Today is much the same, with a bit of a breeze. Tropical Storm Alberto is chugging up the Atlantic Coast, and I expect we’ll see a bit of rainfall from that. When most people think of hurricanes, they no doubt think of Florida or the Carolinas (for good reason), but the Northeast and New England has had her share of destructive hurricanes. I researched and wrote a post about the Great New England Hurricane of 1938 that wiped out entire towns and carved through Long Island, creating Shinnecock Bay. Most of the time, though, we in New York State are inundated with rain– inches of it per hour.

Good heavens, I do ramble on. Here is the meme for today.

1. Finish this sentence – The last book I read and enjoyed was….

Tough choice. I usually read two to three books at the same time. I just finished “When Christ and His Saints Slept” by Sharon Kay Penman, an historical fiction book about the English Civil War in the 1100s. I also just finished “Mockingjay” by Suzanne Collins, which was “ok.” (I liked “The Hunger Games” better). And I also just finished “Historic Storms of New England,” a very old book (1800s) recounting every catastrophe to hit New England– and there used to be a heck of a lot of hurricanes and earthquakes and other strange phenomenon back then, weird! I can’t decide on which one I liked best. Maybe “Mockingjay” because it didn’t have any immoral stuff, but it was rather violent. I’m currently reading James Ussher’s “Annals of the World” and the “Anglo-Saxon Chronicles” which are much, much better. Ussher’s book is superb!!

2. Do you have special Victoria Day (Canadian) or Memorial Day (US) traditions? If you don’t live in Canada or the US, what is the next holiday that you are celebrating where you are?

Not really. We used to attend the local parade when the kids were younger. Usually, we’re all working on the holiday. Our only “big” holidays of the year are Thanksgiving Day and Independence Day.

3. If you could invent something to make your life simpler, what would it be?

A tree that dispenses $100 bills when I press a button. lol

4. What is your favorite recent blog post?

Hmmm…. I haven’t been writing too many whimsical posts lately (these are my favorites). I guess things like having your entire web server and blogs hacked and having an ornery copy editor at work kind of cuts down the whimsy…. but I bounced back enough to write Cat-Food Flavored Coffee, Or How You Know You’re Getting Older… last week. Yummmmm….

Now I get to ask a question! Hmm

Do you own a “smartphone” or a regular cell phone?

Well, it’s a good thing we’re healthy. Thank the Lord. I’ve never been much for doctors, but as I get older I do need a bit more dental care. And the aches and pains seem to come on a bit more frequently! Most of what we need for good health comes from a healthy diet and good lifestyle decisions, I think. It’s a good thing because I recently read that health care costs have skyrocketed. According to a report by MSNBC News, outpatient visits rose 10 percent in the past YEAR. What the?

I don’t understand why health care is so, so expensive. Oh sure, doctors spend a lot of money on education and need to recoup that. Sure. And big techno machines are expensive to make (even in China) and they use up resources, sure. But take something as simple as an eye exam, a wellness eye exam. That and a pair of glasses can leave you $300 in the hole. What is you have a family of 4 or more? So no wonder people are searching for inexpensive health care coverage. Yow.

What do you think? Have you been affected by the increase in health care costs? Are you changing your lifestyle in any way, to avoid such expenses? The media portrays us as dumb oxen, continuing on in self-destructive lifestyles and swallowing the costs. What do you think?

And have you ever wondered where that phrase “healthy as a horse” came from?

Fill ins:

1. I like to avoid ___ if possible.

Television. I hate it. If I watch it, I can just watch the behavioral science and social engineering techniques ooze from the box. I never noticed the effect at first, but after a year of not watching TV and then going back to it, the effect was stunning. I once read a report that said that in days past, children got their moral values from their parents and their churches. But today, most children get their values from television, public schools, and music. So essentially, others are raising are kids. I can’t say they’re doing such a great job, can you? :-p

2. ___ is a virtue I do not have.

Tolerance, lol. Well, I can tolerate some things just fine! But the boob tube? nah.

3. Sometimes the _____________ are the ______________.

Sometimes wild flowers are the prettiest flowers.

4. I think that _____________ are the best _____________.

I think that lawn tractors are the best lawn equipment. I say that because BOTH our lawn tractor AND push mower have died this spring. We can’t figure out what the heck is wrong and the push mower is only a year old! It’s been raining buckets so the lawn grass is about 8 inches high!

My time is up! have a great weekend, friends!

Look at these beautiful red mini Lenovo speakers!

They are Lenovo M0520 speakers on sale now for only $11.99 until May 21! The original price is $29.99 so it’s quite a deal. We need some speakers for our kitchen computer (I use it to Skype the kids and we also play cooking videos and music) because the old ones don’t work anymore. These are very small– a perfect fit for a kitchen computer or a desktop or laptop. They also make terrific mp3/mp4 player speakers because they are so small and portable. And I just love them because they are red and shiny! :D

OK, now for the tech specs: They produce a full, rich sound on 4 watts of power. The speakers have built-in amplifiers and a sub-speaker, so no tinny sounds here. They have wire spools (!) which I love– so no messy tangled wires all over the place. The Lenovo speaker set has it’s own volume control dial. They have a USB cabled connection so you don’t need to plug them into an outlet and they don’t need an endless supply of batteries. All in all, it’s a terrific deal for such a high-quality mini speaker set. They have a 1-year warranty and are “plug and play.” All you have to do is plug them in, turn up your volume. Very, very nice!

It’s a really great deal, but if you want them, you’d better hurry. They are on sale until 5/21. Check out the specs and order now. Estimated ship date is 5/25. This would also make a really nice gift for a young person, too. The speakers are beautiful. And it’s nice when you find something on sale like this.

The drink sounds very, very interesting to me. Now that I am older, I’m trying to eat more vegetables, drink more water, and take certain vitamins more frequently (I am terrible at taking them though!). Overall, I much prefer natural solutions, like teas or vegetable diets and phytonutrient drinks. I believe that God gave us everything we need for good health here, and it’s found either in plants and in living a healthy lifestyle. So I’m keen on checking out the Nopalea. My joints have been complaining lately– I wake up very stiff every morning now and it takes me a good half an hour to shake the pain and stiffness. I don’t want to take medications so I’m trying to boost my health with Omega-3 fish oil tablets, coQ10, D3, B12 lozenges, and a phytonutrient green drink (my daughter makes the most amazing smoothies with it). I haven’t tried the Nopalea but it sounds great! The free sample is a good deal and a great way to see if the drink helps.

Note: I was compensated a small amount to mention Nopalea in this post. Please know that all opinions expressed are 100% mine. I am not a physician or nutritionist but I am keen on healthy living products for my own health and well-being. Thanks for reading!

HEY, FEED ME.

Now, for the coffee. Oh wow, the kids have gotten to it before me– there’s only one cup left! The liquid delight fills my cup…. I eagerly scoop a bit of sugar (well, OK OK, a tablespoon and a half) and some creamer (real dairy! Yep, I live big). I stir and stir to make sure it’s all perfectly blended. As I pull the spoon from the cup, it has small specks on it…. what the?

Oh gosh. I stirred my coffee with the same spoon I’d used to scoop the cat food. YUK. I hesitate for only a quick second… then… down the hatch. Whatever.

Hey, it was the last of the coffee in the pot!

Let’s dig in with this week’s questions.

1. Finish this sentence – The best thing about this past weekend was…

Prayer. I spent a lot of time in prayer last week and during the weekend. Prayer is different than meditation or “thinking good thoughts.” Prayer is asking Jesus for/about something and expecting an answer or a solution.

We also put up the gazebo this weekend, something I’ve been wanting but kept procrastinating. The gazebo is simply a glorified tent but it has screened panels! I need screen panels because I am a personal bug trap. Whenever I go outside, all the bugs of the county sense I am fresh meat, and promptly treat me as such. So I love my gazebo, and I’m glad I got a few hours to enjoy it before it started raining…. AGAIN!

2. When company drops by unexpectedly what do you serve?

Coffee, of course! Fresh fruits and vegetables.

3. How old were you when you got your first cell phone?

Uhhhh….. 39?

4. Where do you blog?

Right here! Where else would I blog! Hahahahahaahaha I am so very funny!

OK, I blog in my “home office.” It’s a portion of my living room that I use as my home office, although my living room isn’t really much a living room. All we have in here that hints at a living room is a large couch and coffee table. The TV is in the dining room.

1. For Mother’s Day I _________

Went to church, picked up my eggs from the farm, tagged along with the husband to get a part for the lawn mower (the mowers keep breaking, gah!), cooked hamburgers and vegetables on the grill, put up the gazebo with the kids, downloaded “Rees Howells, Intercessor” on the iPad Kindle app, prayed with the husband for an hour, read the book, went to bed. A blessed day, it was.

2. What is your favorite dish that your Mom makes?

My mom always made a tremendous apple pie. I also loved her turkey dinners. And she made a spectacular deer liver and onions.

3. Who are you a “Mom” too?

Besides my four kids, I used to look after my nieces and nephews a lot…. I think I’m more of a “big sister” type.

I’m also a “mom” to my baby, Livvy.

4. What did you have for Mother’s Day dinner?

Grilled hamburger, grilled summer squash, macaroni salad, strawberries, chips. A very nice meal.

5. What is your fondest memory of your Mom?

When she played ukelele with my uncle when he visited us. Having company over was good, my parents behaved themselves. lol. No arguments, no crying, no throwing furniture and stuff.

Well. That was a trip down memory lane that I’d rather soon forget. haha.

As part of the first meme, I get to ask YOU a question.

What’s your biggest project you have planned for the summer?

Have a great week, friends!

I have a friend who lives in Tel Aviv. I actually haven’t emailed him in EONS, may I should do that, sheesh! I often think of him. Tel Aviv is kind of like the “New York City” of Israel. It’s beautifully kept, full of interesting things to see and do, and is a huge tourist destination. My friend has repeatedly invited us over to see the city (that was years ago, though). There are scads of Tel Aviv Luxury Apartments there, all available for the taking. Oh how I would LOVE to see Israel, especially Tel Aviv! The city is actually the ancient Jaffa of the Bible, where the prophet Jonah departed on his now-famous journey over (and into) the sea. Historians think Jaffa/Tel Aviv has been inhabited for over 9,500 years. WOW! Imagine the history! You could dig a hole in the backyard and probably pull up an old coin or pottery sherd!

Anyway, Luxury Real estate in Israel is hot right now. If I had the dough, I’d do it. Tel Aviv is off the Mediterranean Sea, and one of my lifelong dreams is to see that sea. And Tel Aviv is very close to so many of the other beautiful sights in Israel, just a drive’s away from many of the major cities in Israel. I’d also go see the tree planted in honor of my step-grandfather when he died in the 1980s. Many luxury apartments have three bedrooms and BEAUTIFUL views of the city and the sea. Who knows, maybe someday our family of six will show up on the doorstep of my Israelite pal, and we’ll snack on some falafel and catch up on things.

If you could buy a second home or vacation home, where would it be?

This is when I hate the Internet. There’s no way to reach out and hug them, to give them a baby kitten or sit in their kitchen making a cup of tea while we cry together, to comfort them with anything besides electronic words.

Chuck and Sylvia: you are in our prayers. Someday we’ll meet– if not in this world, then in the next one to come. We’ll hug and laugh and our two kitties will run around at our feet together at last.

Maybe you’d go visit Chuck’s blog, Secondary Roads, and give Chuck and Sylvia a virtual hug. We love you guys.