Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?

Wren44

Is it really ham (pork) or turkey? Sounds good.

Wren44

We had a huge rush of kids from 6-7pm. DH went and bought more candy because we were running low. Unfortunately, we had no kids at all after that, so we have 3 big bags of candy. Some that I like, too.

ChiSandy

Went through 12 lbs. of candy between 4-8:30 pm. Biggest rush was between 6 & 7:15. Have only 8 Hershey kisses left. Lots of Harry Potters & Hermiones, Bob the Builders, dinosaurs, astronauts, princesses, police officers, firefighters, two Jawas (complete with glowing red eyes), a 5-yr-old Alexander Hamilton, the Schuyler Sisters (from the musical) and a Facebook page. Best costume was a 12-year-old Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany's.

IllinoisLady

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.
It turns what we have into enough, and more.
It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.
It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.
Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.
- Melody Beattie

IllinoisLady

Raining again today. Dh goes for his first after surgery check-up. Ssshhh, I hope the Dr. tells him to walk more. There is only so much encouragement I can offer. I'm sure it is difficult to SEE that the more pain you produce for yourself, the likely you will be ultimately better off. So, I think the Dr. is going to have to say it. I've been squeamish watching dh try to walk etc.

Wren, that sounds exactly how things have happened for me though it was long ago. I think I have to re-supply and then no one shows up. Like your dh though, I generally 'accidentally' choose things I'd like as what to give to others so I'm usually always covered.

Sandy, your costumed visitors sounded fun if somewhat repetitive. I have to admit I do love seeing some of the costumes, but otherwise I'm sort of glad we don't have to bother with this. Our road is much better than it ever has been since moving here almost 16 yrs. ago now, but it is still VERY dark ( pitch black is more like it ) so it would never do to have anyone come here even if there were more kids in the neighborhood which there aren't. We do have some night lights on our property, but they don't illuminate very far at all. In fact, they need changing as we no longer can even see the beginning of the sidewalk. Maybe this Spring.

Hope you are all going to have a good day.

Anneb1149

It wasn’t very busy here at all last night. My DD didn’t buy my favorite candy (Whoppers) but she did have 2 of my second favorites- milky ways and Twix. I ate some- more than I should have, but definitely less than I wanted.

My DD & I headed to UGA to take my oldest grandson for lunch yesterday. Last time we did that, we ate at Fatz, which none of us had been to, and enjoyed it very much. This time we went to the Twisted Pig - Michael had gotten take out from there once, and enjoyed it, but none of us were impressed yesterday. Michael, who could normally eat a whole pig himself, didn’t even finish his sandwich.

Tonight, My DD, SIL and I are going out to celebrate our birthdays at what will be another new place for me. She says it is a step up from an Outback kind of restaurant and is a great atmosphere- it is either in a a Train Depot or an actual railroad car, I’m not sure. She and her husband went there for their anniversary last spring and really enjoyed it.

I don’t think I told you, but when my brother got to his daughter’s house late Sat evening, he texted me that he was there, but that the key to my car was still in his pocket. Not good, because that was the whole reason I was coming to Ga- to get my car, which he drove the whole trip, back to where it belongs. Thankfully, my daughter had a spare.

Sandy- glad your injuries are healing, even if you have to be careful! Jackie- I know how hard it is to watch someone not follow Dr’s orders when you know the orders were given to help recovery. Unfortunately, there isn’t much you can do, because what you see as gentle encouragement, they quickly see as nagging, which makes them even less inclined to follow what you say. I hope the Dr will be able t convince him to walk as much as possible.

Anne

Wren44

Good thing there was candy left over. I went to the store yesterday and DH failed to mention that we're all out of bread. I was thinking maybe a cheese on sandwich thin for lunch (4 hour class thru lunch hour) but we had that for breakfast. So now I'm having Snickers for lunch and will feel justified. He is treading on thin ice with me right now. His suggestions for his birthday tomorrow were a briefcase or a hole punch that can do special punches like square or for spiral. I found 3 briefcases in the basement besides the one he's using so I'm not going to get that until he picks out what he wants. Maybe for Xmas. I told him to go to Kinkos to get the spiral punched. I think I'll get him pajama pants.

It was heartening to see the response to the shooting in the synagogue here. A synagogue on Capitol Hill announced a service Monday night. There were so many people they had one inside and one outside. The people came from all religions and ethnic backgrounds and included the mayor and district attorney. Amazing, especially considering there were probably 2 parking places anywhere close. I like living here.

IllinoisLady

Back from the Spine Clinic. The Nurse as well as the Dr. did say -- walking is what will help you alleviate the pain. The nerves have un-compressed or maybe that is de-compressed and they and Dh's brain have to learn now to tolerate each other and work together again. So, the office feels like they are not seeing/getting anything unusual in his case. They did give him a script for Lyrica. He is/will have to wait and see if he can get it cheaper through the drug company. They do have a discount coupon that will last up to a yr. Otherwise the 60 pills from the script would be about $568.00. If we can't get a coupon that makes it affordable then we will have to call the V.A. and try to get something comparable from them.

I resisted the urge to say anything to Dh that I had told him to walk as much as he could tolerate. He won't do that though until he can get something stronger to keep the cramps at bay -- he is saying cramps which is what it feels like to him. So, the cramps are cramps ( which to me don't actually produce so much pain, but do make it difficult to use your extremity or whatever is cramping, and for him they are also pain. Ummm, well, whatever or however he feels it. He apparently does not have a lot of interest in 'walking' until his cramps/pain is medicated.

In the meantime I'm trying to find out about a walker for him. Have a call into Dr.B. Basically hoping he has an extra until we can uses the script from the Spine Clinic to get one from the V.A. It would offer a lot more support for Dh and maybe he would feel different about walking around. Onward and upward.

ChiSandy

Lyrica is the most potent anti-neurogenic pain reliever. But there is no generic version. Manufacturers' coupons cannot be used by anyone on Federally-funded health insurance--and that includes Fed. employee-plans, Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare or V.A. (That doesn't include those getting ACA premium subsidies). Mfrs. & states do have programs for Medicare prescription assistance, but income caps for eligibility are set rather low.

However, you CAN use a GoodRx coupon if there is one. GoodRx's site will tell you which will be lower: the GoodRx price or your Part D (or Advantage) co-pay. The only downside to using a GoodRx coupon is if you're in the Part D "donut hole," because if you use it, the price doesn't count as part of the "out-of-pocket" costs you need to incur to climb back out into "catastrophic coverage." (That's the dirty little secret of Part the combination of what the insurance company pays and your co-pay is what can add up to throw you into the donut hole, but only your Part D co-pay counts towards pulling you back up out of it. Nothing you spend on the side--and GoodRx is "on the side"--counts).

The preferred generic for most Part D plans is gabapentin (the generic of Neurontin). Until Lyrica came along, that was the go-to for nerve pain. Lyrica works better, but gabapentin might still work. Opioids, acetaminophen or NSAIDs don't work well on nerve pain. Some topicals--especially the ones with capsaicin or menthol--create a counter-irritant effect on the skin that can distract the brain from pain signals, but usually only musculoskeletal (mostly arthritis) pain.

Meanwhile, the wisest advice for getting one's joints (including spinal) back to function and reducing pain is "use it or lose it." Whatever pain comes of that is money in the bank towards reducing or relieving pain down the road.

Wren, when I lived in Seattle, I went to High Holy Day services at Temple de Hirsch-Sinai (which I assume is the synagogue on Capitol Hill to which you refer). It offered free tickets for university students. When I was growing up, I never went to a Reform temple, even though my parents said we were Reform. (Except for Manhattan's Emanu-El, where as a Brownie & Girl Scout we visited on national "Girl Scout Sunday," which was not an actual Shabbat service of course). There were none within walking distance, they were large "Jewish centers," and we couldn't afford the dues anyway. Instead, the neighborhood synagogues were small Orthodox ones, which raised money by charging for High Holy Day tickets. The only non-Orthodox ones I set foot in were the Conservative ones at which my relatives were Bar Mitzvahed or married. Funerals were held at funeral home chapels.

So it was a (small "r") revelation to me when I attended my first Reform service at De Hirsch that the service was mostly in English but there was some Hebrew (transliterated in the prayerbook), men & women sat together, there was an organ and a choir, and actual English-language sermons. After I graduated and became a lawyer, I applied to join it, but was rejected because Bob did not convert to Judaism--and the temple's policy was that if the applicant was part of a couple, the membership was for the couple--only single people could be solo members. When we moved to Chicago, I was surprised to find that Reform temples actively reached out to interfaith couples & families--even if the non-Jewish spouse did not convert, so long as the children were to be raised Jewish. My neighborhood temple even has certain "aliyot" (honors at services) that non-Jewish spouses can perform.

IllinoisLady

Thanks for the info Sandy. We do not have medicare coverage so no part D to be concerned with. We figure we are going to have to try and figure out some way to get something ( Dh has gabapentin but feels it doesn't do enough ) through the V.A. or see if they will foot the bill for the Lyrica. We also need to try and get them to get a walker as well. We rented one for a month ( came to just under $21.00 ) and are hoping that we will be able to get one from the V.A. during the month.

Went back to the Dr.'s office and they gave us a trial pkg. ( free at the drug store ) for some fancy long-acting Gabapentin but you could only ( your whole life long ) use it once and to refill would be $445.00 per month which helps us not at all so we didn't fill that either. I was hoping they might have some Lyrica samples, but maybe it has been out too long now for the office to get much for samples. Sigh !!! So lots of running around today in the pouring rain.

Dh does feel just from the short time of using it, that the walker is far better for his needs than the cane he has so hopefully he will get his little butt cheeks up and moving a bit more. I do think having good support on both sides may make it easier for him. He indicates that he gets stabbing type pains. I will mention what you said about putting up with a bit more pain now so that hopefully down the road you might have far less to have to consider or do something about.

ChiSandy

Both Amazon & CVS sell Rollator 4-wheel walkers (with seats & storage bag) for under $100. Good to have it on hand even after DH no longer needs it. (I keep mine around for when my back locks up--it also helps me carry a plate & a cup between rooms). Another alternative is community senior center & church "lending closets." (You don't have to be a member to borrow). Our local parish church has a stash of walkers, crutches, canes, even a wheelchair or two.

Wren44

Our senior center has a borrowing shed also. Ask around.

Puffin2014

My neighborhood has become all college students who don't trick or treat. After 2 years of eating all my candy by myself I just shut all my curtains and turned down the lights.

The major trees around me have all lost their leaves so I decided today was a good day to finish up the compost pile. I sprayed it with a mixture of liquid dish soap, ammonia and a can of Coke to start the cooking process.

This next week is supposed to be cold and wet with snow possible and I wanted to get the leaves cleaned out of my gutters before that. One of my student neighbors was heading toward his car, I stopped him and asked if any of his roommates wanted to make some money cleaning out my gutters before it started to rain this afternoon. He checked and one of the guys came over. So that project is done.

I still have compost leftover from last year. While he cleaned gutters I shoveled compost into my wheelbarrow and dumped it into flower beds that could use more dirt. Another project that's nice to get done before the pile has frozen solid. One of the days this week is supposed to get up to 47; I'm tempted to put up my string of lights along the driveway chain link fence. I won't turn them on yet, just nice not to have to freeze my fingers getting them secured to the fence. Also time to secure my heated car seat to the driver's seat, I have one that plugs into the 9 volt. My garage isn't heated and that's another project I like to get done before it gets too cold.

MCBaker

I discussed a gardening project with a neighbor. My garden is swampy. If I dig a trench in the middle, and heap up the dirt around it, I can probably bring up the level high enough that my plants won't drown next year. I can fill the trench with the old newspapers I have collected. That way, I won't have to buy much dirt in the spring to finish the job. I don't have many days left to get that done before the ground freezes, and the 16th will come faster if I am busy.

carolehalston

Puffin, you are such an organized person! Good for you getting those tasks done ahead of time.

Jackie, I hope your dh can push himself to do what needs to be done for future mobility. My mother was always a whimp when it came to therapeutic activity and she paid the price. When she had knee replacement years ago, she wouldn't force herself to do exercises that hurt. And she never had the other needed knee replacement. Hence she lost the ability to walk.

Wren, the multi-faith service at the synagogue sounds wonderful. I grew up without knowing any Jewish people. There was one family in the town of Hammond that owned a jewelry store. To my knowledge there was no synagogue outside New Orleans. I don't know of any now. DH just said there is one in Mandeville that was vandalized. I began to read several years ago about the growth of anti-Semitism in the US.

Today I will tackle closets.

Has everyone seen on tv the beautiful duck in Central Park in NYC? It's native to East Asia, according to the tv report.

IllinoisLady

The great thing about life is that as long as we
live we have the privilege of growing.

Joshua L. Liebman

MCBaker

The growth of anti-Semitism in the US is parallel to many other kinds of bigotry. Seems like it is one of the first to appear when there is a surge in such attitudes. http://www.mindauthor.com/psychology/prejudice-and-personality/

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/31/nyregion/mandarin-duck-central-park-pond.html

IllinoisLady

Dreary this morning, but didn't wake up to rainwhich sure made me happy. We will have some fog -- maybe throughout a lot of the day. At least that is what Dh said was on his weather chart on his phone. I will be happy if I don't have to go out and do anything in the rain. Sigh !! A couple of days ago I was hoping for the sun and now willing to settle for not getting wet.

Carole -- maybe that is where no pain, no gain started. I do think there is pain that stops a person. My last back episode sure did it for me. It was in fact slightly different from the first incident. The second one was so SHARP when I stood up from having bent over that I was gasping in pain. I actually thought I was going to collapse. Did manage to get over to the back of my couch and keep myself upright, but it was a close call. Still, the minute I could do so in a safe way I started moving about and didn't stop again.

I'm happy to say this a.m. that Dh is moving around and it seems to have gotten through a bit that he has to fight through. He will though try to go through the V.A. and get the Lyrica. He can be stoic ( had lots of pains for yrs. with the same areas in his back that hurt now ) in many ways so I hope he can figure out how to pace himself. He also had serious migraines for many yrs. but in these later yrs. they seem to be a thing of the past for the most part. He does seem to have more general headaches now and then though.

I've had a number of Jewish friends - one who was actually nervous about telling me. She was afraid that I'd reject the friendship. I just assume ( she never said why and I didn't press ) that at some time in her life she may have lost friends. I have always looked at there being many, many roads leading to the way home for all of us and I find myself in general not opposed to any but the most ( Jim Jones type ) severe. I may not agree with some of the principles, but it is a person's right to choose or in some cases live what they were born into and where they choose to stay. I've generally found myself on the benefit end of these friendships as we freely share ideas, feelings, yearnings and ideals. I hope they have felt the same way. We are still friends so that is some sort of testament.

Hope you all have a fabulous Friday.

Anneb1149

I think what happened in that temple was awful. No excuse or rationalization. However, I think the hatred is limited to a small group of people, financed by some really evil people who’s goal is to make us take sides, and cause irreparable damage to our society. I think I am fairly equal with the vaste majority of Americans, in that I have white friends, black friends, Asian friends, Christian friends, Jewish friends liberal friends, conservative friends and on it goes. Depending on the situation, I may know someone for a while before I know their religious, ethnic or political choices. What I know is that we agree on whatever issue it was that brought us together - for me, that issue was often children. I don’t need to know your your religion, or how committed you are to it in order to like your parenting style. Like Jackie says- as long as your beliefs and practices do not cause me or my loved ones harm, it is your own business. I grew up in the Bronx where my schools were probably 85% Jewish. Yet at the same time, we lived in an Irish Catholic neighborhood, where we had one Jewish neighbor. Most of the Catholic kids went to parochial schools. We were really the ones that stood out in that neighborhood- my dad came here in 1921 from Ireland and was Catholic, but my mom and the four of us children were not Catholic and a few times, we were the targets of others. But I can only think of that happening twice during my childhood- other than those two incidents, we had a totally normal life. We loved the Jewish holidays then- all the Jewish kids stayed home, so there were only 4-5 kinds in class and we played games, or did art projects all day. That was really all I knew about Jewish people then- they had to stay home, and we got a fun day at school. It didn’t affect friendships between the class as a whole.

I hope this doesn’t come off as political or simplistic. I just really get upset at those who try to paint or pin tragedies like this as an US vs Them society as a whole, instead of trying to seek out the few real perpetrators and stop them. And I don’t mean only the actual shooter or bomber- I mean trace the money and the mentors that are fueling this hatred and stop them They are the same ones that have turned our lives and political issues in to an Us/Them situation. Right now, there is little thought on what is best for this country and in the public arena, choices are being made by a few hot topics pro Life or pro Choice, immigration, budget,etc. Those are important topics without any doubt, but voting is based on which extreme you favor, and on that alone. Political advertising is mainly about how “right” one candidate is about your issues, and not really about how this political candidate can be expected to change what is wrong and have the best interests of our whole country at the forefront of their priorities. Most of our Congress is out for their own adgendas, not really the welfare of the country. I strongly believe in term limits for congressmen, and think everyone that has been in office for 10 years or more should be voted out and replaced with people of integrity on both sides that are dedicated to solving real problems with real solutions that will help the whole country, not one side politically, and not just perpetuate the problems because they personally profit from doing so, or from supporting an issue because of their party affiliation

I’m sorry - I just got on a soapbox there. I hope I didn’t offend anyone.

Anne

MCBaker

How could that have offended anyone here? The political polarization in this country is frightening.

Wren44

My boss at the travel agency used to say she wanted to be Jewish in a Catholic country so she could have all the holidays on both sides.

We had strong winds and rain last night. It made you feel cold to listen to it although it wasn't cold at all. All I could think about was how many more leaves there would be to rake today. This morning the sun was out when I woke up (cloudy now) and the wind had blown away as many leaves as it blew down so the sidewalks looked the same as yesterday. We have 2 poplar trees about 125 ft tall in our back yard. They still have some green leaves, so the raking will continue for a month more. They are hard to get up when they're set, so I'm not looking forward to it.

ChiSandy

In my Brooklyn neighborhood, there were a few Italian Catholic kids who went to parochial schools; but most Catholic kids (including Puerto Rican) in our neighborhood went to public school and got to leave an hour early every Wed. for CCD classes at their churches. (We knew few if any white Protestant kids, as well as few if any African-American kids who were Catholic). The Jewish boys had to study at Hebrew school daily, after public school class ended--most of them were taught at basement "cheders" by "melameds," who were lay teachers and from all reports from my male classmates, wielded rulers with all the ferocity of nuns in Catholic schools. Girls were not Bat Mitzvahed--they were either Orthodox (which taught that girls should be prepared to marry and make a proper Jewish home, rather than attend regular services at synagogue, much less learn theology or even Hebrew) or secular/Reform. Orthdox girls aren't even allowed to touch a Torah, not even with a silver pointer. Nowadays they have Bat Mitzvahs, but instead of reading from the week's Torah portion, they present a discourse on it, simplified versions of Talmud, or the rest of the Bible (O.T., for the Christians here).

We got all the major Jewish holidays off: the High Holy Days, and the first two days of Passover--because so did the teachers. School was simply closed then (and even here in modern-day Cook County, IL, the Circuit Court downtown is closed on the High Holy Days because so many of the judges and litigation attorneys are Jewish. We even have a Jewish bar association). The Catholic kids got Holy Thursday off--citywide Easter break always started on Good Friday and lasted through the following week. The Orthodox kids (not Hasidim, who lived in other neighborhoods and had their own schools) also got the first and last two days of Sukkot (last two were celebrations of the harvest and then the end & beginning of the weekly Torah cycle) and the first day of Shavuot (Pentecost, which celebrates something much different than for Christians: Moses coming down from Mt. Sinai with the Ten Commandments, as well as the end of the "omer"--which is the 50-day counting period for grain stores, which begins immediately after Passover). The other Orthodox Jewish solemn holidays usually fell during the summer.

IllinoisLady

Totally fine with what you said Anne as I saw it as something of the way you care about what is happening now. It is painful to watch the distress and grief of people who should not have been hurt in this way -- people likely minding their own business and living a life that to them was rewarding and enjoyable. Something that make them each more and a little more to each other. We certainly are not living in the best of times and I must say the person at the top is not setting the table well at all.

Even if all you can manage to do is not make it worse for others you have done a good thing. It is never the large and well publicized things done though they can be truly special and appreciated. It is just as much the quiet person who loves and cares and does what he or she can -- and all those small things you do through the yrs. add up to that single lg. moment and item that made such a difference.

So things have gone awry for so many reasons in the parts of life that involve politics. I hope, especially with so much grief and angst that enough care to band together again, and hopefully re-instill pride, honor, faith, charity and decency while we find good and good hearted people who truly want to restore us to something that assists us in having that more perfect union.

So we seldom talk of these things here, but now and then, and then we move on to expressing our daily life and sharing some of the pitfalls along the way. It keeps me going to know others have the ups and downs and struggles.

carolehalston

Interesting insight into growing up Jewish, Sandy. DH and I were friends with a Jewish couple in New Orleans for quite a few years before we gradually lost touch. We got to know them through boating. He was a veterinarian and his parents had been very successful food brokers or food suppliers. I don't think this couple followed any religious practices but their cultural identity was Jewish. I asked him once whether he believed in an afterlife and he said no, the goal was to live a good life on earth. He was a good man in my opinion.

His wife Thelma was an excellent cook and had a beautiful kitchen. About the time she hit menopause, she decided she didn't want to cook any more. So they began to eat all their meals out at restaurants, mostly neighborhood restaurants where they became "regulars." We ate at a couple of these restaurants with them. Now I'm much older than Thelma was when she retired from cooking, and I'm still busy in the kitchen for dinner most nights.

I guess I will go to the gym this morning and get some exercise. Then go to the nursing home this afternoon to visit my mother and accompany her to bingo if she wants to play bingo. Some afternoons she goes to bed instead. She gets up very early, about 4 or 5 am, so is tired by early afternoon.

I got a good start on closets yesterday but have a huge amount of paper to burn or take somewhere to be shredded. I kept everything. Banks statements. Income tax returns. Receipts for expenses during the years I was a writer. Pounds and pounds of paper.

Have a good Saturday.

IllinoisLady

Keep your eyes open to your mercies.
The man who forgets to be thankful has fallen asleep in life.
- Robert Louis Stevenson

IllinoisLady

Hmm, you reminded me Carole -- so much cleaning to do where people don't see in my house. Well, I'll get there, but not when I thought. Dh is still requiring lots of seeing too though I can't say I mind too much. I do know he would and has done the same for me, so it evens out okay. He is wanting ( oh that ole' cabin fever disease ) to go out for breakfast this morning and while I like to eat at home most of the time I think it will be good for him to get out a bit and add to his exercise.

Got the Thanksgiving turkey this a.m. Had a sale and it was .98 cents a pound. So, rather than wait till closer to time and knowing I had room in my freezer I went ahead and got it today. I'm sorta looking forward to it all. I will be working the week before thanksgiving, right up to and through part of the 24th. so planning on doing some pre-cooking ( like mashed potatoes in a casserole dish ) before-hand and not have to do everything totally the morning of so to speak.

The sun is out for now and likely will hold for some time but the next three or so days rain is heavy in the forecast. At least voting day sounds like it will be a dry one. So, it will be nice again, though we won't have much time to dry out.

Hope you are all going to have a really nice Saturday.

Anneb1149

I have had the pleasure of knowing some Christian/Jewish marriages, and a few Messianic or completed Jews. They are Jewish people who have accepted Jesus as Messiah, but continue to participate in all Jewish traditions and holidays, while celebrating Christmas and Easter as well. I have attended several Passover meals when someone points out how much of the traditional Passover elements connect with the New Testament. I found them extremely informative as well as just plain amazing. The few mixed marriages I have really known also celebrate both Jewish and Christian traditions. It just shows that as a whole, we have more in common than different. Who doesn't want their children to be safe, well educated, and healthy? I refuse to accept that the color of skin, and/or ethicity changes what a parent's hopes are for their children.

I am really concerned about the polarization in our Congress- it is no longer representative of "regular" people who truly love this country with different options on how best to run this country. It is a never ending sports competition with each side doing everything they can to "win" regardless of how that win will affect the American people. If it wasn't so obviously detrimental to us, I could almost laugh at some of the rhetoric we hear day to day. Life experience has taught me that no one is all good or all bad. Yet the news people of today try to convince us of that every day- both Obama and Trump vie for the title of best president ever or worst. Honestly, the truth is somewhere in the middle. The news is almost totally about real or imaginary scandals that do little but destroy our confidence in our leaders, and serve to mask what is really important, like why our national debt is so outrageously high, we can't even comprehend the number. It prevents us from joining together in a fair immigration policy, or finding a way to help wounded veterans rejoin society in a way that honors their service. It widens the divide between people based on color, ethnicity or religion. All done, I feel, very purposefully, to keep our focus off Congress's efforts to work their own agendas,, a lot of which are favors to those who pay for their campaigns. Some of the biggest issues there- why aren't their term limits on Congress? Why do they have control over Social Security, which we have paid into? Why aren't they receiving the same social security that we are when they retire? Why aren't they restricted to the same health care options we are? The biggest problem is the amount of attention given to defending these kinds of things that should be spent on way more important stuff. The Constitution says "We the People" – why are 530 people making decisions that help them, and hurt us? When did Congress become the people instead of us? When did voting party lines become more important than voting for what works best and stabilizes the population of everyday citizens?

On that note, I am heading to the airport to go HOME!! Finally.

Anne

IllinoisLady

"Men of integrity, by their very existence, rekindle the belief
that as a people we can live above the level of moral squalor."

— John W. Gardner

IllinoisLady

Hope you have an un-eventful trip home Anne. Thought of you when I put in the quote today. I also think about Jon Meacham's book -- " The Soul of America " and the Battle for the Better Angels among us. I do think most souls are beautiful/full of decency and can rise to most occasions in decent fashion. We have seen these last few yrs. some battering of our fine morality. It definitely has been un-leased these past 3 yrs. big time. I think there are repairs for that and hoping w/o getting too political here that the nullification of the last 3 yrs. will have a big beginning on Nov. 6th. and just keep going thereafter.

I felt really good about that when I looked up and right even with my little office window was a deer munching on something on the ground. I love when the deer visit our yard and usually see it as good fortune. It sure uplifts me and inspires all the things I think are good about life. So -- even as I wrote there was that sign of hope and inspiration standing so close to me.

It is cloudy today and I think we could have some rain showers here and there. Not looking forward to that, but we knew these were possibilities. Heard from my cousin a bit ago as well. I will go over tomorrow and watch little Muffin. My cousin's husband ( Viet Nam vet ) was working with the Dr's. to try and save his eye-sight and they are going to have to go back and have the operation re-done. He was coming along okay and then the pressure went up in his eye again so they will have to start all over with it. I'm sure they are both frustrated. I certainly hope this time it takes.

Going to have to get my BIL to come over and help me work on my gas mower. My cousin said she'd come over next week ( hoping for decent weather ) and work on getting rid of some of our leaves. Will be a major chore for just the two of us, but we can do it. I do need my mower though. So, I need to get busy and see to that.

I got up early this morning -- mainly due to the time change, but I got my sleep in. We will have light earlier now and that is okay. It is the darkness early that I don't like. Hope you all got your sleep in okay. Probably worked the same way for you.

Emalyn

Anne, Thank you for your post! And, thank you to all who have replied. This polarized, get little done that benefits most people, Congress upsets me too. I am horrified by the incessant partisan conflict could be a factor that motivates some unstable loners to commit massacres.

In my community, a number of “pop-up” organizations have formed to promote voting for political candidates we believe will best represent all of us and work across the isle to get things done that benefit all of us. We favor legislators who can be both strong and kind. These are multigenerational, diverse groups. We work especially hard to get young people, new voters, to vote for their own best interests.

I am old enough to have been covered by Medicare for a few years. My active treatment for breast cancer ( herceptin infusions) are due to last two more months. I have responded well to treatment, with generally tolerable side effects. Still, my stamina is a bit diminished. I repeatedly tell myself that if all I can do is show up and encourage young people, that is a significant contribution. Then I need to take a nap.

Social media on the Internet and 24/7 biased cable media news, all geared to engage us with non- stop dramas often seem to enhance our polarization. What to do about this? I don’t know. I’m just a little old lady with a youthful looking brunette wig, trying to do my best.

Emalyn