Sniffles

It must be that time of year again.

I am on my third day with a sore throat. It seemd to only bother me in the morning and in the evening.....which is about right now. This morning welcomed an addition....the sniffles. I'll have to remember to take my tissues with me when I head out for school today. =(

Being sick reminds me of two things:

1. Growing up, my grandma always made soup for me when I was sick. I loved her soup. She just had the knack for making it taste so perfect everytime. She even let you choose the type of soup you wanted from her great repertoire. My favorite was potato soup and then eventually it was chicken with the funky noodles, but that was after the incident. Click here for more about that story. Now that I have to make my own soup without any of her recipes, I really miss her being here. Although they say chicken soup feeds the soul, I think it was my grandma that actually did.

2. Len, Len, Len.... Please Lord help Len. She is a friend of mine who is about my age. She was sent away to Catholic boarding school when she was young and possibly suffered some repercussions that will always stay with her. One of those repercussions was not spending time with her mom to learn the skills of domestication. I always wondered why she seemed to run a chaotic home. I helped her clean and organize, but she could never keep it up. Even dinner at her house was a fend for yourself event.

I remember when she told me about the boarding school experience. At the time I did not relate it to the troubles she was having in her home until the one day she asked me to help her with her chicken noodle soup.

Len called me over to help her. She was having trouble making chicken noodle soup. I was not surprised when I looked in her pot. She had one whole chicken breast in a pot of boiling water with nothing else. She wanted to know when to add the ramen noodles and if that was when it turned into the soup. After making a return trip home to gather supplies, I went back and taught Len had to make the soup. It was then that it dawbed on me about what Catholic boarding school had done. She missed out on time with her mom and family. It is those times growing up that you learn the skills of domestication like making chicken noodle soup. Len missed all of that. Now, I have tasted her mother's food so I know she can cook, but for Len it is a struggle. Thinking about Len makes me appreciate all the time I spent with my grandma. I have realized that Len can follow a decent recipe, so maybe this year, I'll give her a cookbook for Christmas.

Christmas...OMG! How many shopping days left?

Stay sweet 'n smile.....................Mz.

QOTD 4

?Question of the Day?

There's a knock at your door. You answer it to find a man with a big blue package. Inside the package is a letter and a pen. You read the letter and it says you won a $5000 gift certificate to any one store in your town. Next, you are instructed to choose the store, fill out the form, and return it to the delivery man. Tomorrow, your gift certificate will arrive. In the few minutes you had to think, what store did you chose and what would you buy tomorrow?

Since I need a vacation, the gift certificate would be for a local travel agent. My friend and I would be doing an all-inclusive week of pampered relaxation. This would let us truly live in the moment away from the daily grind of our lives.

Stay sweet 'n smile.....................Mz.

2 TOUGH QUESTIONS

I found this online and I thought I would share.....

Question 1:

If you knew a woman who was pregnant who had 8 kids already, three who were deaf, two who were blind, one mentally retarded, and she had syphilis, would you recommend that she have an abortion?

Read the next question before looking at the response for this one.

Question 2:

It is time to elect a new world leader, and only your vote counts.
Here are the facts about the three candidates.

Candidate A.
Associates with crooked politicians, and consults with astrologist. He's had two mistresses. He also chain smokes and drinks 8 to 10 martinis a day.

Candidate B.
He was kicked out of office twice, sleeps until noon, used opium in college and drinks a quart of whiskey every evening.

Candidate C.
He is a decorated war hero. He's a vegetarian, doesn't smoke, drinks an occasional beer and never cheated on his wife.

Which of these candidates would be your choice?

Decide first...

No peeking, then scroll down for the response.
















Candidate A is Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Candidate B is Winston Churchill.
Candidate C is Adolph Hitler.

And, by the way, on your answer to the abortion question:

If you said YES, you just killed Beethoven.

Pretty interesting isn't it?
Makes a person think before judging someone.
Wait till you see the end of this note!
Keep reading...
Never be afraid to try something new.

Remember....

Amateurs built the Ark.
Professionals built the Titanic.

And finally, can you imagine working for a company that has a little more than 500 employees and has the following statistics:

* 29 have been accused of spousal abuse
* 7 have been arrested for fraud
* 19 have been accused of writing bad checks
* 117 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses
* 3 have done time for assault
* 71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit
* 14 have been arrested on drug-related charges
* 8 have been arrested for shoplifting
* 21 are currently defendants in lawsuits
* 84 have been arrested for drunk driving in the last year

Can you guess which organization this is?






Give up yet?





It's the 535 members of the United States Congress.
The same group that crank out hundreds of new laws each year designed to keep the rest of us in line.


Makes you think a little.....

Stay sweet 'n smile.....................Mz.

My SW Rant

I am in a full social work rant after reading and discussing American Indians and social policy. As our class incorporates cultural competence practices into our repertoire, I face the more personal task of actually being the culture we study. Below is a post I made recently, that I thought I would share and record here. Tell me what you think....

__________________________________________________________

Did you ever sing "Ten Little Indians" growing up? It wasn't really an offensive nursery rhyme more like a counting song, right? Did you know that there is an original version of that song written by Septimus Winner in 1868 which is very unlike the water down version sung in classrooms across America.

Here's the real version:

Ten little Indians going out to dine;
One choked his little self and then there were nine.
Nine little Indians sat up very late;
One overslept herself and then there were eight.
Eight little Indians traveling in Devon;
One said he'd stay and then there were seven.
Seven little Indians chopping up sticks;
One chopped himself into halves and then there were six.
Six little Indians playing with a hive;
A bumblebee stung one and then there were five.
Five little Indians going in for law;
One got in Chancery and then there were four.
Four little Indians going out to sea;
A red herring swallowed one and then there were three.
Three little Indians walking in the zoo;
A big bear hugged one and then there were two.
Two little Indians playing with a gun;
One shot the other and then there was one.
One little Indian left all alone;
She went and hanged herself and then there were none.

Now, after reading the original version of that song, how do you feel about it? Would you let your child sing it? One of the authors in a book I've been reading, "Genocide of the Mind - New Native American Writing" addresses the issue about who she is told she is and who she really is. In response to this rhyme, she alters the words to define her own reality. The book is edited by MariJo Moore and Vine Deloria, Jr. writes the forward. It is a very good book giving much insight into several authors and it is difficult for me to put it down. I really recommend it.

While reading all the material for one of my classes, having the discussions and watching the video, I have thought about important issues for social workers to address in dealing with American Indian families and communities. I still keep coming back to one issue over and over again. It is the issue of self and cultural competency.

I have read from various professional organizations their viewpoints and teachings about cultural competence. Recently, I read the following information and suggestions from the American Medical Student Organization (AMSO), which is an group that has a "half-century history of medical student activism, and is the oldest and largest independent association of physicians-in-training in the United States". These are our future doctors, people we as social workers may work with in regards to our own clients.

Here are some suggested activities:

Do a self assessment. This allows students to explore issues of prejudice and bias without judgment by others. Consider topics like your family origins; when, how and why your ancestors arrived; ethnic advantages/disadvantages that you may have; and stereotypes of other ethnicities that you may hold. Then get a group together and do a cultural self assessment. Discuss your similarities and differences.

Go into a community that you would like to learn more about. Community leaders, traditional people and clients are the best educators. Learn more about demographics, traditional beliefs, resources, neighborhood centers, traditional practitioners, social beliefs and practices, and rituals and beliefs surrounding individual, family and community. Then, walk through the community. Visit churches, grocery stores and community events and eat a meal in a neighborhood restaurant.

Work with culturally/ethnically organized student groups, social work groups or community groups and ask about specific topics or competency issues unique to that community. Cultural groups have some social issues that are particularly important to them and you might be able to take part in their organized interventions.

I believe to be effective in social work practice in American Indian communities, social workers need to have this competency and a strong understanding of the history.

Here are some goals of cultural competent service:

1. CULTURAL AWARENESS: Appreciating and accepting differences.

2. CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE: Deliberately seeking out various world views and explanatory models of social work practice. Knowledge can help promote understanding between cultures.

3. CULTURAL SKILL: Learning how to culturally assess a client to avoid relying only on written "facts". Explaining an issue from another's perspective, reducing resistance and defensiveness, and acknowledging interactive mistakes that may hinder the desire to communicate are part of this skill.

4. CULTURAL ENCOUNTERS: Meeting and working with people of a different culture will help dispel stereotypes and may contradict academic knowledge. Although it is crucial to gather cultural knowledge, it is an equally important, but sometimes neglected, culturally competent skill to be humble enough to let go of the security of stereotypes and remain open to the individuality of each client.

Remember, it is important to learn and understand and then to educate others. As social workers, we will come into contact with many people from all walks of life. As I said before, placing people in a dependency status, can destroy them. It takes away the ability to take care of themselves, to function in their traditional ways, and to have strong positive emotional sense of well-being. After several generations of being dependents, where does that leave a culture? Definitely not in a good place. As social workers, we face the results that dependency and other policies have created.

Today, this continues to be an issue as Tribes try to be independent beings. That is what sovereignty is about.

Maybe, if we strive diligently, we will not offend our clients, but offer them a chance to find the independence in their own selves.

Stay sweet 'n smile.....................Mz.

3 Dimensions

I found this test online. I thought I would share. What are your three dimensions?

The Three Dimension Luck and Power Test

My results are in......

MzAriez is:

Balanced, Believer and Empowered

You feel your life is controlled both externally and internally.
You have a good sense of what you can control and what you should let go.
Depending on the situation, you sometimes try to exert more control.
Other times, you accept things for what they are and go with the flow.

You are a true believer in luck, fate, and karma.
You believe that life is a game of chance - not a game of skill.
You either consider yourself very unlucky or very lucky.
No matter what, you don't feel like you can change the hand you were dealt.

You have a good deal of power, but you also know the pecking order.
You realize that working the system does get you further.
You know who to defer to and who to control.
When it comes to the game of life, you play things flawlessly.

Stay sweet 'n smile.....................Mz.

One of My Favorites

Keith Sweat - I'll Give All My Love To You

Stay sweet 'n smile.....................Mz.

The Umbrella

He has his own theme song. He doesn't know it, but he does. I would guess about a dozen people have heard it and maybe a few could actually sing it. This week, I sang it so frequently to pass the time that my friend in Sebeka can now sing it.

What are we singing? Well, the "African Bob Theme Song" of course.

Here's a little background....

In 1996, Kel and I discovered chatrooms on the internet. Our favorite was WBS.net. It was a community of chat rooms and even allowed you to create your own personal chatrooms.

We would type on the two computers in my office side by side. This could go on for hours too. I believe in the beginning we were somewhat addicted because of the things we did to get online. (Sorry, can't share those things. That is restricted info, but just understand we can get into the most interesting situations in minutes. Sometimes, we asked what won't happen to us next.) Anyways, I don't think people had a clue that we were actually sitting next to each other. We knew who was PMing each other and had our own personal commentary going as we typed. It was during this process that we met people like DrSugi, SmuckyKing, AnalSprayer, and even African Bob aka Rob716. It is amazing what proceeded after just chatting with Rob716.

Bob/Rob was actually from Africa. He was working on his doctorate in chemistry in New York. He was a nice guy basically, just a little different....well, maybe a whole lot different. I think we chatted online and talked on the phone for over a year before we actually met. I told him clearly that I was not looking for a boyfriend, just a friend....no benefits. School and kids were my priority and I wanted no complications. Well, one weekend he came to see friends in Cleveland and asked to stay at my place. That was fine and dandy with me as long as Kel stayed too since my kids were at grandma's. If he acted up, I knew we could take him out if we needed to. After that one night, I learned all I needed to know about him. That was:

African Bob is cheap....He took me to dinner and I had to pay my own way.
African Bob can't drive....Kel can vouch for that. I swear he was trying to kill us.
African Bob is not a big meat eater...."Wow! There's enough meat in this whopper for a whole week."
African Bob lacks some common sense....Trivia answer was petroleum jelly. We held up a jar of Vaseline as a clue. He didn't get it.
African Bob is persistent....Many years later, he still showed up at Kel's house.

He wasn't my cup of tea so I chucked him. It was during this time that Kel came up with the theme song that we have been singing ever since. Too bad for Kel that he knew where she lived because he ran crying to her for years. Sorry Kel.

The other inside joke was about the umbrella. When he left my house, he left his umbrella. For years, he asked Kel for the umbrella back. I can only guess that the black and white umbrella was special to him or for some unknown reason he just wanted to talk to me again. Anyways, I kept it because it was a big umbrella. Who doesn't like a big umbrella even with a few holes? I still have it in my closet. Maybe someday I will pass it on to someone else. Until then, it continues to be a reminder of my quote:

No matter how big your umbrella is, sometimes you still get wet.

I heard that African Bob is now Dr. Bob making major dollars in Philly now. I wish him well and I hope that bank buys him some serious driving lessons. Hopefully, he will find someone who loves the qualities he offers. It sure wasn't me.

Kel and I still sing his theme song from time to time. It brings us much laughter and memories or one of the stories that begin with "that one time in Cleveland". So, thanks African Bob....for the memories.....

Un-na-na-na-na-na!
Un-na-na-na-na-na!

Stay sweet 'n smile.....................Mz.

Treading Water

Do you ever think you really know someone? Then one day, they drop the bomb on you and tell you something about themselves that you had no clue about. My friend, Landy, did that to me the other day.

We've been friends for a few years. We met in town while I was working on my undergraduate degree. Landy (his alias) worked at a local restaurant delivering pizza and every once in a awhile he'd be our delivery guy. Landy and I started talking on the phone every so often. In the beginning, it was mostly about current events and the happenings in our small town. Eventually, we discussed dreams and things we wanted to experience in the future. I talked of my new career and he went on and on about finally saving up enough money for cooking school. We even joked that I would be the only social worker with a personal chef. I liked talking with him especially when we talked about life. As time passed, I felt I was starting to really get to know him.

One night three months ago, we were talking about the future. I talked about finally finishing graduate school and moving away in the next year. I asked him what he planned to do. Once again, he talked cooking school. He had received the application and talked with the school's admissions officer. Landy sounded so excited. I was really excited for him.

Forward to last week. It went something like this:

Me: Hey. What's up?
Landy: I need to talk to you.
M: What's going on?
L: I got in.
M: In what?
L: Cooking school.
M: Wow! That's great! Congrats. When did you find out?
L: Three days ago. There's more.
M: What is it?
L: I declined.
M: What??? Why would you do that?
L: I love to cook, but I like my job. I make some nice money. I like where I am so I decided not to go. I don't want to leave.
M: Are you crazy? Is it the money?
L: No. That was covered. I like living in my mom's basement. Plus, I can help her out and still live next to my best friend. Plus, then there's all the free pizza.
M: You did this for free pizza?
L: No. I just am happy with how things are.
M: What's her name?
L: Who?
M: The girl who's whipped you?
L: It's not what you think.
M: What is it then?
L: It's Matt.
M: Your best friend Matt? What does he have to do with you not going to school?
L: I love Matt.
M: We all love Matt. What's your point?
L: I think I am gay.
M: What?
L: I'm gay.
M: How? Since when?
L: Two days ago.
M: WTF, I need more than that.
L: Matt and I were drinking and eating pizza. I told him about school. He was actually upset that I would be leaving. He told me he loved me and we hugged and somehow it became more.
M: More?
L: You know.
M: No, I don't know.
L: We kissed and we did the "Amanda thing".

Let me clarify.... Amanda, his girlfriend from 5 years ago. She was trying to remain "good" for the man she was going to marry. She was willing to strip down to her panties for Landy. She was willing and open to everything sexual except removing or moving the panties. Hence, this tactic has since been referred as the "Amanda thing".

M: Okay. So, you are attracted to men now?
L: Just Matt.
M: What does this mean?
L: I am staying here and life will be the same. Matt will just be a bester buddy than before.
M: And what about the girls you date?
L: I still date. I didn't say I didn't want to date the ladies.
M: I thought that was a given when you said you were gay?
L: I am just gay with Matt.
M: Ohhh. Okay. I understand.
L: I knew you would.
M: I understand that you are crazy. I hope you really know what you are doing. The chance for school doesn't come everyday. Living in Mom's basement may be good today, but what about in six months when she moves to Florida? What are you going to do? Do you want to deliver food forever? Don't you want your own place? Your own life?
L: OMG, I forgot about Florida. At least I still have my job. Don't worry. It will work out. Fate loves me.
M: I hope it does.
L: BTW, don't tell my mom any of this. She'd kill me, then kick me out.
M: You and your chaos.
L: BTW, did you hear? Amanda had a baby.
M: Really?
L: It might be Matt's. He and this other guy have to do DNA test next week.
M: This is too much. Bye Landy.
L: Outie like my broke down Audi...bye.

Whew!
I was not expecting that conversation. I think I learned more about Landy in that conversation than any other before. I took a moment to think about it.

I wonder if he is scared about all the changes. I wonder if he clings to today to try to avoid tomorrow. Maybe it all was just too much for him. In the mean time, he is treading water, as my grandmother called it. He is swimming, but in no particular direction and not moving from his current spot. Too bad he is doing it in a moving river with timelines.

I guess that's one thing I liked about Landy. Usually his surprises are pizza toppings, not all this. Maybe, Landy really has sides to him I never imagined.

Stay sweet 'n smile.....................Mz.

QOTD 3

?Question of the Day?

You received your disconnect notice from the cable company. You are dead broke and can't pay the bill. The cable office calls you and tells you they will be at your house in one hour to disconnect. What show would you watch during your last hour of cable TV?

Dog, the Bounty Hunter......a few fleeting moments of Leland is worth watching it over and over. He is just that fine.

Stay sweet 'n smile.....................Mz.

Jackpot!

Tonight has been interesting. My friend, Shano from Canada, came down to my town. We have been talking about getting together since the beginning of the year, but to no avail until today. We decided to make a trip over to the casino which is about 12 miles away. She was hoping to spot a particular guy, but making some cash off the machines would be nice too. For whatever reason, the Casino Gods were listening to Shano's prayers. She hit on a few different machines. I know her trip back to Canada will be done with a big smile on her face. Way to go Shano!

I had fun too. I added a few extra dollars to my stash, but the coolest part was seeing my cousin, Chrissy. We use to talk to each other all the time, but our schedules usually have us going in different directions making any time together rare. I still like talking with her and appreciate the time we do have. If I ever leave this place, I would still return to see her and my newphew, Nathan. Anyways, I was happy to hang out with my cousin and exchange updates about our lives.

Another person I talked with recently was my best friend, Kel...the BFOE. As we moved from subject to subject like we usually do, logistics of our friendship stopped me in mine. I told her we needed to live in the same town at some point since this 1100 mile distance really sucked. She agreed. Somehow, we need to find a way to make this happen.

Stay sweet 'n smile.....................Mz.

I Can't Believe

I am a Cleveland Browns fan. I have been for some time. I remember being little and buying Brian Sipe's glass at Wendy's. I also remember that crushed feeling I had when my grandma broke it. I still say Brian Sipe is my favorite player of all time. How could anybody forget the Kardiac Kids? Not me....and I was young back then.

Last December, I drove the kids 1100 miles to attend the last home game in Cleveland. It was their first NFL game and it was in a blizzard. My kids fell in love with the game and the team that day. All that time they thought I was crazy when I yelled at the TV screen. Yeah, that changed after sitting in the Dawg Pound. They say Mom is not crazy no more, just dedicated. Hopefully this year, we will make another game. It will either be in Cleveland in December or Minnesota in November.

Anyways, I found this at Anonymous Midwest Girl's blog:

Phrase: Cleveland Brown
Context in Which Phrase Was Heard: "She's kind of cute." "No, man, she's a Cleveland Brown."
Meaning as Described to Me: Cool uniform, f-ed up helmet.

Have a great one....

Stay sweet 'n smile.....................Mz.

Pictures of Me

I got this from Mon's blog:

Directions:

Go to Google and click on the images link.
Type in the following and post the first (or your favorite) picture the search engine finds:

1. The name of the town where you grew up
2. The name of the town where you live now
3. Your name
4. Your Grandmother’s name
5. Your favorite food
6. Your favorite drink
7. Your favorite song
8. Your favorite smell

Here are mine:

My Hometime:

My Current City of Residence:

My Google Namesake:

My Grandma's Google Namesake:

My Favorite Food:

My Favorite Drink straight from TGIFriday's:

My Favorite Song:

I love This Smell:

Now, it's your turn.

Stay sweet 'n smile.....................Mz.

The In Box is Full

I have 21 minutes to write this. Why 21 minutes you say? I am trying to schedule some of my "must do's" into a 3 hour block. I have realized that my "To Do" list is too long and overwhelming. I almost have no clue as to how to get so many things done in such a short time frame. I said almost.

The next couple weeks of my life are going to be jammed with so many things and so much work. Although I can set priorities, most things on my list are tagged urgent. Although my first
deadline is in 3 hours, my first major one is friday. I am really going to have to push myself to meet that one.....just so many things to do.

I use to wonder why people went on vacation when I was little. Most of the vacations we took were to visit relatives. My family once went to Tampa to visit my auntie and then we headed to Disney World. It was so fun even if we stayed at Motel 6 and ate at the Waffle House.

I really haven't had a vacation in a long time. I have gone back to Ohio about twice a year lately. That mostly consisted of visiting family and working on my mom's house. It took me two weeks to fully recover from the last trip so no matter if I should, I can't count that in my vacation tally.

I did manage to go to Albuquerque, New Mexico in April. I attended a conference, but then I stayed a few extra days to explore the area. I enjoyed the quiet time alone and the trip to Santa Fe. I was amazed what those two days did for me. I felt so peaceful. I think it should be vacation time again real soon.

I can hear my mom calling me now...."Are you coming home for Christmas?" I actually think I will have to even if I don't want to. I would love to just take some days and be quiet again. No bills, no kids, no stress, just peace and quiet. Or maybe I just need my best friend to come visit me again. Maybe laughter recharges the old battery too. Either....or, I don't care right now. Planning that is farther down on the "To Do" list. Right now, I have to get back to work and get through the next few hours....then the next couple of weeks. Maybe by Thanksgiving, I'll know what I want to do.

Uh-oh.....my alarm is ringing....21 minutes are up. Bye!

Stay sweet 'n smile.....................Mz.

Funny Scarecrow

A Care Bear Self Test

I found a new test. It poses the question..."Which Dysfunctional Care Bear Are You?" It definitely includes bears I never heard of growing up.

My results are in........




Which Dysfunctional Care Bear Are You?


Stay sweet 'n smile.....................Mz.

QOTD 2

?Question of the Day?

One morning, you wake up to find a strange looking wand-like-thing in your bed. You pick it up, and are automatically transformed into a superhero! However, you are one of the most unlikely superheroes imaginable.

What is your unlikely superhero name and power?

I am Magnetiss.....able to attract any man with a mental inbalance within a 50 mile radius!

Stay sweet 'n smile.....................Mz.

Jack Frost is Mean!

I like to garden. I remember liking it when I was young. I would try to grow strawberries in the back yard. I didn't really have a clue as to what I was actually doing. I just read the directions and tried to do what I thought they said. With all the warning signs that come on things nowadays, the strawberry seed packet came with none. I had no clue that there would be several "issues" that would arise in my strawberry endeavor. Maybe an experienced gardner would be in the know, but for a 9 year old, I was left relying on the directions of the seed packet.

Pesticide was never mentioned. I don't think I really knew what pesticide was then. I knew of bug spray for the creepers that got into the house and I knew you had to wash bug spray off the fruit from the store. I never knew that I might need it in my little backyard garden. I did....really bad.

Ants are not my friends. I found out that they love strawberries. They especially liked strawberries that grow in my little garden. I also learned that if you kill an ant, several of his friends will come and retrieve the body and explore what their friend had found. Soon, one ant turn into several hundred ants. My twelve little plants were overwhelmed. In one night, all the fruit, which were still white, were attacked and mutilated. I didn't know what to do. After spending several days fighting a losing battle, I let Mother Nature have the garden.

The next year, I tried again. I loved strawberries so much that I felt they were worth the effort. I planted and then waited. Once again, the ants came. And once again, I tried to deflect them. I came up with new ideas, but still to no avail. Finally, I was about to give up. I went outside to dig up my plants. Sorry, if I can't have them, neither will the ants. Surprisingly, it had rained that morning and the plants were clear of any invaders. I inspected my green friends and found three strawberries starting to turn red. They had no damage from the creepers and were looking to be my pride and joy. I had my hope restored.

The next day, I went outside early. I wanted to inspect my berries. I was counting down to picking time and feeling so excited. I remember bending over in the garden and moving back the leaf to see the fruit. There it was. A big luscious strawberry shining bright ripened red. I smiled as I reached for it. Then I stopped. It couldn't be, but it was. There was an ant on my strawberry. I flicked the creeper off and picked the berry anyways. It only got worse. On the other side of the berry was a hole with three ants in it. Yuck! That was it. I tossed the strawberry down and let Mother Nature know the garden was her's now. I walked in the house and asked my mom to buy me some strawberries. Later that night, I enjoyed strawberry shortcake with strawberries fresh from wherever. I didn't care at that point as long as they were clean and tasty.

I quit gardening after that. Maybe if I had a clue about pesticides, I would have hung in there longer. But in the end, I found out that if you are getting no joy from it, maybe you shouldn't do it.

I started gardening a few years ago. I do it in my windows since apartment living does not afford me the outside yard space. I've usually had a good batch of veggies grow in my windows. Strawberries never make it, but the other guys usually get big and give alot of yummies off. One year, I had to make the trek back to Ohio and took my garden with me in the car. They actually made the ride and I ended up leaving them at my mom's for her enjoyment.

This year I started late. I spent so much time in Ohio, that I couldn't plant til late in the season. I thought that would be ok since the plants are indoor and sheltered from most things, especially ants. I was wrong.

Jack Frost is Mean! I mean it too. He is just a sneaky sourpuss. He maybe an elf with lots of creativity. And, I like Legolas and other elves a whole bunch. But, Jack is on the @#$% List this year. My beautiful garden was doing so good. It was thriving and healthy. I had many veggies sprouting numerous flowers. Even my children were excited about them. Then, one night not long ago, Mr. Frost decided to sneak into town. I knew frost was coming, but was told it was a few days away. Yeah, right! In my own foolish thinking, I left the window open for fresh air. That night he crept in and blanketed my green babies. When I awoke in the morning, I felt the coldness in my house. I went to the windows and suddenly my heart sank. They were dead. I spent several days trying to revive them, but it was a total loss. Everything is shriveled and dead.

Although I am sad about the loss Jack Frost caused, I do not feel defeated like I did so long ago. I am actually looking forward to next year and all of the beautiful green babies I will grow again. I know the peace I find in gardening will return as it did this year and bring me calm and happiness again. For now, I am on a break..........just like Ross said.

Stay sweet 'n smile.....................Mz.