As some of you know, we've had weekly family breakfasts for over a year now. On saturday mornings my kids and grandkids all come over to the house (and sometimes special guests) for breakfast. We've had as many as 14 for this gathering...
A quick aside....
My daughter's (#1) marriage has broken up, my son-in-law already has a new girlfriend - someone he met at work. Now of course, there were all of the assurances that this woman had nothing to do with the breakup, but I was born at night, not last night. But whatever.
Things weren't going very well for them for some time, so I don't view it with anything but some sadness. I do however, think my daughter will be better for it, as well as the grandkids.
So, daughter #1 and the grandkids are moving back into my house. And it's been an adjustment for Patti and I, we were empty nesters for about 6 months or so. And we were good at it!
But it's pretty cool having our daughter and the grandkids around - good kids all! But I digress...
We suspended the weekly breakfasts for the month of October so Patti and I could get the house ready. Moving our office (nice while it lasted) and making it the kids room, and converting our guest room into a room for our daughter. Plus the actual moving of all her crap!
So this saturday is the return of the weekly breakfast. And this news was received pretty enthusiastically by all.
I miss the breakfasts, they are a lot of work for me (the cook!), but I really don't mind. It really has changed our family dynamic. We're all much closer and meeting every week, just for an hour or so, it has really made a difference.
I hope most of you can conjure up an excellent family time, perhaps over Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners. Well, that's what it's like for us. A lot of laughing, talking, the kids running around - good stuff. The best part is we don't have to wait a whole year in between!
Two stratas on deck for saturday - (kinda like a casserole) plus fresh fruit (always!), juice and coffee....
mmmmmmm.... breakfast......
m.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
fear and loathing in the U.S.
I've thought for a long while now that the media's #1 mission has been to scare the shit out of us. Michael Moore's 'Bowling for Columbine' had quite a bit of insight on this phenomenon.
Now I can't stand Michael Moore, he is the worst kind of liberal douche bag, but he makes a valid point. Keep us scared and watching that tv for the latest idol.
And the fear being expressed both by Wall Street and our government is palpable. It all comes down to trusting their assessment of the situation.
I'm no economist, I would never profess to understand the underpinnings of our economy, let alone a global one.
So, where does that leave us?
The way I see it, it'll go one of two ways. We'll be hurt, a lot of people will suffer, but we'll continue on much the same way. Or, 2, the whole house of cards comes down.
Now, choice 2 is a scary proposition, and really, no one wants that, even if it is our comeuppance for our sins. (as an aside, yes OUR sins - yes, the banks acted in a predatory manner for their own gain, but a lot of people signed on the dotted line for those loans - there was greed all the way down the food chain)
So what if #2 becomes reality? I could worry at that for days, but really what can I do about it? Is there something I can do to affect the situation one way or the other? I can't think of anything.
I, for one, refuse to live in fear. Yes, I'll do what I've got to do to protect and provide my family, but I'm not going to make myself sick worrying about it.
Life is a messy business and challenges and threats to our well being come from everywhere, from troubles with your spouse and kids, your job etc. Now it's coming from a place we can't get our heads around, least I can't, and it seems to me the 'experts' don't know either.
What this boils down to is a threat to our lifestyles, not our lives. There is a lot of good in our families and communities, perhaps now we'll focus and nurture those things. It's time to help each other, our neighbors, our communities our towns and cities.
It's time for us to bail our government out, not because they deserve it, but because we do. The government has lost it's heart and soul and we as a people need to give it a bailout of a different kind. It's time to serve each other not for personal gain, but for each other - for the greater good that is this nation. The government has lost it's heart - we need to give it some of ours.
I believe we can make our lives richer than our possessions, but only if we remember who we are and what we are - husbands, wives, families, communities and especially- Americans.
The rest is just stuff.
m.
Now I can't stand Michael Moore, he is the worst kind of liberal douche bag, but he makes a valid point. Keep us scared and watching that tv for the latest idol.
And the fear being expressed both by Wall Street and our government is palpable. It all comes down to trusting their assessment of the situation.
I'm no economist, I would never profess to understand the underpinnings of our economy, let alone a global one.
So, where does that leave us?
The way I see it, it'll go one of two ways. We'll be hurt, a lot of people will suffer, but we'll continue on much the same way. Or, 2, the whole house of cards comes down.
Now, choice 2 is a scary proposition, and really, no one wants that, even if it is our comeuppance for our sins. (as an aside, yes OUR sins - yes, the banks acted in a predatory manner for their own gain, but a lot of people signed on the dotted line for those loans - there was greed all the way down the food chain)
So what if #2 becomes reality? I could worry at that for days, but really what can I do about it? Is there something I can do to affect the situation one way or the other? I can't think of anything.
I, for one, refuse to live in fear. Yes, I'll do what I've got to do to protect and provide my family, but I'm not going to make myself sick worrying about it.
Life is a messy business and challenges and threats to our well being come from everywhere, from troubles with your spouse and kids, your job etc. Now it's coming from a place we can't get our heads around, least I can't, and it seems to me the 'experts' don't know either.
What this boils down to is a threat to our lifestyles, not our lives. There is a lot of good in our families and communities, perhaps now we'll focus and nurture those things. It's time to help each other, our neighbors, our communities our towns and cities.
It's time for us to bail our government out, not because they deserve it, but because we do. The government has lost it's heart and soul and we as a people need to give it a bailout of a different kind. It's time to serve each other not for personal gain, but for each other - for the greater good that is this nation. The government has lost it's heart - we need to give it some of ours.
I believe we can make our lives richer than our possessions, but only if we remember who we are and what we are - husbands, wives, families, communities and especially- Americans.
The rest is just stuff.
m.
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