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I received a text message yesterday from a school friend I've known more than 50 years. Her husband and I communicate a few times a year and it's usually about other friends good and bad situations. The message was about another friend who passed away a few months ago. He was a retired attorney living in California and only a few years younger than me. Another one gone.

I dropped off the website for class reunions and she gives me updates.

As long as I've known her, she's been a vegetarian. She returned to Miami 12 years ago for a reunion and it must be working as she's about 125 pounds and most of her girlfriends who attended the event were no less than 180 pounds.

I'm expecting family holiday photos of her 2 kids and their families, then I could send them to my friends and say "Hey... do you remember ______?"

I Am Sending A Doev

Every year, it's Thanksgiving dinner at my daughter's house and every year, it's a neighbor, relative or friend of a friend who is in town for the weekend who joins us.
This time, a woman with with 2 young sons was a guest and she said "Do you remember me?" I hesitated and said "No, but I was once abducted by Aliens and have occasional memory lapses" she went on to introduce herself and explain.

Now I remember... It's been at least 25 years. They went to high school together and she had been to my house many times. Was her hair style different? Perhaps it was the 35 pounds along the way she gained that changed her appearance.

We need everything right after our birth........

A teenage event that happened in my life 4 decades ago.

Went to a house party. Much later a fight broke out, so couldn't find the friend i came out, becasue the scene was just chaotic. Met a guy there who I had kissed in the past who offered me a walk home.I was so grateful because i had a strict parents (rightly so), and my curfew had long since past. This guy first stopped by his grans house to pick up his jacket. Offered for me to come in which i did,and I was extremely quiet cos his gran was sleeping.

After jacket sorted, he the started kissing me, no harm in that, but then he wanted to take it further. By then i was terrified, asked him to please take me home, crying, begging, pleading all in whispers cos his gran was there asleep somewhere in that house. Despite all of that he still flatly refused to take me home. His ultimatum to me was "either sleep with me and I will take you home", or walk home on your own and get raped". Bearing in mind this was 2.00 a.m on a Sunday morning and it was a 30 mins walk home, I was petrified.

Sanity prevailed in my befuddled mind, so I then walked outside and waited on the road, hoping he would come up and feel remorse and safely accompany me home. Nothing, nada, crickets!

Luckily (amdist all the trauma i was going through in the pitch black of the night), i remembered that I had a friend who lived a street away, and so I ran to her home with a pounding heart and banged on her door. Thank goodness she was home. I told her what had happened and told her that she had to wake me at 6.00 a.m sunday morning because I knew my parents would be frantic with worry and furious too! She did exactly that. Bless her.

I took the long early morning walk of shame home at 6.00 am in the morning, constantly aware aware of drivers going by staring at me, people on early morning walks staring me. I kept my head down shamefully and felt humiliated every long step it took me to reach home.

When I got home, my mom screamed at me, called me a b*tch and told me to go to my room. I was sobbing so much and so hurt by what she called me. She does not use vulgar language ever. So for her to use that word on me, I subconsciously knew it was just her franticness coming across and relief that her daughter was finally safely home.. But I'm also human, so i also recall thinking in my traumatised state "Mom if only you knew the truth. I'm 16 years old, not a b*tch and still a virgin".

My dad came to my room soon after, where i was sobbing uncontrollably, facedown on my bed. He then very calmly asked me if the story I had told my mom and him was true. I told him yes it was. He then told me that he believed me He did warn me though, in a calm but stern voice, that if he ever heard a contradictory story to the explanation i gave them for sleeping out, I was going to be in serious trouble and that there were going to be serious consequences.

The truth is most of the my story was true. The only part I didnt tell my parents was this guys ultimatum to me. And that has stayed with me my whole life. Buried deep, but wont ever be forgotten.AND thank goodness my parents did not ever hear the real story.

My parents are now long since deceased. May their precious souls RIP. I loved them with all of my heart and still miss them terribly. SO Mom and Dad, wherever you may be, I am finally unburdening the "lie" i told you. Now you know the truth, and I deeply regret not trusting you enough to tell you the true events of that night.

I still ask myself as that young innocent 16 year old, as to why didnt i tell my parents the truth? Why did i take the shame upon myself and not out the guy that scarred me to some degree as a teenager?

It still hurts me that I didn't tell my parents what really happened that night.

SO, Mom and Dad,wherever you might be now in the afterlife, now you know the trauma your daughter went through that night. This is for you. Im finally releasing it and letting it go.xo

I'm living my dream. I retired from my job of 20 years in Orlando in April to move to Tampa just 2 miles from my folks. I wanted to be a helping hand but before the accident they didn't need me too much, now they do.

Mom fell last week at a doctor's office during a stress test. She was sent to hospital by ambulance ($$). Turns out she dislocated her should which they had to pop back in, a giant hemotoma the size of a grapefruit on her hip and a huge gash on her leg.

I'm upset that someone didn't assist an 82 yr old woman with Parkinson's off the x-ray chair and into the other room they were sending her. Without assistance she fell and has been in horrible agony since. I contacted the most advertsied "slip & fall" attorney, Morgan & Morgan only to find out they don't want the case. I called the FL State Bar for another referral and will deal with that Monday. Mom may not want to sue because she is afraid she won't be able to see her beloved doctor.

As luck would have it my 28 yr old nephew, their grandson is staying with the folks temporarily so between the both of us it's good.

However after 9 days of hardly any sleep I have brain fog and have come home to spend one night in my own bed. With Dad's wandering mind, the challenges are interesting in what he does and doesn't remember but he is still good at barking orders. I'm still bad at getting frustrated instead of just agreeing and letting it go.

Since I'm so blessed to still have my folks. I tried hard to get from Orlando to Tampa but was more loyal to my job. Luckily my bossed pushed the issue of me retiring and let me go slowly by taking duties away over the last two years. I made it to Tampa 8 months ago and as hard as this job is, caring for one's parents, I'm still thankful to have them.

I'm not the best care taker because I'm clueless but I'm open to new experiences. Wish me luck.

well with the season of good will now past , i had a interesting message from my sister ,,which was that she had received a christmas gift that has caused her concern ,,,, why well this gift being electronic requires a certain app to use it ,,but the catch is that this app requires a monthly fee ,
so this gift can now be a burden especially as my sister lives on a pension ,,
over to you folks what gifts have you received that have been of no use to you or what gifts have been well thought out and have delighted you ,,,,,

Amusing Babies

Condo shopping was put on hold for a number of reasons. Heavy workload and my accountant meeting was postponed because she's been out with the flu.

Most of our shopping is in a very large retirement community with hundreds of units and what may be available this week could be gone next week. Our preference is to find an end unit because they often have more windows than inside units. Also it's important to have the bedrooms facing the east to avoid the excessive heat building up in the evening. That's significant and could be the difference in $100 a month for air conditioning expense.

All the floor plans are similar with some left hand and some right hand depending on the orientation to the side of the building you are on. We did find an end unit with more windows than the inside units but it was being rented until next year... for sale but conditional.

The thing that interested my wife was the bathroom has a window and the others don't. So now I have to add to my list of wants is a unit where the master bathroom has a window.

Yes, a loo with a view!