Hello My Diva Darlings,
Yes, yes, I know I haven’t posted in sometime, but I have to admit the joys of adopted Grandmother hood has been keeping me a bit busy, along with family events, my friends, events, my Ladies who Lunch, events, my darling little dog Princess, managing my finances and more events.
I have to say that the stupidity both at the State Capitol and in Washington is unprecedented; as a matter of fact I do not think we have had an intelligent President since Franklin D. Roosevelt. At least he was a Democrat that you could stomach, even my Father, a conservative Republican, liked the man.
That is not to say that young Obama is stupid, I do not believe he is, but he is young and unseasoned and untested---I am of two minds on his election to the Presidency.
First---he had only become involved with politics in his first season as a Senator, he never had a chance to learn the ‘chops’ of dealing with both sides of the partisan barrier, he was swept into office by a wave of sentiment and what people had hope for would be change, instead it has gotten worse and sad to say, Mr. Obama chose advisors who were very bad financial analysts and simply have not a clue what the people really want.
Too young, too unseasoned. That is the minus side
Second---the fact that people voted for a Black President, shows that the mentality of the American people has moved forward, it is a major breakthrough, and that is the plus side.
But it’s not enough to carry us through to positive resolutions---he has waffled on many issues, and now bringing in an aging former President---Bill Clinton to help sell the tax compromise, a former President who knows how to handle the press, and field questions.
A seasoned although tarnish president, somehow people do wonder, if it hadn’t been for that incident, what else he could have accomplished.
If he had left on a high note we most likely would have continued having Democratic presidents but then I believe that the Tax Rates would have been astronomical and out of sight. So what Bush did with the Tax Cut backs was a good thing, and we need to look further into what can be done using that premise to jump start the economy. We need to regenerate the Middle Class again, by doing that we can improve this nation back into the greatness that it can be.
Oh my, is that just wishful thinking? Maybe, but one has to start some place.
On a Christmas note, my shopping is done, not that I had a lot to do, my brothers, sisters-in-law and I have agreed that Christmas present giving is for the children, the young ones. And I still have a few, I was able to find out what they liked and managed.
Even Juanita and her family are limiting the gift giving to just the children and again, I managed. Juanita and I have been wrapping presents and carefully noting what goes to whom with my darling Princess, getting involved in the left over wrapping and ribbons, we were occasionally hearing her growl in delight and the different things we wrapped that were hers already, but we decided to play a game with her, need to keep doggie minds active.
My Ladies who lunch came over last Sunday and with pot luck we had a tree trimming party, it went up quickly, we all sat around and watched a DVD of “Miracle on 34th Street.” We all agreed that somehow those times seemed simpler although they were tough as well, but it just seemed simpler.
My home office has Christmas lights going around the window creating a festive air.
And Christmas decorations are out, Manuel put up the Christmas lights on the house for me. Princess, my little Diva Darling, is wearing a Christmas bow on her harness, it got stuck there and she doesn’t want it taken off for some reason.
I’ve seen the Nutcracker ballet, the Zoolights, have gone to the Dickens Fair twice, and we are planning to walk our local Christmas Tree Lane, we’ve got toys together and have given them to Toys for Tots, and my Brothers and I have donated money to several soup kitchens to help with Christmas dinners.
I’ll go to the City Sunday and just walk through the Stores on Union Square, and just have a little fun watching the matinee performance of “A Christmas Carol”, even though I know it will be raining, I’ll just take BART and bus. It will take time but I don’t feel the need to rush.
Then the week before Christmas, I’ll go a few days before to my Brother’s in San Francisco with Princess with me. Juanita will go to her family but I’ve made arrangements for a house sitter, Ralph a friend who has done it before and is happy to have a place right now, he got burnt out of his apartment, right now he’s at a hotel while he goes through what has survived, but he’ll be coming over tonight for dinner, and we’ll make arrangements for him to stay in the guest room.
I was afraid to leave him alone for Christmas but he’ll be going to a relatives’ house for the Day. Then when I get back we’ll work together on dealing with his insurance claim.
In a strange way he’s sort of glad, he says he can start fresh and down size things a bit. I just hope it isn’t shock, but then he has always looked forward never back.
I had the pleasure of running into my dear friend “Mean Kitty” a week or two back. She was shopping for a gift for an ornament exchange at T.J. Max and she found a beautiful one, Lennox china in the shape of a snow flake with the word in gold saying “Believe”. She told me if one of the participants’ girls are there at the party she knows that they will be fighting to get it.
And I understand that did happen, I told her I was planning an extensive dinner party and invited her and her man but she declined sadly as it conflicted with another party, I said I was looking for plates that would work with the Christmas china that I already had and she lifted this decorator pillow and there they were----Lennox Christmas China!! It didn’t matter that it was a discontinued pattern it was There!!!
We were like two school girls looking for all the matching pieces I couldn’t believe it we had enough plates, desert/salad plates and cups to match plus 2 sets of cream and sugar, and several serving platters.
She happen to have a shopping cart, so to use her phrase “we loaded up”, then she recommended that we look for the soft cases used to store good china and we found those! Then with her sharp eye she spotted several Spode china pieces for the or’deuvers and candy and the usual veggie and cheese platters.
Fortunately I have a very large credit line with T.J.Max and since I always do itemized deductions, I’m going to see if I can write this off, since the people that are coming to this party will be donating money to one of the charities that I help to sponsor. “Mean Kitty” has a very good eye finding things.
So I offered to buy her and her man coffee at the nearby Starbucks, and being the little elf I encouraged her to get the ginger bread cake, as she indulged in a Pumpkin spice Latté, her man being basic, went for the house blend and a glazed donut.
We had fun catching up, but I was a bit worried about her, she does so much for other people including her man, she’s put her credit and her indebtedness on the line to please him although I think he doesn’t realize that, that sometimes I wonder if her man really understands and appreciates her, I think he does but I think he is not aware what extend of what she has done, and she says she really doesn’t like to put herself out there but she does without realizing it.
She’s even going to take a friend of hers to the hospital for out patient surgery so her friend doesn’t have to worry about transportation. At it will be during “Mean Kitty’s” vacation. She tells me “I take the time off, because I need to breathe and work on some projects at home, that’s what I’m planning to do for the upcoming year, and besides we’ll be going down during the summer to do our history docent work.”
But I asked her “What are you doing for yourself?” and she said “Oh we don’t have money in the budget for that, as long as I have a change of scene I’m fine.”
I took a good long look at her, she has an eye for good things, but can’t afford them, she knows what would look good on a person and gives off ideas to people for their events that they claim as their own, she is idea talented as oppose to being talented in writing, art, music, theatre or dance, (although I’ve seen her act and she’s very good) she doesn’t entertain, no space in her house; family has imposed their possessions upon her upon their death that she has been trying to unburden herself from for years, she sold her beloved car that I know she misses. She used up her funds for years to help her family so she has to work until she dies because she couldn’t put it into a retirement fund. Because she loves her man she bought a house that’s a money pit instead of getting out of debt and renting an apartment instead.
I hate to pity her because in her own way she’s happy, she’s a survivor, she makes do and she enjoys the little things that come along. And she works to make other people happy without even trying. And yet she claims that she’s selfish. Selfish?? I don’t think so.
So on the spur of the moment, I got up and saw a cup that I knew she admired and bought it for her, it was red with white designs (yes Christmas designs) and gold trim on the top and gave it to her. She said that I didn’t have to, but I said “Oh yes I do, how else can I repay you for helping me with all that China”, I could see the delight in her eyes at the cup and knew she was going to enjoy it for a long, long time.
My party was a success and raised quiet a bit of money, I had it catered so all my dear Juanita had to do was just heat, and it was served buffet style, after all I’m not having her wait hand and foot, then afterwards, I told Juanita to not wash the dinners and things that evening, the next day we worked together hand washing and wiping everything and putting it all carefully away, although I have left out the Spode dishes with Christmas candy.
Right now I’m relaxing typing this, Juanita is putting together a tempting dinner, the house is festive. I’m going to check to see if it’s a spare the air day or not, if it is then I’ll burn candles in the fire place. Ralph will be here at 6 and we’ll have a glass of wine.
On the economy front, I’m still putting my thoughts together. So many buzzing in my head.
Until the New Year Have a Happy Holiday Season, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanaka, Happy Kwanza, Happy Boxing Day and all the Best for the New Year.
Until Anon my Diva Darlings
