December 18, 2008

LuLu

LuLu, our cat, gets up every morning with two goals.  The first one is to get me to feed her a lot of treats.  She knows that if she nags loud enough or long enough, I will give in.  The second goal is to get Alan, my husband, to play with her.  I have tried real hard to keep the treats down and her weight at the last visit to the vet was good.

Taking care of Yourself

We were honored to be invited to the debut of the documentary Fibromyalgia, Fitting the Pieces Together. We had a fabulous dinner at the Townsend in Birmingham followed by the film.  Sharon Osalecki, Ph.D, was the force behind the film and deserves a lot of credit in making it possible. Sharon and many of the patients shown in the film followed a similar path as Alan in getting the diagnosis. Alan is doing well now.  He has an exercise program that along with medication and message has kept his symptoms in check.

Exploring

We have been in a whirlwind of holiday parties.  The Turner-Dodge house, an historical house in Lansing, is always festive during the Holiday season and has a great party every year.  The Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame celebrates with a potluck for all its supporters.  My Prime Time Exercise group also had a great potluck. Because I volunteer at Governor Granholm’s Constituent office, we get to go to the staff holiday party.  It is always a great party.  Since I love Christmas music and Alan loves Jazz, we went to the MSU Professors of Jazz Holiday Concert. The concert was great.

Giving Back

This time of year, all the groups that provide services to the needy inundate us.  I will go out on a limb here and confess that I do not support “Toys for Tots” or the “Make a Wish” foundation.  Although these are feel good programs they do not attack the long-term problems of the family.  We give to the food bank.  Being a farmer’s daughter and a retired Registered Dietitian, feeding people has always been important to me.  But the long-term problem such as lack of health care and quality education for 21st century jobs needs to be addressed which is why I supported President-elect Obama.

No

November 11, 2008

LuLu, our cat, went rather reluctantly to have her nails cut. We are saddened by the death of LuLu human father- Norm. He was the father of one of my daughter’s closest friend in high school and our auto body man. They lived on a small farm with lots of cats. When we decided to have cat as a pet, our daughter thought Norm’s family would have one that would fit our needs. That’s how we got LuLu. Norm was always trying to foist more cats our way-He thought LuLu was in cat heaven.

The most exercise I got in the week before the election was walking and leafleting houses in St. Johns. The weather was nice and I drove from neighborhood to neighborhood so it was not too bad. Campaigns, like all American ventures, crawl on their stomachs. And our stomachs were full of pizza, chips and cookies. We will work on healthy food for the 2012 election.

We have been watching the HBO series John Adams. A 7-part Mini-series is based on David McCollough best selling book. John Adams chronicles the life of a remarkable historical figure whose fiercely independent spirit, reverence for the rule of law and commitment to personal liberty profoundly influenced the values on which our county was founded. The miniseries also explores the extroantary relationship between Adams and Abigail, his wife of 54 years partnership, regarded as one of the most moving love stories in American history. Excerpt from hbo.com/films/john adams

I was so proud to be an American on Tuesday night, November 4 at 11:00 p.m., when they announced that Barak Obama was elected the 44^th President of the United States. What a triumph and fulfillment of an American Dream. However, My political addiction will continue by watching him pull a team together under very bad economic circumstances. I was glad to play a small part in his election. Clinton Country went for Obama by over 400 votes. This is usual a very republican country where most of our county office elections do not even have a democratic candidate.

October 31, 2008

LuLu

LuLu, our diva cat, is sitting next to me, on the computer table. She is monitoring my comments about her. She is always interested in what we are doing. Sitting on the computer desk, on the top of any papers that we need is a favorite spot.

We had a wonderful trip to California to visit the Getty Center. The weather was great. We had to do a lot of walking to visit the museum. The museum and the hotel (Luxe on the Sunset Strip) had very healthy food. In fact, we have found that most museums have great food. The Detroit Institute of Art has wonderful healthy food.

We visited the Getty Center and the Getty Villa in California. The Getty Center presents the Getty's collection of Western art from the Middle Ages to the present against a backdrop of dramatic architecture, tranquil gardens, and breathtaking views. Excerpt from the Getty.website. My sister Helen and my brother-in-law Richard accompanied US. Richard is an artist so he enjoyed the trip immensely. Richard was also able to educate us about many of the pieces.

There was a special Bernini (sculpture) exhibit. Bernini was born in Naples to a Mannerist sculptor, Pietro Bernini, originally from Florence. At the age of seven he accompanied his father to Rome, where his father was involved in several high profile projects.[1] There as a boy, his skill was soon noticed by the painter Annibale Carracci and by Pope Paul V, and Bernini gained the patronage exclusively under Cardinal Scipione Borghese, the pope's nephew. His first works were inspired by antique Hellenistic sculpture. Excerpt from Wikipedia.com

There were wonderful tour guides that added so much to the exhibit. The whole Getty Center is a work of art. Designed by architect Richard Meier, the complex covers a beautiful piece of landscape in Los Angles. The gardens and landscaping are worth the trip. The Gardens and landscaping use native plants, which are new to us from the Midwest.

We also visited the Getty Villa. Oil tycoon J. Paul Getty originally opened a gallery adjacent to his home in Pacific Palisades. Finding that he quickly ran out of room, he decided to open a second museum on the property (his original home still sits at the back of the property). In 1974, Getty opened the Getty Villa as his second museum in a re-creation of the Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum, incorporating additional details from several other ancient sites. Excerpted from Wiidpeda.com

I am continuing to work on the Obama campaign. I am impressed at the organization and dedication of the staff and volunteers. We are covering Clinton County normally a very red (republican) county where we telephoned and visited supporters to remind them to vote.

October 15

LuLu

Lulu, our cat, has now resumed her queenly life. Her rivals have found good homes and peace and quiet has returned to LuLu’s life.

I am continuing to attend the E.Lansing Prime Time Exercise Class and go to Curves. My muscles feel much better when I am consistently attending classes. However, sometimes other events take priority. I tried to keep up a good schedule in preparation for our California trip in expectation of a lot of walking.

The East Lansing Women’s Club had a great presentation by Cari Wolfe about the Eli and Edyth Broad Museum of Contemporary Art. She updated us on the plans for the new museum and the process of planning for the museum. I learned that a painting should be displaced for three or four months and then allowed to rest for seven years to maintain the integrity of the piece.

We attended one of our favorite events, an International Culinary dinner at the Schoolcraft College in Livonia. The dinner was German and accomplyed by appropriate wines.

I am continuing to work on the Obama campaign. We are doing supporter calls and I am receiving a positive response from Clinton county voters. Who Knew!

I am also a member of the Michigan Consumer Health Coalition. We are pushing to implement the Hospital Safety Recommendations that we developed as part of a statewide coalition. We also heard the Michigan Occupation and Health report on ergonomic standards. These are important due to some of the repetitive nature of our jobs.

September 29,2008

The Queen (LuLu our cat) is not amused. For the past month, we have foster cared two kittens. They appeared on our front walk. There was one (Captain Jack) that had an infected eye and a shoulder gash. He was shy but very loving. Although my husband Alan took a stern stance on not feeding or encouraging the cats to stay, he was feeding them within a few hours. We called the Clinton County Animal Control and the Humane Society and they informed us that a sick kitten was usually put down because they were concerned about cross infections. We took Jack to the vet ($100) and found that he was fine. We found a wonderful home for Jack with my boss who has a preteen daughter and lives in the county. He is having a great time. The other kitten disappeared for a few days but reappeared when Jack left. Again, we contacted the Humane Society and they advised us to keep her (we called her Kitty Witty) until she weighed two pounds. Alan put additional boards (to keep her warm) under her box in the garage and found a good place for her food. We had to keep them in the garage because LuLu would not let them in the house and continually hissed and fought with them through the window and doors. We found a good home for Kitty Witty and now it seems lonely around the house.

Fall is my favorite time of the year. The leaves are turning; the air is a little crisper. I try to take time to enjoy the trees as I am hurrying to my next activity. We usually try to spend at least one October weekend up in Northwest Michigan, which is a virtual golden landscape. We are going to California for a week in October so we are not doing Northern Michigan. I remember that a Southern California person who came to speak at a conference in Northern Michigan, he thought it was so beautiful he had died an gone to heaven.

We have enjoyed our Netflik choices. I tend to pick a lot of BBC productions. We watched Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont and Good night Mr. Tom. Both were in the category of movies for grownups. Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont was a beautiful story about an older woman who found friendship with a younger man, which helped brighten her years. Good night Mr. Tom was a heart-tugging tale about World War II and the movement of children from London to the country to avoid the bombing raids.

We had the honor of hosting two young ladies from Japan for a weekend. We do this as part of Community Volunteers for International Programs (CVIP). These girls were in their late teens and in the USA to attend MSU for a three-week English immersion program. Although it rained all weekend, we were able to show them a cider mill, my church and some of the Michigan landscape.

August 27, 2008

LuLu

LuLu is suffering through the warm weather. She has always loved to sit on the bare wood floors; (she has lots of fur to keep her warm). She does her best to find a cool spot on the wood floor or near the AC ducts. We have been gone lots lately so she is requesting a lot of attention. As long as we leave plenty of food and water, she gets along fine, when we are gone.

We recently celebrated my mother-in-law and stepfather in law’s 90^th birthdays. Although, they have their chronic illness, they manage to live independently. Many of their old friends attended from all over Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana. It was a great celebration. Many of us will be living well into our 90’s due to the advances in medical care. If we take care of ourselves throughout good nutrition, exercise and attention to our mental health we will joyfully live out those years.

We had a wonderful mini family reunion on Mackinac Island. My grandnieces (who live on the island) are growing up fast. One will drive soon but not on Mackinac unless it’s a horse. Of course, some of our family did not make it. We missed our sister Florence (lives in California) and Mark, Natalie, Claire, Mitchell and Jack. We hope to be together again soon for the Winter Holidays. Research shows that these deep family connections lead to a longer and more meaningful life.

Alan, my husband, and I went with the St. Johns Camera Club on a photographic weekend to visit zoos. We visited the Detroit zoo and the Toledo zoo and some wetlands and botanical gardens in the Toledo area. Although, I generally do not like zoos, this trip showed me how important they are in America. We saw people from every walk of life at the zoo, African Americans, Hispanics, Orthodox Jews, Amish, Muslim, and Eastern Indians. There were many young families along with grandparents with young children as well as older people.

During that weekend, we celebrated a cousin’s 60^th birthday. Although, we had not been close to this family in many years, we were surprised to discover many similar family traits such as the lack of athletic ability. But we also discovered that our cousin had the same ability as my family regarding talking with and connect ing with people.

We have been big supporters of the One book-One Community project of E.Lansing and Michigan State University. This project encourages East Lansing residents and the MSU incoming freshman to read a common book. The book chose for 2008 was They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky," by co-authors Benson Deng, Alephonsion Deng and Benjamin Ajak with co-author Judy A. Bernstein.

This book tells the story of three"lost boys" who made the trip across Sudan to escape the war between the North and south in Sudan. The San Diego Union Tribune says The soft plainness of the young writers' voices, combined with their moral insight, throws the surreal danger and strife into sharp relief. They speak for the Sudanese who cannot, to attest that 'although people always hoped and prayed for peace, peace never came. As part of this program, the authors came to East Lansing and provided several opportunities to meet with the students and the community. We also attended God Grew Tired of Us at the East Lansing Library. This is an award winning story of four boys from Sudan as they embark on a journey to America after years of wandering Sub-Saharan Africa in search of safety.

The book and the movie have made a profound effect on those who have attended. The boys have grown into wonderful young men who have a fierce devotion to their families and their country.

August 12, 2008

LuLu

We have had some visitors lately, some who stayed overnight. LuLu has been very friendly, which is not her usual practice. She usually hides until they leave. Now, she shows a lot of curiosity toward anyone new who comes to the house.

We have had visitors but I have managed to attend some of my exercise classes. Also, we did a lot of walking over the weekend. We went to the St. Johns Mint festival and toured a mint farm. Mint is a good treatment for cuts, etc. It does kill germs. We also bought some mint ice cream that was very high in fat but is only a pint and we will serve small portions for guests.

We had the pleasure of helping my sister and brother-in-law move to Petoskey and to be closer to their daughter and to Mackinac Island where they have a business. We spend most of the day hanging pictures, setting up the kitchen, and making the new home theirs.

My daughter and I attended Wicked at the Whorton Center at MSU. (Wicked is a musical with songs and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. The story is based on the best-selling novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, a re-imagining of L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from the perspective of the witches of the Land of Oz.. Excerpted from Wikipedia.com). The play is wonderful. If you had read the book, you would probably enjoy it more. I was never a big fan of the Wizard of Oz but I liked the book Wicked and the play.

Our Book club read The Eyre Affair. (The Eyre Affair published in 2001, is the first novel published by Jasper Fforde. It is the story of literary detective Thursday Next's pursuit of a master criminal through an alternate 1984 and through the pages of Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre. Excerpted from Wikipedia.com.)A strange book which forces you to suspend belief about Great Britain in the 1980’s.

I was Altar Guild chair for July and due to the illness of a parent of our linen person had the opportunity to wash and iron a lot of Altar linen. I remember my mother having a good laugh over my doing the altar linen feeling that ironing is not one of my great skills.

We hosted a Korean ESL (English as a second Language) teacher. He spoke English well and taught us a lot about the Korean Culture and history.

We also collected some of the excess blankets from my sister’s move and contributed them to a loaning closet for foreign students. This is part of the mission of the CVIP (Community Volunteers for International Programs).

August 12, 2008

LuLu

We have had some visitors lately, some who stayed overnight. LuLu has been very friendly, which is not her usual practice. She usually hides until they leave. Now, she shows a lot of curiosity toward anyone new who comes to the house.

We have had visitors but I have managed to attend some of my exercise classes. Also, we did a lot of walking over the weekend. We went to the St. Johns Mint festival and toured a mint farm. Mint is a good treatment for cuts, etc. It does kill germs. We also bought some mint ice cream that was very high in fat but is only a pint and we will serve small portions for guests.

We had the pleasure of helping my sister and brother-in-law move to Petoskey and to be closer to their daughter and to Mackinac Island where they have a business. We spend most of the day hanging pictures, setting up the kitchen, and making the new home theirs.

My daughter and I attended Wicked at the Whorton Center at MSU. (Wicked is a musical with songs and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. The story is based on the best-selling novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, a re-imagining of L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from the perspective of the witches of the Land of Oz.. Excerpted from Wikipedia.com). The play is wonderful. If you had read the book, you would probably enjoy it more. I was never a big fan of the Wizard of Oz but I liked the book Wicked and the play.

Our Book club read The Eyre Affair. (The Eyre Affair published in 2001, is the first novel published by Jasper Fforde. It is the story of literary detective Thursday Next's pursuit of a master criminal through an alternate 1984 and through the pages of Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre. Excerpted from Wikipedia.com.)A strange book which forces you to suspend belief about Great Britain in the 1980’s.

I was Altar Guild chair for July and due to the illness of a parent of our linen person had the opportunity to wash and iron a lot of Altar linen. I remember my mother having a good laugh over my doing the altar linen feeling that ironing is not one of my great skills.

We hosted a Korean ESL (English as a second Language) teacher. He spoke English well and taught us a lot about the Korean Culture and history.

We also collected some of the excess blankets from my sister’s move and contributed them to a loaning closet for foreign students. This is part of the mission of the CVIP (Community Volunteers for International Programs).