CONGRATULATIONS, YOU HAVE A BROTHER.

Hello Nice People

     Today is Holy Thursday.  I loved the pictures on the news of Pope Francis washing the feet of women, men and handicapped.  Before him, Popes never washed the feet of women.  I don't know, is that a step forward?

     WWJD, WWYD (What would you do),  or, How did I get into this?!
I have a brother!  An 83 year old, stubborn batchelor.  Last June, he was put into a nursing home, which is a very nice place.  This came about after a fall in his grungy apartment.  Grungy, because he was no longer able to take care of IT or himself.  So he is definitly in a good place.  He is clean, has a clean bed and good food.  I found out about this turn of events from a family member.  Now, the elephant in the room here is that he had not spoken to me for 35 years.  He lived two small towns away and I would see him now and then, I even tried to talk to him a few times. With no success.  There never was a good reason for this.
      Here is where I took it upon myself to just go up, present myself to him and see how it plays out.  I walked into his room and said, "Do you know who I am?"     Nope. he went down a list of relatives, living and dead, so I finally said, "I'm Marlene, your sister."  I can understand him not recognizing me, 69 years old now and snow white hair.  Well, son of a gun, he accepted me.  Of course, I am not so stupid not to know that now he needs me.
     All relatives live 60-70 miles away, so there is really no one that can visit on a regular basis.  I live 6 blocks from the nursing home.
     Well, since then, I have become his regular visitor.  I make sure that I am there on Sundays and Wednesdays.  Now he has my phone number and he calls me.  "Are you coming up here today?"  So its now about 4 days a week.  I keep him in all his snacks and goodies:  Fruit, candy, cupcakes and soda.  When I go, I bring him his favorite meals:  Spaghetti and clams, subs, sandwiches, etc.
     Of course, HUbby------->, thats him over there on the couch,  feels that I am being taken advantage of.  I try to keep the whole thing low key with him, but I find him just shaking his head in a disgusted manner.  I can understand that he would be a little skeptical after being ignored for 35 years. 
I even find it embarassing that I am doing all of this after being ignored for 35 years.  Even the nurses tell him how lucky he is to have a good sister.
      I dont want this thing to get bigger and be a problem between Hubby and me.  And I can't very well stop visiting and buying.  Talk about being stuck between  a rock and a hard place.

      Wow, I need and answer.

APRIL FOOLS DAY AND DR. DOWD

Hello Nice People

     Today is April 1, 2014.  April Fools Day.  Should AFD be capitalized?  Its not a holiday OR a holyday.  Its just something that someone, who knows who, started.  Why in April?  why not July, or January?   We need something to make us laugh in January.  Especially this past January.  It was a cold, long Winter.  I dont think its over yet. 

     I had a doctors apointment today withn Dr. Dowd.  She is the tiniest little person, good ole Dr. Dowd.  I dont think she weighs 80 pounds.  So, there I sit, on the examining table, all 280 pounds of me.  I feel like I am the Jolly Green Giant and she is the Lilliputin character from the fable that I forget the name of.  Dr Dowd has been my cardiologist for about 30 years.  In fact she said one time that I had been her patient so long that my file was the thickest one in the cabinet.  In other words, everyone that started way back with me.........is now dead.

     I am sure when I started, I was some what thinner.  I was never thin, but over the years, I have gained and lost and gained and lost AND gained and lost.  But now, that old nemisis. old age has set in.    You put the two together, weight and old age, and what you get is not good:  DIABETES!

      She is always so nice about my weight.  She never raises her voice or threatens me.  She never belittles me or gives me an ultimatum.  Maybe she should.  But she says that I am healthy, heartwise.  I guess all the meds she has me on are working.  I think they are what is keeping me alive.  But she and I both know that the weight is the root of my problems.  Like shortness of breath and DIABETES.
So on the way home,  I seriously thought about going back to WEIGHT WATCHERS.  God knows. I dont want to, but I am thinking about it.  So I will check out the new prices since the last time I failed at this diet thing.  Check out where they are located and sleep on it.  Decisions to come.

    

I am at a loss. HELP!!!!!

I am so addicted to my Ipad, that I have completely forgotten how to add to my blog.  I would like to change the picture and delete the pictures on the side.  All of that stuff is so old......it needs to be changed.  HELP!!!!!!

Hello Nice People,

     Here I am, in the Summer of 2012, and I am officially retired.  I finally did it.  I took all the steps for retiring from being a lowly school bus driver of 33 long years.  You might think I held a job of great importance, considering all the steps I had to take to make it official.
#1   I had to write three letters:  one to the Board of  Education, one to the Transportation Department and one to the Administrator of the school, Atlantic County Special Services.  Now, there was a time when I was a whiz at writing.  I loved to put words together and have them sound like I was the most blossomed writer of all time.  (see, how do you like that word blosssomed?)  But over the years,  after spending all my waking hours with kids;  Little ones, just starting a vocabulary, and big ones who have already tossed theirs to the curb, I have definetly lost my touch. 

     Write three letters, hmmmmm,  I don't want them to sound like I am an uneducated, this is the only job I can do, good thing you hird me thirty five years ago kind of person.  Hmmmmm, I can do this:

Please accept this letter as confirmation of my retirement as a bus driver with



Atlantic County Special Services Transportation Department, as of June 30, 2012.






May I also take this occasion to thank Beth Buoro, the Board of Education, and


of course, Carmella and her staff for the opportunity to work with the children and people of Atlantic County Special Services.






I sincerely hope my services were rendered in a satisfactory manner.

                                                              Sincerely,

Not bad, right?



                                                                  

#2    Register on line with the New Jersey MBOS, which is the Division of pensions.  Not easy to do, but I think I have it.  We shall see, if I don't get a check by August 5,  I have to start from scratch.  Wish me luck.



A WARM WINTER AT THE JERSEY SHORE

Hello Nice People

It's been a warm winter here at the Jersey Shore.  Actually, it's been rather nice all up and down the East Coast.  We are beginning to think that maybe we won't be seeing ANY snow this winter.  That will be AOK with this OLD school bus driver.    People always say, "OH, schools are closed on snowy days."  BUT, there are always those days that start out nice, just a little grey, and then the snow starts to fall.  That's when they call us in and tell us to get the kids home safe and the way we found them.  Never mind the icey roads and the accumulating white stuff. 

Temps have dropped the past two days, and supposed to stay that way for a week or so.  Hubby, (that's him over there on the couch->->->)  is getting a little old and stiff in the bones for keeping the wood stove filled.  He still keeps up though with some help from Gloriebelle.

Come on, Daddy, let's get that fire going.  This sweater gets shorter everytime washes it.



Get those corners good and clean Dad, we don't want any embers jumping out.



Well, that's better, maybe now I can enjoy a little shut eye. Oh yeah, Thanks Dad.

Trying to blog from my new IPAD.

If this works, it would be so terrific. I found the APP for blogs. Now I just have to type with 2 fingers without too many mistakes. And learn how to put in pics and publish. I tapped on a picture. Let's see if it comes up.

THANKSGIVING...AND I'M NOT GETTING ANY YOUNGER.

Hello Nice People,

        It is a BEE YOU TIF AL day here at the Jersey Shore.  And I haven't been out of the house.  The day after Thanksgiving day....and I haven't done a thing all day.  A little bit of crocheting, a little TV  ( I'm watching Achmed the Terrorist) and trying to find the Dashboard for my blog.  We had the usual Thanksgiving.  I purposely cut back on some of the work.  Bought those mashed potatoes that you find in the cold section of the supermarket.  I put them in a nice dish, added some butter and wa la!!, no one knew the difference.  Instead of the ususal lazagna, I bought 2 and a half pounds of already made lobster ravioli, and it went over quite well.  Pretty good with a white sauce, add a little grated cheese and butter----not bad!  The next step, I am still a little embarassed about.  If you don't think you can handle it, stop right here!-!-!
I used  paper plates.  There, i said it.  Now its out in the open.  I thought about it last year.  Then reconsidered.  but, you know,  I'm not getting any younger.  And it's SO much work,  cooking and cleaning and preparing for a big dinner.  Well, since it's only the immediatly family.....no one cared.  And in the end it was a lot less cleaning up.  I washed all the pots before they  came and the plates went in the trash.  Silverware was the only thing left to wash.  So Paper Plates it is for next year.