The Vote....At Last....

Today is November 6th and voting day around the country. I, for one, am delighted to vote and get this whole process over with since it has been an expensive (4 billion spent by both candidates to date) and negative one on the candidates part. I dread this every four years because it has divided this country right down the middle on political issues. I don't remember voting being so negative and with such hot button issues when I was a child.....a long time ago. But it seems to have become that way with the advent of social networks, 24 hour cable news networks, and pundits who are adamant that their "party" be in control on election day...be it Democrat or Republican. I am sick to death of the name calling, exaggerating issues and facts, and candidates that seem to only care about the party and not the people. This is a statement of my own thoughts and beliefs and not so much of my family or friends.

To begin with, I am a registered independent voter. I tend to vote for the person not the party, which is unheard of most of the time. I don't care about the two parties and believe they have not served this country well at all. When you have a President that is trying to do what he believes is the best for this country and the Representatives in the house have fought him for at least the last two years, truly bites my behind. To be fair, it happened with the last President too. We do not need gridlock, we need to keep this country going and that sometimes means compromise. What bothers me most of all is what we are showing and teaching our children. Do you think they don't hear the commercials? Do you think they don't see people arguing about the candidates and talking in a low manner about the "other" one. Children tend to copy their elders in so many ways and negative talk is one of them. I'm all for open debate and think it can have a positive impact on children if parents are sitting and listening with open minds. Discussing what the candidates are talking about and not what the pundits are talking about is important for children. But that is me and how I raised my children. They are all grown and can make their own choices, but we tried to give them all perspectives.

I would like this country and the people living in it to come together no matter who is elected today. I don't want to hear @#%$%%# got elected or did not get elected. Let's just wrap our heads and our hearts around the one who will be President these next four years and work for the betterment of this country and the people who desperately need a sense of unity. Let's get people in the House and Senate who truly want to help all the people (no matter their color, age, income level  or sexual preference) and not their "party" to a richer, more fulfilling life.  It takes a lot to stand up and say, "I don't agree with you, but we will work together for all." Let's hope that happens after today and that we can move on toward a lessening of the debt, quality health care and equality for everyone. This is my wish for a better America. My flag is flying everyday and I am so proud and blessed to have been born in the free country of America where we can all say what is on our minds without fear of punishment. 

Oh, yes, in Oregon we vote by mail and my ballot was sent in over a week ago. Lots of issues in Oregon to decide how this state will be run and I feel good about my choices. On the federal level I did vote for the person whom I think is the best choice for President..........and with that I will tell you I voted for.........the WINNER.

In Honor of Memorial Day

A few years ago I wrote this to honor my brothers in remembrance of their dedicated service to our country and to our mother, whom they honored every day of her life.  It was originally written on Veteran's Day, November 11, which was also the date of our mothers birth. I thought I would add it to my remembrance blog since it is also fitting for today, Memorial Day.

Today is a day of remembrance, mostly because we are remembering veterans who have served and are serving our country.  Coming from a large family including four brothers, I, too, pay tribute to their service in the military.  All four served in different branches and different wars.  Richard was Army and in WW2, Robert was Air Force and in Korea, William was Navy and served pre-Viet Nam, and Carl was Marines and served in Viet Nam.  We are thankful they all came back, one with a purple heart, and that they have led very productive lives.  I cannot tell you of their war experiences because none were shared with me.  I was always curious and have at times thought about asking, but never did, believing that if they wanted to recount those years they would.  I believe my fear surpassed my curiosity, not wanting to hear of the grimness and reality of wars that were so unlike anything I could imagine.  On this day I also think of my mother since November 11^th was the day she was born, clearly many years before it was ever a holiday.  I can only imagine how she felt having her adored sons off fighting in other countries in those wartime years and, oftentimes, in horrible conditions.   How relieved she must have been when they appeared home on leave or at the end of their tours, grateful for their survival.  Make no mistake, she loved all seven of her children, but I believe she had a special place in her heart for the boys.  She believed in them and in their strength, both mentally and physically.  She had protected and cared for them in their childhood years and in turn was protected and cared for by them in their adult years.  I could see the pride on her face when she came for visits.  She always recounted what everyone was doing, often giving long reports of each of her sons. 

After my father died in 1970, we all made sure Mom was taken care of, especially my sisters Madlyn and Kay who lived nearby.  Mom never appeared lonely, although I’m sure she was at times.  She was always welcome in our homes, but my oldest brother Dick asked her come live with him for a while in Oregon, which she did.  Some years later she decided she wanted to live on her own and indeed did so for many years.  She had the health and security to travel quite often, not just to all of our homes, but also to far off lands and places.  My brother Bob took her many places, but the highlight was a memorable trip to Ireland with him and his family.  She was always on the move and ready to go anytime anyone asked her, never tiring of travel.  She never complained about the aches and pains mainly from arthritis, just accepted it as what happened as you age.  Even when she broke her hip and had it replaced, she forced and pushed herself into a speedy recovery.  She worked every day to strengthen her legs by walking.  Cancer of the breast didn’t stop her either.   She enjoyed every day she lived, even during the tough times and there were many tough times.  You don’t live 94 years without having a few.  Several of those times were extremely rough when she lost a son, granddaughter and great grandson within a few years of each other.  After all, don’t we as mothers ask God in our prayers to take our lives before any of our children?  The deaths were extremely difficult for her, but none so much more than the death of her son Bill.  I think of that day often because he was my twin.  After being given the information that his death was imminent, she immediately called to talk to me.  I think in her mind it was to see how I was dealing with this sadness and to tell me of hers.  He passed away the day after talking with our mother for the last time.  She was incredibly heartbroken knowing there was nothing she could do to change the circumstance. 

As a mother you want to take care of your babies no matter what their age.  In turn, one of our mother's babies took care of her.  It was my youngest brother Carl, who as a little boy would wrap his arms around her neck and tell her he would always take care of her.  With her health beginning to fail in her late 80’s and unable to live alone, Carl and his wife Susan brought her into their home where she received much love and tremendous care.  She was very happy living with them.  But after many years her health became more and more fragile, especially after she suffered a debilitating stroke.  She fought hard to get better, but it became apparent her life was at an end.  Carl called me, as he did with the rest of my siblings, saying we should come see her before the end.  We flew in on a Friday night, but by the time I reached the hospital she had already slipped into a coma.  The process of dying can be slow and agonizing for those watching a loved one, but Mom was comfortable and not suffering.  I believe she was waiting to hear from all of her children one more time and I was the last to get to her bedside.  On Sunday as we were leaving the hospital to catch a flight back home, Carl bent down, put his arm around her, held her hand and said ever so gently in her ear, “You can go now old timer” (his pet name for her).  It took him 15 minutes to get home and as he walked in the door the phone was ringing with the news that she had passed.  In the end her youngest child kept his promise to care for her in her old age and then finally let her go. 

Today, it is with much gratitude and admiration that I honor my four brothers not only for their dedication to this country, but also for their dedication to our mother.  They, as well as my husband, sons, and nephews have given and continue to give this country its freedom.  It is also my day to honor my mother who, had she continued to live, would have been 101.  She would have loved to see her children growing older and still going strong.  Happy birthday mom and to all the men in my family, thank you for being incredible human beings.   I give a special thanks to all the other sons and daughters who have given and are continuing to give so much to and for our country.  We are truly blessed with your dedicated service and love of country.

For the Love of Maggie

I have been trying to sit down and write about our new puppy, Maggie Mae, since we found her last September, but with the continuing research of my large family tree and the downright time a new puppy takes, it has been almost impossible.  So, I will start at the beginning.......

I had been thinking about getting a puppy for a year before Maggie appeared.  I thought it would be a good way to keep Bob's mind busy and active with having to deal with the many needs of a dog, especially one like Maggie, and I loved the thought of having a companion dog in our lives should one of us pass away.  So I started looking at the Humane Society where tons of dogs are brought every day, taken away from less than honorable people who neglect and abuse them.  Bob saw a little guy named Oscar that was 4 years old, but did not do well around children or other animals.  Since we have a grand-doggy in my son Nick's family, I did not think Oscar would do well here.  But the likes of Oscar melted Bob's heart since he swore he did not want another dog. (It broke our hearts to lose two of our dogs many years ago and Bob could not bear it again) I continued to search here and there looking for a dog and more and more I realized I wanted a puppy.  I mentioned one day to Bob that the pet store down the street might carry puppies, but I never went inside the store to look.  A few weeks after I had said that, Bob came home from visiting a friend and said we should take a look in that pet shop.  I was busy doing something and said maybe tomorrow, but he was adamant and insistent we go that afternoon.

So I finally relented that day, all the while thinking they would not have puppies in the store.  I was still thinking more of a dog from the Humane Society, but knew the little puppies taken in from puppy mills were snatched up before anyone else could get down there to look.  So to the pet store I went with Bob not feeling as though we would find our match.  I walked in and could see they had cages in the back of the store. As I started down one aisle to the back, I turned to say something to Bob and he was nowhere in sight.  I continued on and as soon as I cleared the aisle and got  to the window where you could see all of the animals, up popped a little blond head from the top row of cages.  The puppy's ears perked up and she stood up looking at me with enormous brown eyes.  You might say it was love at first sight for the both of us.  I asked the attendant to bring her out so we could meet in a boxed in area and see each other close up.  She had blond hair with black tips, a bottom jaw that jutted out so that one could see her little teeth making her appear to be smiling, and was a tiny ball of energy. She instantly sat in my lap and smelled every inch of me.  I was looking for Bob to come in the back to see what he thought of this little ball of fluff, but he was still missing in action.  Other people in the store started coming back to see the puppy and she entertained us all as she stood on her hind legs and danced around.  You would have thought she was a trained circus act, even at four months of age.  I pulled myself away while other people were ooooing and awwwing over her.  I turned around and there was Bob standing in one of the aisles watching us.  I asked him what he thought and he was non-committal as usual.  I told the clerk that we needed go home to talk about it before committing to this puppy.  Bob said if I wanted her to take her because once we left we probably would not come back.  He was right, but what I did not know was that he had been in the store earlier that day and had seen this very same puppy.  She caught his eye, too, in the same manner as she had caught mine.  He wanted me to meet her alone to see if we "clicked" and to make sure this is what we wanted.  She followed us around the store as we talked about getting her and I did not see any way I could leave her there one more night.

I named her Maggie Mae, only because I liked the name and it fit her.  We did bring her home that day and it has been a learning experience for us ever since.  We did not know at the time that she came from a puppy mill in Kansas.  She was put in a cage soon after her birth and shipped to Oregon.  She had been in a cage for four months with nothing but a small bowl and rag towel to play with while she waited for someone to find her.  We now know all of this, but did not know at the time how anxiety ridden she was and her unbelievable inability to know how to be a dog.  Believe me, we have had to learn with her as the months ticked by and she wasn't responding or learning as well as our grand-doggie.  They are the same age and it is amazing to see the difference in them.  They are both small in size, but Maggie is far behind him in behavior. 

We had Maggie neutered at 6 months of age.  She was still learning how to be a dog and was doing better, but then she contracted a parasite that set her back a few more months. We learned the parasite could kill her if left undetected and she was one very sick dog. We had to give her round the clock care during this time which only increased her anxiety and I think ours.  As she got better, we started taking her with us when we had to go out to get things so she would once again get accustomed to people and other dogs.  It took us 4 months to figure out how to transport her in the car without her going crazy.  I can say now she has come a long way since those first shaky months and is doing well with the car, discipline and obedience.  She is still a little skittish with people and is learning how to approach other dogs. Although we did not get her from the Humane Society, she is a rescue dog in every sense of the word.  Who knows how much she was manhandled or neglected and needs much work, more than I ever knew dogs needed.  She wears a stress coat when we take her out because it eases her anxieties.  Bob takes her on a walk every morning and when I have time, I take her for one at night.  She follows Bob everywhere and prefers to curl up and sleep by him at night. She snuggles up to me in the morning and lightly paws my face when it is time to get up because I feed her.

 Needless to say it has been an eye opening experience having Maggie.  Once she locked those big brown eyes on us, we both knew it was meant to be.  She captured my heart and I cannot imagine our lives without her.  We have put a lot of time, patience and energy in her so she can have a good dogs life, the way it should be for all dogs.   Today we are taking her to the Vet for her one year old checkup.  It is perfect timing in a way because she became sick last night. She started throwing up around dinner time and continued into the night.  She was panting heavily and we kept feeding her water through a syringe to keep her hydrated while trying to cool her with a damp towel.  I had to wait a long time to retrieve a stool sample from her so the Doctor can exam it, but I finally got one this morning and took it right in for examination. She is still lethargic and not eating, but we are hoping it is not the parasite again.  If it is, we will get the medicine and nurse her back to health just like we did the time before and continue to nurse her as long as needed.  She is our girl, our trusted companion, our loving handful of a dog we call Maggie Mae.  There is nothing better in the world than to sit down with her, seeing those little teeth smiling from that jutted jaw along with her big brown eyes that seem to say, "I got you."  Yes you do Maggie Mae, you have us hook, line, and sinker.  But the most important to me is.....we...have...you!