One of the reasons Youngest chose to purchase a house in the Holland Patent School system was because although it lags behind slightly in academics, his experience was that his children would be safer. All of Hubby's children attended Holland Patent schools and for them, it was a much less stressful situation. None of them remember any schoolyard bullying, although I know of an incident that happened to my nephew which certainly qualifies. At the time it was not a regular occurance in that school system. They were sure in the knowledge that Holland Patent kids were all fun loving rural kids that wouldn't ever hurt anyone else. In their minds, Rome and Utica schools were another story.

Had he been willing to place the kids in another school district, he could have purchased a house in better condition than what he did buy. It's a fixer upper that somehow never seems to get fixed as well as it could if he'd think about things better than he does before he rips rooms apart. He doesn't and midway into a job he'll see a better way to do something except it means tearing an adjoining wall down that he all ready constructed to finish something else. He's lived in that house for three years and he's half finished with the exterior siding, he's half finished with the existing living room which will be the dining room when he's...finished. There is 1 room finished, that of my teenaged granddaughter is complete. All the other rooms are works in progress. I did think the upstairs bath was finished, however I find out that is slated for demolition this year. The entire construction/destruction cycle is just too complicated for me to think about, and I know when to keep my mouth shut.

There was a home on the tax rolls in Rome that was purchased for less than what he paid for his fixer-upper. That home was in much better shape, it required nothing more than painting, and replacing some broken windows. Even the real estate agent tried to tell him that house was the better deal. Youngest wouldn't consider it because Rome schools were full of gangs and hooligans that would sell drugs to his kids or quite possibly shoot them. I agree that it is something that needs considering when choosing a home, but one should at least investigate the actuality of a situation rather than judging something based on past experience. Todays children are entirely different than children were when he was in school.

I'm not looking to place blame on any parents for the problems the schools are having with their pupils, however, there appears to be an increase in gang related activities in all schools. I have to ask myself if kids are joining these gangs to replace a sense of belonging to something that they aren't getting at home. I am not qualified to answer that question. I do know, from speaking to some kids and some parents that too many kids don't feel they have a family. Gangbangers will tell you the gang is their family. Unfortunately, despite Youngest's perception of his school system, gangs are springing up there at an alarming rate.

Yesterday there was an accidental discharge of a firearm on a Holland Patent school bus. Apparently the young man who brought the gun to schools was showing it off to a friend while they were riding to their BOCES class. For those of you who may not have BOCES in your state, it's trade school for those not attending college. I believe all states have this program, but do not know that for sure. Obviously the safety was off, the gun was loaded and it fired into a bus seat. Thankfully no one was injured, but this incident could have gone in an entirely different manner. The kids involved in the incident are 16 and 17. The gun came from someones home. The gun involved is not for the purpose of hunting, it is a handgun. State police are looking into bringing charges against the adults who owned the gun. I don't know if it was a legal weapon or not. I also don't know if this incident is in any way gang related.

What I do know is this, if guns weren't in peoples homes, no child could take one to school. No child could use a gun to shoot another child. No child could use a parents gun to shoot him or herself either accidentally or intentionally. I certainly don't want to interfere with anyones Constitutional right to bear arms. I don't want to interfere with a hunters ability to kill food for his family. I do want to keep guns out of the hands of children, and if it means that no one be allowed to own a gun because you can't trust the gunowners to store them away from their children, then so be it. It only took one generation for this type of violence to enter a relatively quiet school system in rural New York State. The National Rifle Association claims that guns don't kill people, people kill people. So why do we allow people to own guns? Since we're the killers, why give us the means to accomplish it?

The single most frustrating aspect of writing a blog is when I'm in the middle of a sentence and suddenly can't think of the word I wanted to use. It was there a minute ago, and suddenly it's gone. If I take a break from writing it'll come back to me, but when I sit here sifting through my brain, it remains elusively around the next corner. Sometimes it plays hide and seek with me and I run around each corner hoping it'll be there but it disappears again. At that point I use another word, and three days later will suddenly remember the word I needed. By then it's too late as I've all ready posted. It seems like such a silly little thing, yet I will remain frustrated on a mild level for days. As always, my sense of humor will kick in and I'll begin to wonder why I was frustrated to start out with. I believe that may be one of the joys of being older.

It's 2:30pm on a Sunday afternoon and I am not dressed. The reason for this is because Hubby decided to change the faucet in the shower. It needed it, the old one was leaking and repacking it and whatever else he tried wasn't holding. So, he says to me he's going to take an hour or so to change the faucet and would I mind waiting to take my shower until after the job is done. Not being in any hurry I said of course not. I am somewhat frustrated with myself for agreeing to wait because this was at 9am. Hubby knows what he's doing, however the faucet he purchased for a great deal of money has required altering at every step of the way. This is not a mobile home tub, this is a standard tub with a standard faucet. Everything should be able to be replaced with very little effort. The entire procedure has turned out to be a bit like writing a blog and forgetting the words.

First there was the necessity of taking apart the old one. Due to age and condition, it was corroded together and nearly took an act of Congress to get apart. Then it was discovered that the parts that come through the tubwall were larger than the old one. So, enlarging of the holes had to take place. All three of the decorative rings that sit against the tub wall were too deep. The screw on metal tube that fits over the inner workings of the on/off function itself wouldn't catch the threads necessary to screw it on correctly. That needed trimming. By the time he got to the third one for the shower itself the grinder wouldn't work, so that one will be left off. For awhile. Like maybe the life of this particular faucet? If it works it's staying as is, my motto is if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

In the midst of the frustration we had company. They only stayed for an hour, thankfully, because I sit here with no upper teeth in my mouth, sweaty hair from housecleaning this morning, and still in my housecoat. Fortunately I could act as if the internet was so interesting to me I didn't have to move much nor look at anyone when I conversed with them. I apologised for not being a very good hostess, and explained that the lack of running water here meant I couldn't offer them coffee or a presentable Sherry. They took the hint and left, so Hubby could return to replacing the faucet. He's in the hooking up of the water feed lines at the moment. I will have to scrub the tub, take my shower, dry my hair and get dressed. At the rate we're going it may be bedtime. I'm just glad that blogging isn't quite as frustrating as replacing a bathtub faucet that should only take an hour... or so. Maybe in three days I'll think this whole experience was funny?

Shoegazing, post punk, dreampop, drone music, noise rock, space rock, grunge or whatever. An older lady could go battier than she already is trying to figure it out. Why can't they just call it Alternative Rock and be done with it? No, they have to have all these subgenre's to confuse me. Of course, if I were less curious, I wouldn't be this confused.



This particular playlist started because of my desire to know what "Dead" was. I know what dead is, I'm going to get that way some day, but what in tarnation is "Dead" really? Thanks to BigChris of Mad Yankee Ranting I found out it was a song made popular in the mid to late 80's by an alternative rock group named The Pixies. I went to finetune, listened to 30 seconds of it and asked...WHY?????? Next thing I thought was that it was nothing but a bunch of noise. OH MY GAWD, I've become my GRANDMOTHER. That just will not do. So, I decided to listen and read . I was doing fine until I got to "shoegazing". So maybe I really wasn't doing fine. I was just trying to convince myself that it wasn't that bad, which when you've suddenly become your own grandmother is the best you can hope for.



To start out with I only wanted to know what "Dead" was because I planned on buying the CD it's on for my granddaughter this Christmas. After listening to 30 seconds of it at finetune I decided that it was a very good thing that I have a problem using other peoples ear buds. So I went back to creating the playlist that I PLANNED on posting today. Unfortunately for the comfort of my ears, I kept hearing my own Grandmother calling The Beatles, Rolling Stones, ? and the Mysterians, Sam the Sham and the Pharoh's, Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley, The Supremes and others that I listened to in my youth...nothing but noise. Ahem!!! Not even close Grandma, it's MUSIC.



I have no idea what I was listening to when this type of music became popular. I imagine I was listening to classic rock, country, jazz, anything except Alternative Rock. I am familiar with some of it, Seattle grunge rock for instance. I do like Nirvana and Pearl Jam. There were a few Oasis, Radiohead, London Suede, The Verve, and Slowdive tunes that I was a little familiar with. However much of this playlist is really new to me. Including shoegazing.



Shoegazing was a term used to describe British pop groups that were known for their understated performances, which included standing there gazing at the floor. A far cry from Diamond Dave and his Van Halen antics. Well, at least they weren't "Dead". I can't say that I like every tune included on this playlist. Some of them I've only heard for 30 seconds so the jury's still out on them. I just decided to share my experience with the rest of you. Possibly because misery loves company, but more likely because...well...because I ain't dead yet.

The Playlist:

1....Blur....Coffee and TV, Girls and Boys, and She's So High.
2....Galaxie500....Another Day, Blue Thunder and Strange
3....Lush....Lady Killers, Nothing Natural and Sweetness and Light
4....Oasis....Don't Look Back In Anger, Lyla and Stand By Me
5....Pulp....Common People, Disco 2000 and Do You Remember The First Time?
6....Radiohead....Creep, Fake Plastic Trees and No Surprises
7....Ride....Dreams Burn Down, Leave Them All Behind and Seagull
8....Slowdive....Brighter, Catch The Breeze and Celia's Dream
9....Spacemen 3....Feels So Good, Take Me To The Other Side and That's Just Fine
10..Supergrass....Alright, Pumping on Your Stereo and Rush Hour Soul
11..The Cure....Fascination Street, Just Like Heaven and Pictures of You
12..The Pixies...Dead, Monkeys Gone To Heaven and Where Is My Mind
13..The Stone Roses....I Wanna Be Adored, Sally Cinnamon and She Bangs The Drum
14..Travis....All I Want To Do Is Rock, Flowers In The Window and Sing
15..Yo Lo Tengo....Autumn Sweater, Barnaby Hardly Working and Stockholm Syndrome

Th-th-th-th-That's All Folks!!!!!!

I was bitten by the decorating bug. This morning I got out my snowmen. They are out there for all to see until after Christmas. I also decorated the front of my home. I made a few changes when I saw the price of decent looking pine garlands. I will be raiding some boughs from the pine tree across the way from me to make up for it. On Wednesday I did find a wreath for the front that was somewhat different than I had originally envisioned. This is a twig wreath with some greenery and a snowman in a red suit seated on it. I hung it with the use of a wreath hanger which allowed me to add a bow. Two more bows tied to the solar lights and I'm part of the way done there. I need the pruning shears, which are in Hubby's van for the pine boughs.

I have more to do indoors but wanted to think about what I'm doing and where, so I decided to decorate my blog for the season. I thought the card I used as a background was really neat. I wanted to stay with traditional Christmas colors this year instead of Victorian colors. I figured it would take me all of 15 minutes. How hard would it be to add green, gold and red to a blog? You have no idea how hard it is to find a gold that I like. I have given it up with this one although I'm not quite satisfied. I may have to play with the color wheel until I find what I'm looking for, but I don't have time enough today.

I'm on my way into the kitchen for a little baking and then roasting of a turkey breast. I loved going elsewhere for Thanksgiving but don't have the left overs that are a necessary part of the dinner. So, I need to head out to the kitchen and have fun. In the meantime enjoy the new look, it may not last.

Just a quick note to let you all know this is the final product. I made the changes I wanted and am much happier with the results.

Before I even got my butt seated on the couch, Granddaughter Court was handing me the latest GirlScout sales book. She had two of them this year, candy/nuts and magazine subscriptions. I will absolutely not do magazine subscriptions, but I did find 3 items from the candy/nut book I could live with. She's a beautiful girl, and not a very good salesperson. However she managed to separate me from $14. Since I was the big spender today, she rewarded me by staying seated next to me on the couch. I would have been overjoyed except she was listening to her MP3 player. I asked her what she was listening to and was rewarded by a big smile and a blinding flash from her braces. "Dead", she said. Since I refuse to use the in-the-ear plugs belonging to another person, I declined when she asked if I wanted to listen. At some point in the future I suspect I'll find out what Dead is...I can wait. Maybe I should include that in my list of things I'm thankful for.

We arrived an hour before dinner was ready, Youngest and family were of course all ready there as was Oldest's in-laws. Hubby's ex-wife and her husband were the last to arrive. I am thankful that we all have a carefully friendly relationship and can get together as adults so that their kids don't have to make choices that leaves out any of us. It is something that sadly does happen in families. I'm thankful that patience and perseverance on our part allowed us to arrive at a point where there were no hostilities between us. She's one of those very touchy people and wasn't the least bit willing to speak to Hubby for years. The only time we ever spoke at length she gave me credit for not trying to be a Mother to her children. At the time, my response was along the lines of they had one, I didn't think they needed two. I am thankful those days are in the past and we can enjoy our children and grandchildren in a civil manner. I am thankful I managed to earn a place in their hearts by not being pushy and allowing them to draw their own conclusions as to how I was to be considered. They call me Sherry, but always introduce me to others as their step-mom not just their Father's wife.

Oldest is known for his miserly ways. Sometimes annoyingly so. I have, on more than one occasion, referred to him as Mr. Tightwad the First. I do it with a smile on my face and he probably gets annoyed with me, but not enough to make it an issue between us. Mostly because more than anyone in the family, including his wife, I know just how soft hearted he is underneath the moaning and groaning about how much it's costing him. I was shocked to sit down and discover that they had acquired a satellite TV system. His niece, on his wifes side of the family, has suffered a breakup of a relationship. The satellite contract was too expensive for her to maintain without her soon to be ex's income. Because of the buyout clause, it would have cost her $100 to break her contract, so they offered to move it under her name to their house until the end of contract. I am thankful that he is the type of person willing to help out when a loved one experiences a financial crisis. He moans and groans about the cost, but they'll be keeping it after the contract expires. Mr. Tightwad the First has a kinder gentler side and I'm thankful I know that.

Oldest's Mom-in-law lost her husband to brain cancer a few years ago. It was a long and hard fought battle that left her alone and bankrupt. Today she was accompanied by a new beau who is a lovely charming man and he thinks the sun rises and sets in the person of "his" Virginia. I am thankful that someone saw how deserving she was of having a decent comfortable life with someone special. He too has the knack of allowing people to take him as they find him which means that none of Virginia's children have a problem with him. Her boys could have been difficult because they were Daddy's boys and Charlie has managed to win even them over. Not an easy task believe me.

Hubby's daughter received a promotion that meant she had to move to Troy, NY. She is now a Regional Human Resource Manager for 2 stores in that area. It meant a raise of $11,000 annually. She is single, lives with 2 cats and her dog. We are thankful that she could find an apartment that allowed her to keep all 3 pets. That doesn't happen often, and if she had to get rid of Hunter the Australian Shepherd, we would have taken him for her. I am doubly thankful for this because Hunter is way too big for my home, and Bashful would not have liked it at all. She would have been safe as he is used to living with cats, but she is not used to living with dogs and is not the least willing to try it. Trust me on that. I would have had a sticky situation on my hands which has been avoided by her good fortune in finding this apartment.

This year I have so much to be thankful for. I have my Blogstream friends to lift me when I'm down. I'm alive, and I got to spend my Thanksgiving with people I love. Oh, and the fact that I didn't have to lift a finger prepping, feeding or cleaning up after, didn't hurt.