The Elephant in the room..

Did you ever watch a room full of people all talking about the same thing, walking around the elephant in the room and pretending they didn't see it?

A few days ago I lost a very young friend to that elephant. I see him. He has been a huge problem and taken a lot of lives much too early.

If you watched the Michael Jackson's Court case today, you will know the Judge saw the elephant too. The Judge was very angry. His speech to the Doctor who killed Michael Jackson was meant for doctors everywhere. Will they hear him? Some will but others will have closed their ears to his words because of greed.

The people in the room who are avoiding the elephant have decided the surgery my friend had on her stomach to take off weight was the cause of her death. It's just much easier to avoid the elephant if you can put the cause on something you can openly talk about.

I'm afraid my friends problems started long before that surgery. I think it started like most teenagers who try out drugs under the pressure of their friends. Having a family who does not deal with it but instead abandons the person when they need strong people who love them to see them through it, helps the elephant get a grip on the person.

The biggest problem when this happens is the old lady doctor who should have retired years before, but because of greed, hangs on writing one prescription after another allowing the elephant to easily take over.

This elephant stomped through my family. He took the life of my nephew before his 21st birthday. These kids soon learn to complain about everything. They search out the "feel good" doctor's who write out prescriptions with one hand and collect a fee with the other. When they out grow the strength of the drugs prescribed, they sell them on the street for stronger drugs. It's something they learn early, sometimes having doctors in many cities and even in different states.

My friend and I had one fall out after another because she couldn't help herself from using me and I couldn't help myself from hating what she was doing to herself. Even after talking against her and about her so people would stop sending her money , I would get long long emails begging me to call her. It would break me down and the cycle would start all over again.

A few weeks ago after yet another fall out, I got one of these emails. They were always so sad. She was always so sorry and so alone. We talked for 3 hours until her phone battery ran low. When I called her back the next day the phone had been shut off. I'll never know if she wanted to ask me for the money to pay for the phone bill. She didn't ask, maybe because we were having such a good chat and she didn't want another fall out.

I had a bad feeling about that phone call. She talked about death, not in a general way, but she told me what she wanted and who she wanted her things to go to. Even through her laughter I could here her voice shake. She wasn't feeling well at all. She was trying to teach me how to make my emails so no one could change them since she had gotten copies of an email I was suppose to have written and they both were different. Funny how she was worried about me and I about her.

She had finally dumped an old boyfriend who couldn't decide if he wanted his mother to take care of him or if he wanted to grow up and be her partner. She was happy, had found a new boyfriend. He seemed to really love her. He was with her when she fell to the floor and did what he could to keep her alive while waiting for the ambulance to arrive after calling 911. At least her last moments were with the person she loved. She had finally found some happiness.

I'd like to say the elephant is dead, but there will be another movie star, family member or dear friend who will meet him. The feel good doctor's will be there waiting for them.

There is no peace in knowing another life is gone much too early. She will suffer no more as Michael Jackson will suffer no more. They will not have to search for the love that was missing from their lives or the support they needed as kids and didn't get. Their struggle is over, but for us, we may find ourselves looking in the eyes of another victum of the elephant in the room.

A crazy life....

Once again everything has changed. We couldn't find a rental so we went with a sale house. I've gone through the kind of realestate sales in Florida that you end up with less then you signed up for, but Texas has them beat..you might end up with more here...like taxes, water bills, and suit's against a property...and rude nasty sales people who lie and make demands with conviction.

I won't say anymore because I'm still to angry...lets just say we took most of our furniture to goodwill, packed the entire house and then had to back out because of ...well, we just backed out, period.

Wednesday was a terrible day. After the house problems, Griz, our loved dog, got so sick he could just about stand up so we had to go off to the vets to have him put down. Dave fell completely apart when we got there so I had to hold Griz...it's an awful thing to have to do to a pet who is looking into your eyes with love and trust, not knowing .... It's very up setting and something I'm having a problem with.

A few hours later we had tickets to the Willie Nelson concert. We went, but it was not an evening we could say we enjoyed. To top off my sad feelings, a vet without legs was in a wheel chair next to me. We had been sitting up front, close to the stage for almost 2 hours. As 10:30 approached and Willie was about to come on stage, people began to push in around us. I had a good view of the fat guys flannel shirt who managed to step over my feet and plant himself almost on my lap. The vet next to me had the same kind of a view as people closed in and didn't care about those of us who were stuck in chairs and couldn't see around or over them.

A few times someone would fall backwards into one of our laps. I poked the fellow in front of us and asked him if the guy next to me could get a look at Willie and use his camera...he said, "Lady, I paid for my ticket same as he did"...and he didn't move one inch. Finally, a few minutes before the concert was over the guy was pretty drunk and had to leave, most likely for the bathroom..or maybe the last call of the night for another beer...we only had a few seconds before people filled the hole where he had been, but we both got to take a few photo's.  I guess that's how some people really feel about our vets. Not one person was willing to move over, not even for 2 minutes.

Mean time Dave is working 12 hour days, 12 days in a row. He's exhausted. I'm amazed that Boeing hasn't realized that exhausted workers don't produce the best they have to give. Dave doesn't complain, but I'm his mom and I see how it's breaking him down by the 8th day in a row.

We need a new plan. We need some time to sit down and  talk about it but right now Dave isn't sure if he is going to get Friday off after Thanksgiving, so even making a plan has to wait. I'm not sure if I have the ambition to rip open boxes to find the roasting pan to make the turkey. We might just ignore the holidays this year. I refuse to unpack again. The TV is sitting on a plastic tote and I just don't care!

Beautiful new Calendar...we all need one of these!

My friend Kathy has just come out with her new Calendar for the year. This would make a truely great Holiday gift for anyone who sews and is just pretty to look at each month.

It's a great price and can be purchased from:
http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/290523/follow

You can also go to Kathy's blog to read about it:
http://www.shawkl.com/2011/11/crazy-quilt-embellishments-calendar.html

Southwestern colors

I thought before I go wild and buy the wrong colors to go with the orange kitchen, I'd better find out just what southwestern color are!

Looks like they use red with orange!  If I had to pick the color I disliked most it would be orange! But we came to Texas for a "new life" so it's time to put away my east coast pastels and think Sun and Bright!

Yes elsie, I did finish the boots wall hanging. I've been collecting western items, kids cowboy boots, hats spurs and some indian items. I'll take along the paint chip colors so I don't fall back to the things I am use too.  Of course the easy thing to do would be to just paint the walls...but with Dave's hours and the holidays coming up that won't be happening.  Maybe it's just time to let go and get with San Antonio's Mexican background!

Okay Sherrie.....LOL

You have to remember where I am in Texas...Helotos is originally a Mexican area....almost every home we looked at was either painted red or orange...San Antonio has a very Mexican theme to it!  I have to say I've gotten pretty used to it...it has grown on me and I don't mind it anymore.  The house was built in 2006 so it's not from the seventies!  Can't you just see a table runner and napkins done in brights...yellow, orange, blue....I need to get lots more cowboy stuff and some big hats from Mexico! Makes me tired thinking about it...need to take a Mexican nap under one of those hats!

Home Sweet Home

I've been holding off posting to see if we got a house...WE DID!  But first lets back up to the Boeing Family Day. We were not allowed to take photo's but I grabbed a few off the boeing site of their new plane that Dave is working on...The Dreamliner.  Family day was fun..hot dogs and lots of planes to see, gifts and even the Boeing Traveling Store was on site to make purchases. The kids had those bubble houses to jump around in and a Giant Slide.

My new meds are working pretty good. Over the past year while the other meds were shutting down I did get some damage and it's not reverseable..so I'll live with it. I'm glad to have any relief!

We have seen so many houses, all in the right area but some too small, only one car garage, and so on. We did find one that although it's a little smaller then we wanted, it has a wonderful covered patio and lots of windows and a fireplace. This morning we got the call that we got it so we'll soon be moving...Yeah! Lot of work ahead. We have a full trailer of items to go to goodwill first of all. All the TV's with the glass screens that weigh a ton are on their way out...we got new flat screen TV's and I'll be getting new living room furniture.  The kitchen is painted burnt orange!  Guess I'll be sewing a lot of new kitchen items since mine are all red...what a clash that would be!

Next is the Willie Nelson gig on November 16th. Lots more packing and unfortunately, we'll have to put the dog down before we move...unless he expires on his own before then. I think he must have cancer of the stomach...he's just been so sick and Dave is having a hard time making the discision. I think he's hoping it will just happen so he doesn't have too.

I did a little on line shopping. I bought a new Bunn professional coffee maker and a Rowenta iron. Both my currant bunn and rowenta owe me nothing. I've had them both at least 8 years. Time to replace them before one morning I find us with no coffee or no ironed shirt for Dave! Moving and shopping is hard since Dave is working 12 hour days, 12 days in a row. So, I'll post as things move on over the next month. We do have 3 bedrooms so that'll give me a sewing room! We also have a formal dining room. Don't know what we'll do with that since we no longer are very "formal"!