I was cleaning out drawers last night, and came across a yellowed scrap of paper that I had cut from an Ann Landers column years ago. William W. Quinn, Lt. General, U.S. Army (Ret.) had sent a letter to Ann, and I’m going to post part of it here.
“……reminded me of an article I had saved, although I don’t know who wrote it. The article said the world’s great civilizations averaged a cycle of 200 years. Those societies progressed through this sequence:
From bondage to spiritual faith
From spiritual faith to great courage
From great courage to liberty
From liberty to abundance
From abundance to selfishness
From selfishness to complacency
From complacency to apathy
From apathy to dependency
From dependency back again into bondage
As the United States has passed its 200th birthday, and in view of the recent epidemic of immorality, I wonder how your readers would assess America’s current position in this cycle.”
I believe that we are somewhere between abundance and complacency, but it’s difficult to pin down just where. Certainly the immorality, drug use, and astonishing numbers of people in prision are signs of a decline. On the other hand, the rise in church attendence and charitable organizations such as Habitat for Humanity show a positive side that still exists.
I’m concerned about a number of things I see around me. I think that a large part of the populace feels that there is no point in voting because their vote can’t accomplish anything. In the last election, the two candidates for President sounded like clones. I’ve never seen an election where the two parties were so similar in their platforms. Furthermore, a lot of the population believes, probably rightly so, that you can’t get elected unless you have personal wealth.
I’m also concerned about a lack of social manners. Simple things such as assisting an older person, or holding a door for the person following you, or being pleasant to a person providing you with a service…..at a check out counter, or a salon, or the post ofice, these simple things are being lost in a world that is very ego oriented.
And the need for instant gratification that I see in the young concerns me. The only thing my parents paid for over time was their home. Everything else waited until they had the cash to buy it outright. We have chosen to live similarly, with a couple of exceptions. When I was refinancing the house, I was obsessing over $1000 on a credit card right after Christmas. It seemed like an inordinant amount to have spent, and I was afraid we wouldn’t be able to refinance. The banker astounded me when he told me they MIGHT be concerned if I had $35 – $40,000 on credit. Who can live with that much debt hanging over their heads?
SO…..what do you think? Where are we on the scale of societal development? Are there other signs that we’re further along the slippery slide?

I used to sleep like a rock. For years I could fall asleep just about anywhere, and sleep for 8 to 10 hours. I’m pretty sure that I’ve slept through at least two tornadoes. I never understood insomnia.
Well, tonight I have insomnia, and I have it bad! Over the past year I’ve developed a lot of discomfort that peaks when I’m trying to sleep. The doc thinks it’s arthritis. During the day I keep busy, and generally ignore the discomfort, but when I stretch out in bed, I’m likely to toss and turn, trying to find a comfortable position.
DH made it to bed tonight before I did, and between his snoring, and my aches, I just gave up and came to my computer. The one disadvantage about talking to people around the world is that they are generally not on line when you are! So….you get TWO posts for the day….and maybe more later on! *G*
What do YOU do when you can’t sleep?? Besides the very obvious (GRINS), I find that working in the office helps, or a small glass of wine, or sometimes reading a book. But you have to be careful about that book. If it’s too interesting, it can keep you up all night long, and defeat your purpose. I think I may find out why so many of my quilting friends quilt in the middle of the night! lol
I wish you all sweet dreams!
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

You’ll be happy to know, I didn’t flood the church! As I told Desiree, about two-thirds of the women, and I, quietly dabbed away tears as the Bride walked up the aisle with her father. The wedding was lovely (eat your heart out, all who couldn’t attend), and the reception was wonderful! The food was tasty, the music was superb, and the company very genial. Even DH and I, who don’t dance a lot any more, spent some time on the dance floor.
This morning, DH and I went shopping! I’ve had a list of repairs that have gone waiting for ages, and this morning we went to Home Depot to pick up the materials we needed to get them done. I didn’t realize I merely had to say……”We’re going tomorrow!” or I would have done this a lot sooner. We picked up a doorbell button, a flourescent light, a ballast for the mudroom light, replacement towel bars (don’t ask how I damaged one…..), replacements for the floor registers, potting soil, grass seed, half a flat of marigolds, and some boat stuff. Repairs, here we come!
Then, we visited Trader Joes. What a wonderful store! I picked up chevre and olive tapenade, and a crispy cracker/flatbread, and had them for lunch. Yum!! That tapenade would be yummy on muffaletas. Trader Joes has such interesting things on the shelf, you could spend hours browsing. We picked up four types of frozen appetizers to try. If they work out, we’ll serve them after the wedding when we host the out of town guests for the afternoon.
I was visiting some of the blogs that I have links to, and read that a blog is supposed to be interesting! Boy, have I missed the boat! lol I figured it was catharsis, or my personal counselor, or my Day-timer. Who-da thunk I was supposed to be entertaining you! Well…..it would be in poor taste to offer sex…when you all do it so much better (After all…..JET will tell you I can’t remember HOW!!!lol) I don’t have any money stories to post, or pictures of babies or babes, or flowers!….. I guess I’ll just have to ponder the situation.
Have a good Saturday night!

Why do weddings make me cry?? At a time when everyone else is quietly happy, I’m sitting there trying to sureptitiously staunch the flow of tears. It’s not that I’m not happy for the bride and groom; I LOVE the ceremony, and have faith that they are doing a good thing. I guess it’s just an overload of emotion. Whatever, it’s sure a mascara nightmare!
Today, DH and I will be going to the wedding of the daughter of one of my quilting buddies. I’ve never met the girl, and I’m likely to cry! lol Today is Friday, and the wedding is at 4:30 in the afternoon. Doesn’t that strike you as a dificult time?? It’s so early that most of the guests won’t be off work yet, but it was the only slot the church had open when the bride chose her date. It seems we’ve come to a time when the actual ceremony is less important than the reception or dinner following it.
DH’s daughter is getting married May 31st. This month is going to FLY by. I figure I finally have to give up and do the Spring cleaning I’ve skipped for the last 14 years. The out of town guests will be invited to our house between the wedding at noon, and the reception at 5:00. I’ve been working in the gardens for a month already, and I have LOTS more to do. A shipment of bare-rooted plants came in on Wednesday, so I have to get them in the ground tomorrow or risk loosing them.
My stepdaughter chose to be married in an historical chapel. They are allowing them two hours…that’s from the moment they begin setting up the flowers, to the moment we are out the door. Just TWO HOURS! Talk about feeling rushed. And since the only slot left was at noon, there’s a long wait until the reception. Still, I think she’s made good choices. We just have to adapt, as my friend and her family are doing.
My youngest sister went with me shopping for a dress. I had hoped to be in a sage green dress, or perhaps something in plum. Both of those colors are in the beading on the bride’s dress. Unfortunately, the only dress that looked decent was black. It’s a long black tube, with an over tunic in black and silver and sparkles. I’ve been obsessing about it, because first of all, I wasn’t sure about wearing black to a wedding. THEN, I worried about wearing something so glitzy at noon. We’ve solved the issue, I think. The groom’s mother is wearing a black and white knee length dress. I’m going to find a white jacket and wear that over the black dress for the wedding, and then she and I will be dressed in the same colors, and both our husbands will be in black tuxes. She will be changing for the reception, and I will ditch the white jacket, and put on the glitzy black and silver top. I’m feeling much better about this. Now, I just have to find a jacket, shoes, jewelry and a slip! (Sorry guys…..be happy I didn’t go any further into those details! lol)
Oh!…….And waterproof mascara!
Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.

It seems that the subject of safety has been on everyone’s mind, lately, especially car safety. I saved an article from Cosmo on the 8 Must-haves for Your Car, thinking that I needed to outfit the car if we were going to do any summertime driving.
This is what they recommended:
1. A cell phone and charger that plugs into the car
2. A flashlight and spare batteries
3. Bottled water and protein bars
4. Candles, flares and matches in a waterproof container
5. A recent map of the area in which you are traveling
6. A blanket
7. A first aid kit
8. A bag of sand and a shovel, in case you get stuck in the snow
Okay….most of these things are pretty easy. I’d need a reminder to swap the protein bars every now and then, so they didn’t turn to sawdust before we needed them.
It seems to me that you can get a folding shovel to carry in your car. Otherwise, I’d be likely to carry one only in the winter.
I guess I’ll have to do some research on what should be in a first aid kit. The one I used to carry was pretty ineffectual, so it’s time to get my act together and be prepared. I had a friend who was a driver’s ed instructor, and he came upon an accident and needed serious stuff in his first aid kit. He was prepared, but shaken about the aid he had to give. So I’ll surf and post my findings later.
I plan to go looking for a plastic container to hold all these things, except for the phone, the blanket, the sand and the shovel. I already have the phone and a blanket, so I’m part way there!
While I was considering posting the list of Must-Haves, I received an e-mail with general safety tips for women. It makes sense to post it here.
TIPS ON STAYING SAFE…
Tip from Tae Kwon Do:
The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you
are close enough to use it, do!
Learned this from a tourist guide to New Orleans:
if a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT
HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you…. chances are
that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse
than you and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN
LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!
If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car:
Kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out
the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won’t
see you but everybody else will. This has saved lives.
Last night I attended a personal safety workshop, and
it jolted me. It was given by an amazing man, Pat
Malone, who has been a bodyguard for famous figures
like Farrah Fawcett and Sylvester Stallone. He works
for the FBI and teaches police officers and Navy SEALS
hand-to-hand combat.
This man has seen it all, and knows a lot. He focused
his teachings to us on HOW TO AVOID BEING THE VICTIM
OF A VIOLENT CRIME. He gave us some statistics about
how much the occurrences of random violence have
escalated over the recent years, and it’s terrible.
Something like 99% of us will be exposed to, or become
a victim of a violent crime.
Here are some of the most important points that I got
out of his presentation:
The three reasons women are easy targets for random
acts of violence are:
1. a. Lack of Awareness: swing your arms, stand straight up.
  b. Wrong Place, Wrong Time: DON’T walk alone in an
alley, or drive in a bad neighborhood at night.
2. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after
shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their
checkbook, or making a list, etc. DON’T DO
THIS! The predator will be watching you, and this is
the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the
passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you
where to go. AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK
THE DOORS AND LEAVE.
3. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot,
or parking garage:
a. Be aware: look around you, look into your car, at
the passenger side floor, and in the back seat.
b. If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car
from the passenger
door. Most serial killers attack their victims by
pulling them into their
vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.
c. Look at the car parked on the driver’s side of your
vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting
alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to
walk back into the mall, or work, and get a
guard/policeman to walk you back out.
IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better
paranoid than dead.)
ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs.
(Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and
the perfect crime spot).
If the predator has a gun and you are not under his
control, ALWAYS RUN! (The predator will only hit you
(a running target) 4 in 100 times; And even then, it
most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN! )
As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic:
STOP IT! It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the
serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man,
who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting
women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often
asked “for help” into his vehicle or with his vehicle,
which is when he abducted his next victim.
Pat Malone told us the story of his daughter, who
came out of the mall and was walking to her car when
she noticed 2 older ladies in front of her. Then she
saw a police car come towards her with cops who said
hello. She also noticed that all 8 handicap spots in
the area were empty. As she neared her car she saw a
man a few rows over calling to her for help. He wanted
her to close his passenger side door. He was sitting
in the back on the driver’s side, and said he was
handicapped. He continued calling, until she turned
and headed back to the mall, and then he began cursing
at her. In the meantime, she wondered why he didn’t
ask the 2 older ladies, or the policeman for help, and
why he was not parked in any of the empty handicap
spots. As she got back to the mall, two male friends
of hers were exiting, and as she told them the story
and turned to point at the car, the man was getting
out of the back seat into the front and the car sped
away. DON’T GET CAUGHT IN THIS TRAP.
I’d like you to forward this to all the women you
know. It may save a life.

I’ve been bitten by the Domestic Goddess bug. Last night I cleaned out our bedroom closet, and this morning, I worked ahead on meals for the week. I finally got the new wreath made for the living room fireplace, and I’ve been working on a “to do” list for the coming month as we get ready for my step-daughter’s wedding. I did all the little stuff that takes up so much of our time, watering newly planted seeds, starts from the nursery and houseplants, laundry, dishes, making the bed. It’s amazing how many hours get frittered away in a day with stupid repetative chores! I love how my home looks when all the chores are done, but I sure hate having to do it again and again and again……
DH and I both had appointments at the eye doctor this afternoon. I was surprised to find that just my left eye prescription had to be tweaked. I always assumed that both eyes changed a little bit at the same time, not independently. Isn’t it astounding what an exam and a pair of lenses can cost??
I’ve been dozey all afternoon, so it’s going to be an early night, but I stopped in to read the blogs that T has linked for me. I saw Jet’s comment about Desiree’s blog, and went to visit. When I started reading the comments there were FIFTY-THREE of them. I haven’t learned to create a link yet, so you’ll have to go read JET’s blog.
The subject matter there is pretty deep. It started out being singles who seek out married people to have an affair, and somehow morphed into marrieds having affairs with marrieds. And then it became a two way conversation. The important thing is…..I was reminded just how public blogs are. There are times when I’m tempted to say personal things, and this was a superb reminder of just how public this forum is. You can’t assume that you are anonymous, or unread.
Sooooo, with that sobering though in mind, I’m gonna toddle down the hallway and grab some zzzzzzz’s. Good night, all!

<b>Dis…..</b>As you know, I’m very new to blogging, but I was delighted tonight to learn that I am involved in an activity that is still considered to be the newest trend in online communication. We were watching the Lehrer Report this evening and one of the segments was on blogs. Do you recall Trent Lott’s recent political downfall? It seems it was brought about not only by Mr. Lott’s own mouth, but by political bloggers who kept his words alive for several weeks until the regular news media recognized the ground swell and focused on it.
The TV program focused primarily on the legion of blogs “penned” by people interested in politics, but commented on those that focus on other subjects, such as pornography and knitting. There is a woman at MSNBC who reads blogs each day to get a feel for the trends and interests, and they have assigned several journalists to blog each day. (Actually, having the cable journalists blog doesn’t really make sense to me, but she must have had a purpose in doing it.) I was truly surprised that they ignored the Comments feature of a blog. I caught T-bone saying he was a comment whore, and I know just how he feels.
At any rate……I’m so glad T made a place for me among you!
<b>Dat…</b>
If you are interested in herbs, growing them, using them in food or for medicinal purposes such as aromatherapy, I moderate a Yahoo Group called “AnHerbGarden.” You’re welcome to join us. We do NOT consider marijuana an herb, thank you very much, but we discuss most everything else! lol All levels of ability and interest are welcome
<b>Dis…</b>
Who said:
When we can’t be together, keep me in your heart, I’ll stay there forever.
<b>Dat….</b>
In annual beer consumption per person, the Czech Republic is #1, followed by Ireland, Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, Denmark, United Kingdom, Belgium, Australia and Slovakia. The US comes in 12th at 84.4 liters per person. Personally, I prefer wine, so someone else has had my beer for low these many years.
<b>Dis….</b>
I don’t know that Texas T-bone will ever read this, but if you do…..stick to resolution number five and keep shaving. *grins* A new study shows that men who don’t shave every day have less sex and are 70% more likely to have a stroke. (info courtesy of Cosmo. Catch my thoughts on Cosmo in a coming post.)
Wouldn’t ya know, I’m married to a guy whom I’ve never seen without a beard. My Dad, my brother and my ex all had/have beards, and Speedbump had a mighty fine beard the last time I saw him. (Ladies, that man will make you drool. Wait ’til he smiles at you!)
I’m not obsessing over this data, because I haven’t seen the research. The sample could have been skewed or too small. I’ll wait for the AMA to start talking about it. Until then, this was just one of those quirkie little things that caught my attention.
Thhhhhat’s all, folks! Come again, soon!

Okay…..Okay…..The shower wasn’t as bad as I feared it would be. The apartment was lovely, the brunch was exceptional, the company was genial, and we only had to play ONE game! YES!!!
The givers of the shower did something cute that I hadn’t seen before. They asked the groom to answer questions about the bride or himself, and then each time she opened a gift, they quizzed her to see if she could tell how he had answered the questions. She got most of the answers right, and enjoyed the ribbing on the few she missed.
I live in the western Chicago suburbs and had to travel to the farthest reaches of NE Chicago for this shower. I had some concerns about making the trip because I was going to have to drive through parts of Chicago I’ve never seen before, but it all turned out fine. I took two tollways and a freeway and a three mile stretch of Lawrence to get to this lovely quiet neighborhood. It took me about an hour and 20 minutes going and an hour returning. God was sitting on my shoulder the entire way. *S*
And I STILL think most showers need a fresh approach! *G*