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National Lazy Mom’s Day

Personally I think this day should be named, Give Mom a Day Off. The description says this is a day for moms to not do the dishes or the laundry. I wouldn’t call that lazy, I would call that taking a break at the beginning of a new school year.

When I was a kid, my mother didn’t work outside the home. I can’t say as I remember seeing her do the laundry, but it was always done. When I would go upstairs at night to go to bed, there would be piles of clean clothes on the steps, in order of age, so mine were on the lowest step. I do remember her hanging the sheets outside even when it meant they would go stiff with frost. The reasoning was they smelled fresher, longer, and the electric bill liked it. I’m short and if I were asked to bring the sheets in, I had to stretch to get the clothes pins off the line, and in the snow, invariably it went into the top of my boots. We had a dachshund for a time, and she loved to bound between the foot holes, then bury her face in the white stuff and burst upwards shaking her head.

Oxford dictionary says lazy means inactive, unwilling to work or exert energy when capable, slothful, or in todays slang we would call that a “couch potato”. Again, if a person works hard all week, then doesn’t trim the bushes on the weekend because they were feeling lazy; are they really lazy? Not in my book.

I’ve been thinking all afternoon, and sharing thoughts at dinner too. I can’t come up with a really good description of lazy. One person we talked about doesn’t seem to be able to keep a job, yet, he’ll scrape, sand and paint the house every year. We decided he isn’t lazy, he just doesn’t like taking orders from others. We talked about another person that uses dishes out of the dishwasher until it is empty. The problem? The dirty dishes are left to pile up on the counter, not even rinsed, until the dishwasher is once again empty so it can be filled. I have witnessed this. It stinks and looks horrendous. So, is this person lazy, or do they have a form of some unnamed illness? I hope it’s the latter, it would be easier to accept.

I guess the outcome of a days thinking, comes down to, if you are a mom and you do your best to raise your family, if you don’t feel like doing a chore on a certain day, it will be there to do tomorrow; unless you have an elf, friend, husband, even a kid, that will do it for you. And, we didn’t even get to what retired moms might do with this day. Take it off; it’s the day designated to do so.

09/02/2016 0

National Day of Just Because

Just because I can. Just because I felt like it. Just because I wanted to. Just because I never had before.

Are there things on your bucket list you’ve never given yourself permission to do? Not the expensive trip, or the fly in a helicopter type; the silly ones, like dance in the rain, eat ice cream till you want no more, write a love poem (you don’t have to show it to anyone!), or stay in bed all day. Today is the day! Do it; Just Because!

Little kids are known for jumping in mud puddles just because they are there. When my husband and I first started dating we went for a walk on a trail in a local park. It was hot and there were mud puddles. We jumped in them, just for fun, and enjoyed the fact we could laugh about it together. Another time we were at a company party and it was raining. We like to dance, and the music had the right beat; we danced in the rain. It was fun. Everyone just stared at us.

Have you ever wanted to call in sick when you weren’t or visit every single store in the mall just to say you did. Or send yourself flowers because you like to receive them. (Don’t tell who they are from!) Maybe go try out an expensive sports car so you can say you have driven one, or spend the day riding horses. According to the National Day of calendar today is the day to do it. Just Because!

I will ask you to keep it positive. I’m having thoughts of things I shouldn’t do, just because, like tell the neighbor he’s too nosey, or tell someone their perfume makes them smell like a skunk. You get the picture.

So let your hair down, throw your cares to the wind, forget about what other people might think and go do it. Whatever it might be. Just Because.

08/26/2016 0

National Women’s Equality Day

The United States Congress passed the 19th Amendment to the Constitution granting women full and equal voting rights on this day in 1920. Every year on August 26, we commemorate this right with National Women’s Equality Day.

Today is also National Webmistress Day, hence the picture. There are all sorts of other categories women are still fighting/hoping for equality in. Equal pay is an especially big one. Being acceptable as the leader (with men taking orders), either as a company president or of the United States is another one. I know some female professional athletes, like golfers and basketball players, that would love to make the money their male counterparts make. I have a lady friend that is an anesthesiologist and when she tells people what she does, they sometimes blurt out, “But you’re a woman!” She tells me it gets really old.

My husband is a big sports enthusiast so I at least recognize some of the big names on his favorite teams. I have been known to offer a comment in a mixed group and invaribly one guy will look at me as if to say, “How would you know, you’re a girl?” It makes me chuckle. (I only do it when I’m sure I’m right if we are in public!)

Currently women are now proving they can do some of the mlitary jobs that were always given to just men. I’m glad they have the physical capability, but I’m old fashioned on this one: I sure wouldn’t want one of them to be captured by the enemy and find out the hard way they indeed, are not equal.

There’s one area of expertise that only a woman can do best and that’s being a Mom. I applaud any man that has to fill both roles of Dad and Mom and I admit Moms don’t always get it right, but we do the best we know how at the time we do it. Moms feel things differently, so express them differently than Dads and that’s a good thing. Maybe wehn it comes to keeping a household going, we ladies should be more adamant about the guys having equality when it comes to chores.

08/26/2016 0

National Senior Citizens Day

I’m one of those; a senior citizen. Sitting here looking at the provided picture the most noticeable attribute is grey/white hair. When I was young I wanted grey hair; who knows why. Now I am collecting social security, I still want grey hair, mostly so when I comment about the aches and pains of being older, people believe I am. The fun part is I can usually fool one of those age guessers at a carnival or win a bet in a bar (about my age). I have even been accused of lying about coloring my hair. And now people are going blue, purple or green instead of blond. I don’t think I’ll ever jump on that band wagon.

Age is relative. My husband and I eat out quite a lot. One evening last week we were in a restaurant out of town for dinner and looking around realized we were the oldest people in the place. That’s odd because when we go to breakfast in our own neighborhood, we are usually the youngest and make comments about all the blue-hairs. Then my grandchildren come to visit and they make comments about their teachers being old. It makes me smile.

I have a wonderful friend that is 91. I like to have lunch with her and chat away the afternoon. She is a quilter also, so that is always part of the discussion. Then she tells me stories about who is “dating” who in her assisted living facility. She doesn’t mince words; she’s earned the right to not have to. I look up to her as my elder, someone I can bounce my opinions off and get good advice from. It’s nice to have a “Mom” figure in my life.

This day was originally mandated to be a day to recognize the contributions to society made by those that have come before. We owe a lot to those people. Think of all the inventions, the leadership and tutelage that have come from your elders and give them credit. Then get on Facebook and think of Mark Zuckerberg. Now he’s just a kid to me, but again, age, when you think about the contribution one has made, is all relative!

08/21/2016 0

National Radio Day

It was in the 1920s when the first broadcast stations began airing programs. These first programs were those of news and world events.

Radio ownership grew from two out of five homes in 1931 to four out of five homes in 1938.
According to FCC statistics, at the end of 2012, there were more than 15,000 licensed broadcast radio stations in the U.S.

WBEE is one of the local radio stations where I live. Their format is new-country which means they play the music of the young country music artists. The sound gets more “rocky” every year, but then I get older every year so maybe that’s why I hear it that way.

There are six major radio personalities that work throughout the day. Three of those I know well enough to walk up to in a crowd and talk personal news with. I consider that a privilege and honor. You see, from listening to them for years, I know them better than my own sisters because of the personal information they share over the air waves. For instance, I can tell you Terry’s doctor’s name; where Steve’s wife works and what kind of beer he drinks; where Newman grew up and what store he stops at for milk. It also helps that I have donated a quilt to a local golf tournament every year for the last thirteen years and “my DJs” are usually in attendance at the awards dinner because WBEE is one of the sponsors.

When I was working I heard things on the radio in the early morning that became topics of discussion at work. Some of my co-workers seemed very out of the loop because they often didn’t know about happenings in the local area especially road closures and current events. Mind you, once in a while the conversation is of no real importance, like this morning they talked about whether an individual should wear anything to bed or not. They decided it was a personal preference. I’m not telling!

We have all seen pictures of people gathered around a radio in the past, to hear war news or listen to a baseball game. Now we turn on the TV and switch channels until we find the information we want any time of day or night. Sometimes I wish a lot of the news was still harder to get; maybe there wouldn’t be so much angst about what is going on in another country.

I’d be lost without my radio friends to spend the day with. They share their thoughts, foibles and dreams, along with country music, traffic reports, and one minute news blurbs. And let’s not forget the commercials; most I can tune out, but not all. I clean house, sew, cook, relax and never feel like I am home alone. I almost forgot, the cat is here too, on my lap, under foot, or pushing me out of my chair so he can sleep in it. Like I said, never alone. Thank you WBEE.

08/20/2016 0

National Airborne Day

National Airborne Day is observed each year on August 16. This is a day designated by the United States Congress to honor the nation’s airborne forces of the Armed forces. National Airborne Day was created in 2001 by 43rd United States President, George W. Bush.

August 16, 1940, marks the date of the first official Army parachute jump, validating the innovative concept of inserting United State ground combat forces behind a battle line by parachute.

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I’m guessing, but I’ll bet if I ask my grandson about pilots in the U.S. military forces he would look at me and in his dead pan way, say, “Grandma, they’re in the Air Force.” Not necessarily so, my precious little one.

The Army had the first pilot in 1907; the Navy in 1910; the Marines in 1911; and the Coast Guard in 1916. The Air Force wasn’t even formed until 1947; before that is was part of the Army. The point, the United States is protected by our armed forces and each branch has it’s own aircraft/helicopter and it’s own pilots. I’m sure you’ve seen movies depicting each of these branches as I have, but I never thought about the reality of pilots in each branches until I started doing some reading.

In the mid ’80’s I was working at a Denny’s just outside a large Air Force base. We were used to seeing guys in their flight suits. One day I noticed all the insignia on the suits were different. Being a detail person, I read them, then asked if they had flown in the Navy plane. One of the guys told me no one was supposed to know that particular plane was on the base. I just smiled and told him they shouldn’t have landed in the day light then. He didn’t seem to think anyone would notice a fighter coming into a base where only cargo planes were usually seen. Guess I fooled him!

If I may be so bold, as you go about your day think about the freedoms we have in the United States, then say a quiet thank you and offer a prayer for safety for all our Airborne Forces and their support teams.

08/16/2016 1

Sue Spitulnik

Writing, Sewing, Travel, and Thoughts

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