Chronicles of Nana

Well…I have had enough doom and gloom, haven’t you..? Seems like the bums in Washington DC keep running around like  Chicken Little yelling the sky is falling. There is no doubt the stock market is tanking, the banks are not lending, and the houses aren’t selling …so instead of falling on my sword (which I am known to do upon occasion) I decided to return to Mother Earth in order to save some dough!

LIFE’S A GRIND…

I went to the local kitchen center store and invested in a grinder attachment to my Kitchenaid mixer. I am going back to basics…not that I am digging up the lawn for a garden but I purchased a 50 pound bag of wheat kernals and started grinding away. Something theraputic about watching wheat kernals becoming flour…..

FLOUR NEVER SMELLED SO SWEET…

In about 15 minutes I had 10 pounds of flour ready to be made into bread. Then, I had a brilliant idea…I called upon my sweet daughter-in-law who has tolerated my son for many years now, to take my batch of ingredients and recipe and work her baker’s magic…

By dinner’s end she dropped by two piping hot loaves of fragrant bread…as we sat about the kitchen island and devoured a loaf in a matter of minutes, she remarked how easy the new recipe was and that she felt guilty because it did not need to be punched down or have to go through the rising stage. As the bad- for -you butter hit every nook and cranny we simply nodded our heads as every crumb was eaten.

GRANDAD’S REMARKS…

Now, Grandad frequently extolls his own mother’s baking…, he was a bit quiet about his opinion of the new bread but he did seem to come back for seconds and thirds. His redeeming coment was that wheat bread helps clean out the colon… having said that it does leave strange visions of more than we wanted to know in our minds…

THERE IS A DIFFERENCE…

What was obvious was the difference in texture and taste it makes when using freshly ground wheat flour. So, we are going to call the ladies in the family together so we can be shown just how easy it is to make this fabulous bread. Mother Nature is not going to loose anything on us….

I know…just how much is the price of bread going to go to merit such back to basics extremes..? That’s not the point..it’s the idea of doing something with natural ingredients and producing something eatible but good and yummy as well. Cost values.. Who knows..?  This just might be the only dough we get for a while!

But there is something more than satisfying in creating the staff of life from scratch…

Now if I can only solve the global warming thing..!

                           Once again someone very special is having a birthday!

                                    WE WISH AUBREE A WONDERFUL DAY FILLED WITH HAPPINESS

                    AND GOOD SURPRISES…..  

               HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIRL!!

          HUGS, NANA 

We have now had a month of on again off again politics as President Obama takes the hot seat in Waahington DC. I can’t imagine the seat being more hotter than now with so much of the old normal perpetuating change…

FOR THE GOOD..?

Is it good Change..? There has been many discussions concerning the path our nation is now trodding. Socialism…perhaps. Highly contolled government…yeap. More entangled entitlements…of course. Increased miles of red tape…you bet. Higher taxes…most assuredly.

SHOW US THE MONEY…

The tax payers money is being spent. It goes here..it goes there…who knows WHERE..? Where is the plan..???

Stimulus #1where did it go?…to the banks to buy up bad banks and shore up the car industry…not for loans to the people. The auto industry is now back for more stimulus money..does anyone think the general public will have the dough to even buy cars..? Credit has dried up..even a rebate can’t help…

Like…where’s the plan..? And just who would really qualify..?

I guess the only planning Washington politicans do is public paid for vacations….

Oh, excuse me…fact finding tours like to the Vatican *@#**

I watched the Academy Awards last night for the first time in a few years. My interest has waned since my movie going days aren’t as frequent as they used to be. And, truthfully, I tired of the pompous display of “Hollywood as usual.”…

ONCE UPON A TIME…

As a kid I enjoyed watching the display of Hollywood indulence and sparkle of glamour that comes with beautiful clothes and sparkling jewels. Let’s face it, Oscar Night is not really about the movies as it is the industry patting itself on the back by their own comtempories and handing over gold statues to each other.

THE POLITICAL EFFECT…

I was interested in seeing how politics would be injected into the celebration this year. Apparently this year’s soapbox is not the regeme change in Washington DC but the gay rights cause that has caused a wildfire of controversy in California these days. California has to be”on fire” with some major issue on an ongoing basis. But the liberal citizentry have to walk a fine line since the state is mired into deep debt and laws that don’t seem to work.

The Hollywood Guy, the Govenator, is sinking into negative public opinion and having to dance the liberal dance even as an elected republican governor. I remember a different California where people were kinder, gentler and less needy…

THE GOLDEN STATE…

Don’t get me wrong, California is a beautiful state…I spent many years enjoying living amongst and seeing the sites. We used to say we were 3 hours from anywhere. But those times were less politically correct and much easier on the wallet. The West Coast has a way of living on the edge.

ENTERTAINING…?

Just as California has changed, it appears effort was made to make the Oscars to be more sensitive and friendly. However, there is little disguising the privileged aire that prevailed among the stars that shone last night.  Times being rough, I found myself uncomfortable in watching it so abundantly displayed.

It did seem there was an international flare to the event opening a path for foreign achievements to be acknowledged. Then again, the pickings of American productions have been sparse of late. Perhaps it is time that independent crews and producers be given a greater arena for expression and achievement. Hollywood could very well be in a state of flux and change as well….

It could be the glamor and glitz of Hollywood has had it’s day. The real world tends to suck up everyone’s attention and unless the movies can re-establish the American Dream going to the movies in the future might be a real drag…

They say that during hard times people go to the movies but reality has hit so hard these days that a little fantasy is now needed more than ever…

Regardless, Hugh Jackman was not hard on the eyes….

Money, money, money, it’s a rich man’s world…Abba had it right. The news lately is filled with several stories that revolve around money and how its influence corrupts the soul.  Bernie Madoff, the mortgage giants and the government play the pyrimid scams or monopoly game with the very last cents in our pockets….

MONEY NEWS…

The stories whipping around cable TV can make your hair stand on end. Everyday there is a new twist to a not too pretty picture that exists in the world of high stakes players. Who needs Vegas for the high rollers when real life dramas are being preformed right before our eyes…

MEASURING MORALS…

I am amazed by the gall of people who seem to brush away their mis-deeds as normal activities of the day. We have Barney Frank still spewing forth Fanny and Freddy with the buy-in of Obama to right the wrong mortgages. There is Christopher Dodd who still is enjoying his sweetheart deal with Countrywide and a bunch of Obama cronies who can’t keep their own taxes straight.

THE QUEEN BEE…

Nancy Pelosi pushed in the second stimulus and then turns off the government house lights to meet with the Pope. Kudos to the Pope for slapping her hands on her stance on abortion..there is some justice in Rome at least…not that it will matter much. I hope she felt awkward ….

I can go on naming names but what does it matter…not much is being done to them to change their questionable ways. Do you think there is a double standard here…? What needs to be aired is the apathy and nuetually stalled general public who seem to turn a blind eye to these lapses of honesty and integrity…

DIFFERING CLASSES…

We have a polarized nation and enconomy. The “haves” are scrambling to reinforce their wealth and not get caught… and the “have-nots” are having to rely upon a government who insists upon taking control of their lives.

In the disguise of making life “fair for all” or distributing the wealth we are going to be saddled with more red tape and with more restricted hoops to jump through. Social security and medicare are tettering which does not bode well with the senior citizens. Nothing secure about that!

As far as I am concerned more government means more hassles..if I had the money, money , money I”d find a warm beach somewhere and watch the world go by..along with all those crooked billionaires!! The sandscape is getting crowded…

Pina colada anyone..?

There is something comforting in knowing life will go on with or without me. Now I do not wish to say this post will be negative…far from it. But, when you get to my age, sliding down that hill fast, it is good to know that the good earth, with all it’s beauty, will continue with the coming seasons…

SEASONS….

I like the permanence of that statement. Spring brings new growth and birth, summer ushers in warmth, fall brings the harvest and winter causes the earth to sleep and renew. Alot of people enjoy the weather of California where there are no seasons just occasional weather distractions. But, as much as I complain about the cold snow or the hot steamy summer days, I have come to appreciate the seasons and the passages of time they represent.

LIFE…

Such is life…stages and passages in time. The body shows the wear and tear and the mind bends from an overload of knowledge and experiences. I have known fear and trepidation and I have felt great joys and happiness. I marvel at what the human body can do…in many cases rejeuvenate itself to what was once normal.

The cycle of life needs to be appreciated. It is what has become a staple of what exists here on earth. I have had five beautiful children, all so different from one another. I would make so much a better mother now than then. I suppose that is why grandmotherhood is so sweet. A second chance to appreciate the wonders of childhood. I think, perhaps, my childhood was stunted or perhaps I was born old…

CHILDREN…

I never had siblings so it has been delightful to see, visit and share my grandchildren with their parents. I love my children but I really love my grandkids and great grantchildren. As a Nana I can love all things innocent and playful…I can see in them what I missed in my youth. I would miss Santa Claus if I would let him go out of my life…so I still believe!

NEWS…

Recently I have been told that I will be a new Nana and a new great Nana x2. I was delighted with the news and….

Recently I observed an adoptive couple with their baby.  I can imagine the joy they feel in having a sweet little one to charm their lives. I watched as they carefully cuddled and fussed over him. I think of the grandparents who perhaps for years longed to see a baby from this good couple and now that yearning, by all, has passed…

I am thinking the future can be seen in the eyes of the innocent, in the smiling sweet smiles of children.

Would that this sweet earth hold together to welcome the innocent is my prayer…

Over ten years now..we moved inland from the west coast. Starting over at our age is daunting, if not near impossible. We, like alot of older parents, wanted to be closer to our grown children. We wanted to be part of our grandchildren’s lives…which in the long run is the best place to be…

MOVING TOWARD THE UNKNOWN…

We knew jobs would not be plentiful in the place we were heading..but like most we lived on a hope and a prayer. It took a few jobs to where we found a niche that needed to be filled. Along with Grandad and I came our daughter and her son. Joining us last year is our other daughter and her daughter. So the house is filled with three families now.

MULTI-LIVING…

Now, there is a trick to having multi families living together. The biggest trick is that everyone must have their own space. Most are morning shower people so my grandaughter and I bathe at nightime. We eat as one family which is great to coordinate the next day’s plans. Everyone has their own TV set. Saturday is shopping and clean up day. The daughters are in charge of the kitchen…as a diabetic I am okay with that!

Everyone has their own car..except mine is dead in the driveway. Which is just as well because I have been laid up with a broken leg the last 7 months. I have found as long as I have a muu-muu, fuzzy socks and a pathway to the bathroom I can survive!

PUSHING FORWARD…

My grandson got a wonderful education at a private school which required great sacrifice from us all. He is now an advanced sophmore at a small college in the city and doing well. Our little grandaughter is able to walk into her cousin’s footstep and attend his elementary alma mater. She is having a great time learning and is exposed to the arts unlike most public school today…

She lost her Daddy last year so she and Mom are seeking their new normal…we all are. To soften the blow somewhat she and Mom fly to Disneyland and escape into the magic that can be had there. Mom is enjoying being a stay at home Mom for awhile…

LIFE AND THE UNEXPECTED…

Grandad and I are going with the flow, catching a few moments here and there to smell the roses and enjoy the magnificent mountains. Life is not what we suppose it would be…

I suppose there can be sad stories found everywhere. As quick as we say the grass can be greener…then we find ‘it can be worse!’ Grandad’s favorite saying is..”and the hits keep coming.” True enough…

But it is the grace and courage in withstanding those hits that build character and grit.

 I just hope we are among those last standing with strength and honor….

Grandad and I spent over 30 years in the corporate world. He worked for a Fortune 500 company that for many years did everything right and thrived…

IS THERE LIFE AFTER GRADUATION..?

Grandad was fresh out of Cal Berkeley and signed onto a local drug store chain as a member of the lower ranks. He was a college hot shot and had a natural way of annoying just about everyone. So when a new store was built in the boonies of the central valley they stuck him there to rot…pretty graphic but that is about the way it was…

A COSTLY GAMBLE…

So, we had to bring our house up to code to sell and off we went to the boondocks with a loaded station wagon filled with kids and dog. We found a small newer home that fit the family fine and for a while sweated out the double house payments until the other house sold.

We called these years our Camelot time because it was the best thing to happen to our family. The little town was well suited for family…with more churches than gas stations. It’s population was around 25,000 and my children could roam the streets safely and had the freedom to bike all over the valley vineyards.

The summers would get hot..and an egg could fry on the sidewalk. My son had a paper route and his tips rivaled his Dad’s paycheck. Our caboose child was born here and we spent many early evenings at the Lake to feed the birds or play baseball.

A BIG CHANGE…

Our life changed, however, when Grandad was promoted and we needed to live closer to the general office. Then the games really began…politics in business stinks. The cocktail gatherings were bloated with self importance and I grew to detest them. The higher rung of corporate America lives in a different world…

Shopping at Nordstroms, vacationing with other corporate vice presidents..we just never belonged. I had worked with Grandad in the Training Department since it’s creation. I was the graphic artist and usually had my hand in most projects. I lasted for 10 years when computers were on the horizon and catty employees decided to bring me down…

I ‘retired’ with gratitude for escaping the corporate mess. It became apparent some time later that shifts in business attitudes were causing serious concerns for Grandad. He spent 2 years hating his job..it turned sour when company greed started to affect on line employees. It became a struggle to walk the talk…

Times changed…perhaps it was us. But the ladder to success was no longer easy to climb. We knew a change needed to take place but before we could make our move Grandad’s company forced retired him ( the kind way of letting him go.)

Within 10 years this fortune 500 company was taken over by an east coast conglomerate. The Training Department was disbanded and was no more…

MEASURING IT’S WORTH…

Was it worth all the energy and time spent to come to nothing..NO! However, it brought us to know our Camelot and kept food on the table. There were perks to the job like several trips to Hawaii, New York and New England and Europe. And several of our children had their first work experiences with this company.

 We gathered several skills and can boast that we assembled a independent video production unit within a corporate structure. Many employees left with technical skills that they took to other positions…there are friendships we hold still today.

THE PRESENT DAY…

Now, no where able to retire we don’t look back much…except to remember family and the events that made us grow up together. Could we put events into rewind perhaps they would be different…regrets, yeah there are a few. Starting over is not easy nor it is for the faint at heart.

We came to the fork in the road and still struggle to see where it’s taking us…

Such is life…the company no longer exists but we carry on..! 

When did I get old..? Was it when I discovered I was computer illiterate..? Was it when I reached for the clutch and it wasn’t there? Perhaps it was the first time I found a dark whisker on my chin…or the time I climbed the stairs and had to sit down. It surely wasn’t when I gathered my multi- grandchildren about me, why they make me young!…

THE DOCTOR KNOW BEST…

Maybe it was my doctor who said with a stone face..”well, when you hit 30, you are dying anyway!’ All I know is that there comes a time when the body lets you know…in spades!

Oh, it starts easy enough. a wrinkle here and then there. The knees start to creak and snap, crackle and pop. The arches in the feet fall, the crown falls off a tooth and sleeping flat in bed no longer works…

ARE THERE PERKS…

Then comes the procedures inside and outside the body but let’s not go there…There comes a few perks with old age like the senior menus at the restaurants and matinee prices at the movies. Perhaps the biggest perk is qualifying for the disabled placard..what a bonus!

Luckily for me my mind is functioning. Now, my children might question that statement. But, truthfully I milk that cow for what it is worth. Sometimes it great fun to play deaf, dumb and blind…

I was never good at jokes but perhaps ole’ age is the biggest joke of all..!

There is nothing like weddings and babies to lift the human spirit and heaven knows we all can use a spiritual high nowadays…

IT’S TOUGH ..GETTING ROUGH..

These are trying times and the uncertainty with the future tend to give me moments of uneasiness. We are attempting to make plans for a family reunion this summer and just to second guess what airline will still be in business makes it tough to make advanced decisions. We have already been burned last year when the airlines were crunching their schedules and flights that we missed our plane to Hawaii.  We were not informed. We were running around trying to reschedule and lost nearly two days vacation time. We were flying blind…no pun intended.

TIGHTENING THE BELT…

Put that together with the employment squeeze and alot of planning is going to go down the crapper. We have been trying to get the most out of the planned week for the reunion but it looks as though we just fly in and fly out with no extras or stops between. We had hoped to get the kids to Washington DC but not this time ….

DO WE DARE GO THERE…?

So, speaking of Washington DC- the town of big spenders of our bailout monies…what do  you think..? Were you listening to the several Dems on TV who said it was urgent to pass the second stimulus robbery…? What’s the damn hurry..the first stimulus stimulated nothing!

PORK IS SNORTIN’…

The second stimulus is loaded with add-on unnecessary pork…who cares about the bees and fish population right now with human beings hurting to put food on the table..?  These “don’t get it” dems are so caught up in the money grabbing schemes that they actually go on TV and say “look the stimulus handles three major issues, don’t go balistic over the millions of add-on.”…

Washington is so used to playing monopoly with our tax monies that they feel a mere one hundred million here or there does not matter. Have you thought what that money could do with the infrastructure or homeless? Have you asked yourself how we got into this mess anyway? Do you really believe no one knew what was likely to be the outcome with excessive and bloated greed..? Were these guys worth their paycheck and golden parachutes..? Who was minding the store..?

SHOW ME THE MONEY…

And if you haven’t noticed no one is budging from their stance on the issues with the money. Deceit and dishonesty is still being employed in Washington DC. Barney Frank is still muddling along making excuses for himself, Pelosi is fluffing up the bailouts, Christopher Dodd is enjoying his sweetheart deal with Countrywide, Paulson and Bernanke are doling out the funds without balancing the spread sheet and we are keeping the crooks in the mortage and bank business- in business. We are even putting people into high positions who can’t keep their own taxes in order…There has got to be better managers than this..!

I feel we have the sheep in the store house eating up every thing on site..sort of like a mini Blagojevich. I mean what’s the difference..? He is strong arming Illinois and the Washington money grabbers are doing the same to us.

A SENATOR’S RESPONSE…

So, as we sit on a powder keg in Washington, I am not feeling too stable here at home. People everywhere are losing jobs and we feel we may be on that hit list as well. I have done something I have never done before. I emailed my state senators and complained. I received a pre-prepared response from one of them…he must have expected a few inquiries…

It was the typical two page speech giving all the reasons why he voted the way he did. He sighted several points but I also detected excuses and that unnerved me. He is a long time sanator from our state. I was not impressed.

Clearly he has been in Washington DC toooo long….and I am now all for term limits for all Washington government officials. Some are elected and go to Washington with humble means but I have never known someone to retire from a high government position who was not a multi millionaire.

Fox News once had a rolling segment called ‘The Fleecing of America..”

Well….baaaaaaaa……………..