Today I woke up about an hour early, and got up to have coffee with my hubby. I was pleasantly surprised that a friend of his had been referred to one of my sites and had left a comment! I was so pleased. I need to spend more time visiting others and letting them know I like what they're doing as well and maybe I'd have more readers!
I did all the things I normally do, dishes, cooking, etc., but it was grey and looked like rain and it was a day to just be cozy around the ol' homestead and I just relaxed more and enjoyed it. The grandkids arrived around 3:45 or so, and I fixed them all hot tea and they did their homework. Kris, the 5 year old, played a game on the TV and played with his basketball, and he was pretty content with his tea as well. While they were doing their homework, I made them all some ramen and also made Jack's dinner to take to work. It was hectic for a little bit, but I got everything done, and Jack left for work at 5:00.
At 6:30 I decided to go ahead and make dinner for the ones who were here, and I made rotini with chicken and alfredo sauce, and warmed up some corn. Everyone ate and we watched TV for a little while. Then I got on the internet to post a new one on A Light In The Night, and sent an e-mail to my husband. Just as I got started, the lightning hit the empty lot next door and the thunder was so loud I signed off and decided I'd finish it later!
I made fresh coffee, had a cup, and after talking with my daughter Sidra for a little while, I got back on the internet, as the storm had passed, and finished my post. The children and their Mom left around 9:15 and the rest of the evening was peaceful. I have music to listen to, a book to read, and maybe some more writing in my journal. I had a very enjoyable day and just was at peace. I am happy in my mind and heart, and I love my family and have a little place to call me own. All in all, I have a very good life, and I am very thankful to God for all my many blessings, and for the people in my life that make my day's complete. I am very blessed, and I like telling others that no matter what your problems may be, if you have someone to love, you can make it through just about anything together. (Providing they love you in return!) God loves us, even when we don't deserve it, and I am so thankful that there is a God, and that He promised to always be with us.
For now, I am going to say goodnight, and I'll be back tomorrow providing nothing unforseen happens.
Goodnight,
Bonzo
Monday, February 27, 2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
A Day of Rest and Peace
Today was unusual in that I woke up at 6:30 instead of having to be pried out of the sack at 7:30 which is usually when I get up to get Jack's lunch and coffee ready. I took my medicine last night, fell asleep around 1:00 and then woke up so early! It was nice because I felt so refreshed and at peace. I have reached a level of competency with my medications, and they work wonders when you get it right. I did a lot of posting and reading, listened to some meditation music and lit some candles and incense. It was so restful and peaceful that even our dog "Dude" fell asleep on the couch. My oldest granddaughter Venus, calls it my hypnosis music. I think they like it though because they all get really quiet and just listen while they work on their crafts or whatever my daughter Sidra finds for them to do. Sometimes they all go out to a local store and bring back things to do. My daughter was a pre-school teacher before all the problems with the economy. She also worked for Halmark and as a result has a ruptured disc in her lower back and can't pick up anything heavier than 20 lbs. She helps me here at home and is a God-send when it comes to going to the store and just general things at home. I would be so lost without my wonderful daughter. She has brought so much happiness to me, and is my best female friend. I love her to pieces.
In the every day running of the house, there are always dishes to be done, trash to take out, cleaning up after the pet, organizing things, and just generally being very busy. I make iced tea by the gallons because everyone loves it and it isn't hard to do, just tedious. I cook everynight and I've been trying to help all of us get healthy by putting everyone on the DASH diet which is a wonderful way to bring down blood pressure and tryglicerides. It also is excellent for losing weight and we all need to do that except my oldest son Brian. He came back home to live about a year ago, and had a problem with drinking and being overweight. He has since lost 80 lbs, and stopped drinking and has turned himself around. I am very proud of all my children. They mean the world to me and I love them so much.
Today is a day of reflection and peaceful pursuits and I really enjoyed posting to my other site, A Light In The Night. I felt so led to really say what's on my mind and I am pleased with the results. It's time to think about other people in this world and the conditions they have to live with. If those of us who are overweight would think mindfully about what we are putting in our bodies and think about the children who eat ketchup in hot water to survive over the weekend because they're homeless and live on the streets, we'd all lose weight more easily. It's disgusting to think of all that we cram in hand over fist while little children are going hungry. I am going to fast I think and get my priorities straight. I have a home, food, clothes, a truck, I have all I need in every area of my life. It's time to look deeply into our motives and change the things that are wrong in our own lives and help the needy. I want to set a good example for my family members of which there are 14 now. My husband, our 3 kids, their wives, and the 7 grandchildren. I am the oldest member of the family and have always been the oldest child in my Mother and Father's family. I have always been a very strong person and said what's on my mind. I feel I owe it to my family to change my ways, and I began doing it this last Monday. I read a lot, meditate, pray and take care of my family. We are in a desperate situation here in America. It's time we all took a stand and be counted for what we are doing to help our fellow-man. It's past time.
In the every day running of the house, there are always dishes to be done, trash to take out, cleaning up after the pet, organizing things, and just generally being very busy. I make iced tea by the gallons because everyone loves it and it isn't hard to do, just tedious. I cook everynight and I've been trying to help all of us get healthy by putting everyone on the DASH diet which is a wonderful way to bring down blood pressure and tryglicerides. It also is excellent for losing weight and we all need to do that except my oldest son Brian. He came back home to live about a year ago, and had a problem with drinking and being overweight. He has since lost 80 lbs, and stopped drinking and has turned himself around. I am very proud of all my children. They mean the world to me and I love them so much.
Today is a day of reflection and peaceful pursuits and I really enjoyed posting to my other site, A Light In The Night. I felt so led to really say what's on my mind and I am pleased with the results. It's time to think about other people in this world and the conditions they have to live with. If those of us who are overweight would think mindfully about what we are putting in our bodies and think about the children who eat ketchup in hot water to survive over the weekend because they're homeless and live on the streets, we'd all lose weight more easily. It's disgusting to think of all that we cram in hand over fist while little children are going hungry. I am going to fast I think and get my priorities straight. I have a home, food, clothes, a truck, I have all I need in every area of my life. It's time to look deeply into our motives and change the things that are wrong in our own lives and help the needy. I want to set a good example for my family members of which there are 14 now. My husband, our 3 kids, their wives, and the 7 grandchildren. I am the oldest member of the family and have always been the oldest child in my Mother and Father's family. I have always been a very strong person and said what's on my mind. I feel I owe it to my family to change my ways, and I began doing it this last Monday. I read a lot, meditate, pray and take care of my family. We are in a desperate situation here in America. It's time we all took a stand and be counted for what we are doing to help our fellow-man. It's past time.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
A Nice Surprise!
Yesterday I was doing the things I normally do around the house, and Jack surprised me by saying we were going out for lunch! We went to Rubio's for some good eats and it was really nice. He had fish tacos, beans and rice, and a Snapple Green Tea. I had a Balsamic-Roasted Vegetables and Chicken salad and an iced tea! We sat at a high little table by the window and the food was excellent! While we chatted, he mentioned that he's going to try to be more spontaneous for me, and I couldn't be happier! It was really sweet, and I am so proud of him. It takes a lot to change your way of doing things, but I think spontaniety is a wonderful trait and it add's so much to one's life and liveliness. I have always thought that variety is the spice of life and tried to do as many different things as possible. I am the same way with cooking, I like variety.
Now that we are older, we have to watch out diets, and seeing that I have heart disease, and he has pre-diabetic symptoms, like high blood sugar, we will be attending a class to learn about the changes we will have to make for him. We dealt with my heart attack and heart disease by changing our way of eating. We both worked and we'd come home at night and he'd stand in the kitchen making spaghetti sauce from scratch for me, and insisting on me eating only the healthiest of foods and we made sure we had the proper foods for me in the house. We all changed our ways of eating. We will do the same for him now. We recently started the DASH diet, and today I got on the internet and looked at diabetic foods. They are very similar and that is not a surprise as the DASH diet is probably one of the best I've ever been on. It has been a big hit and has so much to offer in the way of healthy eating and getting all the vitamins you need from your food choices. It's nice to know that we won't have to make too many changes to what we're doing.
Later in the day the grandkids were here. They are always here on Monday's and Tuesday's after school. They brought food for themselves, and that was nice. I usually give them something when they get here to hold them until it's time to have dinner. Kris was doing well, and playing with the I-Pad and the Video games we have. Angel did her homework and Venus kept busy with the I-Pad once Kris lost interest in it. Their Mom got here around 6:30 or 7:00. Sid took the girls and went to Michael's for some hobby things. I made dinner and Jack and Kris and I ate, and the girls ate when they got back from Michaels.
No matter what comes, we will face it together like we always do. We are a strong family and we help each other with life-changes and problems that crop up in everyday life. We stick together...we help each other...and we are going to face this together too. We have overcome so much in life, and we just keep ticking!
Now that we are older, we have to watch out diets, and seeing that I have heart disease, and he has pre-diabetic symptoms, like high blood sugar, we will be attending a class to learn about the changes we will have to make for him. We dealt with my heart attack and heart disease by changing our way of eating. We both worked and we'd come home at night and he'd stand in the kitchen making spaghetti sauce from scratch for me, and insisting on me eating only the healthiest of foods and we made sure we had the proper foods for me in the house. We all changed our ways of eating. We will do the same for him now. We recently started the DASH diet, and today I got on the internet and looked at diabetic foods. They are very similar and that is not a surprise as the DASH diet is probably one of the best I've ever been on. It has been a big hit and has so much to offer in the way of healthy eating and getting all the vitamins you need from your food choices. It's nice to know that we won't have to make too many changes to what we're doing.
Later in the day the grandkids were here. They are always here on Monday's and Tuesday's after school. They brought food for themselves, and that was nice. I usually give them something when they get here to hold them until it's time to have dinner. Kris was doing well, and playing with the I-Pad and the Video games we have. Angel did her homework and Venus kept busy with the I-Pad once Kris lost interest in it. Their Mom got here around 6:30 or 7:00. Sid took the girls and went to Michael's for some hobby things. I made dinner and Jack and Kris and I ate, and the girls ate when they got back from Michaels.
No matter what comes, we will face it together like we always do. We are a strong family and we help each other with life-changes and problems that crop up in everyday life. We stick together...we help each other...and we are going to face this together too. We have overcome so much in life, and we just keep ticking!
Monday, February 20, 2012
The Long Road Home
Hi Grandkids! It's been quite a while since I posted here, so I thought I'd get back to what I was trying to do, and that is to tell you about my life. I am not going to give you any more speeches, you don't seem to be too interested. I don't know if you're interested in my life story either, but maybe someday you will be. So, after we moved to the house on Arapaho, we got back into the daily grind of the kids going to a sitter where they were just across the street from their school. I was still working but had gone back to working for the Navy instead of the Internal Revenue Service. I had found that my boss wasn't interested in my future and I just felt that going back to where I had the most experience would be a good move. I was wrong, but you never know if you don't try. I eventually wound my way back to the same group of people I had worked with before, but I wasn't the only one. One gal had been a co-worker since 1968 when I first started working for the government. Her name was Pat and she was a very nice person. I took a downgrade when I went to the IRS, so when I went back to the office I had worked in before, Pat was my boss. I was working there when my Mom passed away. My best friends Dad had passed away in June, Jack's Grandma passed away in August, and then my Mom passed away in September of the same year. It was really hard having to deal with so much death all at once. Then in April of the next year, my Mom's Mom passed away too. I had been sick already and having to deal with all the changes was very difficult. It was a good thing I was working with old friends, although my big boss, not Pat, but our boss Jim Meyers wasn't a very understanding person and was very upset that I was off for a week mourning the loss of my Mother.
I went back to work and eventually I got tired of being there and put my application in for a job elsewhere. I was accepted, and made all the arrangements and did all the paperwork and changed jobs once again. All the while the children were growing and when the boys were 12, we took them and their sister out of childcare and let them stay home in the evenings until we got home. That was about 2 hours. They had keys to get in the house of course, and I think Sidra usually got home first. They did fairly well but sometimes they'd call and tell their Dad or me that they were sick and didn't go to school that day. Once they told me Sidra threw up on the table and they were going to stay home and take care of her......uh huh! I didn't find out till much later that that was a very "tall tale". The boys were in the Mighty Mights Wrestling and Sidra was in ballet and jazz dancing. We all went to the wrestling matches on the weekends, and afterwards we'd take them to the hamburger stand to eat and then home where they'd play outside till it started getting dark. We all attended Sidra's shows which were held at the Civic Center here in El Cajon. We usually would take the kids for ice cream as a treat after the show.
Eventually the neighborhood started deteriorating and the boys got swept into it as well and they stopped going to school at 16. They were old enough to decide, so the school district had determined, and both of them regretted it later on. They got into gangs and I didn't even realize till later on that they were into drugs as well. They got into trouble and one day we came home to police cars up and down our street and the road was blocked off at one end. Alex had a BB-gun and there was a fireman at the house next door that said he was aiming the gun at him and he called the police. They had gone in the house and collected all the guns and knives we owned and had them in the trunk of the police car. When all was said and done and they saw it was a BB-gun, they called us from the jail and said we could come and pick Alex up. So Jack went and got him while I made dinner for the rest of us. That was a day I would rather forget. But we all survived, the boys got older and wiser and then Brian met Lorena. I had retired from working in 1996 when Jack got offered a really good job and decided to take it and let me retire. The job was very stressful for me, and he was worried I'd have another heart attack. I was so happy the day he called and told me I could retire and take the early-out which meant I'd get $25,000.00 to vacate the position I was filling and they closed down the position and made one for a surveyor who would come down from somewhere in Northern California. I was elated. I couldn't wait to leave that job and was so thrilled to be at home at last. We didn't get the money for about 6 weeks I think, but when we did, Jack and I went shopping and we bought the big surround sound unit for the living room as well as a new couch, and a nice recliner for Grandma. Then I took Bri with me one day and we picked out twin mattresses for the kids. At the time, our landlord had been coming down to check on the plumbing and made arrangements to fix some of the things that were wrong with the house.
Lorena was still in school when she met Brian and I think she was 17. When she was 18, she and Brian came home one day and told us that Lorena was pregnant! We were surprised to say the least, and we made arrangements for her to move in to our house. Brian and Sidra and me all went to Nana's house and told her together that Lorena was pregnant. She wasn't happy about it. She asked Lorena what about her education because Lorena had made plans to go to college. They spoke to each other in Spanish so I don't know what they were taking about. But then we all left and went home. The pregnancy went fine and the day finally came that Lorena would go into labor and deliver a beautiful baby boy.
Everyone was thrilled with the new baby. He was so tiny and sweet and we all were proud of our new grandson. Lorena and Brian lived with us for a little while, then they moved into her Mom's house. We'd go visit now and then and for birthdays and whenever we were envited. Soon, Lorena told us she was pregnant again and this time she had a little girl. They named her Venus and she wouldn't let anyone hold her but her Mom. She had to be wrapped tightly after feeding and put in her swing and she'd fall asleep. Lorena had to have caeserean with Venus and my daughter Sidra and I would go to their house for 6 weeks straight and clean the house and help with the baby and help Lorena. Then there were problems between our son and Lorena's parents. Financial problems and other things that made it very uncomfortable for them to stay there, so they moved back to our place.
Things went fine for a while. Our landlord came down to do some work, saw that Brian and Lorena and the babies lived with us, in the extra room and she raised the rent so drastically that we decided we could do better finding a different place to live. I looked and looked through papers and found that buying a manufactured home would be better afforded and so we looked into it. We decided we liked it and went one day and made all the arrangements for having our home built the way we wanted it to be built. We finally made a trip to the park where our house would be located and found the house had finally arrived. We would look in the windows and see what remained to be done. The carpet wasn't down yet, and they had to secure the home to the lot and hook up all the utilities. When they were finished, we all moved in together and enjoyed our new home. We gave the kids the master bedroom because they needed their own bathroom and room enough for themselves and 2 small children.
We still live here, but Lorena and the kids live at her Mom's house. There has been a lot of water under the bridge, so they say, and Brian and Lorena are no longer together. While they were still together, they had 2 more children and now they are older; Brian you are 13, Venus you just turned 12,
Angel you are 10 and Kris is 5. I have been retired since I was 48, before your Mom and Dad met, and I am now 65. I am getting old and I am very tired and we see you all for a few days every week. We don't know the future and what might happen then, but we love all 4 of you and of course we love Alex and his family as well. After we had moved in here, Alex met Lori when he worked at Target. They got engaged and married and they now live in Colorado and have 3 children themselves. Anna who is going to be 10 in April, Alex Jr. who just turned 7 and maddy who will be 5 in September. We usually see them for a few days every year when they come out to do their taxes. Alex recently got to come out alone and spend 9 days with us. It's hard to say goodby and see your son leaving. We don't know when we'll see him again.
Today we are waiting for Venus and the family to come over and celebrate Venus's 12th birthday. Our water has been off since yesterday and the dishes can't be washed, we can't cook or clean, and we are thinking of going to buy pizza for dinner. There are gifts, decorations are up in the living room and all that needs to happen is for all of you to arrive.
This blog from this point will be done on a daily basis. It's difficult for me to remember all the things that have happened in the past, and I think I've fairly well covered my life and the things that have happened since all of you were born. So I will focus on things that happen on a daily basis and you'll have a record of your own to read about as the time rolls by. I hope I have covered the most important things that have happened and I will be talking to you now on a regular basis. I love all of you with all my heart, and I am proud of you and hope to have a long and healthy life and spend a lot of time with you and watching you grow up and live your own lives. Take care, and I will see you tomorrow!
Love You,
Grandma
I went back to work and eventually I got tired of being there and put my application in for a job elsewhere. I was accepted, and made all the arrangements and did all the paperwork and changed jobs once again. All the while the children were growing and when the boys were 12, we took them and their sister out of childcare and let them stay home in the evenings until we got home. That was about 2 hours. They had keys to get in the house of course, and I think Sidra usually got home first. They did fairly well but sometimes they'd call and tell their Dad or me that they were sick and didn't go to school that day. Once they told me Sidra threw up on the table and they were going to stay home and take care of her......uh huh! I didn't find out till much later that that was a very "tall tale". The boys were in the Mighty Mights Wrestling and Sidra was in ballet and jazz dancing. We all went to the wrestling matches on the weekends, and afterwards we'd take them to the hamburger stand to eat and then home where they'd play outside till it started getting dark. We all attended Sidra's shows which were held at the Civic Center here in El Cajon. We usually would take the kids for ice cream as a treat after the show.
Eventually the neighborhood started deteriorating and the boys got swept into it as well and they stopped going to school at 16. They were old enough to decide, so the school district had determined, and both of them regretted it later on. They got into gangs and I didn't even realize till later on that they were into drugs as well. They got into trouble and one day we came home to police cars up and down our street and the road was blocked off at one end. Alex had a BB-gun and there was a fireman at the house next door that said he was aiming the gun at him and he called the police. They had gone in the house and collected all the guns and knives we owned and had them in the trunk of the police car. When all was said and done and they saw it was a BB-gun, they called us from the jail and said we could come and pick Alex up. So Jack went and got him while I made dinner for the rest of us. That was a day I would rather forget. But we all survived, the boys got older and wiser and then Brian met Lorena. I had retired from working in 1996 when Jack got offered a really good job and decided to take it and let me retire. The job was very stressful for me, and he was worried I'd have another heart attack. I was so happy the day he called and told me I could retire and take the early-out which meant I'd get $25,000.00 to vacate the position I was filling and they closed down the position and made one for a surveyor who would come down from somewhere in Northern California. I was elated. I couldn't wait to leave that job and was so thrilled to be at home at last. We didn't get the money for about 6 weeks I think, but when we did, Jack and I went shopping and we bought the big surround sound unit for the living room as well as a new couch, and a nice recliner for Grandma. Then I took Bri with me one day and we picked out twin mattresses for the kids. At the time, our landlord had been coming down to check on the plumbing and made arrangements to fix some of the things that were wrong with the house.
Lorena was still in school when she met Brian and I think she was 17. When she was 18, she and Brian came home one day and told us that Lorena was pregnant! We were surprised to say the least, and we made arrangements for her to move in to our house. Brian and Sidra and me all went to Nana's house and told her together that Lorena was pregnant. She wasn't happy about it. She asked Lorena what about her education because Lorena had made plans to go to college. They spoke to each other in Spanish so I don't know what they were taking about. But then we all left and went home. The pregnancy went fine and the day finally came that Lorena would go into labor and deliver a beautiful baby boy.
Everyone was thrilled with the new baby. He was so tiny and sweet and we all were proud of our new grandson. Lorena and Brian lived with us for a little while, then they moved into her Mom's house. We'd go visit now and then and for birthdays and whenever we were envited. Soon, Lorena told us she was pregnant again and this time she had a little girl. They named her Venus and she wouldn't let anyone hold her but her Mom. She had to be wrapped tightly after feeding and put in her swing and she'd fall asleep. Lorena had to have caeserean with Venus and my daughter Sidra and I would go to their house for 6 weeks straight and clean the house and help with the baby and help Lorena. Then there were problems between our son and Lorena's parents. Financial problems and other things that made it very uncomfortable for them to stay there, so they moved back to our place.
Things went fine for a while. Our landlord came down to do some work, saw that Brian and Lorena and the babies lived with us, in the extra room and she raised the rent so drastically that we decided we could do better finding a different place to live. I looked and looked through papers and found that buying a manufactured home would be better afforded and so we looked into it. We decided we liked it and went one day and made all the arrangements for having our home built the way we wanted it to be built. We finally made a trip to the park where our house would be located and found the house had finally arrived. We would look in the windows and see what remained to be done. The carpet wasn't down yet, and they had to secure the home to the lot and hook up all the utilities. When they were finished, we all moved in together and enjoyed our new home. We gave the kids the master bedroom because they needed their own bathroom and room enough for themselves and 2 small children.
We still live here, but Lorena and the kids live at her Mom's house. There has been a lot of water under the bridge, so they say, and Brian and Lorena are no longer together. While they were still together, they had 2 more children and now they are older; Brian you are 13, Venus you just turned 12,
Angel you are 10 and Kris is 5. I have been retired since I was 48, before your Mom and Dad met, and I am now 65. I am getting old and I am very tired and we see you all for a few days every week. We don't know the future and what might happen then, but we love all 4 of you and of course we love Alex and his family as well. After we had moved in here, Alex met Lori when he worked at Target. They got engaged and married and they now live in Colorado and have 3 children themselves. Anna who is going to be 10 in April, Alex Jr. who just turned 7 and maddy who will be 5 in September. We usually see them for a few days every year when they come out to do their taxes. Alex recently got to come out alone and spend 9 days with us. It's hard to say goodby and see your son leaving. We don't know when we'll see him again.
Today we are waiting for Venus and the family to come over and celebrate Venus's 12th birthday. Our water has been off since yesterday and the dishes can't be washed, we can't cook or clean, and we are thinking of going to buy pizza for dinner. There are gifts, decorations are up in the living room and all that needs to happen is for all of you to arrive.
This blog from this point will be done on a daily basis. It's difficult for me to remember all the things that have happened in the past, and I think I've fairly well covered my life and the things that have happened since all of you were born. So I will focus on things that happen on a daily basis and you'll have a record of your own to read about as the time rolls by. I hope I have covered the most important things that have happened and I will be talking to you now on a regular basis. I love all of you with all my heart, and I am proud of you and hope to have a long and healthy life and spend a lot of time with you and watching you grow up and live your own lives. Take care, and I will see you tomorrow!
Love You,
Grandma
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