It Ain’t Over Til Its Over, #SoCS

For those of us who love football are generally either lovers college teams or Pro teams. While we may watch both, there is usually a stronger pull towards one or the other. For me it is college and the playoffs are just around the corner. I enjoy all the bowl games and then there is the fight for No.1 team of the nation.

mascots 1 — Only a few of the many mascots

When Linda G Hill posted her prompt for this weeks fun she chose a difficult word for some but for us from the SEC, it was a no brainier to find a use for “hairy”. For the University of Georgia it is the name of the cheerleader mascot – Hairy Dawg. The actual bulldog’s name is Uga. Kind of fitting, don’t ‘cha think.

uga mascot 1 — Uga and Hairy, Hairy is the taller one.

The college season ends with the championship in January giving one school bragging rights for the year. Although for the past few years its been an handful of teams with 2 prominent choices, Ala and Clemson. They again are the top 2 so we will see who actually ends on top when it is all said and done. For me I am pulling for Ala. but only because they are from the SEC. For the SEC conference, teams pull for themselves first but then they pull for the conference and since we lost to Ala, we will be pulling for them in the playoff.

As these game bring pout the fighting spirit in all of us, we must make an extra effort to be kind. Win or lose, its a game. There will be next year. Take a clue from the players on the field after the game, they shake hands and encourage each other.

Life itself can be played like on a ball field with respect and encouragement for each other. Even though you may be fighting for the golden ball, remember to fight with kindness. You can fight together and share the final victory.

Music to My Ears, #SoCS

Music is a form of expression that we all hear differently and march to using a genera that satisfies our very soul. What can sound like a soothing sound for some is a screeching sound to other. To some the beauty and technical prowess of the opera far out reaches other forms and is their genera of choice.

But other enjoy a more loud and instrumental form of music like you find in the rock bands.

Then of course you can not leave out the country genera story telling aspect of music.

But to me I find music in all of life. It can be found in the whispering pines as the winds blows softly through the needles heading to destinations unknown.

How about the sound of a babbling brook as it moves through the forest heading to the nearest river

brook2

Then there are those of us who love our talented pet friends who entertain us and makes us laugh.

amusicdog

But my favorite music forms of all times is the music you hear in the laughter of a child. Not much else is quiet as rich or fills the soul quiet as full.

But regardless of the genera of music makes you heart sing, listen to it intently. Breathe it in and let it fill your soul. And teach others about you favorite. You may never know how many of us share the same types that enrich our lives and make us smile.

And I remind you at the very special time of year the music of kindness. It too can bring a peace to your soul. Share it wide and far.

arack

I tie in with Linda G Hill on her Saturday fun of #SoCS. Come join in on the fun.

MA, a state or your mental age, #SoCS

Ma is generally thought of as a shortened name for the mother in the family as in mama. But there are other uses for ma as in gauging your mental age. According to this below, I am 12.

And of course the state of Massachusetts is abbreviated as Ma. And let us not forget the learned folks with a Master of Art, MA that goes with their title.

My favorite use though refers to the matriarch of the family which is usually the grandmother, normally referred to as grandma, as that is what I am, a grandma. Generally it is the first grandchild that sets the precedence of what the grandparents are called unless of course the grandparents have something to say about that or in the lucky marvelous situation with multiple grandparents still alive and being enjoyed.

In my siblings situation, my sister was the first to have children so my parents were chosen by the first grandchild to be called Ma and Pa as Grandma or Grandpa was too hard to get out, and the grand was dropped. Actually it was my father who was first named as my nephew was asked who that man was and he was certain that it was Pa. The standard was set for my parents.

When you get into the grandma names, the variation are amazing. Some off the top of my head that I have heard are:

grandma, granny, gamaw, memaw, mimi, and we cant leave out the formal grandmother.

It’s all fun stuff and movies depict these women from sweet ladies that have mastered the kitchen to power matriarchs that dare you to breathe.

As we go through this life remember we generally don’t get but one chance to show our inner love and peace as the Stream of Consciousness icon displays, so let’s embrace the peace and love of family and be that cookie baking and sweet loving grandma.

And in closing, I remind all the wonderful opportunity we have in sharing kindness. Express the kindness we envision with love towards all creatures and warm cookies from the oven only like grandma.

gram — Grandma surrounded by critters and kids with love and cookies

Roles, Even with Birds?

We know that the animal kingdom has survival of the fittest but what about the birds. Do roles or superiority exist there as well? Yesterday, I saw an actual fight between 2 sparrows at my feeder. One bird had the other bird by the beak and there was lots of screaming…or loud chirping. I am sure to them is was screaming. I thought it was funny at first but then in their world this was serious business of “my food, my territory.”

IMG_20181116_122159 — Male cardinal before the snow

When the larger birds show, the smaller birds scatter. That is why I put the feeder near the evergreens, a safe hiding place. It’s funny how when they all get spooked, they all head to the trees; cardinals, blue jays, woodpeckers and all the little guys. It’s kind of like people, when we get scared we all want a safe zone and our perceived roles of superiority go out the window.

We woke up to about 1″ of snow already on the ground this morning and it has been lightly snowing all day. Fortunately the ground is still warm keeping the streets clear but the trees are beautiful.

And of course there is the yard pest that I don’t want on the feeder that climbs the pole then pulls himself up using the suet feeders. So a rearrangement of suet feeders is in order and maybe a good greasing of the pole. It will be end of December before I can get out to rearrange things so everyone will just have to depend on mother nature to keep them feed for now once this round is empty.

IMG_20181117_152641 — Small fella not happy with the intruder

The role of the bird feeder is to feed the birds, not the yard rats. But I guess when you are trying to take care of a little bit of nature you don’t get to choose which nature takes advantage of your goodies.

For us in the US, it is Thanksgiving week so I wish all here to have a great Thanksgiving. For those not in the US, I still wish you a wonderful week. And in all that you do, remember to be kind. The more you try to be kind, the more it may change your mindset in different ways of being kind. Kindness can radiate encouragement and that may be all a situation needs to get turned around to a positive outcome.

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Linda G Hill gave us a Saturday prompt of “roll, roles” for #SoCS, Stream of Consciousness Saturday. Come join in on the fun.

Medical Practice, A Conundrum of Sorts – #6WS & #SoCS

Means being justified by an end result – that can be wrong on so may platforms if it involves trickery or cruelty when used only for selfish gain.

Yesterday I had the second, and last, operation on my feet to correct misaligned bones. The anesthesia doctor was different and used a new technique by means of a nerve block behind the knee. The technique in the long run could be a real help for healing, in his opinion. After speaking with my surgeon this morning when he called to check on me, I asked him about this. He was not aware it was going to be used and I could tell in his voice that he question its use at this time but they were already starting it. It was very painful to administer using ultra sound to guide a needle through the side of my leg by my knee to block the nerves all the way down the leg through the foot. He had told me he would give me some light sedation medication where I would not feel the needle digging through my leg. but what he did not realize was that my body fights light doses of numbing medication. I needed horse size doses doing a job like that. He called another anesthetist to administer another does in the IV as his hands were busy. That helped but gee whiz.

medicine

But I am doing fine today, foot still numb a bit and I hope that wears off soon. Numbness is such a weird and uncomfortable feeling.

I do need to express the thankfulness of where medicine is today. We are such a far cry from the ‘blood-letting’ practice days. While that process of getting rid of the bad blood was good in theory, it really was not a good idea. But it shows the ever involving field of medicine and when you think of the diseases we now have control of or the diseases we are on the brink of discovering a cure of, it is all amazing.

I am tagging in with two wonderful bloggers to help us all unite with fun and new discoveries. Linda G Hill with Stream of Consciousness and Debbie Smyth with Six Word Saturday.

And as I heal from hopefully this last procedure, I rest and enjoy my Christmas decorations,the enjoyment of the birds fighting over the several feeders (they don’t share well) and I am comforted by my loving companion and my gracious daughter as they take care of me.

Below is a picture of my current transportation for the next 3 weeks. I think it was designed by a woman as there is an indention in the center so that you can pull the cart flat to the sink and clean dishes. I don’t think a man would have thought of that. And maybe that is not what it is for but it’s my theory and I am sticking with it.

IMG_20181110_080936_1 — My first cart did not have this center indention. I like this better.

As I was going through the painfulness of the nerve block, the operating staff were marvelous in showing empathy and kindness as I would get shoulder rubs, hand holding and gentle touches. Kindness is never wasted.

So I close as always with reminders of being kind and also a reminder that Nov 13 is World Kindness Day. The more you are kind, the more ways you find to be kind.

kindness day

So, What’s Your Point, #SoCS

Points and opinions everyone has them. Sometimes the passion of those points/opinions can cause conflicts between two views of a same situation. We are heading to a marvelous time of year across the world that, regardless of the faith you may practice, it’s a time of year to share love and kindness. So I challenge anyone of all faiths to come together in love instead of standing toe to toe in asking “What’s your point”.

In the Christian and Catholic faiths we both follow Jesus Christ and during Christmas there are several points that float through the season. Christmas is the symbol of Jesus’s birth, but to the commercial world its all about Santa, buying and getting. I have a very large stuffed Santa and display him every year but Santa is not the point. Christ is the point. The stories of Santa, Chris Kringle, Pere Noel, or Father Christmas along with many other countries versions all stem from the love of giving gifts to children.

What better gift to give anyone is a “get out of jail free” card from God in the form of His only Son. Wow, what a gift from God to all of His children.

While I do go over board on decorating, I look at the tree as His tree of life and the lights as His love shining in the darkness. The very first object that goes on the main tree,(there are many) the tree in the living room, is the Christmas Nail. It goes inside the tree not as a decoration but as a symbol of my love back to Him. It is an ever reminder of what He did and does for me.

I an tagging in with Linda G Hill on Streams of Conscious Saturday and her prompt for the day is point. Come join in on the fun.

As we approach another worldwide day of celebration let’s all celebrate it together on November 13 – World Kindness Day. Showing Kindness is a point of view we could all use.

world kindness