Musings of the Chronologically Challenged™ Fourth Generation

 
THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE

August 30, 1953 was the best day of my life. It was a Sunday in the heat of August -- much like now, but with no air conditioning! It was the day I walked down a church aisle to be married to the most wonderful man I would ever know.

Kind, handsome, playful spirit, strong, manly, athletic, a smile that would light up a room, and a Southern gentleman of the highest caliber. Any superlative one could think of could be his epitaph. His honesty, integrity, fairness and dependability must be noted too. He was the definitive "good man" that is so hard to find.

Much is said today about children having children. We were children having children too, but with the benefit of a marriage certificate and a stable, happy home. If it sounds like an idyllic dream, it should. Because it was. All the happiness of my adult life was directly attributable to the boy who became a man after we were married.

He took the responsibilities of fatherhood at a very young age (22) right in his stride. His fun-loving relationship with his children was somewhat unique for the times, and that facet of his persona brought me great happiness. What mother would not love and appreciate such a father for her children? His reputation as a fun and fair daddy was so well known in the neighborhood that when fathers came home from work in the afternoon, their kids would be at our house, waiting for a pick-up ball game or whatever playful adventure our kids' dad would lead them in that day. He was never too tired to play with his children and their friends. He was the Pied Piper of children. His own child-like spirit would immediately connect with even the most withdrawn child.

"Empty Nest Syndrome?" Forget it. When our nest emptied, we were still young enough to enjoy each other and each day as a new opportunity for experiencing life's blessings. We often talked about the long life we expected to have together, since we had married so young. We planned on celebrating our 60th wedding anniversary. He planned on living to be 108 because he had calculated that he would have to live that long to get back all the Social Security he had paid in his life! He fully intended to "show the government" that they wouldn't make a profit on his unclaimed SS funds. That was a comedic sore point with him. We laughed about it many times.

Today would have been our 52nd Anniversary. He missed our party, but he is with me every day. The years we didn't have together were compensated for by the love and happiness we did have while we were together. Sadly, too many people never see a glimpse of such life fulfillment. That sustains me in my moments of missing him.

Happy Anniversary, Sweet Prince.
posted by HCL at 11:22 AM

 
KATRINA

As night approaches here on the East Coast, our hearts go out to the Gulf Coast folks who are facing such an awful night. Here in North Carolina, we've been there and done that, but fortunately escaped a Cat 5. The possible scenarios now being discussed on television foretell of how much help those folks are going to need. Let's send our prayers in advance and prayers after the terrible hurricane has passed. Please also pray for efficient, well-organized after-storm programs to be ready to receive and distribute aid with tangible items that will be needed. If pick-up centers are open near you, send all you can. The first few days of aftermath will be hellish for the victims. Check your local community town halls, schools, and civic organizations for information on what you can do to offer assistance with immediate needs. Or call 1-800-HELPNOW for more information.




PUSSYFOOTIN'™
with Lynx

>^..^< HT to Da Goddess for linking this interesting article from an Australian reporter aboard the USS Tarawa.

>^..^< REMEMBER

>^..^< Do you read FactCheck.org? Verrrrrrrrrrry interesting.

>^..^< Solotude says "I may be done blogging. I love blogs and read them all the time. But I'm not loving my blog as much." He goes on to say how much he has changed, etc. A good post from a good man.

>^..^< Oldest active-duty Navy SEAL retires at 60

>^..^< 'SPLAIN IT!

>^..^< How long has it been since you saw these? They have disappeared where I live.

>^..^< Per chastisement for not having "Comments" -- E-mail: indigoinsights@hotmail.com

THE WISDOM OF THE NATIVE AMERICANS

"No person among us desires any other reward for performing a brave and worthy action, but the consciousness of having served his nation."
-- Joseph Brant (Thayendanegea), Mohawk
posted by HCL at 8:25 PM

 
QUICK -- BEFORE IT MELTS!!!

The Blogger gods have opened up a small window today, so I'd better hurry. So many good posts during my downtime, there's no way I can mention them all. Here are a few:


>^..^<™


>^..^< Like Maxine, this just burns my wrinkled buns! "The leftist media wants you to believe that the military can not meet its personnel needs because of the global war on terror. Nothing could be further from the truth. Especially, considering the high re-enlistment rates for units that have seen combat. The leftist media continues to report as much bad and demoralizing news as they can possibly find, while giving extensive coverage to Cindy Sheehan and other leftist terrorist ass kissers. You would never know from the MSM about the several efforts being made by those that are in support of the global war on terror, including many gold star parents." [Sailor has the details.]

>^..^< More on Sheehan from Charming.

>^..^< Eric addresses the obesity flap and concurs with Jack Nicholson about handling the truth! (When I got this in e-mail, I thought of him - Eric, not Jack.)

>^..^< And speaking of "A Few Good Men," BlogSon has never been caught without an opinion (who has?) but not on Saturday, as a rule. His post from yesterday was thought-provoking, to say the least. I'm still turning some of it over in my mind.(Hubcaps?)

>^..^< Mike King always has a lot of "food" for thought too. Yesterday, in fact, he posted on "Ghetto Fries."
posted by HCL at 12:35 PM

 
TESTING, TESTING

The tenuous grasp I have on BlogSpot right now is so ureliable, this typing may not even make it to the blog. Just in case it disappears, I'm not investing much time in the post. Hence .......


PASTIES FOR SENIORS!!!


This story is for Senior Citizens. If you don't qualify, save a copy till you do.

A lady goes to the bar on a cruise ship and orders a Scotch with two drops of water. As the bartender gives her the drink she says, "I'm on this cruise to celebrate my 80th birthday and it's today."

The bartender says "Well, since it's your birthday, I'll buy you a drink. In fact, this one is on me."

As the woman finishes her drink, the woman to her right says, "I would like to buy you a drink, too."

The old woman says, "Thank you. Bartender, I want a Scotch with two drops of water."

"Coming up," says the bartender. As she finishes that drink, the man to her left says, "I would like to buy you one, too."

The old woman says, "Thank you. Bartender, I want another Scotch with two drops of water."

"Coming right up," the bartender says. As he gives her the drink, he says, "Ma'am, I'm dying of curiosity. Why the Scotch with only two drops of water?"

The old woman replies, "Sonny, when you're my age, you've learned how to hold your liquor. Holding your water, however, is a whole other issue."



TEEN POVERTY IN AMERICA

I just spent several hours observing teenagers hanging out at our local mall. I came to the conclusion many teenagers in America today are living in poverty. Most young men I observed didn't even own a belt; there was not one among the whole group.

But that wasn't the sad part. Many were wearing their daddy's jeans. Some jeans were so big and baggy they hung low on their hips, exposing their underwear. I know some must have been ashamed their daddy was short, because his jeans hardly went below their knees. They weren't even their daddies' good jeans, for most had holes ripped in the knees and a dirty look to them.

It grieved me that in a modern, affluent society like America, there are people who can't afford a decent pair of jeans. I was thinking about asking my church to start a jeans drive for "poor kids at the mall." Then on Christmas Eve, I could go Christmas caroling and distribute jeans to these poor teenagers.

But here is the saddest part..... it was the girls they were hanging out with that disturbed me most. I never, in all of my life, seen such poverty-stricken girls. These girls had the opposite problem of the guys; they all had to wear their little sisters' clothes. Their jeans were about 5 sizes too small! I don't know how they could put them on, let alone button them up. Their jeans barely went over their hipbones. Most also had on their little sister's top; it hardly covered their midsections.

Oh, they were trying to hold their heads up with pride, but it was a sad sight to see these almost grown women wearing children's clothes.

However, it was their underwear that bothered me most. They, like the boys, because of the improper fitting of their clothes, had their underwear exposed. I never saw anything like it. It looked like their underwear was only held together by a single piece of string.

I know it saddens your heart to receive this report on condition of our American teenagers. While I go to bed every night with a closet full of clothes nearby, there are millions of "mall girls" who barely have enough material to keep it together. I think their "poorness" is why these two groups gather at the mall, boys with their short daddies' ripped jeans, and girls wearing their younger sisters' clothes. The mall is one place where they can find acceptance. So, next time you are at the mall, doing your shopping , and you pass by some of these poor teenagers, would you say a prayer for them?

And one more thing ... Will you pray the guys' pants won't fall down, and girls' strings won't break?

I thank you all,
A Grandmother



I LOVE GRANDMAS!

Here's a quote from a government employee who witnessed a recent interaction between an elderly woman and an antiwar protester in a Metro station in DC:

"There were protesters on the train platform handing out pamphlets on the evils of America. I politely declined to take one. An elderly woman was behind me getting off the escalator and a young (20ish) female protester offered her a pamphlet, which she politely declined. The young protester put her hand on the old woman's shoulder as a gesture of friendship and in a very soft voice said, "Ma'am, don't you care about the children of Iraq?"

The old woman looked up at her and said, "Honey, my first husband died in France during World War II, my second husband died in Korea so you could have the right to stand here and bad mouth our country. If you touch me again. I'll stick this umbrella up your butt and open it."
posted by HCL at 12:12 AM

 
UPDATE
Well, we failed the test. Back to square one!

The post last night went up flawlessly. But this morning it was S.O.S. So now it's either go through all the back alleys and circumventing necessary to post from this desktop computer, or go back to abstaining from blogging. I'm circumventing tonight to announce another UFN abstention.

Thanks for the email today, all of you who "welcomed" Indigo back. but don't kill the calf yet!
posted by HCL at 11:30 PM

 
DOES ABSENCE REALLY MAKE THE HEART GROW FONDER??
Inquiring minds want to know


With fingers crossed and a grateful heart (but empty xanax bottle!) we present THE RETURN OF INDIGO

Firstly, many thanks to you who noted my absence and had kind things to say about me this week. My self-imposed banishment from BlogWorld was of necessity. Those who come through the Indigo Door on a semi-regular basis may be familiar with the ongoing computer problems I've had. The history is too painful to recapitulate. As of yesterday, however, there was a little flicker of light at the end of the tunnel of hell, known as blogging, when the "fix-it" guy was here for another two hours. At least he was able to get back my access to the posting page. (This will be the final test!)

Just a quicky bio for new readers: Before my retirement in 1991, I was "too busy" to learn computers. The few things that I would have done on a computer (had I known how!) I turned over to my executive assistant. I devoted my time to PR work and meeting the ubiquitous deadlines of the publishing business. Murphy's Law went into effect almost as soon as my husband and I retired. Within a couple of years of moving to our retirement home on the coast of North Carolina, he was stricken with Alzheimer's. He remained at home with me and our grandson as long as I could manage, but eventually his condition required more care than I could give -- especially the lifting. At that time our daughter (Geriatric R.N.) took him into an improvised care unit in her home, where he remained until his death in 2001.

Grandson moved out on his own when he was 20 and several people suggested that I should get a personal computer and finish a book in progress -- to keep me occupied, don't ya know? (long interval here, while I thought about it) In 1999, I bit the bullet and bought the computer. I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO TURN IT ON!!! Starting from zero knowledge in 1999 to the present, with maybe 10% of the knowledge I need, I was, and continue to be, much like Blanche DuBois! So many kind fellow bloggers have helped me out along the way. I can never thank you enough for your assistance. But I truly believe in the "bread cast upon the water" business, or karma, or what goes around, or whatever you may perceive that law of universal balance. The fact remains that some of the great bloggers listed in my LYNX at left will be deluged if all that bread comes back a hundredfold at once!!!

So DOES absence make the heart grow fonder? Maybe. Ya'll have surely had some nice things to say to me and about me this past week. Heartfelt appreciation for every single word.
posted by HCL at 12:10 AM

 
TESTING, TESTING

It's swamp-draining time here at the Blue House, children. This is a test.


In light of the news of the so- called human cloning going on, we have to ask ourselves a hypothetical question:

If you pushed your naked clone off the top of a tall building, would it be
A ) murder,
B ) suicide, or
C ) merely making an obscene clone fall?
posted by HCL at 4:16 PM

 
away UFN
posted by HCL at 6:20 PM

 
INCOMING
from Susan, Greensboro, NC

Allah or Jesus?
This came in from a good friend who works in the Federal Prison Ministry. At this time in our world I thought you might find his conversation interesting. This isn't a light and happy message but is of importance in our day. The Muslim religion is the fastest growing religion per capita in the United States, especially in the minority races!!!

Allah or Jesus?
by Rick Mathes

Last month I attended my annual training session that's required for maintaining my state prison security clearance. During the training session there was a presentation by three speakers, representing the Roman Catholic, Protestant and Muslim faiths, who explained each of their belief systems.

I was particularly interested in what the Islamic Imam had to say. The Imam gave a great presentation of the basics of Islam, complete with a video. After the presentations, time was provided for questions and answers. When it was my turn, I directed my question to the Imam and asked:

"Please, correct me if I'm wrong, but I understand that most Imams and clerics of Islam have declared a holy jihad [Holy war] against the infidels of the world. And, that by killing an infidel, which is a command to all Muslims, they are assured of a place in heaven. If that's the case, can you give me the definition of an infidel?"

There was no disagreement with my statements and, without hesitation, he replied, "Non-believers!"

I responded, "So, let me make sure I have this straight. All followers of Allah have been commanded to kill everyone who is not of your faith so they can go to Heaven. Is that correct?"

The expression on his face changed from one of authority and command to that of a little boy who had just gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He sheepishly replied, "Yes."

I then stated, "Well, sir, I have a real problem trying to imagine Pope John Paul commanding all Catholics to kill those of your faith or Dr. Stanley ordering Protestants to do the same in order to go to Heaven!"

The Imam was speechless.I continued, "I also have a problem with being your friend when you and your brother clerics are telling your followers to kill me. Let me ask you a question. Would you rather have your Allah who tells you to kill me in order to go to Heaven or my Jesus who tells me to love you because I'm going to Heaven and He wants you to be with me?"

You could have heard a pin drop as the Imam hung his head in shame.

Needless to say, the organizers and/or promoters of the "Diversification" training seminar were not happy with Rick's way of dealing with the Islamic Imam and exposing the truth about the Muslim's beliefs.I think everyone in the US should be required to read this, but with the liberal justice system, liberal media, and the ACLU, there is no way this will be widely publicized. Please pass this on.This is a true story and the author, Rick Mathes, is a well known leader in prison ministry.

[Interesting read, but Snopes says not exactly. In fact, they call it "False" because the Islamist quoted was not an Imam, as was stated, but an inmate. As for me, that the speaker was not an Imam is irrelevant. The speaker spoke the teaching of Islam as he knew it. Nuff sed. -- B.Indigo]



>^..^< PUSSYFOOTIN™


>^..^< Here's a lovely gesture from someone named Karen, who took the time to make an inspiring interlude.

>^..^< Wouldn't it be special to see a story such as this once in a while in the MSM?

>^..^< Hometown policeman makes front page in USMC News.
posted by HCL at 10:17 PM

 
Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrs of CONTENTMENT


Ever been exceedingly happy, exceptionally fatigued, emotionally fulfilled, gloriously relieved and delightfully contented ALL AT THE SAME TIME? That's me tonight.

Vacation week is over. The last three kids left this afternoon. It really is true about that flying time thing. BlogSon has pointed that out to me on many occasions, and he is absolutely correct! It was a marvelous week, and now that it's over, I must admit I'll miss the visiting dogs. Yep. A dang good miss, tho! Three dogs in a small house - and I mean IN THE HOUSE! - is just about untenable, especially when two of them are a Rottweiler, and an Airedale.

The weather was not cooperative nor conducive to a perfect beach vacation, but we made do. There was some disappointment, I'm sure, among those who were hoping to catch a lot of fish, shrimp, crabs, enjoy boating and water sports, and maybe even get a tan. Unfortunately, it wasn't that kind of week. But it was one of the best weeks in my recent memory. Visits from my son, daughter, and grandchildren are few and far between, and to have them all in one week, except two grands that couldn't make it, was like the Impossible Dream come true. I got a glimpse of Hog's Heaven!!!

Now - back to work. (And, you know, this blogging business is getting a lot like work!)


>^..^<™

>^..^< Savannah Sam is having a difficult time, yet still trying to help others. She has installed a PayPal button to assist Mrs. Underwood with funeral expenses, etc. Help if you can.

>^..^< Black Five's commenters blast new tv show.

>^..^< The charming "guy" over at Charming, Just Charming, really is charming most of the time, and has an opinion all of the time! Try him. You might like him. Most folks seem to.

>^..^< Chuck Myguts has an interesting comment from Bubba regarding the Highway Bill. Watch for somebody with more time than I to do an analysis on the breakdown. Just on the face of it, I'm in total agreement of Chuck's call of "Suuuuuueeeee!!!!"

>^..^< The Sailor In the Desert is keeping an eye out for new clues on the Oil for Food mystery.

>^..^< To South Knox Bubba: Well JUST DAMN!!!
posted by HCL at 1:25 AM