Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived an amazing person. Her name was ‘Information Please’ and there was nothing she did not know. Information Please could supply anyone’s number and the correct time.

My personal experience with the genie-in-a-bottle came one day while my mother was visiting a neighbor. Amusing myself at the tool bench in the basement, I whacked my finger with a hammer, the pain was terrible, but there seemed no point in crying because there was no one home to give sympathy.

I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger, finally arriving at the stairway. The telephone! Quickly, I ran for the footstool in the parlor and dragged it to the landing. Climbing up, I unhooked the receiver in the parlor and held it to my ear. ‘Information, please’ I said into the mouthpiece just above my head.  (more…)

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Well, I find I am past the “Adult Crisis” stage; instead I’ve entered a whole new phase of life experience.   For want of a better title, I call it “Transitions”.    The term Passages implies you are on your way from one place to another;  while Transitions means something very different.   According to Merriam Webster’s dictionary, transition as a form of change means: a movement, development, or evolution from one form, stage, or style to another.  So what, you say?   Then you must be one of our younger readers.   

Transition means your life is changing as you become  a senior citizen. You find your interests and ideas are changing.  So is your body changing, both healthwise and in appearance.     Has your hair turned gray?   Do you need strong bifocal glasses?    Are hearing aids a necessity in your life?   Do you routinely forget names and places; or why you went from one room to another?   Instead of running and chasing with your grandkids, do you sit comfortably and watch them run and chase?   Do you heave a sigh of relief when they go home, collapsing into your favorite lounge chair?   If you answer yes to many of these questions, you are transitioning into senior citizenship.  Of course many of thr signs and symbols of aging can be covered or erased through modern cosmetic techniques and plastic surgery.   (more…)

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Even though our celebration was on the internet, people really got involved in it and in their memories of personal experiences with Cheers. As the administrator said, no more tears today, just joy in celebrating Cheers’ life and blessings to us.

It was a fun time, held on the island of DUNFRETTIN (get the meaning there?) which is the place to forget sorrow and problems. It has sand and beaches, palm trees and mild breezes, with native staff to take care of food and refreshment. The good ship S.S. Imagination left the pier every 5 minutes to carry everyone to the celebration. We’ll be waiting for anyone who cares to join us there..

The theme of the day was Clowns (what else) and balloons figured predominantly in the posts. Also important were individual recollections:

DK “I think everyone here can remember all the times I was trying to explain how a program or something works. Cheers would get on me and say keep it simple for us simple folks. I would e mail her pictures & descriptions of how a program would install or how to do something in a program & she would e-mail me back saying HUHHHH We had a lot of fun going back & forth with explanations. I was glad I could make her last year a HAPPY year”

ARM: “Let the celebration begin.

Maybe these are Birthday balloons but it is the celebration of the birth of Cheers in a different life. Chloe, to your list of things about Cheers we should add all the jokes we had to explain to her. It was fun trying to confuse her.”

CHLOE: ” Wish I had kept a list of all the “Cheerisms”. Between the malapropisms and the bad spelling there were times I was laughing so hard just about fell off my chair! Know some of it was deliberate on the part of Cheers because she knew darn well that somebody would come back (often myself) with a smartas* comment. So the first graphic is to say THANK YOU!”

Finally, let us give Cheers the send-off she deserves

Saying goodbye …

Now the balloons rising to the heavens to say: Well Done Cheers

GOODBY DEAR FRIEND… WE SHALL MISS YOUR WISDOM, HUMOR AND LOVE.

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Nelda was a very special person who was ordained to bless others with her humor, dedication, wisdom and love. She was non-judgmental as she offered up her suggestions and wisdom to those who came to her. She was also a human being, with her own faults and shortcomings, but now as we deal with her death we prefer to see her only in the ways she blessed us.

Have you lost a very special person? Someone who loomed larger than life in your heart? Then perhaps you can understand how the members of the Senior Playground are feeling.  (http://www.seniorsplayground.com/). This woman’s impact on the world around her is much larger than she, and we, ever realized.

For much of her adult life, Nelda was Cheers, the clown. She had a clownmobile called Beaux and she did love that little car - as did the people who saw it coming in parades and special activities. She never really stopped being a clown; she simply dispensed with the clown apparatus as age took its toll on her. Then cancer reared it’s ugly head and the battle was on! Nelda never quit fighting until the very end; but she passed away quietly and peacefully at home. ‘Tis a blessing to those of us who mourn her because we won’t have to watch her valiant struggle as we pray for her.

Nelda/Cheers never lost her positive attitude and she sheperded our forum whenever she could. Fortunately she had prepared for this eventuality and trained two very good people to carry on after her. So the Playground will continue, but right now the slides and swings are empty as we all gather to celebrate the life of our friend and mentor.

May all the blessings and peace of God be upon Cheers, her family, and her many friends. She will receive the royal clown sendoff of balloons at her memorial service next
Saturday.

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It took me until yesterday to get my television service and today for the internet. It also took two technicians and my apartment manager to get the various issues resolved. But ’tis done and I’m in business. YIPPEE! Wonder if Andy has any champagne left over from his birthday celebration? (See Archives for February 10 2008,)

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Take care and have a wonderful day.

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Have a great week all.

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Shortly after that, I accidentally dropped  my lower plate (false teeth) on the tile floor and it broke in half.    We’ve tried gluing it but that didn’t work, so I have an appt. to get new false teeth down there.    Until then, speak carefully and don’t laugh with mouth wide open.

Now, as of yesterday, the lenses fell out of my glasses frame.    The frame is totally unbroken so all I can say is, What Is Happening?     Luckily, I can still see without them, but it’s blurry.

The cost for replacing these necessities is going to strain my savings badly.  Especially with the cost of moving.

See No Evil; Hear No Evil; Speak No Evil.   Remember the three monkeys?       I  wonder how that applies to me?   It certainly is a good analogy for what is happemig.

There must be a lesson to be learned in here somewhere.   Any suggestions?

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Well the decision has been made, the perfect apartment located, deposit paid and movers arranged for the BIG DAY. Now it is time to set up utilities and services, along with my endless packing. I HAVE TOO MUCH JUNK! Thought I got rid of a lot of it at my last move but it seems I kept a lot of it.

Anyhow, on Friday I started with electrical companies. We have to have electricity you know. Pulled up all the Texas Electrical Energy Providers for this area on the internet and started phone calling. You see, at today’s prices I want to get the best deal possible. The various issues I dealt with were a 35 minute, “Please hold, a customer representative will be right with you.” Then there was “Our computer is down, please call back in two hours.” Forget that one! Or how about “This number is no longer a working number.” Oops, something did that company in, I guess.

By this time I was so frustrated I gave up and went back to packing. Restarted the phone calls on Saturday, and finally ended up with the same company and the same package I had the last time. Why didn’t I start with them and save all the trouble? I did! That was the one that put me on hold for 35 minutes. That’s why.

Well, tomorrow I tackle the telephone, internet, and television suppliers. You see, way out here in the hinterlands a person is very limited as to what is available. Television is a disaster, and internet services very limited. So we shall see what luck I have tomorrow.

Are you enjoying my moving experience? I hope so, since I’m not! I’ll be back later when I have something new to report.

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It seems to me the following was written by an unknown person who had just experienced such a loss and wrote The Rainbow Bridge to allay his or her grief. You may not believe it, but you have to admit it’s beautiful.

“The Rainbow Bridge”

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here,
that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends
so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine,
our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor;

those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again,
just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.

The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing;
they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together,
but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance.
His bright eyes are intent; His eager body begins to quiver.
Suddenly he begins to run from the group,
flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted,
and when you and your special friend finally meet,
you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again.
The happy kisses rain upon your face;
your hands again caress the beloved head,
and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet,
so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together….

(Author unknown)

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