STAY BROKE!

"A broken bone can heal, but the wound a word opens can fester forever "
~ Jessamyn West

“I've been through broken bones and hurts, but you have to just tape it up and go.”
~ Dylan Godfrey

"With the toe bone connected to the foot bone, and the foot bone connected to the ankle bone, and the ankle bone connected to the leg bone. Oh mercy how they scare!"
~"Dry Bones" children's song.

Our New year started with a snap. The snapping of a leg bone in fact. My youngest son, Cooper is a skater. Now don't misunderstand me, he doesn't skate on ice and in fancy costumes. He doesn't get roses from the watchers filling the stands in the arena. No, Cooper is a skate boarder. He is actually very graceful and talented in his sport. The love of his life. His personal extreme sport. Skateboarding. His fancy costume is blue jeans with a thousand holes over a pair of wore out and tattered flannel sleep pants. The shirt of course is decorated with the logo of some skate board company. He gets " DUDE! that was bitchin!" and " Man I thought you was a goner!" instead of rose bouquets.

With Skating all but illegal in our town, the skaters all travel great distances to skate. Most week-ends find Cooper with a car full headed either to Beaufort, S.C. or to Augusta, G.A. He even has a series of ramps and jumps and pipes for grinding set up here in our yard. He loves to skate. It keeps him balanced. It helps him release energy. He well knows the danger. But still he skates.
Saturday had been a long day. I was all out of sorts from the holidays and the days were beginning to all feel like Sunday to me. Dave was home and playing his new Guitar video game in the living room and I had just settled down to read a while when Cooper came hopping into my bedroom and said he was going to take a shower. I asked him didn't he think twenty was to old to hop through the house. " Yea maybe " he said " But I twisted my foot." I looked at his foot and asked if he wanted us to take him to the hospital.. He said not right then because he thought it was just a sprain. He wrapped it up in an ace wrap after his shower and lay down in his room with his foot jacked up on pillows and an Ice pack cooling his toes. An hour later we were loaded in the Jeep and slowly making our way through pea soup fog to the hospital in Aiken. His rainbow colored foot had swollen twice it's size and it had become obvious to all of us that he had more than a sprained ankle.

We sat the three of us together in the crowded lobby all night. Dave trying to do a crossword puzzle and Myself crocheting dish cloths. Cooper mainly just kept saying "oh my god my foot hurts!" and picking up and putting down magazines. They had taken down all of his information rather quickly. Changing to a bright red pen when they noted that he had NO INSURANCE. He was in so much pain that he never noticed.. But I did. I knew right then that we had problems.

Finally they called him to x-ray asking us to come along and putting Dave and I into a room to await the news. They eventually did bring him back and told us that he had a broken leg just above the ankle in the Big bone along the back of his leg. They gave him pain medicine and a prescription for more of the same pills. The nurse finally came in and said they would splint it for the week-end but that we should contact their Doctor for a real casting no later than Monday. We believed we were all set. Little did we know!

We had just began a whirl wind ride with the hospital and the Doctor who does NOT accept people unless they have insurance or enough cash to pay for their treatment up front.
The hospital who is required by law to treat everyone regardless of their financial situation,
swears they don't do any casting at all. The second Doctor there told Cooper.. " My advice to you is to go back to work and save up your money and have your leg fixed!" I asked him if a person with no money broke something were they expected to let it stay broken? His reply was that even without a proper cast Cooper's leg would heal.. Then he added with a laugh " he won't walk straight but his bone won't be broken!" Lucky for him Cooper knows me well and grabbed my arm as I was drawing back to hit that smart mouthed Doctor. I left there that day wondering about the world we live in where money is more important than health. Where Doctors who take an oath to help people can refuse anyone they want to and where some can even find it funny that many people will have broken bones to heal crooked because they had neither Insurance nor a lot of ready cash. I also was on the search for someone who could set my son's leg before he because of no insurance would become one of those poor souls who walked crooked.

Almost everyone had an idea. People gave us lots of advice.
"Call the doctor at home"~ his number is un-listed.
"Call his office manager and bargain with Her"- I tried that and was informed that the Doctor had decided many years ago that he was never treating any person for nothing. I explained that we didn't expect to be treated for nothing. They finally told us that for two hundred dollars down and for one hundred dollars a week they would see him provided that the Doctor agreed to those terms. She said she would call me back after the "wonderful" doctor looked at his x-rays. I am yet to hear back from them. I know they got the x-rays because I had trouble getting a copy of them myself because they had already released one copy to doctor "Wonderful".
"Take him to another hospital." We thought about that but with already two bills from the first hospital we decided that we would only do that as a last resort.
The best advice we got was the phone Number of a new Doctor miles away on the other side of Hampton S.C.

I called and the very first thing I told them was that he had no insurance. "Well, that won't matter." she answered. "He will not have a lot of money till he goes back to work" I told her.
(I didn't want him to get there and be talked to badly again.) "We will work that out!" she said.
"We need the x-ray disk and him here tomorrow at 2:45."
"Thank You Lord." I said as I hung up the phone and got ready to go back one more time to the hospital to fight for an x-ray disk.

Cooper finally has his cast and the promise of a few medical bills for the New Year... he has also found the truly wonderful new medical center. Coastal Plains! He and I were both amazed at how nice everyone was. Every single member of the staff was great and they all were smiling and appeared genuinely happy to be working there and helping people. They accepted his meager payment and told us that he should pay it the best he can. They gave him an appointment to come back next week for more x-rays still with a smile even though he had no insurance. I am still thanking the Lord for this place and the people who work there.

We did have one thing that was funny that day. When we were told of the new place we were told it was in Bamberg and so of course we were sitting in Bamberg lost looking for a new building in the hospital parking lot. Calling the doctors office and asking for directions we could hear them rolling around with laughter. They were quiet a few miles away in Hampton county. Finally the lady told us to come on even though we would be a "little " late. She said they weren't going anywhere before they saw him. I then drove across country flying so as not to be too awful late getting there. I'm sure Cooper didn't enjoy the wild ride. The wind was blowing limbs down all along the road and the whole way there I was thinking how the entire day reminded me of a horror film I had once seen. I guess compared to having to ride with his mama driving eighty through a windstorm, his broken leg didn't seem at all scary.

I would like to add that having heard of our situation from My Mom that the Doctor who treated Coop when he was a small child did offer to put a cast on his leg for us. He agreed with us that the leg did need a cast. I give great Thanks for his concern to Dr. Richard Boyles. I also give great Thanks to My Mom for continuing to fight for her child and grandchild even though I am long ago grown.

You will also notice that I haven't called any other Doctor by name. I have a reason for that too. I am aware that with doctors now having managers for this and that area of their practice that it is possible and in many cases even likely that the Doctor himself has no idea who or how many people are turned away. I like to think that given a choice most Doctors would treat those who need them. I have been told otherwise by many office managers and a few billing managers over the last few years but I still have hope in the nature of what it takes to become a Doctor.

Have a great day!

Patsy

A Time for Resolutions??

"In the end, the poem is not a thing we see; it is, rather, a light by which we may see--and what we see is life." -Robert Penn Warren

"There is only one difference between a madman and me. The madman thinks he is sane. I know I am mad." -Salvador Dali, painter (1904-1989)

"Neither genius, fame, nor love show the greatness of the soul. Only kindness can do that. "-Jean Baptiste Henri Lacordaire, preacher, journalist and activist (1802-1861)

"To be nobody but myself -- in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else -- means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight, and never stop fighting." -E.E. Cummings, poet (1894-1962)

I never make New Years resolutions. I never lie to myself! I know that most people intend to keep their resolutions. A few people will actually accomplish the keeping of maybe one or two that they make. I only promise to continue to live the best I can and be me! My dear friend Thoi asked me yesterday if I was going to promise to be nice this next year. Wow! I thought I was already being nice. This is me. This is my nice.

With a pat on my hand she told me she would pray for me to promise to be nice next year. Then she prayed over me in Twai and I didn't understand a single word of it. But when she looked me in the eye and added "Now you WILL be nice!!" I agreed that I would! She kept on till I promised to be nice enough to plant more vegetables and less flowers and above all else to share and stick together with friends and family. Do I have to do all that to be nice? I love flowers. I see I'll be adding containers so that I can have both and still be nice. And the friends and Family part; Well I think they all know that I can be nice.. I can also be very UN- NICE if I have to.

Tonight I will gather with friends and I will hope for a Great New Year. I will laugh and make Merry even though I will not make resolutions. I will share in their hopes and dreams and will applaud their attempts at keeping the resolutions they will make. I will be me!

Have a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
Be safe; Drive carefully; if you are driving leave the drinking to others;
BE NICE!!

See you next year!
Patsy


Winter Rainbows

Blanket swaddled
Face pressed against
Icy glass.

Amazed!

Sunlight shooting
beautiful rainbows
from hanging Icicles.

Written By: Patricia Sawyer
12-15-2008




Life Breathes Wonder

Squatting lakeside
darting swimmers
at their feet.

Shouldered burdens
over shadow even
family time.

Prayers for Peace
carried in whispers
breath after breath.

Gods coloring book
pages of hope,
peace, beauty.

Just inhale
the wonder!

written By: Patricia Sawyer
12-15-2008

A few Christmas Poems

"Christmas gift suggestions:
To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect." ~ Oren Arnold

"What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace." ~Agnes M. Pharo

"Santa Claus wears a Red Suit, He must be a communist. And a beard and long hair, Must be a pacifist. What's in that pipe that he's smoking?"~ Arlo Guthrie

Two days Left to shop for those of you who haven't finished. I have been a scrooge for most of this season. I do feel a little better today though. I have finished shopping and now only await the savage opening of the gifts I so carefully and beautifully wrapped and the taking down of all the festive Decorations. All three or four of them that I have out. In the mean time, I hope you enjoy my Christmas Poems. Merry Christmas to you All. Please be kind to one another and remember the reason for this season! May God bless you each and all this Christmas!
Patsy

I Wonder?( A Christmas Quatrain.)

Sweet Christ Child I wonder
If the wise men ever Knew
That party frocks and Cheese balls
Would ever overshadow YOU?

Written By: Patricia Sawyer
12-22-2008


Christmas Celebration ~ (a pantoum)

Celebrate!
Make Merry!
Put on Your best dress!
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Make Merry!
Kick up your Heels!
Rejoice! Rejoice!
It's Christmas Time!
Kick up Your Heels!
Put on Your best dress!
It's Christmas Time!
Celebrate!

Written By: Patricia Sawyer
12-22-2008



Oh What a Night~ ( A Christmas Quatrain.)

Shepherds traveled, their only map a star.
The Angels gave a concert from above.
Wise Men came bearing gifts, to the Christ Child.
God's gift to mankind. Born in a manger, sweet gift of Love.

Written By: Patricia Sawyer
12-22-2008

Count Down to Christmas!

"Christmas is for children. But it is for grownups too. Even if it is a headache, a chore, and nightmare, it is a period of necessary defrosting of chill and hide-bound hearts."
- Lenora Mattingly Weber

"For many of us, sadly, the spirit of Christmas is "hurry". And yet, eventually, the hour comes when the rushing ends and the race against the calendar mercifully comes to a close. It is only now perhaps that we truly recognize the spirit of Christmas. It is not a matter of days or weeks, but of centuries - nearly twenty of them now since that holy night in Bethlehem. Regarded in this manner, the pre - Christmas rush may do us greater service than we realize. With all its temporal confusion, it may just help us to see that by contrast, Christmas itself is eternal."
- Burton Hills

"Oh, for the good old days when people would stop Christmas shopping when they ran out of money." - Author Unknown

Have you hung your stockings and decorated your tree? Does your yard glitter and flash as if a circus is coming to town? Have you shopped till you couldn't stand or maybe until you spent money you didn't have? Do you have your menu planned and the food all bought? Are you ready for Christmas? Are you counting down the days?

I'm not. I do have a tree and I do have a load of gifts under it. I haven't hung any stockings this year. I don't have anything glittery or flashing in my yard. I have a few snowmen and Santa's sitting around inside waiting with me for the final day to come. They are sitting stony faced and silent. I think if they could speak they would join me in saying BAH HUMBUG!

I used to love Christmas. Daddy would put up the silver tree, with it's blue balls and color wheel,
in front of the picture window. Mama would let all of us go into her special living room that night and we'd curl up on her white couch and become entranced by the wonder of Christmas. I remember a certain Christmas when Mary- ( she will say it wasn't her!)- convinced all the rest of us to join her in a quest to catch Santa in the act. We all snuck into the living room and slept on the floor around the tree. It was a bad plan!

We were going to kill her the next morning when we got up to NO CHRISTMAS GIFTS! Lucky for her Daddy came in while Jimmy and Frank had gone after their knives. He called a family meeting right then and told us to all get dressed and come to the dining room in five minutes. We still planned to kill her, but first we had to go for a "family meeting", even more reason for her to get a whipping from the rest of us.

Filing into the dining room we went straight to our own chairs and sat down. I had spotted two bicycles and a Cassette player on my way in but I knew better than to mention them. I hurried to my chair and tried not to grin. Lots of other stuff was scattered around in the Dining room but we were in trouble. Daddy had called a family meeting. Finally Mama and Daddy came in and Mama stuck Martha in her high chair and then sat down herself. Daddy asked us why we had slept under the tree. Mary of course denied that SHE had anything to do with it. Daddy fussed a little bit but not too much and Mama Just sat there grinning at us as if she had known all along we were sleeping under the tree. Finally Daddy said we could check around the dining room and see if by any slim chance Santa had left us anything in there since he couldn't find room under the tree for all of our bodies in the way.

I knew the Bike's weren't mine. They were too small. There was a tiny pink one for Martha. The other one was also small and green. Reuben got that one. Cassette players went to Frank and Jimmy as well as big jugs of BBs and new pocket knives. Trudy got a typewriter and a slew of paper. A new plaid jumper (dress) and a Purse. Mary got a stereo, some low rider jeans and a vest. She and I both got some bodysuits. We also got coats. Mine was orange and hers was beige. I really got a pretty good haul that year. I got two Dolls. A big baby doll and though I asked for a Ken doll, Daddy had decided that I didn't need a man doll. Instead he bought me a Ricky doll. Ken's little brother and no threat to my female dolls.! ( I wish I had a Ricky doll now!! Anyone who reads this and has one send him on to me!)

We all always got pajama's from Grandma Morris and chocolate covered cherries from Aunt Lucy's family. We got fireworks from Uncle Oneal's family. A paper sack with fire crackers and chasers and sparklers for the younger of us. The older ones got Roman candles and Bottle rockets in their sacks and the boys also got cherry bombs. We did have stockings hung but they weren't filled. Our stocking stuff was all in a paper lunch bag. We had a banana and orange and nuts. We had an apple and candy and sometimes we'd have a special surprise hidden in there too.

Christmas was so simple back then. I used to love it so much. Then I grew up and married and had children. Then divorced and Married again and had step-children as well. Can you see me giving my children only two or three gifts? Or giving them things they really needed like a coat of pajamas? I would be scared they would revolt and choke Dave and I while we slept. Actually they have had some pretty slim Christmases. I can't blame them. I'm not really sure when I started being such a scrooge. I could blame a number of things. I think mostly though that It has become such a hassle to shop for everyone and a worry that they want like what ever you buy. Plus we always had to share children with the other parent on Christmas. Most of our day was spent delivering children to other places. I absolutely hated that! I hated that the children had to open their gifts and then leave their stuff here and go spend the day somewhere else.

For Dave and I this will be a simple Christmas year. We have no children at home this year. They all grew up and left us. We have discussed what we might cook for Christmas dinner. We have invitations to eat with other people. We might do that. We might cook soup and grill us a cheese sandwich. We will have some guests that day. Jenny and David will come by and get their gifts and most likely eat a light lunch here on their way to their Uncle's house across town.
Emily will come by with Luke and his two daughters at some point on Christmas day to get her gifts and theirs. They might eat a bite or two if they make it here before they have eaten everywhere else. Cooper left today headed for New Mexico to see his beloved for Christmas. Anthony will be flying in on Friday to get Mason and take him to New Mexico for Christmas.
BAH HUMBUG!! BAH HUMBUG!! BAH HUMBUG!!

Hey wait!! I can cook what ever I want? I can sleep late that morning if I want too? I can let each person open their gifts as they come in without trying to get them to all sit down and open them one at the time? This might have possibilities! I might even learn to like this new way of Christmas for me and Dave. We could go fishing! WE could visit friends! We could even eat at the Chinese place!! We could stay in bed and watch movies! The list is endless! It might take us a few years to do all the things we could do. I take back my Bah Humbug! I think I even see a smile on the stony faced Santa's around this house! I Almost LOVE Christmas again! Just wait till I tell Dave we are going fishing on Christmas! Have a wonderful day!!
Patsy

Predictions

"The best way to predict the future is to invent it." ~ Alan Kay

"Predicting the future is easy. It's trying to figure out what's going on now that's hard. "
~ Fritz R. S. Dressler

"This is my prediction for the future - whatever hasn't happened will happen and no one will be safe from it." ~ J. B. S. Haldane, 1892 - 1964

Predictions; Prophets; Do those words bring anyone at all to your mind? There are and for all time have been many people who have said they could make predictions. Even I have made a few predictions that have come true. But am I a prophet? Would I sell you a prediction? No I wouldn't. I won't say that Prophets don't exist. I hear people say that all the time. Especially about modern day prophets. I think Prophets really do exist, on the other hand I don't think they tell people what they think or feel very often. Can you imagine being able to see into the future and be able to feel all the pain and strife facing mankind for the next 500 years. I think it would be a terrible burden to carry.

I get what my oldest sister Trudy calls "bad feelings". They usually begin as dreams that play out over not one but several nights. I don't talk about it much because people would think I'm nuts. ~(well, I am Nuts but that's a different story~ Just ask my kids!) My dreams and feelings are hard for me sometimes. I do my best not to say anything about them but many times words leave my mouth and I can't call them back... I can't explain them either. Lucky for most people they don't have to hear my utterances. Trudy seems to be the only one to hear most of them. She and I will usually talk about it again after something I said has happened. So believe me when I say that I think a truly gifted person would feel sorrow and grief by the things they could see.

Michel de Nostradame was born at Saint Remi, France 500 years ago today to a family of "Christianized" Jews. He was taught a wide range of subjects by both his grandfathers. By the time that Michel began his formal education in Avignon, where he learned philosophy, grammar, and rhetoric, he was already well versed in classical literature, history, medicine, astrology and herbal and folk medicine.

Nostradamus first became well known due to his new and unusual and successful treatment of bubonic plague, the Black Death that ravaged France in the early 16th century. His cure consisted of cleanliness and vitamin C. The first step when he entered a village was to have all of the corpses removed. He then prescribed for his patients plenty of fresh air, clean water and bedding, and his "Rose Pills," which consisted of rose petals, rose hips, green cypress, iris, cloves, calamus, and aloes. He did not use leeches to "bleed" his patients though at the time most doctors relied on this useless practice of "Bleeding" a person for almost any ailment. He was successful in battling a disease for which there appeared to be no cure. It is estimated that over one-quarter of the population of Europe was killed by the Black Death during its visits.

In 1537, the plague struck Agen, where Nostradamus was living with his wife and two children. He began to treat his family and neighbors but, was unable to save his family. Distraught and questioning his own abilities, Nostradamus began to wander through Europe aimlessly for the next six years. It was during this time that he claimed to have first became aware of the awakening of his prophetic powers.

When plague broke out in Aix, capital of Provence, for nine months Nostradamus again applied his proven skills to save as many of the people as possible. The grateful city showed its gratitude by giving him a small pension for life.

Ten years after the death of his wife and children, Nostradamus settled in Salon and remarried, finally fathering three daughters and three sons. He had the upper floor of his house transformed into a private study, where he installed his magical equipment: astrolabe, magic mirrors, divining rods, and a brass bowl and tripod, designed after the type used by the great Delphic oracles. In the darkest hours of night he would go to his private study where he would sit before the tripod where the brass bowl filled with water and strong smelling herbs simmered. Much like modern day aroma therapy.

For a few years, Nostradamus struggled with whether he should make his prophecies public. In 1550, he published his first almanac of prophecies -- twelve four-line poems called "quatrains." Each quatrain gave a general prophecy for the coming year. The response that he received to the first almanac encouraged Nostradamus to continue. He produced an almanac every year for the rest of his life.

His most famous work, The Centuries, was begun in 1554. Eventually these prophecies were to consist of ten volumes of 100 quatrains each. Centuries 1 through part of 4 were published in Lyons in 1555. The remainder of 4 and the subsequent Centuries through 7 were published later that same year. The last three were printed in 1558, but the last set was released in limited numbers . The Centuries have remained in print for over 400 years.

In his own time just like today, Nostradamus' quatrains received mixed responses. The combination of French, Provencal, Greek, Latin, and Italian written as riddles, puns, anagrams, and epigrams are complex and demand that the interpreter have knowledge in a wide range of subjects. Many people from the 16th century through modern times have been enthralled by the prophecies and have tried to make sense of them. Some quatrains could fit descriptions of just about any era. Others are more exact, and it is those quatrains that have established the well-earned reputation of Nostradamus as one of the world's greatest prophets.

To the ignorant, closed mind, Nostradamus may be considered a creature of the devil, babbling in cryptic, evil verse. From philosophers, Nostradamus continues to draw both praise and curses. Poets remain confused by the meaning of his wild verses. Interpretation is open to all. Except for those prophecies that were fulfilled in his own time and acknowledged by the prophet himself, no one can give a final interpretation to any of the prophecies that have yet to be fulfilled. This is an area that is open to study by each in their own way.. Maybe that was the intent all along.

According to witnesses, Nostradamus stayed alert to the end of his life, even though he was in great pain caused by arthritis, gout and dropsy. When his assistant wished him goodnight on July 1, 1566, Nostradamus replied, "You will not find me alive at sunrise."
I guess, just as expected, he had predicted his own death.

In his last almanac, Nostradamus had written:
On his return from the Embassy, the King's gift put in place,He will do nothing more. He will be gone to God.Close relatives, friends, brothers by blood (will find him)Completely dead near the bed and the bench.

On the morning of July 2, the assistant escorted family and friends to the study, where Nostradamus had spent the previous night. They found his body on the floor between the bed and a bench that he had placed there for aid in getting out of bed.

His loving wife carried out his last wishes, that he be interred standing upright and that his coffin be enclosed within the walls of the Church of the Cordeliers of Salon. The translation from Latin of the inscription on his tomb reads:

"Here rest the bones of the illustrious Michel Nostradamus, alone of all mortals, judged worthy to record with his near divine pen, under the influence of the stars, the future events of the entire world. He lived sixty-two years, six months and seventeen days. He died at Salon the in year 1566. Let not posterity disturb his rest. Anne Posart Gemelle wishes her husband true happiness."

I guess Nostradamus was the most famous of all prophets who have passed through history. Many people believe that his verses told of many things that have actually come to pass. I am not certain of his prophecies. I do know that if I wanted to sell predictions I would make them vague and open to be claimed as true for many different possibilities. I think modern psychics do that.

I went once to a palm reader with a neighbor. I really wanted to watch the woman at work.
She also lived at the end of the road I live on and had set up living in the back of her shop. I had heard that she was really good. We went into her shop; her kids were sitting in the lobby doing homework and watching television. Cooking smells made my stomach growl as I stood there listening to her question my friend. " You have come about a great sadness!" she said. " It is a loss of love or money." I watched my friends head bobbing up and down. She was hooked. They went through a door and down a hall. I sat down and watched Tv with her kids. They glanced at me and the littlest one even smiled. They didn't speak to me though. I wondered sitting there if they minded other people coming into their home. I wondered if they would laugh at us after we left.

Walking back home I tried to get Vicky to tell me what the woman had told her. She shook her head and refused to tell me anything. Three nights later I saw her coming from the field that now belongs to me, with a shovel. The woman had told her to bury money in the field along with a handkerchief and a candle that had been burned and some other odds and ends. I laughed at my friend and said that she should watch to see if the woman went after the money. I even tried to watch myself. I never saw her go into the field. But I couldn't watch 24 hours a day.

After about a week the Lady closed up shop and moved away with her children and I assume a husband even though I never saw him. I had seen boots in the corner of the lobby, and smelled a mans after shave on the chair I was sitting in. I could have predicted that she had a husband.

Un-able to stand it any longer, I went into the field and looked for dug up places. I even got Vickie to show me where she buried the money. It and the metal can it was buried in were gone. All the other stuff was dumped from the can and buried back in the same spot. Vicky was madder than a wet setting hen. I wasn't mad, I wasn't even surprised. I do think there are people who can see the future. I think there are people who can See what has happened in murder cases and other cases. I do think there are people who can perform rituals or even spells if you wish to call them that. I just don't believe that those people have a sign in front of their home with a big red or blue palm on it. I don't believe they tell you to bury handkerchiefs, safety pins, and money in metal cans in fields behind their house. They might tell you to burn a certain color candle, there being a whole array of candle colors to choose from, each representing something worldly like money or trust.

Do you believe in predictions? Have you really ever even thought about it? I predict only for my own self. I could write a quatrain of predictions though.

Patsy's Predictions~
Beasts ferocious from hunger will feed from a pan
Part of the family will be against the predictor
The great one will spill words that only a few will read
The Yankee child will forget something!

Or in simple English! Today I predict that I will feed the dogs. I will disagree with someone in my house. I will write and Dave will forget something. I can predict these things because I know they will happen. I also predict that someone will read this and say.." That woman is Nuts!"
Have a great day!
Patsy

Today is National Poinsettia Day.

"Mail your packages early so the post office can lose them in time for Christmas. "
~Johnny Carson

"He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree." ~Roy L. Smith

Originally from Mexico and Central America, Poinsettias are the most popular of flower plants during the Christmas season. They are the largest flowering plant crop in the U.S. with sales of over 63 million pots yearly. Many people buy them for their homes, even more are placed on graves and in Offices Churches and public buildings. Native to the warmer southwestern U.S. climates and Mexico, Poinsettias are very susceptible to cold and frost. So, when you bring them home in cold weather, make sure to bring them right home. Don't leave them in your car and go back to your Christmas shopping.

Poinsettias are named after Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first Ambassador to Mexico who brought the plant back to his plantation in the U.S. He grew the plants in his Greenville, S.C plantation and gave them out as gifts to friends. Poinsettia Day is always on December 12th. It was declared in honor of the death of Joel Roberts Poinsett on December 12, 1851.


Poinsettias are not poisonous as many believe. But eating them could give you a stomach ache.
A study at Ohio State University showed that a 50 pound child who ate 500 bracts might have a slight tummy ache. Poinsettia sap that can irritate the skin and cause an upset stomach if consumed in large enough quantities. I would assume that a person could be allergic to them, as with many other plants, they could them have a bad reaction to touching a poinsettia. For nearly eighty years the rumor of Poinsettias being poisonous has continued to circulate because of one unfounded story in 1919: that an Army officer’s two year old child allegedly died after eating a poinsettia leaf. While never proved by medical or scientific fact and later determined to be hearsay, the story has taken on a life of it’s own. But you do not have to fear that your children or pets could die from them.

Poinsettias are easy to keep. They will retain their blooms long after you have taken down the tree and put away the other Christmas decorations. If cared for properly, they will last until Valentines Day or even longer. After bringing them home, keep them in a sunny room.. Ideal temperature range is 60 - 70 degrees. They do not like drafts, And, they do not like being placed near high heat like a furnace vent or fireplace. Water thoroughly, then let the soil dry between watering. Poinsettias are forgiving and a tiny bit flexible. If they begin to dry out, and you see them wilting, water them and they bounce right back. If the leaves turn lighter green, give more sunshine and......they spring right back.

During the summer, you can move your plant outdoors to a sunny location. Plant it directly into the garden ground or into a container. Give it a good trimming, a nice rounded shape is very attractive. Apply general purpose fertilizer every two to three weeks. But be sure to bring the plant indoors before the first frost. Poinsettias can not withstand frost. Check carefully to be sure you did not bring in any unwanted "critters" with your plant.


Did you know that Poinsettias can grow up to 10 feet tall? But, to grow them this big you would need a few years in a tropical climate that does not experience frosts. I can't imagine a ten foot Poinsettia. I would love to see one though! I am told that there are ways to force a poinsettia to bloom. I myself have tried all the different ways and have never succeeded even with my green thumb. They all have to do with light and darkness and mostly with Luck. I think I was short on Luck!

The Aztecs called poinsettias "Cuetlaxochitl." During the 14th - 16th century the sap was used to control fevers and the bracts (modified leaves) were used to make a reddish dye.
Montezuma, the last of the Aztec kings, would have poinsettias brought into what now is Mexico City by caravans because poinsettias could not be grown in the high altitude.

In Mexican folklore, there is a story of a little poor girl who had nothing to bring to church for Christmas. As she sadly walked to church, she picked some weeds by the side of the road. As she entered the church, Her tears fell onto the plants and the ends of the leaves turned into bright, brilliant red flowers.... Flores de Noche Buena or Flowers of the Holy Night.. Poinsettias.

I Love Poinsettias. I don't often buy them, But I think they are beautiful. They can be found now in all ranges of colors from Deep crimson to pale white or even a lemony yellow. I prefer the red. These plants have become a symbol for The Christmas season. The purpose of the day is to enjoy the beauty of this popular holiday plant. So, be sure to give someone you love a poinsettia today December 12, National Poinsettia Day! Have a wonderful day!
Patsy

Happy Christmas Card Day!

"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful."~ Norman Vincent Peale

"From home to home, and heart to heart, from one place to another. The warmth and joy of Christmas, brings us closer to each other." ~ Emily Matthews

"Bless us Lord, this Christmas, with quietness of mind; Teach us to be patient and always to be kind." ~ Helen Steiner Rice

I sat on the stool in front of her sewing machine and swung my feet. It wasn't fair. I had gotten all excited on the ride over there just thinking about them. Thanksgiving had passed and my birthday had passed, we only had a week left of school. I knew she had some already. I knew where they were. They were in the living room. Right next to her favorite chair. She would have the Metal tray TV table with a red or green swath of cloth and over that a doily made from her own hands. It was most likely right next to her chair so that she could look at them all the time. And there we sat, Jimmy and Frank on the floor and me and Trudy on the stool. Mary was sitting over on the cedar chest, I don't know how that happened. She was awful particular about her cedar chest.

There she lay in the bed with Mama sitting on the edge and Daddy in the rocking chair brought in from the porch. Reuben was sitting on Daddy's lap and Mary was holding Martha. She was saying how this could be the end and right at Christmas too she added. She had given some of them some stuff. I didn't think she would give me anything anyway so I wasn't really listening to her. She did kinda look sick. Mama had brought her some supper and she had sit up and eat a little of that. Maybe that's why she wasn't fussing, maybe she really was sick. I was almost sick myself from having to sit in her room when I wanted to be somewhere else.

Finally I couldn't stand it any longer. I just had to see them. I had waited all the way down there. I jumped up and tip toed over to Daddy. I knew he was easier to fool. I looked at the floor and tried to twist a little as I whispered to him that I had to go to the bathroom.

I knew I was taking a big chance. Grandma wasn't a woman to trifle with. She was particular about telling lies and a bigger NO NO was what she called plundering. I had just told my Daddy a lie and I was also about to be plundering but I couldn't help it. I just had to see her treasure. I just had to see her Beautiful Christmas cards.

Every year she would have them set up the same way. All facing her chair. Sitting on the TV table right by her hand. I had in years passed even seen her reach out and select one and hand it to Mama to read. Touching it so carefully. She loved her Christmas cards and so did I!

"Patsy" Daddy said, " straight there and straight back." I side stepped almost skipping, nodding my head, my bobby pin curls from this mornings Church services bouncing up and down. I was so scared by what I was about to do that I really did have to go to the bathroom. I twisted a little more.. "I really, really have to go!" I whispered not looking at Daddy.
"No plundering, Hurry back!" he said. I dared to look at him then and I thought just for a second that he was smiling.

Opening her bedroom door and stepping into the middle room I almost turned back. I had forgotten that she wouldn't have lights on in the other rooms. I was scared of that big room in the middle of her house anyway. She called it the guest room. I ran through it and opened the bathroom door. Finally I could see a little bit. I had just one more door, but my fear was almost more than I could stand. I hurried and used the toilet just in case. I knew now I had to hurry. I couldn't waste another second.

I slowly pushed the Bathroom door open and stepped into the darkness of the spooky middle room. Closing the bathroom door behind me I hoped that if anyone looked they would only see the closed bathroom door and think me to still be in there. I quietly tip toed to the door that I knew was hiding the things I most wanted a peek at. I prayed with all of my ten year old heart that the door wouldn't squeak. I Looked around the middle room to be sure no one was watching me. I looked back at the bathroom door wishing I could have left it open. The tiny light that Grandma kept on all the time, suddenly seemed much brighter than it had ever been before.

With my hand on the final door I almost turned back. I would get a whipping if I got caught. I had lied to Daddy. I felt bad about that! With a deep breath, I pushed open the door into Her living room. Oh My Lord! There they were right where I knew they would be. They wasn't a light on in here either but the small gas heater she heated with was giving off a rosy glow in this room. I wanted to touch one, But even I wasn't brave enough for that. I stood there what could have only been seconds but it felt like a year. I just stared at the beauty of her Christmas cards. There was one with a red bird on a green branch. He had snowflakes on his feathers. I could almost imagine him shivering in the cold. There was one with a Church that I could have sworn I heard singing coming from. There were so many that year. Seeing the card with the nativity and the wise men reminded me that I better get back to Grandma's room. I would hate to get caught having told my wise Daddy a lie.

I ran across the middle room. Scared now, not of getting caught but just of the dark. I was satisfied that I had gotten away with the lie and the plundering. I had decided to say that I had took longer because I had drank a swallow of water. That sounded good to me at least.

I eased back into the room where everyone else was and no one said a thing. Mama was crocheting. Grandma was laying back in her bed and Daddy was rocking Reuben and watching The Lawrence Welk show on Grandma's tiny Television. It was as if I had never left. We stayed a little while after that then left for home. Daddy and Mama talked on the way home about Grandma and how she was sick but I couldn't listen, I was too busy thinking about the beautiful Christmas Cards. I wished on a star that when I got grown I would get some cards like those for my very own.

Grandma always had beautiful cards from her friends and from her sisters. Her sister Margie always seemed to send the most beautiful ones. She always sat them up on a table in the living room for everyone to see and admire. Or maybe even just so that she could see them and admire them herself. Either way she started me on a habit that I still have. I love Christmas cards. I have never thrown one away. I have boxes full of them that have been sent to me over the years. I used to drag them all out every year and hang them up on the inside of my front door. I still display any that I might get in my living room till after Christmas.

One day many years after the night I crept into the living room to see them, Grandma handed me a card box. I had grown up and even had Anthony by then. I opened the box and couldn't even begin to think of anything to say. The box was full of Christmas cards. Some of them many many years old. I reckon maybe someone did know what I was up to that night when I was ten years old. I still have Grandma's cards. The shivering redbird remains one of my favorites. I will get a few cards this year. Fewer than last year I'll bet. People don't send cards much any more. The Internet has made it to easy to just e-mail a holiday greeting and be done with it.. No stamps to buy.. no trip to the card shop.. No cards to set up on the mantel or on a Grandma's TV table. No beauty to catch a child's eye and bring to them for just a moment the pure wonder of Christmas!


Today is Christmas card day. It is celebrated every year on December 9th to recognize Sir Henry Cole (1818 - 1874) of England. He created and sold the first commercial Christmas Card in 1843. Just a few years ago, sending Christmas cards through the mail was a holiday tradition. People would try to get them out early. Sending cards through the mail is still very popular. The cost and time for writing and sending cards has caused many people to stop sending them. Free Ecards have made it easier to just send them on-line. Animated Christmas Ecards have made sending and receiving them a lot of fun. Today is a good day to send out your Christmas cards and holiday greetings. If you haven't sent them yet today would be a good day to get a start. Have a great day.
Patsy