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?

Oh, What a Tool I am!

Now that most of you who, from time-to-time look in here have noticed, I really haven't been blogging much- I have however been posting on Twitter almost Daily, proving that talking about yourself can mostly fit into 140 characters (or Less) I'd Apologise, but I still have a Duty to the Truth & most of you (like me) would think it insincere. I like talking with folks from all over the world, sharing the Bad Jokes, Life Situations, Quips, Witticisms, what-have-you. Like most of you who do this, I'm not in it for the money, and just like a lot of you, my job, while it has more then it's share of Exciting Moments, is also filled with Dull, Drab people that you wouldn't choose to hang out with if you could!

I have a Lot of Plans for the new year: Getting my workshop together, fixing up my place, making money, buying a new car,etc... but someone I knew just committed suicide recently and a quote from the Movies has me Thinking. The quote was: "Were all going to die someday and Sooner that any of us would like." I hope I'm not slated to die this year or even this coming decade, but nobody knows. I think I'm going to make a Will out this year, and start putting all of my Important papers together with instructions. Sounds like a Good Idea to me. What are You doing? Is your Life better or worse then it was this time last year? What are Your Goals & how do You see yourself getting there? All good questions. You don't have to leave a comment if you don't want to, but I'm sure I'm not the Only one having these kinds of thoughts!

New Year. What's your position?

I'm not making any Resolutions this year. I've lost interest on making myself promises that I don't fully intend on keeping. I recognise that, for some folks this is a motivational technique that works- just not for me. How do you approach this? I will accomplish the Goals I have set for myself this year & I won't fail. or I will but I will make the effort.

Christmas. The Sequel.

So, I worked all christmas in order to give a Young EMT time with her new fiance & family (You can only be Young & in Love once) & she is supposed to repay me by working today. I've made plans to spend the morning with kitty, opening the Presents I have been studiously ignoring on my Coffee table, then going upstate to see my BFF Vicki and give her daughter her Christmas gifts I was told she will go wild over- Personally, I never saw the allure of Hannah Montana, but then again, I'm nowhere near young. The only person I didn't get anything for is Mom, but only because I take her out on a regular basis & make sure she wants for nothing.

I know the Economic Crisis is affecting many Folks, both here & around the World. We put our Trust in (Supposedly) Better educated & Savvy individuals and are now paying the Price for that mistake. There are just as many Thieves, Liars & Cheats among the Educated Class (maybe even more) than there is in the population as a whole. Your future really is in your own hands, at least as far as financial is concerned. Imaging if this country had actually bought into Bush's plan to invest part of Social Security in the Stock Market?

What about OIL? Before this whole business happened, didn't all the "experts" say that the World demand was driving up the price? Where did the "World Demand" go? Did China & India & Japan really stop needing OIL? OR WAS IT ALL A BIG SHELL GAME, DESIGNED, PLANNED & EXECUTED BY BIG OIL, THIS GOVERNMENT & IT'S OIL MEN IN OFFICE IN CAHOOTS WITH THE OIL PRODUCING NATIONS? Oil is now trading at just over $34/barrel- that means gas should be selling at approx. $ .94/Gallon? Why isn't it? Why is home heating oil still at it's Highest prices ever? I'll tell you why since no one else will- THE OIL COMPANIES ARE STILL RIPPING US OFF & GEORGE BUSH & THIS GOVERNMENT IS STILL PROTECTING THEM! Notice you don't hear either Democrats or Republicans calling the companies to task now & Now is when they NEED to be called on their Ripping off the Public!!! Let me know what you think, if you want.

Merry Christmas Everyone! Happy Holidays with Peace on Earth & Goodwill to All! May the New Year bring you Peace and Prosperity!

Tempus Fugit-( Time Flys)

Once again it's time I gathered up all the various reciepts, W-2's etc... and head over to H&R Block to get my Taxes done. I know it's the lazy man's way but I am not a Tax expert and I Know I'd miss deductions. I used to have a Great Bookkeeper who did an Excellent job, but she smoked all her life and died suddenly of Cancer. Since then, I've gone to Block. For those of you who like to do it yourselves, they also have that option as well. Online.

When do you do your Taxes (usually & this year?)

Announcement

I tasted the First snowflake of the Season! Whoopie!