Thankful and Thanksgiving Day

For those who celebrate Thanksgiving Day, I hope you had a wonderful day with family, friends or volunteering.  This is the first time in a long time I did not cook Thanksgiving dinner, but this year I was not up to it.  I am feeling much better but seem to not have regained my energy and stamina yet.

I opted to make a reservation at my favorite restaurant and treated my cousin and my adorable 93-year old neighbor to dinner.  The food was delicious, and we all enjoyed it.  I did cook the next evening though for the three of us.  My neighbor's daughter-in-law had caught fresh wild salmon in Washington, and offered to provide it for dinner.   I marinated it in Sesame Ginger sauce, grilled it on a cedar plank, and it was delicious if I do say so myself.  We all ate too much on both evenings but enjoyed every morsel.

My son and his family live in Japan which is too far away to visit for the weekend.  My daughter normally is here for Thanksgiving weekend, but a new job  required her to stay in New York.  My cousin lives in a suburb of Los Angeles but joins us in the desert for the holidays each year.  She did a great job of putting the lights on my Christmas tree since that is something my daughter always has done for me and one more thing I am not yet up to doing for myself.  Slowly I will get the ornaments put on it, but the lights are a real chore so I am grateful to her for her assistance.

We did take time on Saturday to go to the movies where we saw  Lincoln,  and it deserves all the great reviews it is getting.  Daniel Day Lewis should win an Oscar for his superb portrayal of Lincoln.  Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones were also outstanding as were so many other actors and actresses whose names are too numerous to mention here.  If you have not seen the film, I hope you will have an opportunity to do so.  Even if you are not a history buff you will still enjoy the film I think.  I am not a history buff at all, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This year my family and I especially have so much for which to be thankful, and I try to be grateful each day and not just on Thanksgiving Day.   I know sometimes I fall short of that goal, and my vow is to try to do better in the months ahead.  There are so many people in this world who are in harsh situations, and by comparison I know I am blessed and more fortunate.  I hope I will continue to remember that daily and do whatever I can to help others.

What about you?  Are you fortunate or unfortunate?  Are you grateful or ungrateful?  I would very much like to hear from you as to what you are thankful for or as to what your misfortune may be.  Thanks for taking time to read today's post.

Life Is What Happens When We Are Making Other Plans

Whoever coined that phrase knew about what he or she was speaking.  I have always been a person who plans, makes lists, utilizes planners and calendars and schedules.  Although since my surgery I have tried to resume those habits, I seem to be lagging behind in getting back on track.  I make a plan, and then I have to change it because a medical appointment must be kept.  I make a plan, put it on the calendar and find I must cancel it or reschedule it.  I now write things in pencil because I have to change plans for various reasons.  Unexpected visitors, too many phone calls from pollsters and/or telemarketers, as well as other interruptions have totally discombobulated my plans.

All that being said, however, I know it is really up to me to take charge of my time and get back to business.
I have begun listing new items on our website www.malcolmfortots.com and our ETSY shop www.malcolmfortots.etsy.com so please check back on both sites frequently to see what progress has been made.

The holidays are rapidly approaching so my mind swirls with ideas and plans for the various special celebrations of the season.  As I add them to my ever-lengthening lists, I also am thinking of new things to include in my blog in 2013.  I so much appreciate the thousands of page views my blog has had since its inception, and I hope to broaden its appeal in the New Year with the changes I am contemplating adding.

Thanks so much for continuing to read my posts.

The Way We Always Do Things

If you have been following my blog you know that the past several months have not been typical for me.  I was diagnosed with cancer in May, had surgery in June, and have been recovering slowly but surely.  Being very blessed to not need chemotherapy or radiation, I still have not regained my energy or stamina which I allowed to prevent me from doing certain things.  That being said, I decided that I needed to downsize expectations of myself until my energy is at my former level (assuming it will be someday).

My tendency to be a pack rat was exacerbated during my time of illness when I was just stashing things wherever I found a space which caused me to not be able to find things.  Although there have been many times in my life when I could clean closets, dressers, chests, desks, and cupboards in a day..............not so now...............instead I had to break down each project into smaller segments.  I have taken one side of a closet to clean one day and the other side on another day.  I have cleaned several drawers in a day and then several more on subsequent days.  I can happily report that my desks, armoire, closets, dressers, nightstands, and some cupboards are now clean and reorganized (of course, lots of the things removed have been carried out to my garage for future handling when the temperatures are no longer in excess of 100 degrees).

The point of this blog post is to tell you that even when we are unable to do things the way they have always been done, we can find other ways to do them albeit more slowly.  The results are just as rewarding as it is a wonderful feeling to open a drawer or closet and immediately see the item(s) I need. When the organization experts tell us to make three piles (things to keep, things to discard, things to donate) they are absolutely right.  I also followed their advice and turned all of the hangers in my bedroom closet so the hooks face outward.  As items are worn, laundered or dry cleaned and rehung, the hooks are turned to face the back of the closet indicating that the garments have been worn.  At the end of a season or a year the items on hangers with hooks still facing outward will become things to donate (although I sometimes delude myself thinking that things which no longer fit me will someday by magic again fit me).

Now I am spending less time searching for things.  I am going to give books to the local library; I am going to deliver clothing and household items to local charities; and  I am going to tackle kitchen cabinets and drawers in the coming weeks.  By the time I finish those it should be cool enough to tackle cleaning out the garage.............I  will try very hard to discipline myself to keep everything organized, but I make no promises.

Why Trust Is A Must

The more I read and the more I hear about what is going on in the world, I am shocked and dismayed by the lack of integrity existing today in the realm of journalists, newscasters, bloggers, and celebrities.  Slanted, biased, untrue, and misleading are just some of the words that describe the information that not only we are exposed to on a daily basis but also to what our CHILDREN are exposed.

There was a time when integrity was not considered optional in our society, but it seems that era is long gone.  From the highest office to the lowest citizen in our world blatant untruths abound and are passed around via the Internet at such speed that trying to stop them is like trying to stop a moving train.  The people who originate lies obviously must have their own motivation to do so, but people who pass lies on and on seem to do so without thinking or researching to prevent perpetuating lies.

To bring up our children to be honest, productive, successful, educated, and caring adults they need and should be able to expect integrity from everyone.  Children are innocent, trusting and malleable so trust is a must......................how on earth are we going to restore integrity in our society?

Any suggestions?

Longing For Cool Weather

Although we are now one-third of the way through September, we are not having cooler weather here in the desert.  In fact, we are still having triple-digit temperatures.  I am getting anxious for sweater weather (of which we have very little) and for adding new merchandise to both of our on-line shops at:

www.malcolmfortots.etsy.com

www.malcolmfortots.com

We can now ship all over the world from our ETSY site, and we know you will be pleased with your purchases.  Thanks in advance for shopping with us.

Love, Sweet Love

Back in the late 60's or early 70's there was a song with lyrics that said, "What the world needs now is love, sweet love.  It's the only thing that there's just too little of..................."  Yesterday I was speaking with my daughter who lives in Manhattan.  Because of the recent tragedy at the Empire State Building we talked of  many things:

• the insanity in today's world, 
• the senseless crimes, 
• the red flags that are ignored which could prevent tragedies,
• the rage and anger exhibited by many people, 
• the killing and wounding of innocent people, 
• the bickering, dishonesty, and lack of action of our elected representatives, 
• the insane greed and lust for power, money, and 15 minutes of fame,
• the overwhelming national debt,
• the millions of people looking for jobs,
• the loss of moral compasses by many people,
• the ever-increasing numbers of homeless people and addicts of every kind,
• the looting and stealing of other people's property by thugs,
• the destruction of property over stupid things like a sporting event won or lost,
• the great lack of respect for authority, anything or anyone, 
• the huge number of single mothers and abdication of responsibility by fathers,
• the boys who think that they are tough because they belong to gangs and are no strangers to drive-by shootings and other criminal acts,
• the ridiculous mismanagement of funds in cities, towns, and states causing the loss of needed protection provided by police, fire fighters, and our military.  
• and so many, many more issues that taint life in the world today.

You will notice we did not mention natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, fires,  hurricanes or tornadoes as they are things over which humans have no control. The problems we discussed are all man made and, therefore, in truth can be resolved by mankind if we are inclined to fix them.  We talked about things that could, should, or might be done to resolve the problems and make the world a better, safer place.

We believe the thing that could start to make things better is LOVE.  All children and adults need love, compassion and kindness, and when they don't get it anger, rage, and bad behavior are the results.  There have always been evil people and evil acts, and there are people who have been loved but still choose to go down a wrong path in life. Many people want to fight, quarrel, kill, threaten, attack, and generally behave like jerks.  Love, kindness and compassion can help many of them and, over time, prevent the numbers from increasing.

Such a simple answer but a true answer.  Will we all ask ourselves what do we do that we need to stop doing, and what do we not do that we need to start doing?  Will we begin in our own homes, on our own streets, in our own cities and towns?  Bad people and bad deeds make the daily news, but there are still millions of good people in this world who are never mentioned................there are enough good people so that we could turn the world around if we join forces and decide to do it.

"What the world needs now is love, sweet love......................"  How about it?  Are you in?

Summer 2012

Summer 2012 has been filled with ups and downs, and I am so grateful for the "ups" in my life.  After my lung cancer surgery I am cancer free...........no chemo...........no radiation...........just five years of follow-up with my oncologist.  Knowing that the surgeon was able to remove all of the cancer is definitely a huge "up" in my life.  

Another really significant "up" is my only grandchild's recovery from a very scary experience.  He and his parents came from Tokyo to visit me.   I am always thrilled to see them since we are separated by so many miles.  My son and grandson were to take a side trip to Texas, and shortly after the plane departed my grandson experienced tremendous pain in his back and shoulder.  On board were a doctor, a paramedic, and a nurse, but no one had any idea what was wrong with him (no one had a stethoscope) so he was given oxygen for the remainder of the flight and advised to go to the nearest urgent care facility upon arrival at DFW Airport.  Urgent Care doctors could not determine what was wrong with him but, thankfully, decided to take a chest x-ray which revealed one of his lungs was partially collapsed.  An ambulance ride to the nearest hospital emergency room followed, a chest tube was inserted and he was admitted to the hospital.

After a week of being unable to get his lung to remain inflated on its own, he underwent almost the same surgery I had just had weeks earlier.  He was in the hospital for 13 days and then remained in Texas for two additional weeks waiting to be released to fly (not only back to the desert where I live but back to Tokyo).  We were all very relieved when they made it safely back to Tokyo last weekend with no problems of any kind.

My grandson is close to six feet tall at age 16, and he is extremely thin.  The doctors who treated him said that he had spontaneous pneumothorax which is not uncommon in teenage boys and young men who are very tall and thin. Spontaneous pneumothorax is a collection of air or gas in the space between the lungs and the chest that "collapses" the lung and prevents it from inflating completely.  They cannot predict when it happens or what if anything precipitates the collapse of the lung, but I can assure you it is a very scary experience for the patient and family.  

My grandson is doing well and this week started his junior year in high school. I too am feeling well and looking forward to Fall and Winter 2012.  Despite a long absence from my blog and on-line shops I very much appreciate all of you who continued to read posts and visit both shops www.malcolmfortots.etsy.com and www.malcolmfortots.com

My family and I have been truly blessed and are thankful for the outcome of this memorable summer.