2021 Julie Barefoot Blogging

 

 

 

Welcome to 2021 Julie Barefoot Blogging

Happy New Year!

(I guess.  We’ll see won’t we?)

Julie Lancaster-Whann

Normally I like starting out a New Year, New Blog Post with new photos of myself, usually sitting at my computer desk blogging.  However, we are into January and our house is currently under dissarray due to the renovations that we had going on since October 2020.  It’s also cold outside and things are a bit dull and wintry here in Florida so there really isn’t some lovely spot I can plop myself down upon and have Gordon take photos.  We do tend to just stay home because of the pandemic as it is.  So, I harkened back to these photos that were taken in September 2020.  Not that long ago, I know.  But still.

I find it very intriguing that we are living in such an interesting time.  That is an ancient Chinese Proverb, ya know?  ‘May you live in interesting times’ sounds like such a nice blessing but it is actually a curse.  Because we are living in interesting times right now and I don’t think anyone views this in a positive way.

I have no earthly idea what 2021 holds for us.  Well, actually I do have a hint of it, but we will end up exploring it together as we go.  I want to thank all of you that have been a part of my life for almost a decade now, since I started the website in 2011.  I want you to know that I appreciate you.  You are always welcome here.  As an Empath I am closer to you than you realize.  I believe that is one reason that I am so honest and open with all of you, exposing my life, my frailties, my past, and the abuse that I have suffered from childhood on.  I mean, as an Empath I can read so many of you, that I think that is why I confide so much of myself.  I believe in evening the score.  If I can know about you, then you should know about me.

I believe in asking for help.  I believe in giving help.  We are all in this together.  Whatever “this” is.  We need to put aside the pride in ourselves, and we need to put aside the prejudice as well.  Quit looking down on those that need help, and quit resisting asking for help when you need it.

America, and the American people need to change in order to survive.  We need to quit this ‘go it alone’ attitude.  No one can make it alone.  We need friends.  We need allies.  We need supporters.  But, we also need to be worthy of that support.  We need to quit imposing our beliefs on other cultures and just allow them to believe as they wish.  And to respect their beliefs.  We don’t have all the answers and we need to realize that.  I like other cultures.  I like their foods, I like their arts, I even like their beliefs.  I don’t have to follow them, but I like knowing about them.

 

My wish for 2021 is that we can actually be the America that our ancestors realized. 

I’m onboard for that!  Are You?

JULIE

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“You have brains in your head, you have feet in your shoes you can steer yourself any direction you choose.  You’re on your own, and you know what you know and YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go.  You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know you’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go so be sure when you step, step with care and great tact and remember that life’s a great balancing act.”

Dr. Seuss

(If we are to ban Dr. Seuss for some of his writings then we will ban every writer in the history of our country.  I am no racist.  I believe in fairness and equality.  But I have learned from some controversial writer’s through the years.  I myself have written some controversial things that would get some people upset.  That doesn’t make me a bad person.  Let’s be open minded about the times that we live in now, and live up to those standards, while we also acknowledge the times of old, and recognize their failures in not knowing any better.  Sometimes it’s difficult to see 100 years into the future.)

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Julie, The Photographer

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Blue Heron

I wanted to post one of my daughter Veronica’s paintings.

  She is quite the artist and we are very proud of her.

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If you would like to read my 2020 blog:

Julie 2020 Blogging

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Our website is a living website where I update old pages and posts as well as creating new ones.  I realize that for those of you that would like to see content updated you may not know where to go? 

Well, you can go right here:

Current Website Events

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BLOG POSTS START RIGHT HERE

People always assume that a relationship with me is theirs to do with as they please.  I always find it interesting when they find out differently.

Julie Lancaster-Whann

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January 7, 2022

I sincerely hope that everyone had a lovely holiday season and let’s wish all of us a nice new year.

This will be the last entry I make on this page.  I’ve started a new blog for 2022.  Here is the link:

Blogging With Julie in 2022

Julie

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December 16-18, 2021

Social Media, Pandemic, Kayaks,

and Why I Turned Christmas into Halloween

Our Big Bang Theory Saturnalia CLUE

As Leonard and Penney from The Big Bang Theory

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Today we spent the day delivering yet more things to our children and their partner’s for Christmas.  Food, gifts, old Christmas memorabilia from our attic to add to their very own Christmas collections.  It is always fun seeing them.  We are very proud of our children and their partners.  We are very lucky to have such great kids.  Not only the kids and their partners, but their dogs as well.  We include our canine family members too.

Although at this writing we are doing fine, and so are our children, etc.  We also know that there are many that aren’t.  As am Empath that tends to weigh very heavy on me, and other Empaths out there as well.  There is this big consensus that is very hard to ignore and dismiss.  I wish that I could. 

I do know that one way that I can extract myself from all the emotional drama is to remove myself from social media.  When everyone that I know was getting heavily involved in Facebook, and trying to convince me to join in, I didn’t.  My answer:  Because if that is where all the republicans are then you know it isn’t good.

I am involved in Twitter, and I do love posting and Tweeting and Re-Tweeting from those that I follow.  Although I don’t think it really does much good.  My follows are already part of the choir, so to speak, so it really is like preaching to them.  Although they don’t need to be preached to.

I am however, rethinking my involvement in Instagram. 

Instagram, as well as Facebook, are in a lot of trouble due to their damage that they do to young people in general.  Although I believe they also do a lot of damage to adults as well.  More and more young people are killing themselves and becoming depressed over the images that they see in social media.  I do know that if I had been brought up in this age of social media that I doubt I would have gotten out of my teens without committing suicide.  I was terribly abused by my mother and step-father, not to mention all the moving around we did while I was growing up.  Being the new kid in school so often was hard enough as it was.  The telephone was the weapon of every mean girl that I knew.  (Which is probably why I cringe whenever the phone rings to this day.)  So, you can just imagine the damage that social media would have done to me.

I do empathize with so many out there but I have no idea how to help them.  All that I can do is to speak out whenever I can, and vote for people that can hopefully make things better for all of us.  I realize that isn’t very much.  But, what else is there to do?  I mean, it’s not like anyone listens to what I have to say anyway?

I have been becoming disillusioned with social media for the past few months.  Although I have never posted anything on Instagram, I have certainly given more than my fair share of “likes” to those that do.  Mostly to the magazine people and cookbook authors.  Some of these people know who we are. 

Did you know that when you buy a magazine or even a cookbook, that those people didn’t come up with those ideas and recipes on their own?  No?  Well, they don’t.  You see, they scour the internet for content and ideas from other people that they then put into their magazines or books, and sell them, making money off of other people.  Making their readers believe they are the brilliant creators of this or that.  They aren’t.  You know, if someone were to take a paragraph that I wrote and change a few words around, that is plagiarism.  But, if someone were to change a few ingredients around a recipe, that is just a new recipe.

There is always a work-around, and these people know how to do it.

I however, am tired of being in a game where I always lose and they always win.  The system is rigged against people like me, and only serves people like them.  There is nothing that I can do about it, but, I can take myself out of the equation.  Whenever I would “like” anything they would do, I was promoting them.  All that I ever wanted was a bone thrown my way occasionally.  I/We are good enough to copy from, but apparently not good enough to “like” or recommend which is why I am disillusioned.

Granted, I have never posted anything on Instagram for anyone to “like.”  But, I am active on Twitter and these people know of us.

I have decided to quit following those that I used to follow, and I am a very loyal person so it is ultimately their loss.  I also have to say that there is no new person out there with some futuristic great ideas.  Everyone seems to copy off each other and it is becoming very boring.  Like looking at the same thing every day.  But, that is their problem now.  After all, they are under pressure to make money for the publishers they work for.  I don’t have those kinds of problems.  Luckily.

I will say this about our website, it was in October that we had people from all over the world viewing our How To Carve A Pumpkin webpage.  I told Gordon that his instructions are our number one post for Halloween.  Doesn’t that make you proud that you are helping people carve their pumpkins with their children, all over the world?  THAT is what our website is about!  🙂

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The Pandemic Rages On

Once something has been unleashed it is very hard to reign it back in.  I really don’t believe in accidents by country’s or corporations.  I believe everything is intentional.  So, why would a virus be intentional?  Many reasons.  First, starting with the fact that there are too many people on this planet and we are a cancer to it.  It is also rejecting us.  Oh, we are not killing our planet.  It will survive, but not before rejecting all life on it.  Only then will it be able to heal itself.  The fewer people we have on our planet, the better off it will be for itself, and those left on it.

Believe what you like, but that is fact.

The Virus

The virus needs many hosts in order to kill us.  If it only has one host it will not.  Why?  Because, it will then kill itself.  The virus is most deadly when there are many hosts out there for it to gravitate too.  But, if it only has one host it will not kill the host.  The more people that are vaccinated, the better off we will all be.  But, the most idiots that die of Covid the better off the rest of us will be that are left on our planet.  It will then stop rejecting us and we will still have a planet that will sustain us.

I have nothing more to say on that subject.

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Kayaks

Gordon Bought Us 3 New/Used Kayaks From Weeki Wachee

More Like 3 New Projects for Us

We love kayaking here in Florida.  We have wanted to own our very own kayaks now for awhile but we didn’t want to pay the big prices for them being brand new.  Therefore, we waited until Weeki Wachee put their used ones on sale, and Gordon swiped in and bought 3 of them.  He paid under $400.00 for all of them.  Granted, they do need some fixing up, but that will be minimal in price compared to buying them brand new.  More to come on that front.  🙂

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Why I Turned Christmas into Halloween

Our Big Bang Theory Saturnalia:  Star Trek Style

This year it was my idea to do a Big Bang Theory Saturnalia (Christmas).

We are huge fans of the show and sad that it has ended.  As I was telling my brother Johnny in Ireland, ‘I can quote Big Bang just as easily as I can quote Star Wars.’  And I CAN QUOTE STAR WARS!!!

I came across the CLUE board game version of The Big Bang Theory a few months ago online and I knew that would be our theme this year for Christmas!  Except that it would be Saturnalia.   🙂

For those unfamiliar with Saturnalia it was the original “Christmas.”  You see, the Christian’s stole Winter Solstice from the Pagan’s and just renamed it Christmas.  Which is why the republican’s and Fox News are always screaming that people are out to get Christmas!!!  Oh, no!!!! 

That is always a dead give away of what they do wrong.  Everything they accuse the left of doing they have done themselves, which is why they accuse them of such things.  They know that they steal so therefore they assume the other side is stealing too. 

If you want to bring the Bible into this then know that Jesus was born with the lambs, and they are born in the spring.  Historians have actually placed Jesus’s birthday as being April 17th.  So, exactly why would Jesus be born on December 25th?  He wasn’t.  The Christian’s took the Winter Solstice from the Pagan’s and just renamed everything and made it their own.

Think about it?  What does a Christmas tree have to do with Jesus being born?  Nothing.  That is what the Pagan’s would do.  They would bring an Evergreen into their homes as a reminder that spring was just around the corner.  They did after all, have very harsh winter’s.  Everything that you do to celebrate “Christmas” is all Pagan.  So, whenever I hear someone say that ‘they prefer a traditional Christmas’?  Exactly what is that?  The original Pagan variety?  Or the stolen Christian one?  Or perhaps your Norman Rockwell painting variety?  Or how about how Coca Cola is responsible for Santa Clause looking the way he does?  That jolly old fat guy with a white beard?  So, exactly what is traditional?  What is original?  I suppose that is up to interpretation.

To me someone that prefers a traditional Christmas is someone who has no ideas and relies on recipes of the past.  I however, have many ideas that I want to use and create.

I have decided that I am going to insert myself and our family into whatever Christmas that we care to have.  After all, the original Christmas is all about celebrating and partying, just as the Pagan’s did.  Winter Solstice was a time of celebration, not worship.  That came later when the Christian’s imposed that on everyone. 

Have the Christmas/Saturnalia that you want to have and respect of those that perhaps have a different view.  I happen to prefer the traditional Pagan celebration.  But more power to those that have a different point of view.  I respect that.  Please respect ours, as well.

Lo Saturnalia!

Julie and Gordon

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December 16, 2021

Update from Kate below:

Living in Belgium

I’m doing my masters in European Studies over here, I get to specialise in Comparative American-European studies. I’m living in a very student orientated city called Leuven and I love it. I’m hoping to work for the EU in Brussels once I finish it.

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December 8, 2021

Congratulation’s Kate!

November 26, 2021

Kate Jude Ryan Lancaster

Graduating Trinity University

Dublin, Ireland

My brother Johnny with his daughter Kate

My beautiful Irish nieces left, Johnny and his partner Sabina, right.

Celebrating Kate’s Graduation

Vivien and Lola

It wouldn’t be a celebration without a Dublin McDonald’s, now would it?

(I’m just glad the girls are eating ketchup with their fries instead of mayonnaise, which is the norm over there.)  🙁

Johnny and Lola Watching the new Dune Movie

I always love catching up with the Ireland relatives, especially when there is something special going on.

Congratulation’s Kate!  You got there on your brains, not your bank account.

Love you guys to pieces!

Aunt Julie and Uncle Gordon

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November 16, 2021

Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of the day our home renovations started.  It really was a complicated year where all of that was concerned.  I do admit that I could have put our house back together much sooner than I did once the renovations were over with but I just wasn’t interested in doing so.  All that I have ever known in my life was moving from place to place.  Boxes, boxes, boxes….

And all we had during the renovations was boxes, boxes, boxes. 

Here is a photo of our dining room taken yesterday.  We shot our Charmed Halloween. 

At one point there were 80 boxes in this room.  My goal was to get everything ready by Halloween, 2021.  I did achieve that even though this photo was taken yesterday.

I was never in any hurry to put things back together because we were in a pandemic.  No rush.

I knew it would come together as I saw fit.  And it has.  Moving around as much as I have done in my life I actually learned to not even notice all the boxes that were everywhere.  I learned to go at my own timetable and not someone else’s.  This is my home and I will get to it when I feel like it, was my motto.

Shooting our Charmed Halloween

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Me, With Spooky and Sparky

I believe that these past 20 pandemic months have been a challenge for us all.  I have to admit that I have had it easy.  The life that I have chosen has benefited me well.  But I do feel for those who have had it harder than me.  I don’t have some 9-5 job that a lot of people have.  But, that doesn’t mean that I don’t feel stress, or anxiousness, or worry.  I do.  And, I will acknowledge that those that do have jobs feel far more anxiety than I do on a daily basis.  I sympathize with you.  For many years ago I was you.

I hope for more independent thinking.  You don’t have to do what your neighbors are doing, or your friends, or co-workers, or even family.  You can go in directions that you never anticipated.  You just need to be able to follow that line of thought to it’s conclusion and find a way to make it work for you.

Life is complicated.  Far more complicated from my youth.  I am on your side, I wish you well.

Keep in touch,

Julie

P.S.  I don’t mean to sound so cryptic.  I’m just worried about the direction our country is going in and I feel for those people that aren’t doing so well.

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November 3, 2021

The Great American Modern Family Experiment

(My Take on It Anyway)

 (I HAVE REMOVED THE PHOTOS FOR COPYRIGHT PURPOSES.)

L:  Tarek El Moussa and Heather Rae Young, a.k.a. Mr. and Mrs. El Moussa

M:  Christina Haack and Josh Hall  (The former Mrs. El Moussa and the former Mrs. Anstead)

R:  Renee Zellweger and Ant Anstead

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I would like to start at the beginning:

Flip or Flop Season 1, 2013

Tarek and Christina El Moussa and Baby Taylor

I have wanted to write about these people for years.

  Luckily, they have all evolved as couples so that I have more to write about. 

At the time this show premiered on HGTV my husband Gordon and I were very much into all the DIY shows.  Nicole Curtis and her Rehab Addict.  All of the Kitchen Crashers/Yard Crashers/Love it or List it’s….

We loved all of it!  And, our T.V. was pretty much geared towards all those shows every single weekend.

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But, it was this show that would get to us.  The T.V. show was about a very young attractive couple with a young child, they used to be realtors, met each other while working in the same office, married, bought a house, Great Recession hit, they ended up living in his mother’s basement.  From what I understand Tarek knew someone who worked with Pie Town Productions and borrowed a camera and filmed a flip of theirs.  (Or something to that affect.)  Pie Town then decided to try them out on HGTV and the rest is history.

FYI:  It was Flippers that caused the Great Recession

Although Tarek and Christina El Moussa were not flippers at that time.

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Christina and Tarek El Moussa, 2009

(El Moussa actually means Moses)

To be perfectly honest, we really didn’t like them.  BUT, we did like the end results of their work.  In the beginning you could tell that they really were living by the skin of their flips.  They would bid on these houses that they would then flip, sight unseen.  They were creative in fixing up these disasters, sometimes running out of money.  In one episode Tarek is having to borrow a credit line of his mother’s in order to finish a house.  She asked him how he knew he could sell it and he replied, “I can sell anything.”  Only a con artist could say that.  I personally don’t know if I can sell anything because I can’t lie to the customer.  Another time he was bummed because there were no foreclosures in his area.  Wow.  I mean, isn’t that good news?  Hey, your neighborhood is good and doing well.  Isn’t that great?  Apparently not to Tarek.

There was another time where they sold one of their flips for about 92,000 more than it was worth and the bank wouldn’t approve the loan for the person that wanted it.  No problem, they found the money elsewhere in order to get the house.  Wow.  Capitalism at it’s worst.  Paying way more than it’s worth with no safeguards out there to protect the average person.  In other words, it’s legal.  You just need to find someone stupid enough to pay your price.

It was for these reasons that we really didn’t like this couple.

(But please keep reading as I have changed my opinion on a few things.)

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I believe it was 2016 that Tarek went on some gun toting suicidal rampage where Christina had to call the police on him and a helicopter was sent to find him.  I can only imagine why?  I do admit that I haven’t read anything about it.  Mainly because I don’t care.  But, I do imagine that he must have discovered something that he didn’t like when he came home one day. 

I am NOT here to judge!  (Although I guess I am.)

This is just my opinion.  But, I do believe that it is a red flag when your husband grabs a gun and goes off on his own.  That is how he chose to handle that situation.  I do see him as having to control his environment and everyone around him and when he couldn’t that is how he decided to handle that situation.

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Tarek and Christina ended up divorcing.  I think she went on to date a few guys here and there while he went on to date his children’s 19 year old babysitter.  He got a new house and hired a babysitter to care for his children when they were at his house.  I do have to ask, why does a man have to view a pretty young girl as bait?  She was his children’s babysitter.  Why does she have to be dating material?  Why can’t she just be ‘my children’s babysitter?’ 

Tarek isn’t the first man to date the babysitter/nanny.  Um, let’s see, uh, Ben Afleck dated his children’s nanny.  Robin Williams traded in his first wife for his child’s nanny and married her.  Gavin Rossdale had a 3 year affair with his children’s nanny until Gwen Stefani found out about it.  I do believe that when the Beckham’s were living in Spain that he had a short fling with his children’s nanny.  Also, when Monica Lewinsky was the babysitter for a family she had an affair with the husband and he and his wife were in marriage counseling when the news broke about her and Bill Clinton.  So, Tarek is not alone.

Flip or Flop

Tarek and Christina did continue to work on the show even though they were divorcing but the signs were there for those of us watching the show that their marriage was in trouble.  In one of the episode’s they were arguing over the design of a bathroom so they each decided to do a bathroom how they wanted it done, and then ‘we’ll see who’s is best,’ kind of thing.  When you start competing with your spouse and are no longer working together then there is always a winner, and a looser.  And we all know how much Tarek has to win.  Your spouse is your partner, not your competitor.

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Christina and Ant Anstead December 2018

Christina did go on to meet and marry Ant Anstead.  He is on some reality T.V. show called Wheeler Dealers and the show where he met Renee Zellweger, Celebrity IOU, Joyride.  I believe that Renee was having some car done for a friend of hers and she and Ant hit it off.  Regardless, Christina and Ant’s union did result in one child, Hudson, before they split up less than 2 years after they married. 

I don’t know the reason for their split.  I don’t even know if Christina has said so publicly but, I do have an idea.  Again, I am just speculating, however, I think that she found out something about him that she didn’t like.  Not that that thing she found out about is wrong, I just think that she didn’t want to be married to him anymore because of it.

He never wanted the divorce from her, he said so publicly.  So, I don’t really think that it was something that he did, just something in his past.  (MY opinion, that’s all.)

He has always seemed to be such a jovial person and her children with Tarek, Taylor and Brayden, really liked him.  Tarek even said so himself at one time.  Tarek has even remarked publicly that he is happy to include Ant and Hudson as part of his extended family.  Something to that affect.

I would like to comment that in reading my remarks above I sound like some stalker, but they are so high profile that you don’t have to go out of your way to know a lot about them.  I have never seen an episode of the Kardashian’s, or read an article about any of them but yet I know everything there is to know about them.  They are just so high profile that you can’t help but know all about them.

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I think it was 2019 that he Tarek, met and fell in love with the beautiful Heather Rae Young.  (He obviously has a type.)  All of his wives are stunning.  I believe I also read that by their second date they had decided to commit to each other.  They said they just knew.

Tarek and Heather

It must have been back in 2019 where I came across some headline that Tarek was dating a former Playboy Playmate.  I had actually forgotten about that until I was looking her up online to know a bit more about her for this blogpost, I had reread that and then remembered.  No one seems to mention the Playboy past anymore.  They always refer to her as being on the show, Selling Sunset.  But, I did discover that she has done a few movies, probably bit parts, but still.  I also discovered that she is just a few months younger than my own daughter.  Yet, she just seems so much older and more sophisticated than my Veronica.  She is also a vegetarian, health conscious, and most vegetarian’s live an additional 9 years longer than the rest of us meat eaters.

She and Tarek just seem like the male and female versions of each other.  That is probably the reason why they just “knew” they were right for each other from the start.  They are both Showman, Sales People, they know how to work the system, they know how to play the game and shine brightly in that spotlight.  And they do shine!  (I myself have never known how to play the game and I always seem to loose to those that do.)

A few months ago I started looking at their Instagram posts.  I don’t follow them, but I do check in to look at what they post because it’s all so glamorous.  Of course, they were planning their wedding and all the fantasy that came along with it.  The beautiful long hair extensions, the hair adornments, the clothing, the shoes, (although I hate shoes I do recognize quality.)  I do see why young girls looking at Instagram photos like theirs would cause them feel bad about themselves.  Even Heather’s friends all look good.  They all seem to have what I refer to as “Space Boobs.”  They just seem to defy gravity and even though they aren’t supported by anything other than a small swath of cloth, they just seem to float.  It truly does defy logic.

So, while Christina’s marriage to Ant was ending, Tarek was now the one in the hot relationship.  I believe that he gave her a Ferrari for her birthday when they first started dating?  It was her 32nd. birthday.

If I were dating someone new and they bought me a 250,000.00 Ferrari, the first thing I would say is, ‘Are you kidding me?  Do you WANT me to get carjacked?  I thought you liked me?’  The second thing I would say is, ‘Exactly what do you expect from me if I except this gift?  What if we break up?  Why don’t we just return it and then buy me a nice roomy Jeep.  O.K.?  Something that will hold more than one bag of groceries?’

But, is that how Heather reacted?  NO!  She was smiling, laughing, hugging, all excited, trembling, crying…..

You get the picture.

The reason that she is who she is, and I am who I am, is how we would interpret a gift like this.  She excepts it with open arms, while I would be suspicious and skeptical.  I also don’t like being beholden to someone.  I don’t like owing people.  And I would feel as if I owed this person for the rest of my life although I think she could walk away with her gift and never look back.

She and Tarek are both extremely ambitious, bordering on cutthroat.  That is why they are as successful as they are.  But, those qualities are looked upon as being desirable by many here in America.  Enviable, even.  I do have to say that they are fascinating to watch!  They are after all The Beautiful People.  I myself have nothing in common with The Beautiful People.  My boobs are 60, not 3 years old.  They don’t float.  BUT, as Stan says about Francine’s boobs on American Dad, “Boobs are holding up nicely for a gal her age, I’ll say that.”

Mr. and Mrs. Tarek El Moussa, October 2021

I will say this about them.  Tarek’s children adore her!  It’s obvious!  The kids are always smiling and happy around them.  I am not going to post any photos of their children on my website because I just don’t think that is right.  The only reason I have baby Taylor in the photo above in the 2013 Flip or Flop promo is because they included her in that photo and she is just a baby there.  Now Taylor is a beautiful 11 year old girl, and Brayden is an adorable Tarek mini-me of about age 6 I think?

I really do believe that Heather wants to be the best step-mother to those adorable children.

I do wish them well as a married couple.  My very unsolicited advice to them, I have been married for 36 years btw, is to just enjoy the two of you, and the kids on the weekends or whatever schedules you have.  There is time for kids down the line if you so desire.  But until then just enjoy each other.

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Although I’m sure none of these people care about what I think, that isn’t going to stop me from talking:

Tarek:  I ask you that when you flip houses that you think about the environment and not the money.  I watch your show, Flipping 101 and your advice to those flippers is to rip out beautiful hardwood floors and replace them with laminate just because it is cheaper.  Think about the house, and the landfill where that wood is going.  Why can’t there just be a profit on a flip, and not a HUGE profit on a flip?

Instead of ripping out cabinets with sledge hammers can’t you just remove them and donate them to Habitat for Humanity?  You have 2 children that you claim to love so why not leave behind a healthy environment for them to live in, or at least do your part to contribute towards that.  Be a good teacher on your show.  For some reason wealthy people just don’t think the damage they do will ever come back to affect them.  It does, and it will.

Quit putting Christina down!

(Your children will only forgive you for that for just so long.)

The way that you are constantly putting her down you would think that you wanted her back?  It sounds like she hurt you and you just can’t get over it?  Newsflash!  You have a beautiful young wife now and you need to focus on her and your children.  Do you realize how many men out there envy you?  I don’t think that you do because if you did you would shut up about Christina.  You need to learn to be happy with what you have because then you will be happy everyday.  But, happiness does not come to the person who has to constantly win.  If that is the only thing that makes you happy then you won’t always be happy.  Because no one wins everyday.  So, how many people do you want to hurt and make miserable just so you can constantly be the “winner.”

Christina Was There From The Start

Always remember that.  She was there through the poor times of living in your mother’s basement.  She was there through the living from paycheck to paycheck, the worry, your throat cancer, your back surgery, and I don’t know when you had the testicular cancer, (meaning I don’t know the time line on whether you two were still together at that time.)  BUT, she was there for all the tough times.  And she is the mother to your children.  She is not your enemy so quit treating her as if she is.  She deserves much more credit than you give her.

Heather walked in when all the work was done so it’s very easy to see her more positively, but she wasn’t there for the hard times.  And Celiac Disease is hardly a death sentence.

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Josh Hall and Christina Haack

(Her Ride or Die)

 

Christina has recently become engaged to this man, Josh Hall, whom she has referred to as her “Ride or Die.”  I don’t think we really know that much about him.  He seems something of a mystery.  Not that he is any of our business.  I seem to remember hearing how he used to be a former cop.  Same with Ant.  So, two former cops.  It sounds like to me that Christina wants to be with someone who can protect her and her children.  That tells me that they have lots of guns in their home.  (I’m against that.  Guns are designed for only one purpose, to kill people.  But sadly, far too many accidental gun deaths occur, usually involving children.) 

I do follow Christina on Instagram.  And to tell you the truth, I like her.  I didn’t used to but I think she has become a more grounded, down to Earth person than she used to be.  I think she has learned a thing or two in life and just wants no more drama.  She grew up! 

She recently talked about how she had an Endoscopy because of years of stomach pain.  I too have had years of stomach pain and I got my own Endoscopy a few years ago.  It turns out that I had mild to moderate bacteria in my stomach and it was causing me trouble.  I was prescribed medication by my doctor and the side effect was listed as “Death.”  “DEATH!”  (Do you think I took that medicine?)

I have learned to manage my stomach pain so that it doesn’t bother me as much as it used to.  However, I think in Christina’s case it probably has to do with having to deal with 2 ex-husbands that she has children with, being put down by Tarek in the public, juggling 3 children, 2 T.V. shows and a fiance.  All of that would make anyone develop health problems.  She also seems to live between her home in California and her home in Tennessee.  (I used to live in Tennessee, Sevierville.  I lived there for 3 years when I was in high school.  My step-father was one of the only doctors at that time in town.  I did go back many times since to visit with friends.  So, when I heard that Christina loved Tennessee all I could think to say was, “Why?”  It’s not exactly the most open minded state in our nation.  It has also changed so much over the past few decades and not exactly for the better.)

I do like that she is in to things like spiritual healing.  She has an open mind.  I am an Empath and I have certainly experienced more than my fair share of sceptic’s.  But what the sceptic’s don’t realize is that just because they may not believe in it, that doesn’t mean it isn’t real.  It just means they don’t believe in it.

Christina has referred to Josh as her “Ride or Die.”  Personally, I don’t believe that he is.  She is a drop-dead gorgeous 38 year old woman who actually has time in life before she has to worry about such things.  But, it seems as if she just dove right in to a new relationship when I think she just should have taken a time out to just focus on herself, her health, and her children.  A new man/fiance does take up an awful lot of time and I just think that all that she juggles might be doing more harm than good.

I like her and I want her to succeed!

I do think that Hudson is having a hard time adjusting to all of this new stuff.  In photos that she posts he just doesn’t look too happy.  But, he is living between 3 homes.  The one he shares with his mother and half siblings, and the one he shares with his father, and his mother’s house in Tennessee.  Children need stability and I just don’t see that he has it right now.  It looks like he has 1 mother, 1 father, and 2 other adults in the role of parents, Josh and Renee Zellweger.  Ant Anstead is currently dating Renee so of course she is in the picture as a sort of surrogate parent.

Taylor and Braydon seem to be in a better place as far as having a good support system.  They have their mother and little brother in that home, and they have their father and Heather in their home, and I believe they spend a lot of time with their grandmother and her husband, Tarek’s mother and step-father.  Those kids just seem very happy.  I also credit a lot of that to Heather.  She seems so excited to be in the role as their step-mother and I think she is taking it very seriously and enjoying it all.  Heather is proud to be an El Moussa and shouts it from the roof tops.  Of course, Taylor and Braydon are going to love that she wants to be in their family and be their step-mother.

But you know, I can’t really fault Christina for wanting a partner in her life at what is probably a very difficult time.  We all need a support system and if you don’t have one, then we all do tend to seek one out.

I do wish Christina and Josh all the happiness there is.  I want them to succeed as a couple and as parents to these 3 beautiful children. 

Christina:  Not that you will ever read this but I notice that you keep referring to Josh and your ‘hunky date’ or various manly-man references.  I do believe that is a dig at Tarek for (obviously) not being that hunky and I believe that is your way of getting back at him for the digs he constantly makes toward you.  Be better than he is, and stop it.  He isn’t worth the time or effort.  It is the women in life that are the peacemakers, the adults, etc.  And you have far too much class to join in.

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Ant and Renee

(Whenever I see her I just want to comb her hair.)

In my opinion I believe that Ant is very wise for taking things slow with his new relationship with Renee Zellweger.  He came out of his marriage to Christina pretty broken and I’m sure he’s still making repairs to himself.  I believe that what he is interested in is companionship and a mature relationship.  I commend him for being interested in a woman 10 years older than he is.  (At least he didn’t date the 19 year old babysitter.)

Ant is from the U.K. and has an ex-wife over there with 2 children from that union.  So, he is a transplant here in America.  And, apparently a pretty successful one.  From what I understand he is a mechanic.  So is my son Brodie.  My husband Gordon and our son Brodie can fix anything, build anything, so I understand the talent that Ant does possess.

It is true that we never know what goes on inside a marriage but Ant just seems so nice and jovial and friendly that I can’t imagine life being very unpleasant with him?  He is 42, Renee is 52.  I really don’t know that much to say about him because I don’t watch his T.V. shows to really know his personality.

I do love the whole Mechanic and the Movie Star thing they’ve got going.  I mean, an Oscar winning actress, someone who is at the very top of her very competitive field…  I mean, WOW!!!

The fact that she is dating a mechanic says a lot about her.  She is no snob!

I guess Ant and Renee are lucky that by the time I get to them I’m too tired to keep writing this.  Writing about Renee is a waste of time as everyone knows who she is and how talented she is as an actress.  She has no children and as far as I know only one divorce.  That was from Kenny Chesney, and even that union was annulled.

Before I end this I want to say to all 6 of these people how much I do admire each and every one of them.  All of you are self-made.  Not an easy thing.  Some of you came from very humble beginnings, but all of you are highly successful and very high profile where your celebrity status is concerned.  All of you are at the top of your field.  All of you are in your prime, (except Renee.)  All of you are young enough to be able to enjoy your fortunes instead of working your entire lives and not being able to get that sports car until your late 60’s, like some people.  (Heather got hers at 32.)

The reason I wrote about all of you, calling this

The Great American Modern Family Experiment,

is because that is what all of you are.  How well you handle your relationships with each other, and how hands on you all are with these children, and future children, will determine not only their health and happiness, but your own as well.

Each and every one of you holds in your hands the power to either be supportive of each other, or to make each other miserable.  All of you have the intelligence and the monetary means to enjoy the lives you have created.

I wish all of you the very best in life.

Julie

p.s.  Could someone just comb Renee’s hair for me?  I’d really appreciate it.

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November 2, 2021

AND,

Halloween was GREAT this year!

I know that I haven’t written in awhile.  I’ve been mainly working on creating and updating new blog pages.  There are so many that are unfinished.  I really have created a monster here.  I don’t know that I will ever catch up.  But, I/We do our best.

Now that Halloween is over with it’s time to prepare for Thanksgiving.

Although, I do have another Halloween page to photograph and work on.  And I will be doing that in the next few weeks.  Gordon and I also have a few other things planned for November.  I am not even thinking about December yet.

The Queen of Themes

If Kate Beckinsale can honestly talk about her high I.Q. then I don’t see why I can’t honestly dub myself, The Queen of Themes.  After all, I AM!  My website is my resume.

Happy Belated Halloween!

Julie

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Hey y’all, it’s me!  Your favorite Floridian!

(Don’t roll your eyes!  You know I am.)  🙂

September 21, 2021

What’s New?

(Our NEW Backyard Patio)

I haven’t been blogging much at all this year.  There has just been too much going on whether physically or just trying to get organized from all of our renovations that started almost a year ago.  I know that I have had plenty of time to whip this house in order but I haven’t wanted to.  I don’t want to spend my life unpacking boxes and getting reorganized.  It’s hard enough just cleaning a house, taking care of dogs, shopping, cooking, blah, blah, blah… I want to have some creative fun as well.  And I have. But, now I need to put myself as a priority and get back on that treadmill and loose some weight.  I do have a few projects to do before I get back into the swing of things and I am working on them right now.

Our house is getting more organized with me unpacking yet more boxes from our renovations.  I am down to just 7 boxes left in our dining room.  That is down from about 40.  🙂  Our new den is coming together.  (Our new den is Brodie’s old bedroom.)  🙂  I also want our dining room looking good for Halloween, and Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

I am still extremely pandemic shy, but I am doing all of those things that I need to do.

Gordon and I never stopped wearing our masks even though we’ve been fully vaxxed since early this year.  I understand we may not die from catching it but we still don’t want to go through all the sickness that may follow if we test positive.  My brother Johnny in Ireland loves wearing a mask.  He was used to catching a few colds and flu’s every year and he hasn’t been sick at all since he started wearing a mask so he has no problem always wearing a mask at work.

We are currently experiencing a huge deluge downpour with thunder and lightening and FLOODING!  The photos you see of me above were taken just 10 minutes before this drenching started.  We are into our hurricane season with storms coming up through the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic.  Either way, we get drenched!  It’s those outer bands, they never forget us.

Our new patio that you see above was created a few months ago and designed to help keep water out of our yard.  We will be blogging about that in another post but the patio tilts backwards so the rain water runs that way, and a more modern French drain runs alongside that side of our property and takes the water down a long pipe and towards the street.  It has helped tremendously with all this rain water. 

If our backyard looks a bit smaller it’s because I had Gordon to install a fence around our “construction site” mess that is always in that corner of our backyard.  It looks nice, doesn’t it?  No more junk to look at when we look outside.  All we see is our beautiful new patio.  It’s kind of like a shed without a roof.  It is also going to be a great place to move things into when we have our severe storms and hurricane’s.  A place to secure items so they don’t get blown around our backyard.

Gordon Fenced In Our “Construction” Site

We have this great little corner over there by the Magnolia Tree.  We moved our Terra Cotta Fountain between our Bamboo and our Magnolia.  We also moved our large clay tilting pot underneath the Magnolia and inserted a lovely plant.  There was room beside the tree so I suggested we just store the picnic table there when we aren’t using it.  We are finding a place for everything.  We do have this great big backyard while everyone else in our neighborhood just has a swimming pool surrounding by a cage and a fence.

Our next project is in filling those pots all along the fence, the back of the C-Shaped Retaining Wall with Bamboo, and planting new plants inside the C-Shaped Retaining Wall.  We would like to create a privacy fence between our backyard and our neighbor’s.  We like our neighbors, but I hate that our view is to their roof just 16 feet from our house.  This is going to be an excellent entertaining spot in our future and we have even more to add here.  That will come in time though.  When we had our sprinkler guys out here to move some sprinkler heads they kept referring to our backyard as The Taj Mahal.  Love it!  Hey, they supply the sprinklers and repairs for all of these fancy home around here so for them to refer to our backyard as The Taj Mahal, they must know what they are talking about.  🙂

So, we’ve had renovations inside our home, and new work outside our home.  In the front, by Gordon.  And in the back by Outdoor Impressions.  Things are coming along nicely.

But, what with the pandemic there has been no rush to get our home together if we won’t be having anyone come by and visit us anytime soon.  Like I said, we are still Covid shy.

I do have a lot more to say but I think that I will wait until another time.  I have way too many pages to complete, I also have a treadmill with my name on it that needs me to make it complete.  I also have cooking projects and foods to create and finish.  This is an exciting time for us but also a busy one.  My brain has 1 million things it wants to do but my mind tells me that I can only squeeze 13 things into that slot.  Do you know how hard it is to eliminate the rest?

Thank you so much for your interest in our website.  I appreciate you more than you will ever know.

Thank you,

Julie

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September 7, 2021

Harry and Meghan Finding Freedom (Escaping the Palace)

Yesterday, Labor Day, Gordon and I watched the 3 Meghan and Harry movies.  Harry and Meghan, A Royal Romance, Harry and Meghan, Becoming Royal, and Harry and Meghan, Escaping the Palace, on the Lifetime Channel.

We decided to forgo all that Labor Day cooking and feasting because we had so much food left over from the weekend so we thought we would put off our Labor Day meal until tomorrow.  I can’t just feast, and feast, and feast, without major repercussions on my waistline after finally loosing a few pounds only to gain them back.  No thank you!  Therefore, I like to  interject a day or two of light eating in between all this feasting.

I would like to say that I am a big fan of Harry and Meghan and have been from the moment I read about her.  I found her to be intelligent, charismatic, and kind, in addition to wanting to get involved in causes that would help people around the world.  Of course, I have always known of Harry but only as the little prince and then as the rebel prince.  I realize they are a bit polarizing at this time, so was Hillary Clinton and she has ended up being right about a lot of things.  Polarizing people generally are right, and on the right side of history, but sadly it can take decades for everyone else to catch up to them.  Come to think of it, I don’t ever recall hearing the word ‘polarizing’ to reference a conservative.  The word seems to be most associated with more liberals and forward thinkers.

This morning I saw an opinion piece on the Harry and Meghan movies from yesterday and I read it with great interest believing that I would read an informed op-ed only to be disappointed to learn how sarcastic it was. 

I relate to Meghan on many levels which is why I root for her success.  It saddens me to see progress being squashed out because of the prejudice of others and especially those in powerful positions.  Our world isn’t Black OR White.  It is many colors.  The days of white dominance are over, or rather should be.  Meghan appealed to so many people of color around the world, and even a few of us that are white.  Had she been welcomed and embraced then there would have never been a Megzit.  Had the palace recognized her talents and abilities and not just see her as a loud American divorced actress from a dysfunctional family (although that is a bit of the pot calling the kettle black), then Meghan could have been an asset, and not someone to fear.

I think she just wanted love and acceptance, and respect, and everything else that most young women want.  She was born into a pretty rotten dysfunctional blended family.  Her parents divorced when she was about 6.  She has half siblings.  I will say this about looking at some photos that have been posted online where Meghan is standing next to her father, or kneeling beside her wheelchair bound sister, it is Meghan that is leaning into them, while they lean away from her in some photos.  Why?  It looks to me like she cares more for them than they do for her?

Thomas Markle with Meghan, Samantha Markle with Meghan

To be fair to Mr. Markle, while I was looking for those particular photos of him leaning away from her I found many of him leaning towards her.  I do believe that he loves his daughter and is most likely very proud of her and all that she has accomplished, I just think that she wants to break free from all that dysfunction and embarrassment.  The only way to do that is to leave.

I believe that Meghan did want her father to walk her down the aisle but when it was discovered that he had been paid by the paparazzi to pose for some photos that they could then publish, he blew it.  That isn’t the media reporting the news, that is the media creating the news.  Meghan has also alluded to the same where the palace is concerned.

I too am from a dysfunctional blended family and the only ones that I still have anything to do with is my brother Johnny and his family in Ireland.  I have written about my abuse many times and I am not going to bring it up again right now, I’m sure most of you are sick of hearing about it.  But, I found the only way to find any happiness and peace was to get away from all the bullies.  Bullies rarely stop being bullies on their own.  Most of the time all we can do is to just leave and get away from them when possible.  It’s useless to try and reason with them into changing their behavior’s and to start treating you with respect.  Unless there is an even more powerful person forcing them to change then they won’t.

No one was there for Meghan in the same way that no one was there for Diana.

(With the exception of Harry.)

I can also relate to not really being wanted by the family you are marrying into.

I am 4 years older than Gordon and when we met he was 17 and I was 21.  I do understand that to them it probably wasn’t ideal but I did do my best to try and fit in and I did put up with a hell of a lot from that family.  🙁

The Royals and the Whann’s really aren’t all that different.  In the Whann home they have one million rules but they don’t tell you what they are, you are just supposed to know them.  If you break one of those rules then the punishment is swift and strong.  The thing is that I would have read a rule book if someone had given one to me.

I feel like that is probably what it was like for Meghan.  And Diana as well.

Marrying into a family where they are the only ones that are important.  Your feelings mean nothing to them.  Just count your lucky stars that we are even allowing you in through the front door.

Just to give you a few examples of what all I/we went through:

  If I was staying over in the guest room and they were getting up to go to work in the morning, they insisted that I sit at the breakfast table at 6:00 a.m. while they ate their breakfast.  When they were done then I was allowed to go back to bed.

At dinner, they will fix your plate and give you the portions that they believe you should eat, (which to them was a lot of food.)  If I couldn’t eat all that they piled on my plate then they would place it into the refrigerator and make me eat it for lunch the next day.

When Gordon and I were first married and planning on moving from Georgia to Florida we were told that Gordon could have his bedroom furniture.  Well, we drove from Rome, Georgia all the way up to Charlotte, North Carolina to pick up that furniture, pulling a small UHaul trailer only to be told that they changed their minds and don’t want us to have it.  You know, once we made the 7 hour journey for nothing.

Gordon was also told that because he gave up his senior year in high school to care for his mother when she was hit by a car that they would pay for his dive school college in Jensen Beach, Florida after Gordon and I were married.  So, that is why we moved to Florida to begin with.  I transferred with my job from Georgia to Florida, we found a house to rent, we moved down here, and right when Gordon was looking into starting school his parents changed their minds and decided not to pay for this dive school.  That was the only reason we moved down here to begin with.

I have a million more examples to give you but I will end with this one:

It was while we were living in Hawaii that they came to visit a few times.  The thing about their visits are that they are traveling that distance to see Hawaii, not us, we are just the free place they can stay while they visit Hawaii.  Well, while Gordon was at work I was going to take them into Honolulu to visit the Dole Pineapple Cannery and eat lunch there at one of the cute little eateries, and to do some shopping as well.  As we were all getting into my car Gordon’s father blocked my getting into the driver’s seat and opened his hand and said, “I’m driving, give me the keys.”  I was confused as to this strong demeanor.  He was preventing me from entering into my own car.  I then said something to the affect that ‘I know the way and besides you two can sight see as I drive.’  He said, “No, I’m driving.  Hand over the keys.”  I was bullied into giving him my keys in order to keep the peace in the family.  He ended up driving MY car.  Not Gordon’s.  The car was mine.  For years I was so mad at myself for allowing that kind of treatment and lack of respect.  I went out of my way for these people only to be treated so badly.  If this were to happen now there would be a lot of bitch slapping going on and I would walk back into the house telling them that they can just take a taxi as far as I’m concerned.  That’s why I admire Meghan for not going through all that I did.  I did cut ties with my in-laws eventually.  I regret that I hadn’t done it sooner though.

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Meghan is the young woman that I wish that I had been.  I don’t see her as a trouble maker, I see her as someone who stands up for herself and others.

Harry chose her.  Just as Gordon chose me.  If it has to be up to family members to approve of the people that we choose to fall in love with and marry then I suppose arranged marriages then need to come back.  I told Gordon that whomever our children fall in love with we will support their decisions.  It’s not up to us to choose for them.  (And guess what?  Our children have done just fine without our help.)

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Meghan’s Alleged Bullying

I really want to address this.  Meghan is being accused by certain palace staff that she bullied them. 

Every bully I have ever known has their followers that are there to back them up.  And they tend to pick on the one that is different from them.  Bully’s aren’t lone wolves.  They tend to do their damage in packs.  Meghan was over there alone.  She had no one but Harry.  Her entire support system was Harry, and her mother, and a few friends via Skype or Zoom or whatever the latest communication network is.

When you are sad and crying and thinking about ending your life then you are not bullying people, YOU ARE BEING BULLIED!

I don’t believe those claims by certain palace staff.  If they lie about this, what else are they lying about?

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William and Kate, Future King and Queen

I do believe that these two have had it in for Meghan from the start.  Although I believe that the institution is behind it all.  However, a future king and queen could have done more to help welcome Harry’s chosen wife into the fold much better than they have.  I would think that their words would have gone a long way if they had chosen to use them in support of her.

I got into an argument with someone from the U.K. on Twitter a few months ago about this.  She was in support of Kate and I was dissing Kate tremendously.  I started to get suspicious as I was conversing with this woman because she took such a long time between attacks.  It was as if she was being coached by a few someones.  I even wondered if this wasn’t someone with a fake account connected to the palace?  It just seemed rigged and I knew that it was never going to end unless I ended it so I threw Leonie a curve ball and said something to the effect of ‘goodnight and I wish you well.’  She never wrote back.  I knew that she wouldn’t.  When you argue with someone and you then ‘wish them goodnight and have a nice evening’ then they don’t know what to do?

I think next time I’ll just cut the the chase and not even respond and then just block them.  Saves time.  The older I get the less time I want to spend on the Leonie Gunn’s of this world.

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The Royals are a class system. 

And what a class system is, is that they are way more important than you.  Their feelings and wants and desires and needs are far more important than your own.  They are in the front of the bus, while you are in the back.  They are in first class, while you are in coach.  They get the mansions while you get the studio apartments.  Strangely enough, these proclaimed self anointed individuals have a following that actually help to allow them those privileges.  And do their best to make sure they continue to have them.

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Diana Understood That Change Happens and you Have to Change With It

Diana

I believe she would have loved both of her daughter-in-laws equally and would have been supportive of both of them.  I believe that her presence would have forced William and Harry to make amends and work things out.  I believe she would have been a big source of support to Meghan knowing full well what it is like to be a target of “The Firm.”

I will end with this. 

I also believe that they saw her as disposable.  Just how they see Meghan.

Julie

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September 2, 2021

I Love It When The Frogs Sing

Yesterday morning I woke up early and as I was lying in bed I could hear the frogs outside my window singing away.  I love the frogs.  We have many in our yard.  We don’t use those pesticides to kill bugs and weeds like so many of our neighbors do because it will also kill all the lizards, skinks, and frogs.

Because of all the frogs we have in our backyard we don’t have a lot of bugs.  The frogs, Dragon Flies, Bats, and Lizards eat them.  Oh, there will always be that annoying mosquito but there really aren’t that many of them to worry about.  But as I lay there listening to them sing I could hear some low rumbling from a distance.  Thunder.  I knew a storm was coming.  As the minutes went by the thunder came nearer and became louder.  Flashes of lightening started illuminating the bedroom.  Then all of a sudden here comes the rain.  It was as if the bottom fell out of the sky.  It was so loud it was almost deafening.  The rain, the cracks of thunder, and all that forked lightening.  It was wonderful!

I was happy it was raining because I had planned to get outside and do some extra watering because we hadn’t had a lot of rain and I didn’t want some of my outside plants and flowers to die.  Thankfully with this wonderful drenching that we were having everything is getting a good soak.

Gordon was in the shower oblivious, and missing all of this weather orchestra that was performing all for me.  I say ‘all for me’ because it was extremely early in the morning and most people are still asleep, except for Gordon because he goes into work early.  My first instinct was to go back to sleep because nothing can soothe you more than a sleepy storm.  But yet I didn’t want to miss any of it.  So, I lay there in bed hearing it all, seeing it all, and loving it all.

When Gordon came out of the shower and was dressing he noticed that I was awake.  Usually, I’m trying to get back to sleep because Gordon’s early schedule does interfere with my sleeping sometimes.  It was while there was a lull in the storm that the frogs started singing again.  I do have to admit that they are very loud.  Some people even complain about it, but not me.  I love it.  I know that as long as they are singing that I am safe.  It’s when they stop singing that you need to worry.  That usually means that someone or something is around that shouldn’t be there.  Just think of all the money that is spent on home alarms when we’ve got the frogs working round the clock outside for free.  🙂

Instead of going back to sleep I decided to get up and enjoy the storm, have some coffee, get online, and start my day.  It was the best day ever although I’m sure you won’t agree with me.  You see, the rain and storm lasted all day long.  When I got out of the shower instead of getting dressed I grabbed some comfy cozy pajamas.  I let my wet hair dry naturally and just let it hang loose all day.  There was an Indiana Jones marathon on one of the channels and I happily played it.  When they were all over I wanted to watch them all again.  I didn’t want my great day to end.  Gordon brought Chinese home for dinner from one of the take out restaurants that we hadn’t been to since before the pandemic started.  I had forgotten how perfect their egg rolls were.  Dipped in some Chinese mustard and it is just heaven.  And that is what my day was yesterday, pure heaven.

You know, it’s the little things in life that make me the happiest.  I can take pleasure in the things that most people take for granted.  Snuggling with the dogs on the couch watching a favorite movie marathon.  Enjoying take out with Gordon on the living room coffee table.  Laying in bed enjoying a thunderstorm and hearing the frogs outside the bedroom serenading me every night with their beautiful voices and keeping us safe.

Julie

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July 27, 2021

Yet More Stuff!

Just When I Thought It Was Under Control

Our Dining Room

(You can see that we have really made progress since our renovations and ALL THOSE BOXES!)

About a month ago Gordon flew up to Chesapeake, Virginia to visit with his parents and brother, and to help them move into a very nice Independent Living Apartment. 

Sarajane and Milton Whann

(We don’t know how old they are in this photo but they are around our age here.)

His parents are selling their home and getting rid of quite of bit of their possessions.  Gordon’s sister and niece were also there for a few days to help and to take some things back home with them to North Carolina.  The plan was for Gordon to fly up, stay a week, and then rent a truck bringing back with him quite a few things that they were giving him.  HOWEVER, when he called the usual businesses about renting a truck they all said NO!  They don’t want their trucks leaving the state.  (He would be driving the truck from Chesapeake, Virginia to our home in Florida, and then turning it into a branch of the business down here.)  He then looked into renting a truck with a hitch to hook up a trailer and drive down bringing the items with him.  Again, No!  They don’t want their trucks or trailers leaving the state. 

So, Gordon had no choice but to fly back home.  He did look into renting a truck down here and driving it up to Virginia but they all said NO!  They don’t want their trucks leaving the state.  Gordon was able to find a place that would rent him a trailer to hook up to the back of my car but I said NO!  My car is 15 years old and I’m not sure it can make it up there and back hauling such a large load.  What happens if you break down?  You will be at the mercy of some mechanic and how much they charge?  And you know how I don’t trust mechanics.  Mechanics and dentists can do whatever they want to our cars and our mouths and we don’t know if they are crooks or decent human beings.  It won’t be like you can shop around.  You’ll be broken down and will have to pay whatever they say you will have to pay.  Also, who knows how long it will take to get it fixed?  Can you just stay off from work for an extra week or so not only having to pay to get my car fixed but also some cheap motel room while it’s being done?  Not the mention all the extra money we will be pouring into some trailer until we can return it to where you rented it from.  Our cars are old and I don’t think we have one that can make that kind of distance and be o.k. 

(Do you see how I can go through very realistic scenarios from beginning to end?  People really do hate that about me.)  🙁

So, Gordon had to leave the items that he wanted up there and fly back here to find a way to get them down here.  We did look at companies to pick the items up and ship them down here.  Some told us they would get back to us with a price, and never did.  It was when Gordon was at work and talking to a few co-workers about his situation that one guy told him that his best friend has a trucking company and he will pick the items up and bring them down to us.  Gordon then got in touch with this guy and he took the job.  $3,000.00 round trip.  Because it would be something of a complicated pick up at Gordon’s parents house, Gordon asked if he could ride up with him?  He did.

So, this past Saturday they picked Gordon up at around 9:00 a.m. and off they went.

They didn’t return until Sunday night at around 12:30 a.m.

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With the dogs howling as loudly as they were with Gordon and the man that he had hired for the job, I’m sure we woke up the entire neighborhood!

Meet Our New Coffee Table and Gordon’s New Bar

These are hatch covered from the U.S.S. Diamond Head, 1945.

Gordon is thrilled, beyond thrilled, to have these things.  They are very valuable to his family and to Gordon to thus pass down to our children.  Gordon being a Navy Veteran and these items being on a Navy vessel means a lot.

Gordon’s Parents Canoe Which is Now Ours

(Meet the Julie A., or the Barefoot something another, or the Sea Monkey…  Still deciding.)

Our New Picnic Table

I always wanted one and the fact that this one belonged to Gordon’s parents makes it very special.)

Plus About 13 Boxes Just Like This One

So, what is so special about this box?  I will happily share that with you on another page of mine when I write about it.  🙂

Still finding room for all of this.  What I do love about my In-Laws is that they are hoarders.  Hoarders preserve history.  They keep things forever.  The family history is preserved.  And we get to relive it every day.  🙂

Julie

P.S.  What we have discovered with the whole trying to rent a truck or trailer is that there is more to the pandemic damage than the average person realizes.  In the past it was no big deal to rent a truck or car or trailer but now it is impossible.  What else don’t we know about the damage this pandemic has done?

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July 8, 2021

Why I Started This Website

July 6, 2011 – July 6, 2021

I started this website on July 6, 2011.  This is our 10 year anniversary.

We do plan on doing something special soon to commemorate our 10 years of blogging, recipes, holidays, anniversary’s, projects, how-to’s, tips, hints, and especially IDEAS!

I did want to take some time here to explain my reasons for starting this website in the first place.  First of all, I never do anything for just ONE reason.  I usually have a good 5-10 reasons for doing anything.  But one reason I wanted to do this is because of something my brother Johnny said to me many years ago.  You see every holiday Gordon and I would always go all out with food, recipes, decorating….  I would then send those photos around to family and friends to show them what we did.  No one cared!  My brother even wrote back once and told me to ‘quit sending pictures of decorations.  Just send photos of people.’  I knew that someone would be interested in my decorations.  I just don’t know those people personally.  It was then I knew that my future was connecting to strangers and not the people that I knew.

(Oh, I do have to tell you that last year my brother Johnny sent me photos of the “decorations” of his daughter Vivien’s First Holy Communion with no people in the photos and I absolutely loved throwing that in his face, tremendously!)  🙂

Another reason I wanted to start the website was because I wanted to share my ideas with people that were interested.  People that would appreciate them.  I also knew that I really only cared to appeal to a handful of people and not the masses.  I figured there would just be a few people that would be regular reader’s and that the masses would just come and go, if I even attracted that many people.

NOTE:  At this writing my average visitor stays just under 10 minutes per visit.  That’s good!  Considering the average website visitor nationwide only stays around 30 – 60 seconds on most websites.

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I cannot tell you how many website “experts” that I have come in contact with throughout these past 10 years that have given me advice on my website. 

‘I can teach you how to grow your business.’

Me:  I don’t have a business to grow.

‘If you would just remove a lot of those pictures you have on your website it would appeal to more people.’

Me:  I love all my photos and I don’t care to appeal to a lot of people.

‘In order to sell your product…..’

Me:  I have no product to sell. 

All that I ever wanted was some help financially in keeping the website going.  The only thing I have here to “sell” are ideas, and why should anyone pay me money for those ideas when I give them away for free?  I’m not a business woman.  I think that’s obvious to all of those that take our ideas and make them their own which they then put into their books and magazines and make money off of those ideas.

We pretty much work for free to all of those that know who we are.

I realize that the greatest form of flattery is imitation.  But imitation doesn’t keep the website going now does it?

When I was in my late teens and early 20’s my family opened a bookstore in downtown Rockingham, N.C..  After a few years we had to close it.  Why?  There really wasn’t a lot of support for it.  It was only when it closed that all the boo-hoo’s from the locals moaning that it was closed and how they miss it that I even said to a few people, “Then you should have supported it more when it was open.  If it meant that much to you?”

I am not here to ask any of our regular readers for help financially.  Even if you are wealthy I know you won’t contribute.  I have absolutely no faith in you whatsoever.  All you care about is continuing to grow your wealth.  And don’t worry, as long as I can I will keep this website going and you will get your supply of ideas which you can then place into your books and magazines to then sell and make money off of.  I didn’t create this website for you, I created it for ME and those like me.  I just wanted to share my ideas with the world.  The thing is that I didn’t think that the world would then take them and make them into their own.  But, that is where I am very ignorant.

On the Plus Side

Because this is my website I am beholden to no one.

I don’t answer to any sponsor, or board.  I can write what I want, post what I want, have as many photos as I want…

One of my favorite artists, Vincent Van Gogh, only cared about painting.  He was mentally ill but that didn’t erase from his talent.  It only placed him in a category where people could take advantage of him.  During his entire life he only sold one painting and that was to his brother Theo.  Believe me when I say that I don’t even expect to have ONE donation to this site.  I don’t expect to be as lucky as VVG.  I only talk about this because it has been made into a taboo subject by those that don’t want to address the topic.  Therefore, I will address it.  🙂

Now, I would like to state that we have posted on this website some recipes from other people, which we have given credit to.  Also, we make no money so I’m not making money off of you.

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But, I suppose that the preaching needs to stop and the confession needs to continue as to why I started this website to begin with.  For those of you that know me, and have read me, you know of my past.  The abuse that I have suffered growing up under my mother the narcissist and my step-father the psychopath.  I suffered every single form of abuse between the two of them.  My step-father had sexually abused me, psychologically abused me, verbally abused me, emotionally abused me, and my mother had physically abused me, emotionally abused me, verbally abused me, and psychologically abused me.

I always wondered why when I would meet someone new through my parents that they automatically disliked me the moment I met them?  I used to wonder if it was my clothes?  Do they not like what I am wearing?  Is it my make up?  Am I wearing too much?  Why don’t they like me?  They just met me.  What impression did I give them that was so negative?

I came to realize that my parents would sabotage me whenever anyone new would come around because they didn’t want them to like me.  Why?  Because they were afraid of what I might say to them.  After all, I was horribly abused by them.  They couldn’t risk anyone believing me.  They lived in fear that I would talk.  Therefore, they always made sure that no one really liked me, or that no one really cared about me, or that no one really trusted me.  Because if they did, then their secrets would be exposed.

It was in 2011 that my mother asked me and Gordon to take my nephew Joseph and his half-brother David to Egmont Key for the day.  We agreed.  It was when I met David that he acted a bit strange around me.  He was uncomfortable.  I then did my best to make him more comfortable.  David and I ended up really liking each other.  He then relaxed and told me that he was so glad he came on this trip.  He then said that Mary and John had said some things.  I automatically wondered why my mother would have said anything to dissuade this trip seeing as how it was her idea?  It was then that I realized the truth.  She and my step-father had done their best to dissuade David from liking me.  It was their M.O.  I then understood David’s fear of me.  A lot of things then fell into place.

It was at that time that I told my parents that if they feel the need to warn people about me, then don’t ask me to take them somewhere.  After all, they will be exposed to the horrible me.  But what happened was important because it just confirmed that my ending our relationship was the right thing to do.  I needed that confirmation.  After all, it is hard to end a relationship with your own parents, no mater how horrible they are to you.

I guess you could say that one reason I started this website was because I was tired of my parents controlling the narrative.  They always seemed to be in charge of the flow of information. 

After my step-father died in 2013 I was told by my mother that I am not well thought of in Rome.  Rome is my hometown in Georgia.  I knew that one reason I was not thought of very well was because of my mother and step-father always controlling that flow of information.

This is one reason that I started this website.  I wanted to have an input into the flow of information about me.  If I am to be liked, or disliked, I at least wanted both sides to be exposed so that the recipient could then make a more informed opinion.

I am not here to say, “Like me, like me, like me!!”  I’m just here to say, “Here I am, you can decide for yourself if you like me or not.  I’m o.k. with your decision.  But at least you now have a more informed of an opinion than you did before.”

I would like to express my great appreciation for those of you that are genuinely interested in our website.  We only ever wanted to help those that were in need.  Those that were interested in what we are doing.  We do appreciate you.  And thank you for your admiration and appreciation. 

Thank you!  This has been a very nice road to travel down.  We hope to continue on this journey.  We also hope that you will continue to follow us.  We don’t plan on sending you down some dangerous path.  We only want you to be safe and happy.  We also hope you send some of those happy vibes our way.

We have only ever wanted to be appreciated.

Julie and Gordon

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July 7, 2021

July 6th. 2011 – July 6, 2021

Happy 10th.Birthday to Barefoot In Florida With Julie

SPAM Musubi Cake

Although for a 10 Year Anniversary a SPAM Musubi Cake hardly seems sufficient, but we are going to have a larger celebration at a later date, we just had too much going on at this time.

But, in addition to July 6, being our website birthday it is also our daughter’s birthday and she takes priority.  A favorite food of hers is the SPAM Musubi that she grew up eating when we were living in Hawaii so therefore I wanted to make her a cake out of her favorite snack food.  She has been gravitating more towards her Hawaii upbringing over these past few years so it was when we were going through our home renovations that I came across some of her old Hawaii things.  For example, the cute hand painted tile you see in the photo above.  The cute little Hawaiian Keiki’s (children) on the sippy cups whereas I have some pretty flowers in them here.

I suppose to some all of this may seem a bit tacky. 

And I agree with you except that sometimes tacky is charming and just plain fun!

The Tile Veronica Painted in Hawaii

This Lovely Glass Painted Plate that Trish gave Me

I’m passing this on to Veronica.  It was a gift from my old friend Trish who died a few years ago.  She lived in New Zealand and would send us the most lovely things.  She also gave one similar to Veronica and she has hers mounted on her wall in her kitchen.  I wanted her to have this one because she will use it much more than I do.  I would never give it to anyone outside the family.  Only to someone that loved Trish as much as I did.

We picked up a few buns stuffed with sweets for Veronica as well from the Asian Supermarket.  She loves taking them to work with her for lunch.

The Dolls Were Veronica’s as Well

More of her childhood toys.

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A Bracelet for Veronica

We love the Hawaiian Jewelry so I bought Veronica and myself one from The Polynesian Cultural Center.  It was a favorite place that we would go whenever we had family or friends from the Mainland to came and visit with us while we were living there.

A Beautiful Anthurium Platter

Also a gift for Veronica.  I decided to put my creative skills to work and I got the idea to just buy 2 of these roll cakes from the Asian Supermarket, put them together and just place Hawaiian cake toppers all around them.  Kind of like what we see when we would visit The Polynesian Cultural Center in Hawaii.

Trying to Decorate the Cakes

My creative skills always seem to trump my baking skills.

I love it!  I think that she will too.  🙂

Now we are ready to head on over to Veronica’s and Brian’s.

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Fried Rice with those Little Green Balls

One thing that I didn’t get to make prior to our going over to deliver Veronica’s birthday gifts was her childhood favorite of Fried Rice.  Whenever we would go to Ala Moana Shopping Center in Waikiki she and I would always hit the food court and grab Chinese from Panda Express.  Veronica would always ask for the “rice with those little green balls.”  However, because we had so much going on and Tropical Storm ELSA on the way there just wasn’t enough time to do all that we needed to. 

So……..

I Cooked it Last Night

Topped it With Fried Cabbage

Happy Birthday Veronica!

Love,

Mom and Dad

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June 22, 2021

Our 36th. Wedding Anniversary

When Gordon and I started dating in 1982 he was 17 and I was 21.  (Thank God we were living in the south otherwise I might have been arrested.)  🙂  BTW:  In some southern states it’s legal to marry your first cousin, just sayin’…… (Just look to Gone With The Wind and you will see The Tea Party, The GOP, The Proud Boys, etc….They never went away.)

We were both working at Carowinds Amusement Park when we met.  Gordon was Yogi Bear and I worked on the Log Flume Ride.  I was a Flumie. 

Gordon as Yogi Bear

(The first gift Gordon ever gave me was a stuffed Yogi Bear.  I still have it.)

Me, bottom, wearing pink.

My little brother Frank in the red shirt.

Gordon

(I suppose that I could have cropped these photos better but I am rushed at this time.)

It was while we were dating that Gordon’s mother was standing at a bus stop in their neighborhood on her way to work in Charlotte, North Carolina that Sarajane was hit by a car, that was hit by another car, throwing her up in the air about 20 feet and then she landed on a brick wall.  They say she looked like a rag doll in the air and the only reason she lived is because she was wearing a very thick fur coat with a thick fur lining.

Sarajane was in the hospital for 2 months before they let her come home.  When she did come home she slept in a hospital bed in their living room.  Gordon’s father at the time was working in other South American countries opening up Woolworths/Ben Franklin stores.  He would be gone for months at a time.  Gordon’s sister Heather and her husband were living in Texas at the time and she did fly home for about 2 months to be with her mother and to help out.  Gordon’s brother Jeff was in the Navy at the time.  And Gordon was a senior in high school, still living at home.

As time went by Jeff had to fly back to Hawaii and Heather had to fly back to Texas, while Milton, Gordon’s father, had to fly down to South America to continue opening those stores as that was his job.  So, it fell to Gordon to take care of his mother.  He would feed her breakfast every day and help her to freshen herself up before he left for school.  He would then come home for lunch every afternoon and feed her and help her freshen up a bit, and then he was back at school until the day ended.  Then he would come home to help her freshen up and get ready for dinner.  Dinner was whatever their friends would deliver for that day.  There were many families that would take turns bringing food over to them because they were on their own and the major responsibilities fell to Gordon. 

We didn’t go on many dates at that time because Gordon had to stay home to care for his mother so I would come to his house most nights and we would watch T.V. and entertain his mother and then have dinner together.  Sarajane would eat in her hospital bed while Gordon and I would eat while sitting on the couch.  I can remember a favorite T.V. show of this very proud Yankee woman was The Andy Griffith Show.  She would cackle so loudly that I’m sure the whole neighborhood heard her.  🙂  Know that she is very LOUD!!!!  She loved that show!  I did too, btw.  🙂

Although Gordon and I didn’t get to go on many dates during that time period we still had a lot of fun together.  Dinner and a movie was a favorite time of ours.  And our favorite dinner at the time?

La Choy Chicken Chow Mein

Me and Gordon on his parents couch in their living room. 

I can guarantee that we just ate that Chicken Chow Mein here.

Making out in the Kitchen

(Probably cooking our La Choy Chicken Chow Mein.)

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This year I thought it would be fun to eat our old favorite date night food.  After all, they still sell it in the grocery stores and we do remember it being delicious.  What I couldn’t locate were the Chinese Pizza Rolls that we would eat with it.  I don’t think they make them anymore.  It was pretty much just Chinese food stuffed into what we would call a Pizza Roll in our day.  And still do.  You can also still buy Pizza Rolls.  I think it is a Tostino’s brand.

Well, I did buy that can, and we did make this dinner.  I even bought the little crunchy Chow Mein Noodles to go with it.  I do have to say that we both agreed that it tasted better 39 years ago.  But, it was a lovely food memory to recreate.

Thank goodness that Gordon stopped off at the Commissary Sushi Chef and brought home some Chicken Spring Rolls.  That pretty much redeemed the meal.

Our Anniversary Dinner

It’s funny but a few years ago I confessed to Gordon that when he would bake those Chinese Pizza Rolls that I would steal one or two off his plate.  He then told me that he would steal one or two off mine!  🙂

Great minds, huh?  🙂

Gordon, Me, and Jeff in the backyard of his parents house in Charlotte.

I liked that house.  It was a very nice house.

Julie

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June 21, 2021

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

 

Me, Standing on our new walkway on the side of our house.

The Before Photo

Last week construction was started in our backyard and we are very excited about it.

I must have mentioned about 5 years ago that wouldn’t it be nice if we had some brick path along this side of our house, that would lead around the C-Shaped Retaining Wall on both sides, where one path would lead to the Round Retaining Wall while the other came out to a patio in front of the C-Shaped Retaining Wall?

Well, that day finally arrived!  🙂

We have always had a hard time having grass grow in our backyard because of all of our shady oak trees.  But, it wasn’t until Gordon was working overseas and I hired our yard guys that they pretty much ruined what grass that we had back there with their big machines.  And then our backyard turned into nothing but dirt and mud.

Gordon and I had been putting aside some money for this project so we decided to just go ahead and hire a company that we are familiar with to do the work. 

Gordon Standing on the Center Section

I don’t know how much longer this will take to complete but it is UNDER CONSTRUCTION now.

Julie  🙂

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 June 14, 2021

My Life in the Slow Lane

and Other Musings…

It was about 10 years ago that Gordon was hit from behind while sitting at a stop light, by a woman in a Jeep going about 25 MPH.  She slammed into him!  It was when Gordon was going to Culinary School.  His classes were in the morning and he would leave the school around noon and then drive into work at the Military Base for his then 8 hour shift before making it home that night around 10:00 p.m.  It was while he was driving into work that he would call me and we would talk on his way to work.  Because his school and work took up most of each day we would find ways to talk to each other.  After all, he would leave early every morning Monday – Friday, and come home late every night.  The only time we were able to spend any time together were the weekends and holidays.

I think it was a Friday when Gordon and I were talking on the phone while he was driving into work that I suddenly heard this loud noise and I asked Gordon what that was?  He didn’t answer me.  I asked him again?  He didn’t answer me.  It was about 30 seconds later that I heard some noises on the phone and that is when I heard Gordon’s voice say to me, “Julie, someone hit me from behind.  I need to call the police.”  I asked him if he wanted me to do anything?  He said no, and that he would call me back and tell me what was going on.  Brodie was here at home with me so I told him what happened.  We waited for a phone call for about 20-30 minutes.  That was when the phone rang and it was a female cop.  She told me that he is o.k. but that an ambulance did take him to the hospital that is close by.  She also told me to come and get his car before it is towed away.  She said it is drivable.

Brodie drove me into Tampa in my car to where Gordon was hit and I could see his car parked on the side of the road and the female cop that I had talked to was still at the scene.  She was very helpful and nice and polite to me.  Brodie made sure I was o.k. and then he left to drive back home to get ready for work.  I was told where Gordon was taken so I went to the emergency room to be with him.

I opened the car door and every where in his car there was money!  All in change.  Quarters, Dimes, Nickles, Pennies… a sea of glistening glittery money.  EVERYWHERE!!!  All over the floor board, the seats, the dash, the backseat, the back floor boards…..  Gordon had a habit of dumping his change into various little nooks and crannies in his car and then never doing anything about it.  I could tell from all that money scattered everywhere that he got hit hard!

From the moment I arrived at that emergency room asking about Gordon every single person I encountered all asked me the same thing, “Does he have insurance?”  “Does he have insurance?”  “Does he have insurance?”  I cannot even count the times I was asked that by every hospital personnel that I encountered even when I was just asking for directions, including the woman mopping the floor as I made my way to where they had Gordon asked me if we had insurance.  (I’m thinking that she was probably instructed to ask that by her supervisor as part of her job.  Otherwise, why would she?)

When I saw Gordon he was laying out on a stretcher wearing a neck brace.  They had taken some x-rays and nothing was broken but he smashed his knee into the dashboard and ended up having surgery at a later date.  He was sore and worried about his neck and his back.  Right when the accident happened he had the insight to grab his ice cooler used to keep his lunch cool that he kept in his lunchbox, and placed it on his neck.  He’s very smart in that way.  He always has quick reactions and good instincts.

When Gordon was given the all clear we left the hospital but as we were walking to the exit all this money just started flying off his body.  Quarters!  Dimes!  Nickel’s!  Pennies!!!  There was money tucked in all his nooks and crannies from the crash and didn’t emerge until he stood upright.  We started laughing and I started referring to him King Midas.  🙂

We were both hungry and decided to swing by Chick Fil-A and grab some chicken sandwiches for lunch and even dinner that night.  He didn’t feel good and I wasn’t about to spend the evening cooking.  The thing is that neither one of us had any cash on us.  I hadn’t gone to the bank that week and Gordon had spent his last paper money on gas.  That is when I told him that we have all the money we need, just look around the car there must be $100.00 here easily!  Oh the look on the girl at the drive through window when we paid for 4 Chicken Sandwiches, 4 Waffle Fries, and a side of Chicken Nuggets with about $24.00 worth of change.  🙂  Priceless!!!

The reason I am telling you this story is because it must have been a few weeks ago where we were talking about this wreck and Gordon drew a parallel of what I would have done if I had been in the car that day at that exact moment.  I then pointed out to him that I wouldn’t have been hit at all, the car that was in front of you would have been hit, not me.  He then asked me how I know that?  Simple, because I wouldn’t have been in that lane.  I would have been in the slow lane.

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When I was managing my mother’s rental condo out in Indian Shores I would have to drive out there many a Saturday morning when the current renters would check out and to get it ready for the next renters usually checking in later on that day.  Gordon would come out there with me, usually driving my car while I was in the passenger’s side working on some plans for the website or things that we wanted and needed to do.  And every Saturday was the same, all of a sudden Gordon would jerk us this way or that way to avoid someone slamming into us, or cutting in front of us, or side swiping us.  This became a common occurrence every single Saturday.  I started getting mad at Gordon and blaming him for all these near misses, after all, I NEVER had these kinds of problems when I would drive out to the condo by myself.

By the time we would arrive at the condo we were nervous wrecks and usually mad at each other.

I then realized what the problem was, every time that Gordon would drive us out there he would get into those fast lanes where the more aggressive personalities would drive.  I however, would drive in the slower lane because my personality isn’t that aggressive and I am more cautious.  I also allow plenty of time to get out there.  I allow for traffic.  If I get there 10 minutes later than the average person then so what?  I’m never late!  I always get there early and sometimes I get there on time.  But, I plan for things.  I enjoy the car ride.  The ocean view over the bridges to the condo.  Listening to Public Radio and my CD’s and even sometimes a Cassette Tape.  I’m that old.  🙂

BUT, I rarely ever encounter all the drama that Gordon would because I am driving in the slow lane.

One day about a few months ago we were headed somewhere and Gordon was complaining about the car in the lane beside us.  I asked what was wrong with that car?  Gordon said he is going too slow.  I then pointed out to him that the man is not going slow he is going the speed limit and why in the world does Gordon care about a man driving the speed limit in the lane next to us?  Gordon then realized that was a stupid thing to worry about and that is when I went in for the kill.  When you put yourself in those faster lanes with the more aggressive drivers then you are putting your health and safety at greater risk than I am.  Oh, we have our fender bender’s in the slow lane, but we usually aren’t carted off in an ambulance to the emergency room.  I then told him that I no longer wanted to go anywhere with him because he makes me too nervous and that from now on we can just drive in separate cars.  It was then that he started changing and staying out of those lanes and now comes home not as angry as he used to.  And not as stressed as he used to be as well.  I also no longer hear of all those dramatic stories of near misses that I used to.  Gordon does have a more aggressive personality than I do.  Not that he is aggressive, he’s just more aggressive than me.

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So, Life in the Slow Lane, Huh?

Sounds boring doesn’t it?

Well, it may be boring but it is safer, smarter, more responsible…..

I want to talk about something else that just happened recently out in California.  A woman was driving down the highway in Orange County when a white van cut her off and she flipped them the bird for doing so.  That is when someone in that van shot into the back of the woman’s car with a bullet hitting the stomach of her 6 year old son.  He died.  Although the woman did nothing wrong with shooting that white van the bird, that does fall under Freedom of Speech, it most likely provoked the reaction from the white van in shooting at her.

Had that been me I wouldn’t have done anything.  I’m not the kind of person that goes around flipping people off.  Oh, I would have been upset at the near miss.  But, I would have collected myself and moved on.  It is not in me to go around flipping people off.  It’s just not my personality.

The point that I am getting to is that we live in a dangerous country full of dangerous people with guns.  A bunch of hot heads that would rather kill us than deal with us.  Our government is not going to protect us from these crazy people with guns whether they be democrats or republicans, therefore we need to look out for ourselves.  I’m not talking about arming up and having shoot out’s at the mall.  I’m talking about perhaps just living life in the slow lane.  If someone cuts you off then maybe think twice before flipping off that hot head.  Maybe taking the longer, safer route to a destination instead of the quicker more popular way.

No one is looking out for you!

Our government is not going to protect us from these crazy people with guns so perhaps we need to start looking out for ourselves, and our loved ones?

Life in the Slow Lane is not so bad.  Life is what we make of it.  Is it really important to be the first to arrive at a destination?  Let someone else blaze that trail and just arrive when all is taken care of and safe.

Know that bad things do happen to those of us in the Slow Lane but just not as bad or as serious as those that don’t.

STAY SAFE!

Julie

P.S.  Gordon had to go through physical therapy, acupuncture, massage therapy, and have knee replacement surgery because of that wreck.  He also suffers from migraine’s, about 2 a month.  They started right after that wreck.

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May 29, 2021

Looking Forward to Memorial Day Weekend

Sunning in the Herb Garden

(Still Covid Shy)

I realize that it is supposed to be an unpopular thing to do in this day and age, sunning oneself.  However, the sun has been a part of my life since I was born, and it always will be.  This is the sunniest side of our house.  We have many trees, as well as our neighbors so we don’t get a lot of sunlight streaming through, except on this part of our property.  Not always, but every now and then I love to lay out in the sun soaking up that vitamin D.  I see why people can become addicted to tanning.  Vitamin D just makes you feel good. 

I also believe that tanning is a form of control.  There was a time many years ago that the only thing in my life that I could control was my skin color and my weight.  I had the darkest tan and the skinniest body.  Other than that I had no control over my life.  But, that was long ago.  Now I just like to get a bit of sun here and there because I enjoy it.

There are Vitamin D pills that you can take to give you that lift that the sun does.  It won’t tan your skin but it will improve your mood.  Something to think about, huh?

Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day Weekend isn’t what it used to be.  Before there were parades and events honoring those that lost their lives defending our country.  Now it’s just a day off where we drink and grill out.  There are those of us that do still think of those that sacrificed for us.  And those that do not care less about it.  Gone are the parades and the acknowledgements.  Now we just eat, drink and be merry.

It’s o.k., I’m not here to criticize or condemn.  I do think it is sad that so many sacrificed their lives so that the end result is that half of my country could be fascists and try their best to turn us into an authoritarian society by over throwing our government.  Which is what happened and where we are headed.  Can it be stopped?  Not by weak people.  It will take strength.  Power.  Action.  So, no.  Not much will be done because the so called “good guys” are weak as hell.

Our only options are to either fight to the death, or conform and go underground.  Be silenced until perhaps the day comes where we can safely speak out and make change.  Survival is all about conforming to what is going on around us.  The smart adapt, the weak die out.

I have no Earthly idea what is to come but judging by the democrats response to everything the republicans do is pathetic.  We don’t need wimps, we need fighters.

So, this Memorial Day I weep for those that wasted their lives dying for a nation that is rooting for the day we can have a dictator to rule over us.  You wasted your time, you wasted your life.  But not to worry, I’m sure your children will defend your sacrifice.  Or not.  We’ll see.

Although I am only one voice I do acknowledge your sacrifice.  I thank you and appreciate you.

Julie

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May 25, 2021

And I Bet You Thought I’d Have This Done By Now

Haven’t Unpacked From our Renovations

I just thought I would catch up a bit.  We’ve been busy.  A good busy, not a stressful busy.  We’ve also been exhausted from our outside projects.  But a good tired, not a worthless tired.  When we go to bed at night we may be a bit sore and tired but it’s a satisfied tired.  When you are pleased with all that you have accomplished for the day.  I go to bed with a smile on my face.  🙂

Gordon finished the front yard new retaining wall.

This was a big upgrade to our front yard from the jungle that we had.

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We also finished the backyard herb garden, side of the house, stones project.

A Picnic in the Herb Garden

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Gordon ripped them up from here:

This is the area we are having professionally paved so we are having to remove these stones to make way for the progress.  We needed somewhere to put them so I got the idea to place them all along our side herb garden.  Gordon had the suggestion that we pour grass seed all around the stones in the photos above, so that grass can grow up through the spaces.

Initially Gordon wanted to place the stones along the herb garden on top of a sand base which is what you do if you really want it done professionally.  I however, just think that when rainy season gets here and that side of the house always floods, I believe they will just sink into the ground and settle themselves.  It will also be nice to walk on the stones as opposed to the soggy wet ground which is always the case.

Meanwhile……

Gordon Repairing and Rebuilding the C-Shaped Retaining Wall

Gordon built this retaining wall about 12 years or so ago.  It was perfect, and it was the very first one he ever built.  This was even before we put up the fence so we had neighbors always wandering over to our backyard to look at it.  However, as the years have passed tree roots have interfered with it’s perfection, along with our fountain falling apart and the original azalea’s just didn’t look that good anymore so we decided that we wanted the whole thing redone and built up all over again with something nice and new inside.

The urgency to get this repaired and rebuilt quickly is because we are having that entire area around the retaining wall professionally done as in a nice patio, and a path around the retaining wall to our round retaining wall right outside our back screen door.  Also, a brick path from the time we enter our backyard through our double fence to this retaining wall.

The professional work is supposed to start in the next few weeks.  I wouldn’t mind putting it off another month or so just to have the time to complete a few more projects before the work starts.  Also, there is prep on our part to get done before they start and I would love the extra time.  However, I think we go by their time line and not ours.

The good news is that we have a 3 day weekend coming up, Memorial Day, and we have something very special planned to cook, but we also have lots of work planned so that we can do as much as possible before the professional work starts.

Very Excited for All That is to Come,

Julie

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May 9, 2021

Happy Mother’s Day

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May 6, 2021

Grump’s New Border Wall

(A.K.A. (G)ordon’s T(rump) New Border Wall

We’re building a border wall to keep the squirrels out.  Yeah right!

Actually, if you have been following along then you know we hired a shady landscaper to remove our jungle that we had here……

The Before Photo of Said Jungle

Now that the area has been cleared Gordon has started construction on his “border wall” as we like to call it.  🙂

He’s still working on it and once he has completed it then we will add some nice plants and then cover the area in wood chips.  It will look very nice until our yard guys blow leaves and debris into it just so they don’t have to pick anything up and cart it away. But hey, at least it will be beautiful for about 30 minutes.  Just long enough for me to photograph and make everyone think it looks like that all the time.

The Sprinkler Guys

Again, if you have been following along then you know of our encounter with Lyin’ _Rian and his Extremest Landscaping LLC where he really did rip us off and not only did his crew chop through ONE of our sprinkler pipes, we discovered that he had actually chopped through THREE of them!  THREE!!!  That explains why he never bothered fixing the one pipe that Gordon did find out about.  He knew it was a much bigger job so he kept quiet.  Oh, and do you remember the cables that I told you that he chopped through?  We thought they were old telephone cables?  They were actually sprinkler cables that had to be repaired otherwise our valves won’t open to allow water through the pipes in order to water our lawn.

The good news is that we contacted a sprinkler company through the recommendation of a neighbor, the two brother’s who own the business showed up on Tuesday, stayed over 4 hours fixing everything.  They even geared our sprinklers to water certain areas that don’t get much water.  And the bill was just over $800.00.  We’re just happy that everything is fixed and working.  We are not going to dwell on Lyin’ _Rian, we are more interested in moving forward and completing the new front yard landscaping and making it look nice.  We are also very excited about the projects that will be coming to fruition in our backyard soon.

You know, everyone has gotten ripped off during their lifetime by some con artist.  We however, have been very lucky in our lives to not have encountered much of that.  So, as I see it, it was just our turn.  Glad our turn is over with.  🙂

Julie

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May 3, 2021

Where I Stand on the Trans Issues

(I’m pretty much just figuring things out as time goes by.)

This is actually more of an advocation to allow those of us who really don’t have much of an opinion, time to just sort of let things unfold as they will?  After all, we will get used to it no matter what it is so let’s just give it some time?

I keep reading about how some politicians are banning healthcare for trans youth, banning them from participating in competitive sports, and banning them from using public restrooms that are different from their birth gender assignments.  (See, I did refer to ‘birth gender assignments’ as having some thoughtful acknowledgement to the trans community.)  🙂

I cannot imagine being born as a female on the outside, but being a male on the inside?  I cannot imagine having to wear dresses and make up when I really want to wear jeans and flannel shirts?  I know these people exist and I sympathize with their situation. 

There is a very famous actress out there that you all know of and that is a few years older than me.  She has had a successful acting career.  She was born into two famous parents whose names you all know, as in famous movie stars.  I believe they are both dead at this writing.  She just happened to be born with both a penis and a vagina at birth.  And, for whatever reason her parents decided to make her a girl?  Perhaps on the advice of the doctor?  Perhaps the vagina was more formed than the penis?  I don’t know any details, I only know the story. But, when you look at this actress she not only looks very masculine, but she also look very feminine all at the same time.  That would explain having both hormones inside of her.  I am a fan of hers.  I love her movies especially around HALLOWEEN….. (Look, I’m spoon feeding you people into figuring this out.)

Anyway, she was one of the first actresses to get breast implants.  After all she didn’t really have breasts because of the male inside of her.  She also can’t have children which is why she adopted two children with her husband.  So yes, she is married to a man.

Just imagine for a moment if her parents had decided to make her a boy at birth instead of a girl?  Would she be a gay man?  She is married to a man after all.  Or, would “he” be transitioning into a “she?”

I can’t imagine having those kinds of problems?

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It was during Gordon’s graduation from culinary school that I was in the bathroom when what looked like a man walked in.  My first thoughts were to say, ‘this is the ladies room.’  It was then that it dawned on me that the “man” is probably a “woman” who wants to be a man but she is forced to use her ‘birth gender assignment’ bathroom.  Anyway, “he” seemed harmless enough so I didn’t fear that “he” was in there to attack me or something like that?  I then went on with my business.  But, I can see how women or girls using that bathroom might become alarmed by a “man” just walking in?  Yet, if people were allowed to use the bathroom of the sex they are transitioning into, then that makes more sense to me.

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No one should be disqualified from receiving quality healthcare yet I live in a country that pretty much does it’s best to disqualify all of us.  Even us so called “normal” people.

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I know that J.K. Rowling got in trouble for her negative comments on the trans community.  The actors in her Harry Potter movies even spoke out condemning her for those comments.  That is when some supporters of Ms. Rowling’s then criticized all of the young actors and actresses as biting the hand that fed them.  My comment on that?  Those children made those movies interesting.  Ms. Rowling needed them just as much as they needed her.

Besides, J.K. Rowling knows a thing or two about biting the hand that fed her.

Nancy Stouffer of Pennsylvania wrote a few children’s books called Larry Potter in the early 80’s.  By the time J.K. Rowling wrote her Harry Potter, Ms. Stouffer’s books were out of print. 

Nancy Stouffer from Pennsylvania

N.K. Stouffer

Sound familiar?  Ms. Stouffer writes about Larry Potter who has brown hair and glasses.  She writes about his best friend Lilly, she writes about Muggles….and something about a Nimbus 2000?  I could go on but this is not the topic that I intended to write here.  The sad truth is that once the Harry Potter book came out Ms. Stouffer noticed similarities to her books and that is when a team of 15 attorneys from the U.K. descended upon her to shut her up.  They bullied her into silence because the Harry Potter franchise was just beginning and there was lots of money to be made.  Disgusting!

I will say this about J.K. Rowling, she is a very talented writer and she did make those stories more interesting than Nancy Stouffer ever did.  I’ve read a few books myself.  Of course I know every movie by heart but I just wish that she had done something to make right, a wrong.  As I understand it Ms. Stouffer just wanted the right to put her books back in circulation but was prevented from doing so by the J.K. Rowling team.  Although now that all the J.K. Rowling team money has been made you can find Ms. Stouffer’s books for sale out there online now. 

But, back to our topic at hand…..

The trans community exists and they aren’t going anywhere.  They can’t help that they were born one way but exist another way.  I don’t care to bully them, I don’t care to discriminate against them, and I don’t care to deny them of much needed healthcare.  Just like the rest of us, they need a home to live and a job to work.  They deserve those things just like the rest of us.  The only time I ever agree with the anti-trans people is where competitive sports exists.  A man in a wig is going to win most every time against a woman.  That’s why we have men’s sports and women’s sports, and keep them separate.  My husband is stronger than me and faster than me.  There is no competition where psychical strength is concerned. He wins hands down!

I was sitting in my doctor’s office when I overheard a couple talking about a man they saw wearing a dress and they were a bit befuddled about it.  That was when my name was called and as I stood up to head through the door to my appointment I just looked at them and said, “Don’t worry, we’ll all get used to it.”  🙂

And we will,

Julie

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May 2, 2021

During our home renovations I came across this:

My Grandmother’s Friend Bunny O’Neill bought one of Princess Diana’s dresses from when she put them on sale by the advice of her son William.  I really like the story because Diana just had too many clothes and she wondered what to do with all of them?  That is when William suggested that she sell them.  Brilliant idea!  And so Diana did.

June 1997, two months before her death.

Bunny With Diana

I’m sorry, but as an Empath, all you have to do is look at Diana’s face to know how amused she is by Bunny.  Probably because of her accent and very flirty southern ways.  But, she is Not impressed at all. 

Bunny is from Rome, Georgia.  Bunny was my Grandmother’s friend.

I’m very happy that people are interested in Diana once more.  She will now have her voice heard when it wasn’t prior to.  I hear you Diana.  I always did.

Julie

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April 27, 2021

Lyin’ _Rian Landscaping LLC

The Front Yard Jungle

A Close Up Of Our Front Yard Jungle

Rocky The Squirrel (I just know it’s him.)  🙂

(A squirrel I rescued a few years ago from a fallen nest, took care of him, and then placed him and the nest back in the tree so that his mother would then get him.  She did!  Happy ending!  That is Rocky’s tree and he let me get fairly close before the ran off.)

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A few weeks ago Gordon and I were outside thinking about what to do with our landscaping?  It’s overgrown, our yard men don’t do the work they used to, as in remove dead branches and palms, they just rape the yard of grass and then move on.  They did used to do upkeep as well as mowing the grass.  They no longer do that.  So, it rests on us to take up the slack.  Well, we are getting older and not so interested in all this hard work.  As it is we take care and maintain our backyard ourselves, we just wanted professionals to do the front yard so that we didn’t have to worry about it because of our HOA, Home Owner’s Association.  Well……

If your wondering why we don’t just get new yard guys then understand that I wonder that too sometimes?  However, I think that is just what is out there.  No one cares.  No one takes pride in their work anymore.  People just want to get paid a lot of money for a mediocre job.  Most people around here complain about their workers.  So, if we hire new people then perhaps we may get better, or we just may get worse.  I am noticing a pattern in many areas in America where now that things are opening back up the services we all used to have whether it be healthcare, or lawncare, things just seem to be getting worse.  America has been circling the drain since the G.W. Bush years but now I think that the aftermath of the pandemic is now pulling us down that drain.  Unless radical changes are made in these next few years to really save America from itself then all the good times will be behind us with not much at all to look forward to.

Over The Top CUTZ Landscaping LLC

The company of Lyin’ _Rian.  Obviously not his real name, nor is his company named “Over The Top CUTZ” but, I’ve changed the names to protect this Lyin’ _Rian asshole for some reason?

I hired Lyin’ _Rian to do a few landscaping jobs for me a few years ago when Gordon was working overseas.  I thought he did a fairly decent job.  I was never 100% happy with him and his crew but, I was about 80% happy and even then that was considered decent work?  That is when I suggested that we call him to do a few jobs for us now so that we don’t have to do them.  And, we can focus more on the creative side of the project and not the backbreaking parts.

He came out and gave us an estimate.  Close to $3,000.00 for all the work we wanted him to do.  Gordon objected to the amount of money he was asking to remove 2 of the white bird of paradise trees.  You see, underneath the ground those trees have a bulb about 4 feet round that needs to be hacked out of there.  Very difficult to remove which is why they withstand hurricane’s so well.  Same with palm trees.  They don’t really have roots like normal trees, they just have this big bulb that keeps on expanding.

Gordon asked him to clear a few more things for us and to keep the price the same and then we have a deal.  Lyin’ _Rian agreed and told us the work would begin on Saturday the 17th.  Great!  We were happy to find out it would begin so soon.  So, we awoke to a Saturday storm that lasted all day so Lyin’ _Rian emailed that they weren’t coming and that they would come on Monday.  O.K.  We understood, no one should be expected to work in those kinds of conditions and we then looked forward to Monday.  We awoke to yet another day of drenching rain and storms.  Again, Lyin’ _Rian emailed that they wouldn’t be coming that day and that they would come on Tuesday.  O.K.  So we awaited Tuesday with baited breath.  Tuesday was also a soaker, so Lyin’ _Rian said they would come on Friday the 23rd.  Fingers crossed that it would be nice!  It was!  I believe he called and said that he would be at our house after lunch. I didn’t like that he would be coming later on in the day but at this point we were willing to take any time he would give us.

(One thing that never made sense to me is why he was scheduling us on rainy days?  You can look up your local weather and on The Weather Channel for an accurate update, and even an hourly update.  I knew that Lyin’ _Rian would do that from the past jobs that I had hired him to do.  He would even tell me the hour of a storm that was approaching and assuring me that they would be finished before the storm hit.  So, why did he keep scheduling us for rainy days?  Why wasn’t he checking for these weather updates like he used to?  Or, perhaps he was and kept scheduling us on those days on purpose.  But why?  I had paid him in full when we agreed to a deal so our paying him wasn’t the problem, so what was?)

It must have been close to 2:00 p.m. when Lyin’ _Rian’s workers arrived.  We were happy to have them here but they never got out of the truck until about 30 minutes later.  We assumed they were waiting for Lyin’ _Rian to get here but he never came so they finally got out of the truck and started working.  Gordon talked to them and got them set up because he wasn’t sure that they even knew what to do?  They started working and then Lyin’ _Rian must have gotten here after 3:30 with our new massive Bismarck Palm Tree!!!  Oh, I never told you, we wanted to replace all that jungle with a beautiful Bismarck Palm Tree and have it be the centerpiece of that side of the yard.

Cutting Down the White Bird of Paradise Trees

And replacing it with…..

A MASSIVE DUD!

Yep!  That’s our “massive” Bismarck Palm Tree.

It’s the envy of the neighborhood.  🙁

THIS is what we paid for!

And THIS is what we got!

Oh, and I’m not even to the good part!  Stay tuned!

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On a ‘not so screwed over’ note:  Lyin’ _Rian did managed to pick us up these Cranium’s. 

They will go around our massive Bismarck Palm Dud.  But WE will be planing them ourselves.

And I just remembered that we had to give him an extra $50.00 for these so I guess we were screwed over after all.

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While Lyin’ _Rian’s crew were chopping up one of those bulbs underneath the ground Gordon came in and asked if we had internet?  I said yes.  He then asked about the phone?  Yes, it works, why?  Uh, because they just hacked through some cables outside.  CABLES??  What cables?  Everything seems to be working.  That’s when I remembered that I think those must be the old telephone ables so it’s probably o.k.  Whew!  Gordon breathed a sigh of relief and went back outside. 

15 minutes later……

Gordon:  Uh, Julie?  They just busted a sprinkler pipe.

Me:  WHAT?  Can they fix it?

Gordon:  Yes, _Rian also works on sprinklers.  We just need to pay him a $50.00 assessment fee and he will give us an estimate on the damage. 

Me:  (In really bold letters because this was me upset.)

WHAT???  He busted our pipe and now he wants $50.00 to tell us how much money he’s going to charge us to have it fixed for something that his team did????

I WILL FLUSH $50.00 DOWN THE TOILET BEFORE I WILL EVER GIVE IT TO LYIN’ _RIAN! 

WE ARE CALLING SOMEONE ELSE!!!!

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Allow me to explain to you something about Gordon.  When faced with being conned he just cannot fathom that someone would/could do something like that to him so he refuses to see it.  I’ve always said that I am married to Phil Dunphy from the hilarious T.V. show Modern Family.  Phil is nice, talented, funny, a great husband and a great father and a great friend but when it comes to seeing people for what they really are, he just can’t see it.  Or rather he just doesn’t want to.

Ty Burrell and Julie Bowen as Phil and Claire Dunphy

a.k.a.  Gordon and Julie Whann

Yes, it’s true.  I married a Phil.  I also pretty much have that same expression on my face as Claire does most days.  And Claire and I both drink a hell of a lot of wine too.  🙂

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We also hired Lyin’ _Rian to remove the mess in our backyard “construction site” and level the area out, place one of those dark blackout plastics down on top of the dirt so that no weeds can grow up through it, and then stack everything back neatly as Gordon is planning on fencing in our construction site so that our backyard will look much nicer and we don’t have to stare at that mess all the time.

Here they moved the mess from that back corner in order to rip all that growth up.

Here Gordon is separating the block and cap stones that he can use to extend his retaining wall that he will be building soon in the backyard from the bamboo to the end of the old border blocks, which leads to the fence.

It was at this point when they left for the day last Friday and called it quits.  They did tell us that they would be back on Monday.  And they did come back.  I’ll have to post those photos here in just a little bit but, they did manage to rip up all the old azalea’s in the C-shaped retaining wall.  And they did stack things back in that back right corner.

We used to have grass back here until our yard guys ruined it all with their giant rider mowers and scattering rocks from our landscaping beds with their high powered blowers and weed eaters.

It now looks better.  That back corner Gordon is going to fence in to hide all of that stuff and install a gate so that we have access to it.  And you can see the border in front of my Magnolia Tree, Gordon will be replacing all those stones with a retaining wall so that it will look better all the way to the fence.

Underneath the Blue Tarp are things for the Retaining Walls Gordon is to Build

Clean Slate

The fountain bottom came apart from the top so instead of stacking it correctly they just put her atop another piece of statuary and then left.  Looks awful but…….

We do have plans to make this all look better.  Some work by us and some other work by a company that does paving with bricks and blocks to create something fabulous for this area of our backyard.  I’ve wanted this now for about 5 years and we are finally going to get it done from a company that we are very familiar with in our past who we believe will do a great job.  Can’t wait to show you!

In the meantime, this is my backyard project for the week.  Sprucing up the round retaining wall with some nice new Ape’s/Peace Lilies, and Fox Tail Ferns.  Can’t wait!

If you are wondering what we are planning on doing to that area we had cleared in the front of our house then you will just have to stay tuned to find out.  🙂

Oh, and when Lyin _Rian came to finish up the landscaping job yesterday he didn’t touch the sprinkler that he can repair but doesn’t want to so needless to say we will never do business with him ever again.  And now we’ve called in a sprinkler guy to fix it but until he gets here in about a week, we have no sprinkler to water outside.  So, Gordon and I are having to drag out all the hoses and do it manually.  Not fun at all!  🙂

Thanks Lyin _Rian.  You have no honor.  You are a prick.

We will make sure the entire neighborhood knows that.

Julie

P.S.  I just thought of a great name for Lyin’ _Rian’s company, Extremist CUTZ.  If you knew the real name you would think so too.  🙂

P.S.S.  How dare he mess with a black woman!  🙂

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April 26, 2021

P.S.  I’m Black (I think.)

You know when you research your roots you find out things about yourself?  I know that my ancestry on my mother’s side is Scotch/Irish.  The Scottish men left Scotland and stopped off in Ireland to get a bride, and then migrated over to America.  That is my mother’s side.  My maternal Grandfather was adopted when he was young from a young mother and who knows who the father was except I do know that he had very dark skin and there was a large Greek population in Vincinnes, Indiana when he was born.  My biological father’s side is a bit unknown to me.  I do know that they were racists.  Most likely slave owner’s who had sex/raped their slaves. 

It was when we were living in Maryland, with a very large black population that I was sitting in a stadium full of people for my daughter’s football game, that was when Veronica and her high school band came in with their drums blaring that me and every black person in that stadium started jamming.  I can jam with the best of them.

It was when I was moving like the rest of them that I realized that I was like them.  It kind of explained my flat nose.  Why I won every dance contest that I was ever in when I was in high school.  I was very athletic in my youth, I could dance and even create dances that others would mimic in clubs.  I think that I have always known that I have black blood in me and I need to embrace it and be proud of it.

Oh, my butt is flat as hell and I am o.k. with that.  🙂

I’m guessing that is the white part of me.  Besides, I like my butt arriving at the same time that I do.  So, a large butt in my opinion is a hindrance.  But, that’s just me.  🙂

Anyway, embrace your ancestry and your own history and enjoy it.

Julie

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I have been having a blast today updating my:

The Meaning of Mother’s Day

I have a few stories that I am adding if you would like to take a look.  Scroll all the way to the bottom of that very long page to read new content.  But, in the meantime, I will share with you a beginning excerpt.

April 20, 2021

The Steel Magnolia’s I Knew

Everyone has heard of the movie Steel Magnolias starring Dolly Parton, Julia Roberts, Sally Field, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis, Shirley Maclaine, and a great cast of others.  It was a good movie.  It came out in 1989 and it is a movie about a group of women in the south who are friends/nieghbors/coworkers and how their lives are intertwined with all their challenges.  It’s also about the strength of these women.  It is a comedy and a drama, although I prefer the laughter to the tears.  Julia Roberts grew up in the Marietta/Smyra Georgia area not too far from my hometown of Rome.

Growing up in the south I can relate to a lot of the movie, except where guns are concerned.  I didn’t grow up in a gun home.  But, the lovely parties, weddings, and especially the Easter celebration at the end of the movie brings back beautiful memories for me.  Also, the many visits to the Beauty Shop that I took with my grandmother bring back memories.  Her lovely blue hair washed and styled and ready for that Church Suppuh, or the Ladies Fellowship Bible Study Group.  And then there was always her Bridge Club once a week for all the ladies.  Always a luncheon with punch/ice tea, and tea sandwiches.

I would usually hear from my grandmother, “Now Juleh, I don’t want you smokin’ while my guests are heuh.”  To which I would promise not to although I do remember sticking my head out of the window many a time puffing away.  🙂

There were just certain behavior’s that were not excepted although they all did them.  I can’t tell you how many “anti-smokers” I saw taking that drag on that cigarette while driving down the road, or behind the church before Sunday School started.  Once I spotted one of the church ladies who would preach the evil of alcohol emerge from the liquor store carrying that bag of who knows what while nervously looking around to safely get to her car without hopefully being spotted.

One day when I was in Sevierville, Tennessee visiting friends, in the early 90’s, I stopped to get gas and decided to pick up a case of beer for the friends I would be staying with when I loudly heard the woman at the cash register who had apparently spotted me say into the microphone, “YOU CAIN’T BUY BEER ON SUNDEES, HUN!”

EVERYONE in that large mini mart stopped dead in their tracks to look at the SINNER who was tryin’ to buy up that Devil’s Brew on the Lord’s Day.  I just remember being so embarrassed placing it back on the counter and the walk of shame to the register to pay for my gum and probably a pack of cigarettes.  Because smoking is fine on Sunday’s for some reason.  The tobacco industry probably had a hand in making it acceptable.  After all, most of the Tennessee residents had a barn full of tobacco they were drying.

When I got to my friends house where I would be staying I told them what happened at the mini mart, thinking that they would find it silly when they just looked at me incredulously and both said at the same time, “You tried to buy beer own Sundee?”

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The thing is that the women of the south always had to be perfect.  Including myself.  Hence, the sneaking around when it came to hiding our unacceptable habits.  We had to look perfect, act perfect, always say the right thing and as sweetly as we could as if sugar were dripping off our chin’s. 

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So, With That In Mind,

I Would Like For You To Meet The Steel Magnolia’s That I Knew

(You know where to go to read the rest.)

Julie

P.S.  I quit smoking when I was 38 so I am not condoning smoking.  Just so ya know.

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April 10, 2021

My Website’s “Under Construction” Posts

I am always asked why I always have posts that are “under construction” and why don’t I just debut them when I have finished the write up’s?  Well, that is because I have always had a cyber-stalker who would tamper and sabotage my work.  You see, my cyber-stalker was a very sophisticated and knowledgeable cyber stalker.  While I would be working on a post, he could access my development and erase all that I had done, EXCEPT, when I had already published the content.  Only then could by web hosting company retrieve all that I had done.  So, it is just out of habit that I work on my website right in front of you. AND, that it is easier to retrieve whatever content that Paul Gray had erased.  That’s why.

Julie

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April 9, 2021

I just updated an old post with some late 80’s photos:

Me with Baby Veronica and my Little Brother Ben

Julie, Mary Keith and Nell, The Hosts

Florence, Ellisha, Judith Ann, and Lisa

Lisa’s Engagement Bridal Shower

Veronica and I had flown home one Easter in 1988 when we were living in Hawaii for a visit with the family, and for this bridal shower.

My parents were living in downtown Rome, Georgia at the time in the historic district.  It was quite a lovely home.  Just reliving a few nice memories.

All three women, Elissha, Lisa, and Judith Ann, were homecoming queens at Rome High School.  I’m pretty sure that is what will be on their tombstones.  🙂

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April 7, 2021

Let’s Go Up To The Attic

(I want to find Veronica’s little Easter collectibles and give those to her this year.  I think she will love to have them and add them to her Easter collection.)

That was the plan so, off to the attic we go!

As we climb up the stairs, turn on the attic light…..

Oh, I wonder if Brodie and Mackenzie might like this lamp for their new place?

I’ll ask them.

The Giant Snakes

(Let’s just step over these to get to the back of the attic.)

Kinda Looks Like Snow, Huh?

Oh!  I remember that urn. 

I wonder if Brodie and Mackenzie might want it for their new place?

Ooooo Hawaiian Stuff!  🙂

Take this box down Gordon!!

There’s Brodie’s weight bench and, our old table from Hawaii. 

Do we still have the glass to it?  Oh, good!

I See Barbie’s!!!

And lot’s of luggage.  Oh, I want Grandma Nell’s Blue Samsonite!  And her train case!

Oh, I remember that green thing!  You know that would be pretty recovered.  Wonder if Veronica or Brodie might want it?  Let’s ask them?

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Looky, Looky What I found!

It’s Buffy!!!!  (The Vampire Slayer)

(And Charmed Paperbacks)

I remember when Buffy first came out on T.V.  We were living in Hawaii and we didn’t have the WB Channel to watch it but I had heard and read a lot about the show.  It was when we were on vacation in Rome, Georgia one summer that I tried to get Veronica to watch it.  I told her that there is this new show on T.V. called Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  I told her that I think she will really like it.  I hear that it is a great show!

That is when Veronica rolled her eyes and said, “Buffy?  Vampire Slayer?  Seriously, Mom?”  Along with more major eye rolls.

It wasn’t until that Christmas that Veronica told me that she wanted “Buffy stuff” for Christmas.  I then had the best time of my life asking, “Buffy stuff?  What Buffy stuff?  You don’t mean that Buffy The Vampire Slayer, do you?  That vampire show on T.V.?  Surely not!  I mean as much as you pooh-poohed it last summer?  No!  I can’t believe it!  As opposed to it as you were?  No!  I don’t believe it!!!  🙂

Well, she went from not wanting anything to do with her to owning many paperbacks, school calendars, comic books, wall calendars, photo stills, action figures that are MIB, and countless memorabilia.

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I gathered up all of her Buffy things that I found so far……

and put them in a box for her to do with as she pleases.

Young teen Veronica, and some of her Buffy Drawings

Angel on a Dollar Bill, and the High School Yearbook for Buffy and the Gang

Buffy and Faith Action Figures

The Coconut Veronica Painted of Buffy and the Cast

(I did mention that we were living in Hawaii at the time, right?)

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And, let’s not forget the Beannie Babies

Happy to be rid of these!  🙂

Trying to downsize in my senior years.  Really!  🙂

Julie

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 April 4, 2021

Happy Easter

Julie

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March 21, 2021

Visiting Brodie and Mackenzie’s New Apartment

Gordon and I in the Gazebo at Their Dog Park

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The Trunk is Loaded With Housewarming Gifts

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Decades ago I read something that Dolly Parton had said about how she would rather buy 200 things for $1.00 each as opposed to spending $200.00 on 1 thing.  I could immediately relate to that quote.  ME TOO!  I can play and have more fun with 200 things than I can 1.

Which is why when it came to putting this housewarming gift together for Brodie and Mackenzie I wanted to give them many things that they can use as opposed to 1 thing they can stare at.

It’s also important for me to give them things that they like, things that they want, and things that I want to give to them.  I like giving a gift that I enjoy as well.

Makings for Hawaiian Chili Cheese Rice

(Short grain Calrose Rice, Darn Good Chili packets, and cans of goodies to extend the life of each package.)

During lockdown Mackenzie stayed here with us and one night I made a big pot of chili.  She loved it!  So, I decided to give her all the ingredients that it takes to make it, times 2.  And, to give them a big pot to cook it in as well.  Lo and behold, they didn’t even have a pot so that was a good purchase.

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Even though Brodie does a lot of the cooking, it’s still pretty much a woman’s kitchen.  At least when it comes to colors and the set up of it all.  With that in mind….

…Mackenzie had told me that she was interested in colors of Blue and Green so Gordon and I set about choosing some things for them with her colors in mind.

Place Mats, Colander’s, Mixing Bowls, and the Cutting Board with Brodie in mind.

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Helping to Stock the Pantry

Starting a kitchen from scratch for a young couple moving into their first place together can be costly.  Especially for foodies.  So, we wanted to help them to stock up their pantry with some of ours/their favorite sauces.  Hoisin Sauce, Aloha Shoyu, Olive Oil, Mirin, Rice Vinegar, Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce, Sesame Seeds, AND, some of our Bacon Grease.  🙂

And a lighter for the grill at the pool where I know Brodie and Mackenzie will be cooking out now and then.

Gordon Checking out the Grill at the Pool

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Blue and Green Accessories

Dish Towels, Oven Mits, Measuring Spoons and Cups, Cooking Spoons and Storage Containers.

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More Sauces, Wooden Spoons, Rice Crackers, Eel Sauce, Wasabi Peas…..

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A Hawaii Childhood Favorite of Brodie and Veronica

(Always add a sweet treat.)

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When it came to transporting all of this over to their house I wanted to place everything into a container that they can keep and use and have it be part of the gift as well.  Hence, this storage container.

Some things wrapped, some things not, and lots of colorful tissue paper.

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Don’t forget the Ape (Peace Lily) in a pretty pot.

I like putting a flower or two, or even a plant in with a gift like this because it represents putting down roots.  A plant is more of a commitment whereas flowers are not.  They represent something beautiful and temporary.  The Ape is an easy plant to take care of.  It doesn’t require sunlight to be beautiful and bloom.

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Brodie and Mackenzie Looking Through Their Gifts

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In Their Kitchen

I love their kitchen!  It’s so pretty and clean and fresh and new.

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Although hard to see, there is a bird in a nest with her babies and she is feeding one of them in that lovely gnarly tree.  I love that Brodie and Mackenzie are very excited about it and enjoy watching the progress.

Making Myself Right at Home

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The View From Their Lanai

This is such a beautiful gated community with 2 man made lakes, fountains, lots of walking paths all around the area, with many people walking their dogs.  A lot of thought went into designing this community.  They have created an eco-system and sanctuary for all the wildlife to live here and thrive.

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At Their Dog Park Taking Lots of Photos

Gazebo at the Dog Park

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The Club House and Pool

This is Like a Resort

Love the HUGE Lake!

The Club House

Settling in Outside the Club House

The Gym

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We had such a great visit with them.  So glad to see that they are doing well and starting their lives together.  It’s nice for us to look at our children and see them doing well.  Making wise decisions.  Being responsible.  Growing up.  We are very lucky that we have our children in our lives and that they turned out to be such good people and chose really wonderful partners that we love and care for.

Julie  🙂

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March 9, 2021

What’s Up?

In The Backyard

(Worst lighting in the world!)  🙁

So, how is everyone doing?  What’s up with you guys?  And what do you think about the whole Meghan and Harry interview?  Huh?  Were you shocked?  Surprised?  Saddened?  Angered?

To those people like me none of it surprised me.  I recognized and wrote about her abuse in that palace atmosphere years ago.  And Didn’t Diana first expose it all decades ago?

Why should any of it surprise any of us?  In a Class System with Kings/Queens/Prince’s/Princess’s/Dukes/Earls/Lords/Lady’s/ and the so called Honorable’s?  They outright designate themselves as being better than everyone else and the public at large just goes along with it.  (You always need sheep to manipulate and follow you otherwise you can’t get away with anything.)

Exactly how can you promote a society of equality when you designate some people as being better and more important than others?

I suppose that our celebrities or our generational political families can be seen as our Royal Families, yet they aren’t.  Celebrities like Dolly Parton and George Clooney use their celebrity to help people and bring attention to suffering whether here in America or around the world.  But, I don’t pay to support either of them to keep them in their lifestyles.  I may donate money to their causes because I believe in them but that is my choice.

As far as our political families go, our tax dollars do support our Executive Branch, our Legislative Branch, and our Judicial Branches of our government but it is their job to serve us.  At least that is how it is supposed to be.  Sometimes we have good government, other times we don’t.  However, the British people are stuck with their Royals for life.  We aren’t.  That is the difference.

I was really surprised at how harsh the British public was to Harry and Meghan but when I hear about how the Royals have a relationship with the tabloids then it makes sense.  Meghan called it correctly, the tabloids don’t report the news they create the news.  (She said something to that effect, don’t quote me.)

Life is hard enough for the average person, I can only imagine what those in the spotlight go through whether Royal, or Celebrity, or Political.

I am guessing that the reason we think so differently from the British is that America is a more open society and Britain is more of a ‘sweep it under the rug’ kind of society.  I do admit that American’s are over sharer’s.  I myself overshare.  But where abuse is concerned, when you keep quiet about it then you are protecting the abuser.  Meghan was exposing the toxic environment of a British Institution.  The Firm and The Family.  Do you want a racist as King?  No?  Well, you don’t have a choice do you?  WE DO!  And we said NO to our racist President.  You can’t.  That’s what  monarchy is.  You get your racist until he dies.  We voted ours out.

When our lovely American Meghan Markle married into the Royal Family I guess we had hopes that she and Harry could do some good while in that family.  The African-American community was so happy to see one of their own in the oldest family in the world.  They finally had their very own Princess and they were so happy about that.  Only to find out that she was mistreated, abused, and pretty much pushed out of that family.  I cannot believe that the Royals would be so cruel as to cut Harry off where his security for himself and his family are concerned.  They of all people should understand how important that is.  I can’t imagine cutting my children off to fend for themselves where kidnapping and death threats are concerned.  But then again, I love my children and their partners and my future unborn grandchildren.

Because Meghan married a Prince she wants for her children the same thing that the others in the Royal Family get.  There is nothing wrong with that.  Speaking out is her way of protecting her child Archie and her unborn child.  It is their heritage.  She is exposing the truth.  Does that make me a hypocrite for agreeing that Archie should receive what he is entitled to from a Royal Family that I am dissing?  Yes and No.  To me a Royal Family is outdated and should be abolished.  However, because Archie was born into the family by a father who is a Prince, he should receive what he is entitled to.  It is only fair.

As for any future children born into an abolished monarchy, well, then no, there is nothing for you.

The only thing I have ever loved about a Royal Family are their weddings.  They are fairy tale!  However, if I never see another one again I’m pretty sure I’ll live.  So will you.

You know, I never meant to write this much about the Royal Family.  I just wanted to tell you that Brodie and Mackenzie have their own place now.  Not too far from us.  Yea!!!  And that Mackenzie found a great job.  Yea!!!  And that Veronica and Brian are doing good.  Yea!!!  And that Gordon and I are fine and doing well.  Yea!!!

TTYL….

Julie

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March 8, 2021

Harry and Meghan’s March 7, 2021 Oprah Interview

Harry and Meghan Talk to Oprah About “Megzit”

If any of you know me well then you know that I am going to write something about this interview.  I was such a fan of the late Princess Diana and I have of course, followed her children and their upbringing, university life, relationships, marriages, births, etc., and without really even trying.  The information is just out there whether you look for it or not.  However, Harry and Meghan have been of interest to me.  I was so impressed with the first interview that I saw of her when she and Harry were speaking on their engagement and upcoming wedding.  I was impressed!  She was no dummy.  She isn’t just a pretty face.  She is smart, intelligent, interesting, talented, nice, considerate, kind, and so on, and so on….

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Harry and Meghan Engagement Interview November 27, 2017

I can remember watching this interview and falling in love with the two of them.  I was so impressed with how intelligent that Meghan was.  How well she came across.  She commanded the interview while sharing with Harry and bringing him into the conversation all at the same time.  And what I noticed of Harry is that he was a much more mature young man than I remember seeing in the news all those years.  Meghan can carry her own in an interview that many would be very shy about.  Think back to Diana in the early years.  And even Kate when she became engaged to William.  Neither one was the outgoing personality that Meghan is.  But, Meghan is a bit older and wiser than Diana and Kate were.  Plus, Meghan had been living on her own, creating her own celebrity and supporting herself before she met Harry.  She created her own success.  But, then she met her Prince Charming and fell in love.  They are a couple that are in love with each other.  They are committed to each other, Archie, their unborn child, their dogs, their causes, the environment and up until they were forced into the “Megzit,” they were committed to their patronages.

I always knew that Meghan wanted a role in that family and was willing to do anything to support her husband, the Royal Family, and help people in the process.  And also, Meghan does like the spotlight.  She just wants it honest and fair.

There is nothing wrong with enjoying the spotlight.  There is nothing wrong with enjoying getting all fixed up with nice clothes and full hair and make-up to attend an important event where she would give a speech acknowledging and bringing attention to an organization or a cause.  

I think it’s sad that when Kate does that she is recognized as being sincere and hard working, yet when Meghan does that she is seen as greedy and out of place, and a ‘who does she think she is’ kind of an attitude.  Let’s all criticize her jewelry and the cost of her clothing and those earrings she is wearing.  I did know that Meghan was too smart for the Royal Family.  They don’t want smart women.  They want women they can control.  They could not control Diana.  Diana wasn’t necessarily intelligent, she was an Empath.  She knew things because she could read feelings and not necessarily figure things out.  They like Kate because they can control her.  Kate knows how to play the game.

Barefoot in California with Harry and Meghan  🙂

Pregnant with baby Veronica.  (I made that up.  I just hope they name her Veronica.)

(They are very welcome to copy my website name.  I don’t mind!  I would consider it an honor.)

I do have to say that the accusations former employees of Meghan and Harry are making against her as being a bully is so unbelievably laughable!  Bully’s are not loner’s.  They are not brave.  They are cowards.  They call on their supporters to back them up as they go on the attack of whomever they want to go after. 

Meghan was mostly alone over in England.  She had no supporters in that family.  You know that marrying into the most famous family in the world is intimidating.  No one, especially a foreigner is going to join that family and start bullying people around.  Oh, NO!  You will want to be excepted, supported, liked, loved, you want to be part of the family.  You want to be accepted but you also want to be able to be yourself.  So, how sad that Meghan was told to be 50% less than she was.  That is disgusting.  It’s like being told to build something with both hands tied behind your back.  And why would anyone want to be less than they were born to be?

I do like that Harry and Meghan are acknowledging the kinds of things that Diana went through in the family.  Married to that awful Charles and being bullied by the Royal Family and The Firm.

Harry, Meghan Pregnant, and Little Archie

(I read that all of these “black and white” photos with grey tones are intentional.  They are a black and white family creating grey children.  But, not in a boring grey way.  In a melding grey way.)

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Kate Made Meghan Cry

Princess Charlotte and The Duchess of Cambridge

Harry and Meghan’s Wedding Day, May 19, 2018

I remember the original story of how Meghan made Kate cry over the bridesmaid’s wearing tights on the wedding day?  That never held water for me, if that was indeed what the argument was about.  It’s the bride that tends to be emotional around the wedding, not the participants.  After all, we want things to be perfect on our big day.  I can remember crying and getting upset because my brother Johnny never asked off from work when he was working at McDonald’s in Rockingham, North Carolina and couldn’t be a groomsman in our wedding.  (I found out from my other brother that he just didn’t want to come to my wedding so he made that up.  Luckily, we found someone to take his place.)  But, I was very hurt by that because I wanted him there.  So, I knew it wasn’t Meghan that made Kate cry.  That just never made sense to me.  Meghan is not an unreasonable person.  She listens and wants to find a solution that everyone accepts.

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I would like to state that Kate, The Duchess of Cambridge does carry out her duties to her country and her family, and her Queen, with honor, dedication and integrity.  But, that doesn’t mean that she isn’t a bully that has no problem hurting those that she deems worthy of her wrath.

I found it very interesting that on the wedding day when the reverend and the black choir was singing that Kate shot Camilla this look.  It was a look of disapproval, of prejudice, of racism.  I will never forget it.  It was the look of every mean girl/boy/man/woman that I have ever known in my life.  That same posture.  That, is the future Queen of England. 

You can have her.

Julie

P.S.  We’re the lucky ones!  We get Harry, Meghan, Archie and little Veronica  🙂

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February 24, 2021

Texas and Tiger Woods

(Exactly why should we feel sorry for either one?)

I realize that I am coming across as a bit harsh and rather heartless.  I would like to state that I always feel for the suffering of children and animals.  It’s most adults and their selfishness where my empathy ends and does not extend to them.  I would like to start with Tiger Woods.

Tiger Woods

When I first heard of the accident my thoughts went to him in the hope that he would be alright.  Hearing that no one was in the vehicle but him was a bit of good news because he does have 2 children.  Other thoughts that I had were on how did this even happen?  Did someone run him off the road?  After all, the accident occurred at 7:12 a.m.  I knew that alcohol probably didn’t play a role in the crash as most people aren’t drinking that early in the morning.  But, just looking at the extent of the damage done to the automobile, hearing how extreme the wreck was, and learning that he had to be cut out of the car, it just brought to mind some sort of other automobile that just had to be involved but fled the scene?

Only to learn that Mr. Woods was the only car involved and that he just lost control of the vehicle because he was speeding to meet up with his football buddies for some Golf T.V thing.  Really?  So all of this is because he was running late and in a hurry?  Do you know that he could have seriously injured or killed others on the road that morning?

The man is in his mid 40’s with 2 children and if I remember correctly doesn’t he have a fiance?

Tiger Woods has a long history of recklessness.  Reckless behind the car and reckless in his personal life. 

So what if he is the greatest golfer in the world?  He is a danger to himself, his family, and to anyone that he may encounter on the road because he is a reckless person.  I don’t feel sorry for people like him.  I feel sorry for the people that may encounter him.  It’s one thing to be reckless in our youth, it’s another to be reckless in middle age at a time when he should have learned a thing or two from his past mistakes.

If I were his ex-wife Elin I would from now on insist that he be barred from driving his children anywhere in the future.  He is too much of a danger to them.

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TEXAS

(Everything is bigger in Texas, even their disasters by design.)

Now comes the controversy where my opinions should net me a lot of hatred coming my way.  Well, then so be it.  You see, I know quite a bit about Texas and the people thereof, especially their mindset. 

My step-father, the man who raised me from the age of 7 when he married my mother, up until the day he died in 2013 was born and raised in Texas.  Pecan Gap/Ben Franklin area.  He was my “father” for 44 years and the man who has done the most damage to me in life.  He also brought with him into the marriage a son, my step-brother, who also is one of the most horrid human beings I have ever known in my life.  He lives in Texas still and is a proud as punch republican who adores the likes of Karl Rove, George W. Bush, Ted Cruz, and I’d bet my life he voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020.  So, need I say more about him?

My step-father’s family that are all still out there scattered throughout Texas are pretty rotten on their own.  Whether from personal experiences or from all the gossip I’ve heard about them and all from one of their own.  The point that I am trying to reach is that a large portion of the people of Texas don’t have a problem with concentration camps being on their borders.  They don’t have a problem taking children away from their parents and relocating those children to other people around the country without worry if they are o.k. or not?  They also don’t have a problem inflicting their religious beliefs on others where health issues are concerned.  Whether that be birth control or abortion. Those are the kinds of people that live in Texas.  These Texans do not have a problem denying people they don’t like healthcare, or basic living wages, or simple respect.  They don’t believe in charity or helping others.  The only people they believe in helping is themselves.  I really could go on and on and on….. but I don’t want to.

Oh, and let’s not forget how the “pro-lifer’s” that they are love their wars, guns, and the death penalty.  Super fun!

Just 2 weeks prior to the big storm they, the politician’s and the people of Texas were all talking about secession.  Well, well, well.  What do they do when they need help?  Turn to government to help them.  Well Texas, the way you have your energy system set up is nothing that Biden and the rest of America can help you with.  You chose that system yourselves because your favorite son’s George W. Bush and Kenny Boy Lay set it up that way.  Oh and Ken Lay was responsible for the collapse of ENRON.  Funny that W. went from calling him Kenny Boy, to Mr. Lay.  Cute!  Oh, and Kenny Boy died shortly after the collapse of ENRON when the government was closing in on him.

Texas has bragged about the fact that they don’t like helping people.  For decades now!  So, now that they need help, because of pretty much what they have done to themselves, we are all supposed to stop what we are doing and help them?  Sorry, the mean girl in me, who has been a victim of quite a few rotten Texan’s, finally say’s “I’m done with you.  Whatever happens, happens.”

When they are ready to sit at the adult table and act like adults then I will welcome them back.  But, not until then.  They have done way too much damage to way too many people.

I would like to say this to those good people of Texas:

I sympathize with you.  I want you and your families and pets to be o.k.  I am rooting for you and I am on your side.  I too live in a red state filled with some pretty rotten people so I understand your pain.  The same thing you are going through can very easily happen to us in the form of a hurricane.  And when people across the country turn against us here in Florida?  Well, then my state will deserve it.  Sadly.

I don’t have the answers to all of our problems but I do know that we need to shun the ways that don’t work, and support the ways that do.  Shun the people that don’t work, like Ted Cruz, and welcome and support the people that do, like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who raised money for Texas while Ted Fled to Cancun, Mexico.

  Do you want to live?  Then quit voting for republican’s.

Julie

P.S.  Have you noticed that there haven’t been a lot of offers to help Texas?  Whether it be from around the world or in our own country?  Guess no one really cares about Texas anymore.  Texas only has itself to blame for that.

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(I have that dress and that blanket.)  🙂

Turning 60 on February 13, 2021

February 6, 2021

And Why Can’t I Be Happy About Turning 60?

The photos that you see above were taken one week before my actual birthday.  I knew that I wanted to spend turning 60 canoeing in alligator infested waters on my big day.  But, I do love choosing a nice birthday menu and having Gordon make it for me.  Which is why you see me above happy and twirling that I get good food and gifts prior to my gator swamp trip.  And why can’t I twirl at 60?

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February 13, 2021

Canoeing on Hillsborough River, Thonotosassa, Florida

Brodie and Mackenzie came with us.  Veronica and Brian were invited but Brain had to work and couldn’t switch shifts with any coworkers, and Veronica didn’t want to come without Brian to protect her.  🙂

Me, Gordon, Brodie and Mackenzie

We only saw about 4 canoe/kayak’s the entire time.  It was wonderful!  All that beauty just for us!  I could not have asked for a better birthday.  Plus, I got to sit back and take photos of it all which is all that I wanted to do anyway.  🙂

Al E. Gator

We must have seen about 35 alligator’s.  Most of the gator’s we saw were from small to medium in size.  We were told that they do have some 10 – 12 foot gator’s but we didn’t see any of those.

It was just so peaceful and tranquil.  I started a new post specifically for this trip and I can’t wait to work on it.  So I will wait to fill you in on all the details, but it truly was a wonderful trip.

One of the many gator’s we saw.

Being out in the raw nature of Florida you really are transported back to some primeval era that just seemed to exist long before I did.  I’m just happy that I got to be a part of it on my special day.

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ON TURNING 60

So, How Do I Feel About It?

When I think back over the years to all of my birthdays there are a few that stand out the most.

  Some happy, some sad.

L to R:  Edith, Shannon, Monica, Me, Anne Catherine, Donna, and Joanie

Me, in the back on the left with the red pants.  It is my 9th. birthday and we are living in Dahlonega, Georgia.  I had the best friends there.  I was looking for my 10th. birthday photos in Dahlonega but I can’t find them right now.  But I did come across this photo.  I do remember those Dahlonega one’s as being the best birthday’s.  Probably because I had really good friends that liked me and that I liked in return.  That makes a difference.

One of my saddest birthday’s was moving to Roanoke, Virginia and being the new kid in school.  Roanoke at the time was not very friendly to newcomers.  When my 5th. grade birthday rolled around I invited about 12 girls to my party and only 2 showed up.  And even then I think they only showed up because their parents made them come.

Birthday’s to me are bitter sweet.  Life is bitter sweet.  But, life is also what we make of it.  So, instead of waiting around for someone to plan my birthday at any given age, I started planning them myself.  I stated that THIS is what I want to do for my birthday.  And, everyone got onboard.  It’s been that way now for many years and I have had the best birthday’s because of it.  🙂  Sometimes I think we need to just take charge of our own lives and make them what we want them to be.

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At this writing I feel good.  I don’t seem to have the aches and pains that other’s have.  Living in Florida probably has something to do with it.  I have yet to experience any arthritis or joint pain.  I am able to all that I have been doing now for years.  I do notice that I am getting older looking when I look in my bathroom mirror, but that is understandable.  I AM getting older.

I have no idea what my future holds but I plan on enjoying it as long as I can.

My Pistachio Birthday Muffins

Happy Birthday to ME!

Julie

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January 30, 2021

Happy Birthday Lola

(Finally, something nice and fun to write about.)

My niece in Ireland turned 17 on January 28th.

Her step-mother Sabina made the cake.  Sabina is so talented.  I love the little Covid between the 20 and the 21 in the photo above left.  Some people may be critical of that but life reflects art and creative people will always incorporate life into their art.  Covid is with us everyday and we are lucky to have birthday’s in this age of Covid.

Lola and Vivien

Vivien is Apparently the Comic Relief  🙂

Lola and Kate Playing a Game

Kate Jude, my Oldest Niece in Ireland

You would never know the 3 girls are sisters.  I asked my brother how in the world he had such gorgeous daughters?  He did go through the spectrum of having a blonde, brunette and a red head as his daughters.  🙂

Sometimes I wish they lived here but actually I’m glad they are over there in Ireland.  America isn’t the country it used to be and I think they are much better off living in Europe.

I love and miss all of you!

Aunt Julie

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January 23, 2021

Thank Goodness It’s Over!

(For now.)

WHEW!

I think I held my breath all day, that day.

Check out that Biden family Bible Jill is holding.  🙂

Now that the 2021 Presidential Inauguration of Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. (Robinette?)

and

Vice President Kamala Harris…

…is officially over.  I think that most of their supporters have since breathed a big sigh of relief.  WHEW!

We’ve had a few days just to drink everything in and I just can’t get over how quickly the two of them have hit the ground running.  That was something that Obama should have done when he got in there in 2008.  Oh, I love the Obama’s, but, he didn’t do all that he should have done and I do believe that had he done more things we wouldn’t have gotten so out of hand in our country that led up to a Trump in the White House.  Those dangerous republican’s should have been reigned in a long time ago.

I did love that all the significant women wore shades of purple and some blue.

A Show of Unity

But also, I believe, to represent the many colors of our Democratic Party.

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The Biden Granddaughters

Although I didn’t watch the entire 4 nights of The Democratic National Convention in 2020, I did watch the last 2 nights and on one of those nights all 4 of the Biden granddaughter’s were interviewed.  That interview was the highlight for me.  They were so cute and funny and just normal young women talking about their grandfather.  Oh, they didn’t sing his praises.  They talked about how annoying he was because he would always call them to check up on them.  They also talked about how he would sneak ice cream out of the freezer and he would try and hide it.  🙂  (Jill must monitor his sweets habits.)

I can’t imagine Donald Trump allowing any of his children or grand-children to say anything about him that didn’t make him out to be a god.  The Biden’s are real, the Trump’s are plastic.  I happen to like “real.”

The Biden’s Walking

(This was also a highlight for me.  Seeing the granddaughters again, walking behind their grandfather and being so proud of him.  Talking, laughing and giggling just like young women do.  I loved it!)

As you know I was not for Joe Biden.  I was more of a Bernie fan.  However, I am for anyone that will conduct the business of the people and if Joe does that, then more power to him.  Personally, I happen to think he is too old.  (Same with Bernie.  But Bernie wanted to erase student debt.)  The job of President of the United States in good times seems to age our leaders.  But, here we are in exceptional times.  I just hope he gets through it and survives it all.  I also hope that our Vice President will be there to take up the slack.  They are another family that I am enamored with at the moment.

The Harris Emhoff Family

I adore Kamala.  I wish her all the best and I am rooting for her to succeed in her endeavor to be a good Vice-President.

I know she wants change but she will also encounter ‘powers that be’ that don’t.  That will be very frustrating for her.

I love the relationship that she has with her husband, and his children from a previous marriage.

Kamala (Momala) with her Step-Children, Cole and Ella

It says a lot that they love her as much as they do.  It also says a lot about their biological mother, Kersten Emhoff, Doug Emhoff’s ex-wife.  I can’t tell you how many women that I know that would do their best to sabotage a good relationship between her children and the new wife.  I know that my former sister-in-law in Ireland will always be there to sabotage 2 of my niece’s minds into making sure they don’t like us here in America.  I believe that is because Cathy is very insecure.  Same with my half-sister’s mother, Dot.  She never wanted her daughter’s to like me because I was just too liberal for them and that threatened her hold over them.  Or so she thought. 

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I do so love these two great families and all that they can bring to benefit our country.  I am very worried about them though.

I have a thought on Joe Biden that I would like to share that may be a bit unpopular for me to say, but I am going to say it anyway.  I believe that the reason that he was able to move forward from the death of his first wife Neilia, and baby daughter Naomi, from a car wreck that killed them both, and severely injured his 2 surviving boys in the automobile, is because he was able to replace them.  Before you get mad at me hear me out. 

His first wife Neilia Hunter Biden

Wasn’t She Lovely?

(She would have made a beautiful First Lady.)

The Biden Family

It breaks my heart that Neilia was out shopping for a Christmas tree with her children, Beau, Hunter and Naomi when a tractor trailer slammed into their car killing Neilia and Naomi.

Joe was heartbroken that he lost his wife and his daughter, but then along came Jill.  She was a wonderful woman that loved Joe and his 2 boys.  They got married, she became a mother to Beau and Hunter,  and then had Ashley.  So, Joe was able to replace his lovely wife and daughter that he lost, with another lovely wife and daughter.

I’m not saying that he didn’t love the wife and daughter that he lost.  I am simply pointing out that we only miss those that we cannot replace.

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A lot of people would not be able to get over what Joe Biden got over.  That loss would have held quite a few people back in life.  I know that something that tragic would have held me back.  Yet, Joe was able to go on to continue to occupy his Senate Seat.  Then going on to be Vice-President to Barack Obama, and then go on to be President of the United States of America.

If I were to loose Gordon I would be devastated.  Yet, If I could replace him with a Gordon 2.0 then my loss would not be as great.  I would still miss him but the loss would not be as devastating to me if I could find another one just like him. 

Joe Biden is probably the luckiest man in the world that he was able to find 2 wonderful and lovely wives while most of us are lucky to just find one.

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The Biden’s

My favorite Biden is Maisie, 3rd. from left.  I love her Valentine dress.  At least that’s what it is to me.  I also love her antique name, Maisie.

The Inauguration Day was beautiful!  I’m glad we all had our social distancing celebrations and festivities.

I can’t help but wonder that if the terrorist attacks of January 6, 2021 hadn’t happened would Joe Biden still be alive?

January 6, exposed the lot of insurrectionist’s in our country and what they are capable of.  It also exposed the Capital police and their role in helping them.  It also exposed our own lawmakers and their role in aiding the terrorists in their attack on our Capital building and our democracy.  But, what if none of that had happened?  Would some lone Trump loyalist have pulled that trigger at the Inauguration and we wouldn’t have a President Biden right now?

Last year I predicted that Joe Biden would win the Presidency but that he would never be President.  Apparently, I was happily wrong!  I don’t know everything.  Sometimes things change, that end up changing the picture.  I was right about the terrorists though.  I was right about the threat.  I don’t know how things will end.  I just don’t see it right now.  But I do know to be cautious.

Until republican’s are made to be accountable for their role in trying to thwart our democracy, and in endangering our democratic lawmakers, then they are still a threat.  They need to be held accountable.  They need to experience jail time.  They need to lose their jobs.  The democrats can no longer sweep the bad behavior of republican’s underneath the rug.  They need to be arrested and face trial for their crimes.  Please, do it for our democracy that you claim to uphold.

Julie

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January 10, 2021

There is a Blueprint for Everything

There is a blueprint for invading a country.  There is a blueprint for taking over a country.  There is a blueprint for getting a populace to go along with a war, and in starting a war.  (Which always involves a terrorist attack of some kind.  The people must be afraid in order for the government to be able to control them.)  There is a blueprint for discrediting or slandering a person or a business/corporation/country, etc. etc.

There is ALWAYS a Blueprint

The bad people will always be there to follow the blueprint and it’s up to the good people to recognize the blueprint when they see it and try their best to stop it.

What happened on January 6, 2021 will live in infamy.  And what I find so unbelievable is that for the first time in my life I don’t have a problem convincing other people that this was an inside job done by the President of the United States and his supporters, inside and outside of the Capital Building.  I don’t have people thinking I’m crazy for daring to suggest such a thing.  I haven’t been told how paranoid that I am, or that I need to just get a life and quit worrying about such nonsense.  I also haven’t been called ‘un-American and un-Patriotic.’  This is new for me.  I’m not used to other people knowing what’s going on in our own country or the world.  And as happy as that does make me feel.  I’m also saddened because I liked being in that top group that was aware and educated in the going’s on while everyone else was ignorant of facts and figures.

But, as happy as I truly am that finally the American people are awake and becoming aware of our government and the republican party for their role in how we got here, is there really anything that can be done about it?  I mean, when something finally becomes obvious to the people then it’s too late to do anything about it.  The time to squash it is before it gets to this point.

It’s funny but there are a few people that know that I predicted this at Trump’s Inauguration on January 20, 2017 and are now looking to me as to what we do next?  My answer is that I don’t really know?  I’m into prevention, not reaction.  I try to prevent bad things from happening.  But when the bad thing happens then it’s kind of out of my hands.

I’m happy that American’s are realizing that it is important to participate in our country’s democracy, otherwise we might lose it.  Like what’s happening right now.  But when Trump has the support of almost 75 million people, and Biden has the support of about 82 million, we are a country of 330 million so most of the rest that didn’t vote are children, and illegals and the incarcerated.  We may outnumber the Trump supporters by a few million but it isn’t enough to snuff them all out.  They are going to be around for a long time.  (Unless Covid kills them from their ignorance and lack of taking the virus seriously.)

The thing about the pro-Trump supporters are that they are a cult and cult members will tend to die for their cult leader and do whatever terrible things their cult leader asks of them.  All you have to look at is what happened last Wednesday. 

Those 82 million of us that voted for Biden tend to approach things differently.  We may get angry and upset but we handle things a bit differently than they do.  We write letters, we vote, we speak out, and might I suggest that we now SHUN!

Unless you would like to go toe-to-toe with them and prefer some non-violent ways in snuffing them out, then I would like to offer up a suggestion that we just try shunning them.  You know that Trump supporting neighbor that you are friendly with ‘just to be neighborly?’  Well, quit being neighborly.  You know that rotten step-brother of yours that sends out all that pro-Trump baloney that you follow on Facebook just to be nice?  UN-FOLLOW HIM!

Don’t allow them into the mainstream.  They don’t belong with us.

  I believe in freedom of speech, but I do not believe in freedom of hate speech.

If you think that by still knowing them that some of your good qualities might rub off on them, then you are stupid.  You are not dealing with a rational person.  You are dealing with a cult member.  And besides, if they can’t convince you of their belief then why do you think they will listen to you?

One reason that we are at this point in our history is because there were so many American people that just went along, choosing ignorance over knowledge.  Not getting involved in politics because it’s just so unpleasant.  Yes, it can be very unpleasant, but you do see where we are now?  This is even more unpleasant.

  There are more of us than there is of them, that is saying something.  But when they speak they are just louder and more forceful.  Kind of like having 100 people on a train together.  You may not like the person you are sitting next to and they probably don’t like you either but the two of you aren’t at each other’s throats over it.  Everyone is sitting in their seat minding their business when along comes some loud drunk getting on the train and then insulting some people that he doesn’t like the look of.  Perhaps even bumping into some other people on purpose trying to get them upset.  And then before you know it some people join in with him in insulting others.  There will be a few brave individuals that will come of the aid of those that are being harassed, but most will just sit there because they don’t want to get involved.  They either don’t care to or perhaps they secretly like what is happening?

We will always have those obnoxious individuals that love to cause trouble but that doesn’t mean we have to join in with them?  Or worse, just go along.  Those are the worst people because they know better.  When you see a wrong and you do nothing or say nothing, then you are complicit.  Perhaps you can’t personally intervene but you can go for help you know?  There are several ways that you can help without some confrontation.  All I’m asking is for you to try?

The Hunger Games movies were on T.V. last night and I did watch them here and there.  I’ve seen them all in the past and they are very good movies.  I don’t like the subject content but they are very good.  Well, as I watched the movies I was watching them through new eyes.  They were just different somehow now.  I think that because of what has happened with the Capital siege I am a different person now.  I used to always see life in grey.  I recognize that each and every one of us has good and bad inside.  Some people have more good than bad.  And some people have more bad than good.  But now after what has happened and we just have 2 sides to choose from, I only see life in Black and White.  Not caucasian and African-American, but actual black and white as in good or bad, right or wrong, black and white.  There is really no middle now.  You have to choose a side and hopefully it will be a non-violent side.  There is no going along anymore.  Not if you care about our democracy.

I believe that things will get worse. 

If you really want to know my next prediction?  WORSE!  And why do I think things will get worse?  Because I recognize the blueprint.

Julie

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January 7, 2021

Message From My Brother Johnny

(My brother Johnny is 8 years younger than me.  He lives in Ireland with his partner Sabina and their daughter Vivien.  He also has two wonderful girls from a previous marriage to an Irish National.  Johnny graduated from The London School of Economics, and has a degree in Political Science and he minored in German.  Every major political or economic event that happens my brother has predicted it sometimes years in advance so I listen to him with he speaks.  This is what he messaged me today……)

Johnny:

Sadly, I won’t either,

Julie

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I am from Rome, Georgia

I am a Roman of Floyd County

(Although I cannot vote in Georgia as I am a Florida resident.)

January 5, 2021

Georgia Election Night

A Conversation Between My Brother Johnny Who Lives In Ireland, and Me via Twitter

(Johnny was born in Dahlonega but last lived in Savannah, Georgia.  Therefore, he is a legal resident of the State of Georgia.)

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Our Conversation

(I had sent him photos of the DIY projects that Gordon and I were doing in our kitchen.)

Johnny:

Julie:

 

Julie Barefoot Mask and Sun Glasses

Thank you for your interest in our website.

Julie