Category: Living my Life

To bare arms … or not?

To Bare Or Not To BareMark my words, Congress will soon be forced to deal with an important issue that arose in the last session. Should women be allowed to wear sleeveless dresses in the Speaker’s Lobby? This dress code rule has been around for some time but only recently came to light, fueled by the hype that is a part of everything that comes out of Washington, D.C. Because what one wears is now a part of the whole freedom of speech thing.

In my opinion, Congress should stick to its guns (to mix constitutional amendments) and keep the dress code.

Surely, someone has said, “How you dress is how you want to be perceived.”  Congress has long had the code of “professional business attire”, hoping to convey the image to their constituents that they are serious about the debates they have and the decisions they ultimately make. If they don’t care what we think and believe their comfort is the primary concern they can wear Cargo shorts and flip flops.

I’m just saying that if Congress allows sleeveless dresses, then it won’t be long before someone will interpret that to mean tank tops. Which brings cleavage and bra straps. And when that happens … because we can’t discriminate … men will be allowed to sag their pants and show their underwear, too.

All I can think of to say to that is eeeew!

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Don’t call me, I’ll call you

Many things in life don’t work the way they should. “Easy Open” packaging comes to mind. But was there ever a bigger national flop than the Do Not Call Registry?

The idea was proposed in June 2003 with every land-line owner’s approval. The plan was to give us a choice about whether we would receive telemarketing calls or not. If you disliked  being interrupted at dinner or awakened on your day off, you should put your name on that list. If you enjoyed that sort of thing, do nothing.

Though everyone, at least everyone I know, approved, it didn’t go into effect until February 2004. It took 8 months for the courts to decide this law did not infringe on the telemarketers’ freedom of speech.

Interesting. If I call you twice a day for a week it would be harassment or stalking. But get Big Business involved and things change.

Once the registry was in place, citizens rushed to sign up. Finally, peace and quiet. Then we found there are exceptions. Non-profit agencies can still call asking for donations. Surveys, with their thinly-veiled sales pitches, are allowed. Any business you have an account with, or have sent an inquiry to, can make a “follow-up” call (or 10). Of course bill collectors are exempt. Add to that the people who simple ignore the law.

Now, here’s my theory about what happened. Someone hacked into the Do Not Call Registry and sold all those numbers to RoboCalls International!

And the Federal Trade Commission, Federal Communication Commission, the FBI, CIA, Homeland Security, Secret Service, nor any of the large telephone companies can do anything about it. Ya think?!

All politicians: LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE. Make America great again. Give us back our privacy. Our life, liberty, and  pursuit of happiness.

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Who says I can’t miss it?

The words I most often hear that are just not true are, “You can’t miss it.”

Oh, I can miss it! I can miss a clearly marked exit, I can miss the painted guidelines for a parking space, I can miss a step and fall up the stairs. I can miss the eye of a needle, I can miss a lethargic fly just waiting to be slain. I can miss the answer button on my cell phone. And sometimes, but not often, I can miss the punch line.

One day last week at the education cooperative where I work, we experienced a rather major crisis. Our internet server went down. Now when that happens I know exactly what to do: Call the Technologist.

He happened to be out that day but wonderful techie that he is, he is usually able to help even when not physically present. Brook called him and was told to reboot. She said to me, “He said to find the black box with the word ‘Cisco’ on it. He says you can’t miss it.” Oh, great.

Three of us entered the server room, which has about as many wires and and blinking lights as the inner workings of a nuclear sub. I looked around for a box about the size of a crate of toilet paper with six-inch letters proclaiming CISCO…or maybe even SISCO. There was nothing like that anywhere in sight.

We call Jonathan back to tell him the server box must be missing, it is not in the server room. We’re passing around my cell phone (which I can’t believe is working in there with all those electronics), when Sandy says, “Here it is!”  And there, among a bevy of machinery, on a small black device the size of a DVD player written in 2 point font, is the word: CISCO.

Are you kidding me? Who says I couldn’t miss that?

Well, the server was turned off and then on again. The Internet returned. Brook could continue the Google workshop and the GT Coordinators could resume their ZOOM.

Because we finally found something we “couldn’t miss.”

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That’s the Way Moms Roll

Opening the kitchen drawer that catches everything, I found a black twist tie. You know, the kind that comes on bread wrappers or occasionally in a box of garbage bags.

Why was I saving it? Who knows. But now that I have it, I know exactly what to do to make it a fine and beautiful gift for a friend.

One day last week, a co-worker shared that she was trying to remember to keep her arms to her side because when she raised her arms, one could see the white twist tie holding the zipper on her pants closed.

Now, I didn’t have to wonder why she was using a twisty to avoid a wardrobe malfunction. Because she’s been a mom for 28 years, that’s why! And when you’re a mom and your zipper won’t work and you can’t find a safety pin, then of course you make do with what you have. (Twist ties and/or rubber bands also work when you’re just a little bit pregnant and a button hole won’t quite reach the button.)

Making do is something we learn early on in motherhood. Our little girls are all flounces and frills. They have headbands pinching their brains out or a bow plastered in their hair with KY jelly. They are wearing black patent Mary Janes and lace is stitched to the tops of their sox.

Mom, on the other hand, didn’t get a chance to shampoo her hair, only just discovered a run in her hose, and the zipper on her new pants won’t stay zipped. That’s just the way moms roll.

The only thing I saw wrong with my co-worker’s outfit was that the twist tie was white. It didn’t match the pants she wore. My little black wire would fix that.

With my gift, the twisty nestled at her waistband would match the pants sporting the broken zipper.

What more could a mom want.

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Monarch Butterfly

It’s Never too Late

We live in a world of second chances.  How often are we offered the opportunity to turn our mistakes around? The Christian faith is a religion of second chances. We mess up and God forgives us. Again and again.

Saturday was Earth Day — a time when we celebrate the gift of our beautiful world. This year many used the occasion to try to bring attention to humanity’s misuse of the planet.

We hear about holes in the ozone layer, climate change, glaciers melting, certain creatures becoming extinct, and the steady depletion of our resources. Some are frightened by what we hear. Some would say that this is simply the natural order of a world evolving. It has happened in our history before. Probably true, since scientists say California was once a huge glacier and dinosaurs roamed about. Should we try to be more responsible, work to turn things around? Some say that there is no point. A controversy, for sure.

By the way, I’m kinda glad the world evolved to the point we are now. We’re not living on an icecap and dinos are no longer with us. I mean, the commute is horrible when it sleets  …. and hitting a deer is bad enough, a dinosaur would really mess up your car. So ultimately things work for the best. But I digress.

Most of us have heard of the Dust Bowl of the Dirty Thirties. Years of over-using the soil finally took its toll. There were several suggested solutions to our ecological crisis and Franklin Roosevelt, in his first 100 days in office, began soil conservation programs. Congress argued about what needed to happen, about spending money on a lost cause. It took years, (too long a story for this blog) but there was recovery.

So, we can turn it around if we want to. My wonderful niece, Leah*, has a farm that she and her husband have made into a way station for Monarch butterflies. Each spring she hosts more than she can count. Just a few years ago Monarchs were believed to be vanishing. People like Leah have intentionally invited them to stay, offering them a safe place to rest as they migrate.

And just yesterday, the wild flowers (aka weeds) in my yard were nourishing several honey bees!

Well, you certainly got the “Limited” side of my point of view today. In school, science was my worst subject and I took it only because I wanted to graduate. You might be wondering what the point of this message is. If I’ve done my job, I’m not supposed to have to tell you. But here goes:

All is not lost. Whatever mistakes we have made, wherever we are in life, it’s not too late to turn it around.

*Visit Leah May Horsley on Facebook and like her Butterfly Bluff Gardens page for information on plants that attract butterflies and many other gardening tips. Thanks to Leah for the lovely picture at the top of this post.

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