Fair words...plain talk....

Della Lena Luke Webb 1887-1959 Moses or Joseph? what was his name? born 1790 or so, he is my gggggrandfather...father to Alexander K Livingston , born 1833 Alabama...who was a traveling man, kids born all over the place, including Hannah Dora Livingston aka Darcina, or Dorcas...born in Louisana? or maybe Arkansas...love the Darcina, since my daughter's name is Darcie , and I had no idea 38+ years ago that Dora/Dorcas/Darcina even existed. It's the things like this that you learn when you work on family history...some good, some not so...but sifting in the records makes the people alive. That's how you keep your loved ones living in your heart, you never stop saying their names. Dora Livingston Luke was the mother of my grandma...my wonderful, wonderful grandma Webb. Della Lena Luke Webb ...married to Shell Martin Webb ...my grandpa I never knew. But my grandma! she was 6 foot tall, ramrod straight posture and her hands never stopped, always crocheting, always moving.

So today I realized that an embarrassing medical condition is not such a bad thing after all. The doc uses medical terms that I can't spell but make me giggle. I just use rough terminology to make a point and he chooses to ignore my "layman" verbs. In the middle we meet and I end up with a new lactose free / fructose free diet for the next 5 weeks to see how I react. I then I got back and we talk again.... we've done this before. Here's the scoop, I have a good job with pretty decent medical benefits. If I need to go to the doctor I make an appointment and pay my co-pay (today's was $7.53) and I don't worry about the costs. Yes I have a two hundred deductible, but after that, the blood tests, sonogram, colonoscopy, and now a referral to a dietitian are covered 85 -90%, I am lucky..... as long as my job holds out. But there are others who are not so lucky. What happens to them when they get sick? Emergency rooms are over whelmed with people with no medical

My first day without the newspaper...I have to admit I was relieved yesterday to discover that the carrier hadn't read his/her list, and my paper was, as ever, wedged under the tire of my van in the driveway. But..it was a Monday paper, and we all know how sad a paper that is...all the good stuff in the Sunday Insight...Monday's paper is an afterthought. To be honest...I'm not going cold turkey, I still will get Sunday...because the Statesman called and offered to deliver it for the same 1.50 it would cost at the corner store...at least for a month anyway. Tapering off so to speak... I would like a Wed/Sat/Sunday subscription, but it's a no go at the Statesman, altho the Corpus Christi Caller Times seems to be able to pull it off. The Caller has lost a few subscribers as well...my friends there, a whole neighborhood's worth! dumped the Caller as of this week because the Caller quit carrying the TV Guide! So...here are at least 8 households of which I am aware who ha

Or in a crazy society either.... HATE is the ugliest of all four letter words... it spawns lies, wars, and gives us a reason to fear. I don't fear love, compassion, integrity, honesty... those are all emotions to embrace. But HATE, gives me pause. Makes me think. Hate is easily manipulated, it's breeds like rats and often feeds off its own young. Hate is deceitful, erratic, and low. Hate finds friends in dark hollow places. Hate is used to create fallacy. Why hate? Is hate so important that you forget to learn the truth... is the fear so deep under your skin that you have turned pale and hollow? Is that how you want to live you life? Your gut must be green with puss and your heart is filled with a blackness that even you question. I have every reason to hate. I chose not too... To hate means that I have fallen backwards. That I have given into an emotion that grows and feeds without remorse. So I chose not to hate. Because I am a better person for not giving into the rats

Don't you just love a re-run!!!! So I was reading the last 3 pages of CV - post Obama press conference.... these women kill me, they were bored! I guess having an articulate person in the white house is above their comprehension level. I am so baffled by their behavior. They just don't seem to get it.... Bush was the buffoon and it's only the 30% (or less) population believe that Bush was a good guy. I have come to the conclusion that part of the problem is that the Democrates historically have not been organized (despite the recent election), but the GOP has a strong very vocal based run by the christian right. Don't get me wrong, I know there are some very strong Democrates out there, because they managed to get a strong message out this election, but we need that kind of passion for every election. The CV voices have the ear of the powers that be, that's what gives them their meager strength. It's very early in this new administration. Let's breathe and a

Thanks Karen for the special invite. I am also a new military mom. I was lucky to find Karen on N4M and the rest is history. Like Karen, I like to say it like I see it and like it actually is. No sense in mincing words. Plain talk.... how do you describe "plain". Well I would never I confused plain talk with "staight talk". That old campaign slogan had so many double innuendo's in it that I was sure Senator John McCain of Arizona had grown two heads and needed a new set of dentures. Plain is more complicated, with a dash of romance. You need to have "plain" to have "fair" to have smart words that make sense. So this means we should never have two heads.... and a good dentist can keep you in your real teeth for years to come. I like a good discussion just like anyone else, but be conversational not confrontational. I have spent too many nights listening to people argue over nothing. So when speaking remember, in order to be treat

I'm going to share my blog...this one labeled fair words...plain talk.. . with friends I have that have such good things to say, important things to say, real things to say...from the perspective of lives they live. People from all over the country...all different backgrounds, education, occupations...mostly women, altho there are a couple of men I would love to read...we'll see. Many of my women blogging friends are military moms, and we connected as liberals, moderates of the Democratic party during the run up of Barack Obama to his election. We sat, online, computers in our laps..and watched his Inauguration together...we cheered, we cried, we covered our hearts with our hands when the National Anthem played and we shared it all with one another. I'm blessed to have these women in my life, and I'm always amazed at their talent for sharing their thoughts. I can't wait!

As a military mom, I'm on several support boards...some do such a good job..and were made for that exact reason...others, supposedly sanctioned by the US Navy, are ran by ad agencies, for recruitment purposes and could care less about the moms that use them. My opinion, I get one. Being the mom of a young military member is a collage of emotions and feelings, just joy and pride and despair and tears and then that pride again...and over all relief when your arms go around that neck and you smell that boy smell again..now mixed with that new grownup man scent...and know your child is home, safe and sound from someplace filled with monsters who wanted to harm him. In your head..just him. Of course, there are moments of sanity when you realize your son is surrounded by the toughest SOBs around and that the odds of anyone even getting to him are slight...and the odds that this new big mean SOB you raised couldn't handle anyone any way are even slighter...it's a whole new world.

Just getting the habit going again, writing every day. In the home of Charles W Moore today.... working a retreat by a U of TX group. Charles Willard Moore (October 31, 1925 in Benton Harbor, Michigan – December 16, 1993 in Austin, Texas) was an American architect, educator, writer, Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, and winner of the AIA Gold Medal in 1991. It was such an amazing house, one of kind...books folk art.. tiny things everywhere..a wall of little soldiers behind glass and books all those books! found one on the history of German pioneers in Texas, with the last half based on Fredricksburg, will I find my Lukes? great pictures of the old churches and main street to see. Textile art on the walls, amazing fireplace surround, he loved the south west and not the fashion type...the real southwest with his time with the Indians and their art. Minature tiny towns, details to perfection...and big chairs and lounging areas...and a lap pool surrounded by decks and glass

Oct 11, 2008 blog roses Kristine loved that rose bush. Broke or flush, she made sure it was watered and the irises we planted around it were too....and it rewarded us with beautiful blooms all year long, it's an amazing thing, no real season. Our neighborhood lost Kristine last year, she became ill, entered the hospital and was gone. One last phone message ... just wanted to tell you that I love you. and gone. I last saw her at the house concert, on the couch...determined to be there but not feeling so good. She went home to open her windows and hear the music... and she was gone. A month later, her husband entered the hospital for surgery, taking months to recuperate, so much pain, so many sad times in that house. and old Cowboy, her dog...and let me tell you when I say her dog, it's true. A one woman dog! we used to laugh and say we needed to figure out out to get that DNA in most men we had known over the years... now so old and sad, just ha

Lord knows how long ago I set this up...and didn't follow up, just kept the blogs going on myspace and other places, but here I am. I've been invited to join a blog about women over 40...so nice to be asked! but hell, I'm over 60 or will be in a few weeks...and when I think about 40. I had a two year old and an 18 year old...in a marriage of convenience because I'd been there done that on raising a child alone and just wanted to give my son a dad. Lost my mom while I was carrying him, so hope she knew I was going to have my blonde haired boy... life at 40 was not what I had planned! I thought my darling daughter would be in college and I'd stay in hotel management and finally work towards retiring...and here I am...scraping up house payments and flat ass broke...but then the stock market tanked, and I know those that did save up, bought that home that's upside down in value now and really have not much more, so who is to say? I guess I could have stayed married.