Conundrum ... and Best Wishes for 2024!

BlogSpot, as publisher of my blog, keeps statistics on "From Pencilbox to Keyboard" including who is viewing my writing -- not specifically by individual, but by country.  Each week they provide a map of the world highlighting those countries that have someone who dropped in to take a look and then they tell you how many views from each country. It's fun to check and to wonder how they were even able to access my blog in places like Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, etc. I would think it might be difficult unless they are using Musk's Starlink or something.  I actually know very little about what technology is available in those countries so I hesitate to speculate.

In addition to those friends who access it on Facebook, I have other readers from all over the world -- most commonly from the United States, of course, but also often from Sweden, France, Spain, England, Ireland, Poland... northern European and Scandinavian mostly.  Once in a while, someone finds their way from Mexico or Japan.  At least I hope they are reading and not just glancing by.  Once in a while I hear from readers in some form of comment.  It's nice. It makes the world seem friendlier somehow -- warmer and less scary. People are people wherever they are.

I understand really why I don't have any views from places like, North Korea, Africa, and very few from the Mideast, but I simply could not understand why in all the years I have been writing this blog, I had only one solitary view from Canada and that was early December of this year. I mean, after all, we are neighbors. Then Bam! that all changed a week or so later when I logged into BlogSpot to check tracking stats and Boom! ...  1.34K views over a two day period ... about 150 of them from Canada. What? Why would that happen all of a sudden after blogging off and on since 2013 or 2014 and in all those years probably averaging 500-600 views/month. It's a conundrum.

It was all very exciting.  Wonder if it will happen again?  Was it a glitch of some sort? Anyway -- using the BlogSpot "all time" summary chart so I don't miss anyone -- Hello and Best New Year wishes to the US, and to Germany, Finland, Canada, Czechia, South Korea, United Kingdom, Australia, France, Switzerland and also ... to those countries that BlogSpot classifies as "Other". From other stat reports, I know that "Other" includes Poland, Iceland, Mexico, Sweden, Russia, Ukraine, India, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Japan, and China. Thank you for dropping by.

Anyway --  May the entire world have a good 2024.  Is that possible?  Oh how it wish it would be.  In many respects 2023 has been a bit of a "dumpster fire" around the world.  We need a positive change. It's time. 

Vintage Over Old or Antiquated...

Most of the time I feel well and go about my day with an energy level to which I have become accustomed.  All is relatively easy-peasy until I see something on the floor under the couch or realize that something I need is in the basement. I remember my Mom saying that she felt like she was forty years younger that she actually was  -- at least most of the time. I also remember her saying not to make old lady noises - especially when bending over to pick up something or when getting in and out of a car. She implied, perhaps, that groans and moans put you in the wrong mindset and were annoying to others. 

So what are the reminders that time has flown by and that somehow you are now a part of the elderly generation?  Without stopping to glance in the mirror, take a comfy seat somewhere and recall that party lines were once a part of your life, and that you remember the first day when you could Direct Distance Dial. Then suddenly your phone was no longer attached to a wall and all phones were touch tone.  Then ... like magic ... Operators and payphones disappeared.  Poof!  Remember what it was like seeing TV (with 3 static filled channel options) for the first time and bearing witness to the emergence of cable TV and now subscription streaming services.  From rabbit ears to Internet. From Black and White to color. From The Ed Sullivan Show to Survivor.  Out of breath yet?

Realize also that younger generations smile at the fact that you iron or at least know people who do, balance your checkbook, love to read maps, write out phrases like "by the way", actually know proper grammar, and sometimes use a letter opener to open letters.  Be compassionate toward youth when you see that some are baffled by the mere mention of standard shift vehicles or cursive writing, and have no clue what an S&H Green Stamp is.  Remember that they are a generation who may not understand that you love plastic straws and find paper ones to be soggy, icky and definitely inferior. Know that today's youth may never know what it is like to rock your way out of a snow bank or what it is like to drive without all-weather or snow tires.

I am thinking that my grandkids might give me the blank stare if I were to mention that I once sewed/tailored a "leisure suit" for their grandfather. I also rarely use make up. (I think it clogs my pores and smothers my skin), don't think twice about eating red meat, and still keep my landline for emergency tracking purposes because my county hasn't figured out how to track cell phones yet. I also write letters because I like to stay in touch that way sometimes. I pay in cash whenever I can, and prefer my desktop HP computer to any tablet or phone because -- for one thing -- I can see what I am doing more easily.  I admit it all.

One of my grandkids asked me the other day what that "thing" was on my counter top.  It was an electric can opener that I have to pull out once in a while, because, believe it or not, not all cans have pull tabs. It got me to wondering if they would know what a phone book is/was ... I know I have one somewhere.  Will have to leave it lying around when I know they are coming by. Nana humor....

I have childhood memories of polishing silver and that's why I do not own any. I also read real books, like fake plants in high places like on the tops of my kitchen cabinets where I can't see how dusty they are. I routinely use a day planner, love my VHS and DVD player, know what SPAM tastes like, and think that tattoos belong on Popeye the Sailor Man.

Looking back on this... I am compelled to mention that I prefer the word vintage over words like old or antiquated.  I also must mention that I like my white hair and wrinkles.  I earned every single white strand and every crinkle. I would like to think that most of the wrinkles come from an excess of smiling.  For the most part, it has been an excellent journey. 😊 So much for which to be thankful.  Remember also that anything vintage or antique is valuable. We have been there and done that.  We know "stuff". 

Happy 2024!  May the Force be with you.  

Merry Christmas....

Have been reminiscing about Christmases past off and on for a while now. 'Tis the season. Not sure what triggered that, but had fun thinking about my Dad putting up lights -- definitely not his forte - or favorite pastime -- and about my Mom busy in the kitchen preparing all our family favorites from scratch ... for what seemed like days on end. Our home smelled so mouth-wateringly yummy! And then there was the wonder of the midnight church service on Christmas Eve. The candles were so welcoming.  Christmas is a season really -- weeks of special festivities -- all around exciting -- perhaps especially so for a child. 

I recalled the time I ruined my own Christmas when, after exhausting many possibilities, I discovered a hidden cache of presents tucked away on the high shelf in the hall closet.  I opened them all and then rewrapped them.  No surprises that year.  In fact it was an early dreading of having to wear the sweater that my mom had selected for me.  (We never did have the same taste in clothes.  She was a matching outfit sort of person with appropriate jewelry, and I was a jeans/sweatshirt person with appropriate socks. That was just the way it was.  It was okay. We came to respect each other's choices...eventually.)

Then came thoughts of the Sears Catalog -- the Wish Book.  Oh how I miss that catalog.  I used to go through it again and again -- wishing for this and that.  Then, after the holidays, I would cut special parts out and make a shoe box house with pictures of appliances and furniture.  Ah... the good olde days....  Bubble lights, wooden toys, good food, fires in the fireplace, falling asleep on the floor with my head on the family dog.  Ah Dutchess, you were a fine and patient dog.

Then came thoughts of not so fun wintery and holiday things  -- plastic bread bags on your feet to keep them dry in boots that always leaked, the constant smell of wet wool, as well as chapped lips and wrists. I particularly hated having to wear scratchy holiday dresses with short ouchy sleeves and bows that tied in the back. I thought, also, of breaking my wrist ice-skating in my new ice skates the day after Christmas.  That's what you get when showing off by grabbing onto the the end of a whip.  You skaters know what that is.  I was a stupid 8 year old at the time, but ...  I did get to go back to school after Christmas vacation with an impressive cast to show off...  so there was a plus side.  Ah youth... if only that were the only stupid thing I did....

Times have changed and do offer some positives.  Waterproof coats that are filled with goose down or a good substitute, clothes that are flexible and soft boots that do not leak, a veritable deluge of catalogs to browse through, improvements in food preparation that save time, ChapStick and longer sleeves/mittens .... I even learned not to grab on to the end of an ice-skating whip.  Sometimes change is a good thing.  Sometimes it is important for me to remember that.

Times also have changed though in the family who are present.  That is the way of life. These "changes" make all holidays times of mixed emotions -- deeply poignant. I want to remember all of that -- always. I want to remember that it is especially important to be kind during these times. It is a journey that we all share. We are all missing people we love. Perhaps this "missing" is especially hard at Holiday times.

I am thankful for memories of Christmases past and thankful, too, for the Christmases now and to come.  Merry Christmas! Let's hope we are all able to make some wonderful memories and especially --  to be a good part of memories for others.  

What Happened to Build Back Better???

 Feel free to add to the following list....

The entire world is in varying degrees of turmoil. US soldiers are under attack here and there across the globe and no one seems to give a hoot about Biden's "Don't". Has the US become the laughing stock of the globe under what appears to be the short-sighted and seemingly wimpy leadership of the current administration? 

Shortly after taking office (the first day actually), Biden put tens of thousands of Americans out of work (many of them from my State) and... in this made the United states no longer energy independent, but actually dependent in-part upon terrorist enemies and in-part on the importation of the "dirty oil" of South America.  He then worked to deepen our dependence upon China -- a dubious connection to be sure. He gave and continues to give American taxpayer dollars to Iran. Added to this is the concern of his family ties to the Chinese Communist Party and the fondness of the Biden family for "gifts" of money from foreign sources... and that is perhaps just scratching the surface of ugly.  It does not inspire confidence. "Follow the money." "... in the end the truth will out."  Please.

To continue... Biden pulls our troops out of Afghanistan leaving Americans and friends of America behind while, at the same time, deserting military bases and leaving billions of dollars worth of functional military weapons and equipment in the hands of enemies. Short-sighted to say the least. Shameful. Deeply shameful. Leaving Americans behind is not the American way.  

More and more the election system is found to be corrupt. New evidence of this fraud appears almost every week.  How much election tampering is acceptable?  I say none. Apparently others disagree. I heard Biden say that "they" have a fraud team. I think he said it was excellent and then smiled the way he does. Is that open to interpretation? It is. That is not his only gaffe perhaps. (That particular smile always gives me the creeps -- almost as much as his whispering for emphasis.  Can't help it.)  I feel that he is not on my side.  Isn't he to be the President of all American people?  How did he get so rich, by the way?  On his salary for the past 50 years?  Doubt it. 

Both the northern and southern borders are proven to be far too open. Hard working Americans are now paying the living expenses of and for "treats" for illegal aliens, some of whom now just want to go back home finding that this is not the American of the American Dream or because they don't like the cold of ... say -- Chicago. Where has the lawful America gone? Citizens have to follow the rules. Illegal immigrants do not. What? Biden now wants to sacrifice our National Parks to house illegals. Think of it... National Parks as camping grounds for the homeless who entered the country because they could... because Biden opened the doors and ordered them kept open. Disturbing. What is his motivation? 

Homelessness and crime metastasize under Biden.  Veterans are mistreated. Again... shameful.

Protestors glue their hands to streets, building, paintings and think they are not stupid, but righteous. Duh.... Since Biden took office, "Peaceful" demonstrations have cost at least 19 Americans their lives, as well as over 2 billion dollars in damages. Shoplifting goes unpunished as do many other more serious crimes. It's insanity. Further -- People blindly protest things they really know nothing about. If they find themselves face to face those who committed sexual atrocities, murder, and hostage torture in Israel with glee on October 7th and on, they may realize their mistake in their blind support of Hamas. Let's call it what it is. These are not just terrorists that the world is dealing with. These are people who victimize innocent men, women and children and enjoy the pain they inflict.

The bad guys seem to run the show.  They do everything that they          accuse the opposition of doing ... and seem to get away with it. You can start here with Hillary Clinton's henchmen and the whole made up story of Russian influence.  Newsom, who leads a state that has come to be  known for homelessness, filthy trash, and not enough energy to keep the lights on is now touted to be a good candidate for President.  Yikes...  Too slick Hollywood for me. Remember this is the man who sent his kids to private school during his lockdown of an entire state, and sat unmasked and laughing while eating at an expensive restaurant with his elite friends while people were wondering how they could even get food into their homes while locked in.

Many, including me, have been unsure of who is actually running the country - this since the beginning of Biden's term of office. He does not inspire confidence. He keeps himself removed from the American people. Once a basement dweller, he now doesn't talk with the American people or address them when important things are happening all over the world. He makes no attempt to be forthright or comforting to the people he works for ... and for clarification ... he works for all American citizens. That is you. That is me.  He appears to be a President of the beach chair, ice cream cones,  and naps.  I, for one, am tired of seeing the back of his head as he walks/shuffles away from important questions. It's discouraging.  Don't we as citizens deserve to know the answers to important questions?  The answer is: We Do. I personally am already sick of the fear mongering that his party is doing now in preparation for the upcoming Presidential election.  Beware... don't let them manipulate you.... They are masters at that.  Keep people afraid and they will obey.  Don't fall for it. They are coming for you... again. We all deserve better.

Those in power are trying to eliminate the free speech of those              who disagree with them. Need proof?  Check out the silencing of the farmers in Michigan. They were not allowed to speak against legislation that Witmer pushed through... legislation that affected their livelihood and the future growth of important, life-sustaining crops. 

Those in power spread disinformation in cahoots with much of the main stream media.  People long for truth and don't know where to look for it. Troubling times for the truth seeker. Some of what used to be called conspiracy theory with great self-righteous distain is now being determined to be true. 

Name calling, racism, anti-Semitism anti-Islamism are rampant -- fueled by the left -- even from the mouths of elected officials spoken from their seats of power. Half of the Democrats in our House of Representatives voted against the condemnation of anti-Semitism. Ignorance is rampant. Positions of power are filled with candidates based on characteristics that have nothing to do with competency. Gone for now are the days of selecting the person best qualified for the job.  Those in power like to chose by groups rather than by looking at the individual to see if they can do the job.  We are suffering across the board from this policy. The evidence is all around you.  Please look. 

Our country is painfully divided.  Does anyone trust anyone? Who is there to trust? How does one know who is trustworthy? Does the current administration take any responsibility in dividing the nation into groups and putting them against one another?  No, but they are the ones who focus on grouping. Example? They have put aside that all lives matter.  And while I am at it.  Where are all the voices in support of the innocent men, women, and children of Israel taken captive, tortured, and killed in October and on? The silence is deafening.

What in the world is going on?  Can we fix it?  Is there power in the vote? Area we able to Make America Great Again?  We will see.  I could go on, but enough for now.... It is overwhelming.

Thanks for "listening".  

Now I will try to put my concerns on a shelf somewhere, at least temporarily. Time to enjoy the holidays. Hope you are able to do the same. All of you. For many in the world this is a sacred time ... a time of joy and thankfulness ... a time that should draw us together in celebration and in hope. I pray that it will be so for all.

Sometimes I just get to the point that I need to vent. I cannot sit quietly by and watch. I also want to speak while I am still allowed to. Think about that for a moment. 

Moving on for now .... 

Questions of the day...

Is the pendulum beginning its slow return swipe and powerfully sweeping  some of the current insanity off the table as it makes it way?

Is the woke about to encounter the full force of the awake?

Have those who have been called crybullies exhausted their 15 minutes?

How many more days is Biden in office? Can we, as a nation, survive that long?  

~~~~~~~

It seems to me that more and more people are asking these questions so I actually was not too surprised to find that if one Googles "How many more days does President Biden have in office?", one encounters several options to view countdown clocks.  Is it twisted awful that I find this amusing for some reason?  Now there is a question.