So, it’s been a while since I posted.  I really try to keep up, but time gets away from me.  So what’s a girl to do?

In March, my stepdad died.  This is the man who raised me after my parents got divorced.  He’s been my stepdad my whole life, since he and mom were married twice, once before I was born (that’s why I have 3 older half brothers that are his) and the second time after I was born.  He and mom had been together for over 50 years.

We knew that he was getting worse.  In the last 6 months of his life, he was in and out of the hospital at least once a month.  On Superbowl Sunday, he had an episode in the hospital where they couldn’t get his oxygen above 90.  He came home in February and hospice came over every day.  Mom bought a hospital bed, because he was too weak to get himself from a bed to his wheelchair.

Since my dad died in 2003, this is the second father I’ve lost.  It makes me sad to think about us getting old.  I hate, hate, hate the thought of losing my mother.  It’s going to happen, though.  Eventually.  Her mom was haying at 82, so we have a while – yes, I come from a farm family.  That’s where I got my interest in nature.  As long as mom keeps her mental faculties, then we’re fine.  Her mother died from complications from Alzheimer’s at 87.

So, this post has turned into a bummer.

There’s been drama with my husband’s side of the family.  I love them, but sometimes I don’t like them a whole lot.  Of course, this is really just certain members of his family.  The rest I like or even love. I just don’t always understand them.

I grew up in a big family.  My mom’s side of the family used every little excuse to get together – at least 4 to 5 times a year when I was growing up.  My husband’s family, half of them don’t talk to the other half, and they’re scattered over 3 states.  I honestly didn’t know what to do with myself the first year with no big Christmas party to go to.  And of course, multiple trips to visit my family can get expensive when I’m in OK, and they’re in FL and NC.

Then, my job.  I know I referred to it obliquely at one time, but there was a big merger of 3 companies in 2010, including the one I worked for.  Well, this last year, the company I worked for was bought out.  A lot of people have lost their jobs.   I don’t know if I’ll have a job past the beginning of next year or not.  I’ve been offered a job, but that doesn’t mean things won’t change once we’re on the same system as everyone else.  Everyone is replaceable.

So, that’s my update in a nutshell.  On the one hand, we’re still in our own (fully paid for) house.  On the other, my personal life is in an uproar.

I’ve finally started losing weight for real this time.  I’m finding more energy than I have had in a long time.  The dog is happy with the daily (or almost daily) walks.  I just need the other part of my life to calm down.

Laterness and g’night.

http://mentalfloss.com/article/86016/6-math-concepts-explained-knitting-and-crochet
So, someone figured out that you can use needework to explain both simple and complicated math. You can use a block style Afghan for multiplication or more complicated structures to show other concepts.

As someone who both knits and crochets, I find this cool and fascinating.

Ok, so I love pretty much all of the podcasts from HowStuffWorks.com.  Stuff You Missed in History Class? Great.  TechStuff?  Fascinating.  Today, I’m catching up on the podcasts from Stuff They Don’t Want You to Know.  I don’t listen to this one as much, but it’s a fun look anyway.  Podcasts on alchemy, cattle mutilation, why you can’t win online arguments (and why you participate in them).  It’s all pretty cool and broken down into why we respond like we do.

Right now, I’m listening to a podcast on political conspiracies.  Including one that Trump may be running for president so that Hilary actually wins.  They’re talking about whether the US is a meritocracy, and it’s from before Jeb Bush withdrew from the race, where one candidate is the wife of a former president, and another is the son and brother of former presidents.

Check it out, it’s actually kinda interesting. (Opens in a new tab).

http://www.stufftheydontwantyoutoknow.com/podcasts/political-conspiracies-2016/

Do I think this is true?  I think Jeb Bush withdrawing from the race is enough to show it’s not.  However, it’s amusing to think that Trump is only running to fracture the GOP so that Hilary wins.  It’s certainly not definite that she’s going to win the democratic ticket at the moment.  I don’t think Bernie has a huge chance, but it’s not definite.

Now when the subject of gun control comes up, everyone always gets so upset. You hear a lot of ‘they’re coming to take our guns’ etc.

That’s not the answer. Those who say that making guns illegal will ensure only criminals have guns.

The answer is much simpler. Make more thorough checks when selling guns. Make the checks the same nationwide. Have it all on a national database. And finally make it illegal to resell your gun except to a legitimate dealer who will do a thorough background check on the next owner.

This selling guns on Facebook yardsale pages should be illegal. Make it so pawn shops have to run the background checks as well.

Psych evaluations might help. But I wouldn’t say they’ll help. Someone can go over the edge even without having a history of psychiatric problems.

We have to take responsibility for our choices. As long as we believe the rhetoric that those who favor gun control want to criminalize gun ownership, then we won’t have any progress in this.

https://www.yahoo.com/parenting/thousands-of-texans-have-tried-to-give-selves-171908821.html

I swear it seems I know people more than I realize. I guess it just comes from looking at history. I’ve repeatedly told my mother that banning abortions is not a good idea, no matter how much you hate the idea of abortions. Women who would have an abortion are just that desperate, they’ll try illegal methods if the legal route is taken from them. That’s what has started in Texas where abortion has gotten very hard to get — legally at least. How long until the back alley clinics come back?

http://thebloggess.com/2015/09/im-broken-im-furiously-happy-both-of-these-things-are-true/

Both of these are true for me too. I’m broken, a friend’s brother and another friend’s father died, my sister, my cousin & a friend’s 4 year old have been diagnosed with cancer.

I’m looking for the things to be furiously happy. I got to visit Vermont, I’m in my house.

I’m spending time trying to figure things out and get routines in place that I didn’t need when we were living with others. I’m starting an Etsy store and writing more. everything is settling down, so it’ll only go up from here.

So we’ve been on vacation since last Thursday. It’s been an interesting week in Vermont. I’ve been so homesick, that I’m not looking forward to leaving.

http://www.onbeing.org/blog/the-disease-of-being-busy/7023?page=1

I can’t remember who linked to the above post, but it resonated. I tend to fill up my time with mindless exercises instead of doing anything that requires thought.

Then I wonder why time passes so quickly and what I did a week ago. I have so much I want to do, but I don’t take the time to do it.

I wonder why I don’t get anything accomplished.

This week as long as I think about it, as long as I remember, I’m going to be mindful of what I’m spending my time on.

So somehow, sometime, I managed to subscribe to a preppers site on Facebook. It’s got some interesting things that come across my feed as a result.

For some of it, I just roll my eyes and scroll past. Like the composting toilet, which is illegal in many areas anyway.

Sometimes it posts things that are interesting, like a link to an article about getting rid of spiders naturally.  http://www.homeandgardeningideas.com/13-natural-ways-to-rid-your-house-of-spiders/ The problem I see is that some of these things will be difficult to find if something does happen.

Get out of the kitchen.

But what happens when it’s 100+ outside and you’re trying to work in a house without ac?

I think I ended up making myself sick a week ago. I spent the week drinking extra water, and I’m still not feeling 100%. Then again, I haven’t been feeling 100% in a long time. I gained weight and I eat too much processed food at the grandparents house. I need to do better about eating veggies in the morning. I think I need to change a bit about what I’m eating at work.

I guess I just need to change things a little at a time until I get to feeling better.

To start with, I’m watching what I eat and adding a green smoothie every morning.