Last Liked Family Blogs (546)

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 ______?"

In my family, we have a tradition. Every Christmas Eve, we get together and enjoy some good food, some good conversation and some good times together.

In my family, Christmas Eve starts at noon on the 24th, and can sometimes run until midnight. Some of my family members attend church, but I am not really interested in attending church, so I just stay home, and usually I am watching tv or preparing something for later on in the evening. Once people are home from church, the table is filled with candy, cookies and drinks. Either soda or water for the kids, and beer for the adults. The food is then prepared at about 2.30 - 3 pm, so it'll be ready for 6 pm, when we sit down to eat.

Usually, the food is traditional Danish Christmas food: roasted pork, roasted duck, two types of potatoes (regular and caramelized), pickled cabbage, thick gravy and sometimes, we also have heated potato chips, as a side dish for the gravy.

After the food, we bring each bring out three small gifts, and place them in the middle of the table. It can be everything from a small toy to candy. There is a catch, though: All the gifts has to have a maximum value of 30 DKK, which is just under $5. Then, we bring out a dice and a raffle cup. We then take turns rolling the dice. If your dice lands on a six, you get to take a gift. Once all the gifts have been taken, the timer is set. Usually for about 15 minutes. For those next 15 minutes, if you roll a six, you are allowed to take a gift from someone. The aim of the game is to have as many gifts as possible, by the time the clock rings. It's always good fun, and it's always a huge hit.

Once we have distributed all the small gifts, it's time for the thing that no other country has: Risalamande. It is a dessert made of rice pudding mixed with whipped cream, sugar, vanilla, and chopped almonds. It is served cold with either warm or cold cherry sauce. Just to demonstrate how cruel/brilliant us Danes are, there is a tradition to the risalamande: a whole almond is added to the dessert, and the person who finds it wins a small prize such as a marzipan pig, a chocolate heart or a small board game. The finder may conceal their discovery as long as possible, so that the rest of the company is forced to eat the entire dish of risalamande, even after they have already devoured a large Christmas dinner.

If people are still awake by that time, it's time for the Christmas gifts. At this time, more candy, cookies and drinks are brought out. Usually, we have enough drinks to fill a swimming pool, and combined with what seems like about 30 kilos of food and snacks, most people go into a food coma. I am usually not hungry for the next few days after a Christmas Eve in my family.

Everyone is welcome - even friends. If someone doesn't have a place to celebrate Christmas Eve, they are welcome to spend it with my family. The only demand is three small gifts, and if they want to bring Christmas gifts for everyone, they are welcome to do that as well, but that's not a requirement.

I am looking forward to this years celebrations! We are going to be seven people, so it's gonna be a lot of fun!

Many people ignore or are in denial when the early signs of dementia start showing up blaming the brain on aging. Many signs are simply normal after all how many times does one walk into a room to get something only to forget what they are supposed to get? That happens to even young people. I will not go into all the research I did but I will hit some of the highlights. I know my Dad had all the symptoms in the beginning but my Mom refused to believe it until it was too late, I think we all were in a bit of denial as well as uninformed on what to do.

The early stages of dementia are totally reversable. Quite a shocking revelation to me. Diets are very important but I'm not touching that subject for awhile, however the main culprit (for almost anything evil in our bodies) is sugar and cheap oils which are full of horrible situations to take place in our bodies. Anything processed, especially in America is awful for us yet we consume it daily anyways.

One of the most important things the elderly can do is stay active and excercise (my weakest link is excercise). Other ways to fight the early onslaught of dementia is to "Change it Up". Do different things to excercise the brain and try not to follow a rigid routine. A routine has its benefits but once ingrained the brain is not getting any stimulation. Try a crossword or jigsaw puzzle, try a new food, go to a different restaurant, in other words, change up that routine to stimulate the brain. There are many ways to change it up if one looks.

This blog is just a summary of a lot of research I'm doing and not the whole story. Also no matter what there are exceptions to ANY rules. The medical field has done a great job of keeping my Father alive, however the great man and family leader no longer resides in his body. Where did he go? He was always a very proud man who now has been stripped of his dignity completely. At some point when dementia starts, if steps aren't taken early on, it is NOT reversable anymore.

If my Dad didn't have fantastic insurance I don't believe the medical field would have kept him alive but he is like a meal ticket for lack of better wording so he lives. His life isn't horrible because my Mom & the caretaker takes excellent care of him, someone that doesn't have this kind of care - oh I can't think about how awful that is. I know in nursing homes there are many patients in a wheelchair just staring and drooling blankly in the halls. You actually have to navigate between the wheel chairs. There is no life in their eyes yet their lungs are breathing in and out and the medical staff is getting paid. I don't believe Japan or India suffer as much as Western Europe and America in brain decline.

I was taught to be a proud American and maybe compared to some countries we are but compared to some others we aren't. My opinion is the Sugar Industry is the satanic symbol of the anti-christ and has won most people's hearts or controlled their brains with sugar addiction. The sugar industry wins the battle when the FDA ruled that percentaqes of how much nutrition is in a product. Look at an ingredient list on any food product and you will see the amount of Calories with a percentage amount of daily values. The same percentage shows for fiber, or carbs. But when you get to the sugar there is NO percentage. That's because the sugar industry fought and won. That stinks out loud when sugar has so much power they don't have to obey the rules. If an industy is hell bent on power knowing it is hurting it's people hardly makes me proud to be from that country. I'm very disappointed in America and don't know if any leader has ever really cared. The only one I saw make an attempt was Michelle Obama with our children but the other side of her political party blew a gasket.

I wish more people would take charge of their lives and quit believing in doctors blindly. It is not in their interest for you to be well.

Every Thanksgiving, I get invited to my ex-wife's family Thanksgiving dinner and every year, I get elected to carve the turkey. This year was no different. The turkey was smaller than usual probably because they had spiral cut ham and traditional jerk chicken.
Yeah.... jerk chicken for thanksgiving.

In the past, when I sliced the turkey, I did so in even slices. It went different this time and did more of a 'Boston Market' random cuts. they must have liked it as the plate was empty after 20 minutes.

At least 25 people showed up and more were arriving when I was leaving at sundown.

I got to see a sister-in-law who doesn't come to family gatherings very often as she lives a few hundred miles away. It must have been ten years... wow, that long?
We chatted for a while and I gave her the update to my side of the family. She's been living with a boyfriend going on 20 years now and they recently bought a house together.
Some people prefer not to be married and it appears to be working for them.

I took home a plate of food and still have a few cuts of the chicken. I will finish that off tomorrow!

In a world where everyone is so ugly to each other I feel like reporting something beautiful at least it is to my heart. My Dad who has survived two Hospice situations, lived in a rehab for almost 2 years, fell out of bed twice once needing a hip replacement during the GD lockdown is still hanging in there. Mom went through hell getting him home but she did it and a nurse comes daily to help Dad, in and out of bed, to bathe and eat.

Yesterday when I was there, I bent over to kiss him and ask, "Daddy you know who I am?"
him "Well you called me Daddy, so..."
me "yeah that was a hint, do you know my name"
him...he sees my dog and says, "Bella"
me "Dad you know my dog but not me?"
He locks eyes with me and smiles a smile that just melts my heart - even though his elevator is stuck between floors.

Lately his blood pressure is swinging up and down. Mom called emergency services but they wanted to take him to the ER - she said no - she doesn't want him near all the covid patients, I thought that was a good call. A doctor comes to the house and redoes his meds but if he dies at home, so be it. That is what he wanted before he lost his mind, was to die at home. Mom seems to be at peace with that too.

The CUTE thing to report is that Mom and Dad still hold hands and it is the cutest thing to see. I've seen it all my life but there is a whole lot more beauty and love watching those two withered hands hold each other and r
adiate their love. At least Dad recognizes Mom completely.

My son is gonna start college tomorrow! Poor boy, he has been waiting for this more than 2 years. Most of his high-school mates are already in their 3rd year of college

He would be moving out end of next month. He’d be sharing a basement with my Malaysian girlfriend, PL. There are 3 rooms and they both take the 2 nicer ones. The house belongs to a Chinese couple in their late 50’s who immigrated to the US some 15 years ago. They used to run a Chinese restaurant and PL used to work there as a waitress during her undergraduate years. They treated her really well.

So, when one of their houses was restored, they offered PL a place. There are 3 rooms on the ground level that is occupied by their chefs and kitchen staffs. PL recommended my son and they agreed but under one condition, my son would’ve to help out at their takeaway ( they had since sold their dine-in restaurant and bought a takeaway business instead, just before Covid. Very lucky people I’d say! ) at least twice a week. In return, he’d get to stay for $400/month with utilities and internet connection included. No deposit needed too.

My son has been helping out for almost 2 weeks now. His schedule was a bit erratic coz at the same time, he and Art were hunting for a used car for him.

The first week he worked there, 10am -10pm for 4 consecutive days, it leaves him very very determined to study very very hard when he goes to college!

I’m now on a hunt for a study/computer table, a comfy chair and a dresser for him on FB Marketplace. He’d bring some of the old but still sturdy furniture from this house. We are all in agreement that he shouldn’t be spending on a lot of money on anything at this moment.

I showed him some really good deals on them office chair and table. Some were quickly snapped up by other buyers and some he wasn’t interested in, much to my frustration

Spotted a really nice dresser but just our luck, someone beat us to it

I was scrolling the FB Marketplace and Aa-Haah!! Finally!! A free chair!!

I showed it to my son when he got back from work yesterday. He’s not talking to me now …… he might even disown his own mom

Please tell me! What have I done wrong?!? I was just looking out for him, trying to save him a few bucks

Well, he can always do his coursework and have his hair permed at the same time?!?!? What’s wrong with dat?!?!


P.S: He’s being paid $130 for working 12hours at the takeaway.

It's been a few years since I visited my brother in Dayton, Ohio.
The last time was for the funeral of his wife, about 4 years ago.
I was running out of excuses and got on a plane and made the trip. I got to see nieces, nephews and their kids. Today it was happy times for all of us.
We left hot humid weather in South Florida and the first day here was highs in the 80's with low humidity. Tonight it's 67 which would be considered winter in my hometown.

I'm here for the weekend and have a list of 'things to do, places to go and people to see' that includes the aircraft museum with it's iMAX theater and 3D movies.

My grandivas are in their mid to late twenties now. One of my cutest memories from when they were in elementary school is about the time texting began. The girls got phones and I got a text at work from the oldest one. I texted back and for a few text we enjoyed each other. Then it occured to me she turned me into the little girl I once was passing notes in elemetary school. Neither of us was supposed to be texting from school or work but there we were both being kids.

Now she is a flight attendant, today in Amerstdam posting photos on FB showing how happy she is. Yesterday she face timed me while she was doing her make up. She was cute as hell when the phone call started but then as she piled crap (makeup) on her face, did her cheeks, eyebrows, lashes, then fixed her hair all while face timeing she ended up looking like she belonged on a magazine that would give every man a boner. She always let me know how she was having fun being single but now she has a boyfriend for two months.

My first question was "good sex?" and she said yes. Funny question from a grandma but tough if anyone has a problem with that.