Square Pegs and Round Holes

I Live My Life on Two-Lane Roads

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene Christensen) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 01:41:00 +0000

Everywhere I go...I go on two-lane roads......it's a simple life...and these are some of the things I see...

...onions 3@$1.50 a lb....

...horse trailer for sale..best offer...

...speed limit 35 miles per hr...

...fresh cut hay waiting to be baled...

...cattle grazing in green fields...

...hills still green from the rain yesterday...

...pumpkin field freshly plowed and ready for planting...

...sheep grazing knee deep in grass...

...grapevines blooming and reaching to the sky...

This is my home...for over half my life...two-lane roads and country........ a far cry from the SoCal beach where I spent my youth....but, nevertheless, just as important and certainly a major influence in who I've become....

"Bloom Where You Are Are Planted"...thank you Mom!

Some Things Never Change!

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene Christensen) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 01:31:00 +0000

It has just dawned on me...that I haven't changed much in my thought process....over the last few decades (OMG I'm old!)

When I was in school....MANY years ago...I had a certain way I started out my school year and my new classes. I guess I didn't have much of a chance to try my new "process" until I reached what is now called "middle school". It used to be Junior High School...grades 7th, 8th, and 9th. Then, if we passed, we became freshman in High School

Anyway...the first quarter of each school year...from 7th through 12th grade .....I coasted......yep, doing JUST enough....JUST to see how easy that year was gonna be for me! I was sometimes surprised...as in Intermediate Algebra in my junior year...WHOA....MUCH harder than Beginning Algebra in my freshman year (Geometry came inbetween the two in my sophomore year...I'd rather NOT talk about THAT class!). Sometimes I could skate by with little studying...like English...and Drama (thank you Mr Curtis!) but, I confess, not as often as I would have liked!

Now, as a full-fledged adult (and then so) I find I'm doing the same thing again....coasting...checking out just HOW much I have to do to make the grade. Over the last few decades (that word again) I've turned into a "photographer" of sorts. I make photo-gift-cards and submit stock photos to several photo agencies. I would explain what a "stock" photo is...but you're better off asking Google! :)

As I was getting ready to submit some images to a new agency today...I was struck by the thought that I haven't changed much in all these years....I'm uploading some tried-and-true images that have worked for other agencies...and hoping they will be accepted! Will they be good sellers? Who knows...each agency is different...let's see if...by "coasting"......I can make the grade once again! :)

Another Graduation at Hanna Boys Center!

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene Christensen) — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 01:27:00 +0000

I have spent the last 12 years as the Accounts Payable Finance Manager of the Hanna Boys Center in Sonoma California. It certainly has not been my FIRST job...but it will probably be my LAST job.

Hanna Boys Center is a residential care center for "at risk" boys. These boys come to us from different backgrounds and different needs. I could go on and on about how they reach out to us and how we "accept" them. They are special and they are awesome...and they all have a different story!

But my focus today...is the young men who have graduated and are moving on into the world. Thanks to the overwhelming effort of our school Principal and the dedicated teachers (many who have been with us for many years)...we are now a fully accredited high school....no small feat...trust me! We ARE the Hanna Hawks!

Our graduating ceremony is always thought-provoking and heart warming...(thanks so much in part to our Executive Director Father John Crews....he has a way with words)! It is a ceremony that stands beside any graduating ceremony anywhere! It is special!

I LOVE to see the celebration of the families as their boy's name is announced! The love and the pride that are expressed brings me such joy. Very often, their son is the first in the family to get a high school diploma. A success for sure!

Thank you Hanna Boys Center....for the 12 years I have spent with you...and for humbling me every June...when I watch these boys graduate and go forth in the world...with faith, education, and caring! These boys came to us broken...and we did our best to fix them...and we sent them out into the world with all our love and faith and support.....

Memorial Day 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene Christensen) — Tue, 31 May 2011 00:56:00 +0000

So many feelings today. This is a holiday weekend...along with that comes the celebration of a three day weekend....the fact that we don't have to go to "work" on Monday! Some many things we could do! Gee, how do I spend the three days I have coming?

I want to celebrate.....but more from a selfish point of view. I want to spend the time doing what I want to do. But there is a nagging thought that is just hanging in my consciousness....

This weekend is about those who gave their lives for our freedom...and those who continue to keep us safe and fight for our freedom. I know....personally...of some of those who served...and are still serving. Here's to my biological Grandfather who spent many years as a Supply Officer in WW 1 and WW2...my "Step" Grandfather who served in the Seabees during WWII and beyond....my Dad, who was not drafted because he was in charge of building war planes at Convair in San Diego...and to my ex-husband who served in the Submarine Service during our years of marriage...and my ex-father-in-law who served until retirement...and David...and Keith....and to my husband Lee....and my brother-in-law, Harvey, and the list goes on and on.....

In "another life"...MANY years ago...I was part of that life...I held down the home-front...and raised children on my own...and lived as a "single-parent"... Those who have never known that type of sacifice will never realize how difficult it really is.......

I'm not too political ...and keep my thoughts and views to myself ...(after all, half of you would agree with me...half of you would not)...but it stands true to all....we are grateful for the sacrifice you make for all of us...always!

To those of you who serve now...and who served in the past...thank you from the bottom of my heart for the ultimate gift you have given to all of us.....

Dad, You Are Always With Me!

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene Christensen) — Mon, 23 May 2011 03:08:00 +0000

Today would have been my Dad's 99th birthday. It's not...because he passed in June 1994. I miss him so very much (he always thought I was the "world")...but I know he's always around....it's my belief........

My children knew him as "Grandpa Gray". Certainly NOT the same Dad that raised me! He was a much gentler and kinder Grandpa! I guess, as we all learn, that being a "parent" is MUCH different than being a "GRAND-parent". He loved me and he loved my children.

When I was young...as most daughters maybe...my Dad was the "be-all-end-all". What Dad said was LAW. Maybe it was the times...maybe that's how it used to be...I don't know. I just know when my Dad was M-A-D....I stayed just out of arm's reach! He very seldomed cursed or raised his voice ...but, trust me, there was NO doubt if he was mad or not! :)

Again, you have to remember, I'm an only child and ...that changes the whole scene! That spot light followed me everywhere I went and shone on everything I did! My parents were married 11 years when I was born...and, actually, I was a BIG surprise! It was my Dad who named me...after a woman he knew at work by the same name. He thought the name was pretty and it was his choice.

But through the years, my Dad was always my biggest fan. I didn't realize that until I was fully grown and had children of my own. My Dad never weaved in his faith and trust and love for me....and for my children.

Daddy went to bat for me on many occasions through all my growing up years...even visiting my counselor in high school to find out just "why" I said I didn't have enough credits to go to college. Well, ya see,...I lied! I KNEW I had enough credits but I wasn't sure I WANTED to go to college! Dang! Caught again! I went to college. Then when I got in trouble for parking on the street in front of the high school (instead of the school lot)...my Dad went to the school to "point out" to them that it was a PUBLIC street and his daughter could park there anytime she wanted! Way to go Dad! :)

Daddy I'll never forget how much you loved me...and how proud of me you were. You were always there for me...and as I grow older, I see more and more of YOU in ME! Happy 99th birthday my Daddy!

Does Anyone Play Anymore?

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene Christensen) — Mon, 16 May 2011 02:23:00 +0000

This will date me. I know it will. I can't escape it...I'm part of the "Baby Boomer" generation...and just by a few months. Actually, I think the Baby Boomers are considered to have been born in 1946 through 1954. Correct me if I'm wrong (which, I confess, I often am).

Anyway...I want to state (for the record)....what my favorite pastime was as a child. Most of you won't care...but some might find some interest!

Jacks! Does anyone play "Jacks" anymore? Do you even KNOW what "Jacks" are? I LOVED playing Jacks on my front porch. It was especially fun during the summer when my Mom would let me stay out until after dark!

Most of the time I played by myself (only child you know). But sometimes I played with a good friend... Alyce or Tia. I must say....I was a VERY GOOD jacks-player! I nearly ALWAYS won! I practiced all the time..that porch of ours was a perfect place to practice. I loved the game...I loved my porch...I loved staying out until the only light available was the dim glow of that porch light! I loved the warm San Diego summer evenings and the freedom my Mother gave me to stay out "after dark"...of course, as long as I was "on the porch"!

It's a favorite memory of mine...those nights I spent with a friend on that porch....I go back to that time when I need to re-focus myself....when I want to bring back my youth and remember what it used to be like...when I was just a "kid" growing up in the '50's...

Of course....I have to say....I was good at "marbles" (winning all my neighbor Dale's "cats-eyes")...and tetherball too (pays to be the tallest in the class)...oh, and "four-square" was a favorite (again, it helps to be the tallest in the class!)

Do children have games they play...at recess....or lunch...or after school? Have times changed so much that children no longer delight in innocent games.....no bullying and no pre-determined ideas?

I wonder....

Yes...I AM!!

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene Christensen) — Mon, 09 May 2011 00:59:00 +0000

I am a photographer. It took me many years to learn just how to say that without choking on the words. It took me many years to learn how to "believe" it myself. I still have trouble....I'm my own worst critic!

Not long ago...in the process of meeting and finding common ground with someone who was "dating" a friend very close to my husband and me...and after being asked what I "do"....I blurted out "And, besides my day-job...I'm a photographer.".

I guess I can consider myself a "photographer"...I DO have a website through Etsy in which I sell my "photo gift cards"...and I DO submit my images to photo agencies....and have actually sold some! BUT, alas, I still DO have a day-job...so you can guess from that fact...that I'm NOT living on my sole earnings from my photography! Do I wish I was? You bet! Do I think I ever will? Hummm...not so much!

I take pictures everywhere I go. I just do. It's just me. My husband often finds that he's talking to himself...because I have stopped to take a picture! It's in my DNA...since my Dad was a "photographer" as well. My Dad did a LOT of things...photography was just one of them. When he passed...I was left was tons of his slides taken over the years before I was born...and after. My hope is to have them transferred to CD's...so they will live on...and, yep, maybe I can use them!

Oh, my dream? To be a National Geographic Photographer....not so much for animals (close ups are not my strong suit)...but for the landscapes...the landscapes all over the world! The beauty in the land...how can I show you the beauty in the land...

I want to share with you...what I saw...at the moment I saw it....that is my dream and my prayer.....

California Dreamin'

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene Christensen) — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 00:20:00 +0000

When I was first married I was only 18 years old. I married a guy I had gone "steady" with for four years...all through my high school years and almost a year more. I actually met him through a guy I was dating...he was his best friend!

Anyway...we were married in April of 1964. He had joined the Navy Submarine Service and we were married five days after he was released from boot camp. We were poor and in love. We quickly set up residence in Oakland, CA since he was going to "ETA school" on Treasure Island.

Long story short, after a stint in Bainbridge, Maryland, we ended up in Southwick, Massachusetts while he attended "Submarine School". By then I was pregnant....something we had "worked on" for over a year....

Southwick was different and difficult for me. It was a small town...and MUCH different than San Diego where I had spent my youth on the beach... and we lived in what they then called "an efficiency apartment" called Mountain View Manor (thanks Dad). Actually...it had been a motel someone had converted into apartments. I was homesick and the long hours my new husband worked and the cold winter snow didn't help much....

As I said, we were poor, the military didn't pay much then. However, we got a tax return big enough to allow us to buy a combination record player....in a CABINET! We set it in front of the big window that looked out onto the parking lot of our complex. We were up a little off the main road, College Highway, so we had a bit of a view as well. I could look out and see the snow all over the ground.....certainly strange for a California girl.

Now comes the purpose of this blog. At the time we lived in Southwick Massachusetts...and I was pregnant...and homesick...3000 miles away from my parents (I'm an only child) ...and the Mamas and the Papas had a hit song on the radio called "California Dreamin'".

Each time...to this day...when I hear that song...I see myself...standing at the window of our "efficiency" apartment...pregnant...and lonely...and wishing I was "home" and longing for the warmth of California! You would think that after about 45 years the "feeling" I get when I hear that song would have subsided...I can't explain why it hasn't. The song nearly makes me cry because it so takes me back to a time long ago when I was young, in love, newly married, and expecting my first child.

I don't know...honest I don't!

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene Christensen) — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 01:38:00 +0000

Sometimes I get tired of being the "go to" person. Sometimes I get tired of knowing the answers...sometimes I get tired of NOT knowing the answers! Sometimes I get tired of people looking to me for the answers! Sometimes I don't have all the answers folks!! Figure it out yourselves!

Did I create this position for myself? Do I LIKE being the person others "go to" for the answers? Maybe..to the first question ...and yes, sometimes to the second question....but NOT always!

It happens at work...it happens at home....it happens all the time....

I don't KNOW how much it costs to fly from point A to point B...I don't KNOW how big the plane is...I don't KNOW what that means when it says "drain" is included....I DON'T KNOW!! READ....ASK...but I DON'T KNOW!!!

Am I a "control freak"...someone who has to have ALL the answers to MY life and others around me? No...I don't think so. I'm a "live and let live" kinda gal. If you're not treading on MY life...then "hit it" my friend and I'll back you up...!

I'll help you all I can IF I have the answers...BUT, if I don't...LOOK THEM UP...that's how I learned!!

I gained 5 pounds and I didn't eat a thing!

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene Christensen) — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 03:17:00 +0000

Today we renewed our COSTCO membership. We haven't been "active" members since 2006! Well, that's not entirely true...we used our card at the COSTCO gas pump for a LONG time after we didn't renew. Hey...as long as the card "worked"... we "worked" it...then, finally, one day it didn't!! I know, that wasn't REALLY honest but......you know, gas being what it is and all.....

So, after discussing it for about a week, we decided to renew our membership. We drove to our nearest COSTCO..which, if you live in Sonoma, happens to be 18 miles...walked up to the "Membership" counter and said "We'd like to RENEW our membership!". The Membership Associate kindly looked up our information in the computer and announced..."OH...I see you were CANCELLED!" Color me slightly embarrassed! :P

He told us we'd have to fill out another application. Anyone who knows me knows I feel the same way about filling out "credit" applications as I feel about cruising a shopping mall looking for a parking place! I've been known to GO HOME if I can't find a parking place in a reasonable amount of time! So I took the application...said "thank you very much but I'll fill it out at home"...and tried VERY hard not to stomp out of the store (I have less patience than I used to have!)!

By the time we got home.... we had decided I'd fill out the application and we'd head to the "other" COSTCO......which happens to be 18 miles in a DIFFERENT direction ( remind me sometime to tell you how INconvienent it is to live in a lovely "wine country" town with NO box stores!!). :P

Having reached our destination and, after Membership Associate Luis's friendly but bored attention, we re-joined the COSTCO family, and we had gotten our pictures taken for our cards (I don't "hate" mine...thank you very much) we grabbed a cart (the size of Texas) and were on our way!

WOW!!! Things have changed since 2006! We spent THREE HOURS looking at all the "new" stuff! Ummmm...prices have gone UP....but the choices...OMG the choices! OK...most of the food choices aren't any good for us...but...boy do they look G-O-O-D!! I drawled over all the "pre-made" goodies...all the yummy sounding dishes that all I had to do was microwave!! I swear I gained 5 pounds just reading the labels! Sooooooo goooooood.....soooooo bad for us! That really stinks....in the big scope of things!

We had fun...and even though we didn't buy all the stuff that looked so good...we ended up spending over $200.00! And what REALLY stinks is that it doesn't even count towards my "frequent flyer" miles!

Who's Diane?

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene Christensen) — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 01:37:00 +0000

Ok...I admit...I' m not as "social" as my husband. I'm not UNsocial...I'm pretty friendly with those who know me...and with whom I feel at ease. But I'm NOT the kind who will stand in the street for a half hour and "shoot the breeze" about the weather and anything else that might come up..... like my husband will do.

I'm sure the neighbors think I'm "strange"...but it's been that way for...well, forever! I LIKE people...HONEST I do...some more than others.

You know, when you get a bit "older", you kinda have to look at who you are...and look at yourself realistically and accept who you "are". I have! I'm NOT the person you're going to find standing in the street talking about whatever comes to mind....I'm gonna be the one who waves, says "hello", smiles, and moves towards the door of the house!

It's all well and good...that I'm that way...but it DOES cause problems when my husband talks about "the neighbors" and what's going on around us. I've decided one of the reasons we're married...is because I am OBLIVIOUS to what is going on around us...and my husband is painfully aware of what's going on around us! :)

He has a "way" of talking to people...especially women... women LOVE him...they think he's terrific...ha! He's friendly, talkative, interested, and curious...and he flirts and doesn't even KNOW it!. He knows EVERYONE in our neighborhood...what kind of car they drive....and their schedule....good thing, because I haven't got a clue!

He told me the other night that Diane (who's Diane?) took the car out for a few hours. OK. Apparently it was important.

So I've decided.....I think I should be more aware...and more friendly!!

And we didn't even get mugged!

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene Christensen) — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 00:47:00 +0000

We're back now...from our trip to Cabo San Lucas. I'm still in mourning. Each night when I crawl into bed and I close my eyes...I pretend I'm falling asleep in the wonderful feather bed in that huge, beautiful bedroom... I dream of those wonderful, warm nights...and those beautiful mornings that welcomed me as I opened my eyes. Ah well....there's always "reality"...

OK...we had a W-O-N-D-E-R-F-U-L time in Cabo! We really didn't know what to expect so it was all new to us. We're "sorta" well-travelled...having visited the Carribean, Hawaii, Canada, Mexico, and many states over the last 35 years...but THIS part of Mexico was new to us! We were a bit scared...to tell the truth!!

I wanna go back! And NOW!! It was exactly what we needed....a new place......in the sun.....with beautiful vistas...and exciting scenery!

Ahhhhhh...how fast can we go back????

Our "Early" Spring Break....

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene Christensen) — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 02:52:00 +0000

OK...we're going to Cabo San Lucas for a week. We've never been there. We've BEEN to Mexico...to Puerto Penasco...on the Sea of Cortez...during our Full-Time RV'ing life....a relatively nice place to visit....but B-O-R-I-N-G! We like to "go" and "see" and "learn" and "experience"....not much of THAT there! When we came back across the "border" into Arizona we said to each other..."Hummmm...no more Mexico for us!"

Now we have a "free" week" at a beautiful resort in Cabo thanks to our wonderful and much loved friend Jacque. All we have to do is get both of us there...in one piece!

It's been a while since we (as in Hubby and me) flew anywhere. Well, I flew to Houston a couple of years ago to visit our little "chick" and family who ended up there only because they kinda HAD to in order to further my son-in-law's career...and TOTALLY another story! And when I flew by myself...I must say I was pretty good at getting myself around and figuring out just where I'm supposed to be at any given time. I'm pretty self-reliant. I have a business mind...I think that helps! Maybe.

Ohhh...off the subject. When we decided to take our friend's offer...the first thing we had to do was to get the Hubby some DRUGS! He is NOT a "flyer" in any way, shape, or form. He HATES it! Me? I'm not thrilled but I can do it MUCH better than him. Thank you Kaiser Doc for giving him three little pills to help him over the hump...and giving ME a bit of relief...because otherwise I would have had a 6 foot WAY over 21 yr-old BABY to deal with!

I am AMAZED at the "stuff" ya gotta buy for the trip! We need this and that..and what about that other thing? Can we take it on the plane? Ohhhhh read the pages and pages of rules and regulations on what you CAN take and what you CAN'T take on the plane... or in your shoe, or on your body..or in your carry-on (and how big can THAT be?)...or in your "checked luggage???? Can you take "food"...in your carry-on (you bet I'm making Hubby take a BIG carry-on too!)...can you tuck a bottle of wine in your checked luggage? Rules...too many rules!!

I'm really thinking that we should travel by plane waaaay more often..... so we have this down to a science!

I have our passports (not liking the differences in my picture in 20 years!), I have our credit cards, I have our money, I have MY eReader, and MY iPod, and MY cell phone, and HIS People and Cosmo....I pray it's enough!!

Wish us well...and yes, someone is watching our house and our Brat-Cat Chloe...so don't even think about it!

I'm putting my trust in the fact that all the pegs will be round and all the holes will be round.....and this will be a great "Spring Break"!! for us!

Somebody should have told me!

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene Christensen) — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 01:45:00 +0000

Why didn't someone tell me being a parent...a "Mom" didn't end when my children turned 18 years old...the "legal" age of adulthood in this state.. Somehow I thought when my children turned 18 years old my job was done....I'd done what I could and I'd send them off on their merry way...their own journey....

I was wrong! Nobody TOLD me I would be a "Mom" for the duration of my life. That I would worry about, fret about, dream about, and cry about my children long after they left the "nest"....that I would do the same about my grandchildren. It never ends! I'm now convinced! What "my" children didn't try or do during their growing years...my grandchildren are now trying or doing! It's hard to keep up....

I can only "be there" with my experiences over the last almost 45 years (yes, April, it's getting close!) I've raised children. I can only draw on my instincts, my gut feelings, and my love to help my children and my children's children make it through this "maze" of life.

I often think of life as an obstacle course...like a video game...the object of which is to make it the end of the trail with all your facilities still in place! I would do ANYTHING to guarantee that end for my children and my children's children and for ALL the children forever after.....

Things I miss...sometimes...

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene Christensen) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 02:42:00 +0000

1.   I miss playing "jacks" on my porch during a warm summer night with my friend Tia....
2.   I miss playing "4-square" in 6th grade...and beating almost everyone....
3.   I miss playing "tether ball" because I ALWAYS won...I was the tallest in my class...
4.   I miss the street on which I grew up...the wide flat street that made it easy to ride my bike...
5.   I miss "hop scotch" and the chalk I used to make the squares....
6.   I miss my childhood friends...Gary and Rusty and Tia and Billy and Dale.....
7.   I miss my 4-wheel skates and the key I wore around my neck...
8.   I miss my lavender bicycle I begged for and got one Christmas...
9.   I miss walking to school with my friends...
10. I miss my Dad teaching me the "box step" to the "Tennessee Waltz" when I was 8 years old...
11. I miss lying in my bed at night..with the door cracked open just enough for a little light to creep in and hearing my parents talking...and knowing I was safe from all the evils in the world....

I miss that part of me.....that little girl......sometimes.........
It was a time when all the pegs were round and all the holes were round...and everything seemed to fit!

Birthday parties...on the other side!

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene Christensen) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 01:48:00 +0000

I went to a birthday party today. It was for one of my "extended" family...a family I love...although it has taken some effort since I've most always felt like an outsider. It's getting easier I think..I hope..

Birthday parties for that side of the family are very important. They have one for each family member...whether it's a "special" birthday (you know, 21 or 30 or 50 or 75 or...we haven't reached anyone OLDER yet..just wait, it's coming!).

I LIKE that we can get together and celebrate each other...I really do. I like the chance to share and to be part of that "side". I WANT to be a part...always being very careful not to step on any part of history that is not mine. These are not my biological children...although I've been a part of their life (in one form or another) for the 34 years (almost 35) that their Dad and I have been connected.

I had a good time....I enjoyed the company...I looked forward to being with these people. If it takes the birthday parties to bring us together...then I hope for many more birthdays and many more times I can share time with the "other side"!

It's just me...

noreply@blogger.com (Darlene Christensen) — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 01:57:00 +0000

I don't know how long I've lived by this motto...the "Square Pegs and Round Holes" motto. I mean, somewhere along the line I figured out that if all the pieces didn't fit or the "pegs" didn't fit in the holes...then probably (most likely) whatever I was trying to do wasn't the "right" thing to do. "All Things Work Together for Good'...a truth I hold from my early days of Sunday School. If I can't make the pieces fit easily...then I'd better take a look at what I'm trying to do. My theory, again, is if it's the RIGHT thing to do...then all of pieces will fit...and all the "holes" will match...and all falls into place with little effort.

I've tried to teach my children...four wonderful, beautiful, independent, amazing daughters, this motto of mine...I don't know that it's so "right"...I just know that it's my way of making sense of this world. I think they "get it" sometimes. At least they humor me...that's something!

This Blog is mine. It's the thoughts in my head. I'm a woman who is beginning the last third of her life. What the heck happened to the FIRST two-thirds? Damned if I know! It went fast!

I have a different outlook on life now.,..it might be fun to explore it...I am WAY more willing to state my true feelings now...because I just don't care as much what other people think! Well, maybe I still DO care what others think...but I care more what I think!

This might be a fun blog for those of us struggling with children (you NEVER stop worrying about them) and grandchildren (oh great..you get to start all over!) and life in general (boy do things p..s me off more now!).

Me? I'm struggling with being a 45 year old in a 65 year old body!! That's a whole new subject...and we'll get to that...soon! I can't be the only one who feels like time is running out (trust me children..I have no immediate plans on leaving!) and that just "sucks"!