The Doglady's 30 Odd Question Blogfest

This week's blog is in response to Debbie the Doglady's 30 Odd Question's Blogfest.


What did you want to be when you were a kid? 

I really had no dreams. I wanted to have an education and get a job that would pay me well.  In elementary school I wanted my hair to grow a little redder so I could play on the All-American Redhead Basketball Team. Being a ballerina was the other consideration.

Which “Friends” character do you relate to the most?
I never watched the television show. 

Do you like your name?  Yes

Are you messy or neat? Messy. Unfortunately.

How tall are you? 

5'9" What no weight! I've got 138 on my driver's license.

How tall were you when you were 10?  

Maybe 4'8", I remember I was one of the three tallest girls in sixth grade. The other two girls stopped growing and I continued. I was one of the tallest people male or female in my high school graduating class.

What is your guilty pleasure? 

Driving back roads and dirt roads. 

What are you saving money for right now? Nothing.

How many Pringles can you eat at once? 
Probably the whole can. But I would stop at a fourth or third.

Tea or coffee?  Coffee

Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Introvert

What will be your Halloween costume this year?

None, Halloween is fun but right up there with cat videos. I love laughing or looking at people's costumes. But, no I'm not that keen about Halloween.

Sweet or salty? Sweet. 

Favorite social media? 

Blogger. I enjoy reading other blogs which leads me to googling what I have never really heard of before.

Who is the last person you kissed? 

My mother. My mother has a very protective chihuahua. So I always announce in her room that I am kissing mama. She has to hurry to my mother and do the kissing. 

What is your favorite breakfast? Scrambled eggs

When is your birthday? May 13

When did you start your blog? December 2012

What is your opinion on the Kardashians? Boring

How would you describe your style? 

Getting older, not giving a damn but pretending I do. I'm not really that bad. I just have to remind myself to not be so outspoken. 

What color is your hair? A lot of salt with a wee bit of pepper left.

What color socks are you wearing? No socks.

What is your dream job?  traveler.

Dogs or cats? Can't choose. I love them both.

What makes you weird? I don't like waste.

Celebrity crush? 

A million years ago, Sean Connery. I also loved that man who played Professor Snape on Harry Potter.

Opinion on cigarettes? 

Terrible habit no one should start. 

That said, I am a former smoker. I think I quit because I was so disgusted with the habit. Now I understand why former smokers detest the habit so much. It takes that to quit cold turkey. 

The night before I quit I though about the fact I may be one of those gross old women you see smoking. The next morning, I just did not smoke. It was iffy a few times about my quitting. The big crossroads was when I could remind myself I no longer had a smoker's cough.  

Do you have children? No, I would have liked to have had children though.

Two favorite boy names? Stephen, David 

Favorite girl name? Elise

Oh how I love my dog, let me count the ways.

I've  been in a blue funk for awhile. It's not depression. I certainly am glad I don't have a problem with anxiety.

My problem is what do I do next and stop procrastinating. I made the mistake of saying I was going to have a yard sale to help my sister get rid of items she will not need at her house. That stops me from unloading at a thrift store. Somehow I have created more work for myself.

Tag sales are iffy affairs. I have rarely made money. When I moved from another house about 15 years ago, I remember selling a cherry bedroom set for $50. I don't know who was happier me or the people who bought it. Mind you, I have always been an animal lover. So everything I own gets signed in a very special unique way.  The bedroom suit had a few special touches compliments of a cat named Puff.

Anyway, I'm back in the race again. It's a losing race. I guess that is why they call it the human race.

My sister worked for the civil service before her stroke in October.  Her disability application is in limbo. I was supposed to hear from someone about the next stage two months ago. I've made the appropriate phone calls. I know about, You oughta raise hell. Except, bad behavior gives someone overworked a reason to do yours last.

She meets with a social security doctor in June. Before each hospital would admit her, they all asked the same question. Would I take her home with me when her treatment was over? I thought the question was curious. Now I understand the gravity. No one wanted to assume responsibility. She has had no income for about a year. Bad health caused her to miss a lot of work before the stroke.

Meanwhile, my sister is making big progress. She is confined to a wheelchair due to balance and spatial issues. I have been making her do items that it kills me to not help her. But I know she will not reacquire skills if I help. It's hard to accept she is never going to be her old self or capable in ways she was before. I would grieve more but exasperation with dealing with everything takes over.

Like all you who write and create, this sort of environment makes your brain work overtime thinking of ideas for all your WIPs and future works.  But I have created a writing system that may help me. Although I am a night owl. I have been waking up at 5 am. Instead of turning over and sleeping that one last hour, I quietly go to my desk and write. It is just an hour and half. But it is progress.

All those signatures made by my dogs and cats do not bother me. These are my dog assistants Louise and Bo Duke.

Oh Those Handicapped Parking Spaces

After this blog post, I will retire this theme.

I have handicapped placards and tags for handicapped family members. I park in the back of the lot when it is me and when getting my sister out in her wheelchair. With the wheelchair it doesn't matter if you are near or far. You just need space for the wheelchair to come close to the seat with the door wide open. Plus no one accidentally scratches your car when they don't park next to it.

I think many who deal with handicapped people get a stronger view of not using a handicapped space if you don't need it. My pet peeve is the person who backs into a handicapped space without the appropriate tag or placard. You can't help but wonder if they really need the space or are cheating the system.

In the end, it takes a pretty self centered person to park there when they don't need to. And that is a handicap too. Just not one that needs the parking space.

There is a stink in the paper where a young woman got a cruel note accusing her of not needing the space and she has a heart condition. I see both sides. I have seen people hop out of a car with a spring in their step after parking in a handicapped space. You have to wonder. But not all handicaps are visible.

But I have made observations about how people treat the handicapped.

The first one is that black people do a better job training their children. African Americans are quicker to assist my elderly mother. If you look at a black male, they will come and ask if you need help. They step aside at doorways and don't rush past your mother to get in quicker.

I have noticed people pretend to read posts or examine the coke machines as my mother slowly enters. This is where I know it is training. I have always done this. My parents did it. My mom never said, "Pretend to look at the wall of the building or stare in the parking lot until the slower person crosses the threshold". Much like no one was taught to make a quick shove to get by. And yes, I have seen the shove and steadied my mother. If I had had time and position, I would have stuck my foot out to trip them and have a little instant Karma.

I'm not one to believe in Karma. A young man in Hawaii did not want to ride my mother's handicapped scooter off a lift. I had my hands full getting her up a staircase. Mom was afraid of the lift. His dad told him to not play with handicap equipment, you may need to use it one day as a result. I agree with his dad that handicap equipment is not a toy. But being lazy using a handicapped space you don't need does affect your physical fitness. So, you might need it because you lose the ability to move.

I've had an elderly woman honking her horn at me to hurry up. I was parked in a handicapped space and was assisting my sister from the wheelchair into the car. I was not getting the wheelchair and my rump back in the car fast enough. She was tired of waiting. I had two other people who were handicapped that needed to return. But I backed up and parked in the back of the lot. When I walked into the store to check on the other two in my car, the same lady was standing talking to another older woman.

Like that phrase, "Nothing is as queer as folks."

Old but no handicap tag!

To the start of a new blog year.

I had no business, no business at all doing the A to Z challenge. It is just I did not want to be left out. I wanted to go to the party. The party was a grand affair.

Putting your post in the comments worked well for me in that I stopped posting on the A to Z site when I got overloaded. Taxes stepped in this year. I spent the 17th and 18th getting taxes done. With that load off, I kicked off being responsible for awhile.

My dad cautioned me that life got more involved as you get older and he was right. And that is why I did A to Z. If I could squeeze it in, I was going to do it. I found some great blogs. People outdo themselves with their themes.

My blog's title speaks a lot of how I feel about the world. There is a limit of what you can do. We all have our ebbs and flows with blogging. I do understand when people stop. I stand in that doorway periodically. I'm at a crossroads where I need to make a plan with my blog so that it is more manageable.

This year's takeaway for me is that I need to make a firm decision of what I want to accomplish with my writing. I don't worry about all the blogs I visit. It's my break in a busy day. The big change for me is that I use a timer and what is not read within an hour is not going to be read.

Fender Bender in front of the local Huddle House