Showing posts with label optimism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label optimism. Show all posts
Sunday, January 22, 2017
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Martha (Bumped for Mother's Day)
I just noticed today's date, and remembered that it would have been my mom's birthday. Not only that, today would have been her 100th birthday. (Originally posted 8/12/2012)
Anyone who knew her would say that she was an amazing woman. I was blessed to have her as my mom.
She was born near Moline, Illinois. She was, I believe, the middle child of five. Two older brothers, and a younger sister and brother. She graduated high school, then moved to Chicago to study nursing. She finished school there, looking forward to being a surgical scrub nurse. Something changed her mind, and she chose obstetrics instead. Like my mother, she migrated to Los Angeles, spent a year at Childrens' Hospital in Hollywood to get her California license. She went to work at St. Vincent's, staying there until the closed the O.B. department at the end of the baby boom in 1966. She took a job at St. Anne's Maternity hospital, after working for a month in I.C.U. She didn't like losing patients. She told me that they had only lost four during her time a St. Vincent's.
She met my mother at a professional women's club. After Gladys and dad got married, and Gladys became pregnant with the twins, she introduced them to a doctor, and off we went. It did not turn out well. Gladys developed pre-eclampsia, and was, by the time Lane and I were born, unable to clot blood. She and my brother both died as a result of complications.
Martha was in the delivery room when we were born. After I was able to go home ( after a month in an oxygen tent), she started to help dad and his housekeeper take care of me. One thing lead to another, and they decided to get married. They decided to marry in Montana, at the same ceremony where my grandparents were renewing their vows to celebrate their 50th anniversary. It did not turn out well. A couple of days after the wedding, we headed out for Moline, to see her parents. Somewhere in Nebraska, a tire blew out, the car rolled, and dad was killed.
After she and I returned to L.A., she resumed her job as St. Vincent's. Her parents moved out to stay with us, to help care for me. She went through the process of adopting me, which included getting my aunt to sign off, since she was still my guardian according to dad's will.
And then she raised me. We were by no means well off, but we had a warm, happy, safe place to live. We went on day trips and weekend trips and three "great loop" trips through the U.S. She made sure I did well in school. There was never a doubt that I was going to college. She nursed me thru the measles, mumps and chicken pox, took me to swim practice (I remember her sitting in the gallery, reading), and was there for me whenever I needed.
She helped deliver her granddaughter, whom she loved dearly.
She developed polymyositis, a muscle wasting disease. Treatment with steroids left her a diabetic, and treatment with morphine for pain from diverticulitis left her in and out of clarity and consciousness in her last three weeks. The last time I saw "her" was on a Tuesday evening. It seemed that she needed to know it was OK to go, and so I told her. By Wednesday evening, she was unresponsive to the environment, and she slipped away late Friday evening.
A few weeks later, I had a dream with her. She told me that everything would be OK. My experience of that dream was unlike my experience of every other dream I've ever had. My personal belief is that I had an actual conversation with her. could I prove it? Of course not. But that's what I think it was.
So. Happy Birthday, mom!
(More photos at the Tumblr page, up top.)
Anyone who knew her would say that she was an amazing woman. I was blessed to have her as my mom.
She was born near Moline, Illinois. She was, I believe, the middle child of five. Two older brothers, and a younger sister and brother. She graduated high school, then moved to Chicago to study nursing. She finished school there, looking forward to being a surgical scrub nurse. Something changed her mind, and she chose obstetrics instead. Like my mother, she migrated to Los Angeles, spent a year at Childrens' Hospital in Hollywood to get her California license. She went to work at St. Vincent's, staying there until the closed the O.B. department at the end of the baby boom in 1966. She took a job at St. Anne's Maternity hospital, after working for a month in I.C.U. She didn't like losing patients. She told me that they had only lost four during her time a St. Vincent's.
She met my mother at a professional women's club. After Gladys and dad got married, and Gladys became pregnant with the twins, she introduced them to a doctor, and off we went. It did not turn out well. Gladys developed pre-eclampsia, and was, by the time Lane and I were born, unable to clot blood. She and my brother both died as a result of complications.
Martha was in the delivery room when we were born. After I was able to go home ( after a month in an oxygen tent), she started to help dad and his housekeeper take care of me. One thing lead to another, and they decided to get married. They decided to marry in Montana, at the same ceremony where my grandparents were renewing their vows to celebrate their 50th anniversary. It did not turn out well. A couple of days after the wedding, we headed out for Moline, to see her parents. Somewhere in Nebraska, a tire blew out, the car rolled, and dad was killed.
After she and I returned to L.A., she resumed her job as St. Vincent's. Her parents moved out to stay with us, to help care for me. She went through the process of adopting me, which included getting my aunt to sign off, since she was still my guardian according to dad's will.
And then she raised me. We were by no means well off, but we had a warm, happy, safe place to live. We went on day trips and weekend trips and three "great loop" trips through the U.S. She made sure I did well in school. There was never a doubt that I was going to college. She nursed me thru the measles, mumps and chicken pox, took me to swim practice (I remember her sitting in the gallery, reading), and was there for me whenever I needed.
She helped deliver her granddaughter, whom she loved dearly.
She developed polymyositis, a muscle wasting disease. Treatment with steroids left her a diabetic, and treatment with morphine for pain from diverticulitis left her in and out of clarity and consciousness in her last three weeks. The last time I saw "her" was on a Tuesday evening. It seemed that she needed to know it was OK to go, and so I told her. By Wednesday evening, she was unresponsive to the environment, and she slipped away late Friday evening.
A few weeks later, I had a dream with her. She told me that everything would be OK. My experience of that dream was unlike my experience of every other dream I've ever had. My personal belief is that I had an actual conversation with her. could I prove it? Of course not. But that's what I think it was.
 |
| Mom and me, 1952 |
So. Happy Birthday, mom!
(More photos at the Tumblr page, up top.)
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Primary Challenger to Boehner!
Here's his "Meet Eric" page.
Hey, should be better than the (spit) incumbent, and damned better than any Democrat, no?
Of course, I could be wrong.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Good News About Abortion!
Really!!
From Christianity Today:
Yay!!
Go! RTWT!!
(Via Drudge)
From Christianity Today:
The reasons vary, according to the article, from retiring doctors, to more state laws requiring clinics to adhere to the same standards at outpatient surgery clinics.Abortion Clinics Closing at Record Rate
Yay!!
Go! RTWT!!
(Via Drudge)
Sippican Cottage on the Boulder Colorado Flood Cleanup
Sip nails it:
Go. RTWT
"Say, shouldn't you people be out looting or something? Waiting for a morbidly obese governor to hand you a check? Getting your stories straight for your fraudulent insurance claim?...What the hell's wrong with these people"With a very nice accompaniment!
Go. RTWT
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Watergate
I was the house husband during the spring and summer of the televised Watergate hearings, so I got to watch them live on TV. Sam Ervin was my favorite and my hero. "English is my mother tongue..." is my favorite quote of his. What is starting to foment/ferment around the Obama administration, what with Benghazi, the IRS' harassments of patriots and Jews, the DOJ's AP phone grab and gun walking, the DOE's green money dump, HHS' "fundraising", and God-knows-what-else, is starting to look, feel and sound like the run up that old summer-time hearing.
I knew Nixon was doomed the day my mom, a staunch supporter, said to me "He must have known..." Well, mom is gone, so I don't have that barometer. Had she been here in 2008 and 2012, I doubt she would have voted for Obama, and I bet she would have said "He must have known..."as soon as she heard the YouTube BS. OTOH, the stirring of the old media could mean the almost the same thing, "Did he know? And if so, when? Was it at his order?"
Popcorn. We're going to need lots and lots of popcorn.
I knew Nixon was doomed the day my mom, a staunch supporter, said to me "He must have known..." Well, mom is gone, so I don't have that barometer. Had she been here in 2008 and 2012, I doubt she would have voted for Obama, and I bet she would have said "He must have known..."as soon as she heard the YouTube BS. OTOH, the stirring of the old media could mean the almost the same thing, "Did he know? And if so, when? Was it at his order?"
Popcorn. We're going to need lots and lots of popcorn.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
New Year's Resolution
Somewhere in the blog-o-sphere, I read a bit on resolutions. Instead of "Lose 50 pounds, give up drinking, and get the outstanding debts paid off", pick one word. Post it on the fridge. Put it in the car. Make it your desktop.
"Humility" was the first word that popped into mind when I read that.
Dunno if I'm ready for that. Of course, being the person Koda and Suzu might think I am is way tougher...
Monday, November 5, 2012
Thank God Bush Isn't In Charge... (Updated & Bumped x3elebenty
...or Ray Nagin.
Update VI: Jewel, over at Gerard's, tells a great story:
"Today, my husband witnessed a wondrous act of resourcefulness. A man with a horse trailer hitched to his truck was filling up individual 5 gallon jugs of gas in order to transport them back to New Jersey. He went out into the wide world of American plenty that lies just beyond disaster. He didn't wait like a hopeless fool in a line of idling cars for gasoline that is rationed by the spoonful. His neighbors hired him because he had a big, gas eating truck, and gave him money and jugs and sent him to Lancaster County to go shopping. He brought back not only gasoline, but food, water, clothing, blankets, batteries, and other things they might need. Those people are heroes, because they used their God-given talents and brains and didn't go crying to the cameras, asking for the government to come and help."
It's easy to get "wrapped around the axle" in a mess like Sandy. Jewel's post is a wonderful reminder that everything you need is available a couple of hours away.
Update V: Daily Caller reports that the IBEW sent a letter to the Florida electrical utility demanding that the emergency workers join the (damned) union. Class act, brothers!
Not to be out done, nanny Bloomberg answers THS's question. Seems he disapproves of the National Guard's policy of carrying weapons, particularly guns. He's afraid of "martial law". (Ed Driscoll at Instapundit)
Did I mention that truth is stranger than fiction, because fiction has to make sense? Yeah, 's true.
Update IV: Tree Hugging Sister over at the Coalition asks:
And this, from the New York Post: "Some Rockaways residents who work as firefighters in The Bronx and Manhattan were fuming yesterday — sitting idly in their firehouses while their neighbors and family members miles away struggled to get help."
Update III: The proverbial $64.00 questions that need asking are, "Why weren't Cuomo and Bloomberg setting up relief sites two weeks ago? Why weren't they pre-positioning bottled water, MREs and blankets? Who says you have to wait on FEMA to do it?? WHO??"
They have let down the people who have (foolishly) trusted in them.
Update II: You have to, HAVE TO be ready to live in isolation for at least a week after something like Sandy or Katrina or the Sylmar quake. There just aren't enough Official First Responders to come and wipe your nose!! So far, the only real assistance in Rockaway or Staten Island has been neighbors helping neighbors. And that is how it happens - you take care of yourself, your family, and your neighborhood.
Update VI: Jewel, over at Gerard's, tells a great story:
"Today, my husband witnessed a wondrous act of resourcefulness. A man with a horse trailer hitched to his truck was filling up individual 5 gallon jugs of gas in order to transport them back to New Jersey. He went out into the wide world of American plenty that lies just beyond disaster. He didn't wait like a hopeless fool in a line of idling cars for gasoline that is rationed by the spoonful. His neighbors hired him because he had a big, gas eating truck, and gave him money and jugs and sent him to Lancaster County to go shopping. He brought back not only gasoline, but food, water, clothing, blankets, batteries, and other things they might need. Those people are heroes, because they used their God-given talents and brains and didn't go crying to the cameras, asking for the government to come and help."
It's easy to get "wrapped around the axle" in a mess like Sandy. Jewel's post is a wonderful reminder that everything you need is available a couple of hours away.
Update V: Daily Caller reports that the IBEW sent a letter to the Florida electrical utility demanding that the emergency workers join the (damned) union. Class act, brothers!
Not to be out done, nanny Bloomberg answers THS's question. Seems he disapproves of the National Guard's policy of carrying weapons, particularly guns. He's afraid of "martial law". (Ed Driscoll at Instapundit)
Did I mention that truth is stranger than fiction, because fiction has to make sense? Yeah, 's true.
Update IV: Tree Hugging Sister over at the Coalition asks:
FEMA Is Out of Water Redux ~ Anybody Ask the Army Corps of Engineers for Help?
Seems they are waiting to be activated, but none of the super-geniuses in charge have thought to do that. So supplies that are pre-contracted (like water and ice) are gathering dust while everyone waits for FEMA to get a contract out. Tomorrow.And this, from the New York Post: "Some Rockaways residents who work as firefighters in The Bronx and Manhattan were fuming yesterday — sitting idly in their firehouses while their neighbors and family members miles away struggled to get help."
Update III: The proverbial $64.00 questions that need asking are, "Why weren't Cuomo and Bloomberg setting up relief sites two weeks ago? Why weren't they pre-positioning bottled water, MREs and blankets? Who says you have to wait on FEMA to do it?? WHO??"
They have let down the people who have (foolishly) trusted in them.
Update II: You have to, HAVE TO be ready to live in isolation for at least a week after something like Sandy or Katrina or the Sylmar quake. There just aren't enough Official First Responders to come and wipe your nose!! So far, the only real assistance in Rockaway or Staten Island has been neighbors helping neighbors. And that is how it happens - you take care of yourself, your family, and your neighborhood.
Update: Mary Katherine Ham at Hot Air has a great piece up about Federal vs. local disaster recovery management, and (of all things) "The Waffle House Index".
Previously:
From Drudge:
I am willing to bet that I am not the only one who was paying attention to the news, particularly the weather, in the last two weeks or so. I made sure the truck had a full tank. I made sure that I had propane for the camp stove, batteries for flashlights and camping lamps, a well-stocked freezer and fridge, a clean bathtub full of fresh water,
Here's the money quote from nanny Bloomberg:
“We are, over the next few days, going to have to work out some
procedures to make sure people can get food,” Mayor Bloomberg insisted.
Let that sink in. Like New Orleans in Katrina, whose disaster preparedness plan amounted to "We should have one".
Yup. He obviously took lessons from Nagin.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Las Vegas Review Journal...
...is apparently not endorsing Obie:
EDITORIAL
Benghazi blunder: Obama unworthy commander-in-chief
The takeaway line:
"This administration is an embarrassment on foreign policy and incompetent at best on the economy - though a more careful analysis shows what can only be a perverse and willful attempt to destroy our prosperity."
Go. Read!!
Via Breitbart.
Friday, October 26, 2012
Humility...
...the other guys should try it.
"I’m 100% convinced Mitt Romney was shaken to his soul right then and there. I think at that moment it was sinking in he might really be the next American president, and it humbled him right to his core, in every nerve of his body. And as he was saying that little prayer, you could hear the sound of thunder from all those thundersticks outside. Like this huge low rumble that just surrounded all of them at once. A quiet little prayer, and the sound of thunder."
For some reason, I'm reminded of the scene in Camelot, where Vanessa Redgrave's Gunivere angrily counsels Lancelot to try "Hoo-mil-ee-tay!" Someone should have done that to Obie a long time ago. And made it stick, too.
Go. Read.
Via The Ulsterman Report, and of course, Gerard
"I’m 100% convinced Mitt Romney was shaken to his soul right then and there. I think at that moment it was sinking in he might really be the next American president, and it humbled him right to his core, in every nerve of his body. And as he was saying that little prayer, you could hear the sound of thunder from all those thundersticks outside. Like this huge low rumble that just surrounded all of them at once. A quiet little prayer, and the sound of thunder."
For some reason, I'm reminded of the scene in Camelot, where Vanessa Redgrave's Gunivere angrily counsels Lancelot to try "Hoo-mil-ee-tay!" Someone should have done that to Obie a long time ago. And made it stick, too.
Go. Read.
Via The Ulsterman Report, and of course, Gerard
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Adult in Charge
Soon!!
Maybe the libs will understand this one. They won't like it, but maybe they'll understand...
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| Mr. Muir does it again! |
Friday, October 19, 2012
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Time to Kick...
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| Click for Generation-Identitaire.com |
Via Gerard
"Our generation are the victims of the 'May '68ers' who wanted to liberate themselves from tradition, from knowledge and authority in education. But they only accomplished to liberate themselves from their own responsibilities."
"It seems that the youth are revolting against their elders everywhere: In France, the kids are declaring war upon the hippies now ruling them." -- Jewel
From the Generation of National Identity: A Declaration of War
"We are Generation-Identitaire"
"We are the generation who get killed for glancing at the wrong person, for refusing someone a cigarette or having an 'attitude' that annoys someone."
"We are the generation of ethnic fracture, total failure of coexistence, and forced mixing of the races."
"We are the generation doubly punished: Condemned to pay into a social system so generous with strangers that it is unsustainable for our own people."
"Our generation are the victims of the 'May '68ers' who wanted to liberate themselves from tradition, from knowledge and authority in education. But they only accomplished to liberate themselves from their own responsibilities."
"We reject your history books, to regather our memories."
"We no longer believe that 'Khader' could ever be our brother. We have stopped believing in the 'Global Village' and the 'Family of Man'."
"We discovered that we have roots, ancestry, and therefore, a future."
"Our heritage is our land, our blood, our identity. We are heirs to our own future."
"We turned off the TV to march in the streets."
"We painted our slogans on walls. Cried through loudspeakers for 'youth in power' and flew our Lambda flags high."
"The Lambda, painted on proud Spartans'shields, is our symbol."
"Don't you understand what this means? We will not back down. We will not give in."
"We are sick and tired of your cowardice."
"You are from the years of post-war prosperity, of retirement benefits, S.O.S. Racism and "diversity", sexual liberation and a bag of rice from Bernard Kouchner."
"We are 25 percent unemployment, social debt, multicultural collapse,and an explosion of anti-white racism."
"We are broken families and young, French soldiers dying in Afghanistan."
"You won't buy us with a condescending look, a state-paid job and a pat on the shoulder."
"We don't need your youth policies. Youth IS our policy."
"Don't think this is simply a manifesto. It is a declaration of war."
"You are of yesterday. We are of tomorrow."
"We are Génération-Identitaire
Embarrassing - the French kids sound ready to kick ass, while the American kids are whining for More Free Stuff.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Links du Jour...
A thoughtful Arab (yes, I'm sure there are many, but we never seem to hear about/from them), and Mitt's foreign policy speech.
Arab Spring and the Israeli Enemy
Mitt's Foreign Policy Speech
Go. Read.
Arab Spring and the Israeli Enemy
Mitt's Foreign Policy Speech
Go. Read.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
(Updated! - Twice!!) Looks Like the New Yorker...
...is breaking ranks!
Via Gerard
Update
The thrill is gone.
Via Morgan
Update II
I suppose this was almost inevitable:
Via Zilla
Via Gerard
Update
The thrill is gone.
Via Morgan
Update II
I suppose this was almost inevitable:
Via Zilla
Friday, October 5, 2012
Saturday, September 8, 2012
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