BlueRose wRitings

This link is to a story about my niece, Payton Spinney. Jennifer is my sister. They live in Massachusetts and I have not seen them in over a decade. As many of you know, I do not associate with my family. However, I do encourage my children to make their own decisions and my children associate with their cousins. Payton recently added me on facebook and on Sunday posted that she was in the Boston Globe.

I googled the story this evening and was very much saddened by the story. I am trying to calm my brain as it is spinning out of control with wanting to figure out a way to stop the nonsense of bullying.

My first question to myself was, 'why is it so much worse, why does it come to such a tragic end more often now than when I was in school?" My answer was not a comforting one... Much like the rest of the questions about children now vs. then, the answer is in the lack of community we have now. I moved this past August. We live in town now, and it has been 5 months. I know a family down the street because Phaebi does cheer with their daughter and the mother was one of the coaches. I know 2 of the girls on the street, and they have stayed the night several times. I do not know their parents names or phone numbers. I have met none of my other neighbors.

Our lives are quite busy. All of us, not just my family. We do not concern ourselves with what is going on right next door anymore. I know growing up, my parents knew who lived on our block, who moved in, who moved away, who had kids and where they went to school. As a kid running around my neighborhood, I knew that if I was seen doing something I shouldn't be doing, the consequences would be immediate. Not only did I fear that my parents would be informed, but, any adult would be more than willing to make sure they stepped in to begin the implementation of said consequences.

Today, we mind our own business. This is very sad. But, why is it that the 'adults' working in our schools are taking on that same attitude? Isn't it their jobs to teach community and compassion and understanding and to lead by example? I have had my share of run-ins with lazy teachers. I have never had the first clue as to any possible solutions to this problem. But, now my brain is working and I am sure I am going to be thinking about this, and possibly getting to know some parents on my own street!

This video made my stomach hurt, I was so sad and angry, mostly sad!



A bit of result video...

I watched this video and it gave me such a warm fuzzy feeling, I know you will enjoy it too!
 

I am currently finishing up the touches on my Thanksgiving Feast plan.  The menu is planned and the list for shopping is finished.  We pretty much eat the same things each year, my kids have favorites and by the time I add all the favorites, there is not much room to be creative.  So, I go through the decorations and my festive ware... This is where I get to add some 'new' to the traditional.

While thinking about what I could do to add to the comfort, I thought about the table itself.  That is when I noticed my dining chairs.  They are just a simple wood chair, no padding, just light pine, that's it.  We have had the little cushions off and on through the years, but, with the kids, they just don't last, and I toss them.  Another item to chalk up to ... 'maybe when the kids are grown'...

Well, Phaebi is going to be 10 in a couple of months and the rest are pretty much grown, so, off I go to surf the net for some chair cushions.  There is an abundance, as I am sure you guessed.  But, I did find a site that gave me a great experience.  Try http://www.become.com/dining-chair-cushions and I am sure you will find it as refreshing and customer friendly as I did.

While I was there, I also found a nice table cloth for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.  At http://www.become.com/vinyl-tablecloth there were some great and unique items and I really enjoyed going through all they had. 

You know me, I am not especially creative when it comes to decor.  My house is a lived in and comfortable place for my family and I.  But, this site will definitely fit everyones needs and expectations.  Try it, I highly recommend it.

Many years ago, I became so completely fed up with the horrible customer service at WalMart, that I decided to boycott.   The straw that broke the camels back at this time happened at the Paola, Kansas WalMart.  I was looking at shoes for my daughter, Taszia.  She was about 4 months old at the time and I had a little shoe in may hand and was looking to see if they had a pair in a size 5.  A salesperson approached me, I did not call her over, and she asked if she could help me find something.  I smiled and looked at her and said, 'do you have this in a size 5?'  She looked me in the eye and said, 'do you see it anywhere?'  I blinked, confused, and said 'no' and she sarcastically said in reply, 'then I guess we don't have it'... I dropped the shoe on the floor, left my full cart sitting right there and walked out of the store! I did not shop with them for almost 2 years!

I am sure my meager $1000 a month (what I figure I spend there regularly since they became a grocery store) doesn't matter much to them on the grand scale of things.  But, I found that during the boycott, when someone would broach the subject, it gave me the power of telling my story.  I was making a point and passing on my personal experience, while putting my agenda into a concrete action.  In other words, I wasn't just crying and complaining, I was standing up for something.

After a period of time, WalMart won me back with their economics and convenience.

Today, I begin my boycott again.  I have to decide whether it will be all WalMarts or only the 2 really offensive ones.

I have been going to the Gardner, Kansas WalMart lately.  Since we have moved, this is the closed to my home.  I do not go there everytime, however, because I tend to become rather upset after shopping there and will drive a few minutes out of my way to a different store several times, before I give in and try again.

The first thing about this particular store that bothered me was:  they had their check outs furnished with stools.  The checkers would literally sit while doing their job.  Many of them would NOT get off the stool.  If something were too big, they would ask the customer to pick it up and carry it to the cart.  All the regular items went on top of the round bagspinner for the customer to bag themselves.  I could not believe this!  It was several months of not shopping in Gardner after that one.

Then, about 2 months ago, a very young girl was checking, and once all the bags were full on the round bagspinner, she did NOT walk around and place them in my cart.  She started tossing them on the floor in front of my cart.  When I asked her why she was throwing my groceries on the floor... she very sarcastically looked at me and said, 'I ran outta room!'... I walked out!  Another couple of months of not shopping in that store.

Last night, we went to WalMart in Gardner again.  I had about 20 items and a 14 pound fresh turkey and a 12 pack of diet sprite were 2 of the items.  When I unload my cart onto the belt, I always do so with the heaviest items going first so that they end up in the bottom of the cart and not on top crushing things.  This checker literally worked around the 12 pack and the turkey.  Left them on the belt and reached for all the other items.  Stretching and manipulating so she didn't have to put them on the bagspinner, much less in a bag.  She would lift the 12pack just enough to make the belt move while pushing and shoving on the turkey so she could reach other items.  When I asked her what she was doing, checker Terry told me she could not lift them because she had a bad back.... WTF?  She worked so much harder trying to avoid doing something than she would have if she had just done it.

I told the checker to unscan the items she was unable to sell to me and I would do without ... so she did!  As I was leaving, I said something along the lines of.. good luck finding someone to carry those very heavy things back to the back of the store.  She looked me in the eye and said... 'they will just throw the turkey away now anyway!' and grinned at me like she had won?

I went to Price Chopper and grabbed a 23 pound fresh turkey!  There were not tags on the 3 larger birds, but I had to have one, so I took it to the checkout, along with my 12 pack of soda.  The girl at the checkout had to call someone up to figure out how to ring it up.  The girl handed it to a young man and he took it and apologized and said he would be right back.  While we waited, she apologized a few times for the trouble and talked very sweetly with us and I felt like she cared.  When they came back, they weighed it and rang it up on a per pound and 3 people apologized for the trouble.

I will NOT shop WalMart.  They don't care, but... that's sorta the point, isn't it?

Today I woke up and felt like a nice, juicy steak; I am not sure why.  I can still smell the idea, yes, I said 'smell the idea'.

I can smell the warm, juicy, onion and garlic, worcestershire, salt and pepper, and the medium rare goodness of the steak in the skillet.  I can picture it cooking in all it's glory.  I can almost taste it, too.

We did not have steak.  We already had hamburger helper lasagna planned.  Since we are working on staying with our budget and not going off on impulses, I did not get my steak.  Boy, now it is 1am and I am still awake and still thinking about that steak.

I guess it will have to be on my menu for next week.  Of course, that is probably not going to happen either, since it is Thanksgiving week, and I won't be able to justify buying nice steaks on a week when it is already splurge-o-rama.

But, the week after, look out cows, I will be coming for ya!

Every once in a great while, I find a website that, in my humble opinion, is rooted in the genuine ambition of the internet. Sure, we have become a society that now gets most, if not all, of our news from the internet. Most will get much of their entertainment from their computers as well. But, we can not forget the massive amounts of consumer information that is sought after by internet users. Much of this has become muddled in sites geared toward shopping. Buy, Buy, Buy!

What I enjoy is a site devoted to giving information based on user experience, a site that helps us get the best bang for our buck and makes us feel more comfortable about getting great service with the comfort of feeling that we are not going to be ripped off in the process.

A common horror in our daily lives is the dreaded car repair. How do we know that the guy is fixing something that needs to be fixed while not charging us for something much larger? Most of us do not have the first clue. By going to a site like http://repairpal.com/los-angeles-auto-repair, we can search for local shops and find reviews from others who have gone before us. It is a great tool, and one that we all could use for so many of the services we are compelled to use.

This site actually has a vast expansion on the automotive information highway. You can search for a specific vehicle and find user reviews of the vehicle itself. For instance, perhaps you are looking at a 2001 Honda Civic, you might find this information quite helpful in making the choice of whether you want to purchase it; http://repairpal.com/honda-civic-2001.

Even more helpful... before going to get a repair, or after the shop calls to tell you what they think is wrong and how much they 'estimate' it will cost to do the repair... there are pages that tell you the symptoms and other details for, let's say, a head gasket replacement, http://repairpal.com/head-gasket-replacement.

A very useful site that we all would love to find in our searches.

My 45th birthday is just under a month away and this morning I am browsing through the web, bored, but, really enjoying a nice cup of coffee, when I come upon this pic on life.com. I really enjoy going through this site, and often post some of the pics on my facebook page.

So, you may be asking, why blog about this particular pic? Well, it gave me a feeling that I rarely experience. Anyone who knows me will surely attest to the fact that I am a very serious, down to earth, probably boring, and even solemn person. But, this pic made me, for lack of a better description, all warm and fuzzy inside.

A couple of my daughters took dance lessons, I did not. This pic made me think of a young girl who is just starting out in dance classes. I felt whimsical and fantastical. The image brought out a youthful expectation of a future dance performance in front of thousands of people that a young girl would imagine while prancing around in her bedroom.

The bright colored ribbons and the flowers and the beautiful gown, all combine together like in a innocent, if not naive, dream. I felt light and joyful. These are not feelings I experience. This felt noteworthy enough for me to blog about. A rare blog of hope and happiness. Enjoy.

That sick feeling I had in my stomach and the feeling that I was going to burst into tears and cry in pity for myself, my children and my country, these feelings have returned this very evening. The first time I felt them was the night Obama was elected President of the United States. And now he has worked with Pelosi and Reid to pass a healthcare fiasco!

I am thinking I need to go to my doctor tomorrow and have him find every little thing wrong with me that can be fixed, and get them all taken care of right away! Why? Because once I am required to have the government healthcare or be penalized, I will no longer be covered.

Yes, my husband has insurance right now, however, once this is out there, my husband's, tight-fisted partner will undoubtedly finally have the ultimate relief he seeks from paying for our health coverage. He will have no guilt because we will be able to get this coverage from the government.

I refuse to have my medical records put on the internet. I refuse to allow non-medically trained individuals decide my fate based on the bottom line. Fighting for my life by proving my worthiness is not in my future. I will die.. I will be sick and at home.. without healthcare! I will pay the penalty for not having this coverage.

I vote NO and I will not be persuaded to change my vote!

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

So, in case you haven't heard, the Kansas City Chiefs are stinking up the NFL in 2009, which is not really a big deal for me, I am a Patriots fan. My husband, however, well... let's just say we don't discuss football much!

But this is not a marital relations blog! This blog is about a running back who thinks he is all that and a bag of chips!

Larry Johnson has such a big head! He is constantly running his mouth and getting in trouble everywhere he goes. I cannot stand him! Well, if you haven't already heard the story... he got on Twitter and just ranted about his head coach and how his father could run circles around the guy. Smack talking and mouth running and typical Larry Johnson nonsense.

So ~ if I were to get on Twitter or Facebook or MySpace or just blog anywhere on the net... and say horrible things about the incompetence of my boss... what do you think would happen? What would your boss do? If you were the boss, what would you do?

Well, the double standard has to end here. He is like a spoiled child and unless someone teaches him that he is not above having personal responsibility, he will never truly be capable of achieving inner peace and happiness. He is completely and utterly unhappy and discontent even though he is in a place where he has surely aspired to be since he was a small boy. He is supposedly living his dream, yet, he is unhappy. Someone needs to discipline him. Teach him that all actions have consequences. Good actions produce good consequences and bad actions produce bad consequences. My children learned this at a very young age. His daddy, the man Larry holds up in such high esteem, dropped the ball. He coached his son, but, it seems, he didn't parent him.

Please ~ please ~ please... send this fool a message, Todd Haley... fire him... at least fine him... sit his good-for-nothing butt on the damn bench!

If he hates Kansas City so much, why doesn't he go somewhere better? Oh, I remember! He sucks and no other team wants his talent-lacking butt or his bad attitude around to infect their club!

Whew! Feels good to get that off my chest.

Michael Jackson via last.fm

The smoke has cleared and everyone has calmed down. We have had time to take it all in, the news, the shock and, of course, the jokes.

The big question now is, what do we really think and feel about the death of Michael Jackson?

You will see me do this quite often. I will not be the first to rant and rave about a new headline, or rumor. I am definitely more the sit back and take it all in type.

Now that my process is pretty much complete, it is never truly complete, in our information age data and rumors and just plain stuff comes at us constantly, but, I feel ready to voice my opinion.

I do not feel a loss for Michael. He was a strange human being who brought on most of what he got. I am sure he suffered from some sort of psychological issue and this was probably worsened by his intense fame. However, he had the means to get help, but chose to spend his time and money chasing after some weird hope of becoming the first white black person.

I am fairly certain that the death of Michael Jackson will be a good thing for his children. They will be sad and they certainly were loved by their father and loved him in return. But, now that he is gone, they can work towards some sort of normalcy in their lives.

Being Prince Michael is a bit to live up to, and I cannot imagine being Prince Michael the sequel... oh my! But, as they become more socialized and are allowed to walk about without veils over their faces, these young people can experience life and make one for themselves.

Before I get a bunch of hate mail and ugly comments, let me make one more point. I did not hate Michael Jackson. I was never a big fan, but I am the odd person, I just do not listen to music very often. I have not passed judgement on the rumors surrounding him and some indecent conduct. I will simply add this - judgement has been passed on Michael Jackson, and what we think about him has nothing to do with that decision.

One more thing... I want to pass along the Michael Jackson joke that just made me laugh so hard, it is just a good joke, well, after the mourning period anyway... so here goes...

Did you hear that thunder...... No, that wasn't thunder.. that was Elvis kicking Michael's ass for marrying his daughter!

That's funny !

Image by atconc via Flickr

So, I finally found a work at home job that is not some pyramid, BS scheme. I am writing freelance articles. Some of the work is pretty lame, like writing 30 articles on topics like woodworking and crown molding and such.. But most of it is really easy.

Writing 500 works on any topic can be done, even if you don't know the first thing about the topic. With the internet, I find I can research and learn the most far reaching things. I never had any idea what a jig was, but no I am familiar with all sorts of jigs ... lol, at least I am 500 words familiar.. and I just finished an assignment to write 8 articles on Forex trading.. that was a stretch too... but I got paid more than I bid for the job. Cool!

The most difficult part is not the writing, I love to write and learning about new topics is not a bad thing for me.. I like to learn.. but my family! They just don't understand that when they come in and start making noise or turn on the television, the distractions are killing me... WHEN DOES SCHOOL START? Six weeks? oh my!

Well, enough wasting time, I have 17 plumbing articles to write ...

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Okay, so I spent the better part of a day moving some of my poetry from an old blog and posting on here. Got rid of some old stuff and made myself promise to blog more often and not put it off.

Now, I get on here and I have been 'flagged as possible spam'.. what does that even mean? Some bot somewhere has decided my postings contain quite a bit of mumbo jumbo and could possibly have been posted by another bot just to achieve what? grrrr....

Well, I have 'requested a review' of my postings to have the alert removed. How long will that take... meanwhile, anyone that might bump into my site, purely by accident at this point because I am sooo darn new to this anyway... will get some warning that they have to physically bypass in order to even view my page!

OK.. I will beg, blogger, please, allow me to post on your site, allow me to rant and rave and just post my mumbo jumbo when I need the creative outlet... please oh please.. blogger, please un-spam me!

Image by Unitopia via Flickr

Time patiently crossed elsewhere
personal drought found rain
as the safe, calm Light of reward
Crashes in from Heaven

Image by Today is a good day via Flickr

For winter's crystallized picture windows
For the artist's delicious autumn
For the summer's brightened frames
Nature variegated the chameleon

Image via Wikipedia

The night fills their lungs
with delicious, piercingly bitter Fragrance.

Breezes caress hot dark lips

Gentle melodies of desire sway in the trees as the rustling leaves escort them to the door

Image via Wikipedia

Hiking
misty humid gray
leaf covered winding footpath
dense calm solitude

Blossom
wildflower or weed
neither distinction matters
a purple beauty

Snow
fluffy white cotton
falling gently, swirling down
landing on my nose

Fall Lake
blue top blue bottom
bright colorful reflection
rainbow without rain

Cactus
brown and yellow hues
amidst prickly leaves and stems
porcupine flowers

Winter Forest
regal majestic
frozen white-shawled boughs climb high
perfect blue backdrop

Water
eroding canyons
gently cleansing earth and beast
clear life giving drops

Pebbles
small gray hard roundish
broken shaped whittled through time
insignificant

Waterfall
rainbows at your feet
melting icecaps create you
you forceful pure soul

Sunset
bright horizon west
your calm colors end my day
'til tomorrows light

Trees
nature's skyscrapers
leaves soaking up her sunlight
creating my shade

Rose
petals opened wide
long-stem yellow miracle
heavenly fragrance

Thanks for reading my Haikus, I enjoy the challenge of expressing a single concept as completely as possible with only the 17 syllables.

Image by Grant MacDonald via Flickr

October drifts by;
compelling landscape green to yellow.

Bouncing withered generations
of autumnal leaves,

ghostlike ancestral patterns,

into shadows...
....

Image by loswl via Flickr

Image by melolou via Flickr

Image by Brain Toad Photography via Flickr

The law in Kansas (maybe everywhere, I just don't know) is such that if an officer has his lights on while on the shoulder, you must move over a lane away from him if possible. Absolutely understandable and reasonable.

So, then, what is my point?

This evening, on my way home with my daughter in the car, an officer turned the rear flashing lights on, pulled over on the shoulder during rush hour and while several cars slowed and merged, he then turned them off and re-entered traffic. He passed me a mile down the road and did this again.

How easily could an accident have occurred. He had no one pulled over, so I have to assume he was trying to trap someone... Should I risk possible retribution and report this behavior? NO!!

This is just another irresponsible act in our crazy society, where everyday people have so much more sense than any and every one in any kind of power!

What do we do?

Image via Wikipedia

I was listening to my radio in my car as I tooled around town (what's new huh?) and I heard a bioethicist was going to be on a talk show to discuss his new book 'The Life You Can Save' and I was eager to listen.

As usual, I was in and out of my car and only heard part of the interview, which, as it turns out, was probably a good thing. I was pretty enraged!

The 'gentleman' in question is Peter Singer and he is a Princeton University professor of bioethics. The statements he was making absolutely floored me. He actually thinks that parents should have the right to 'euthanize' their children up to the age of twelve months. His rational was that if the child is too much of a burden, then the parents should be able to relieve themselves, and ultimately 'society', of that burden. He also feels that euthanasia for the sick and elderly should be legalized to help alleviate financial and emotional burdens on families, friends, society and the person in question.

When he went into a rant on how he cannot fathom why 'prolifers' bother to spend so much time and money on fighting the 'hopeless cause against abortion' in the United States when there are millions of children around the world dying of 'diarrhea', well, I had to get out of the car, and that was a blessing. I could barely see, and that makes it a bit tough to drive.

There was some sort of animal rights issue that they were going to discuss and I never did hear that part of the conversation, but it leaves me wondering how he can go from killing innocent babies because 'they have no sense of self awareness' to any sort of belief in 'animal' rights. Do animals have more sense of self awareness than a human child of one year?

This truly scares me for the future of our country and what kind of civilization my children will be living in... and bringing their children into...

Image via Wikipedia

Her world is as tranquil as the salty sea
On a dark, calm night.
Slumber surrounds her.
Serenity.
A tiny star disturbs her dreams,
foreign Light, exotic luminosity.
Amazement awakens her.
Aroused.
She is helpless to close her eyes against
The staccato light as it swells to a beacon.
Her heart is hurried,
Heavy.
A rumble resounds and blackness returns as
The sea is drained dry.
Tranquility lost.
Quenched.
A razor sharp gust rips through her,
So as to tear out her very soul.
Her first fondness;
Pain.
Though she is Never to scream,
Never to weep,
Never to breathe,
Never to Be.



Mary Ritch
Copyright ©2009 Mary Ritch

Image by Dudus Maximus via Flickr

Image by ashley rose, via Flickr

Image via Wikipedia

As a parent I work hard to try to teach my children ethics, morals, character, and life skills. I enroll them in sports and clubs, take them to cultural events, and make sure they know what is important in life.

Education is at the top of that list.

Of my five children, two have moved out and are living their own lives. My son is getting ready to turn 18 next month and will be moving out to become his own person, I hope! That will leave me with just the 16 and the 8 year old girls left at home.

Each of the older girls have 2 sons of their own now. I get phone calls asking me for advice on everything from diet to burns to behavior, oh, and the 'he did something so cute!' I love it.

When I was their age and raising my first babies, I don't remember asking so many questions, but I do remember doing the 'look how cute she is' thing! Why don't I remember asking so many questions? Probably because my parents and my husbands parents never gave us the chance. They were in our faces with advice constantly. "Make sure you remember to ....," "don't ....," "that baby needs...!" And even today we hear from our families about what they think we should be doing differently.

I cringe every time I hear myself telling my daughters what I think in regards to their children. Why do we do this? My daughters call me for advice all the time. Clearly, if they need something or have a question, they will come to us of their own free will. So, then, why do I feel the need to insert my two-cents worth when I have not been asked? When will the parenting end?

Well, I just don't know. My mother-in-law has been great about cutting back, but it has been 26 years. Will it take me that long? I hope not. I hope my children appreciate the effort I am making in not constantly inserting my opinions into how they raise their children.

All I can say is this. I love those boys and I want the best for them. I know my way is not necessarily the best way, but, it is the only way I know.

When will the parenting end? Never... I am a mom, forever.