From Here to There . . .

J-Land 5 Years!

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:47:12 GMT

CONGRATULATIONS J-LAND! 5 YEARS AND STILL GOING STRONG!

There is so much to say about my involvement in J-Land. My son John Scalzi helped me set up my journal on 9/16/04. In his journal, he told people to go on to greet me. A lot of people wrote "Welcome to J-Land" Egotist that I was, I though that meant John-Land. Even told my husband that. Silly mom!

Almost immediately, I began to make friends. My first were Krissy, Val and Chuck (RIP). I've made many other friends since then.

There was always a celebration and chat for anniversary. We made a big deal of it. I just missed the first anniversary. I've not missed any since.

Soon after the anniversary, there was an AOL Journals Awards. I got in at 2nd year and won a then-calld Vivi Award for:

I was thrilled and could hardly wait for the J-Land "Ball" announcing the winners. I think the awards stopped in 2006 or 2007 because there was a lot of in-fighting in the committee. To bad, I really liked the awards and seeing my friends win. I also got to go read new journals.

J-Land has been a wonderful outlet for me both in public and private journals. I've shared my poetry, my everyday life and in private my very personal feelings. I've never found a blog or journal setting where you can mak friends, IM them in the same place and meet new readers and writers. My alert list somtimes overwhelms me, but I do my best to read, lurk and comment.

Every year we have one of this kind of graphic announcing the year anniversary. There have also been some other very beautiful graphics made. I'd put them all up, but a lot of you have them saved already.

I don't know who started J-Land, but since I got on AOL 4 years ago, I have laughed, cried, prayed, felt empathy or sympathy, sadness at the loss of our members. We are a family here. Most of us will never meet in person, but the love we have here is every bit as strong as that we hav with our local friends and in some cases stronger.

So here's to you J-Land! 5 years strong and moving right along! This is one of the best things to happen to me and you are all responsible. Thank you all,

Thanks to Donna for the animated tags today. I don't remember who made the Vivi award.

Tags: J-Land Anniversary, celebrations, J-Land awards, friendship, blogplugs

Pups 'n Stuff

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 21:07:43 GMT

for your enjoyment . . . Puppies!

;

I hope you all enjoy the show. This music is perfect for watching them play. Ginger acts like she owns the world, but Shadow is twice her size and patient.

Last evening, I put them all outside to do their "duty" and play while it was yet a little light. I told Rob they were outside and went to the kitchen to get something to eat. While toasting up my second waffle, Rob came in coverd with dirt and dust. He was shaking. "I had a fall" Then of course it all came out while I was checking him over. One of the puppies (Ginger?) ran to the other side of the yard instead of coming in. Any of you have kids? Anyway, we had rolled up old carpet and Rob hit it and went down. He's pretty much done in for today. My poor honey!

The local county fair has started and I really want togo this year. It may not be in our budget. I was going to go see my daughter as well, but train rides have jumped from my ususal $120 round trip to over $200. I need and want to go, but I don't know where we will find the money yet. I've hit Medicare's "donut hole" where Part D stops paying or helping until you reach $4,000 out of pocket. Most of my medications are truly spendy. I got samples for the one that is $293, but it was a starter pack so I used it up in a few days. Today I called Target to reorder . . . American Express save me! . . . the pharmacist put me on hold for a moment to see if they had it in stack and when she came on the line she spoke a miracle to me. They now have a generic and my cost will be $4.00!!! That is so cool. When I go in a little, I will ask her to look at my list to see if any more have generics now.

It's nearly 2:00pm, I've got laundry washing, towels drying, need to go out, come back and cook our monthly steak meal (YUM). Our bills are paid, food shopping done. We may be broke or nearly so, but our life is good. Yes, there are trials and tribulations, but as long as we have a mustard seed of faith, we will be able to move these things out of the way.

I apologize for not commenting much. I've been distracted a lot lately, spend more time on Pogo than writing comments, e-mails, etc. I am here however. I read your journals and enjoy them. I also think of you throughout the day and pray often for your needs and well-being. I am blessed to be a member of J-Land.

Tags: blogplugs, puppies, falling, money, Medicare, donut hole, good life, faith

Cleaning Out the "Attic"

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 19:45:51 GMT

I've been looking through my "mental attic" recently. It's been a bit disturbing for me. I truly believe one should always look to the current day and forward. That said, there are ghosts in my "attic" that won't leave me alone. Some of this I've been sharing in my private journal and hopefully very soon with a therapist. Also the current me, the one living on this floor, this day is incredibly stressed out. You guys know I have physical ailments ~ I can handle that because I'm believing for complete healing. The part that's hard for me to give to God is the everyday stress, strain and depression. I really don't feel comfortable sharing that stuff in a public journal. I just wanted you to know how my life is going right now.

I read your journals most every day. I have a healthy list of favorites. I tend to be a lurker lately . . . not commenting much. I do so enjoy your words, poetry or prose and the very valuable (to me) gals who make graphics for us to share. Donna, Chris, Sugar, Angela (can't remember all the names, sorry) ~ you are so wonderful to put your art, creations, adaptations and tag requests for us. If there is anyone in J-Land who does not appreciate all the hard work these ladies do and still grabs their snags and tags, shame on you! A simple thank you goes a long way.

OK ~ off the soapbox. It has absolutely beautiful here in my part of SoCal. The skies are overcast in the morning, but the rest of the day is reasonably cool and comfortable. Lately our temperatures have not gone above the mid-high 70's. If it reaches 80 degrees, we are complaining of the heat. Where I stayed for a while and where my daughters live in the northern mountains, temperatures have ranged from 105 to 117 degrees. Boy do I love being near the ocean. For those of you suffering from the heat and humidity . . . I am so sorry. If my home were big enough I'd host you all.

Six weeks or more ago, our landlord told us that new carpet was coming soon. Rob and I tore out the old carpet in one bedroom and 1/2 the living room (well, he did most of it). We have been waiting. I came home in early June and have yet to unpack most of my belongings because we don't want to take it right back out again. I miss my stuff and now the house is in an uproar to boot. Unfortunately it's a family member of our landlord who is holding up progress. Carpet is beautiful, paid for and ready to install. The installer (family member) just hasn't gotten around to it. I'm beginning to feel more sorry for our landlord than ourselves. We have puppies and the training is going well, however "mistakes" happening are better on old flooring than new.

As I said before, I read your journals and think about you, adding you all to my prayers each day. I pray for your lives to be full and healthy, fruitful and blessed. I love you all,

Tags: Mental attic, stress, journals, commenting, graphics, tags, appreciation, weather, carpet, puppies, prayer, blogplugs

THINK THIS COULD EVER HAPPEN?

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:44:56 GMT

My sister sent this e-mail last night. I found it interesting and wanted to find out what you guys think. I'm getting tired of forwarding and choosing who to send it to. Got a poll at the bottom. So here it is in its entirety:

E-Mail of the Year!!

WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT TO TURN ON THE TV AND HEAR ANY U.S.PRESIDENT, DEMOCRAT OR REPUBLICAN, GIVE THE FOLLOWING SPEECH?
'My Fellow Americans: As you all know, the defeat of the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Iraq regime has been completed.
Since Congress does not want to spend any more money on this war, our mission in Iraq is complete.

This morning I gave the order for a complete removal of all American forces from Iraq. This action will be complete within 30 days. It is now time to begin the reckoning.

Before me, I have two lists. One list contains the names of countries which have stood by our side during the Iraq conflict. This list is short . The United Kingdom, Spain, Bulgaria, Australia, and Poland are some of the countries listed there.

The other list contains every one not on the first list. Most of the world's nations are on that list. My press secretary will be distributing copies of both lists later this evening.

Let me start by saying that effective immediately, foreign aid to those nations on List 2 ceases indefinitely. The money saved during the first year alone will pretty much pay for the costs of the Iraqi war. THEN EVERY YEAR THEREAFTER IT'll GO TO OUR SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM SO IT WONT GO BROKE IN 20 YEARS.

The American people are no longer going to pour money into third world Hell holes and watch those government leaders grow fat on corruption.

Need help with a famine ? Wrestling with an epidemic? Call France.

In the future, together with Congress, I will work to redirect this money toward solving the vexing social problems we still have at home. On that note, a word to terrorist organizations. Screw with us and we will hunt you down and eliminate you and all your friends from the face of the earth.

Thirsting for a gutsy country to terrorize? Try France or maybe China.

I am ordering the immediate severing of diplomatic relations with France, Germany, and Russia. Thanks for all your help, comrades. We are retiring from NATO as well.

I have instructed the Mayor of New York City to begin towing the many UN diplomatic vehicles located in Manhattan with more than two unpaid parking tickets to sites where those vehicles will be stripped, shredded and crushed. I don't care about whatever treaty pertains to this. You creeps have tens of thousands of unpaid tickets. Pay those tickets tomorrow or watch your precious Benzes, Beamers and limos be turned over to some of the finest chop shops in the world. I love New York.

A special note to our neighbors: Canada is on List 2. Since we are likely to be seeing a lot more of each other, you folks might want to try not pissing us off for a change.

Mexico is also on List 2. Its president and his entire corrupt government really need an attitude adjustment. I will have a couple thousand extra tanks and infantry divisions sitting around. Guess where I am going to put 'em? Yep, border security.

Oh, by the way, the United States is abrogating the NAFTA treaty - starting now.

We are tired of the one-way highway. Immediately, we'll be drilling for oil in Alaska-which will take care of this country's oil needs for decades to come. If you're an environmentalist who opposes this decision, I refer you to List 2 above: pick a country and move there.

It is time for America to focus on its own welfare and its own citizens. Some will accuse us of isolationism. I answer them by saying, 'darn tootin.'<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Nearly a century of trying to help folks live a decent life around the world has only earned us the undying enmity of just about everyone on the planet. It is time to eliminate hunger in America. It is time to eliminate homelessness in America. To the nations on List 1, a final thought. Thank you guys. We owe you and we won't forget.

To the nations on List 2, a final thought: You might want to learn to speak Arabic.

God bless America.. Thank you and good night. '

If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you are reading it in English, thank a soldier.

Blessings and love to you all,

Tags: Forward, could it happen, should it, blogplugs

TOOTSIES, ETC

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 22:55:12 GMT

... and before you ask: NO those are not my feet down there \/

My feet are numb. Well, you could say they are numb. They feel asleep, swollen and painful all at the same time. I don't usually write about this stuff in my journal, but there you are: my feet are numb.

The numbness and lose of nerve conduction in my limbs is due to something called Polyneuropathy. I don't know why I have it. Most people who suffer from it also have diabetes. The neurologist is sure I must be diabetic, but recent and past bloodwork indicate I am not.

Here's the deal: my feet feel as if they are separated from the rest of me. It's eerie. Drop a hammer or stub a toe and the "owie's" are more intense than ever in my life. My legs are already affected and my hands and arms somewhat. So ask me if I'm scared? Naw. It's just one more giant bumpon the road of life. I don't think it will kill me and even if it did, I know where I'm going.

Rob and I have been doing a lot of work around the house and yard. Yesterday we tore all the carpet, padding and nail strips from the second bedroom. Tomorrow or Saturday we will do the same in the living room, then finally our room. We are getting new carpet. I'm excited about that. What we have had is left from the two young guys who lived here before us. They brought motorcycles inside, worked on them and generally left the light carpets with unremoveable stains. Yuck! We laid carpet and throw rugs over the old stuff, but you could still see the stains. Soon however, all that will change. Yippee!

The puppies are getting really cute. They are 6 weeks old now. their little tails are curling up over their backs, they have sharp little teeth and are beginning to recognize their names. The male is named Shadow and he's twice as big as the female. I named her after a story Chuck Ferris wrote; she's Gingersnap (ginger for short). It's a delight and a pain in the sit-down to have them running around the house. As soon as I find my camera, I will post pictures.

Our lives have changed so much in the last year that it seems incomprehensible. Some stuff is too personal for me to share in a public journal. Our lives are also stronger because of the changes. I ask that you all keep us in your prayers as we adjust to life living in an empty nest, etc.

I think of you all daily and pray often for you. Many blessings,

Tags: Toes, numbness, polyneuropathy, diabetes, pain, new carpet, puppies, blessings, blogplugs

Thu, 08 May 2008 23:31:06 GMT

Hi friends . . . this is my first attempt at a slide show . . . let me know how you think it came out, ok?

I am back visiting in Ventura. I drove my car, the dog, the birds and a bit of my "stuff" down here starting mid-day Tuesday. I spent Tuesday night with Rob's sister and brother-in-law, getting up early to make my way to Ventura. It was a long, hard trip, but I am here safely, stitches out, bruises turning a ghastly shade of green and ribs still giving me fits.

However, the most important thing is that I am here and smiling. I have another "new look" as you will see in the slide show and on my About Me section.

I am preparing myself for Mother's Day. Since my mom passed nearly 11 years ago, Mother's Day has been kind of a bummer for me. I'm not sure if Mother's Day or Father's Day are happy days for a lot of us whose parents are gone. I never get cards from my kids . . . their lives are over-busy with the lives they have as adults with children. I pray that my daughter Heather and DIL, Krissy will have good Mother's Days on Sunday. This will be the first year that not only do I not have my mom, but no children living under the roof. I struggle with that. So for those of you who have lost a parent this year or still grieve moms and dads long buried, please know that you are not alone. There are those like me who feel sad or humbug about parents' days. It's not the same anymore. I know where my mom is. I'm glad that she has been given a new life in eternity and that one day I will see her again. There's such hope in that for me.

One of my sisters has been diagnosed with breast cancer and will have a mastectomy next week. Times have changed so drastically since our Auntie Merrie had breast cancer and later died from it when it came back. Now there has been such a bunch of research done. There is a way to begin implant therapy at the time of the mastectomy now. Chemotherapy and other treatments are so advanced. Two of us other sisters are having our mammograms in the next week. The other I believe is up-to-date on hers. I hope all of you are caught up on your mammograms and that you go daily to the Breast Cancer Site and click. While you are there, click on the other sites as well. You could be the click that finishes paying for that mammogram, feeds those children, gives out books, saves an animal, etc. What's a few minutes of your time worth?

More than you will ever know.

I am still weary from my long drive and think it's time for me to rest. I can be online the whole time I am here and will finally have time to get to some of your journals. As always, you are in my thoughts and prayers.

Tags: Slide show, travel, new look, Mother's Day, grief, Breast Cancer, blogplugs

Gettin to Know You

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 04:18:24 GMT

Went to Donna's Journal just now and read her answers to this meme. I just got my 'puter back online this afternoon (been playing Pogo for a while) and started through the posts. I haven't gone far, but I hope to get caught up real soon. Please enjoy. And please link back to This, That & Hockey if you play along.

Getting to Know You

"I got this several times and loved reading the answers. Instead of sending it out a bunch thought I'd just do it here. Hope you'll play along............."

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? A book called "Penny" that my sister was reading

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? This morning, thinking about my youngest daughter

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Not really, sketchy now

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Liverwurst

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? 3 natural, 1 adopted, 16 grandkids, 1 great-grand and about 350 in Mexico some of whom have now given me grandkids.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Yep, I haven't bitten anyone lately
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? No

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS Last time I looked they were there

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Absolutely NOT!!

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Raisin Bran Crunch
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Never

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Emotionally, yes.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Yes . . . well . . . mostly the kind I can pour caramel sauce over - yummm

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Their eyes and how their lips are shaped.

15. RED OR PINK? RED

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My pear-shaped body, LOL

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My daughter and my mom. .. .

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? It would be interesting to see how many will do it in an entry

19. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Shoes?

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? A piece of toast

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Pirates on tv

22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Purple

23. FAVORITE SMELL? Ocean early in the morning

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My daughter a few minutes ago.

25. FAMOUS PERSON YOU WOULD LIKE TO MEET? Abe Lincoln - oh famous now? None that I can think of
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Very much
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Football and most Olympic sports
27. HAIR COLOR? Brown with more and more silver sprinkled in daily :(
28. EYE COLOR? Brown

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? I tried them back in the early 80's, but just couldn't use them. Bifocals for me
30. FAVORITE FOOD? Alaskan King Crab when we can get it!

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Definitely Happy Endings
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Pirates of the Caribbean - on now

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Light green tank top

34. SUMMER OR WINTER? It has to be summer

35. HUGS OR KISSES? in what order? I love them both

36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Pecan pie, warm, with vanilla ice cream

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Gonna check the links back at Donna's

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? We'll see
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Just finished Piercing the Darkness by Frank Peretti

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? My fingerprints - it's a laptop

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? A nature show

42. FAVORITE SOUND? Sooo many . . . a whisper oflove from Rob, birds singing in the trees outside, a baby's coo

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Chicago

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Poetry, writing, listening

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? CA

47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? All of them :)

Many blessings to you all. Love,

Tags: Getting to know you

Grrrrrrrrr!

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 20:03:42 GMT

I just made an entry :( Lost it when I put it on spell check, My hard drive is dying as I write. I'm trying to find a place to put my music until the new one is in. I just talked to Dell yesterday and the new CD drive, hard drive and power cable are here already. Just have to wait for the technician to help me through the process. I can't add pictures or graphics right now, because every time I try, the computer shuts down, reboots and tells me my hard drives are failing and to backup now. Sill, I have it on now and am able to read my mail. Fortunately, my mail and stuff will be here when the new drive has been installed and I have reinstalled AOL.

I love you guys and as always you are in my thoughts and prayers. Be blessed, Penny

Tags: Hard drive failure, blogplugs

Born in the USA! Happy Independence Day, Americ

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 19:11:16 GMT

Woo Hoo! We are celebrating another birthday for our great country. I am so proud to be an American! I spent 15 years in Mexico living by their rules. I love Mexico but I will tell you this: I kissed the ground when I got home.

My husband is a Vietnam Veteran. He also worked with the Navy as an ordinance man in the first Gulf War. He fought for our nation, for our freedoms. My father was a veteran as were his brother and mother. Today I celebrate not only our country's veterans, but those who fight for our freedom now. Our armed forces now are volunteers ~ how about these wonderful men and women? Give them a hand clap!

This is a special day for all who are Americans whether born here or naturalized. We have more freedoms than any country in the world. We should all thank God for that.

Love and blessings to all my J-Land friends, Penny

Tags: Fourth of July, Support our troops and veterans, freedoms, blogplugsPraise

Sharing myself in a meme

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 21:40:42 GMT

So true . . . the best part of my week was being able to do volunteer work for Habit for Humanity in my area. I was able to use my Spanish skills and they let me do the work from home. For most of the week I have not been well and hurting as I am today. No problem . . . I have faith that all will be better soon.

I was reading in my friend's private journal today. She had something called a "Silly Survey" Since I have promised myself that I will post more often, I decided to copy and paste giving my own answers. I'm going to take another nap after this:

Silly survey
1. What was the highlight of your day? Playing with the puppies
2. How many meals do you usually eat a day? Usually two

3. What's your favorite movie? If I had to choose - My Fair Lady or King & I
4. Have you ever thought George Clooney was hot? Oh yes!!

5. Have you ever doubted your sexual orientation? No.
6. How long has it been since you have seen an ex? March this year
7. Name 5 of your best friends. My husband, Donna, Krissy, Diane, 8. Would you ever consider moving to Zimbabwe? Depends if God called me there. 9. What would you do if someone dyed your pubic hairs bright pink permanently? :o" src="http://cdn-cf.aol.com/se/smi/2b000001b7/07" unselectable="on" smiley="yes"/> Who would do such a thing????
10. When was the last time you had Starbucks? Early this month
11. Are you single? Very married!
12. What is your opinion on global warming. I think something is happening, but what?
13. What about abortion? Murdering a fetus is wrong.

Luke 17:2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.

14. Which would you rather star in: High School Musical or Striptease? Musical
15. What's the worst movie you've ever seen? Jackass
16. How many times do you sneeze a day? At least two or three times
17. Are you an "adult"? Nearly a senior!
18. Where do you live? California - SoCal
19. Have you ever thought Micheal Jackson was going to kidnap you? Why would I?
20. What color hair do you have? Brown with a few strands of gray
21. Would you rather have a hybrid vehicle or a Hummer? Silly question! 22. Who is prettier: Angelina Jolie or Kate Bosworth? I think Jolie is more striking.
23. What do you think about the tabloids? Unnecessary and useless
24. Have you ever been to Texas? Passed thru Amarillo some years ago. 25. Would you want to go? sure
26. Do you wear a watch? Nope
27. Have you ever had the sensation that you were falling while asleep? Yes often
28. Would you rather work at Goodwill or McDonalds? Goodwill as a volunteer
29. What do you think about Britney Spears' 16 year old sis getting pregnant? Unfortunately, I am not shocked - so many teens are doing the same. What happened to purity?
30. Do you recycle? ABSOLUTELY!!

I thank you for being faithful readers of my journal. I will be posting regularly. I will be commenting as well. As for all of you, you are in my daily prayers.

Tags: Volunteer, Habitat for Humanity, Spanish speaking, prayers for you