Galloping Grannie

Personal Notes:
2008 was a year of healing. Trying to forgive and forget the things that have become a battle of depression. Me not liking myself from things I had little or no control over... victim of  family violence and all the nasties for women that comes with aging and dealing with it in a society where skin deep beauty is a multi-billion dollar business and an enormous heartache for those trying to live up to an unrealistic expectation of outward beauty.

But 2008 ended differently than the past three years. I was actually looking forward to the holidays. Cooking and sharing recipes that have been passed down four generations. Listening to carols and even going to a popular neighborhood of light displays.

Along with this difference in my personal life there was also a difference in the country. We were hearing of the economic troubles of the country. Heck, we are so economically challenged that we didn't know that the economy took a nosedive.

Nonetheless 2009 is a time for change. I can't change the world but I can change my small part of it.
I will turn 49 and will be married over half of my life. My goal is to lose 30 pounds and to try to save at least 5.00 per week to give away for children at Christmas and to help coordinate a horseback riding fund raising event for charity.

Reuse, reduce, and recycle.

I live on a small farm. The past couple of years gardening has been a challenge with successes only with onions, tomatoes, peppers and some okra. I hope to have a garden good enough to supply my family with food as well as to give the surplus to other families.

My children are grown and exploring their lives. It is time to rediscover my life with a man who was warned before he married me that I am somewhat difficult to live with. But he accepted this and loves me unconditionally. I am so thankful, and so lucky to have him in my life. He will be 55 this year and he has a health issue that will eventually kill him. He never complains and we are always joking with each other. We love to ride our horses. I intend to make 2009 a year that we ride a lot and every year after this that we can still get up on our horses.

2009 is a time for change.....what are you going to do?

OMG! I almost had a heart attack! Twice! Ravens running the ball down the field!

The last game at Texas Stadium and we lost.

I wonder if Wade will keep his job?

 

With the prices of just plain living I thought I would find out who and how many folks would be willing to participate in a little experiment.

The challenge would be could total strangers help each other reduce each families cost of living without using money, only services.

Have any ideas of what you could offer to help someone else?

Not too long ago you could drive up to a “Service Station”  (commonly known as a gas station today) A guy would come out in a uniform and fill your tank with gas, clean your windows, check your oil and tires. I was a little girl when this was normal so I guess it is no wonder that I am miffed by customer service these days.

A typical call: Brrring Brrring. You get a recording, “Thank you for calling Bite Me Company for English press 1. Then you hear some Spanish stuff as you are looking for 1.

After two or three menus you happen to get a live person. You ask your question and they tell you that you are in the wrong department and they promptly send you back to the automated system.

It is not just the phone. Getting groceries is even a pain. I live 20 miles to the nearest “big” grocery store. (hazards of living in the country) When I buy food I get enough for a week or two. I usually spend about an hour in the store. I go to the check out when my checker and her girl friend are talking about every thing from her bra size to her cousin’s cold. It would not have been so bad except my checker kept stopping to talk. I could care less about her cousin or her floppy boobs. Get me done and out of there. When I say something about it I am looked at as if I'm rude.

I drive a lot. I will stop in to a fast food place for a quick bite. One place I had to walk out. This older woman greeted me. She was friendly with a nice smile but she had a rash looking sores all over her forearm. Was I the only one who cared about this? Why did the manager not have her bandage it up? She was old enough to know better. Why did she not bandage it? The people she served before me acted like it was nothing. All I could see was flaking scabs.

I want to hear from you about the good, the bad and the ugly.

How do you rate the customer service for the companies you deal with?



My new website!
www.listening2u.net

I have added some photos to my album. One of them is a picture of some frogs that have come to share my pond.

The question is.....

How many frogs do you see?

p.s. Since this photo the numbers have grown! and can anyone tell me what kind of frogs they are?

I am not called Galloping Grannie for nothing. My wonderful husband (of 25 years) we ride our horses almost every weekend.  Since the kids are gone that is what we live for. Exploring Texas by horseback.

Besides riding across Texas for charity (another dream that I want to do) I would love to get the western movie stars to put their mark or autograph my saddle.

Tombstone: Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, Dana Delany
Monte Walsh: Tom Selleck
Lonesome Dove: Tommy Lee Jones, Robert Duvall
Open Range: Kevin Costner, Annette Bening
3:10 to Yuma: Russell Crowe, Christian Bale
Hidalgo: Viggo Mortensen ( I know this one is not a western per se but I like it)

I was just feeling all warm and fuzzy this morning (oops. sorry. that was my dog) anyway just thinking of the impossible things that I would like to do.

It's nice to dream sometime. What's your dream?

Since that stupid woman created her surprise version of our National Anthem I have been on this site more in the past few days than I have in the past year!

I have read a lot of hate going on.  I have seen a lot of stupid comments. Did I say that I have seen a lot of STUPID comments? Hate mongers and self righteous pacifists alike.

I guess that is what is sticking in my craw. People want to complain about black this or that. People want to complain about ILLEGAL immigrants. People are complaining about the high prices of gas, high prices of food. What about the quality of food? Crap is being recalled so often now that it is like playing roulette at the dinner table and then to find out anything you have to press 1 for English.

All the while we are having the dickens taxed out of us and for what? So some politician can sit on their rears earn a fat check with security and health care. You will not see them sitting in a hospital waiting room looking into the eyes of their sick child waiting for hours while some criminal is having his rights protected and being taken in before you because some law abiding homeowner had to shoot is stupid butt for breaking into his home.

Now we are going to lower the speed limit again. Just how many thousands of dollars is that going to cost? Some idiot thinks that is going to make a significant change in our problems. It's a bandaid! Get to the root of the problem and fix that and the other stuff will work itself out.

AND what do we do???? Some idiot that has nothing better to do will send out a stupid email saying "don't buy gas on this day" and think they are doing something big.

When are we going to wake up and take back this country? When the people we entrust to make the law or enforce the law,  breaks the law then there is no law!

Get rid of every one that is in public office now. I mean everyone. Everyone in the House of Representatives, The Senate, Governors, they all gotta go! Put people in there that is not a politician. And don't put in their family either.

Make a government that is of the people, by the people, for the people.  Don't let politicians have a free ride either. When they are kicked out of office let them go to work and see how it is to have to worry about paying the electric bill or feed their child!

QUIT SENDING MONEY TO FOREIGN COUNTRIES!!!! We have children in our own backyard that are starving, illiterates, and some of their parents are no better. We have to heal ourselves before we can take care of someone else.

PEOPLE WHEN ARE WE GOING TO WAKE UP!!!!  I know how to live off the land so it will not hurt me nor mine for the whole thing to implode. I hope to never have to do that but I could if it became necessary.

I don't have answers. I know I'm damn mad about it and am willing to do something about it. I am sick and tired of politically correct,  white washing so called leaders that talk everything to death and get nothing done.  GIVE ME SOMEONE WITH A BACKBONE ANYONE!

I just thought I would throw in my whine with everyone else's. I'm going to go get a glass and some cheese. See you in the bread lines.

I know this has been beat to death but here goes.

I am going to show my ignorance. I did not know that there was such an anthem. So I Googled it. The website africanamericans dot com. is where I found information on it. The name of it is actually called "Lift Every Voice and Sing" by James Weldon Johnson or as it is also known as "'The Negro National Anthem".

On that site there is a gospel version. It is a beautiful song and why would this woman want to change it?

What I do not understand is why the black community is not angry over her altered version?

This is spitting in the face of these two accomplished men to change their version of the song.

James Weldon Johnson and John Rosamond Johnson, brothers, composed this piece. James studied literature at Atlanta University (graduated 1894, M.A. 1904), and went on to become a song writer, anthologist, teacher, and lawyer; he was the first African American to pass the bar in the state of Florida. In 1906 he became the American consul in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, and in 1909, consul in Corinto, Nicaragua. In 1920, he was appointed Executive Secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

"Lift Every Voice and Sing" is also Official Song of the N.A.A.C.P. according to africanamericans dot com.

There's my 2 cents.