Wednesday

Exciting title, huh (smile)? Hey, not only is it Wednesday but it's 41 degrees, fog so thick you can see maybe a half a mile (if you have your distance glasses on) and it's raining. On the bright side, I'm at the library and there's hardly anyone here so I was able to snag a computer. Either people are home because the weather sucks or they're at the mall shopping till they drop.

I'd like to say there's a ton of exciting stuff going on in my life but you'd know right off I was lying. My life, while not wildly exciting , is a good one nonetheless and I am relatively happy. I'm still crocheting, working on yet another afghan made of a myriad of colors and textures of yarn from my 'stash box'. Despite faithfully working from the stash it appears as if I have enough leftover yarn to make afghans for everybody I know and you know and still won't have to purchase more yarn.


When winter sets in and there's snow on the ground I'm going to be sewing Barbie doll clothes. No, I'm not regressing into a second childhood (smile)! I have a cousin, a little girl, 8 years odl, who has a 'thing' for Barbie. She has several Barbies but no clothes for them! At the store, even at KMart, the cheapest clothes are $5 for an outfit and they're chintzy, nasty looking and won't last but a minute. I think that's why her Mom hasn't bought her any. Plus, money is tight at their house and the kids need clothes more than a doll does (almost word for word from her Mom). I bought a ton of fabric, thread, laces, etc. and I have Barbie clothes patterns and I figure I can sew beaucoop clothes for her dolly. It'll be fun for me and she'll love it. Plus, I bought a new Barbie to give her with the clothes. I'm thinking maybe April I'll be finished.

Same cousin, I made her a pretty girlie-looking pink afghan some monthes ago. She loved it. Pink is her favorite color. Got a phone call from her last week, all upset. Her baby doll didn't have a blanket and it's cold! Oh no! I made an afghan for her baby doll just exactly like the one I made her (except smaller). Now baby doll is warm and snuggy.

I made cinnamon rolls from scratch last week. First time ever for me. I used the recipe from the Pioneer Woman's cookbook. It can also be found online at her blog/website. If you're interested, just Google Pioneer Woman. She's wildly popular. What I liked about her recipe was she had photos for each step (both in her cookbook and on her site). It makes it much easier when you're attempting something new because you can see what the person is saying, sort of. The recipe made a lot of cinnamon rolls, like about 50, and they weren't your little bitty ones either. These were honking huge rolls! Everyone I gifted with a pan of them loved them and asked to be placed on the cinnamon gift list (smile). Okay, everyone but HSM and her family. They said the rolls were too buttery. And they were veryveryvery buttery, very old school. But that was a good thing. They tasted like cinnamon rolls used to taste before people started making foods without much flavor. But as much as I liked them the way the recipe said to make them, next time I'm cutting the butter amount in half. I think they'll still be good. If you look the recipe up and give it a try, I also changed the glaze/frosting when I made them. PW said to use maple flavoring and coffee in the glaze. I nixed that and used vanilla instead.

Well, the clock on the computer says my time is almost up. Gots to go. You be good and be careful, take care, stay strong. And be mindful when you're out and about. Lots of bad people doing bad things to good people.


hugs, Tawny
248-615-1300

Hatred

I haven't been shy about saying how much I enjoy the new TLC (cable) channel show, All-American Muslim. I watch it every Sunday night at 10 pm EST.

One of the kind of cool things about TLC is the diversity of their programming. We can vicariously live amongst all sorts of different people via the network's shows.

I have watched Big World, Little People for years. It's a reality show about a family that lives on a farm in the Pacific Northwest. The Mom and Dad as well as one of the twins, are dwarves. The other three kids are normal sized. I have learned from watching the show that just because they're small physically, it doesn't mean there's anything wrong with them. They're not freaks. They live and love and want for their family what we all want for ours.

I've watched Jon and Kate Plus 8 from the time the sextuplets were little bitty kids. I learned several things from that show. First, that it has to be hard as can be to raise eight kids--a set of sextuplets and a set of twins. Second, that we should treat our spouse nice and not 'dog' them like Kate did Jon.

I've watched the show with the Duggar family. They're Christians with, at last count, 19 kids. They don't use credit cards and, while I disagree with how they homeschool their kids and the fact that they have so many kids, I've learned that they love their family and want the very best for them.

I felt when All-American Muslim aired that it would show people who were unfamiliar with Muslims that they're people too. That they love their families and want the best for them, just like everybody else in the world. I felt it would show people that Muslims are people too.

Here in my town for years we have had a sort of 'meet your neighbor festival'. I live in a diverse community where there are families from all over the world, where our residents speak dozens and dozens of different languages, where we come in all shapes and sizes and colors and religions.

As a result of our festivals we have all learned that we are all the same whether we're Armenian, African, Chaldean, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Jewish, Muslim, Christian, obese, anorexic, little people, etc. We are all the same. Because of that realization we are a community that gets along and looks out for each other.  

Apparently America isn't like the town I live in. Lowes has been one of the advertisers of All-American Muslim. Bowing to great pressure from the Muslim-haters of the USA they have pulled their advertising dollars from the show.

While it is their right to spend their advertising dollars as they see fit, it is a sad and sorry thing that they would cave in and, essentially, agree with the haters. They have rubber stamped bigotry and hatred.

I am not a home improvement contractor or anything, just a homeowner who does her very best to keep her home in good shape. I have been a Lowes shopper for years, ever since they built one near to my home. I spend probably a thousand dollars a year there. That's not a whole heck of a lot of money in the grand scheme of things, but it's a sizable amount of money to me.

Until now I never knew that Lowes didn't like Muslims. But now that I know, well, no more shopping there. I am a Muslim. How can I patronize a place that hates me?  

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.

Hugs, Tawny

248-615-1300

New Thoughts On A Brisk Day

As one of my friends made mention the other day, for like the umpteenth time, 'I sure did enjoy your last blog entry....' which is code for 'when in the devil are you going to write something again?'. So here I am. There are lots of reasons why I don't post often. One, not a whole heck of a lot is going on here. Two, thanks to more changes at the blog site as well as to the work-around site I've been using to post from, I am not able to post at all from my WebTV. That means, unless I am able to get to the library and snag use of a computer, I have to bother TWG and ask him to post it for me. That's what's happening today.

Who says facebook is useless? I read on there today that the state of

Pennsylvania has decided to stop trying to execute Mumia Abu Jamal! Mumia has been on death row for 30 years for the murder of a Philadelphia policeman. Mumia is still in prison, he hasn't been released, but perhaps it's the first step to gaining his freedom.

Also via facebook, you know how once you get on there you seem to reconnect with people you haven't seen in ages? Well, the people I went to grade school with, just grades 7 + 8, before that I attended public school, 'found' me on FB. I have been invited to do lunch with a few of them this month (but can't because of other commitments) but who knows; maybe the next time they get together I'll be able to join them.

Cable TV. Are you watching 'Boardwalk Empire' on HBO? I hope you said yes. The end of the second season is imminent and I'm going to miss it. It's superb TV. Same way with 'Homeland' on Showtime. It is an excellent series and if you're not watching it, well, you are missing out big time.

Last but not least, the TLC channel. Sunday nights at 10 pm EST, 'All-American Muslims'. A reality series filmed in Dearborn, Michigan. Dearborn, a city that is home to the world headquarters of Ford, as well as the largest concentration of Arabs outside of an Arab country, is part of the metro Detroit area. If you know nothing about Muslims except for the garbage you hear/see on the Fox network then this show is a must-see for you. Muslims are people too. As American as you and your family. I love this show and watch it every Sunday.

Yesterday the movie 'The Help' was released on DVD. I read the book years ago when it first came out and loved it. The story reminded me of my grandmamma. Often times when a book is made into a movie it, well, it sucks big time, but not this time. I really enjoyed the movie. And no, it's not a 'chick flick'. That is such a derogatory term.

I think that's about it from here. I'm still crocheting. Finished all my afghans and am working on another one. Trying to use up all my scraps and bits and pieces of yarn. From the looks of it there's probably another two or three scrap afghans worth of yarn in the bin. Oh well, they sure do end up colorful!

Hope you're staying warm. It's downright chilly here. Last week they got over 6 inches of snow just forty miles west of here. So far we haven't had enough snow to even talk about.

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.

Hugs, Tawny

www.tawnyford.com

248-615-1300

Finally Something To Write About!

I haven't had a whole heck of a lot of anything to write/talk about here in, oh, probably a month or so. My life is not very exciting. I know, most folks don't have especially exciting lives and that's okay. But it makes for a difficult time when you're trying to write something for a blog.

But things picked up today. I was watching the local noon news, sort of half paying attention. I mean, how much disaster can you handle at only twelve noon? And I heard a voice that I recognized. And no, it wasn't the reporter (smile).

I looked up at the screen and there was a man I knew from prison. And he wasn't on TV because he'd committed any new crime(s).

It was a news story about a church in the city of Detroit that experienced it's third break-in. Well, fourth if you count that the thieves that had robbed the church the night before had came back in the morning to steal the speaker they'd forgotten.

The voice I recognized, the man I knew, was a deacon at that church. It had been years since I'd seen him. The last time being when he was in solitary confinement and had to come out for our visit in shackles and handcuffs. That's how they do it in Michigan prisons, it wasn't a special look designed just for him.

I knew he'd been released some years ago and I wasn't surprised that he hadn't kept in touch with me. I think it's always a good sign when parolees/released prisoners don't get with me. That means their life is going okay, or at least okay enough that they don't need my help.

And apparently he's doing well. He's still a free man. He was reasonably well dressed, had some weight on him so that meant he was eating, and he was coherent with his speech. Plus, he was a church deacon.

He counts as a bona fide success story!

I can't take any credit for his success. He did it all on his own, or with the help of folks he met once he was released.

The only thing I did was reinforce the belief that if a prisoner receives x-number of visits while they're incarcerated they have a much better chance of succeeding upon release. I visited this man once a month for several years and kept up a steady letter writing exchange with him for more years than that.

I know not everyone is cut out to be a prison visitor or even pen pals with a prisoner. But if you can handle it, well, it can make all the difference in the world for someone locked up.

But let me wind it up here before I get all preachy about prisoners. It did my heart good to see this man on TV this morning. It was like a breath of fresh air on a hot, muggy day.

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.

Hugs, Tawny

tawnyford@webtv.net

248-615-1300

Ramadan Is Almost Over

I feel sort of bad about this. Here it is only a few more days left of
Ramadan and I'm only just now telling you this.

If you can, go to YouTube. Search for Native Deen. That's the name of a singing group. Search for their song Ramadan Is Here. The official version, not the one with Alvin + The Chipmunks. The song is cute and so is the video.

Actually, all of Native Deen's music is good. I have their cds and play
at least a song or two off them almost every day.

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.


hugs, Tawny
tawny_ford@webtv.net

The Life + Times

I'll tell you what, there really hasn't been a whole lot going on these past few months. Leastwise not at my house. But that's good, that's how I like it.

About three months ago a stray cat showed up in my yard. Actually, two stray cats showed up at just about the same time. A grey one and an orange + white one. Softy that I am, I started putting food and water out for them.  

After about a month, the orange + white one decided my yard was her yard and she'd run the grey one out. Every time he (although I don't know if it was a he, I was never able to get close enough to tell) showed to try and eat she'd be on him and he'd be running for his life over the neighbor’s fence.

The orange + white cat turned out to be a female. It took a month and a half before I knew though. She wouldn't let me anywhere near her. Yes, I could feed her, but that was it. No fraternization.

The poor cat looked terrible. I truly thought she was about a hundred years old, that's how bedraggled, tired, sad and malnourished she was. She walked with her head down and she slunk with her belly almost touching the ground. It was heart breaking to see.

My guess is she used to belong to someone. I'd say she used to be an indoor cat and then someone either moved and left her behind, or tossed her out. Anyway, sad was all over face and her demeanor. I figured she was going to die soon.

I talked to her every time I saw her. Didn't make no matter that she wanted nothing to do with me, I still spoke to her a couple of times a day. Finally, about a month ago it paid off. She came to me and we were immediate buddies.

It got to where if I went out in the backyard and sat down, she was on my lap. If I went to the mailbox at the end of my driveway she followed me like a dog. She was sleeping in my garage at night. And I was getting up at 7am every morning to feed her outside and Kathleen inside.

Kathleen is my 15-year-old indoor cat. She has always been an indoor cat, an only cat and my faithful loving companion. Had it not been for Kathleen's total intolerance for any other animals I would have brought Stray Kitty into our house as soon as she let me pet her.

Because of Kathleen I began a twofold mission--to fatten up Stray Kitty and nurse her back to health, and find her a good, loving home.

I asked everyone I knew if they'd take Stray Kitty home. I asked people on Facebook that I barely knew. I spoke to neighbors I'd never spoken to before. When that didn't pan out I started contacting no-kill shelters in my area. When they turned me down I tried to bribe them, but they were still over capacity and couldn't take Stray Kitty.

Finally I resigned myself to the fact that Stray Kitty was going to have to go the vets, get her shots, etc. and then come live in one of my bedrooms. And only in one of the bedrooms because I knew Kathleen would never permit her to live peacefully in the whole house.

I even chose a name for Stray Kitty--- Earl Lee, after my cousin. Yes, I know Earl Lee is a boys name and Stray Kitty is a girl! But see, Earl Lee was on deaths door down in Mississippi and his mother, my Aunt Shag, went to Mississippi, brought him to Michigan and nursed him back to health. See the similarity, sort of?

Of course, Earl Lee (my cousin) then turned on Aunt Shug and has been a miserable, no good, piece of crap to Shug since, but that's a whole other story.

Anyway, then a woman in a WebTV-only newsgroup that I frequent suggested that I contact the folks in the WebTV-only Michigan newsgroup and maybe someone would want Stray Kitty.

So I contacted a woman who lived in Southfield, maybe five miles from here. Turned out her two elderly cats passed away this past July. She said she'd love to have Stray Kitty!

This morning she and her husband picked up Stray Kitty and took her home with them. They seemed to be awfully nice people. I know Stray Kitty will be well cared for and much loved.

I've been sad all day. I miss Stray Kitty. But sometimes you have to do things that hurt you bad in order to do something good for someone else.  

Be good and be careful, stay strong, take care.

Hugs, Tawny

248-615-1300

You Scream, I Scream, We All Scream For Ice Cream

For some doggone reason I have been jonesing to make some ice cream. Usually I'm just jonesing to eat some and that's easy enough. A quick trip to Baskin Robbins and I'm good to go. One of my latest favorites has been German Chocolate ice cream. Caramel, chocolate, nuts, coconut---really good stuff.

But for the past couple of days I've been really interested in making some myself. Not German Chocolate necessarily, but a flavor of my own creation.

I've been daydreaming about ginger flavored ice cream with flecks of chocolate! No, I'm not pregnant so don't even start with me. I love ginger and I love chocolate and I think they'd be dynamite together.

I have a small, old Cuisinart ice cream maker. I think it holds maybe a quart. Thing is, it works with a bowl that you have to freeze for at least 24 hours before you can make the ice cream. No biggie, but…


I'm looking to buy a new ice cream maker. One that you plug into the electrical outlet and presto! bango! whammo! Turn it on and you have ice cream!


If any one reading this owns such an ice cream maker I would be delighted to hear from you. I'd like to hear some recommendations as to a good one--maker, model, price.

Be good, be careful, take care, stay strong.

Hugs (the weather broke! we can hug again!)----Tawny

tawny_ford@yahoo.com
248-615-1300

Way Ahead Of The Game

Didn't need anyone to tell me to turn the air conditioner on today. Woke up at 8am and it was already 77 degrees and humid. I turned the wall unit on in the family room, pulled the 'curtain' to block the hallway off, and turned on the fans in the living room and kitchen. Four hours later and the fans are off, the unit is on low and we're cool as cucumbers.


The local weather people say it's going to the mid-90's with high humidity. Today, tomorrow and Thursday.


If it's like that where you are, be careful. Drink plenty of fluids. Heat stroke is not fun.


Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong, stay cool.


hugs,Tawny
248-615-1300

--
Sent on a phone using T9space.com

It Just Gets Odder + Odder

Just when I think life can't get any more odd than it already is--it does.


HSM called just a few minutes ago. 'You've got the air on, right?' Nope, says me. It's not hot. 'Well, it's 93 degrees with a heat index of 97', she tells me. 'So go put the air on before you fall out from the heat.'


I checked with the weather channel and by golly she's right. It's hot!


But I'm not feeling it. I didn't even have a fan on before she phoned. Now though my house is all closed up, the window air conditioner is on and I have a couple of fans on through out the house just for good measure.


Used to be the heat kicked my butt big time. Must be those darn drugs they have me on.


Okay, so a word to the wise, check and see if it's hot by you. If it is ('cause the tv says it is) then turn on the air, or a bunch of fans, and drink lots of fluids. Heat stroke is not fun.


Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.


no hugs because it's hot---
Tawny
248-615-1300 www.tawnyford.com

--
Sent on a phone using T9space.com

Once More

Well, if there's one thing I say a lot here it's 'sorry it's been so long since I last blogged'. Today is no excecption. It's been, I think, about three weeks. You'd think a person who works from home, is her own boss and has internet capabilities in her living room wouldn't be such a slacker at this. But hey, in the words of Popeye, "I am what I am"!

On the way to the library this morning, the first really lovely day in quite awhile, not only is the sun out but the birds are singing their little hearts out and it's wonderful to hear them. I also some a Mama duck and her brood of little baby ducks. They were so adorable!

Let's see, Tuesday the 26th was my birthday. Thank you everyone for all of the thoughtful birthday greetings! I appreciated every single one of them.

The 26th had beastly weather here. Grey, rainy, windy as can be and a threat of truly hoprrific weather to come. Fortunately, the horrific weather never materialized here, although it did most of the week in the rest of the USA.

Because of the icky weather I never got out. It's just no fun to me to have to keep one eye out constantly looking over your shoulder and listening for the weather sirens. So, this Monday, is the newly rescheduled birthday celebration. I've got places ro go, things to do, people to spend time with. And I'm really looking forward to it.

Tomorrow, Sarurday, I'll be on the miss tip too for part of the day. HSM's first born is graduating from the two-year college! Yes, he's already got a semester under his belt at the University of Michigan. But the community college is just now finally getting around to holding it's commencement and he has a right to walk across the stage and receive a diploma. Certainly a proud moment for his loved ones! Then there's a party at HSM's house and I wouldn't miss it for the world.

Lets' see, what else is happening? Oh, did you watch any of the wedding this morning? I woke up at 7am and turned on the tv just in time to see Kate and William exiting the church. I'm sure it'll be reruns upon reruns for most of the next few days and I'll have numerous opportunities to see the whole event.

And that's it. Yes, I know, you expected more after such a lengthy lapse. Sorry about that.

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.


hugs, Tawny
248-615-1300

Here We Go Again!

Yesterday was an anniversary of sorts for me. Exactly one year ago yesterday I landed in the hospital diagnosed with not one, but two heart attacks. While I'm not one to remember or celebrate sad days, such as the dates my parents died, for example, I don't associate the heart attacks (or my Troubles as I tend to call them--sue me, I'm Irish and we have Troubles!) as sad days. I view a year ago yesterday as the day my health took a turn for the better.

Surprisingly, I came away from the heart attacks (and gall stones) in the best health of my life. I found out I don't have any blockages, no heart disease, no nothing wrong with me except for a bit of high blood pressure (and the gall stones). Oh, and slightly elevated cholesterol. And I'm on meds to help with that. And, because I ended up seeing doctors regularly after my Troubles set in, I was able to get help for an injured knee.

The heart attacks were the best things that could have happened to me! So today I'm up and at 'em and out and about early because I have an appointment for a mammogram. That's another thing I started doing after the Troubles--getting mammograms.

My appointment is for 11:10 but since later appointments tend to not be on time, I got up early and headed out so I could take care of errands first. And since I have some extra time between errands and the mammogram I decided to hit the library and talk to you.

What a day (smile)! When you're having certain tests done, mammograms and heart catheterizations come to mind, you are told not to wear lotions or use deodorant because they can interfere with the test results (?).

Don't you know, every day prior to this has been cool, some days even downright chilly, and no deodorant wouldn't be an issue. But today, well, today the temps are going up to near 70 and here I am au natural (smile).

The weather forecast for today was a little confusing. Rain and thunder boomers, lightning, high near 70. Then periods of cloudy no rain followed by mixed precipitations (snow just a tad north of here), temps spiraling down to below freezing.

It's no wonder all of the people I've encountered so far today have been oddly dressed. Me included. Thin cotton shirts, cotton trousers, sweaters, winter jackets and umbrellas (smile).

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods.

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.

Hugs, Tawny

248-615-1300

www.tawnyford.com

Update to the Ongoing Saga

Remember how I once said people who are ill just love to talk about their illness(es)? I guess I'm no different than them. In fact, I guess I am one of 'them' because here I go talking about my ailments (smile).

A few weeks ago I ended up at the doctor on an unplanned visit. I'd noticed a lump or a bump behind my left ear, and a swelling on my neck on that same side. At first I didn't think anything of it, I mean who doesn't have lumps and bumps every now and again? But when the one behind my ear got to hurting, so much so that it was really uncomfortable to wear my reading glasses, well, I called the doctor.

I was hoping to score an appointment the next week, she's really busy so even that was going to be a challenge, but when I explained why I wanted the appointment I heard COME NOW!

So there I was getting all poked and prodded about forty-five minutes later. She even drew about a gallon of my blood. 'Look', she said, 'don't worry about this until I tell you to worry about it, okay?' Worry? Me? I hadn't been a bit worried until she told me not to worry!

The doctor gave me a prescription for some kick-ass antibiotics, told me to take 2,000 milligrams of them each day, come back if it wasn't gone in two weeks and then she'd run a CT-scan and do a biopsy, etc.

Thankfully within two days the pain behind my ear was a thing of the past. That meant I could wear my glasses and get back to reading!

HSM had loaned me four books that I was yearning to dig into--the Dexter saga! You know, from the Showtime series? Dexter? The sensitive serial killer?

Within a week and a half the lumps and bumps were all gone. I don't know what caused it but I'm thankful as can be that it's history.

You be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.

Hugs, Tawny
248-615-1300

School Is In Session

It's been more than a little while since we've had Tawny's Cooking
School and today just feels right somehow to have a session.

Okay, I'm gong to explain how to make a Banana Pudding. First off, this isn't a traditional Banana Pudding. Your Mamaw down in Alabama would be appalled at this method, unless she's thoroughly modern and is tired of standing over a hot stove to make one (smile).

Ingredients:

2 packages (3.4 ounces each) vanilla instant pudding

3 cups cold milk

1 (8-ounce) container Cool Whip whipped topping (or the store brand where you shop)

1 large box of vanilla wafers

At least 6 good-sized ripe bananas

In a good-sized mixing bowl add the milk and vanilla pudding. Whip with electric mixer at medium speed until it's nice and thick.

Fold in the container of whipped topping. Make sure it's all mixed together.

Peel and then slice, medium thickness, your bananas.

Line a fairly good size glass bowl or glass pan with a layer of vanilla wafers. Then:

Add a layer of sliced bananas.
Add a layer of pudding mixture.
Add a layer of vanilla wafers.
Add a layer of sliced bananas.
Add a layer of pudding mixture.

And you keep going like this until you either run out of bananas and pudding or your bowl is full, ending with vanilla wafers on the top.

Cover with a lid or saran wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
Overnight is best but sometimes you just can't wait to eat it.

This is so good! And it's not super-duper sweet like the traditional ones are.

I made one of these this morning for dinner for tomorrow night. I'm roasting a turkey with all the trimmings and banana pudding will be the perfect dessert.

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.

Hugs, Tawny
248-615-1300

Tired? Who's Tired?

Talk about tired. I think that's my new name. My new middle name. Tawny Tired Ford. Yeah, that's it.

I'm still not sleeping very well. It's after 3am and I've had maybe 45 minutes of shut eye all night. So far. It's the 'so far' that's keeping me going. I still have high hopes that I'll sleep tonight. Some time.

Nope, didn't nap all day. Wanted to be sure I'd be tired at bed time. Yeah, that worked well. Not.

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.

hugs, Tawny

--
Sent on a phone using T9space.com

Sometimes You're Right When You Don't Want To Be

Some time last year, probably in the Fall, I'm too lazy or I'd dig through the postings to find the exact blog entry, I told you about my cousin. The one that put her ravishingly beautiful 18 year old daughter out so she, the Mama, could move in with her latest man. And I said how my cousin's Mama had done it to her when she turned 18 because my aunt was afraid her man would prefer her daughter.

I'm not using any names in order to protect the guilty so I'm sorry if this all gets confusing for you.

The 18 year old that got put out, she's been working two jobs, neither one of the jobs provides very much income for her but she's unskilled labor. Each month she scrambles to make her apartment rent.

She had no high school diploma, no drivers liscense either. Her Mama didn't think they were all that important. She also had no clue how to live on her own. Thanks to my uncle she now has a drivers liscense, she took and passed her GED, she has a car my uncle bought for her so she's not waiting for busses at 2AM, and she's enrolled in a trade school (in addition to working her two jobs). Her life has promise.

Her Mama, true to form, has now left the man she dumped her daughter for. All of a sudden he's a freak, she can't stand him. Thing is, she was staying at his house so when she left him that meant she had no place to live.

Now the Mama is staying at her daughter's apartment. She doesn't work, doesn't contribute to the rent.

I think my cousin, the Mama, needs to have her ass kicked. First of all, you don't get rid of your child for a dick. And if you do, when it all falls apart, you don't go back and suck off the child you kicked to the curb.

My cousin can never keep a man. Or a job. She thinks she's so fly, so hot, that everybody owes her something. She's pushing 42 years old, dresses inappropriately for her age, not to mention immodestly (think hootchie mama) and hasn't got the good sense God gave her.

When she ditched her daughter I told her that must be some dick, hope it's all worth it. And I told her this wouldn't last. She hasn't een able to keep a man her whole life. I was right.

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.

hugs, Tawny

--
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Winter Wonderland

This past Sunday it snowed big time here in the metro Detroit area. Ten inches! While some US cities are getting walloped like that on a fairly regular basis this season, that was our first. I was house bound until yesterday, Wednesday, because the city never got around to powing our street until late Tuesday. From the looks of the ruts my neighbors were getting out before the street was plowed, but they were also getting stuck a lot. My truck is lousy in snow, no weight in the back end (I never got around to putting the concrete step in the bed this winter), so I opted to stay home and avoid all that drama.

Last night the local weather forecasters predicted 1 to 3 inches before day break. It's going on 4am (the darn blood pressure med has me up in the middle of the night pretty much every night) and from where I'm siting on the couch looking out the picture window, well, it looks like there's almost 3 out there.

They are also calling for 3 to 6 inches tonight into Friday.

For the most part, because I'm self-employed and keep my cupboards and freezer stocked with groceries, I don't have to go out if I don't want to. That's a luxury I am thankful for.

But if you're not that fortunate, and you're getting snow like we are, make sure you dress warm and drive safe.

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.

hugs, Tawny

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The Things We See

I live in Farmington Hills, Michigan, a nice little community located in Oakland County, one of the most afluent counties in this state. Lots of ritzy folks live out here. Folks you'd recognize from the business world, the entertainment world, the sports world, etc.

Yesterday I was at Sam's Club. I jokingly refer to it as Fancy Sam's, but that's primarily to distinguish it from the several other Sam's Club locations around here.

I was at Sam's to get more cookie baking supplies. And I found everything I needed, all except for the coconut. And I found a few other things that weren't on the list--cherry pie, lettuce, new socks.

So I was in the parking lot, unloading my shopping cart, and you'll never guess what I saw. A shiny, black, brand new, Rolls Royce! I kid you not!

I guess even the wealthy like a bargain (smile).

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.
hugs, Tawny







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Fleas

No, I don't have fleas in my house! But back when I had dogs, in particular when I had Gretchen, a German Shepherd, fleas were an ongoing problem here. Poor Gretchen, she was a flea magnet. This was back before they had that new stuff, the medicine you squeeze out onto the back of their neck, so I was always washing her with anti-flea soap, dusting her with flea powder, etc. And bombing the house periodically. And calling in the poison man twice a year.

I was reading in Ready Made (www.readymade.com) that salt kills fleas. Huh? How come nobody ever told me?

The magazine said to liberally sprinkle salt (table salt) all over your carpets, floors, whatever. Make sure you coat everything evenly. Supposedly the salt dessicates the nasty fleas. Leave it on the flooring until it kills the eggs/new baby fleas, then vacuum.

Voila! No more fleas!

So if you're plagued by fleas get to the grocery store and load up on salt!

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.


hugs, Tawny www.tawnyford.com


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Supplements Rule!

Okay, remember me saying that the doctor prescribed another 'booster' drug to supplement the blood pressure medicine she has me taking? And I decided not to take it because I didn't like the list of potential side effects?

Well, I opted to go with supplements instead. You know, vitamins and minerals. I've been taking a calcium, a multi-vitamin, 1 gram of vitamin c, 2 tabs of garlic and a omega 3 fish oil capsule.

And guess what? My blood pressure is lower than when I was taking Bystolic!

Now I'm not a doctor and I'm not trying to tell you what to do, but---taking a daily blood pressure pill and the above listed supplements has my blood pressure in a good place.

If you have similar issues check out some of the online vitamin sites, Prevention magazine has a good one, and see what you think. Maybe non-prescription options will work for you, too.

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.

much peace + love to you and yours--
Tawny

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Catching You Up

It was brought to my attention yesterday that it's been quite a little while since I last wrote a blog entry. Yes, I guess it has. But there's a reason for that, a very good reason. Not a whole heck of a lot has been happening in my life lately. I mean, what do I write when life is good but not very exciting?

It dawned on me this morning, as I was taking the last tray of coffee-chocolate chip cookies out of the oven, and melting the chocolate to dip them in when they'd cooled, that I hadn't filled you in on the latest about my truck.

Okay, in the December 20, 2010 blog, I told you how the bad guys had been attempting to steal my truck. The first time out of the driveway of HSM's house, the second time from in front of the body shop where it had just been repaired. Thankfully, they were inept and never succeeded.

So I had an alarm put on it. I couldn't find a gangster dwarf like I had wanted. Apparently, they are few and far in between. And all was good. It seemed the bad guys had given up on my truck--it had to be demoralizing to fail twice.

And then a few weeks later I was at the body shop signing some papers on the two previous insurance claims when another customer backed out and slammed into the front end of my truck. Yes, the same truck that had already been repaired twice in the last month or two.

On the plus side, that person's insurance took the claim--my truck was parked--and it didn't cost me a penny. I even got a free rental car. For two weeks because that's how long it was in the shop.

Somewhere in the middle of all this mayhem with my truck, HSM's #1 Son borrowed one of my vehicles to go to school. He's a Wolverine (U of M). And while he was stopped at a red light someone rear ended him. Thankfully the other driver hit him at maybe 10 mph so there were no people injuries. The back end of my vehicle, well, it's going into the shop next week for repairs. Again, no cost to me because it was the other drivers fault.

I'll tell you what, this has all been okay in the sense that no one has been physically injured, I still have the truck, no money has come out of my pocket, etc. But I'm starting to feel like a dark cloud is hot on the trail of my vehicles.

The one that's really making out like a fat rat on this is the body shop I always go to, the one where HSM's husband, ABM, works. I am convinced I am singlehandedly helping the shop meet their bottom line every month with my business (smile).

Hope all is well with you and yours. Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.

hugs, Tawny
248-615-1300

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Delayed Is Not Denied

Okay, many folks love to go out on New Years Eve and wahoo. Bars, parties, even sitting home with a bottle of bubbly to ring in the next year, those are popular NYE activities too.

As for me, who seems to dance to the beat of a different drummer, on New Years Eve I love getting my stuff ready for filing my income tax. It just seems like the logical thing to do on the last night of the year. Tying up loose ends, getting ready for the new.

For a myriad of reasons I wasn't able to spend NYE that way this year. So yesterday afternoon I hauled out all of my reciepts, my notebooks, etc. and started work sorting my tax stuff. Call me crazy, call me goofy, but I enjoyed it. After three hours I had everything logged by category and numbers jotted on papers. Now all that's left to do is dig out the calculator and tally up my numbers. And then when all of the paperwork from the bank, the mortgage company, etc. rolls in I can ship it off to my accountant.

I learned a long time ago, back when I was young and procrastinator was my middle name, that the best course of action is to take care of things right away. And not just with taxes. It applies to all of life.


Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.

hugs, Tawny



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Books And More Books

I read a lot all year round. Doesn't matter if it's -20 and snowing in January, or 85 and sunny in July. I've been like that since my parents taught me how to read when I was three years old. I am happiest when I am surrounded by books.


HSM says if all you read is 'junk' then your brain will turn to mush. She says books are like food in that respect. Too much candy and soda pop and your skin will be pimple-land and your hips and ass will be a mile wide.


I will pretty much read anything. Okay, no science fiction and no westerns, but just about everything else. I haunt the new book shelves at my local library and will haul home all sorts of books. I go through phases on what I want to read. For the past year I have been reading a number of books by foreign authors. Why? To get a 'feel' for other countries and people.


I've also been reading a lot of Stephen King. I read for free from my local library, rarely purchasing books. Stephen King books are the exception. Those I always buy. Once I read them I pass them on to HSM. Over the past couple of years I've purchased four King books that, instead of reading, I tucked away on my book shelves. Why? I don't remember. But I ran across them a few monthes ago and I've been reading them ever since.


Under The Dome was the first one I tackled. Have you read it? It's a tad over one thousand pages. That's one of the best things about King, he's not afraid to write a long book. He fills you in on everything about his characters.


The second one was a short story book. I can't think of the title, darn it! The book was filled with dark stories and I enjoyed them.


I have two books left in my stash of his. Right now they're on the back burner because I want to read the books that the cable tv series Dexter is based on. HSM raves about the series. I've never seen it but I figured the books would be the next best thing. I hope to get started on them this weekend.


Inbetween all my reading I've been crocheting. I made an afghan for HSM. It's deep purple with a fern green trim. It's a heavy blanket so it should keep her cozy warm when she's reading.


Besides reading as much as I can whenever I can, I also crochet as much as I can. I have quite a bit of yarn designated for future projects stashed in plastic bins in my basement.

I don't know about you but I like to keep busy. I don't like wasting time. Between reading and crocheting and doing the exercises for my knee, well, my days are pretty full. Just the way I like them.


Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.

hugs, Tawny

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Sweet Musings

The other day I was jonesing for some cookies. I wanted a good cookie, something worth sinking my teeth in to. I kept thinking about a coffee-flavored cookie that Pepperidge Farm used to make years ago.

I ended up making a batch of Toll House chocolate chip cookies but with a twist ala Julia Child.

The Toll House recipe, the pretty much standard chocolate chip cookie recipe, calls for, among other ingredients, 2 and 1/4 cups of flour. I used the 2 cups but substituted 1/4 cup of instant coffee granules for the rest of the flour. And I increased the chocolate chips fom 2 cups to 3 cups.

Oh my goodness! The cookies--long gone now!--were so good! The first bite was a little strange (the coffee flavor) but the second bite? So very good!

Next time you bake a batch of chocolate chip cookies try it this way. I'll bet you'll like them.

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.

hugs, Tawny

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Let's Get It Started

Let's get it started--the new year with the first blog post.


Okay, first a 'report', hopefully the last one I'll ever have to make, as to the state of my health:

(1.) I've 'graduated' from physical therapy. All that really means is that my insurance wouldn't pay for any more during 2010. But it's okay because the pt helped me more than I ever thought it would, more even than my doctor thought it would!

According to the MRI I had taken in November, I have a meniscal tear grade four. Apparently, grade 4 is the worst. My doctor, when she found that out, wanted to ax the pt because she said the only thing that would help is surgery, and maybe a partial knee replacement (!).

The physical therapist talked her into letting me continue pt until I could get in to see the surgeon. Lo and behold! the pt worked so well that now I don't need the surgery!

(2.) Because the doctor didn't think my blood pressure was low enough while taking Lisinopril, she prescribed a 'booster' for me--Bystolic--to take along with the Lisinopril.

Bystolic, like all those drugs you see advertised on commercial tv, has a whole long list of less than desirable side effects. 'The odds of you manfesting any of them are slim to none,' she told me.

'Hello, I'm Slim To None!' I told her on my last visit. Nausea and a severe outbreak of rosacea. Because Bystolic is one of those drugs you can't just cold turkey stop taking, but rather have to wean off of, it took me almost three weeks but I am now Bystolic free. I am no longer nauseous and my complexion is great!

The doctor prescribed me another 'booster', the name of which escapes me right now. I've decided I'm not going to take it. Why? It has a whole list of possible side effects that are really unpleasant. Yes, I know, odds are slim to none I'd develop any of them.

But, according to what I've read on the internet, EVERYONE who takes it will exhibit dizziness when they stand up or lay down too quickly. EVERYONE. I don't want to be dizzy.

You know, back in April when I had the heart attacks, and right up until a few weeks ago, I was overwhelmed by all this stuff---the diagnosis, the doctor visits, the medicines, etc. Well, not any more. I've got a grip on all this mess now.

And I've decided I'm in charge of my health care. I'm not taking anything or doing anything that I don't agree with. I'm tired of being a drug guinea pig.


Wishing you a wonderful and happy 2011!


Be good and be craeful, take care, stay strong.

hugs, Tawny

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