What are You Playing, Grandpa?

The inevitable happened. Four-year-old Naia finally got to go down to the basement with Grandpa (looking for something that might be wrong with the vent) and discovered what Grandma keeps in her basement: many years accumulation of creative dramatics puppets, props, stuffed animals, and costumes. I figured she'd be overwhelmed if she saw it, and she was. When I replaced my things she'd brought up, I thought of the many years and stories acted out. I guess it's time they get introduced to children's theater.
 (By the way, nothing was wrong with the vent. It was an old aerial t.v. set that got kicked on and was making noises. The thing about that was, it never ever turned itself on, and I could never switched it on ever again - strange.)

...And when Grandpa was sick at home, Naia talked to him on the cell phone and asked him, "What are you playing, Grandpa?" I guess when you play a lot of games with lots of gadgets in your house, and even do magic tricks, grandkids think that all you ever do is play. 
   He himself used to watch his own grand-dad take a deck of cards with him to work, but that was because they were having a strike there, and his grandfather was the foreman. When his grandfather came home, they played games together, so Bill thought that's all he ever did, too. 

Little Naia asked me what I was going to do with Grandpa tonight, and I replied, I don't know. So, she counseled me; I should go home; then, we could eat, then, "play with our toys", then, go to bed. We had a good laugh about it, but when you really think about it; I'm "playing" on the computer; he's "playing" pinball and pool (on a miniature pool table); we watch t.v., read books...She's got it right!

 — feeling entertained.

Once, when she was at a family gathering, she and Grandpa were coloring.  Then, she put one in his hand and left the basement.  She came upstairs, and I asked her where Grandpa was.  Her vocabulary was limited then, so she thought a minute, and said, "Markers".  I figured out where he was and what he was doing.  He'd been left holding a marker, so she thought he'd  entertain himself, coloring alone.

What Ever Happened to S&H Green Stamps?

I woke up this morning in a very good mood, which was surprising, as I'd gotten up with the clock radio music.  This was so I could get to choir.  In other words, I didn't have the luxury of sleeping in.
A little ditty kept going through my head as I prepared my coffee in Mr. Coffee.  It was a song which my brothers used to bring home to sing while they were still in college, to the tune of "Greensleeves".
"Green Stamps were all she gave.
Green Stamps were all I took.
Green Stamps were all I saved,
And I pasted them all in my Green Stamp Book."
I thought, "Boy, that sure dates me!"
Then, I thought of my daughter and me, pasting the accumulated stamps in the books, with our tongues turning green.  She said, she didn't like it, but she did it "to get all the stuff".  But then, I thought, "Gee, that even dates my daughter," whom I consider a young mom. 
Then, I thought about my early married life, when I'd accumulated enough stamps to put into books, from whence I bought a hair dryer.  Now, understand, I'm not talking hair blower...hair dryer.  You sit on your couch with curlers in your hair.  I didn't even need curlers.  My hair is naturally curly, but we women succumbed to pressure, so we all thought we needed them. This balloon puffs up around your head, attached to something that looks like the back of a clothes dryer, and you busy yourself with something, like maybe, reading recipe books,. That was because newly married women like me, didn't know "diddly squat". Still don't. 
Then, I realized, "Even the hair dryer dates me."
So, what ever happened to S&H Green Stamps!

After Listening to Chris Hayes

I'll agree that a lot of smart, successful people don't finish college, but my problem with Walker is his entire ATTITUDE toward people who do value education.

I figure my dreams are my business, but after seeing things on friend face, about Walker taking down UW, my home away from home when I was merely an "aspiring" college student, (i.e. high school in a nearby town) this is what I dreamed.

I had a college classroom, as a teacher, without books.  I had a hard time figuring out what I was supposed to be teaching, something about "literature in expression".

So, I went around interviewing students to see what they had to offer.  It was time for finals, and I didn't know what to test them on.

Then, a whole bunch of new students popped up, and I told them they'd have to re-enroll for next semester.  I even told the same information to my youngest grandchild, and because she's only two, I explained it to her by saying, the "next time frame".

I felt like a failure, a teacher in training, and didn't realize the problem was having no books in the first place.

Apprehensiveness (B&N Writers Impromptu)

The flavor was a blend of cherries and pomegranate.  She knew that both were excellent nutritionally, which is why she'd bought it at the Stop-n-Go and placed it in her cooler in her backpack.
However, if the flavor was off-putting, despite its nutritional superiority, it would be a wasted purchase.
She also had some house-brand Greek Yogurt available, which she had seen toddlers "upchuck".  But she thought either flavor could enhance the vanilla-based yogurt.  And she was an adult, after all.  So, she would handle the possibly bad combined flavor as an adult.
Yes, she would not react as a baby would.  First, she would combine the pomegranate with the yogurt.  Then, she would try the cherry with another batch of yogurt, as well.
She would be brave, because she could not face the possible fact that all three purchases could have been a dire mistake.
So, with hesitation, she placed the vanilla yogurt in a plastic container.  Then, she mixed in the pomegranate, with its juicy seeds. She'd forgotten about the crunchy seeds that stuck in her teeth.  For awhile, she'd bought pomegranate yogurt to avoid the seeds and the bitterness.  But alas, those pomegranate-flavored yogurt containers were no longer on the shelves.
She didn't want to be lacking in pomegranate.  She knew it was good for her, but she didn't know why.  She'd forgotten.
So, after mixing the ingredients carefully, she braced herself...for a first...spoonful.

Legacy of Marcus Borg

I found out this morning that Marcus Borg had passed away.  Having had the opportunity of seeing him and hearing his lecture at the then Christ Community, I wrote it up for the church newsletter.
   I begin with some personal references regarding some people I knew from church, who were also in attendance.
   Looking back after actually reading some of his books, this seems quite simple, but it was my first response.

The Spirituality of Forrest Gump

"Forrest Gump":  Been away for awhile, but had the opportunity to watch this film again, so thought I'd repost.

This was published in our Unity Newsletter, the Quest, so there are references to Unity and a minister who served and spoke there. There is also a reference to something I re-posted on 4/16/13 here.

"Spring Cleaning and What I Found There"

Ever since I hosted a storytelling session and assigned, "Spring Cleaning and What I Found There", which was great fun for most all of us, (though we didn't ask our men) I have begun to look up to the women who are experts at it. So, first thing, I checked out an old "Prevention" magazine (2/22/05, "Cleaning Shortcuts", excerpted from Linda Cobb's Complete Cleaning Guide), listing the must-haves for natural cleaning. I had no idea where to begin, but by absent minded-ly, leaving the kitchen faucet on and pouring water all over the floor and down the basement on my costume stuff, (shielded by an upside-down wading pool) my work was cut out for me. Clean out all the stuff, including the solidified food particles under the sink, which has been ignored far too long. I surfed the internet, but Chemistry was not my forte. So, when I mixed baking soda with vinegar, I got an unexpected surprise. It fizzed all over the place, like more than a soda pop, after it's shaken, then, opened.  I also should have also taken seriously the picture in the magazine, of the plastic gloves with the rest of the stuff. More natural cleaners like Mom once used, aren't exempt from stinging and roughening your hands.

I checked the internet today to find the materials our moms used. I started thinking about what my former cleaning agents were doing to me, not just my husband. So, I mixed vinegar, water, and Borax and scrubbed the floors. Bill usually complained about how my cleaning agents irritated his nose, throat, and lungs when he got back to the house, but this time, I asked him to check. He said he could smell something, but it didn't feel toxic. I've got a new cause!

I'm really trying to get this housewifely domestic thing down.  Like today, I actually did some spring cleaning in the foyer, swept behind the file drawers, vacuumed the corner cobwebs (for as long as it would run), organized a little,dusted the window and the blinds, vacuumed the throw rugs, and swept the floors. I said, "Oh, what a good girl am I!" Then, I cooked dinner, caught up on Bates Motel on A&E with my husband, and finished up the dishes. Now, I'm ready to start the meeting minutes, which isn't out of domestic life either, since domestics are in clubs.        Trouble is, I looked at my office where I write these up, which I organized awhile back, realized I needed to, yet again, which made me realize the foyer accomplishment is only a Pyrrhic victory. This will go on in a circle of eternal purging.  One comment I received was that It was not a Pyrrhic victory, but a Sisyphean one, to which I replied: I could call the blog what you suggest, "The Circle of Eternal Purging" or perhaps, "The Bungalow Be-dazzler", a good word.  I looked up Sisyphean, and it was about a king condemned to roll a boulder up a hill, only to have it roll down again. In that case, I could call my blog, "The Bungalow Boulder-roller".

I've been fairly consistent with the combo of baking soda sprayed with

 vinegar and frothing over, for the basins.

    But today, the bungalow bedazzler had to look up where to go from there, on her own blog.

So, In 2 cups of water, I mixed 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and a tablespoon of baking soda, (nice fizz), 1/2 teaspoon of liquid dish soap,(couldn't find the Dawn, but Ivory dish soap works fine), and a teaspoon of Borax. You're supposed to shake it, but I mixed it, and then, used a microfiber cloth to clean the cupboards, and especially the counters. Afterwards, I even demolished some spots on the kitchen floor nearby. Asked Bill (who was chatting amicably, but also remarking that I was into an activity that was obviously not my passion) to breathe in. No fumes, no complaints...

Ta Da! 

 Here's another tip I've learned on friend face, and I'm in the midst of trying it out.:

TUB AND SHOWER CLEANER
"Take a spray bottle and fill it halfway with white vinegar. Heat in the microwave. Fill the rest of the way with blue Dawn. Put lid on and shake to mix well. Spray on your tub and shower walls. Allow to sit for a few minutes and rinse away. It will totally melt all the gunk, slime, sludge and other stuff that builds up including a bathtub ring."

I'll be sure to let you know how it works, or not....

           Okay, having tried Kaboom!, spraying and running, spraying and running...to avoid the fumes, I would say that the Dawn treatment worked equally well, if not even better, and was much more tolerable to my system.