was cold and pouring rain the whole trip.My fibromyalgia was flared up big time and I had to drive our personal truck all the way.
On the three hour trip I was popping OTC meds every half hour and it wasn't helping.
We had torrential rain, hail and thunderstorms.

Something really neat happened though along the way.Coming out of Sacramento the only radio station I could get in for some reason was a Christian radio station- K-Love.So I had a prasie and worship session the remainder of the trip!
At one point when I didn't know if I could continue to drive a song came on that gave me encouragement and joy.It was like a sign that I was not alone and He was watching over me.
It was the song Dan sang to Jennie at their wedding!!!

The words are so positive and what do you think the tile is?-I'll Be There. Or thats what I call it. How appropriate.
The words to the song encouraged me and the memory of the wedding day was so joyful and comforting.
What a gift! God is good.

We arrived in Oroville and Bob's cousin had lined up help for us on this end.We had rented a storage room on the previous trip but realized we needed another one.

Again, God looked on us with favor.The immediately next ours had just come available the day before.
It was pouring rain.Even with an umbrella we were getting soaked.It was so cold and windy.
Those people were angels, let me tell you.They just took over and had the whole truck unloaded into the two storage rooms in less than an hour.
A couple of them wouldn't even let us pay them and offered to help when we needed to unload to move into our house.

We were blessed on both ends of the move.Bob's good friends came to help load and his bro and SIL(whom we absolutely enjoy) and my friend I had made from the message boards I visit that ended up living only a mile away. And the help we had on this end.
We wouldn't have been able to do it as well as we did without all the help and I am forever grateful.

The room we first stayed in here for a week was fabulous.Its the Comfort Inn here in Oroville.
We kind of lucked out.Bbecause we had requested a smoking room the only one available at that time was actually a suite!And we got it for the same price as a regular room.
It had two king size beds, a 25 in TV on a swivel thingie.A picture window and patio door that led out to a nice sized balony with two chairs and a table supplied.
The heater worked and the drapes were not coming out of the wall!
it had an area that had two love seats, a table and chairs, end tables and coffee table, internet connection, two phones, a microwave, fridge, nice sized area to hang clothes, a long low dresser with two huge drawers.
The bath was big by motel standards.Gold towels(not the usual white) and soft and fluffy.A sunlamp (so the room would be heated if you wanted to just take a bath).A supply of anything you'd need for personal grooming(if you forgot to pck anything).A coffemaker with coffee, tea bags,and hot chocolate supplied.
The building had an exercise room (and yes I did use the equipment)and off that was a sauna(no, I didn;t use it but did check it out)and a real nice laundry room.
Every morning a fabulous continental breakfast was available.Hot and cold cereal as well as pastries and muffins.Juices, milk, coffee(different choices), fresh fruit in a bright, sunny, cheeful, comfortable room.
The staff was great and the place is impeccably clean.

We ended up at another place for the duration.The Saturday following our arrival there was a big fishing tournament in town so that room we had was booked.
We have since been at the Best Value Inn in Oroville which isn't as nice as the Comfort Inn but its aslo $30.00 cheaper a night which is a big consideration when you have to stay in a motel a month until your new home is available.

The room we were supposed to be in had a water break problem about an houur before we checked in so they had to put us in a non-smoking room at the time because it was the last room available due to the fishing tournament.
Bob was leaving the next morning back to the Bay area for a retirement party being given in his honor by his friends from work.
We had bought in groceries before we checked in the room so I would have supplies while he was gone.He would be gone 2 days.
After he left I discovered the fridge was not working.Ok thats two strikes.
It was still raining heavy at that time(I think we have seen the sun 4 days since we've been here).
I was not happy going outside to smoke(we know we need to quit but haven't done so yet)and now the fridge doesn't wotk and my food may be spoiled and i don't have a car available to go get new supplies.
I sucked it up though.I've lived through much worse.

The maintenance guy brought me the nicest fridge they had available; bigger than the usual ones with a decent sized little freezer.You could put like 4 TV dinners in it.
So they began to get back in my good graces!

After Bob returned they had a room available to us ready and waiting.They would have helped us move into it if we wanted.
The staff here is so good to us and work really hard to make the guests comfortable.
We are on a first name basis with most everyone now and have adopted them as family!
We are referred to as "the really nice couple in RM 129"!

I found out they recently had an inspection from the chain.Housekeeping scored 499 points out of a possible 500.The owner has never even said thanks, job wel done or anything.He has never acknowleged their hard work at all.One gal has been here 10 years and has never heard a thank you.
Last Sunday we ordered pizza for the whole staff to acknowledge their good work and to let them know we appreciate their service.We had it dropped off at the front desk.
Over the next 2 days each member of the staff sought us out to personally thank us and each mentioned no one has ever done that before.
BTW- the maintance guy moved my special fridge to the new room and made sure everything was working while we moved in.

The girls know I've done this kind of work and I understand how hard it can be.We swap shop stories almost everyday.
I pretty much take care of the room and most days just ask for whatever supplies we need and only have them clean once or twice a week.they are only gien like 20 minutes to clean a complete room including changing sheets and making the bed so they appreciate me not wanting service every day as it gives them a little time extra on the hard rooms.Its unbelievable how some people will leave a room.
I told them if they could just leave me the equipment i'd do it all myself! they aren't allowed to though so when i have them clean I try to make it as easy on them as I can.

I never thought I would miss cooking and cleaning but I do! On the rainy days I have missed making a pot of soup.Microwaving food isn't quite the same although Ii have discovered Stouffer's has a new line of meals reasonably priced and very good.

I have a laundru basket in under the bathroom sink that holds our dirty clothes and a couple baskets on top of the toilet that holds our eveyday toiletries.
The room comes with a fridge, microwave and coffemaker.
the microwave sits on top of the fridge and the coffeemaker is supposed to sit on the microwave.taht wasn't working for me because I am so short and it was hard to pour the water in.
So I have our "kitchen" set up at the fridge/microwave with the sink in the bathroom a few steps away.The paper products sit on top of the microwave.We have an ice chest we use for the large bottles of soad and Bob's wine and that sits next to the fridge on a luggage rack.It also serves as my "island".
Next to it is the hanging clothes area with a shelf over it that we keep our smaller luggage.An iron and ironing board is provided so that area is the clothing hub so to speak.
The TV sits inside a unit that has two large drawers underneath.i use one for my folding clothes and one as my "pantry".
There is a long low dresser next to it and I have set uip the top of it with the coffeemaker on a tray with all the supplies and that is my beverage and hospitality center.
Bob uses one drawer for his folding clothes and the other drawer hold all the odds and ends so we can keep the clutter down.
There are two full beds in the room (whicj is good because he talks in his sleep and thrashes around and i am tossing and turning trying to get comfortable and up and down).At the foot of each bed are two comnfortable easy chairs so we have a sort of sitting area.
In front of the window is a small table and chair set and that is my "office". We have the desktop PC on it .
Bob bought an 18ft line to connect to the internet.So it streches across the room and we can use the PC without having to have it on the nighstand.Most people would have a notebook and sit in the bed to use it.

The internet connection was failing when we first came into this room.We discovered after moving in here the old monitor had died so we got a new one- a flat screen.That is amazing how lightweight and easier to use.I was calling the front desk everyday inquiring about the internet connection; I was told they wer having problems in some of the rooms and they offered to have us move into a diffrent room.By then we just wanted to stay where we were.I would just go the library if I had to.
After the pizza being delivered a couple days later Bob was palying around on the PC just going to try to play a game and when he turned it on Dan was IMing me! What a surprise- we all of a sudden were internet connected.The front desk had said they didn't expect it to be fixed during our stay.
Is it a coincidence? Me thinks not.

So here are. Bob signs the papers on the new house this week and we are moving in April 1st.
We are terribly excited.

We picked out a beutiful sectional sofa set at a local furniture store but it had to be ordred and won't be delivered until about 2 weeks after we move in.They call the color wheat.its a light beige color and the cushioning is plush.It just wraps itself around you yet feels so good on my back.One end has a chaise that Bob has claimed! He says it has his name written on it!
I say its so comfortable you can go from zero to nap in less than 10 minutes!

The sellers offered to us to buy the formal dining set and a few other pieces of furniture.We brought very little furniture with us from the old house.
I will be checking out the resale and thrift stores here and in Chico to purchase whatever else I still need.the other big purchase will be new mattresses.
I'm leaning towards the Tempurpedic or Sleep Number beds.
The tow things I insisted on new were new matress sets and a new couch set.
What he had was 20 yeras old and in deplorable condition and offered no support to our backs.
The rest I can get from resale stores and thats hald the fun-the hunt!

We are leaning towards separate bedrooms because our sleep patterns are so different.
I generally fall asleep watching TV because of the pain keeping me awake.I keep hitting the sleep button on the remote if I haven't fallen asleep before my programmed time.Bob has a hard time falling asleep with the TV on.
He was so used to being alone for 20 years that its real hard for him to adjust to someone else.The majority of my marriage to Paul I slept alone because he worked nights.
The Walters boys are known for their snoring.In fact just Joan( thats what Bob calls her instead of Joan) and I discussed giving Brian and Bob one room and us the other when we stayed at the Best Western.
At this age its all about sleep and less about romance!
We know where to find each other.

Bob is looking forward to the island in the kitchen (because he's always wanted one) and the really neat garage.I am looking forward to the whole place.I will have two sets of bay windows and lots of light in all the rooms for my new houseplant collection I intend to have.The 4 babies I had are not doing so well on Marty's porch.They aren't used to living outside.
I can even have plants in both bathrooms because there is a huge window over the garden tub in the master bath and a skylight in the hall bath!

I am excited to be able to cook with gas again; its propane but its still gas.We laugh because we are avid King of the Hill viewers and I call Bob Hank and I am Peggy.So now we will have propane and propane accessories- how fitting!The garage is detached and we have a corner lot and the garage actually sits around the corner on the other street.Bob has met our next door neighbor ( he went up to play pool with the guys one day at the clubhouse) so I joke that he can stand next to the garage and drink beer with the guys like Hank and the guys do.

I am really blessed;when I think how my life was a little more than a year ago its sort of hard to take it all in.

I will be driving a brand new Ford Escape witin the next couple weeks maybe even later this week or early next week.I have never had a brand new car and Bob is insiting to buy one for me with some of the proceeds from the house.
I would have been perfectly happy with a decent used car.He said everyone should have the chance to drive a brand new car at least once in their life.He had a brand new Corvette in the mid 80's.

We are learning a lot about our new home town.Oroville has a lot of history.Last week downtown they had the annual state Fiddler's competition for 4 days.I know it sounds hokey but actually it was fun.
This is Oroville's centennial year and the Fiddlers 40th year coming here.Normally they play all around outside downtown but because of the rain it was moved inside to the big auditorium downtown where the actual competitions take palce.During the day they just play for fun and in the late afternoons and evening they compete.
Booths are set up from local businesses and organizations.
We met a guy who is heading up a Vietnam Memorial to be built here in town and he writes a weekly column in the local paper each week about the history of veterans from this area.Quite interesting.He included letters written that have been donated from family memebers and news accounts of their wartime experiences.
Bob may join the VFW.He encouraged me to join the Historical Society.
Oroville is very easy to get around.The city provides ample public parking areas conveniently located all around downtown; some even have public restrooms..I laugh at Bob because he isn't used to parrallel parking and the big curbs when we park on the street.To me, its reminiscent of Cincinnati.All around the city you see beautiful and some not so beautiful Victorian ladies(houses); Craftsmen houses, bungalows and I've seen a few what I call a western version of the foursquare.

I can't wait to work in my new yard.There are new things popping up now that it is spring and of course I will add my own plantings.

Another fishing tournament here this weekend so the motel has been busy.Bob hasn't had a chance to try out the fishing but there is supposedly excellent fishing on the Feather River and at Lake Oroville.
The lake is only about 10 minutes from our new house.Supposed to be some good salmon fishing there.

Thats the update for now.This time next week I will have slept on my new bed (that I still have to get) and woke up for the first time in my new home.

K-LOVE Closer Look Podcast: Domestic Violence - Help for the Abused and the Abuser

Howdy everyone! Dan, Margie's son, here, guest-blogging. Thanks for stopping by to read. I'm reminded that I need to contact my Mom to see how she and Bob are doing in their temporary housing this month.

I subscribe to the K-LOVE Closer Look podcast, and I get to hear short audio clips from this weekly show on a regular basis. I just noticed that they've released this clip, which you can listen to directly by clicking on the title of this post, or by clicking this link.

"It's likely you know at least one woman who has suffered physical or sexual abuse in her past – or present. It even happens to men. The abused are usually ashamed and afraid and leaving is complicated. But there is hope for both the abused and the abuser."

If you are interested, I did a 36-minute soundseeing, interview-type show back in September, during a memorial walk to help those affected by domestic abuse, which I posted to my own podcast, Journey Inside My Mind:

JIMM 16 - The Cheryl Dawson Memorial Walk-a-thon

Moving day!

Tommorow is the big day! Bob and I with the help of family and friends will be loading up the U-haul and moving to Oroville.

We found a new home that has everything we both wanted; Bob gets an island in the kitchen and a garage and I get everything else!
We will have bay windows in the breakfast room and dining room, skylight in the guest bath, master bath has a garden tub(which I haven't figured out how I will get out of once I get in!), separate shower, 2 sinks; large living room with coffered ceiling, lots of windows, fully landscaped including irrigation system.Covered patio and breezeway to garage, corner lot and a large laundry room inside the house.
The area is wooded with views to the mountains.
I feel truly blessed.

We won't be moving into the house until April 2-3rd; the downside of selling in a hot market is our buyer wanted quick possesion but our sellers can't move until then.They are moving into a retirement community and their place won't be ready until then.
Its ironic- we are moving from the Bay area to Oroville to retire; they are moving from retirement in Oroville to the Bay area to be near their family since they are up in years.
The nicest, sweetest couple you could ever hope to meet.
And he kept the house meticulously maintained and she kept the house as neat as a pin.You would think she had a cleaning lady come in every day.
I wish they weren't moving; we would have loved them as neighbors.

Bob and I will be staying at a motel in town during the duration for the most part.We may stay a day here and there in his cousin's camper but we don't see it as a viable option longterm.

I may not be internet connected until after I move into my new home so if you don't hear from me for awhile that is why.
I trust Dan may drop by now and then and leave an update.

I may have some news about a new(to me) product I am expecting delivery on next week.I found this on the fibrohugs site and its supposed to be a revolutionary pain relief method.
I don't want to say too much until Ii've had a chance to try it.
If this works those of us who have suffered with chronic pain may have found our answer.Not a cure but something that gives us temporary relief.
I will report on it later.

So, time for me to go and ride off into the sunset!
Be back soon.

Hear Margaret on Dan's Show

Hi this is Dan, Margie's son. A few week's ago, for a school project, my daughter Keisha intereviewed my Mom. We captured it and I've produced it into an episode for my podcast.

You can listen online or download the file directly. You can even subscribe to it using some podcast receiving software.

I encourage you to head over to the Journey Inside My Mind Podcast and listen to episode 37.

And let me know what you think!

I'm a new Nana!

Yesterday, at 1:23 Pm CST James Alexander Ramirez was born.He is 7lbs 5 ozs and 21 inches long, has a full head of dark wavy hair an oval face and his Mommy's nose!
He is his Nana's first grandson and his parents firstborn.

I received a call from Mandy at about 1AM CA time that her water had broke and she was bleeding and was on the way to the hospital.
I was excited for her but scared at the same time.
There is something about it being your child having a child that makes it a surreal experience.

I didn't hear anything else so at about 9AM my time I called onformation and got the # of the hospital.They connected me to her room but no one answered.I didn't know what that meant.I didn't know if it meant she was in the proces of delivering or if there was some complication and they had moved her.
I called back and talked to the nurses station.They can't give out any information but the nurse took a message."Tell her I love her and I know there is a gigggle in there trying to get out"She'll know what that means.
I used to say that to her when she was little and she'd be upset.It was my way of saying I'm with you in spirit.
I felt totally helpless and in a way left out.

She had told me when I talked to her that her Dad was going to the hospital and her Uncle and Aunt who had driven in from Georgia the day before. Sarah, PJ's fiancee was going to meet her and I didn't know who from Alfred's family.PJ had wanted to come home but there are some things happening on ship and he wasn't abnle to leave ship.

I was grateful she wouldn't be alone but sorely missed me not being there.
It was almost an hour later Sarah called and said she had been given the epidureal.From experience I knew it wouldn't be much longer maybe a couple hours.
Sarah said Mandy had asked her to be present in the room along with Alfred and she would call me as soon as she knew something.

Four hours passed and now I was really concerned.Mandy is very petite and I was concerned maybe she had to have a C-section.
I called the hospital again; just wanted confirmation if we had a baby or not.They can't even tell you that much(which I think is ridiculous) and the nurse agrred.
I waited about another half hour and couldn't stand it so i called Sarah's cell phone.it rang 3 times and a whispered, hurried voice-"Mom, she's in the middle of pushing, call you back".So, at least I now knew something and that was so much better than not knowing anything.

It was still another hour until I got the call from Sarah that I was a new Grandma and baby and Monm were fine.She said Mandy did great, was a trooper and she (Sarah) was so grateful to have witnessed his birth.She said it way better than swimming with the dolphins!Awesome!

So, we got our very own special Valentine's present!

It was a long and stressful day. Not only was i worrying about Mandy but we were trying to work out logistics with our buyer on a moving date.he is inflexible.We had asked for a one day extension because Bob's buddies would have to take off work to help us move if we move the day of close of escrow.
Bob was calling around to each one to figure out how we could work this.
Finally, we just figured we are going to have to make this work somehow regardless.

We are in a little bit of a bind because we have to be out the day of closing escrow here but our seller for the new house needs 45 days from the close of escrow on that house because they are movuing into an assisted living place and it won't be ready until then.

Originally, we were going to stay with his cousin in Oroville but she had a fire and her place is in the middle of renovations.She has a 5th wheel camper on her property but that isn't so appealing to us to be in there for a month or longer.
You can't use the stove or bathroom because they aren't hooked up so we would have to truck up to the house to use those facilities.
So I had to start calling around to find motels that would be accomodating for a long term stay.

That won't be cheap but it is what we will do.We are at the point we just don't want to have to worry about all this anymore.
We will put our stuff in a storage room up there and at least one good thing is we will be in town and can get around easily to the furniture store and other places we need to get things ready for the new place.We will explore Oroville and that won't be a bad thing.
Now, I need to mention that getting around Oroville is not like getting around the Bay area; getting around Oroville may take 15-20 minutes depending instead of an hour or more around here!
When we were there last week we think we may have been stuck in morning rush hour traffic because we had to wait about 2 minutes to cross over to get in the parking lot of the restaurant we went to for breakfast.We are thinking that may have been their morning rush hour!

We came back from the community we are moving to the night before around 5ish heading to the motel and there was a line of cars going up the hill in the opposite direction; we think that may have been evening rush hour, we aren't sure!

I am expecting a call from keisha today.She needs to interview someone from a different generation.Since I'm "old" I qualify!!!
I t was reminding me when I lived with them. I will never forget the day you could see the lightbulb go off in her head that I was her dad's Mom.
Up to that point her Dad was the most authortative powerful person she knew.And then, I had more authority and power than her Dad because I could tell him what to do and he had to listen to me because I was HIS Mom.

She would come to me with,"YOUR son did this" and the gleam in her eyes that her Dad could actually get in trouble was pricelessIt wasn't Nana my dad did this but, Nana , YOUR son did it.
It was really cute how she would lobby me for her side.And the spin she could put on something to make it to her advantage.
It was one of those "aha"' grandparent moments. Nana, the negotiater! Jimmy Carter had nothing on me with the peace talks let me tell ya!

I have so enjoyed grandparenting Keisha. She just makes my day every day.
I hope I have the same opportunities with James.

In that spirit I called Steph to tell her about james birth hoping upon hope we could reconcile whatever the differences she has with me, which I still don't understand. Its been New Years day 2004 since she last communicated with me in a scathing e-mail sent to me and Dan.
Neither Dan or I understood it and we still don't except there is a lot of venom in her attitude.
We both have reached out to her many times; we miss her presence in our lives as well as Hanna.
I've missed so much of Hanna's life and its a huge regret.Those years can never be made up.

Steph answered the phone and couldn't have been more cold to me.She curtly informed me Sarah had called earlier and told her about Mandy-goodbye.

So a happy day had stabbing sadness; the moment was so poignant to me.Life is so short and whatever her problem is with me could be so easily resolved if she would communicate.
She has her right to her feelings whatever they are but they should be based in fact and truth.
And I am really sad that Hanna is the one who is really missing out.

Yesteerday, I went the full circle of grandparenthood. From expectation, happiness and celebration; remembering the special moments with the grandchild who is allowed to include me to the sadness for the one who isn't.

Just another day in my life that seems to be ordinary with its unordinary events.

been busy!

I have neglected my blog recently because I have been tied up on other projects.

Bob decided to put the house up for sale after he retired right after the holidays.

Now, it wasn't as simple to just call a realtor and put a sign in the yard.
As I've mentioned in the past this house was lived in by a hoarder who kept everything for the last 20 years he lived here.
Although he had slowly been disposing things in the time I had been here and was making some strides, he had a long way to go to make this house "sellable".

We had to go through and collect all the paper that had accumulated in all the places he had them stuffed.Filing some, just throwing out some and collecting together what needed to be shredded.We aaalready had burned up one shredder so we found a service you can take boxes of papers to and they shred it for a fee.For $45.00 we got all of it done at once and they dispose of it if you want or you can wait and carry it home and dispose of it yourself.Since the last thing we needed was more of something to dispose of we chose the former option.

Next we had another dumpster delivered and this time he was ruthless in his disposal of all these possesions.I actually was quite proud of hime.

We then rented a storage shed to take all the boxes as they were packed to get them out of the house.
The old Mazda truck(that he had used as a makeshift stortage shed) was pushed out on the driveway so the garage was cleared out. He is waiting on his pink slip because somewhere in all this mess it was lost.(Imagine that!)

I purchased a new, inexpensive vacuum with the dust cup (since the old one quit) and set about cleaning this place the best I could.What a job that was but it was really rewarding as well.

This house now looks like normal people live here! I had almost forgotten how it should be.

The house went on MLS on a Wednesday and the realtor started receiving calls with a couple of hours.Thursaday he had 2 appoinments and 2 more were set up while he was here.
At the end of the day we had 3 offers! Still no picture with the MLS listing, still no sign in the front yard!
We had an open house last Sunday and received 4 more offers.

We accepted one from a firm that flips houses as it was a full cash offer with no contingiencies except that we be out by the end of the month.
I felt bad in a way for the young families who were interested in the house.Even in its condition it would have been a good, solid starter home and this is a great family neighborhood.But, we didn't want to wait until they could secure financing.

So, off we go this wek to Oroville to select our new home and prepare to move.
We will be getting a new home most likely and all new furnishings to go with our new life together.

What an adventure its been!

And to add to this new journey I am expecting my first grandboy anyday now back in TX!
Our family is excited about his arrival and if he gives me half the joy Keisha has I will be one blessed Nana!
And, keisha is growing up so fast.She started learning cursive writing this past week.Doesn't that make her like an upperclassmen or something?!
Who told her she could grow up? I know I didn't.

Time moves on...

Health after trauma

I recently was contacted by Dr. Ellen Taliafierro; she specializes in trauma recovery and is an expert in her field. Dr T promotes the thory that writing is part of the recovery.I have long supported that thought myself.

I was drawn to write as a very young child; what was ironic is that I was probably what they now determine as "learning disabled". Words and the spelling of them were difficult for me; my father had a regimen that I had to learn three words a day, know their definition, put into syllables and be able to use them in a sentence at any given time.
His tactics were wrong but his motive was good. And, although it began as punishment for my unacceptable ineptness it served me well throughout my life.
I guess one would say I took lemons and made lemonade.

As many young girls do I wrote stories, kept a diary and journaled as well as the obligatory notes back and forth among who you thought were trusted friends.

Another irony was that my given name was Margaret Mitchell; the same name as the author of Gone With the Wind. Somehow, that connection was what motivated me to dream and believe it was possible that there was a different life outside my home and one day I would discover it.

So writing in some form has been a constant in my life as well as reading the written word.

Words give a voice to those of us who have been/are silenced by abuse and trauma. We sometimes are not given permission to use our voice and sometimes don't know what or how to say what we need to speak but in writing the words down the voice becomes clear.
It isn't important that the words are spelled correctly as much as the thought is spoken even in silence.

The thought, once given importance by writing it down, becomes a historical record of ones life.
You were there. You were the witness. You are the evidence.
I have been told my entire life to write books; to tell the story of my life.
For so many years because I was told I was insignificant I believed my story would be unimportant.

In the last few years I have come to realize that even if no one would read the words its an important story just because I lived it. And the most important person helped by my writing the words is myself; the bonus is that along the way some others were helped by my accounts of my experiences.

Anyone who has been a victim of violent crime, whether domestic violence or other forms should take a look at her website.
I will provide the link.http://www.healthaftertrauma.com/index.html

I like a quote of Dr.T which says, "life is not what happens to you, but what you do with it".

Home Alone

I am so incensed by this story that I've had to sit on it for a few days to calm down and make rational, well thought out statements regarding it.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/13538165.htm

There is absolutely NO defense as far I am concerned.

These are two selfish adults who deserve whatever possible the district attorney can throw at them.

Here is the background not necesarily covered in the article that has been reported on the local news broadcasts.
This couple were married in April and considered themselves newlyweds.

The boys Mother died 2 years ago from breast cancer and have apparently been through several nannies and also cared for by their maternal grandmother when she is able.

The younger boy is autistic and the older brother is left to care for his brother too often.

The boys spent the Christmas holiday with their maternal grandmother and she was asked to keep them thru the New Years holiday.She refused because she had to work.
The stepmother told the grandmother that it would be OK to leave them alone as its been done before. The grandmother refused as it was not only immoral and wrong it was illegal and told the new stepmother as much.
This is what ultimately made her suspicious enough to later notufy the police.

The grandmother made the suggestion that they take the boys with them to Vegas to all share in a family holiday. The stepmother refused stating "they were still newlyweds and needed time alone".

They left their home approximately at 5 AM on Saturday, New Years Eve; leaving a gas fire place lit, some frozen food to heat in the microwave, cereal and a cell phone # for the boys to call if there was an emergency.
They did however make arrangements for a sitter for the 3 family pets.

They younger boy was later heard crying in the garage and a neighbor went to get him.This has happened before that he has been left unattended.She left a note for whomever was watching him where he was.It was later that the older brother found the note and retrieved his brother.

The grandmother was suspicious that thery had been left alone and its unclear whether the neighbor called the grandmother or that the grandmother just called the police to do a welfare check.

The police called the cell phone # several times and left messages for a return call meanwhile the boys were taken into custody later released to the grandmother from Children's Protective Services.
The return calls to the police never happened but the one left from CPS was.
It was 2 days later until they returned from Vegas and taken into police custody immediately upon their arrival at Oakland airport.
Their excuse for the delay home was it was snowing and they couldn't get a flight out.Hello, how about a rental car, hitchhilikg, or even see if you could get a ride from a trucker, something. Make the attempt to show you cared enough to see to this matter in some way.

The older boy made the statement he is angry because he is always left alone to care for his brother.
Neighbors report that the boys statenment is factual.

These adults are not mentally impaired citizens who may not understand and could be excused in some way.
She is a cosmetic dentist; he is a licensed plumber.

When I read or hear their attorneys or their family members make excuses for their behavior it angers me even further.
Not once have they apologized for doing this or adnmitted they are guilty of anything except being newlyweds who needed time alone.

Excuses such as its hard to find someone to watch them don't fly with me. As a parent you make every sacrifice necessary to keep your children healthy, safe, fed, clothed, educated and loved.

What is tragic is they lost their apparently devoted and loving mother and she was replaced by someone incaple of feeling emphathy or compassion.

Boo hoo they are scared being in jail.What about the fear these boys have had not just in this incident but the other times they were left to fend for themselves?

Well. they are having their "alone" time now and I hope they have it as long as the law will allow.

This did not happen because the trusted adult was going to work to try to earn money to keep the family afloat or that a Mother left the older one in charge to go to the store to get food or pay bills to keep water and utilities turned on.In those cases it would have been wrong but for the reasons given in this case there is NO excuse.NONE.

To be so young and ignored and be deprived of the most basic thing from a parent or trusted figure in ones life- security- is unexcusable.

I await the defense's argument in any upcoming proceeding.I'm afraid these people need a spin team from the highest political circles to try to make this even sound remotely right. Its a good thing I won'tbe on a jury if it comes to that.

They should never have these children returned to them if they are released from jail or prison.
I doubt prison time can teach compassion but I will hope.

Christmas week here

This was a tumultuous week here in our house.

Preparing for the holiday in itself was a stressful enough time but doing so in a house in this condition had its own challenges.

The house has "defects" which I've alluded to in past posts so I won't go into them here.
Its been a rainy week and when you have leaks from the ceiling its an interesting challenge to deal with the leaks as well as continue a normal life as much as possible.

We have been trying to prepare the house to be put on the market shorly in the midst of trying to live here while we do it.

I haven't had a vehicle available to go shopping so I did just about all my shopping online.It was an interesting experiment and I think succesful.

Online shopping afforded me the experience of having the world as one huge mall!
I discovered the home shopping networks as well as all the websites of the major retailers and some of the ones I never knew existed.
As the saying goes, "the world was my oyster".

Its interesting to see the marketplace from that perspective.
Every price point, activity, interest, hobby can be addressed if you take the time to search.
Christmas shopping for me was actually fun this year.

The added bonus to me was all the boxes everything came in are now stacked along the kitchen wall ready to be used for packing! Even the packing peanuts can be reused so its also a recycling experiment.

We chose not to get a tree this year as it would have created further stress to determine where to put it.
I felt we should have something though so one day I went into the overgrown yard and chopped branches from the fruit trees, clipped some of the evergreen bushes and the rose hips from the overgrown rose bushes that were neglected and gathered recently fallen lemons from the ground and fashioned my very own uniquie holiday centerpeice!
The vase I used was one Bob's Mother had made herself in a ceramic class so we had a sense of history within the decoration.

I had ordered some unique tissue paper that in itself made nice wrapping and draped it over our heater which looks like a woodburning stove and placed the arrangement on it.
That was our focal point for the holiday.

The gifts were displayed in front of the "woodstove".
So you don't have to spend a lot of money to create a holiday atmosphere even in dreary surroundings.

Bob's last day to work was Christmas Eve. He is retired now after 40 years on the same job.
That day was a bittersweet day.
We had the anticipation of the holiday and upcoming retirement along with the finality of the last day to do something he had done for so long.

Throughout the day he would text message to my cell phone as he was completing each task of his workday for the final time.
At times it was so poignant; he loved most of his patrons and never considered it so much a job as an adventure.

At one stop a family actually was waiting at their box for him and as he approached the box they had made a sign congratulating him and then apllauded him.
Many left rememberances in their box to commerate his retirement.

A particualry poignant moment for me was when I received the message "this is it- Home Stretch". I knew he was at the last area of houses coming outof the hills down the mountain out of the subdivision.
I couldn't imagine what he must have been feeling at that moment. To know something you did every work day for 40 years was coming to an end must have been an emotional moment.
I didn't know then, he told me yesterday and probably would prefer Ii didn't reveal this, but after delivering his last stop he got out of his truck and knelt down and said a prayer of gratitude.
I reveal this because it shows the character of this man.

He was grateful he had been given the opportunity to do something that long and make a decent living; he was grateful he had basically good health and he was grateful he had me to ride off into the sunset with him.
He said throughout the day he had flashback after flashback of those 40 years.
After checking back in at the office for the last time and changing out of his uniform he removed his postal regulation shoes and tied them together and threw them over his locker door!
Then, he took a picture from his cell phone and sent it to me and some others who are close to him with the message, "I hung 'em up".
And then he left and began his last trip home from working.

Now, we begin the next stage of our lives.
Its funny in a weird way to think about the coming years.

When you are younger "retirement' is such an intangible thing.Everyone talks about it.Retirement funds, Social Security issues, health insurance, time to do what you always wanted, thinking about those who are no longer here to celebrate this time in your life, the new friends they say you'll make, the old ones who claim will stay in touch but rarely do.

And then one day- there you are. you are walking through the gate, a passage of your life that you didn't get to practice,no dress rehearsal.
You look back one last time and see the things you wished you'd done different and reflect; then you turn in the new direction and take with you all your life experiences into this unknown place and begin the next journey.

It was fitting in a way that for Bob it was in the holiday season where we celebrate the birth of the Christ Child. We are aware each year of the hope and promise this Child brought to the world and the impact His presence on the earth had for all history.
And through His life we have the roadmap to have a successful life in what is meaningful if we choose to utilize it.

So to me, retirement from a job is the freedom to be what this Child meant each of us to be. We are given the gift of time to make a difference and continue the legacy this Child left us.
That is the best Christmas gift of all, I think.

My Aunt Margaret's house

Yesterday, I needed to go to Realtor.com for the Cincinnati area to see if I could find a house style someone was inquiring about on one of the message boards I belonged to.

During my search I came across a listing for my Aunt Margaret's house.
It was like being taken back in time to see it again.

I am named for her and she was a terrific Aunt; she was actually my great-aunt, My Mother's Aunt from her maternal side of the family.


She never had children of her own and she saw to it that we kids were outfitted for Easter and had other things that were a help to my parents while raising 9 kids.

Aunt Margaret died when I was in the second grade but I remember her well. Her loss was profound to my mother and she was a strong influence and was at all the family gatherings of the Mitchell household.

One of the things I remember so well is she was a true German lady and loved her beer! I can picture her at picnic tables in the summer with her longneck bottle of beer and laughing all the time.
To me, as a little girl, she seemed to be tall and large, just as you'd expect a matronly German woman to be. She wore flowered dresses.I don't recall her ever in one that wasn't.

I always joke about being named after her; her name was Margaret Mary Aufderheide. I am so glad they named me Margaret Mary and not Aufderheide!

She had her beloved dog, Trixie with her everywhere. I think Trixie must have been a Jack Russel terrier or close to that breed.

When I saw the picture of Aunt Margaret's house I went back in time and remembered how the house always had a unique odor that I associated with Aunt Margaret. I would later learn that smell was flea powder but I didn't know it at the time.

The layout of the house was odd. As you entered from the porch you were in the upstairs and the front room and bedroom were on that level.
You went down some stairs to the kitchen and bath and it always had a musty smell that I just associated with the house. Now, I know there was probably always standing water somewhere down there maybe leaking from a pipe or the hot water heater.
The downstairs was painted concrete as I recall and was always cold.

Its funny I don't recall a lot of Aunt Margaret's furnishings which tells me it must have been functional and practical, not Better Homes and Gardens.

During the time I lived in Dayton with Dan and Jennie my sister Mary presented me with an envelope;on the outside was written in someone's hand "For Loraine, to be opened upon my death".

It was Aunt Margaret's will, written in her own hand willing all her possesions to my Mother, the largest being this little humble home.

My sister Pat and her husband resided there for awhile at the time my oldest neice Laura was born.
I remember babysitting Laura as a newborn infant and discovering her hands and feet were peeling.
I was barely 9 years old and really knew little about newborn infants at the time.
I was convinced I was killing her and grabbed her up and ran across the street to the backside of the park and up the hill towards my Mother's home.

I was panicked and distraught, crying, apologizing for whatever I had done and just wanted her to live.
My Mother then explained that Laura was way overdue and overdue babies just peeled at the joints.

Babysitting Laura in that house is my last memories of being inside that house.
I don't recall how long it was after that when apparently my parents sold the house; I just remember it not being a long time.

Finding that listing was like receiving a gift. How appropriate at this time of year.
Aunt Margaret played a large part in our early years in seeing we had nice Christmases and other holidays.

I think of her often and always remember her at this time of year.
Maybe she just wanted me to know she was also thinking of me!

Stanley "Tookie" Williams execution

The impending execution or stay thereof from the Govenor today is the big news today.

For anyone who may not know of this case it is whether the life of Tookie Williams should be spared before his scheduled execution at 12:01 tommorow morning.

Tookie was the co-founder of the Crips gang years ago and in that capacity he was accused and convicted of 4 heinous murders that led him to death row at San Quentin.

In that time he has turned his life around and been an advocate of anti-gang activity.

I think its commendable that Tookie has redeemed his life of crime but it doesn't change that he did lead a life of crime that got him into San Quentin.

He claims he is innocent of the crimes of which he was convicted therefore his life should be spared.

He has been on death row for 25 years; in that time I would think given his notariety he would have been able to put together an excellent defense team to reopen his case if this claim were true.

We hear of cases frequently lately that The Innocence Project has taken on and is able to discover new evidence or overlooked evidence to get a case overturned or reopened.

Tookie is a published author and has become the object of much discussion over the years so it isn't as if no one who could help him hasn't heard of him.

I have to assume over the years someone has looked at the facts and decided he was guilty of the charges.
Its true that especially during that time black men were convicted under some questionable circumstances so this was of a concern to me.

He has shown no remorse for the crimes he was convicted of based on his assumption "he didn't do it" so why should he be remorseful.
He has never once attempted to contact any member of a family whose loved one was killed by the crimes in which he was convicted.

I would think if he were savvy enough to get books published from prison he could attempt to get a leter of remorse out to even one family member.

Even a note of symphathy to say he didn't do it but he was sorry for any role he played in the death would have shown me something.

His contention is HE didn't do it; does he know who did and why haven't they come forward after all these years? Is it the gang mentality again to keep up the code of silence?

Prison officials have stated he hasn't been the model prisoner that he projects to be.
Precautions have been under way for weeks to thwart expected gang violence at the news of his execution.
Why hasn't he spoken out and worked with prison officials across the country to ward off prison viloence much less at his death?

Today it was reported that people living in the surrounding area near San Quentin cannot even park their cars near their homes until this is over because of expected violence.

So, yes its commendable that Tookie took action to get books published against joining a gang and to help children take a different direction.
I give him kudos for that; but it wasn't enough in my opinion.

I see all the media attention; the prominent entertainment stars coming out to revoke his execution.Do they know something more than I know? If so, speak up.

Maybe the real leagacy of the life of Stanley "Tookie" Williams will be that if you commit crime it doesn't pay.
The message may be that if you belong to a gang it leads to destruction and death.

I, of course, don't know if he isn't innocent or guilty.
I can only look at the facts.
I know the Govenor has looked at them as well.
The issue isn't whether he redeemed his past and therefore his life should be spared.
The issue is, is he guilty of the crimes he was sentenced to death for and therefore execution is a fit punishment.

Only Tookie and God can know the final outcome.

I wish you well on your journey to the other side Tookie, sincerely.
And if you did find redemption you can continue the work on the other side.
God Bless.