Happy Mother's Day to me....................by Diane Ogden

From Son #4: Christopher.  (The writing came to me framed. )

Though I have not told you enough, I am telling you now.  Through my eyes, this is the story of my love and appreciation thanking you for all you do and have done for me.  Your sacrifices to make me a better person and athlete have never gone unrecognized.  My remembrances of you: 

"I looked out the front window and saw you, alone, shopping bag cradles in your arms. In one hour, I will run out of the house to go to my game, and you will watch my departure as you always do, out the same front window.  But not before you hand warmed a plate for me, as I never left the house hungry.  Yet I always left the house hungry.  Hungry for the chance to compete another day. Hungry to be better than my opponent.  Hungry to win this game  It is because you watch me out that window, because you pray for me as I walk down the street, because your sideline seats are never empty, and because I know there is no real strength in this world save for that which is instilled or inspired by you. Were you not here, I would not be complete.  It is in these moments when I see you, Mother: When there is a home in this world I know, where the image of your beautiful smile in that window is once again etched in side ma memory that I will never forget.  When I look in your eyes, I see that you understand the spirit inside me that needs to compete.  So late at night when I lie awake in bed, realizing your unconditional love for me as I hear your footsteps walking away from my bedroom door, I know I am not the sole host to a fighting heart.  We fight together to survive, you and I, mother and child.  You are the cornerstone holding this family together."

Give me the ball!  This game is For My Mother.

This next card came to me from behind Prison Walls. It is handmade.  Drugs and Alchol can do terrible things to a Son.  But he is a wonderful person these days:   Daniel, Son #1

I haven't heard from the other two sons or daughter yet.  But hey, tomorrow is Mother's Day. I have time.

 

Son #3, Cody, doesn't send cards anymore...he calls.  The last one he sent will last forever!

I tried to scan it but the ink didn't show up so I will type it.

 

Mom - You know me, nothing fancy, nothing flowery. Just the pure and simple truth.

I love you with every cell in my body.  You have made an amazing man out of a crazy little boy rolling around on the kitchen floor with his pants down....wait....I still do that. So nevermind that part about rolling around with my pants down.  I wish I was there more but we all have our paths and we must stick to them if we really want to help the ones we love.  Soon there will be a check in here (card) for $1,000,000.00 big ones.  :)  Keep going Mom and stick to your guns 'cause you made it this far.  Love you and see you soon, Cody Ogden

 

 

 And this is Son #2:  Chad at the Kentucky Derby last weekend.  Chad used to send me a beautiful card every year until he had three children, two being a set of twins..... a big house, a big job, went back to college full time!!  So I feel very lucky to get the phone call!

 

The last born was a girl!  Lindsay (with her daughter Karli)

 

 

 

                                                  LATERS......and Happy Mother's Day

Pop Cans...................by Diane Ogden

This reminds me of my blog post where the guy stacked pallets this high holding them all on with one strap.  And I was behind that one too!  I did have a thought that somehow the back door would break and all those cans would be on top of the Buick. As I had the same fear or worse behind the pallot king.  The entire several miles I followed this fellow only one can came flying out and bounced around on the road. 

I tried to pass so I could get a photo  of how humongous this trus was but realized how dangerous that would be trying to get beside him to get  a photo of the whole real deal so I held back from that deep desire.  This is not a truck by the way.  It is a very large screened in trailer the size of a motor home with a pick up truck pulling it.  Seriously.  I just wonder how many cans were in that trailer and where it was going and how much $ the fellow was going to make AND who picked up all those cans.   Isn't that the "sighting of the day?"  I was like a kid in a candy store when I spotted this one.  I said to myself,  "OMG a blog post for me friends."

What I have to say is:  Stay safe in case you follow the kind of trucks I do!    Laters
p.s. It used to be "South of the Border fellows that drove these crazy carriers, but now it seems to be Americans."  Things are s-l-o-w-l-y turning backwards.  I read once that the devil works ever so slowly so that we don't notice the change until it's too late.  Nite.

Treasure Jar....................by Diane Ogden

I saw this at a clients home today.

  I stood there turning the jar around and around trying to find more hidden treasures buried within its glass walls.  It appeared to contain items from around 1949-1950s.
One half of an old set of dice.  Don't you just wonder where that came from?  Did they sit on a bar for years doing dice games. (obviously I don't know the names of those games)  Did they belong to a teeneagers old Monopoly game?  Were they stolen from a gambling table in Vegas or maybe Europe! An old matchbox car, marbles, an old wooden NOT PLASTIC empty spool that used to hold thread.  Poker Chips, a wooden airplane, and much more.  In fact as I was walking around the kitchen I noticed three little critters sitting on the window sill.  Those critters, A cow, a pig, and a red chicken brought back some serious memories.  Back in the early early 50's my brother and I would take his huge farm set out to our back yard.  We would put the farm on one side of our river, dug out dirt with aluminum foil in the base to hold our river water.  On the other side of the aluminum river we had a war happening.  All of his little plastic army men hiding behind branches we plucked off bushes along with army tanks and the like.  Not sure why. Guess because its all we had.

 Army men laying on the ground with guns pointed at the cows and chickens and such.  That jar certainly did hold a treasure of memories for me today.
And notice the price!  $8.50 wow.  That is a jar that should just sit on a shelf for viewing for another sixty years.
Well, until I run into something interesting, funny, or happy,  Be well, Be safe, Be happy and get rich like me so you can buy jars full of treasures to do nothing special with but to look at. 

Fridgidare Dishwasher..........by Diane Ogden

It came to my attention I was eating the tiny
particles of garbage dried on my plates and glasses after they were supposed to be cleaned in my dishwasher. So I did what Google said as I always do. One would think Google was kin to me..... Google said to wash the empty dishwasher with bleach and or other such toxic chemicals so I did. Glasses still had dried grunge on them. Had to soak them for two days in the sink to loosen the rock hardened particles. At this point I took the bottom filter, and three other pieces out of the carriage area. I laid them out so I would remember how they went back in and of course during the whole transaction I forgot. I thought I got it back together but maybe    notsomuch.  Finally I called maintenance.  I didn't want to call them because I didn't want them to find Bob Ogden.  If they found Bob Ogden or he heard them come in he might start meowing loudly thinking it was his mama me!  He does that when he hears me come home.  I think he must be one of my reincarnated dogs or relatives maybe.  Bob seems to have supernatural talents like me.  And I really didn't want maintenance to see all my signs everywhere saying, "I HAVE ONE MILLION DOLLARS THANK YOU."  Okay back to my point. Maintenance came.....  left a note saying I needed parts as the dishwasher  is old.  I was fairly offended thinking he was making reference to me!  Sure I am old and sure I could use some new parts but come on that isn't nice.  I let it go.  Next day he came back without warning and left the old sprayer arm on the counter so I could see the damage. 

Dang thing was burned! That looked dangerous to myself and my little farmette. There were times I could smell burning plastic which I know causes cancer so I would check to see if anything fell into the bottom of the dishwasher. Nope never found anything yet still smelled it. Notsogood.  Oh, lest I forget the maintenance guy told me not to put knifes in the utensil holder as it probably stopped the arm from moving.  Really?  No.... The sprayer arm was broken and laid directly on the heating element. I am not a dummie. Probably protecting the complex from a possible law suit. But it all ended well....   The dishwasher is repaired and the glasses are clean. No inferred notes were left behind saying anything or anyone needed new parts and I never got sick from eating clean garbage grunge.  And ALSWELL as my license plate says.   So until tomorrow, be safe, be well, be happy, and get rich like me cause its easier.  You could buy a condo with a Bosch Dishwasher!   Laters

Karate to the Buick...............by Diane Ogden

As you all know I have the oldest car in the underground parking where I live.  But I also may be the only one without a payment.  And I like-a no payment-a.  The old girl is a bit of rust on her.  Her

front end has a cracked bushing both of which I wholeheartedly can relate to.  Her fuel pump is giving way they tell me.  Again I understand.  Her dash lights are not only dimming, but finally gone.  Cant tell if I have gas or no gas.  Cant go by the trip set cause that light is out too.   The old term "lights out" has new meaning for me.  As you know I ran out of gas in rush hour traffic only to get a lecture from a young pup who probably has a car payment and working dash lights.  What's my point?   I will tell you.  The other day it was raining a considerable amount.  I rolled my passenger side widow (ha, I may be the Buick's widow soon) WINDOW I meant to type, to tell the young man to put my groceries in the back seat.  It was at that time, "it," the window, refused to go back up. Oh yes, in the rain all the way home to its underground stall and then some time longer.  I came up to my apartment feeling in a "what am I going to do" mode. Fuel pump, Bushing, dash lights, I forgot the hubcap that flew off, and Clicker I accidentally threw in the trash bin, body work and so on. I stopped thinking and I walked back down to her stall and I opened my drivers door where the controls are for that window. Note I had tried everything else and none of the controls for that window would work. I knew a new power motor would cost an east $200 +.  Then I got mad.  I leaned the old body back, raised the old leg and karate chopped the door handle holding those power window controls!!  Yes I did!!  As I kicked it the window went back up on its own.  Must have been stuck and I unstuck it.  Good for me. I guess I still have a little punch left in me too.

I remember the old days when our TV's wouldn't work.  All we had to do most of the time was hit it!
Back then we had tubes inside the TV's so hitting it would put a tube or two back to place.  I am just glad the window is up.  I have a piece of duct tape (omg) on the one control so I don't accidentally put it down again....  I know I know its time to get new wheels.  I hate car payments.... 

So until the next time:  Be safe, be well, be happy, and get rich so you can pay cash for a better car.
I cant complain, the old Buick has taken good care of me for several years.  Amen

(I WISH THAT WAS MY BUICK!)

Old People Kissing......................by Diane Ogden

Old People Kissing!

Why do old people (over 50-55) look like they kiss WRONG? I am serious. I have been watching the same soap opera for something like thirty years.... they cut the main couple out, fired them! Then brought them back a couple plus years later and omg..... I have tried to be quiet about this. I haven't even checked the blogs or the twitter and truthfully I don't need to. All I have to do is watch the soap and say to self.....eewww. Do not publicly try to have passionate sexual scenes when you are over 50. 'Cause you look WRONG is all it is. Maybe not wrong, but not enticing sex thoughts for the viewers. When I watch it think....oh oh you writers messed up. The old folks forgot how to act or the wrinkles got in the way, I truly dunno what it is, just truly know it is fact. If the viewers hang on you might figure it out and please do not do those scenes anymore, okay? P L E A S E....
Those actors are now the Mame's and papa's of daytime TV. And no one wants to see Mame having sex scenes. They rather see her in pearl earrings giving ad-vice to the tweens and teens and such. Eewww on the petting on screen while the candles burn away. Mr. DeMill I am ready for my head shot, not my thin lip lock.....omg
Laters     Be well!

The 10-10-10 Rule..................by Diane Ogden

10-10-10 rule

 I heard on the 10-10-10 rule on 107.3 FM radio where John Tesh is the late afternoon announcer. He gives grand little tid bits of info to all us listeners. He always was the all American boy next door apple pie guy. Anyway...John Tesh says....whenever making any sort of decision it is best to use the 10-10-10 rule. I was ready for the rule when then the station took a commercial break and luckily I was still around after it considering I was driving. John says when making any decision think about what the consequences will be in 10 minutes, in 10 months, and in 10 years. Then he gave this brilliant but average example. If your child calls you at work crying and carrying on because he/she needs you to be home for a special homework project they forgot to tell you about, or the need for a special dinner, or their boyfriend broke up with them......you must think how you will feel and how it will affect your life in 10 minutes if you leave work. How your child will feel or how your decision will affect your life and theirs in 10 months if you leave work and do what they wish, and considering that your boss may disagree is a concern also. Then how this will affect you in 10 years? Could leaving work early to amend the emotions of a child cause you any regrets? In 10 minutes will the child be over it? Probably not. Will the child forget all about this one evening in 10 months? Probably. And in ten years could you have lost that promotion and all that goes with it, and the child has absolutely no recollection of the issue. Such as a large raise in salary that could change your life and allow that child that called with the tantrum a college education! Just an example of how making decisions on emotions can affect/ruin a life or two. Me, I am old enough to know that I wish I had known about the 10-10-10-Rule. I didn't and it did affect my life and my children's. Not that I ever left work early for a child throwing a simple tantrum, or did I?   I do have 10-10-10- regrets as we all do I am sure but have made the best of it due to lack of choice. The key is from now on I shall use the 10-10-10 rule for sure. A good rule indeed. Almost as good as the Golden Rule...so, put the 10-10-10-Rule and the Golden Rule in a jar and shake them up and you have good decisions without a doubt. But do realize this. If the child needs you to be at a special athletic dinner or important live celebration in his or her honor and you chose work over them.....whole different bag of potatoes! Like John T says, 10-10-10 again and again.

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