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How Do You Maintain a Level of Civility and Good Manners When.....
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Jan 11, 2012 1:40 pm
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Have you witnessed someone talking about their own operation while visiting a patient in the hospital? I think I have named it, "My labor pains were longer than your labor pains syndrome".
I am rather quiet and more of a listener than a talker. But when I do enter a friendly conversation more often than not what I have said is dismissed after a couple of sentences and the dominant (louder) person in the group will have their brain cells activated and they practically salivate as they take over the conversation and go down a personal path.  I've tried bringing the conversation back when they are exhausted or out of breath but with some people just have to give it up as a lost cause.
How do you maintain a level of civility and good manners and not let your demeanor give your thoughts away? LOL
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"Is He Cheating On You" advertisement on this site
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Jan 10, 2012 12:20 pm
345
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I was intrigued and typed in an old email address that I keep for on-line sales and the enticing results (asking for a fee for membership and additional information, naturally) said I was listed on over 73 social network sites. Wow!!! I've been busy in the past 15 years. Wonder if I had fun? 
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14
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You Have To Be a Detective These Days.....
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Oct 15, 2011 8:49 pm
333
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I was checking my SFF home page and saw a picture of a man who could be a twin to the man who murdered 8 people at the beauty salon in Seal Beach, California. He gave his home locale as being near the gruesome site. I copied the mug shot from the internet and the SFF picture, and put them side by side. The facial features, beard and even the ears looked the same on both photos. I'm not being paranoid....just giving an alert. The perpetrator is incarcerated but please remember....you can never be too careful, folks!!
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11
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Bronchial and Breathing Problems Associated With Drywall
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Sep 20, 2011 11:03 am
279
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My sister alerted me to a problem she has been following re drywall used in recent years that were cheaply made and have a propensity for mildew and/or mold.
From what I can gather, we began importing drywall from China (and other countries) in 2001 and stopped in 2007. My presumption is that there were new standards employed. That doesn't mean piles of it aren't still stored someplace and being sold off without the buyers understanding of its potential for mold.
In checking with the G search engine you will find many references but the question and answer one that gave the most information was found by simply typing in the following words:
How to tell if you have Chinese drywall in your home.
Many of the homes being rebuilt after Katrina are experiencing problems and other states are reporting the same problems. If you have the propensity for cough or bronchitis have moved into a new home or had any remodeling done recently, it might be something to look into.
I cut back my tomatoes because the weather has been damp and the leaves got moldy. They grow outside my bedroom window and I was getting bronchial coughs every morning. I finally figured it out and am now well.
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8
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The Neighborly Thing to Do..... LOL
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May 15, 2011 1:45 pm
471
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I live on a quiet cul-d-sac and the houses at the end of the block have pie shaped lots with quite a bit of property space. Most of us have lived here a long time and have become very good friends. We typically share plants from our gardens that have "volunteered" from the previous year if they are particularly good tasting. I had an unusual tomato plant that produced well into December last year so of course all the neighbors are sharing the results of those seeds. I kept one of the "volunteers" and bought a couple of different ones from the nursery which gave me three and more than enough for my needs. Jim brought me a pack of six-assorted (unexpectedly) so that gave me nine, up to to that point. I got them all planted along with the other veggies so everything was staked and all we had to do was for Mother Nature to do her thing.
My neighbor friend (and her husband) living on one of those pie shaped lots emigrated from Europe 40+ years ago. Her stories of hardship during WWII in Europe have naturally colored her thought processes more than the rest of us with the result of how important it is to have enough to help the neighbors in the event of famine or shortages. She and her husband stored many items in their garage (in years past) with the thought they would share with the rest of us, especially the children. They remember and are uniquely careful in making do and recycled long before it was a "fashionable" thing to do. As time has gone on, many of us have become widowed and the children have moved away, but she is still planting, harvesting and sharing with the rest of us from her many fruit trees and the bounty from her year-'round gardens.
She is enamored of Martha Stewart and this year bought some special tomato seeds that she is just sure will be heads and shoulders above anything else available at the nursery. Since she is so careful to preserve and not waste anything, she planted every one of those seeds with the result of more than 150 healthy plants begging to be staked. Her daughter seeing the results for the first time said, "Mom!!!! What were you thinking"??? My poor friend said, "I don't know.....I just got started and didn't stop". So now, you guessed it. She can't throw anything having potential away so all the neighbors (and their friends and relatives living off the block) are sharing in the bounty even though we already had our own gardens going. She is so sweet.....plants each gift individually into its own container and that is rather expensive when you consider all she has to give away. I asked her about that aspect of it and she confided it was getting pretty expensive. I ran into her at Home Depot last week and she was purchasing another huge bag of potting mix and we both laughed.....knowing how it was going to be used.
Now here is the kicker......a neighbor who was going to be hospitalized asked her if she would plant some Zenia flower seeds she wouldn't have time to take care of in the following few weeks. Our friend is always so quick to help was glad to oblige and then called last week to let her know they were ready to be transplanted. She was quite enthused to tell her how all three packages of the assorted Zenias were doing. The neighbor about had a stroke.....she said, "You planted them all? I only have room for a dozen or so". So you guessed it.....our neighborhood is going to have to find new recipes for anything tomato and we'll be canning the rest, you can be sure....but thanks to our neighbors, our homes will certainly be Zenia colorful!
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14
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A Lesson in Plowing the Field of Life Comes in Various Ways.....
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May 12, 2011 5:57 pm
497
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My youngest granddaughter called and asked if I would sponsor her for a walk/jog-a-thon for her school. She gave me a good spiel, had all her facts and hit me up hard. (They are trying to raise money for school supplies). I asked her how many laps she thought she could do and she bragged (a bit, I think) and said, "Oh, Grandma, I can do at least 10". Her mother has the girls in various athletics and they are fit but I've seen that track and it is no mean feat to do 10 laps for those short little legs.
So, we discussed it and I said I would sponsor her a certain amount for each lap up to and including 10 with the understanding when she reached her goal there would be a bonus for her to personally spend any way she wished. She happily wrote down all I said and the phone call ended. A bit later her mother (my daughter) called and said, "Mom, you're still doing it". That left the door wide open so I cautiously asked what she meant.  She said, "Helping us set goals". We both laughed and did a bit of remembering.
The following week the same granddaughter called, sounding exhausted. She had just finished the walk/jog and said, "Grandma, I did the 10 laps and not ONE more"!....(said with lots of emphasis). I told her I was proud of her for reaching such a high goal and asked her what she was going to do with the bonus. Their little family is struggling and they don't get allowances or spending money so I was even prouder of her when she said she was giving it to the school.
So last night, her older sister called with a similar spiel. I just grinned as I listened and was doing some quick math. She and her sister are about the same size but attend different schools. Her school's track is longer, so after a short discussion I asked her to figure out what an equal amount would be to the 10 laps her younger sister had done (got to be a fair grandma)!! We came to an equitable amount, including the bonus. I asked her what she would do with her bonus when she reached her goal and she said, Grandma, the school really needs the money so I will donate my share." How very proud I am of my daughter and how well she is raising her children.
My lesson in all of this is that it is good to remember the future remains pliable and we parents/grandparents have an important role to continue to encourage the younger generations to not give up and try for just one more lap.....
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Mr. Trump Can't Be Serious.....Can He? LOL
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May 2, 2011 10:33 am
486
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Age (please read that word to mean maturity LOL ) has tarnished my hope and belief in the choice of politicians we elect. The offerings we are given seem to be scraped off the bottom of the barrel and who, we later find out, owe a lot of favors to people we would never choose to represent us.
Forgetting whether or not I agree with the voting record of the candidate, if candidate drinks a cup of tea every so often, has physical characteristics or religious convictions different than mine, I was still hard pressed to figure out who to vote for in the last presidential election based upon what I thought was important criteria in these trying times.
Mr. Obama's choice of a VP reminded me of poor Mr. Ford who was always stumbling up the stairs or getting "beaned" on the head with a golf ball, establishing the wrong-place-at-the-wrong-time syndrome. Mr. McCain's choice of a VP was again, out of left field and scared me to think she might be president in the case of Mr. McCain not being able to continue on.
What is it about presidential candidates not choosing strong running mates? Is it an ego driven popularity issue or do they really think we are swallowing that their choice is in the best interest of the nation if the unthinkable happens. Or.....is it that any creditable person's ego is so big that they just don't want a job of being 2nd fiddle?
I'm no longer naive in these things and better understand Mr. Reagan's quote, "Trust but verify". It isn't the oxymoron it seems to be. We can only trust after verification of truth has been established over time and until there is no question to the level of integrity. There isn't enough time left on the clock for the political parties to build the trust I desire to blindly vote for their candidate.
So.....considering where we are at this point in history, If Donald Trump WERE to run for president, who do you think he would choose to be his running mate?
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7
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Tools of the "Trade" :-)
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Apr 29, 2011 10:52 am
435
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My husband was a union/management negotiator and had great facilitating skills. This morning I was reflecting upon how he was able to bring both sides to the table and a personal memory between my Dad and Mom . Their relationship wasn't an easy one even though they loved each other. My Mom loved to laugh and had many friends. My Dad, likewise. They both had hidden problems, however, that were reflected in how they spoke to each other at times. My Dad was a big man with a booming voice and if he disagreed with my Mom, in frustration he often used the phrase, "You're WRONG" (with lots of vocal emphasis). Of course that shut down the conversation and I'm sure they both went to their corners to lick their wounds, neither of them understanding why there was such a barrier between them.
Agreeing to disagree is such a tattered phrase but in the right context can smooth the rough edges between people. But how it is done requires various approaches. My children recognize some of the phrases I use and are usually laughing before I get my point across. They just say, "Mom, what is the bottom line"....and the laughter smooths the opening to dialog, anyway.
Do you have any verbal tools to defuse a situation to avoid saying those dreaded words (or something similar), "You are wrong"?
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8
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I won't do THAT again!
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Apr 22, 2011 9:18 am
552
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I attended a dinner last evening and there were more than 100 ladies in attendance. I find that I do a lot of observing and when I do enter the conversation the subject is many times abruptly changed mid-stream or by someone entering the conversation for the first time who also speaks louder than anyone else. It always is startling to see how unobservant people are to good conversational skills and downright good manners.
When I think back on some of the conversations at the table, it is interesting that one of the topics was the manners of the younger generation. Wow.....talk about lack of mirrors in some homes. It makes me think about my own mirrors and what I am missing.
I rode in the car with 4 other members to the dinner and by the time we got home I had a "star-wars" type headache from all the reverberations just from the inside of the car, alone! Now I remember why I like to drive alone to these things.
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15
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The Abbott and Costello Routine is the Perfect Understanding for the Blogs These Days!
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Mar 27, 2011 11:28 am
685
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Abbott and Costello were the first non-baseball players inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1957 for their famous routine, "Who's on First".
In reading the blogs lately I feel like Costello. I do NOT have a clue Who is who, What the reasoning can be, and I Don't Know is somehow rounding the bases and I'm sitting in the stands munching on peanuts because I've definitely lost track of the score. There must be a reason Why this all got started and maybe I'll figure it out Today or Tomorrow....but to tell you the truth, I am out of breath with all of this....and I just Don't Give a Darn!
I went to the internet and found the transcript of their famous routine. Read it and apply it to what is going on in the blogs. You should get a good Sunday Morning laugh if you feel as clueless!
Hugs to all my friends I've met....those I haven't and hope to, one day.
*************
Abbott: Well, Costello, I'm going to New York with you. Bucky Harris the Yankee's manager gave me a job as coach for as long as you're on the team.
Costello: Look Abbott, if you're the coach, you must know all the players.
Abbott: I certainly do.
Costello: Well you know I've never met the guys. So you'll have to tell me their names, and then I'll know who's playing on the team.
Abbott: Oh, I'll tell you their names, but you know it seems to me they give these ball players now-a-days very peculiar names.
Costello: You mean funny names?
Abbott: Strange names, pet names...like Dizzy Dean...
Costello: His brother Daffy
Abbott: Daffy Dean...
Costello: And their French cousin.
Abbott: French?
Costello: Goofe'
Abbott: Goofe' Dean. Well, let's see, we have on the bags, Who's on first, What's on second, I Don't Know is on third...
Costello: That's what I want to find out.
Abbott: I say Who's on first, What's on second, I Don't Know's on third.
Costello: Are you the manager?
Abbott: Yes.
Costello: You gonna be the coach too?
Abbott: Yes.
Costello: And you don't know the fellows' names.
Abbott: Well I should.
Costello: Well then who's on first?
Abbott: Yes.
Costello: I mean the fellow's name.
Abbott: Who.
Costello: The guy on first.
Abbott: Who.
Costello: The first baseman.
Abbott: Who.
Costello: The guy playing...
Abbott: Who is on first!
Costello: I'm asking you who's on first.
Abbott: That's the man's name.
Costello: That's who's name?
Abbott: Yes.
Costello: Well go ahead and tell me.
Abbott: That's it.
Costello: That's who?
Abbott: Yes. PAUSE
Costello: Look, you gotta first baseman?
Abbott: Certainly.
Costello: Who's playing first?
Abbott: That's right.
Costello: When you pay off the first baseman every month, who gets the money?
Abbott: Every dollar of it.
Costello: All I'm trying to find out is the fellow's name on first base.
Abbott: Who.
Costello: The guy that gets...
Abbott: That's it.
Costello: Who gets the money...
Abbott: He does, every dollar of it. Sometimes his wife comes down and collects it.
Costello: Who's wife?
Abbott: Yes. PAUSE
Abbott: What's wrong with that?
Costello: I wanna know is when you sign up the first baseman, how does he sign his name?
Abbott: Who.
Costello: The guy.
Abbott: Who.
Costello: How does he sign...
Abbott: That's how he signs it.
Costello: Who?
Abbott: Yes. PAUSE
Costello: All I'm trying to find out is what's the guys name on first base.
Abbott: No. What is on second base.
Costello: I'm not asking you who's on second.
Abbott: Who's on first.
Costello: One base at a time!
Abbott: Well, don't change the players around.
Costello: I'm not changing nobody!
Abbott: Take it easy, buddy.
Costello: I'm only asking you, who's the guy on first base?
Abbott: That's right.
Costello: OK.
Abbott: Alright. PAUSE
Costello: What's the guy's name on first base?
Abbott: No. What is on second.
Costello: I'm not asking you who's on second.
Abbott: Who's on first.
Costello: I don't know.
Abbott: He's on third, we're not talking about him.
Costello: Now how did I get on third base?
Abbott: Why you mentioned his name.
Costello: If I mentioned the third baseman's name, who did I say is playing third?
Abbott: No. Who's playing first.
Costello: What's on base?
Abbott: What's on second.
Costello: I don't know.
Abbott: He's on third.
Costello: There I go, back on third again! PAUSE
Costello: Would you just stay on third base and don't go off it.
Abbott: Alright, what do you want to know?
Costello: Now who's playing third base?
Abbott: Why do you insist on putting Who on third base?
Costello: What am I putting on third.
Abbott: No. What is on second.
Costello: You don't want who on second?
Abbott: Who is on first.
Costello: I don't know. Together: Third base! PAUSE
Costello: Look, you gotta outfield?
Abbott: Sure.
Costello: The left fielder's name?
Abbott: Why.
Costello: I just thought I'd ask you.
Abbott: Well, I just thought I'd tell ya.
Costello: Then tell me who's playing left field.
Abbott: Who's playing first.
Costello: I'm not...stay out of the infield!!! I want to know what's the guy's name in left field?
Abbott: No, What is on second.
Costello: I'm not asking you who's on second.
Abbott: Who's on first!
Costello: I don't know. Together: Third base! PAUSE
Costello: The left fielder's name?
Abbott: Why.
Costello: Because!
Abbott: Oh, he's center field. PAUSE
Costello: Look, You gotta pitcher on this team?
Abbott: Sure.
Costello: The pitcher's name?
Abbott: Tomorrow.
Costello: You don't want to tell me today?
Abbott: I'm telling you now.
Costello: Then go ahead.
Abbott: Tomorrow!
Costello: What time?
Abbott: What time what?
Costello: What time tomorrow are you gonna tell me who's pitching?
Abbott: Now listen. Who is not pitching.
Costello: I'll break you're arm if you say who's on first!!! I want to know what's the pitcher's name?
Abbott: What's on second.
Costello: I don't know. Together: Third base! PAUSE
Costello: Gotta a catcher?
Abbott: Certainly.
Costello: The catcher's name?
Abbott: Today.
Costello: Today, and Tomorrow's pitching.
Abbott: Now you've got it.
Costello: All we got is a couple of days on the team. PAUSE
Costello: You know I'm a catcher too.
Abbott: So they tell me.
Costello: I get behind the plate to do some fancy catching, Tomorrow's pitching on my team and a heavy hitter gets up. Now the heavy hitter bunts the ball. When he bunts the ball, me, being a good catcher, I'm gonna throw the guy out at first. So I pick up the ball and throw it to who?
Abbott: Now that's the first thing you've said right.
Costello: I don't even know what I'm talking about! PAUSE
Abbott: That's all you have to do.
Costello: Is to throw the ball to first base.
Abbott: Yes!
Costello: Now who's got it?
Abbott: Naturally. PAUSE
Costello: Look, if I throw the ball to first base, somebody's gotta get it. Now who has it?
Abbott: Naturally.
Costello: Who?
Abbott: Naturally.
Costello: Naturally?
Abbott: Naturally.
Costello: So I pick up the ball and I throw it to Naturally.
Abbott: No you don't you throw the ball to Who.
Costello: Naturally.
Abbott: That's different.
Costello: That's what I said.
Abbott: you're not saying it...
Costello: I throw the ball to Naturally.
Abbott: You throw it to Who.
Costello: Naturally.
Abbott: That's it.
Costello: That's what I said!
Abbott: You ask me.
Costello: I throw the ball to who?
Abbott: Naturally.
Costello: Now you ask me.
Abbott: You throw the ball to Who?
Costello: Naturally.
Abbott: That's it.
Costello: Same as you! Same as YOU!!! I throw the ball to who. Whoever it is drops the ball and the guy runs to second. Who picks up the ball and throws it to What. What throws it to I Don't Know. I Don't Know throws it back to Tomorrow, Triple play. Another guy gets up and hits a long fly ball to Because. Why? I don't know! He's on third and I don't give a darn!
Abbott: What?
Costello: I said I don't give a darn!
Abbott: Oh, that's our shortstop.
Costello: (makes screaming sound)
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To link to this blog (CarolynVII) use [blog CarolynVII] in your messages.
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