10 Things I have done (&might do again) naked

I was delivered more or less normally (another post about this later)

I swam in the pond by my house with the neighborhood kids.

I ran through my high school in my Senior year.

I often cook breakfast & make Coffee (BTW Please try to Call before visiting!)

I have sat in a tree with an unclothed female in a backyard in Pennsylvania overlooking a Road.

I secured & wrapped plastic around that females' Ostomy bag, so she, for the first time since her surgery, could go swimming.

I have stood on top of a Local mountain, feeling the cool wind flow over me.

I stood in my shower alone,for the first time after open heart surgery, gently probing the scar on my chest, wondering how long it is all going to last.

I have held a Lover in my arms, laughing & exausted.

I have had the warm summer rain wash my skin & rubbed fresh peppermint leaves on my body.

I made love in a mountain stream, standing tippitoe on the Rocks by the Deep end.

I hope you have done at least as much (or a Lot more) :-)

Hoarding, American Pickers and the fine Art of Actually Helping Someone rather then Helping Yourself...

A & E has some great programs. I like Hoarders, Intervention and their newest program American Pickers. After watching several episodes however, it has come to my attention that these guys are a couple of Greedy Bastards who look for Hoarders, gain their trust , then try to walk off with as much merchandice as they can- usually ripping off the person they "befriended" They revel in finding stuff the person put away many years' ago & give them some low-ball figure, then go & sell the stuff at Top price & laugh all the way to the Bank!

I want,instead of that model of bad behavior, to look at Hoarders. While those folks are Extreme, the show just doesn't tape them & go home. ?They send in Professional Therapists & Organizers to help before, during & After. They Pay to clean out the houses & for subsequent therapy. I consider that both responsible & reasonable. Remember, with any luck, we will all get old- which way do we want to be treated? Below, I copied a posting from one of the show's Organizers & hope you'll taks a quick look at it.

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The experts say...
"Many hoarders live alone and face mental illness or disorders. Because of this, by the time they are in the court system, there is an assumption that they are not able to care for themselves or their finances and belongings. The court then assigns a conservator and while understandable � it is completely overwhelming, sad and frightening for the hoarder."

- Dorothy Breininger


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Help For Hoarders: Ten Small Steps
If you want to help the hoarder you need to remove the threat of being judgemental - instead look at situation from their point of view. Every hoarder feels that their collection, clutter, trash is valuable - nearly every disintegrated book and newspaper circular is viewed by a hoarder as though it were a "diamond in the rough."

1-"Trust is essential." When they know that WE know all this trash and clutter represents their identity, they are less defensive and are able to relax and trust us so that we can help them.


2-Don't throw anything away without the persons approval.


3-Excavate one tiny area at a time - one tabletop, one corner, one drawer, one shelf in the medicine cabinet.


4-Sort before discarding anything. It's hard to relinquish one scarf, but less hard to get rid of 20 out of 40.


5-Donate items instead of throwing them away, since it's a comfort to know they can find a good home with someone else.


6-Make contact face-to-face and use a soft, gentle approach and let the hoarder tell his/her story.


7-Treat the hoarder with respect and dignity -- remain calm and factual but caring and supportive.


8-Evaluate the situation for safety then refer the hoarder for medical and mental health evaluation.


9-Go slowly and expect gradual changes and be sure to involve the hoarder in seeking solutions.


10-Avoid being critical or judgmental about the hoarder's environment.


Present ideas for behavior modification - for example: Don't buy a book unless you spend half an hour with it in the bookstore. For every book acquired, relinquish two books that you've already identified as dispensable.

On Trusting Folks...

A while back, a "friend" came by and asked to borrow a couple of Tools I had. I gave them to him and asked that he return them when he was finished. About a week ago, someone else was discussing the Great deal he just got on some Tools & proceeded to show me 2 of my own tools! I know they are my tools because I have my license number engraved in them (I do that with ALL my tools) I explained the situation and bought both my tools back (after all, why should anyone be out money they paid for tools when they didn't know they were Stolen?)

I called my "friend" up & asked him to return my tools. He said he "didn't know where he had put them and he would return them to me as soon as he had located them." I told him I know where he put them- On Sale & that I wanted the last tool he had back the next day, No Excuses! Well, 3 days passed & I heard nothing from him & I finally left a message that, unless he returned the Tool, I was calling the Cops-THAT worked! He came back with the tool & I told him not to bother calling or coming around anymore. If I can't Trust you-You're Gone! Apologies only go so far, then they are just Words to try to Manipulate you. I'm Tired of Manipulation!

What would You have done? Do you Agree?

Originally, I wanted to e mbed posts from this site, but Sadly, I can't figure out how to do it! :-( So I invite you to this link: www.onlineeducation.net/porn/

I've been Tweeting up a Storm...

Sorry I've kinda been MIA. I've been using Twitter and neglecting my author instincts. On this feast of Sowen, let us remember that while the Harvest has been god, it only remains so through vigilance. If you don't understand- good!, neither do I! anyway, if you join twitter, my name there is Yknot, so Yknot follow along?

A Fabulous Weekend, followed by...

I will post pictures as soon as my lazy butt gets in gear but I was self-Indulgent yesterday and only finished a few things.


I don't know how everyone is taking the news but I only have One Question: Why is it that fixing Social Security, which provides for and Protects most citizens "too expensive" to fix but Wall Street shows us their Absolute Incompetence and we are ready to pony up 770 Billion in order to "temporarily fix" their problems? Remember, these folks are the ones who say they "are the experts" What, exactly are they expert at? Will taking their "bad debt" really make everything better or just allow them to Dump their financial "shit" on us and continue on their Merry Way?

The Romans had a solution for this: the Jubilee year, where all debt was cancelled- public and private so everyone started with a clean slate. I'm Certain it wouldn't occur to anyone to do this so I'm throwing it out there. No one can miss out on Profits, can they? Is Forgiveness really possible? This Whole "Crisis" feels like a Shell Game; a 3 card Monty of a thing. and this president (and John Mc Cain) wants us to put part of out Social Security into This Swamp? Chile did this and people Lost 15-20% of their deposits in fees, assessments etc...

If Wall Street wants a Bail-out, We want Social Security fixed for the foreseeable future- let That be their cost and I would agree. but then again, what do I know? I'm only a regular guy.

A Time for Joy!

The FD Cardiologist gave me a week & a half off and will probably send me back two weeks from now. Yay Me! I feel Good and the weather is Perfect: not too cold and windy, not too hot & sticky! Not that I've a lack for things to do but you can only putter around the house so much when it's this Gorgeous outside! I plan on taking a lot of long, rambling walks, finishing projects, seeing my patient and knowledgeable time sensei and ENJOYING LIFE!!! Who'd a thunk it?

That's My Answer- the Blog edition.

I usually check out a blog site called That's My Answer.Today, I'm posting a question that was here and you can check out the many answers there are:

QUESTION TO GO

What three things are on your desk right now that shouldn’t be?

Coffee Cup

Atomic Clock that I fixed to display EST

Bottle of Waterbed conditioner (from when I had a waterbed- anybody need one?)