George Carlin On Aging!

Someone I really miss and have been thinking about lately, that would have some great insights about this world we live in now is... George Carlin.  George Carlin passed away June 22, 2008.  I miss his comical insights regarding the foolishness of the human race.  His 'in your face' truths about life, politics, religion, the English language, psychology and people of all sorts.  I remember too well his "Seven Dirty Words" comedy routine.  Too funny!   I found this tucked away in some papers I have at home;  George Carlin's thoughts on aging.  So true.

I think we can all relate to this.

Enjoy the ride. There is no return ticket

George Carlin on aging!
(Absolutely Brilliant)


George Carlin's Views on Aging

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions.

'How old are you?' 'I'm four and a half!' You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key.

You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.

'How old are you?' 'I'm gonna be 16!' You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life ! You become21. Even the words sound like a ceremony.YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling.. What's wrong? What's changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you'rePUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone...

But! wait!! ! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!

So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH50 and make it to 60.

You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!

You get into ! your 80's and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; 'I Was JUST 92.'

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. 'I'm 100 and a half!'
May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

HOW TO STAY YOUNG
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay them.

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3.Keep learning. ! Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever, even ham radio. Never let the brain idle. 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.' And the devil's family name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6... The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive..

7. Surround yourself with what you love , whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever.Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips.. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

Life's journey is not to
arrive at the grave safely
in a well preserved body,
but rather to skid in sideways,
totally worn out, shouting
'..holy sh*t ....what a ride!'

When The Dogs Shiver...It's Time To Go Home!

Everyone (except me) inside the RV sleeping in the middle of the afternoon.

When it's this cold, wet, damp, and dark--I don't know where the sun went...then I think it's time to take the RV home and park it.  The end of the camping season has come.  Last weekend we went camping with the RV, but the nights dropped to 48 degrees and the day only got up to 61 degrees.  It was so cold and uncomfortable that we ended up spending most of our time in the RV.  Time to go home, when Sadie jumped up on Mr.B.'s lap to stay warm!

Poor Sadie was shivering and her nose was running, that's how cold it was.

"Stop The Car!"

Mr. B. and I went to a Greek restaurant for lunch Sunday afternoon. Heading back home, Mr. B. spotted a hammer on the road.  "Stop--I'll get it," I yelled.  Mr. B. said, "No, it'll be gone by the time we turn around, forget it."  He said it looked like a really 'good' hammer.  I finally convinced him to turn back after driving two blocks, and pull into a parking lot so I could jump out and grab it.  He did and I got the hammer.  I know from past experiences, you never know what you'll find when traveling on the road.  To date; I have found a brand new, large brown pillow(made a great couch pillow), a brand new, white sweat suit still wrapped in plastic( it fit perfect), an ironing board, brand new toys (found when my girls were younger-baby dolls and stuffed animals still in the boxes), a new blanket(found in the package, never opened), a brand new front fender or I think it was a Mustang bra still in the box(Mr. B. wouldn't let me bring this one home, I had to leave it on the side of the road), and a Chihuahua.  Yes, a little 4 pound Chihuahua puppy crossed our paths late one evening. Mr. B. and I were driving home on a five lane roadway when Mr. B. spotted something, "There's a dog in the middle of the road."  Sure enough, this poor little dog was in the roadway walking back and forth across the lanes looking very confused while cars swerved around her blowing their horns.  I had to do something and fast!  "We have to stop and get that poor little thing, she'll get hit!"  We turned the car around and followed this frightened Chihuahua into a parking lot.  I got out of the car, but she was so scared she ran again.  Two blocks later I caught up to her following a young couple down the street.  I asked if the dog belonged to them and they said, "No, she keeps following us, she won't go away!"  They had no idea who she belonged to.  I slowly approached her then picked her up, I wrapped her in a blanket then put her in my lap.   She was exhausted and fell asleep quickly on the car ride home.  The next day I called all the shelters, the radio station, drove 

Me and Miss Daisy

around that same neighborhood asking people if they knew this dog, I posted  newspaper and internet ads, then waited.  After seven days, no one had claimed this little dog.  I would have kept her, making her the fourth dog in my house, but we had just brought home baby Rosco and the two did not get along.  It was fortunate that I was working in a pet store at the time because I found a wonderful new parent for this cute girl.  She now lives in a big house with three golden retrievers and gets showered with lots of love everyday.  They named her Daisy.  Miss Daisy the happy Chihuahua we rescued because we stopped the car that night.  (see below)

Isn't she cute?  She got quite comfortable at my house before going to her permanent home and becoming Miss Daisy!

You'll Eat It When I Tell You What It Is

My tuna casserole--half gone and minus the tuna!

I like to cook up a large casserole on Mondays to last through the week.  It makes for a quick lunch, snack, or dinner when time is limited.  I made my mac and tuna casserole on Monday using tri-colored pasta, lots of onions and celery.  It was disappearing quickly with everyone in the house eating it, and enjoying it so much that it's half gone.  Today on day three, I realized I forgot to put the tuna in the casserole.  I opened the pantry to get a can of mushrooms for a beef dish I was cooking when I spotted the three cans of tuna sitting on the shelf that had been set aside for the casserole.  Too funny!  Mr. B. had three servings of it last night and never noticed.  Lola was eating it for lunch today and never noticed.  Same with me, I had some on Monday and Tuesday.  Funny how everyone believed it was mac and tuna because that's what I told them it was.  Hm-m-m--- tonight I'm cooking a beef stew, I wonder if .......?

My tuna casserole that I finally added the tuna to after three days.

The Dunes

Mr. B. standing in front of the smaller sand dunes at Lake Michigan

The campground we just spent the weekend at was Warren Dunes State Park.  I've seen sand dunes before but not like this.  This state park has a beautiful beach surrounded by sand dunes that sits on Lake Michigan.  I have never been nor seen Lake Michigan.  Absolutely beautiful!  Lake Michigan is so big, so blue, and the sand looks almost white.  As Mr. B. and I walked back to our RV we saw an artist painting a scene of the beautiful beach landscape we had just been so fortunate to spend our entire afternoon at.

Mr. B. watches a wind surfer fighting the wind, trying to get his sail up to take off.

Mr. B. looking for stones to give me.

Because the water was so warm, or maybe because he's never been in Lake Michigan--Mr. B. heads in!

The artist at work painting beautiful Lake Michigan

Non-Sticky In The Windy City!

The windy city.

The server at the pizza restaurant we went to.

Mr. B. just celebrated a very special birthday, and one of Mr. B.'s very special- make that favorite food- is pizza.  Where is the best place to get great pizza?  Make that Chicago.  Mr. B. and I traveled by train into Chicago's Union Station on a sunny, windy Saturday.  We had the best pizza ever then hopped on a double-decker bus to see some Chicago sights.  It was a beautiful September day to tour  and learn the history of the city.  Once again, we saw a bride and groom.  These weddings seem to be a recurring theme for us whenever/wherever we travel.  The day went by too fast and soon we had to head back to our RV by train.  Before we boarded, I bought a large, 32 oz. cup of sweet lemonade to share with Mr. B. for the ride back.  What a great way to complete our day when I spilled the large lemonade (sticky, sugary lemonade) and it went all over Mr. B.'s lap, legs and left arm!  I had carried that cup with me all through Union Station, through crowds of people, and within two minutes of sitting down on the train--I knocked it over while playing with the recline/upright seat position buttons on my train seat.  What a mess I made!  We hoped no one had noticed as we quickly got up and exchanged our seats for two empty, clean, and non-sticky seats further down the aisle!  I could tell Mr. B. was not happy when he showed me his wet, sticky shirt and pants and threw his sticky coat on the floor.  Trying to change his sour mood, I smiled at him and said, "At least it happened on the ride home.   Just think, you could have been sticky in the windy city and everything would have stuck to you!"  He frowned.

Mr. B. ready to indulge in his slice of deep dish pizza.

Happy on the double-decker bus.

Mr. B. standing at the Chicago River

Me-minus a large lemonade!

Through the streets of Chicago on the bus

The bride and groom posing for pictures.

A sea dragon hiding in the flower beds.

Picture Worthy Zucchini?

Yesterday, I was visiting my sister-in-law when she happily gave me some veggies from her garden.  When I arrived home and went into the kitchen, I yelled out to Lola who was in another room, that I just brought home some garden fresh tomatoes and zucchini.   Lola gave a shout out from the hallway that she would love to make her yummy pasta sauce with the zucchini I had just brought home.  I shouted back, "Sure, go ahead, that's a great idea!"  When she opened the fridge door, she got quite the surprise! 

Lola gets a picture of the zucchini before chopping.

See that small green thing in Lola's right hand?--That's a zucchini from my garden!

Meanwhile....many chops later.

The end.  Lola's delicious zucchini pasta sauce.

Hooked On Honey Boo Boo!

Wednesday evenings are quickly becoming my favorite night of the week.  Well, make that my favorite T.V. night of the week.  Call me crazy, but I'm really loving the new TLC show, "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo!"  I know, I know.  I've listened to the critics bashing this show.  But this family from small town Georgia is funny, and I don't mean that in a condescending  way.  Actually, they are just downright hilarious.  The experts bashing this show are rich and removed from reality, they truly are clueless about life amongst the lower class.  The kind of life where you have to make due with what you have and/or work hard for.   
Honey Boo Boo is a six year old beauty pageant contestant that makes the rounds with her mother-June, a.k.a."Mama Bear",  3 sisters, and usually her father, Mike, aka"Sugar Bear".  They live in a small town in Georgia, with a high speed train that frequently runs beside their house.  Honey Boo Boo is a cute, active, very happy and silly little girl.  She is funny without realizing it, very animated. I just can't stop  laughing.  This family is honest and open about everything.  And I mean EVERYTHING! 
 "Keeping up with the Kardashians" is above and beyond reality, as reality families go.  Spoiled, selfish millionaires living in their own little world.  They have nothing but their mirrors happening in their lives, sitting around all day and night staring at their cell phones.    Why does anyone watch?  This isn't reality to most TV viewers, it's not a life any of us will ever attain.   Million dollar weddings, million dollar cars, million dollar mansions.  I watched one show where Kim lost her $70,000 earrings.  Who cares?  And who needs to know that?  The big ass girls in that family are the first to blow their own horns to tell their viewers how hard they work and how smart they are to be millionaires.  No, its not how smart or hard they work, its neither.  Its how stupid the viewers are that keep watching and purchasing their junk that keeps them rich. I don't sense a whole lotta love in this family, they're very focused on money, not on each other, so much so, that the mother is the founder of a church that gives them a nice, big, fat tax write off.  On the other side, there's always a whole lotta laughter and love with this family in Georgia.
I listened to Nancy Grace and her panel bashing this family, stating how outrageous and downright deplorable this show was.  Nancy Grace was outraged with this  family, especially with mother June.  People with loads of money, degrees, and titles are clueless about the lower class.  They get chauffeured to work or drive their luxury car to a six figure job,  have nannies that raise their kids, have assistants that run their errands and live with 2.2 people in a 10,000 sq. ft. home.  Is this real life?  For them it is, but for most of America it is not.  This Georgia family is the new real America.  This is what America is now.  If you think these people are stupid, who's really at fault here?   Corporate America is taking over and they certainly don't care about the poor or lower class.  That's so beneath them.  Can't afford a college education? Well, who can?  Only the rich.  If you're a kid from a poor family, why go to college?  When you get out, where will you get a job, how do you pay back your tuition? 
This is what I see when I watch this show.  I see an obese mother, and yes, she is the first to tell you she's fat, but she is there beside her children through thick and thin.  It's not an act.  Mama Bear  has stated she doesn't believe in marriage because men tend to come and go.  She believes in her children, stating they're her true family, knowing they'll always be there with her and for each other.  Her children have the utmost respect for her.   Compare again to the rich, spoiled Kardashians and the manner in which they speak to their mother.  It's embarrassing to watch.  They disrespect her, call her names, and put her down every chance they get.  Mama Bear doesn't put up with that, she gives her daughters the look and they know.    Have to admit, they are definitely grounded.
 This is our America now, not the stuffy, spoiled rich perspective, but the hard working, struggling poor class is the new reality.   This family is the real thing.  It's not just in Georgia, it's everywhere.  Who can afford designer clothes, purses, cars, etc.  Who cares?  Not these people.  They don't fly to Bora Bora for family fun, they go to the county fair or on their quads to play in the mud for some family fun.  Their meals are home cooked, the mother clips coupons , the father works 7 days a week, and yes unfortunately, the 15 year old daughter is pregnant with no baby daddy in sight.  Mama June told her, the boyfriend wouldn't stick around 'cuz he only wanted a piece of her biscuit and then he'd be gone'.  As mothers go, you couldn't get more blunt than that tidbit of advice given to a teenage daughter.  Guaranteed June will be at her daughter's side during the pregnancy and birth of this new 'Bear' clan member.  So move over all of you stuffy, snotty rich people.  Here comes Honey Boo Boo and her family, and from what I can see-they're the real thing.

The Road ToThe Historic Bridge

Heading home from our last camping adventure, I saw an exit sign on the interstate that would lead us to a historic bridge.  I visualized an old, wooden covered bridge-the type from the movie, "Bridges of Madison County"  when I told Mr. B. to pull off the highway.  We took the exit and drove two miles, but no further signs and no bridge could be seen.  We pulled into a gas station and the clerk told us to keep going straight, then said, "there's a county park, turn at the park sign, and oh yeah, it has an old bridge."    
  She made it sound like it really wasn't a big deal.  I started wondering  if this was worth the inconvenience, but we kept driving, spotted a county park sign and turned.  We ended up in a housing complex with no sight of a park or bridge to be seen. We kept driving.  We saw another park sign, and turned left.  This time we ended up in a biological preserve area, but again no bridge.   I began to get angry with the person  in charge of putting these highway signs up.  An inpatient me turned to Mr. B. and shouted, "Who in the hell put these signs up and where in the hell is this historic bridge?"  The ever calm Mr. B. said, "I don't know, but we can't go back the way we just came."                             "Why not?"  I asked.   "But we'll get lost."   An optimistic Mr. B. replied, "because we know the bridge is not that way, we already checked."  So Mr. B. and I kept driving, deciding to travel the opposite way we came and head back towards the interstate.  At this particular, frustrating point, I began composing a letter in my head to mail to the city manager suggesting better signage if they wish to attract more tourists to their historic bridge town.  Well, heading back to the interstate, there it was.  The county park and the Historic Bridge sign we had just spent 45 minutes looking for.  We took the road to the right and found our bridge.  It wasn't want I had hoped it would be, but it was old.    The year 1886 is definitely historic!

Mr. B. standing on the historic bridge

If You Have The Time....You'll Find It!

One of my favorite places to go is my local trade-a-book bookstore.  It's filled with some of the most interesting and long forgotten books, mostly paperback, that I've seen in a long time.  I was looking for a certain book published in 1964 when I first discovered this treasure of a store.  My first trip to the store, I asked the beautiful, white-haired 86 year-old woman that owned the store if she had this particular book I was looking for.  She looked at me and laughed.  She told me nothing is listed or cataloged, the titles and authors are in random order.  She said in her quiet voice, "You never know what you'll find in here, if you have the time to search, it's probably here."   She was right, after a two hour search, and many fascinating book titles... I found it!

Bathrooms, Washrooms, Restrooms...Where Is It?

Coco on her long walk to the restroom.

I don't know why, but every time Coco and I get together the same question comes up, "which way to the restrooms?"  Probably because we're female, right?  It's always so complicated en- route, never just a simple to your right, or to your left.  While at this past weekend's wedding, the question came up. We were told the bathrooms were located in a large building about two miles from the wedding.  Not really that far, but seemed like it when you really gotta go!  So Coco and I walked ran together to find the bathrooms, and when we got to the large building, the doors were locked-that is all the doors.  We met a young bewildered dad with his young son trying to figure out how to break in to get to the restrooms, which for them, much easier to use the outdoor facilities-if you know what I mean.   I didn't mention this as we were complete strangers.  After what seemed like 10 minutes of trying all the doors, we finally located the bathrooms at the back, on the outside of the building.  Whew!  That was a close call!

You Really Should Do An Ad...

..for my kitchen cabinets, Belle.  Actually, you could do an ad for your hair in front of my kitchen cabinets, or..... Either way.. 'you oughta be in pictures'! 

Eyes Wide Open

Lola keeping those eyes pried open looking at baby sister Belle's camara.  Hey-your nail polish matches Belle's dress!

Fun can be had at weddings.  But it's a challenge when you've been up since 4 a.m. and worked a 10 hour shift in a hectic healthcare setting.  But a weary Lola made it.  She kept those blue eyes open a few more hours!