DIPLOMACY

How does one insult a room full of adults?   Tell them that their children / grand-children are STUPID and you will personally knock their heads together if said children TRESPASS in the fenced swimming pool area AGAIN!!  It is Winter, the pool is empty and 4 to 8 feet deep with ICE all around the concrete edges!! Turns out that the grandma rented Unit #1 last Christmas and "they were playing in the pool area last year" as the gate was "open."  I didn't bother explaining that they had broken in by manhandling the gate and my husband had to fix it this Spring - but we know now when it got "sprung!"  I do hope that she replays in her mind tonight, while attempting to fall asleep, what I said about kids falling in and breaking their necks and being quadraplegics the rest of their lives!!   Of course then she will KNOW that I would put HER in that same STUPID category, thinking it was OK for her grandkids to play around an empty swimming pool LAST year!    Is STUPID in your DNA, or is it just in our society where someone ELSE is responsible for anything bad that happens to you.

I apologized for storming in and "threatening" her grandchildren, and I am SURE that this incident will end up on YELPS.com   Oh Well!!  Life happens; I am a grandmother. I even have a grandson who is suffering from brain trauma - he is 35 - and I am sure that if he could communicate he would not be thanking the medical profession for keeping him alive.  He is blind, unable to move one side of his body, swallow, talk...Life happens! 

Please people teach your children the "what will happen if" that filled the Sesame Street Show years ago when my kids were small.  What will happen if you swing your arms at the table - you will knock your milk over, make a mess (which someone else will no doubt clean up!) and there may not BE anymore milk in the fridge.  What will happen if you hit your brakes on ice - your car will skid and hit other cars or trees or go off the road!  What will happen if you trespass and are hurt - your parents will sue the poor property owner for not having a higher fence?  But that is what insurance is for, right?

Our boys wondered if we would be able to withstand the dailiness of living here on the property in Strawberry, the mile-high hamlet with a population of 164 except on winter weekends when hopefully we have people to "play in the snow!"   The logging trucks at 4 AM all summer and fall didn't bother us.  The ringing phone at all hours of the day and night we are used to, and even the "stupid" customers we are used to after 35 years of working in the vacation industry.  We used to joke that guests were snippy and tense on Friday night after a week of work and the drive to get to our peaceful corner of the world, but by Sunday when they left they were friendly and smiling.  It is really quite rewarding to be a part of that transformation, if I can just get past the initial grouchy guests, and take a deep breath and try to be "more diplomatic!" (:-)

THANKS

Several of my Facebook friends appear to be trying to think of something to be thankful for each day of November…I missed the start, due to trying to organize a second move of our personal STUFF since June, but here goes:

1 – Thankful for my Savior – Jesus, the Christ. He forgives my goofs, “walks with me and talks with me and tells me I am His OWN!”  

2 – Thankful for my husband, God bless him, he has put up with a hyper-active, Pollyanna wife for 52 years!!

3 – Thankful for my #1 son, Tom III, who reads my thoughts, gives me sound advice, and has four of my Grandchildren under his care.  He also provides for our moving needs – 3 times in 4 months!

4 – Thankful that Manual Landa, our eldest grandson, came out of his coma after two months.  He was the “good Samaritan” and got the worst of the beating or so the detective told Tom.  Keep praying for a miracle – he has a long recovery from TBI-traumatic brain injury.

5 – Thankful for the firefighters on the Rim Fire that came within 7 miles of us.

6 – Thankful for CLEAN AIR, after weeks of smoke in September.

7 – Thankful for #2 son Allan, who beeped his horn on the logging truck as he went by while hauling out of the Beardsley Canyon this summer. Thankful for HIS HELP with the 3 moves in 4 months!! Thankful that HE is now a grandfather – son Joey and Marisa produced Olivia, what a doll!

8 – Thankful for Kathleen, our missionary daughter.  She sees her purpose in life as helping troubled children find peace for their souls in the various childcare facilities she has worked in the last 20 years.

9 – Thankful for my family in CO who have helped Kathleen when she is between assignments.

10 – Thankful for the “on-line” college work that she is involved in – CRISIS COUNSELING.  She is set to graduate the same Spring as the 2 16 yr old grand daughters!

11 – Thankful for our church family for the past NINE years.  Miss them now that Tom is “retired”

12 – Thankful for my “on site handyman” – God bless him, he is just too talented in the building trades.

13 – Thankful for my new shower here in Strawberry.  It sure is pretty!  I happily wipe it down each time we use it to keep it shiny NEW!

14 – Thankful for the ten owners that I / we have worked with for the past 19 years here at The Rivers Resort in greater, downtown Strawberry – elevation one mile high, population 164.

15 – Thankful - VERY THANKFUL - for the new hip I received in February.

16 – Thankful for all the prayers that allowed me a PERFECT recovery!

17 – Thankful for our FOUR grandchildren who still smile when we show up at their events – whether wrestling, volleyball, basketball, or slow-pitch softball, Christmas plays or graduations!

18 – Thankful for my new “job” as church pianist / organist if I find the time to practice on the lovely pipe organ!  It is our nearest church – Mount Calvary Lutheran in Sugar Pine.

19 – Thankful for a chance to consolidate our belongings into THREE locations, rather than SIX as in July!!

20 – Thankful to be back in Strawberry – everyone is a bit “surprised” that we are living in Unit #1 at The Rivers Resort, but it is a LOT larger than the RV we had planned to travel in!!

21 – Thankful that Tom’s health is better without the stress of the management and paperwork of being a pastor.  He enjoyed so many aspects and really misses the pasturing, preaching and praying with folks parts!

22 – Thankful that Pastor Romeo and his wife Lolita at Tuolumne UMC have extended a “welcome back” to us.  Thankful that we will have a “church family” to belong to again!

23 – Thankful for healthy food to eat, and the lost weight that gives both Tom and I ENERGY!

24 – Thankful that we have deep roots here in Tuolumne County, can’t hardly go into any store without meeting and greeting SOMEONE that we know.

25 – Thankful for the opportunity to do “traveling church” visiting one of the 58 churches in Tuolumne County at least a couple Sundays a month.  It is something we have never had the opportunity to do before.

26 – Thankful for the “welcome back” messages from our neighbors here in Strawberry.

27 – Thankful for Tom’s Dad’s good health – he is still active, living in his own home, and takes only vitamins!!

28 – Thankful for my sister – Nancy – whose birthday is TODAY!  I was nearly 14 when she was born.  And she is no turkey even if her birthday occasionally falls on Thanksgiving Day!!  We seem like peas in a pod in a lot of ways!

29 – Thankful we can visit with old friends from “before children” and pastor and wife from 40 years ago.  That is a LONG friendship.  PRAISE GOD!

30 – Thankful to live in a country with the freedom to worship, pray (except in public!) and to change our government at the ballot box, without resorting to revolution as in so many places on this globe.

I could go on and on, but will conclude with a wish for a THANK FULL day for your family, we are full here at the Resort, or did I mention that already?  And one cabin of guests asked Tom to do a wedding ceremony for them!  Nice couple from Turlock!

BRRR - as FALL blows away!

The cool morning temps and the brisk "breezes" combine to tell us that winter is a'comin' and are we ready?!

The heat tapes are working in the cabins that need them, the Fall Cleaning is nearly done, carpets cleaned and ash from The Rim Fire removed from blinds and tops of the refrigerators, the horseshoes and barbeques are put away for the winter.  There is a LOT do with 2.65 acres and ten cabins to prepare for the skiers and snow players!!  

Projects abound and #1 was replacing the shower in Unit #1, ours!!  It sure was nice to be able to USE IT on Sunday morning.  Thank you to Andrew Rosenbaum, contractor!!  Husband Tom, newest handyman, is keeping busy with "deferred maintenance" on our Unit as well as repairs where needed in the Resort.  

Great weather for hiking, fishing is still good, and relaxing is a word that we don't seem to have in our vocabulary, but hope that YOU DO!!  The phone is ringing for winter reservations and Thanksgiving is nearing the full mark.  Hope to hear from you soon!!

The Case of the Missing Vegies

Yes, I am getting older, but I can still manage to cook.  I am even brave enough to invite friends for a simple supper.  I used to be a "short-order cook" and am SHORT just to prove it!!  The only forgetfulness I have experienced in the past was the bowl of Jello "found" in the refrigerator as I was putting away the leftovers or condiments.  I guess if I made Jello more often, and didn't just reserve it for "special occasions" it might not have been on the "forgotten" list at all.

Having "forgotten" the spinach salad last week, making the Frajitas a "stand alone" dinner, I was careful to use my friend Margrit's system of setting out serving dishes and utensils.  The spaghetti squash was cleaned out of its shell and seasoned, put in its serving dish with the serving FORK left on the table.  It would need to be reheated a bit, so I put it in the microwave.

Our guests arrived, fresh zucchini in hand from their garden.  I put the squash ON the microwave knowing that I didn't need it for the supper I had ready to serve.  I proceeded to dish up the rice and the Beef Burgandy, and we even discussed how we all LOVED pickled beets that were already on the table with the ripe olives.  We enjoyed conversation and dessert, never once realizing "something was missing."

After our guests left and I was washing up I noticed the never used serving fork, right where I had left it between my husband and myself.  Opening the microwave, there sat the full dish of nicely seasoned spaghetti squash!  "I wondered what the fork was for," said hubby, "but didn't want to embarass you."

Next time I have guests I will follow THE REST of friend Margrit's plan and put the menu on a Post-it Note on a kitchen cabinet door - not to be removed until ALL the dinner is on the table!
(;-D

BUSY,BUSY,BUSY

So what has transpired in the past FOUR MONTHS - packing and moving into STORAGE so we can travel in an RV, taking care of business at The Rivers Resort in beautiful Strawberry, saying farewell to our amazing Sonora United Methodist Church family, and traveling by auto to CO for TWO family reunions  Then having to resume life upon return, including a month of summer to entertain grandchildren and our guests at the Resort.  No RV until our Unit at The Resort sells!

Retirement is great!  So far this month, I have read a novel in three days, crocheted a baby blankie or two, enjoyed three meals a day with my retired husband, smelled the smoke come in each night and blow back into the wilderness area by noon usually, answered a LOT of "smoke calls" people asking how bad is the smoke and cancelling as a result of my honest answers.  The Resort and the surrounding National Forest is deserted thanks to the RIM FIRE - over 300 square miles so far.  We are under voluntary evacuation but the fire fighters seem to have it well under control.  While it is seven miles away from Long Barn it must go over five ridges to get to us and there are so many "structure fire companies" ready to battle it, no one is very afraid that it is going to get any of the populated areas.  It is just very hard to imagine a strip ten miles wide from here to Sonora blackened - that is 300 square miles.  Of course the areas burned are deep within the forest so most visitors never will see the blackened trees or burned carcasses of the critters.

We did have an awesome visitor the other noon - a juvenile golden eagle!  I was returning from the Strawberry Store and noticed it sitting on the parking block in front of our car next to Unit #1.  It was totally exhausted, disoriented, singed on the neck feathers, and being harassed by the wasps (meat bees)  I wanted to go over there and swat a few wasps!!  Once it had its bearings and had rested for ten minutes - realizing it was still alive - it took off and swooped up the river "looking for lunch" according to the fishermen who were likewise fishing for their lunch.

I will have to get started on the monthly bookkeeping right after I help my dear husband celebrate his big "70" birthday.  Have a very special Labor Day Weekend and say a prayer of THANKS for the 4,000 plus personnel fighting this fire and all the 50 plus wildfires in the West!!

Mirrors

We all have mirrors in our lives.  Some are physical, those reflective surfaces that give us a clue as to how we look; some are mental, web posts that point out our good qualities and our not-so-good; some are spiritual, those times when the pastor "steps on our toes" with a comment in a sermon or a Bible Study lesson that gets out attention because we NEEDED to hear it!!  I had one of those experiences recently when I "googled" reviews for the Rivers Resort in Strawberry and discovered that "the old lady on the phone was rude, or distracted one or the other" and a young man posted a similar remark about an interaction with his family LAST SUMMER.  I guess that I should check this more often, or NOT at all!  It is a site called YELP.com and to comment as a business I have to "sign up"   Funny, I got a couple of phone calls in the last month about "my businesses on-line presence" and how this company can "clean up" any negatives (and perhaps write some positive stuff whether they have been guests or not?)   I was thankful for the several GOOD comments, especially our Labor Day Regulars, but still wonder how accurate this "mirror" is.

When we were in the restaurant/bar business over twenty years ago we discovered that EVERYONE has 200 to 250 friends who will hear if they have a BAD experience at your establishment, but fewer than ten will hear if they have a good one (a good one is expected afterall!)  This number was based on the number of funeral notices usually ordered, aswell as graduation and wedding announcements, according to the article that we read.   NOW of course, that number is multiplied by 1000 and is recorded immediately on the person's FACEBOOK feed!

Of course when your husband makes a comment after your successful hip replacement surgery, "It sure is nice to have my pain-free wife back!"  you realize how walking on an arthritic hip for the last three years effected your personality.  Mirrors are reflective surfaces; we all need to reflect on our reflections occasionally.

It's not rocket science!

I just completed a 40 item survey sent on behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services regarding my recent hospital stay.  They asked for everything EXCEPT my comment at the end, which they will never SEE since it goes to a survey marketing organization.  My comment was: this is what makes health care SO EXPENSIVE.  When did the Federal Government get their fingers into Hospital Care and service rendered?  Half of the questions were repeats, simply rephrased, as if you would answer differently if they rephrased the question?!  If you NEED a hospital you go to the closest OR the one that your friends recommend, one or the other.  In our county you can go to the ONLY hospital or you can go to the VALLEY - Modesto or Stockton.

My surgeon was willing to send me to a doctor who did a different incision - anterior vs. lateral - if I wanted that form of surgery for my new hip.  That was one of the deciding questions I had prepared for him.  He took great pains to explain both procedures.  The hospital had prepared a BOOKLET all about joint replacement.  Neither of these entities required the Federal Government to TELL THEM how to do their business, they just gave excellent patient care so I would recommend them to MY FRIENDS.

So WHY do we need a Federal Department of Health and Human Services PERIOD?  The other government department or agency that I would defund is the Ad Agency.  It was started during World War II as a propaganda tool and to this day they are churning out PSAs - Public Service Announcements - for every department of the Federal Government.  These radio announcements cover all kinds of topics from driving while texting - that certainly effects the gene pool, eliminating those too stupid to procreate!  Health - give your child the required immunizations to keep us all healthy?  Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac - refinance your loan with one of our "new" (but unfunded!) loan products!!  You get the idea...get rid of them!

Then there is the fact that TOMORROW is "Spring Forward" Day - Daylight Savings Time.  This was another World War II propaganda tool to make everyone think that they were supporting the "war effort!"  There is no SAVING of TIME.  WHY do we allow the Federal Government to mess with our heads, throwing our normal life rhythms out of whack TWICE a year?!  This is NOT part of our national needs.  Maybe I will just move to Arizona or Hawaii, the only two states smart enough to "just say NO!"

But speaking of SPRING - I received a card during my recuperation about planting a garden. 
"First I'll plant three rows of peas: perseverance, politeness, and prayer.
Next to them I'll plant three rows of squash: squash gossip, squash selfishness, and squash indifference.
Then three rows of lettuce: let us be loyal, let us be truthful, and let us love one another.
No garden is complete without turnips:  turn up for work, turn up for church, and turn up with a smile! "                                           written by June Masters Bacher

Good words;  maybe I had better get busy on MY GARDEN!

FORMS, FORMS, and MORE FORMS

AHH!  I finally finished the end of the year FORMS - payroll taxes, our accounting system (antiquated so it doesn't fill out the forms for you - including 1099s and W-2s) the personal tax information spreadsheet documenting all of the money spent and for what for the last year!!  OH and there was a new one this year from the CENSUS department of the "getting larger all the time" Federal Government!!  An ECONOMIC CENSUS - asking all kinds of information from this small business manager - EIGHT PAGES worth!!  It was brave enough to put a "comments" square so I informed them that they were duplicating the IRSs work.  Why do two sections of the Federal Government need to acquire the same information?!

Of course, just last evening my "other half" was looking at data for various towns/cities in different parts of the country and comparing it to the information for "our" town.  They had all kinds of information about the cultural mix, the businesses in the town, who used what form of transportation, the median income, the number of "non-employed" AND whether they were retired, disabled, or just out of work - which was reported anyway - the number of people per household, and whether they had health insurance or not!!  Perhaps that data was entered via the CENSUS Bureau and I had just MISSED out on being asked previously.

So the last item on my business agenda for the day was to make out a check for one of our employees - she needed to be paid as her son had to put down money on some tooth repair!  My "better half" takes care of entering the payroll tax changes each year into the above mentioned antique bookkeeping program and he wanted to double check the percentages before I did the first checks of the new year - Never a bad idea as it messes up the whole year if wrong!! 

I wonder how many small business owners file for divorce in the first couple of months of the new year when all of these GOVERNMENT forms and changes have to be done "before February 10th~!~!"?  You would think that after 53 years of knowing this really nice fella that I married I would know that when he looks at a problem, he has to go back to the beginning of time and all I wanted was to be able to write ONE LOUSY payroll check TODAY, if you please!!  When I lost my cool and stomped off to find the needed IRS booklet I guess that he decided that I needed to write the check MORE than I needed to solve the problem in our antique accounting system!  When I returned with the needed booklet and it was properly marked and compared to the numbers and percentages on the computer screen, he told me I could have the computer back and do the check!!   How does he put up with my "lets just get it done!" attitude when he would balance everything to the penny and find out WHY it was out of balance to start with!!?

I would sooner clean toilets than do bookkeeping!~!