150702 Sweet Tea Controversy

My dad's birthday party is Sunday, but his actual 90th birthday is on Monday. He's in very good health, walks two miles every day, and takes only one medication. He delivers Meals on Wheels to "old people" who happen to be younger than he is. He didn't want a party, but my older sister insisted. Sigh. I'm not big on parties, either. Here's an incomplete list of tension inducing conditions:

1. People to invite: Dad refused to reveal the identities of his friends. My little sister deviously went to the Senior Center and asked people there, but is that everyone?
2. Where to house out-of-towners: It's the Fourth of July Weekend! There are no hotel rooms. Ten or so relatives thought they could stay in the guest bedroom at Dad's house. Cozy.
3. Menu: Big sis wants a blowout. We have to make everything ourselves, and it has to be perfect.

This is my worst nightmare, and the menu is where the major arguments have started. We don't normally argue. My immediate family has been a shining example of how the diverse personalities of siblings should get along. My brother died when my little sister and I were still in high school, so we simply quit bickering and became best friends.

Who knew that iced tea could be such a divider? My little sister volunteered to make iced tea. I asked if she would be making sweet tea. She said that she was making tea and would bring sugar. I told her that the rules of the South applied here. There needed to be sweet tea. She repeated that people could add sugar if they wanted their tea sweet.

That won't fly.

Both of my sisters left Texas in the 1970s, and have spent all of their adult lives north. I've lived in the South for more than forty years! A decade of that included rural Virginia and Tennessee. While I don't always agree, I do know a thing or two about Southern taste buds. We need sweet tea.

Sigh. I went to H.E.B. and bought some sweet tea. There's not room enough to discuss the okra controversy. Church's Chicken makes fried okra, which I will dump into a serving dish before we get to the party location. I hate big parties.

150101 Happy New Year!

It is simply the change in the calender, but many people apply significance to it. I, however, prefer to start my new year in the fall. Today, I weighed in at 234, which is up from my previous weigh-in two weeks ago. I shall use this conveniently placed calendar change to add more exercise and better food choices to my routine.

Job 3:25
"For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me."

Fear is believing. If you don't believe in it, how can you fear it? Actively disbelieve those bad things, at least as they apply to you, and be proactive in expecting good things. With God, all things are possible. His promises are in His Word.

 — celebrating New Year's Day.

Last night, I did something different. I went to what could be best described as a 'prayer meeting'. I have gone to a handful of those in my life, and they were all a little different. Last night, many people had some weakness they wanted addressed. I prayed for everyone.

I went home expecting to find Agent Em waiting eagerly with The Hobbit in hand, but no one was home. Moon got off work and took her to some debauchery involving her friends and another band. What a wonderful end to a nice, Christian evening. :O Therefore, I rang in the new year with Diet Coke, X-Files, and intermittent snoring.

Many proclaim great hopes for the new year, but didn't they do that last year? I believe that I will continue my journey with God and apply more of His promises to my life. I also expect this year to have its own Day of Infamy. Let's drink to me being wrong.

141223 I Don't Feel Like Doing Anything

Somewhere today, someone is having a birthday  I know, because I had a friend in high school whose birthday was today. Such people often feel somewhat cheated. That's not what brings me down. My daughter and I simply can't stand the lack of sunshine, and overly happy people drive me insane. My other daughter asks me why I hate the holidays, but love all the songs? Well, the important songs are "O Holy Night", "O Little Town of Bethlehem", and "Angels We Have Heard On High". I can also sing parts of "The Messiah".

Do all holidays involve food? At least the turkey conforms. My turkey soup has a blend of spices, turkey and broccoli. I boil the bones in a gallon of water and 1/2 teaspoon of vinegar. This leaches the calcium out of the bones and deposits it into the soup. It also dissolves the tiny little bones that try to choke people. Then, I remove the softened bones and give them to the dog, because it is safe for her to eat their crumbly remains. I can eat this stuff every day. Sweet potatoes and mincemeat mock me. I may have the need for cranberry sauce licked. I accidentally made some sauce without sugar. Everyone gagged, but I found it quite invigorating.

Why do I do the vinegar thing with the bones? I am lactose intolerant. Broccoli, greens, and that trick with bones are a lot less expensive than taking calcium supplements. I'm also gluten intolerant and diabetic. Shouldn't that be motivation enough to stay on this diet?

140526 It Will Hit Me on Friday

Awhile back, when I was a teen or young adult, lawmakers decided that it was easier to celebrate all holidays on Monday, rather than on random days of the week. The exceptions were Independence day, a.k.a. "The Fourth of July", Christmas, New Year's Day, and other holidays that were absolutely tied to a specific day of the week, such as those held on Sunday or that one designated as the fourth Thursday in November. (Thanksgiving is one of my personal favorites.)

Memorial Day has been the last Monday in May for decades. Today, people all over the country see today as the beginning of summer, as the day to have roasted hot dogs, picnics, and parties. This weekend, many family trips have started in a race to visit national monuments or to experience the great outdoors. For more than half my life, it has been celebrated on some day other than May 30th, but it is still May 30th when it hits me.

On March 13, 1976, my brother died while serving in the USAF. May 30th is when I mourn his passing.

121122 Happy Thanksgiving

This holiday is one of my two favorite days. It started because a group of 'refugees' decided to be thankful instead of depressed. They had lost half their number to a mysterious disease or to exposure, but because some had survived for a year, they celebrated with thankfulness. Sounds like a good reason for a holiday!

111023 SADD

Fighting it. fighting it.
fighting
if
it
fight
ing
it
.