New Year's Eve: Goodbye 2024

 Happy (almost) new year!

*Please forgive the grammatical errors.

Resolutions. I don't make new year resolutions for the same reason I don't like "Mother's Day", "Father's Day" and "Valentines Day" because every day is Mother's Day, Father's Day and Valentine's Day. Every year is for self-improvement. Instead of a new year resolution I'll just say for the rest of my days on Earth I'm going to try harder not getting upset when people who are clearly not cat people try getting the attention of cats. I saw a guy the other day "clicking" with his tongue at one of the Montogomery cats like they were horses, and it really bothered me. Every cat person knows the universal noise for getting a cat's attention and it's not "click, click, click". [Inhale. Exhale. Breathe. in. Out. Deep breaths.] The reported psychology is those who like dogs value loyalty and obedience. Those who like cats value independence and intelligence. I'm clearly a cat person. My heart will always go to stray cats. Just like my heart goes out to single women with no children everywhere. We too are stray cats. 

December 31. Tuesday morning.

The Jewish Center returned my phone call yesterday but because I'm legally blind (20/200 vision and don't drive) I do not apply for the community companionship program. You're not assigned the same person each week. There's no relationship with anyone. ((Like, what? Why not? What do they have against building trusting relationships with people?)) This center is poorly run I'm sorry to say. Again, that's a personnel problem, not a problem with the center itself. They offered me a teaching assistant's position but again you're not in the same classroom every week. You go wherever they need you that day within a ten miles radius if your location. It's all completely random. If all I wanted was to just be a warm body I'd go back working in places where I made other people rich. It's been a frustrating day. And, sorry not sorry, if I, a senior myself, can be on my own legally blind then why can't I assist older seniors or is my independent living beneath the independent living of others? I see elderly people 70+ on public transit all the time with their groceries and pets. If the seniors in this program require handicap rides to run errands the state of Nevada provides it with Medicaid for them and their caregivers. But again, it seems the way the personnel at this center runs things minister only warm bodies and not actual human connections. So frustrating. And then to make matters worse, someone from the center called me and left a message for Mathew. Apparently, my voice on my voicemail sounds like a Mathew. The Jewish center worker was calling to cancel Mathew's 9am appointment because she said she was sick. She didn't sound sick. She could have at least faked a stuffy nose. Amateur. 

And then     

I was double charged on my website. Lord Jesus, teach me patience. I called the help desk, and they said they would reverse the second charge. Seven business days, of course. 

And then

I went thrifting to see about a big basket. I'm on the second floor and I saw a few youtube videos where people who also lived on the second floor made cat-lifts out of baskets and rope for their outdoor cats. They trained their cats to get into the basket to be lifted up to their balconies. I have a balcony. Maybe I can train that 5-month-old stray kitty to get into the basket. In a few months it's going to be scorching hot outside. I want to get kitty to trust me by then. I fed the mom and kitty this evening, but I think the baby kitty gets bullied out of food even by its own mother. I have a strong attachment for the 5-month-old stray kitty. At this point that's all that's keeping me here. I'm really disheartened about the Jewish center. I was excited. Show me a sign, God. Show me a sign. And another thing about thrift stores did you know men's tee-shirts are $3-$6 cheaper than women's tee-shirts. Why are the tee shirts cheaper? And the women working at the Goodwill I went to had to be the angriest Karens on the planet. Angry. "Grrrrr!"

My New Year's Eve plan is staying home. I'll watch the fireworks with my neighbors from the comfort of my balcony.  

December 31. Tuesday evening.

Happy New Year's Eve!

I fed mom and baby Montgomery cats this evening. I'm pleased to report baby kitty ate a lot and drank a lot of water. Mama kitty also ate and drank water. Yay.

Positive vibes. Positive vibes. New day. New year. Someone somewhere will need me. I am a strong able-bodied human. Somewhere God needs me. That Jewish center is not where I was needed apparently. There must be other facilities or a person who will make human relationships a priority. Who needs more than just a warm body for the day but an actual companion-worker. I work for my fellow man in need, not the greedy rich. 

Guide me God. Show me where I'm needed and keep the Montgomery cats safe tonight from all the noise and fireworks. Amen.       

Wicked v. Righteousness

Happy upcoming New Year!

*Please forgive the grammatical errors.

It's been more than a week since I last wrote. I've been doing a lot of soul searching. Writing only in pieces here and there.  I rarely ever type these blogs up in one sitting. Christmas has past and I meant to write something on the day, but I've just been so busy. 

Two weeks ago, I began renting a master bedroom with a modest private deck. My favorite times of the day are sunrise and sunset either on the deck or inside by the sliding glass doors. I have placed a tiny table and chair I keep by the glass doors where I can work on the computer often times typing up a blog and watching the sun rise/set. This morning and lately the clouds are cotton candy pink and white elegantly outlined in a pastel yellow. The sky itself torques. It's a glorious Christmas Eve morning.  

I have once again fallen in love with a little family of neighborhood cats. Gorgeous black cats. Three by my count. I call them the Montgomery's. Big kitty Montgomery I assume is the dad has a tipped ear. Mom and baby Montgomery's do not or so I don't think. I fed baby Montgomery yesterday. Baby Montgomery looks to be about 4 to 5 months old. Old enough to be away from mom. I would love to adopt the baby for baby is young enough to be domesticated. I long to have a cat. I just love them so much. Mom and baby kitty are sleek short hair black cats, and they are superb. I think mom cat might be pregnant but not by Mr. Montgomery his ear is tipped meaning he's been fixed. Big guy Montogomery is a ball of beautiful fluff. They might belong to the mobile housing area behind this community I live in, but dad Montgomery tends to sit in the vacant flowerpot next door which leads me to believe he was abandoned by the past tenants. People are horrible. Do not have pets if you cannot make a life commitment. It's just cruel abandoning pets. Our Lord in Heaven made cats before humans. To raise a hand against a cat or dog is to raise a hand against God and there will be consequences. Terrible consequences. The next time something awful happens to you that's God's wrath against you. If God can kill Moses denying him the Holy Land you bet God will come down on you too and Moses was one of God's beloved servants. The Montgomery's are fed and don't appear to be disheveled. I so love a community that takes care of its helpless stray cats. These poor kitties didn't do anything wrong. They happened to be born is all. To be cruel to a cat is to smite a creation of God and he will take his revenge tenfold. If God doesn't kill you, he will leave you ruined. 

I have an interview Thursday from a Jewish Center that pairs senior companions with other more elderly seniors. Being Jewish is not necessary. The center's office is run by non-Jewish people although I wish it were run by Jewish people. Maybe things in the center would get done properly. Its government funded. You fill out a form letting the center know your denomination, ethnicity, role in society, etc., but for starters you have to be 55 years old. I'm 56 in two weeks so I apply. Yay! I'm excited. It's my first community ministry mission (per se) since being ordained two months ago. I want to be more active in the community like a YMCA maybe a women's shelter or animal rescue. Any nonprofit work to be honest. I live a modest humble life these days as is my calling but like all ministers I too appreciate the stipend though that is not why we do this. Alas we must keep a roof over our heads and feed the kitties of course. 

Thursday.

*I missed the phone call today from the center, but they left a message saying they'll call again tomorrow. I called them back and left a message narrowing down a time to call back tomorrow because I had returned emailed them on the morning of the 24th and wrote to call me anytime between 10am and 3pm and I've been by my phone all day. So, when I missed their call, I checked my phone to see why I hadn't heard my phone ring, and it seems I never assigned my phone a ring tone. I've had this phone for three years. I foolishly assumed it came with an auto ringtone, but I guess not. Very few people ever call me and I either hear the phone vibrate or miss the call and call them back. I never bothered to investigate a ring tone... until now. 

Today is Christmas. 

Merry Christmas everyone! The winds here have really picked up. A reminder to get candles. I know people north of me who lost power over eight hours ago. My heart goes out to the black cat family (the Montgomery's). I hope they are together someplace safe. I was thinking of doing something Christmas-y today but not in this wind reportedly 22 mile an hour wind until 11am. We'll see. I was [this close] getting a tree this year and Christmas decorating but due to a move-in scheduling snafu it was too late. I wasn't moved in until the 14th. Oh well. Next year! I love Christmas. When I retire wherever that is I'll be one of those annoying people who puts up Christmas decorations immediate after Thanksgiving. I so love this time of year. After dreary hot mess summers, I live for the winters. Maybe when I retire, I'll move back to my home state Minnesota. Unfortunately, I simply can't do it now. I'm just so eager to be assigned as a companion to someone like let's go already!

In less than two weeks I turn 56 years old. Wow. I remember freaking out turning 30 though I don't know why. At that time, I had my own place. I had a good job for three years - until this insane woman turned the workplace toxic. My boss took up with one of my coworkers who was an unstable hot mess. She was so jealous and crazy because he had a prior relationship with another coworker, and she couldn't handle it. The workplace became toxic. I was the only other female working in our department, so the hot mess girlfriend had it in her head, "Well I guess he's going to sleep with her too!" She went completely nuts. He loved it. It didn't bother him in the least that she was toxic around me. I left. It's okay though. They moved my department from Los Angeles to Kentucky less than two years later. I mean, if you're just going to use the workplace for your own leisure and amusement the company's going to move the department the second a better offer comes along. 

So now that I've fixed my phone's ringtone problem, I will hopefully get that phone call from the Jewish Center tomorrow. You know, this is why I'm a community minister and not a religious one. The Jewish Center doesn't care what denomination you are unlike Catholic/Christian services. Every community center by Catholic/Christian services has deep Christian undertones attached to it. Preachings. Bothers me to no end. Just be a good decent person. Help when you can to whoever. You can be a Christian, wear a crucifix and still help people without preaching gospel. Know what I mean. Be present without being overbearing. I have never liked missions of conversion. I don't wear a crucifix. I don't wear any jewelry. But if I did wear a crucifix and I was working at a Christian faith-based community center that's all the advertising needed. If I wore a crucifix and someone approached me about Christianity, I would of course speak with them about it for a little while, but if no one asked me, no matter, I'm here for the community not conversion. 

I do say little prayers here and recite gospel at the end of my blogs for the reader because it's my blog. You do what you want with your blog. You don't have to believe but who knows you might learn something. It never stops people from eating In N Out burgers and fries with passages from Proverbs and John on the bottom of drink and French fry containers. Love in N Out burgers. Probably my favorite burger joints alongside Five Guys. 

It's now 3am Saturday morning. 

The lady at the Jewish center did not call me back yesterday like she said she would. Hopefully she is okay and just decided to take a three-day weekend. If so, it's still a little irresponsible don't you think. We'll see what happens Monday. I'll move on after Monday. How unfortunate. That's a workplace personnel error. Can't blame the center. I'll free up my days I was going to devote to the center if we don't connect Monday. That's the thing about the workplace in America these days the workplace is either toxic or grossly mis staffed. I'm generalizing but, in my opinion, Jewish and Asian people are really good at keeping records and day planners. Non-Jewish white people are the worst at keeping dates and records. The absolute worst. 

I've been on the Paleo diet for the past nine days. I dropped one pants size. I'm not trying to lose weight but that is a side effect of the diet. It's the "caveman diet" or "Stoneage diet" if we are to believe cavemen ate this good - fish, nuts, fruit, vegetables, eggs, etc. High Iodine diet. What I eat for my medical conditions is a constant balancing act. I have hypothyroid, hypotension, and I'm borderline diabetic. All of which I take medications for. When my thyroid gets inflamed, as it is now, I take extra vigilant steps in my diet to sooth the inflammation. As a result, I lose weight. Which is fine. I could lose weight. Salt, Iodine salt, is so important for your health. It eases throat inflammation the same day. I don't know how it's done but whenever my Hashimoto thyroid condition makes my throat inflamed, I eat a high iodine diet that day and feel so much better within a few hours. Like gargling with iodine salt and hot water for a sore throat. Don't know how it's done but thank goodness.  

I'm at a point in my life where I cannot have stress. The little things in life that give me joy like writing, reading, knitting, caring for the Montgomery's, is all I can handle to be honest. Running errands like I did yesterday exhausts me. By 5pm I'm out. I slept seven hours and I'm still tired. I had a stroke in 2021 and while thank God I did get 70% of my motor skills back the exhaustion is forever. Still, at almost 56 years of age I'm doing okay, I think. Grateful for each day. The last time I had bloodwork for the Hashimoto's (thyroid disease) all my levels were good except for the brain function or something regarding my brain so I'm trying to keep my brain active all throughout the day. Some days are better than others. This past week I've been super foggy. I've been meaning to fix my blog so I can insert photos here, but I just don't have the brain strength at the moment.  

December 29. Sunday.       

I'm thinking of putting a flower box on my deck. Maybe a hummingbird feeder. We'll see. I'm just excited to have a deck now. I really am a simple, simple gal. I love my simple life now more than ever. I have lived a life of chaos and just can't anymore. I'm a big fan of Dr. Ali Fenwick. His content is all over the internet. He's a human behavior specialist who really helped me understand some things about myself. Something I have always believed in since I was a little girl is that parents like to think they did children a favor by bringing them into this world and therefor everything parents provide their children like food, shelter, and clothing should be praised and admired rather than understanding that's the parents job to provide at bare minimum life's essentials for their children that they chose to bring into the world. And for us Gen X'ers our parents didn't even do that. When older people criticize, "Don't blame your parents for your problems!" Truth is many parents did in fact set their kids up to fail in life and those kids will either pull themselves out of the failure mindset eventually or not. If not, part of that blame is on the parents. That's why I think every minor that commits any kind of crime the parents should absolutely get equal punishment. If your kid commits murder than so did you. All of you go to jail.

I jump around on my blogs a lot. I don't write these things in one sitting. Plus, I'm a simpleton and write like one. I know you'll keep up with my broken stroked out brain.

Today is Sunday. I'll hang around tomorrow and see if the Jewish center contacts me. Someone is smoking a ton of pot for the past ten minutes and I am getting a contact high. Wow. Anyway, if the center doesn't contact me that's on the center's personnel not the center. If they don't contact me, I'll be really bummed out. I really wanted to be part of that organization. But there's other good works for me to do.

I'm going to end this blog by saying we don't need leaf blowers in the desert. Good grief. People pay leaf blowers to blow dust and garbage around parking structures. What's the point. How about you pay them to sweep up garbage and deposit it in the dumpster. How about that instead. Leaf blowers in the desert where there are no trees makes about as much sense as leaf blowers in the desert! God help us and bless us all. We need it. We really do.

A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.

--Proverbs 12:10       

WHAT BLISS

 Season's greetings! 

*Please forgive the grammatical errors.

 Let's just get into it.

As you know I'm a Protestant. I oppose the papacy. That said, on occasion I do agree with the papacy on matters of marriage and virtue.

I only wanted to be married once. One time. I got married late in life. I was 33 years old. I only married when I knew I could be fully devoted to my marriage. We were married for almost ten years. Our, my ex-husband and I, our mistake was that we didn't talk about what we wanted out of marriage before we got married because I foolishly assumed all humans had the same knowing and understanding of what marriage is in the biblical sense. Not so. Live and learn, my friends. My ex-husband lacked marital virtue. This fact wasn't exposed to me until we had been married for about four years. For the remaining six years of our near ten-year marriage, I suffered miserably but I stayed the course as my Christian and Catholic friends and family advised. "For better or worse" the vow says. "Until death do you part" the vow says. Welp, that last vow almost came true sooner than later. Thus we divorced. 

My marriage legally ended in 2012. It officially ended January 2014. I have been single ever since. As much as being married again and growing old(er) with someone greatly appeals to me I am also satisfied being solo for I am never truly alone. 

The internet is riddled with "my bad relationship" reels. If you're not married and there are no children, fine, walk away, move on, live your lives. But if you are married and there are children what faith cannot save the legal system can sort out. 

I was recently confronted online by a few folks who did not like my suggestion of seeking advice and counseling from a spiritual advisor before getting married. I'm still uncertain what it is they didn't like that I suggested counseling before marriage or that I threw in the words "spiritual advisor". Point being a spiritual advisor will ask you flat out, "Why do you want to get married? What do you expect out marriage? What does marriage mean to you?" And in all honesty if you are unable to answer these questions or find these questions offensive, your marriage is doomed to fail.  

Catholics preach chastity before marriage. I don't disagree with it. But the Catholic church tends to be medieval with chastity as they also don't like it when folks tend to their own needs solo. I think tending to your own needs solo is an excellent idea. It's much better than promiscuity. I highly promote dating without sex. Take it from this old gal sex is 100% communication. If you can't communicate before marriage and you get married anyway sex will be the least of your worries. My ex-husband and I both wanted to get divorced, and it still took two years in and out of court before our divorce was granted and finalized. Being chaste until marriage is better for society. It's absolutely better for your health. The number one reason to be married is for love. Marriage is the ultimate act of love and devotion. If you are unable to love and be devoted to your partner without sex, then marriage is not for you. Finding a partner, any partner, may prove challenging also. My dad married his first wife out of obligation. Terrible. He got her pregnant. There was no love on his end. Terrible reason to be married. He should have just paid child support for one child and let the court sort out the details and move on with their lives. Alas, his Mormon upbringing hindered him from doing the right thing in my opinion because then it caused all this other trauma to happen: (click link) BLOG: INTRODUCTION   

Love is the number one reason to be married. Once love has been declared and established then all the other details must be discussed and (in my opinion) these discussions are best done in counseling with a spiritual advisor, a third party not blinded by love. 2025 is upon us. This isn't 1950. Example: is liking a woman's sexy photo who is not your wife a form of cheating? These are subjects you need to hammer out before you get married. 

If your bride to be says, "Liking her photos upsets me." And you reply with, "You're just jealous and insecure" then guess what you're the one with the problem not your bride to be. You're the one who is failing communication 101. 

When I was in my 20's I was not ready to be married or in a serious relationship. I had emotional issues that needed to be worked out. I grew up in an unstable home with parents who did not love or respect each other, or their children. That's why it took me until I was 33 years old to commit to marriage. I'm surprised I was ever ready. Unfortunately, I married the next man who came along, who I fell in love with, and who proposed without fully discussing what we wanted and expected out of marriage. Big mistake. We both knew we didn't want children. We both knew we wanted to save money and retire early to travel as much as we could while we were still young and healthy. That's great and all but we never discussed other details like money. Example: Are you keeping your separate bank accounts and then open a shared bank account for the house and hypothetical children. Because that's a conversation that definitely needs to be discussed and agreed upon before you get married. Churches just assume people will abide by what the church declares marriage to be. That's why I 100% support people going into counseling with a spiritual advisor before getting married. The divorce rate in this country (America) is horrible. I'm part of it. Had my ex-husband and I gone to counseling before marriage we never would have gotten married. It would have saved us both time. Six out of ten years is a long time to be unhappy. 

The other night I heard the car theft duo (click link: CAR THEFT DUO ) yelling it out in the parking lot. 

She screamed, "You're leaving me, right?!"

He screamed back, "You're leaving me, right?!"

She screamed, "You're leaving me, right?!"

He again screamed back, "You're leaving me, right?!"

And then they yelled something else at each other out of earshot. 

Relationship troubles everywhere. 

Also, it's not always his fault. Sometimes he's being him. You're being you. Maybe no one is intentionally trying to hurt the other person. And had you both gone to marriage counseling before getting married you would have learned this about one another before the rose-colored glasses fell off. Because again, a third party to council you before marriage will not be blinded by your love. There's a difference between communication breakdown v. straight up narcissism. 

Also

Relying on AI or any search engine to recite passages in the Bible is unwise. If you want to know what the Bible said read the Bible. If you want to know what any book said read the book. I recently heard my favorite Biblical quote shortened down to, "With knowledge comes great sorrow" and I wondered if the listeners received the impact of those words. 

For in much wisdom is much grief; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

--Ecclesiastes 1:18 

I'm sure you've heard the sayings, "She's an old soul" or how about "Ignorance is bliss." What that person is really saying is, "He that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow."

Maybe she's not "sad". Maybe she just knows better. 

I worry what messages the modern shorthand version of the Bible preaches. So long as it doesn't turn into: 

"The woman saith unto him, Bro, I perceive that thou art a prophet, dig." --That dude John 4:19

Oh dear. 

Give us the love to be of one mind and to serve one another in Christ. God bless you.

GOOD WORKS

Season's greetings!

*Please forgive the grammatical errors

For the past four days I've been deep cleaning/fixing the master bedroom I recently moved into. The past occupants let it go to filth which is something I will never understand. I will never understand how people decisively live in filth. Even the deck had so much debris on it I tossed four one-gallon trash bags of it. I can still hear my dearly departed sainted grandma Louise instruct her daughters, "If you don't want a bug infestation don't invite bugs into your home."  Grandma had a very simple yet logical lease on life. Grandma's daughters were horrible housewives. They didn't cook, clean, run errands, do laundry, or raise children. They gave birth and said, "There. Done. I've done my job." I took the mini fridge out onto the deck defrosted it and scrubbed it down. Stuck in the ice buildup were two large dead frozen bugs in the freezer section of the mini fridge and people were still using it. Oh dear. It's in their mindset. Somewhere in their childhoods a wire did not connect, or it disconnected, good sense was then rewired into absurdity like hoarding.   

We're all susceptible to a breaking point. Lord knows I've been challenged more than once but I find meditation and praying a giant help. I knit. I love the repetition of knitting. The rhythm and flow of the knitting needles. The measured sounds the knitting needles working against one another and the fact you end up making something useful after all that meditative good work. I go into a trance like state thinking about all the things I want and need to accomplish in the days ahead. It's very calming to me. It's like when I was a kid working on the farm. I could husk corn all day eight hours no breaks just my little stool, me, and piles and piles of corn. Adults would worry I wasn't taking breaks, but I didn't need any then. When I got a little older, I worked on a food manufacturing line, and then an assembly line. I loved it. That type of work puts me in a nice harmonic trance-like state. It's like prep cooking. It's very soothing to me. I highly recommend meditation however you find it. Some people work well in chaos I'm not one of them. I find it very unsettling when employers want people who work well in nonstop chaos. It says a lot about the work environment they perpetuate. If you've ever studied psychology or read any books on psychology people who thrive in chaos were generally abused as children and know no other way to live. Their jobs are chaos, their relationships are chaos, their homes are chaos, and they are the ones who create and perpetuate drama in the workplace. "Work life balance" is what you want your employers to say. Not "Thrives in chaos" unless you also love nonstop drama. Additionally, you never want to work somewhere that employs families because they will all go on vacation together leaving you to hold the bag short staffed.  

In researching the best place to devote my STRAY GIRLS project because it's not a substance abuse rehousing program, or a reentry into society from prison or gangs rehousing program, my home state of Minnesota has the best government funding for women's rehousing for up to twelve months per resident. Minnesota has always been good that way with government funding. I suspect that's why in the past twenty years there's been a boom of Somalian and Laotian immigrants - epically upsetting the state of Texas. Word got out. My hometown once a wildlife prairie is now houses, restaurants and mega chain shopping centers. I barely recognize it now sad to say. Population, what can you do. People need a place to live. The wildlife just moved further to the outskirts. Bear in mind Minnesota is a big state and majority of the population are clumped around the Twin Cities leaving the remaining state free for wildlife. Plus, Canada is right there also. All that said, I will first try putting my project together on the west coast but I'm not holding my breath especially in Nevada that voted for Trump who wants to end government assistance all together. And while I do agree there are too many useless government jobs, housing is not one of them.  

Regarding STRAY GIRLS you can only help people who want to be helped. I learned that a long time ago. Not everyone comes from money or has an inheritance, or a monthly stipend like a trust fund (i.e. every oceanside community), and many are still unemployed. Many more will continue to be unemployed with the upcoming White House administration that only caters to the 1% wealth. Help those who want to be helped. When I was younger whenever I ordered a sandwich and fries, I would pack half of it to take home and if I passed someone on the street who asked for money, I offered my untouched take-home food instead and maybe 1 out of 10 homeless people would take my sandwich. I firmly believe in teach a man to fish, but some are too old and broken to learn how to fish. Still, you can only help those who want to be helped. On my way back to my room yesterday I passed a car theft duo. They were clearly homeless and for a very long time. The duo consisted of a guy on an old beat-up child's bike and a woman on foot. They were inspecting locked car after locked car in the parking lot. I made eye contact with the woman and she sing-songed, "Hello! Hi!" to me like we were friends, like she's a stand-up citizen and wasn't just cruising the parking lot for unlocked cars. As much as I would love to see this woman turn her life around she won't. She's too old. She's too broken. She doesn't have the sense of a Billy goat, as we say in Minnesota. I could hand her a list of places for her to get a shower, something to eat, and roof over her head for the night to ponder her next move seeking assistance to get off the streets, but she would only litter the list on the ground because it's not money in her hot dirty hand. And then the next time you drive down the street all the trash bins will be tossed over because she would rather rummage through trash like a wild animal than help herself. No, you can only help those who actually want help. I preach all the time - Ask for help and accept it once given regardless how big or small. No one just hands over money to strangers.

Anyway

My room needs shelves. Everything is on sale now. I think I'll buy some shelves for aesthetics. I'm a creature of habit. I don't really need shelves. I have had the exact same routine every morning no matter where I am or where my things are regardless of in bags on the floor or on shelves. When you have the same routine for 30 years you just know. Still, shelves would dressy this place up a little and I could always donate the shelves when I eventually leave. I'm big on donating. I can't tell you how many times men have bought me things that meant nothing to either one of us I simply donated later. 

Things. I want to talk about "things". I am not a material gal. Never have been. I prefer simple farm life over every other kind of life. When I retire all I want is a little farm to grow fruit, vegetables, keeps hens, and of course plant flowers to feed the bees. Just a simple life. This bothers the men folk something terrible. Every platonic male friend I have love to tell me how much money they have and all the expensive toys they buy themselves. They also love to tell me about all their conquests regarding the female race. I'm not sure why. Confession? I'm not that kind of Reverand, dear friends. I do not indulge in material things for myself. I don't wear jewelry. Even if I had my vision, I would not buy a car. I do not have a seasonal wardrobe or an expensive cell phone. I have what I need and that's it. This makes the men folk angry because they're used to being able to purchase women. And they're used to purchasing a woman's attention because women have allowed it. Cars, clothes, and jewelry are just things. "Things" are just things and not love or respect. Things. And if a man thinks he can buy you "things" for your affection, then know it in your heart, my dears, you are also just a thing to him. Real love and respect are communication, compassion, speaking with kindness and sincerity. Now, that said, if you are the kind of gal who knows this already in your soul and still accepts the gifts from that type of man, I won't judge you. He's the one offering "things" to feed his ego. Just don't let his delusions hurt you. Remember you're just a thing to him but you're the one who has to live with it and how society will absolutely judge you. Coincidentally, tonight my female housemate was picked up at 2am by some man and returned an hour later. I pray for her safety. It is a very dangerous way to live.

This is the era of the internet. Use it! Kids today are so smart. Under 30-year-old millionaires are not uncommon in America if you use the internet wisely. I'm not about wealth and fame but kids today who are, are much smarter than my generation ever was.

Anyway

My grant proposal for STRAY GIRLS is complete but for the amount of the grant. I read where you always want to go higher than lower when asking for a grant. Schools ask upwards from 50K just for books and pencils. I'm seeking housing (a house) and essentials to start the program. I want one year of housing. I know I could get the program off the ground within a year. A 5-bedroom house in Minneapolis to rent starts around 3K a month. I'm sure HUD has housing for much less. It being the holidays I'm going to have to wait until January to send my proposal off which is fine. Gives me time to fine tune my proposal and come up with a reasonable grant amount I can successfully work with. 

May all the preachers preach: Ask for help when you need it and accept help when given no matter how big or small. God bless you.

And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the Earth, and the top of it reached to the Heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

--Genesis 28:12

THE PEOPLES ANTIHERO

Season's greetings!

*Please forgive the grammatical errors 

I need a little boost to get me through this blog.

I love nature. I love being outside. I love looking outside. I so enjoy seeing God's creatures. The birds. Bees. The kitties. 

The stray cats in my neighborhood are skittish of people because of the cruel few that ruin it for the good majority. In Istanbul and Greece cats are worshiped everywhere as they should be as all animals should be. Even the ones you eat. Give thanks to the animal you are about to receive for your nutrients then thank God for providing it. 

This morning as I was looking out the window a beautiful teen aged orange kitty sauntered past my window. This was God's gift to me, and I am grateful for it. After the stroke I suffered in 2021 my body weakened something terrible. My heart. My eyesight. Maintaining strength is a full-time gig but seeing that kitty this morning made my heart stronger. The good Lord does indeed provide. Thank you.

Ok. Let's get on with it.

We have all been reading and seeing news coverage of the United Healthcare CEO murder. I know a thing or two about the medical/pharmaceutical system following my stroke. Three years later, even after blood work levels were good my then primary doctor still prescribed high doses of medicine I no longer needed. I know this because a cardiologist said as much and lessened doses as well as discontinued another prescription entirely. When I mentioned to my primary doctor that the cardiologist took me off of a prescription entirely my primary said nothing and went about our exam like I didn't just confront him about over-dosing me. Indeed, I know a thing or two about the medical/pharmaceutical relationships to overdose patients unnecessarily for insurance profit. 100% greed. 

Luigi Mangione. Yes, this is where I'm going. 

Commandment #5: Thou shall not kill

However

My favorite book in the Bible is Ecclesiastes (The Preacher). 

A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up.

--Ecclesiastes 3:3

A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

-- Ecclesiastes 3:8

The following are my two favorite Biblical quotes.

For in much wisdom is much grief. And he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

--Ecclesiates 1:18

A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth.

-- Ecclesiastes 7 

I will never condone revenge murder, but I understand it. You understand it that's why Luigi Mangione is the people's antihero. Greed is only forgivable if the greedy repents before they die although I suspect the CEO was not given that opportunity.

So, which is it.   

Commandment #5: Thou shall not kill

OR

A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up.

--Ecclesiastes 3:3

A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

-- Ecclesiastes 3:8

Am I sad for the death of that CEO who has since been reported to have had a near unbeatable amount of greed at the expense of the suffering, no. To intentionally make the innocent suffer for greed is a crime against God and His children but unfortunately not always a crime against man.  

Are we not God's chosen vessels. 

Regardless if you believe the good Lord connects you with who and what you need, or Karma, or that the universe simply balances itself out, Luigi Mangione has become the people's antihero. After having personally experienced being over medically prescribed for a doctor's greed, putting my health purposely in danger for greed, I must admit, while legally wrong to commit murder...  

Was it spiritually wrong. 

Who do you follow, Moses or Ecclesiastes. 

Luigi Mangione wouldn't be the first Martyr for the people. He most certainly won't be the last. God bless us all. 

Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.

-- Ecclesiastes 7:3

STRAY GIRLS and LADIES

 Good afternoon!

*Please forgive the grammatical errors. 

I'm learning about how to write my grant proposal for my nonprofit charity STRAY GIRLS WITH CATS. STRAY GIRLS for short. It's my hill and my ministry project to assist single women with no children land back on their feet after an emergency. 

Housing

Food pantry

Healthcare

GED

trade school

Work placement   

Home essential care packages

Mobility

Home economics

(etc.)

All the benefits the government is more than happy to send to women who have children but turn their backs on women without children. I can't even begin to tell you how frustrating it was during Covid to be told I wasn't a priority time and time again because I don't have children, or a substance abuse problem, or wasn't recently released from prison. People who were found guilty of committing a crime, who then served time in prison, have more priority over a law-abiding woman with no children. 

I mean yes help women reenter society but help ALL WOMEN.

Single women need help too. The whole attitude of, "Just get married" is appalling. Being asked if I have children when seeking financial aid during Covid was insulting and appalling. "Just get married" is the governments answer. "You chose not to have children. We can't help you" is also appalling. I literally survived off of the generosity and kindness of my friends but every week I had no idea how I was going to live day to day, AND I had an ischemic stroke during that time. I had a stroke right in the middle of Covid. The woman assigned to my disability case was so pleased with herself as she sing-songed how she denied a woman who became paralyzed on one side of her body after her stroke, informing me that my chances of receiving disability was unlikely. Not surprising she turned me down. Gee, government worker Kathy. Thanks. I'm so "glad" I've been paying disability and social security out of my paychecks since I was sixteen years old. 

I'm at the point where I think social security should just pay everyone out and then stop taking social security out of our paychecks. Seriously. 

Do I think the government will give me a grant for my charity, no. Not the government. But I'm going to apply everywhere anyway including them. I want to be able to tell single women of America what their government truly thinks of them and to remember that especially come next election period.

Why STRAY GIRLS with cats. Because I also like cats. Those cats are emotional support systems, and they deserve homes also. I hope if I can get my charity off the ground other STRAY GIRLS will pop up. STRAY GIRLS with dogs and STRAY GIRLS with birds. 

Being a single woman without children is every woman's right and she shouldn't be denied assistance during an emergency because she's a law-abiding citizen and not an illegal substance abuser and ex-convict.

Again, yes help women reenter society but help ALL WOMEN.

Single women with no children also need a roof over their heads and a safe stable place to live for the next six to twelve months while they put their lives back together. I want to help give that to them. The Covid pandemic ended only 19 months ago. Entire industries were put out of business. Many of the women I want to help need to learn a new trade and further their education. 

I don't care how many men think this is a fool's errand. The fact men think this way is exactly why I chose this good work. This is what ministry is. I'm a minister. This is literally my job description. If women don't help other women no one will. 

I think perhaps my going through what I went through during both big earthquakes, the pandemic, and my stroke, were chosen for me giving me strength to help other single women with no children.

I have strict requirements of course to be part of the program:

Proof of citizenship

No men

No criminal history

No drugs

No alcohol 

Curfew

Must be attending a learning annex and/or working

Must do chores around the house (once I get a house)

Once working must pay a small rental fee until they leave the house no later than 12 months after arriving

(etc.)

My interview process for temporary residency once I get a house will be strict. I will have no drama. None. Zero tolerance. No slamming things. No screaming. No temper tantrums. I despise temper tantrums and unnecessary loud noise. I won't have it. 

I once booked and Airbnb room for three weeks and left after four days. There was a young woman managing the house who just slammed things as hard as she could all day into the night. She thought she was entitled. She went through my things and helped herself with some of my belongings. Immature. I simply won't have it. Entitlement is incredibly ugly on women. Schools need to bring back mandatory classes of home economics and etiquette. If you fail either class, you repeat it. If you continue to fail, you don't graduate. Simple. The divide between proper young ladies and girls you know will end up pregnant or worse by the age of fourteen is drastic. There is no middle. It's either girls going on welfare or girls going to college and being a success and you know just by looking at them now at twelve years of age how these girls are going to end up. It's terribly unfortunate but a lot of these girls don't desire better. I don't get that. How do you not want better. I ran into four school aged girls yesterday morning who clearly had no interest attending school. Young black girls who could be something great if they wanted. I will never understand why they don't want it. Which is why I believe parents need to be punished right along with their kids when they break the law. If a kid kills someone then so did mom and dad and all three of them go to jail like Ethan Crumbley's parents. Ten years in prison. Bye Falicia!  

  

I suppose taking away women's rights is one way to force women to make better choices but, in all honesty, if women don't receive proper education and etiquette training when they're young they will understand even less as they get older. 

We must do better for these young girls. Schools especially. Maybe a mandatory dress code of skirts. Definitely bring back home economics and etiquette training. When I was married, I attended my husband's work Christmas parties which were always held in a nice lodge but at the first party no young ladies under thirty seated at our table knew the clam shaped cloth inside the empty water glass was the napkin until I pulled mine out and placed it my lap - then all the young ladies at our table immediately did the same. It was a little shocking. 

Gen X girls were at least taught how to behave while out in public. I fear girls today are not taught how to behave. Not at school. Not at home. Society needs to do better by these young girls. We need to raise more ladies. When these girls turn eighteen and go off into society, they'll at least have the education. Perhaps then, and this is just a thought, if we raised ladies less girls would be confused about their gender identity. 

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:10

God bless you.

STRAY GIRLS with cats

Good morning! 

*Please forgive the grammatical errors 

I have chosen my nonprofit cause. As you may have guessed from the title of this blog whatever time I have left on earth I want to help single/divorced women with cats and no children land back on their feet after an extreme hardship.

 

What extreme hardship you ask.

EXAMPLE:

After a natural disaster destroys your home 

After a pandemic has been declared shutting down the world

After a debilitating car accident

After a debilitating medical emergency 

(i.e. stroke, heart attack, brain aneurysm, etc.) 

Single elderly women with no children

Because all of those situations are me. Every single example is me. And every time I sought help from my government, I was either denied or told I am not a priority because...

I have no children

I do not have a substance abuse problem

I do not have a clinical form of mental illness

I am not a senior citizen (cannot yet collect retirement social security)

I do not have Body Dysmorphic Disorder

I am not physically, mentally, or sexually abused

No, I am none of those things I simply lost my home in an earthquake (twice!) Was out of work like everyone else during a pandemic that went on for almost three years. I suffered an ischemic stroke. And I'll be 56 in four weeks and two days with preexisting medical conditions. But no, my government cannot help me because I don't have children.

So, guess what, until the day I die I will champion to help these women! God bless you.

This is my nonprofit. I'm working on this page now.  

Let your moderations be known unto all men, the Lord is at hand.

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Philippians 4:5,6

HYGIENE

 Oh dear. Good morning. 

*Please forgive the grammatical errors. 

Any time I start a blog with "Oh dear" you know it's not good.

While waiting for my master bedroom to be ready I am in an airbnb for the next 6 days. This is my second night here so far and oh dear. My room reeks of rotting garbage. I leave my window open, but it doesn't help much. There is a fella, a grown man, renting a room immediately to my right. When he opens his bedroom door the stench of rotting garbage emanates from a stockpile of trash he has hoarded two feet high in a corner of his bedroom. I don't understand. He has literally let a pile of trash grow in his bedroom. No wastebasket. No garbage pail. He just throws his trash in the corner of his room. He's creating a trash dump in his bedroom where he sleeps. The smell is horrible. The shared bathroom is equally horrible after he uses it. He urinates and poops on the seat. He doesn't wash his hands. It's as if he's been homeless and unbathed for ten years yet somehow he's managed money for an airbnb for a few nights. Just terrible. He could shower if he wanted to, but I don't see how that would help him any being as how the stench in his bedroom is so unholy it will make him stink again seconds after bathing. I want to help him, but he is just as hostile and crude as he is dirty. He told the lady who manages the house, "I'll help you toss out the trash." Meaning he thinks it's her job to clean all the garbage he's thrown into the corner of his bedroom. I rented this room earlier in the year while waiting for the master bedroom in another house to be available. I rented this very same room I'm currently in for almost six months until I just couldn't stay here any longer. Sharing a bathroom with people is disgusting I'm sorry to say. I don't know if only a small number of us had a proper education on hygiene or what and because of this I need my own toilet at the very least. I'm only in this room once again because the master bedroom I want has opened up but due to a snafu in scheduling I'm here again for another week. I don't know how they're going to get the smell out of this fella's room. I can't get the rotting smell out of my room. How are they going to get it out of his room where the stink is originating from? Yesterday when the lady who manages this house knocked on this guy's door to collect rent money, I saw the garbage pile when he opened the door. Saw it and smelled it. Just terrible.

The mindset of, "Well, Airbnb is supposed to provide hand soap and cleaning products and if they don't I won't go to the store and buy any. I'll just not wash my hands or clean up after myself" is more common than you think. I always buy Clorox bleach wipes, soap, and other cleaning supplies because not sorry I have to be clean in a clean environment. How do you not spend $3 on yourself and buy some hand soap? If you can afford an Airbnb you can afford soap. Clean yourself.   

I admire young fellas who cook on social media. The channels where young men are cooking or doing home repairs are necessary educational tools for the men folk. But oh dear. I'm curious is this fella renting next to me a hoarder. Is he homeless? Wouldn't he want to get away from sleeping in trash? What is the point of sleeping in a bed only to fill the room with garbage? There was literally more garbage in his room than one of those big blue dumpster bins you put in your garage. The lady who manages the house told him to clean it. Oh dear.

We need more male role models to talk to the fellas about cleaning their bodies. Fellas need male role models to teach them about cleanliness. Teach them about hygiene. Teach them about home economics like my generation had in junior high school. Teach them basic housecleaning, hygiene, how to mend a shirt, and how to cook simple easy meals. I don't know why or how anyone can decidedly live in trash. 

Not knowing basic hygiene 101 is bad for society. Forget the plague with rats a pandemic had to occur in order to teach grown adults how to wash their hands. What on earth were they doing before then? Push the 'wash your hands' agenda. Wash your hands after going to the bathroom. Wash your hands after using public transit. Wash your hands after eating. And somewhere, I don't know where, in men's magazines and in commercials for male hygiene products perhaps, slip in there some subliminal hand washing. Have your actor wash his hands while selling shaving cream. Society leaders need to re/educate people, men in particular, basic hygiene. 

I left this house November 1. It is now December 6. Just a little over a month ago. I left full hand soaps in both bathrooms. I left a clean sponge in the kitchen with a half bottle of dish soap. And since then, not one renter has changed out the kitchen dish sponge or replaced/filled the hand soaps in the bathrooms. No one person. I can't pay for everyone's hygiene products. I don't have that kind of money. I buy my own for my own personal use. And people wonder why they keep getting sick. Because no one washes their hands. People cough and don't cover their mouths. I mean, something needs to be done. We need to remind people to bathe with proper instructions on how to clean themselves. We need to remind people to wash their hands several times a day. We need to remind people to purchase hygiene products and clean themselves. We need to remind women that a restaurant table is not the proper place to change a baby's diaper. We need a proper hygiene campaign. 

My Grandma Louise taught me how to bathe when I was a little girl. She taught me old school with body powder after a bath and everything. Grandma was a fancy lady. I had more shades of lipstick by the time I was twelve than any one cosmetic counter. 

Smelling like garbage isn't masculine. You just stink.

Gals today aren't any cleaner let me tell you. Society needs repeated lessons on hygiene and housekeeping. I think schools need to keep teaching home economics all through high school.

Living in a house where the other bedrooms are rented out on Airbnb has opened my eyes on just how unclean and unhygienic people are.

"When I wash my hair and rinse off the shampoo, shampoo runs down my body and that's how my backside and private parts get clean." Oh dear! No, fellas. That is not how you get clean. Use body soap and warm water. A good lather. 

Preach these words Preachers:

Wash ye, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil

-- Isaiah 1:16

Or "Wash your hands. Wash your butts." That works too.

We as a society need to do better promoting hygiene and not just assume someone else is doing the teaching because obviously no one is. Hygiene, how we bathe, how a kitchen should be clean and healthy, how a bathroom should be clean and healthy, etc. Save the duckies yes please, and hey, while we're at it remind people to wash their hands and be mindful of other people who share this bathroom. 

"Invest in your health with Clorox Bleach Wipes." Please use that tagline in your advertisements Clorox. You're welcome. God bless.

Preachers do preach:

And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet thereat: When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the alter, they washed; as the Lord commanded Moses. 

Exodus 40:31, 32 

Things Gen X elder say (Part I)

Good morning!

*Please forgive the grammatical errors

I'm a little bit country. A little bit rock 'n roll. I grew up in the 70's and 80's. Raised around a bunch of farmers. Corn. Hens. I'm definitely old school. The first farm job I had I was around fourteen years old. The farm was nearby Mennonite farms. Super nice folks, Mennonites. The farmhouse I worked at had no electricity. No gas. No hot water. They boiled hot water on a wood burning stove. They weren't Mennonites but they lived a simple farm life. I have friends to this day who still heat their homes and cook on wood chip burning stoves and fireplaces. It's nice really. Minnesota is one of those places where planting trees is encouraged.  

I have some very old school ways of thought and some new(er) ones. For example, I would like it if everyone including mature adults went back to dating without sex. Dating. Movies. Dinner. Miniature golf. Conversation. Walks. Dating. The boy picks up the check because he really likes the girl and is willing to risk her not liking him back if it means at the very least, he gave it a try. It's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. Of course, that also requires everyone to make better choices. You know that scene in A Bronx Tale where Sonny is advising Calogero, "If she doesn't unlock your car door, she's no good" or something along those lines and then Calogero takes the girl out on a date, and she unlocks his car door and he's so happy he dances in front of the car. That needs to come back. Simple dating etiquette. It never goes out of style. You're never too old for dating etiquette. If she/he isn't kind to you on the first date, they're not going to be kind to you on the tenth date or after the first six months of marriage. Then you politely move on. Make better choices. I use boy/girl examples, but the same thing applies with LGBTQ community.  

I keep seeing these guys online using the term "dating" but they're not describing dating. What they're describing is, "I expect sex for spending money on her." And that's not dating, dear. That's prostitution. I remember one fella in his 40's told me what he expects on the first date with a gal and if she didn't go along with his program, he would never see her again. And I thought to myself, "Wow. You need Jesus."

Marriage is between two people who love each other and are devoted to each other until death do you part. Those vows matter. All of them. Ten commandments matter. All of them. Constitutional rights matter. All of them. It makes no difference if you're straight or gay if you want me to marry you, we're going to have counseling sessions first. I need to know it in my bones you're both devoted to each other. The high divorce rate in this country (USA) is inexcusable. Don't get married if the sun doesn't rise or set without your partner every day for the rest of your life. Don't keep dating. "People change" is a selfish poor excuse. Make better choices. Devote yourself to marriage if you're going to marry. Devote yourself. In many cases one person is at fault for the marriage ending. Most likely someone cheated. That person absolutely is at fault for the marriage ending. There ought to be consequences. 

I cannot stress enough the importance of being independent, living on your own as young adults. Live by yourself for at least a year. Live alone or with a pet but no other humans. You pay the rent and bills. You buy the groceries and run all the errands. You take care of you even if that means living in a 250 sq ft unit with a space heater. In doing so you will 100% learn who you are and who you want in a life partner. 

I appreciate the positive life coaches online. I appreciate those who stand up against poor behavior in their industry like Joey Swoll. If someone is going to the gym to better themselves let them be. If someone is trying a new fashion let them be. If someone is learning a new culture let them be. Stomping down others does not rise you up. It takes you down especially when everyone else backs ten feet away from you. No one wants to be dragged down by drama created for the sole purpose of attention. The lower a person sinks themselves the easier it is for the hand of the devil to reach up and take you all the way down. 

As I said I have old school ways of thought and new(er). I am a protestant, and a preacher, but I am not a protestant preacher. I'm not anointed by a church for the same reason I am not a Catholic, when I speak, I am beholden to no one. My words are mine. I don't represent a church here though I worship with one elsewhere. That said, the two most controversial beliefs I have are new(er) for Christians.  

1. Provided we have completed my five-month marital counseling sessions, and I am more than satisfied this couple is devoted to each other I will marry gay couples. No problem.

2. I am prochoice. I am prochoice for so many reasons concerning physical health, economics, and society as a whole. 

I do not subscribe to Papal supremacy. No protestant does that is the whole point of being protestant. No man will ever get in between Christ and myself. That said, there are many protestants who are prolife and please do not get me wrong, in my heart I am prolife too BUT I live in the real world with social deconstructs against women and a country's economic problem of about 34 trillion dollars. How much further in debt should we go. Add to that, forgive me for saying but anyone who says they live strictly by the Bible had better surrender all their gold, wealth, automobiles, electricity, and start raising their children Amish. 

Back to reality, the reason I love renaissance period piece films is for historic references and the romance of it all. Would I like to live during that time after living during this time for almost 56 years absolutely no. The thought of using a chamber pot is terrifying. When I had my stroke in 2021, they put a wheelchair with a white bucket in the center of it for me to use as my toilet. They parked that wheelchair right up against my bed. I was horrified. Luckily, with the assistance of my nurse I was able to get to the bathroom. Still, would it be so horrible for people to greet each other respectfully like they did then. Would a slight bow of acknowledging you're sharing a sidewalk with another human being be so terrible I often ponder. Would it be so horrible to court one another respectfully. Spend time together respectfully. Speak respectfully to one another. Would it be so horrible to think of the future rather than constant instant gratification. I live in the moment. I'm present here and now. I'm agreeable with that philosophy but only as an individual person. The moment you add another human being to your equation you can no longer think of just yourself. When I was young, I used to say I want a man is who just like me but a man. What an utterly self-centered thing to say. Thankfully people are individuals and not carbon copies upon carbon copies. Variety is the spice of life. I adore culture especially art, film, and food. I'm the one friends go to when they read about a new Ethiopian restaurant opening. I'm in! Let's go!

I'm so old my kindergarten class had air raid drills. Then starting with first grade we had constant "fire drills". Back then "fire drills" were land raid drills. Every class had to learn their safe zone. Each class had different zones. They might get some of the kids, but they wouldn't get all of us was the strategy. We're talking the mid to late 70's here. The threat of another American invasion was a possibility. Wine cellars today were once bomb shelters. Fear is a very powerful weapon. Fear is what helps to build instinct, but if you don't keep that fear in check, it can also build paranoia and hatred. Like our guy Yoda says, "Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering." And that's what some of these old guys, older than me, that's their tool to use against the American people. Fear. 

A fella on social media once said, "We're all just colors of wheat." Amen, brother. That said, we are not equal because equality has not been given to everyone. Fear prevents equality. I'm a woman of color. I've been assailed upon in varied degrees from one wheat field to another including my own. Mostly because of stereotyping and people feeling owed. Entitlement is a belief found in every wheat field. To single out someone and say "that wheat field in particular" is inaccurate. Entitlement (or so I believe) stems from cause and effect. We talk about the effect more than the cause. What causes entitlement. Someone once said to me, "If you want to know how something is built you must take it apart piece by piece and then put it together again piece by piece. That's the only way to learn the significance of each piece." After each riot where cities are looted and burned down there's always news channels interviewing a local person of color on the street (after the fact) and getting them to scream into the cameras, "Yes we loot! None of these stores are ours! We don't own anything!" And all this does (dear news channels) is create more effect. These "news coverages" serve only the media. You know this. We all know this. It does nothing to better understand the cause. To understand the cause of looting and rioting you must go all the way back to the first piece of construction. All the way back. That's where your cameras need to go. All the way back to the first piece. Politicians use. News medias use. The wealthy who want to be wealthier use and that includes opulent wealthy preachers. Part of the cause is when people are manipulated and used, and used, and used. It's only naturally for effect to occur.  

         

I would love for people to live simpler. Healthier not wealthier. The minimalist lifestyle is coming back in. I would love to see minimalist communities. And not for nothing this old gal would love to see grandma purses like in the olden days. What do I mean by that. This...

Mini picnic

Tissues

A tasty beverage

Candy

Secret "walk around money" for the grandkids. 

Yes, grandmas used to carry all that in their purses. I don't have children, so I carry around cat care in my purse: Food, treats, bottled water, tissues, extra shirt if I need to pick up a kitty, etc. Because when life is simple, we think of others. 

"It is the Cause. it is the cause, my soul. Let me not name it to you, these chaste stars. It is the Cause."
-- Othello, Shakespeare

Live simple. Just. Give it a try. Healthier not wealthier. God bless you.

Heavenly Father, as we gather today, we ask for your spirit of unity to be present among us. Amen