WE'RE ON APPROACH

Do children still exchange Valentine's Day cards at school and do they count their cards to determine who is the most popular in the class? That was what happened in my day and it really should have been a criminal offense. (Needless to say, I didn't receive the most cards.)

Valentine's Day is next week. It is a mixed bag of tricks. Most people, and quite possibly more women than men, have expectations for that day. Isn't that strange? And will it ever be all that we want it to be?

Is it really about sharing the love or is it about bragging rights? Will you receive candy and flowers or will you give someone a gift? Do you send and receive Valentine's Day cards? Or, do you pull the covers over you head and just hope the day will pass without anyone asking your "plans for Valentine's Day"?

Or do you quietly celebrate love that day with your partner or your family members or your close friends and consider that a bountiful day?

HOW DOES COURTSHIP LAST

I waited at the airport terminal for him to exit the plane. We embraced and together collected his luggage. He opened his suitcase and pulled out a crinkled brown bag that was somewhat damp. "This is for you" he said and I reluctantly took this strange gift, opening it to discover a small bouquet of roses, carefully packed and looking as fresh as the moment he cut them for me.

Our courtship included lots of presents. He showered me with poetry books by Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning and other favorites. He bought me several pieces of lovely jewelry. The first Valentines Day after we met, he sent a huge bouquet of roses to me at work. It was a thrill to display them on my desk for people to admire and inquire...and envy:) He showered me with gifts just the way women always hope a man will do.

While he was giving me those gifts and entertaining me with laughter and excitement, he was preparing a lifetime of gifts by listening. After our marriage the glittery gifts faded away to be replaced with a new type of gift. Ron hears and remembers my wishes and makes my dreams come true.

(Okay, some of you might remember the Case backhoe he gave me one Valentine's Day, but it was used for making my dreams come true so it was a good present and it was accompanied by flowers and candy. LOL)

AS-RIPPED OFF--ON-TV

Actually this is a great product!

People who are snow bound have time to think many strange thoughts. The "As-Seen-On-TV" ads grab your attention a lot more than they would otherwise. (Stay with me, there is a quiz at the end.)

We usually buy those type of products at the store. Walgreens carries many of those products and now I understand there is a store called AS-SEEN-ON-TV. Believe me, those are the places you want to buy these products. Otherwise you are in for a rude awakening over the total cost of the purchase.

Our Perfect Fit buttons that were on sale for $10 for two sets ended up costing us almost $25. It seems that once you opt for the free gift of under the bed shoe storage the shipping and handling on that "free gift" is almost twice the total purchase price. From the point of that disclosure there is no turning back and you are stuck.

Actually the perfect fit buttons are GREAT and will especially come in handy for me now that I have LOST 17 POUNDS! I will need to be tightening my pants:) But buy this neat product at a store and don't order by mail. My poor sister purchased a fishing rod that was $19.99 and by the time they got through with her she had paid close to $70.

Have you made an As-Seen-On-TV purchase from the television 1-800 number? Did you like the product or did it absolutely suck? Did you like the final price or did you feel ripped off? What products do you own as shown on these ads and what products would you like to own?

SLIM's ACTIONS SPEAK FOR ALL OKLAHOMANS

14 INCHES AND ITS STILL COMING DOWN.

DILEMMA OF THE WEEK

I read about a dilemma this morning and thought I would give you the question to ponder. Let's say that you are waiting in a bus shelter. A homeless person wanders in and stands next to you. This person is carrying a small basket of fresh strawberries. The homeless person sees you staring and extends the basket of fruit toward you, asking if you would like a strawberry. Would you take one? If you would not, why not?

CHOCOLATE CAKE, CASSEROLE, BACON, SAUSAGE, EGGS

What's for breakfast? Plus there is a Texas Hash casserole in the crock pot for lunch.

Well don't worry, I'm not breaking my personal menu choices in my fitness plan. So, why would someone involved with meal moderation and fitness get up early to cook up such food?

Three grandchildren came creeping into our home in the middle of the night with their papa. Granny Annie is filling the house to awaken them with delicious odors. I try to cook their favorites. Dillon's breakfast request, Ryan's lunch request, and Beth will get her pancakes tomorrow morning:)

These are precious morning sights to me!

MY EXPERIENCE WITH ALLI aka ORLISTAT

Okay, I don't want to jinx myself but I just have to share my latest health and fitness project with my fellow bloggers.

It was with great fear and trepidation that I purchased a starter kit of Alli weight loss pills and began to read all of the directions for using this product. I started several days early planning my daily menus and getting set up on their website. I receive email pointers and tips and have a weekly check-in that gives me some accountability.

First I started eating as suggested and followed the meal plans closely for five days before daring to take the first Alli capsule. My personal plan allowed me 1800 calories daily and 19 grams of fat per meal (approx. 60 g. daily). If you know about this pill, you know that there are dreadful tales out there about very traumatic and embarrassing effects that will hit you if you consume too much fat over your meal allowance. Now in the plan since December 28, 2010, I have not experienced those intestinal side effects but I do monitor my food intake very, very carefully. I have to believe that persons who have bad experiences are trying to just take the pill without reading the guidelines carefully.

As of today, I have lost 13 pounds with this plan of eating and exercise. My plate is actually not like the one shown above because my plate is very full of good food simply by planning and monitoring carefully. We can even go out to eat and I manage to find acceptable meals within my allowance. It is, however, consuming a big part of my time and concentration.

Simply following the suggested meal and exercise activities would probably cause me to lose a good amount of weight but they say the Alli pill increases your weight loss by about 50%. It is easy to stay within the boundaries out of fear over what excess could do to me.

I have a large amount of weight to lose. This plan divides it in smaller increments and therefore I have already met and exceeded my first goal which was 12 pounds. Alli is not for a person who only needs to lose a few pounds. It is for those falling in the obese category and much to my shame, I fell hard into that category right after Christmas.

First I gained energy with the help from the sleep disorder study which gave me the bipap machine to sleep under nightly which gave me long needed restful sleep which gave me energy and ambition to tackle this health and fitness program. I am exercising 5 -7 days a week as well as simply increasing my daily activity of household chores and care of all the animals.

I am moving forward full of hope that this will finally be the plan that will work for me. So far, so good. Thanks for listening.

PONDER YOUR SHADOW

"I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me, And what can be the use of him is more than I can see. He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head; And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed."
From My Shadow by Robert Louis Stevenson

This is an excerpt from my favorite childhood poem. This lovely verse caused me to pay a lot of attention to my shadow. It has been years since I have taken the time to acknowledge my shadow and wonder if you pay any attention to yours. It is always with us in some form. Should such a close associate have it's own name? Do you enjoy the company of your shadow or do you fear your own shadow? Or do you give a flying fig about your shadow?

If you have time, read about this strange shadow person. Is this a case of "paranoia, persecution or alien control"?

This is called blog posting desperation:)

FREAKY WIFI

(Thanks Suzy Q for sending this. It is the funniest ever!)

And if you are snowed in today like we are, you will enjoy a boogie with THE REAL BOOGIE MAN


(Thanks Suzy Q for sending this too. It got me moving)

THE WHEELS ON THE BUS

Did you ever (or do you ever) ride the bus? Many of my bus riding memories are vivid. Not only did I travel home from college on a Greyhound, but I also rode city bus transportation in Muskogee, OK, Oklahoma City, OK and Tulsa, OK.

My first experience on a city bus was while visiting a friend from church camp who lived in Muskogee. Her parents let us leave the house in the morning, catch a bus downtown and spend the day shopping, only to return to her home by our curfew. I am quite sure we were both about 11 or 12. It was the first day of my life to taste freedom and feel all grown up. Do any children still do this today? I am doubtful.

My fondest memory was a trip home from my grandparents in Ponca City, OK in 1958. My grandfather took me to the bus station and warned me not to talk to strangers. I was 12. Imagine the horror on my grandfather's face as the bus pulled away just as a young sailor sat down beside me. This handsome young sailor kept my attention all the way to Tulsa and even gave me his photo. When Ron and I found each other 13 years ago I liked to believe he was that same sailor I had been looking for since age 12:)

As a college student in Oklahoma City I had to return home once each month to have my dental braces adjusted. (Yes I wore braces my senior year in high school and my freshman year in college-...friends called me Grin-tin-tin). The bus seemed to stop every 30 miles between OKC and Altus, OK. The road was very treacherous and I was too young to actually be frightened by the trip. Several times I rode with the great-granddaughter of Quanah Parker and this frail, elderly woman would tell us stories of his life. Of course she could have made the whole thing up but for some reason I believed it all.

I worked for an insurance company downtown in Tulsa in the late 60s and had to ride the city bus daily to and from work. It was actually an enjoyable experience traveling with the same commuters every day and exchanging stories of our workday joys and woes. If a regular did not show up on the bus, we all worried about the individual.

Our most recent bus rides have been on tours when we go to Ron's various ship reunions. That travel is done on luxury charter buses.

I wonder what it would be like today to go the the bus station, buy a ticket to somewhere, and go for a ride. I hear it is not a very pleasant experience. I don't even know where a bus station is around here. Don't ask me why this all popped into my head. Do you have a bus story?

Suddenly I know why this popped into my head. Today is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday and there was never a movement more involved with bus rides than the Civil Rights movement. I never traveled to a rally by bus but my siblings did.

READ THE CIRCLED ITEM

Everyone has complained about my handwriting all my life. Now I have reached the point where I cannot read it either.

Leaving for the store yesterday I suddenly remembered something left off the list. I quickly jotted it down and having old-timers disease, as quickly forgot what it was. Looking at the list did not help because I could not read what I wrote.

Can you read the circled item above? Help me out here. I guess it wasn't too vital since whatever it was hasn't been missed....yet.

BREAKING NEWS 1-17-11: I remembered. It says "thin white crew socks". Suddenly it is so clear isn't it? Thanks for all you comments and guesses:)

A CHANGE OF SCENERY

Above is my view from my laptop. Usually I work at the kitchen table facing the refrigerator. The view from the previous year changes after Christmas when the refrigerator pictures are taken down and new ones are put up as all these neat picture greetings begin to arrive. I love all these new photos and looking at the beautiful grandchildren and grand nieces and nephews and seeing how much they have grown. It is going to be interesting to see how what highlights will be added before the end of 2011. But when I first look up at the new pictures there is still a little shock when the first photos I focus on are no longer George Clooney and my daughter and God-daughter on the red carpet at the 2010 Oscars.

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED IN 2,066 YEARS?

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED IN 2,066 YEARS?

"The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance." - Cicero - 55 BC

Evidently nothing.

received this in an email.

WE HAVE SEPARATED

Yes, Ron and I separated on New Years Day. Not in our marriage but in our daily lives. The Dish Television people actually came to our home on January 1st to install our new DVR and put an extension on the living room television. I now have my own 120 channels and my own REMOTE. I may never go in the den again. Of course if Ron needs some food or drink he can call me on his cell and I can pause my show to wait on him. Will wonders never cease?

It is fun watching my own show choices because we have extremely different taste but....I sure miss Ron:(

Guess time will tell if the separation will work. If we decide to reconcile, will he go for blood and guts murder mysteries or will I compromise for the History, Discovery and News channels?

By the way, I got custody of Slim. Ron gets den visitation when he is eating something she expects to share::)

1-1-11

GREETINGS FROM:
Granny Annie, Ron,
Slim (aka The Best Dog In The World),
7 Guinea Fowl (all known as TJ for Tarzan/Jane since we can't determine gender),
12 chickens (Rooster Jack Bauer that thinks he is a goat, Rooster Daryl, Rooster Chicklet, Chicken Little, Mr. Gibson the hen, June, June, June, Mame, Black Hawk, Chicken Annie, Little Blackie),
Five Goats (Elizabeth, Polly, Tina, Dixie and Tandy Kid),
Six cats (Furbie, Boomer, Lil Bear, Goliath, David and Stripe)
and
my new bi-pap breathing side kick Tonto,

All wish you a Happy New Year's Day with wishes for a perfect 2011.

BRAIN TEASERS

Had to share these questions that came up on Christmas Day. They should entertain you until New Years:)

1.) Think of one living person you know whom you would describe as "humble".

2.) Name a single fact that cannot be disputed or argued by anyone.

For a goat giggle indeed look at THIS video my cousin Becky sent.

FROM OUR HOUSE TO YOURS

Okay that's not really our house. But I am as serious as I can be about wishing everyone a blessed Holiday season with the Merriest of Christmases and the Happiest of New Years celebrations.

There is not room or time to list all the things my blog friends have done to make a difference in my life during 2010. I thank you all and cannot wait to see what we will all do in 2011. See you next year.

With Love from
GRANNY ANNIE

"The true miracle of Christmas is not found in the pageantry of a great Christmas Eve service. The true miracle of Christmas is the truth that God is with us in the dirt and dailyness and in the reality and imperfection of our lives."

J. Mack Strange (Tennessee, USA)

STORIES OF HOPE... (our granddaughter)

Granddaughters Hope and Beth in Hope's room at Thanksgiving.

This is about our 8 year old granddaughter Hope.

1.) Hope's mom picked her up at school the other day. Hope ran out with her arm wrapped in an Ace bandage. Her mother gasped in horror and asked:

"What happened."
"Nothing." Hope casually responded.
"Well then, why is your arm wrapped in a bandage?"
"I wrapped it myself at home. "
"How long have you been wearing it?"
"All day."
My daughter asked the teacher about the bandage on Hope's arm and the teacher replied,
"Don't worry, I helped her all day with her writing and other projects."

(A new family con-artist has arrived it seems.)

2.) This year Hope is attending Private school. The school is run by Catholics but lots of non-Catholics attend and the school does not proselytize.

On Thanksgiving I asked Hope is she was a Methodist or a Catholic and she proudly announced she was Catholic. At the dinner table after the prayer she made the sign of the cross and then smiled and said "I'm the only one who can do this because I'm the only Catholic here."

(It sure is a good thing the school does not proselytize.)

WHEN CHRISTMAS WAS

Once upon a time Christians celebrated the birth of Christ.

There was a time that exchanging gifts was a minor part of Christmas. The theme was "Peace on Earth, good will toward men".

The greed that now encompasses the annual Christmas holiday should be turned over to any and all who desire participating regardless of what it is called. Christians can always celebrate in their homes and churches in the traditional ways they choose.

Shame on the people who call themselves Christians and make it their business to cram their religion down the throats of everyone when we can simply give the ultimate gift of sacrifice on the behalf of others and live as we are taught, by an example of love.

No matter what the holiday is called, there will always be Christmas:)

IT HAS TO BE TONTO

I awakened from my first nap under the bi-pap mask and Ron was talking to our dog Slim. They were both staring at me and Ron was saying to Slim, "She sure does look different doesn't she?"

I guess that makes me the "masked stranger", thus the name selection for my new sleep contraption will be "Tonto". This machine is my new sidekick:) (Are any of you too young to know what I'm talking about?)

So-far-so-good is how the sleeping goes. After two full nights on the machine I have added two hours a night to my normal sleep time and we drove back from a trip to Tulsa yesterday without me falling asleep. My confidence grows that this is going to be an answer to many health concerns.

Now I'll stop talking about this unless Tonto and I take a trip or do something newsworthy. Thanks all for your support and encouragement.