Star of Hope

Homeless.  The very word frightens me. Not to have shelter, I have never experienced this but just thinking about it leaves me anxious. How much worse for the people who experience it every day and every night, summer and winter,  sunshine and rain.  I think what frightens me is that any one of those people could have been me. If I had a different family, if I'd never had the opportunity for education, if I had a mental illness, it could be me or any one of us.

The Star of Hope Mission serves people who for whatever reason become homeless. Whether it is domestic violence, drug or alcohol abuse, or just bad luck, the SOH takes people in and helps them get back on their feet.  There is a substance abuse recovery program, career and training counseling, day care, preschool, after school care, & homework assistance, and spiritual care and guidance. 

I support the SOH through my church. Saturday evening there will be a program of music and dance with a ticket price of $10 per person to raise money for this worthy endeavor. It will be a pleasant way to assist the Star of Hope.

Goals for Next Week

Goals for the week ending Saturday, February 2, 2013

1.  Continue daily Bible reading--done. 

2. Continue cutting out next quilt top using leftover fabric--done. 

3. Continue Weight Watchers 26 points per day--done. 

4. Border #3/8 on quilt--done. 

 5. Plant garden seeds--done. 

6. Reading--done. 

     The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763-1789 by Robert Middlekauff

     And Still Peace Did Not Come by Agnes Kamara-Umunna

     The Story of My Life by Helen Keller

     Legacy of the Dead by Charles Todd

7. Cook 4 dinners--done. 

10. Paint first wall in living room--still not done. Next week for sure. 

More on women in combat units

Blast Blogger anyway, it won't let me edit my post a second time. But I will gripe more about Blogger in another post.

This should be added to the end of the previous post.
Perhaps, women in combat units may be for the best anyway. Maybe if we knew our daughters would be going into actual combat, it would give us pause before we send in the troops.  I am not sayi g that we love our daughters more than our sons. It is just different. 

Women in combat units in the military

The Pentagon has announced that all restrictions on what units women can serve in the military will be lifted.  

The part of me that ardently supports women's rights thinks that this is right and as it should be.  Votes for women, equal education, equal pay for equal work, all absolutely!!

But I must admit that part of me cannot for the life of me understand why any woman would want to. Men can be crude and stupid and testosterone afflicted. I know, I know, not all men are like that. But you get a large group of healthy, young men together and they are most likely to be thinking with something other than their brains. 

And then there is the whole military-industrial complex thing.  Yes, there are people who for one reason or another would like to destroy America. So we do need to be able to keep them at bay. Cant do away entirely with the military. However, I have seen too many unnecessary wars--from Viet Nam to Iraq and now Afghanistan--and my confidence in our leadership to make wise decisions has been badly shaken. 

So, as for women in the military in combat units, I suppose if that's what you want. But don't be surprised at what you actually end up with.

Edited to add:

I've been giving more thought to this.  There are so many professions that women have been excluded from--law, medicine, pharmacy, just to name a few.  And the same thing that I said above about working in the male dominated military was said about the other professions. And we all recognize that women have done just fine in those professions. So what I said just doesn't hold up. Women have been  in combat units and some have done well and others have not just as some men hold up well and others do not. 

So let me refine my statement to say that barring an actual invasion or attack, I don't understand why anyone-male or female-would want war as a profession. 

1/22/13 Three things that made me happy today

★ Three things that made me happy today★ 

Pizza. 

Watching Casablanca from Netflix while eating pizza.

Not counting the Weight Watchers points in said pizza. 

Enough already!!

I voted for President Obama and am very thankful that he won and not Mitt Romney.  But a word to NPR: Enough innauguration coverage!! I thought it was over the top yesterday with dawn to midnight innauguration stuff but to find out that today is Reflections-on-the-Innauguration Day (well it seems like it anyway) is really aggravating.  Cover the oath, 5 minutes of the parade, and a mention of what the First Lady wore to one of the balls. That's enough!! IMHO

All stobbed ub...

I just could not get out of bed this morning. I think I am trying to fight off a cold. I made breakfast, cleaned up the kitchen, and went back to bed. When I finally got up, I felt grubby so I took a hot shower and that did make me feel better. I made a batch of muffins and we went to Chipotle for lunch. Right back to bed. Got up at 4 determined to get the side of the garage finished while JMM was available to move stuff for me. So I did finish that project but that is all. I don't know if I will stay out of bed long enough to watch Downton Abbey this evening at 8. I think I will make a warm nest in the recliner and if I sleep through it, so be it but maybe I can watch it. 

Dear Lance,

Just shut up and go away. Your time in the limelight is over. Do good and live quietly. Florence 

1/18/13 Three things that made me happy today

★ Three things that made me happy today★ 

Frost on the fields and ice on the pond this morning--so beautiful!

Record number of goldfinches this year. We have 2 hanging feeders, one with sunflower seed and the other with thistle see. About 20+ goldfinches at each feeder. They are not in their bright breeding plumage but still darling little creatures. 

Goals for the week ending Saturday, January 26, 2013

Goals for the week ending Saturday, January 26, 2013

1.  Continue daily Bible reading--done. 

2. Continue cutting out next quilt top using leftover fabric--done. 

3. Continue Weight Watchers 26 points per day--done. 

4. Border #2/8 on quilt--done. 

 5. Prune roses--done. 

6. Reading--done. 

     The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763-1789 by Robert Middlekauff

     Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle by Thor Hanson--Finished. 

     The Story of My Life by Helen Keller

     Legacy of the Dead by Charles Todd

7. Cook 4 dinners--done. 

10. Paint first wall in living room--STILL NOT DONE. 

11.  Get information on quilt class--done. But I have decided not to take a class but to participate in the group that makes quilts for charity. 

1/16/13 Three Things that Made Me Happy Today

★ Three things that made me happy today★ 

Sunshine! After so many gray, sunless days, what a joy it is to have sunshine streaming through the windows!

Listened to Gregorian chant on Pandora while quilting. In my zone.

Bought tickets online to the Museum of Fine Arts exhibition from the Prado. We are going to see it Saturday. 

1/15/13 Three things that made me happy today

★ Three things that made me happy today★ 

Woke up feeling peppy and did the exercise bike. So in addition to feeling peppy, I felt quite virtuous.

My sweet Bandit wanted to share his dinner with me and brought me a freshly killed field mouse. I politely declined his offer. 

We are planning a spring trip to Washington, D.C. and I am looking forward to the museums. 

Joe's Birthday

We celebrated Joe's 66th birthday with Tamara and Chris at Goode Co. Seafood for lunch and then went to their house for homemade German Sweet Chocolate cake. The cake was delish and was all eaten within 24 hours.  No more until next year.

Three things that made me happy today

★ Three things that made me happy today★ 

Into the day's gray came a blaze of red--the cardinal landed at the feeder. 

Hot tea, a good book, a cat, & a quilt

Burpee seed catalog-->visions (delusions) of my perfect garden

Three Things that Made Me Happy Today

★ Three things that made me happy today★

The cake was scrumptious!

Lunch with Tamara & Chris was nice. 

It was good to see sweet Daisy. 

I finished quilting the last of the 16 blocks on my quilt. Now to quilt the borders

Goals for the week ending Saturday, January 19, 2013

1.  Continue daily Bible reading--done

2. Continue cutting out next quilt top using leftover fabric--done

3. Continue Weight Watchers 26 points per day--done. I am discontinuing my WW membership but will continue to eat my 26 points per day. 

4. Border #1/8 on quilt--done. And I have started the 2nd border. 

 5. Order seeds--done. 

6. Reading

     The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763-1789 by Robert Middlekauff

     Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle by Thor Hanson

     Leading on Empty by Wayne Cordeiro--Finished. Ver good. 

7. Cook 4 dinners--done. 

10. Paint first wall in living room--not done. 

11.  Get information on quilt class-- not done. 

12. Prune roses--not done.  
I got the maintenance portion of my goals for the week done but didn't manage the 3 extra.  Good thing there is next week!

Conversation about guns

It is useless to try to say anything about gun control to gun proponents. My experience has been that they are rude, crude, and mean to anyone who expresses any opinion other than that straight from the NRA. I had thought that it would be a good thing to simply respond that not everyone shares their opinion. Not so. I have been told that I am a "special kind of stupid." OK, well at least I didn't have to sit through the off-the-wall harangue that Piers Morgan did on CNN. This is the face of gun proponents. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/09/piers-morgan-alex-jones-gun-control_n_2438963.html

Guilty Pleasure

I really shouldn't like Downton Abbey. It goes completely against so many of my core beliefs. Women who couldn't vote or were limited in what work they could do is just antithetical to my sense of justice. And having nothing to do but dress for interminable dinners would drive me batty. The clothes are gorgeous but I cannot imagine be g laced into a corset every day of my life. 

But I do enjoy it! I like the interaction between upstairs and downstairs. I love the scenes of the lovely English countryside. I love the house and decor and the dresses and the white ties and the spectacular dinner tables. 

Maybe it is the knowledge that I don't have to do the dusting or wear the corsets or think of banal dinner conversation. But whatever it is I'm enjoying Season 3 very much. 

★ Three things that made me happy today★ 

Sunshine! After a week of cold, gray, drizzly days, I welcome the sunshine!

Planning JMM's birthday!

Downton Abbey!

Goals for the week ending Saturday, January 12, 2013

1.  Continue daily Bible reading--done

2. Continue cutting out next quilt top using leftover fabric--not done; just didn't get around to it. 

3. Continue Weight Watchers 26 points per day--done. 

4. Finish Block #16 on quilt--almost finished; one more patch to finish the block. 

 5. Order seeds--not done.; must do next week.

6. Reading

     The Boy who Loved Anne Frank by Ellen Feldman--Finishhed.

     The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763-1789 by Robert Middlekauff

     Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle by Thor Hanson

     Leading on Empty by Wayne Cordeiro

7. Cook 4 dinners--done. 

10. Paint first wall in living room--not done.  Next week. 

11.  Get information on quilting class--not done. Next week. 

12. Make January soup--White Bean, Kale, & Chicken Sausage--done. Too bland but I know how to spice it up to make it more flavorful. 

13. Haircut/Manicure--done. I feel pretty, oh so pretty...

14. JMM BIRTHDAY PARTY--done. My precious husband enjoyed his bird ay party, cake, and presents. 

Goals for 2013

Goals for 2013

Spiritual

   1.  ABF & Church weekly

   2. Daily Bible reading

   3. Read one spiritual book each month

Physical

   1.  Reach & maintain my maintenance weight in Weight Watchers

   2. Have annual physical 

   3. Dental cleaning every 6 months

   4. Dermatologist 

Home

   1. Have grandfather clock repaired

  2. Replace carpet with tile in laundry room

   3. Garden

          Tomatoes

          Rosemary and basil

          Roses

   4. Paint living room

   5. Learn to make 1 new soup each month

Personal

   1. Trip to Washington, DC

   2. Read good books

   3. Take one quilting class

   4. Monthly haircut & manicure

   5. New clothes spring & fall

Financial

   1. Fund my envelope system

   2. Maintain debt-free living

   3. JMM starts drawing full Social Security in February

   4. FM applies for Social Security in October

Three things that made me happy today

★ Three things that made me happy today★ 

My dear heating pad

Mozart

Cats purring on my lap