What does football and decorating have in common?

One of my favorite networks is HGTV, specifically the shows that deal with buying, selling, and renovating homes.  Not only do you get to peek into the lives of other families as they make some of the same decisions that you make for your family, you also get to glimpse into the geographical location that they live.  It can be mind-boggling at times on how the housing market can be vastly different from East Coast to West Coast, but particularly abroad.   

I find myself watching the credits at the end to see exactly when the episodes were taped.  Was it before or after the housing market tanked?  What families pay for homes with so few modern conveniences makes me appreciate living in the good ol' U.S. of A.  What we call middle class would be considered luxury living compared to how some families live in other countries, while paying the same price for their homes.    

Just like sports fans who scream at the players and coaches from their sofas, I find myself shouting out comments to home buyers such as:

"Are you kidding? That isn't a large closet!"
"Oh, my gosh! That house is way too small for that price tag...good view or not."
"OK...a ceiling fan is not a big investment, but replacing those outdated cabinets will be."
"That is NOT a large back yard!"

So what does football and house hunting have in common?  Mostly wasted time, but very enjoyable wasted time!  For all you football enthusiasts that spend hours watching men tackle one another over chasing a ball every weekend, you can now make fun of me for spending hours looking at real estate, decorating tips, and home renovations that I may never put to good use as well.

Are we even?

Well....I may eventually get that outdoor fireplace,
as long as I don't ask my husband to install it
during football season!

A Room with a Flue

As I type this, I'm listening to the constant chirping and fluttering of chimney swifts who have made their home in the Jones family chimney. At first, only the softest of sounds are heard until someone will stop and say, "What's that noise?" before we realize our bird friends are back.  Then right before they leave their nest, they get so loud that you even have to crank up the television volume over their flutterings and chirpings! Although it's probably not more than four or five baby chirpers with their parents, it will sound like a flock or two nesting in our chimney!     

Some bird lovers actually build chimney swift towers in their attempts to entice the birds to their chimneys. While we didn't do that, I have considered why they took up residence in our chimney.  Looking back to when they first arrived, adding the pool to the back yard may have been the catalyst. The pool not only attracts small insects that these insectivores ingest, it is a short flight away from an ample water supply. Our back yard provides them with plenty of mosquitoes, flies, and other small critters that are part of their diets.  They are actually good boarders since they are part of housekeeping! That's more than I can say about the boys that live in this household!

Chimney Swifts are declining in numbers in the U.S., partially because homeowners cap their chimneys without consideration to our feathered friends. There were several years that we considered it, too.  But it's a small price to pay knowing we are helping preserve wildlife.  They only require about a foot of chimney space that certainly isn't used in the sweltering heat of Georgia every summer. The least my family can do is allow them a sanctuary for about 30-40 days while their babies hatch and then fly the coop...or chimney in this case!  If they can tolerate all the household noises coming from the Jones family, then a little loud chirping right before the baby birds leave their nest seems like a fair trade-off.

To read more about chimney swifts, you can go to www.chimneyswifts.org.

Things I will stop complaining about!

Do you ever get tired of hearing the same old complaints over and over?  Me, too.  Here are a few I'm gonna stop complaining about.....

Too much rain

I have yet to walk around my house in knee-deep water.  I also remember a time when we were begging for rain.  So no more griping about wet weekends.

Going to work

Considering 14.8 million workers were unemployed in January, about 10% nationally, I should be jumping for joy that I have somehow managed to hold on to my job. So when I'm hitting the snooze button a couple of times, I need to be thankful I have a job that requires me to rise and shine! 

Household chores

No one likes to clean house; but worse is if you can't physically perform mundane household chores.  From now on, I'm gonna be thankful that I can bend over, sort the laundry, and throw a load in!

 Problems with the housing market

Is this picture of Haiti enough of an explanation?

High cost of gas

Every summer gas increases.  Maybe if I stop complaining, it will stop climbing!  Gas is also cheaper in the U.S. than in many other countries.  I also don't want to have to start riding a bicycle to work everyday!

Poor road conditions

OK...so I have to dodge a pot hole here and there.  At least I have pavement everywhere I need to go.  

Wearing contacts to read

One of the downfalls of aging is wearing glasses or contacts to read.  I should be thankful that all I have to do is place a pair of contacts in my eyes and my problem is over. 

When my husband spends too 
much time hunting.

 At least he's hunting the four-legged variety!!

  

  

  





 







 

My Salute to the men and women in white...and you, too, God!!

As a 50 year old, I have never had any stitches or broken any bones from accidents.  In fact, the only time I have ever had an overnight stay in a hospital was to have my three boys.  I don't know whether to say I've lead a dull life or have always tried to be safe in my everyday endeavors.  But either way, I have been able to avoid emergency rooms.....until last weekend. 

All I did was go outside to make a few pictures of the 3 inches of snow that is rarely seen in Georgia. This means, of course, that I don't have all the necessary equipment for snow, like a good pair of boots that will prevent me from slipping on the icy spots.  Yep!  You guessed it.  I slid on my concrete drive and did a number on the back of my head when I hit.  For the next 10-15 minutes, my memory is rather vague on exactly what happened.  But I did go back in the house, awoke my youngest son who went and found my husband, Steve.  A trip to the ER was determined necessary when I kept repeating the same questions over and over, besides the obvious cut to the back of my head that would need some stitches.  

Once in the ER, a catscan was ordered once my confusion was discussed.  Once the results came in and after I received 5 staples to the back of my head, the ER physician explained that I had some bleeding in a couple of places around my brain and they were going to ship me off to one of the hospitals in Atlanta if my brain decides to swell and a little drilling is required. While a helicopter flight is not considered necessary, a trip via ambulance is.  OK...wake up call!  I thought I might have a slight concussion, but a trip to a trauma center in Atlanta, drilling into my brain....am I dreaming?!! 

I am so very grateful for the years of education, training, and dedication that the medical profession must pursue so that they can help save lives and this time, possibly my own. They have the procedures down pat as they begin hooking you up, checking your vitals, someone is usually shouting orders, and you feel pretty good that they know what they are doing.  We give our salutes to the men and women who wear military uniforms on a regular basis.  We even have a couple of holidays where we honor them.  But without a doubt, we don't give our men and women in white the same kudos often enough. We pull up to emergency rooms and expect that the doctors, nurses, and various technicians, including EMT's, are going to help us.  We never consider that help won't be there.  We expect it.

I ended up spending 24 hours under observation and getting a couple more catscans.  But thankfully, no drilling into my skull became necessary.  I did have two areas of bleeding, but it was from the covering between my brain and skull and not my actual brain.  I have had headaches this week and I was instructed to avoid anything strenuous for about a week, including work.  But other than that, I will be fine.

Of course, I will hear all the jokes for a while about how I was crazy before, so I will definitely be crazier now; or, did it knock some sense into me, and everyone knew I was "hard-headed," and various other head jokes.  But that's ok.  I'm glad I'm around to laugh about it, too!!

I'm also grateful that the medical profession was ready to assist me in my hour of need. Thank you, Tanner Medical Center!  Thank you, Atlanta Medical Center!  Thank you, God, for allowing me to keep using this old noggan for a while longer!!

Does family size matter?

I watched a new episode of "19 and Counting," a show on TLC about the Duggar family who just added baby #19 to their family in December.  With baby Josie being born 3 months premature, I can't help but wonder if this will be the caboose to the train of Duggar children.  After all, 19 kids?  While you may have the financial means to care for 19 kids, what about the quality of time that parents should spend with their children?  I have only 3 kids and there were times that I felt stretched thin.  But 19??  No way!!  I would have been ready for the funny farm after about a half dozen!!

How can one Mom and one Dad meet all the love and nurturing needed for 19 kids?

My Mom was one of 10 children.  She was number 9 and was 17 years younger than her oldest sibling.  There were times when she resented them as they took on the roles of "Mom and Dad."  I understand the Duggars actually assign an older child to a younger child.  I have watched episodes where Mom hands off her babies to older children as if somehow it isn't her responsibility to take care of the children that she chose to birth.

Where do you draw the line between a child's responsibilities and a parent's in caring for smaller siblings?

As a parent myself, I can't help but think how much they are missing in the one-on-one department with so many small children to nurture at one time.  The Duggar home has less adult one-on-one nurturing on a daily basis than most orphanages or childcare facilities.  Hmmmmm...something to think about. 

Are we harming our children as we have become "doting parents" with our family size now at 3.2?

The average size of families in the U.S. has been shrinking for years.  In 2008, it was 3.2.  Subtract Mom and Dad, you essentially have only one child.  Or, there could be two kids and one parent, considering that 40% of the children born in 2006 were to single-parent homes.  Anyway you look at it, less children to a family in America today is the norm.  The parental dynamics are changing, too.  More grandparents are taking care of grandchildren today than any other time in history.  Are all these changes good for families, the foundation to what has helped build America?

It's going to be interesting to see how well the Duggar children turn out.  Will all of them be prepared for college after spending all their school years being home-schooled? Will all of them marry and have large families of their own?  Will all of them be well-adjusted adults without divorces, drug use, criminal issues, and all the other stuff that families deal with today?   The answer is probably no to all these questions.  But then, we face the same problems in our smaller families.

Obviously size isn't the only consideration that determines well-adjusted, successful, and happy families.

Will you live to be 100...or possibly even beyond?

How long do you expect to live?

This photo is my Grandmother, who will celebrate her 90th birthday on February 28, 2010.  Her birthday is actually February 29.  She will have to live to age 92 for Leap Year to come around again.  I think she'll make it.

The 2008 World Factbook estimates life expectancy in the U.S. to be 77.5 to 80 years of age, which is higher than most areas in the world.  If you ever want to live abroad, consider Canada, some of the European countries, and Australia where life expectancies are beyond 80.  Factors such as access to public health, medical care, and a steady diet have increased our life spans.  Your personal life expectancy will be guided by your economic circumstances, the choices you make when it comes to the food you eat and the amount of exercise you get, and even your level of education and what occupation you pursue most of your life.  Genetic disorders, drug use, and excessive alcohol can also reduce your numbers.  

Will you join that elite club of super-centenarians and live beyond age 110? 

Jeanne Louise Calment from France lived to be 122 years old plus 164 days!  She holds the Guinness Book of Records for the longest confirmed life span in history, living from 1875 to 1997.  She didn't need nursing home care until after her 110th birthday, and then it was more about poor eye-sight than poor health.  I hate to even mention this, but she was even a smoker until age 117.  She contributed her longevity to a diet of olive oil, which was poured on all her food and even rubbed on her skin, port wine, and chocolate.  Yes, ladies, enjoy your chocolate!  She also stayed physically active most of her life.  At age 100, she was still riding a bike.  Maybe smokers should be sure to include a lot of olive oil in their diets and invest in a good treadmill or exercise bike.

Will you choose quality over quantity?
 
My grandmother has been in the nursing home now for about a year.  She lived with my Dad and then my Aunt for several years before they moved her to a nursing home facility.  Except for Parkinson's, the same disease as what Michael J. Fox has, she is still in fair health and may very well live several more years.  She is transported mostly by wheelchair now, but she still recognizes everyone.  Sometimes it's difficult to follow a conversation with her because she jumps between the past and present.  But overall, she still smiles and laughs when you visit her and seems to be in good spirits most of the time.  

If you live long enough, most of us will be faced with similar circumstances.  You may become dependent upon others to help care for you because your frailties will require it.  Strangers may help put you to bed, feed you, and touch your body in the most personal places when you can no longer do it yourself. It is enough to ask why we jump through all the hoops to extend our lives if this is how it will end.

One fact is certain.  Live life to its fullest while you have the health and means to do so.  For those of you who do nothing but save for retirement, don't forget to enjoy the journey now! Go places and do things so that you can tell your great-grandchildren about your life's adventures! Your memories will help sustain you, so don't forget to create a few along the way!  These memories may be what will define your quality of life when your quantity has overflowed way beyond the normal life expectancy.    

And by the way, enjoy that olive oil, glass of wine, and chocolate dessert for dinner tonight.....