Watch Out - All Star Swimming Here She Comes...

Great News!!

My daughter was just elected by the coaches to represent the league at the East Meets West Swimming All Star event this coming Wednesday!! This is great news. She will be swimming the 50 yard breastroke event. For those of you who have been following, you know that she has a permanently disabled shoulder sustained in a snow tubing accident.

Mere words do not seem to be enough to express how proud I am of her for showing shear determination to overcome her physical challenges. She is an incredible example to me and reminds me to keep going, keep persevering, and not to give up. I love her "the glass is half full" approach to life.

Here is a link to an earlier post if you want to learn more background on the story:

http://queenofhaartz.blogspot.com/2009/02/dont-underestimate-determination.html

Wild Weather

Hey, who hijacked our typical New England Summer? It has rained for almost 30 days in a row. Just two days ago, in one burst, we had 6 inches of rain in a two hour time frame. Two homes nearby were struck by lightening. The small brooks are overflowing into the streams, the streams are overflowing the rivers, and the rivers are filling the massive flood plain areas near by. The beaver pond in our back yard has grown enormously.

The weather man is working overtime here. Instead of the typical forecast of when can we expect rain, we are getting reports of when we can expect sun. By some fluke, we had a clear weather for a few hours, enough to attend a Red Sox game. Yahoo!!

I can't help but wonder if near the end of summer it will be the the opposite and we will be dealing with a draught!

A new volunteer opportunity

Got to musing again today about my volunteer term ending soon. It has been a long road over the last 10 years, volunteering, which culminated in being President for the last 21 months. Every day, seven days a week, I work on Auxiliary responsibilities. All for the good of the patients our hospital serves. Some days there are many hours, others just a few follow ups or small tasks.

For the last 9 months I have been training my replacement. It is hard to think of the person as a replacement because I have been so attached to the organization. But change does and will happen. People will arrive who not think like us or act like us. As a matter of fact, they will be abrasive. And why is this you might ask? Because they think they can do better and be better. Things will no longer be done “our” way, but will be done “their” way. Change will definitely happen and depending on the leader it could be a good thing or a bad thing.

I wonder what the future will bring for both me and the organization I currently serve. Hopefully, it will survive and thrive trying new and different things to make it successful. I know that my path will lead me in a different direction with a new organization. Already I have been elected to another non-profit Board of Directors. There is a new group of people who feel I am the fresh new face they are looking for! The future looks bright.

Goodbye My Friend

My muse for today,

My very dear friend passed away this week. A vibrant, gorgeous, loving wife and mother of two young children. This was a shock of monumental proportions. I just had coffee with her a couple days previous and were were setting up our schedules for summertime activities. Death arrived like a thief, and stole her callously away.

We had just set up our new television and stereo cabinet and laid out the new rugs. We now knew how much room we had for furniture. My daughter and I excitedly said we were going to call my friend and see when she was available to help us go and pick out new furniture. At that precise moment when we were about to call, the phone rang and we learned the news. A terrible blow.

What can anyone really say to someone who has lost their #1 go to person? Words can't seem to fill the chasm of pain and grief. At the wake last night, I tried to offer my condolences to her husband, and no words would come out. I stood there, unable to speak, my words were muted. Her husband understood, nodded and gave me a hug. I believe he understood my inability to say words that had any meaning.

What I am able to muse about here, is that while her death was a tragic loss, her life and impact on others was ALL good.

Queen of Hearts Stamp!!

Wow, a new US postage stamp ---- The Queen of Hearts!!!

This appeals to me, so I went out and bought a whole bunch of them today. What could be better than sending out mail with a QOH stamp??

I really don't know why this seems so great to me, but it does!

Adventures of a Rainy Run/Walk

Muse for the day.....

The day started out raining. Hard! It was pouring, some of the roads were flooding, and we had 300 people attending our event. Of course, as President, everyone was looking at me asking me if I was going to cancel. I finally decided that if it was thundering and lightening it would be cancelled. If not, it was "a go." This ended up being the right call.

Remember the last post, "show me the ice cream?" I had decided to buy an extra 75 ice creams based a a 75 degree forecast with sunny skies. It wasn't until last night that the weatherman said the forecast had changed to rain. We really didn't need an extra 75 ice creams.

By race time the weather was down to only a light sprinkle so we were able to go on as planned. The runners actually liked running in the mist. The walkers were decked out in appropriate rain gear. We had about 275 people attend even though it was completely iffy weather.

I am very thankful to the entire 63 scheduled volunteers who all showed up!!! Who ever hosts an event with that many volunteers and they all show up?? Then we had 5 extra people show up who volunteered to help!! It was great, no one was over worked, and with all those extra volunteers were were able to eat most of the extra ice cream with only 9 left over. Those 9 are currently in my freezer. Shhhhh, don't tell anyone!!! LOL.

Show Me The Ice Cream!

Musing about ice cream and other things.

My volunteer group is hosting a 5K run walk this Sunday. We have over 50 volunteers signed up to help and a projected 300 or so participating. A good size group with the economy in a slump. Everyone seems less able to afford to participate in these types of events right now so we are thankful to have 350 people attending.

We are having refreshments, an assortment of fruit, granola bars, water, and ice cream. Everyone gets a T-shirt for participating. It should be a fun time for all.

Who would have guessed that the #1 debated item is the ice cream we are planning on serving after the race? Not me, this came as a total shock to me. We are constantly discussing ice cream and the quantity to have on hand. We have had no fewer than 5 discussions on the topic. Should we or should we not order more.

This is a moving target. We don't know how many will actually register. Our goal is to raise money so buying extra ice cream and no one eating it is a problem. But then again, not having enough ice cream and not meeting the expectations of the participants might be a bigger problem. Then there is the question of should we have ice cream at all? After all, this is a sporting event for the runners. Perhaps encouraging people to eat ice cream is an undesirable thing to do.

I suppose having ice cream wins out. Some of our participants have been there for the last 8 years and they expect ice cream. So...... ice cream it will be!

Awards Ceremony - Where were the Boys?

My muse for today....

Wow, the school year is finally over. Graduation ceremonies were yesterday and the school sent out another group of future High School prep schoolers. It seemed like a great group of students. There were the usual standout performers. Extra smart, extra talented, ultra pretty in the group. It was just like something you would read about in one of those fantasy prep school novels.

It was a curious thing when 15% of the class got 100% of the awards. Four of these achievers got 4 or 5 awards each! Another curious thing was that they were all girls. Couldn't they find a boy to give an award to?? It would have been nice to spread things around a bit. This is after all a co-ed school.

I suppose, if your good at everything, that makes you eligible for every prize. The school could have saved us all a whole lot of time and just had these 5 girls stay up there the whole time and read their name and give a listing of the prizes. Picture this, give an award, girl goes and gets the award and sits back down. Then call the next award for the next over achiever, then it's time for the first girl to get back up, etc. It went on like this for about 25 minutes.

There were a few of us parents that were getting bored. Jealousy? Perhaps. But maybe it is because it seems silly to not spread things out just a little bit more. I find it hard to believe that there were no worthy boys in the entire graduating class. Seems like a bit of favoritism going on here. What do you think?

Finally - The school year is almost over

My muse for the day.....

Wow, another school year has just about finished up. The last final for my daughter is tomorrow morning. The final month of school has been a whirlwind of activities. Dances, outings, tests, projects, placement seminars, class elections, community service events, parties, and gobs of homework! I am amazed she has time to sleep anymore.

We should never forget about the homework monkey. It seems to follow us around constantly. Hours every night and on the weekends too. Then the projects on top of the homework. When I was a young girl (lol couldn't resist) we never had this much homework. Yeah, occasionally we did projects or had an hour or so of homework, but 3 to 4 hours per night - no way. For me, homework ruins a good day. It is frustrating to see your kid work and work and work just to get finished. No free time, no time to really enjoy a nice walk or ride on the bike. Just homework.

I am so happy that we will be free of the homework monkey for a few months. It's time to have a bit of fun intertwined with secondary school essays. At least she can work at her own pace.

Vacation here we come......

Random Happy Thoughts

My muse for today....

I really enjoyed the opportunity to list 6 random things that make me happy. I decided to do an encore run.

Flowers - all kinds, never met one I didn't like.

Ice cream - my very favorite is malted moo crunch. It is a special ice cream made only at a local ice cream stand.

Family - None of my family lives close by, so it is nice to see one of them. It usually involves travelling but it is worth the time and effort.

Golf - Yes! A good day is going golfing. A bad round of golf is better than a good day working.

Playing Pogo games with my sister and other family members. It is fun to do something recreational with a family member even if it is only on-line.

Sudoku puzzles. - I find these puzzles enjoyable. It keeps my mind engaged trying to logically figure out what number goes where. A great way to spend time on an airplane.

Family Genealogy

My muse at the moment....

My daughter has a project in history class where she has to do a genealogy chart. I was quite taken aback by how much I don't know about my family. I couldn't even remember my grandmothers maiden name. Wow. For some reason this hit me kinda hard. What's up with the fact I don't know even this much about my grandparents? Granted, no one really talked about themselves, but still, it seems strange to me now. My parents are both gone as well so there is no asking them. Then I had the realization there is not even one cousin I still speak to or see on my father's side of the family. What is going on there? It is not that I wouldn't speak to them or don't want to speak to them, I have never made an effort. Hmmmm... I should do something about this situation.

My husband breezed through his genealogy chart in just a few minutes. He pulled the information out of his memory banks. No need to refer to very large family tree diagram that he has stored in his desk. He can trace his family tree back as far as 1617 in Germany. Wow, I can't even do the 20th century. He even started spouting out where a lot of them are buried. Oh boy, I am woefully behind. It is really kind of embarassing. I have sent out an email to my siblings in the hopes that they are not as ignorant on the subject as me.

I think its time to start learning about more of my family!

Six Random Things That Make Me Happy

Hi there,
My sister Pouty Baby has tagged me, I am now suppose to come up with 6 random things that make me happy and then go and tag others. Finding others might be the difficult part.

Here goes:

#1 - Golfing, I need to golf more. It puts a smile on my face and reminds me that I am not as athletically challenged as I think. I have a great country club to play and a very nice group of ladies who check up on me because I rarely show up anymore. Golfing makes me smile - so I guess I need to get back to the course.

#2 - I like talking about my daughter. She finds this embarrassing. Is it my fault she is talented? No. When she won a swimming medal at finals and I talked about this phenomenal achievement given her shoulder disability, she was annoyed. When I told someone else that she won the school science fair, she was mad. But hey - if I stop talking about her she might get the idea I am not interested. My mom told me once that I was her least favorite child. Oh gee thanks Mom, don't think I haven't thought about this for the last 40 years. No way this is going to happen with my kid, I make sure to tell her how much I love her and how great she is. We shall not have her saying I was hurtful for the next 40 years.

#3 - Going for an antique car ride. We have a couple of antique cars that actually run. There are no windows, one of them doesn't even have any doors, and no seat belts. It can be a bit scary at times, but the wind in your hair and face is exhilarating. Good thing there is a windshield so no bugs get squished on the face! We like to go to ice cream and bring the old car. It is a magnet for meeting new people. It's nice to share some of the cars' history with others. Ever here of a 1911 Knox car made in Springfield Mass? Well, its old and looks like the Beverly Hillbilly's car. Someone painted varnish on it in the 40's and it turned a nice shade of olive.

#4 - Going shopping with my daughter. This is the case when we don't spend more than 1 1/2 hrs shopping. Otherwise I tend to get tired and bored. It seems that I don't find much for myself. Every now and then I splurge on her and let her get something on the extravagant side. After all, what teenager doesn't need a real Marc Jacobs bag, or a nice pair of Tory Burch shoes? Her daddy likes to buy her stuff at Tiffany's. I suppose there is an inequality there since he has never purchased me anything from there. But no matter, it makes me smile when he does something nice for her.

#5 - My yearly holiday cookie swap. This a bit obscure seeings how it is not the holidays. But this is the one holiday thing I look forward to each year. Usually 10 of us ladies make 5 dozen cookies each and then swamp 6 cookies a piece so we have a great variety. There are always cookies I would never think of making. The great part is having dinner and a martini. We have done this at the Country Club or at my house. One year we got a foot of snow the morning of the party, but 6 of us intrepid bakers still made it. Later they said the holiday's would not be the same without the cookies. (Ok Pouty - are you coming to the cookie swap?) It is a not to be missed event.

#6 - Going to my weekly lunch date with my husband. Yes, it sounds a bit cheesy doesn't it? But I really like going to lunch with him. The week is very hectic and there is no time to go out for dinner and fully enjoy ourselves. Every school day brings about 4 hrs of homework and there is more on the weekend. Yucky. So, we usually go to one of your favorite Thai restaurants and occasionally a fish restaurant. My husband has ordered the same thing for the last 3 years at the Thai place. They just put the order in when they see him. So, this is a fun time to have a bit of a date and break up the week. I always look forward to our next time.

Who Me - Win??

Musing about raffles today.....

This past weekend our local hospital had a charity raffle as part of their fundraising gala. It was a huge raffle with 39 different prizes. I thought about not buying any tickets but decided that I could afford to lose a certain amount of money and not have any regrets. About 500 people were in attendance and everyone seemed to have their hands stuffed with tickets. This was the type of raffle where you had to choose which prize to drop your ticket.

I bought my 10 tickets and then my husband went and bought ten tickets. We laughed how we both had them not knowing that the other one was also doing the same thing. Before I approached the various items, I thought about how I never win and why was I bothering. But then another thought crept in and said - why not you? So right there and then, I changed my attitude and decided that I had at least one winner. As my perspective changed I zeroed in the red sox tickets, a clothing shopping spree, dining certificates and various items I thought would be fun to win. I happily dropped my tickets into the containers.

At the end of the night when the results were posted, guess what? I actually won the red sox tickets and the clothing shopping spree. Yahooo, people were congratulating me on winning, not once but twice. I was shocked, and said, who me - win? How exciting!

Swap Off Drop Off Day

Hi Everyone,

Today the town is having their twice a year - swap off drop off day. There is one in the Spring and Fall. Without a doubt it is one of the more social days in town. Our local Dept of Public Works hosts this event along with the town recycling group. The event has become a massive opportunity to do some spring cleaning and take things to the recycling center for proper disposal and disassembly. They take old computers, old electronics, tv's, mattresses, cardboard, foam, furniture, styrofoam, paint, etc. About 100 volunteers work the event.

I will try to paint you a mental picture of the scene downtown. There are people everywhere, traffic jams, pedestrians, drop off lines, people pushing old lawn mowers down the sidewalks, the place is swarming with people and cars. This is organized chaos at its' best. In the center of this giant drop off loop is a swap off drop off area where people take things they hate to throw away. You can find all kinds of items in this circle, all free for the taking. Furniture, bikes, lawn mowers, books, paint, lumber, tools, and more. There is a temporary fence surrounding the area and only town people can enter before noon. The police watch the entrance but they aren't rigid about checking identifications. You can sit in a car and observe people try to strategize how to get into the swap off arena with the town citizens and slip in undetected. It's kind a comical. After noon, all of the surrounding towns can come in and take what's left. Can you imagine how many out of towners are lined up outside the gate waiting for their chance to get good stuff for free?

Well, I think its time for me to go and get my front row seat and watch the fun. This is free entertainment at its best - people watching! I'm going to stop at the local coffee shop and bring a portable coffee carafe to provide coffee to my friends!

Taking time to enjoy Spring

My muse for today.....

Wow, the jingle April showers bring May flowers is certainly true here in New England. We had a wet spring, this week in particular, and it sure is having a great effect on the vegetation and flowers.

My garden looks great, with daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, forsythia, wild cherry blossoms, azaleas, phlox, candy tufts, violets, mountain laurel, and a few purple creeping flowers underneath the rhododendrons that have made themselves know this year. My other flowers are well on their way to blooming - stargazer lilies, mountain lilies, lady slippers, tiger lilies, peonies, bearded iris, hydrangeas, carnations, snapdragons, fox glove, and lavender.

What a lovely time to take a stroll around the yard and enjoy what beautiful flowers Spring has brought this year. Hmm, I think I should go get myself a rosebush, after writing this down it seems that they are the only one's missing!

Assume the Worst or Best - Your Choice

My muse for the day...

Why is it that some people like to assume the worst in other people? They jump on what ever comment or misinformation given to them and act as if it's the new truth gospel. What motivates people to want to think the worst in others? It's a bit of a mystery to me.

I tend to want to give people the benefit of the doubt. I am not quick to judge and if something seems "fishy" I try to get more facts BEFORE making assumptions and forming opinions. Maybe my reluctance to cut people down is why I can smell something fishy in the first place.

My recent experience with someone has shaken me a bit. They got their facts messed up, made assumptions, then fired off accusations and or/insults. In one instance, they even insulted my friends. I suppose if I had a dog they would have called her ugly.

My mother always told me when insulted or attacked to consider the source, but that doesn't take the sting away. Especially when everything said is false. How are you suppose to ignore lies? Not an easy task.

So here I sit trying to think of a positive from all of this. It is not always easy maintaining a cup is half full attitude. Perhaps, this is a good example of what NOT to do to people. I got a glimpse of what it was like to be be accused when innocent. I do not want to be the person who does this to someone else. I will be very careful to get my facts straight first before making assumptions and accusations.

Birthday Thoughts

Here is the muse... birthdays!

Today is my birthday, a lot of my family and friends have remembered and communicated their well wishes. It amazes me how far saying happy birthday has progressed. It used to be someone had to send a card many days in advance in order for greetings to reach the intended recipients. There was always the hard wired phone call, but that meant the person had to be home. Email arrived on the scene and made saying happy birthday to someone almost instantaneous. The cell phone can now reach someone where ever they are, assuming of course the phone is on. Then texting came on the scene, if someone doesn't answer - just text them. Don't forget to turn on the skype feature on the computer and have a face to face video phone call. And if perhaps all of that fails you can twitter and let them know you are thinking of them.

So what is the result of this technology? I get to hear from a lot more of my family and friends. No more being tethered to the mail and phone systems. It is so much fun to hear from people in whatever manner they wish to communicate. The exciting part is hearing from them at all. It really is a blessing to hear from my family and friends.

I now see that if I forget to tell someone happy birthday most of the old excuses are gone. Can't blame it on the mail, can't blame it on the answering machine, can't blame it on the computer not working, and I certainly can't blame it on the phone. So, I suppose it leaves it back to me. For my birthday resolution, I am going to make an effort to be better at remembering other people on their birthday. After all, what excuse do I have for not staying in touch??

Fare Hikes, Rising Fees, Shrinking Paycheck

The muse for today.....

It seems that everywhere I turn, fees, prices, and fares are going up. Yet at the same time paychecks are shrinking. Why is it okay for the local towns and state governments to institute 100% price increases? What ever happened to the reasonable price hikes, you know the kind that are linked to inflation?

I will give you an example, a permit in my town cost $35 last week, this week the price was raised to $75. Why is a more than 100% price increase necessary? The town's other sneaky increase was raising the blue book value of used cars so that the excise taxes could be raised. Here's another example, a 17 year old car with 185K miles was worth $950 last year, but this year the value went to $1800. Huh - another sneaky 100% price increase.

The turnpike tolls are another area, for example - let's say last week you paid $4 to use the tunnel, in just a few short weeks the price is scheduled to go to $7, nearly double. If you are a smoker perhaps you noticed the federal tax for cigarettes just about doubled a couple of weeks back. Then the banks are chiming in with hiked fees, most likely to pay those bonuses to the non performers. It's not bad enough that we as taxpayers are paying for the bailout, now the banks are hitting us again. Our state wants to double the gas tax to pay for out of control state spending. Gee, there's a surprise.

Let's not forget that the postage stamp is going up in price in a week. Another price increase that was based on the cost of fuel, but wait, didn't fuel prices go down, so logically shouldn't the price go down or stay the same?

At the grocery store things are no better. The sizes are shrinking! Have you noticed? I have. The prices are still going up or remaining the same. The box or package looks like the same size but the weights are saying otherwise. Why is it okay to push sneaky price increases on consumers? Our local big box warehouse store reduced the cookie package by 6 and still upped the price 30%. Wow, another sneaky price increase. Have we numbed ourselves to think that this is just the way it is?

Maybe some of you have actually gotten a pay raise so that you can pay for some of these new fee hikes and sneaky increases. I know we certainly haven't, as a matter of fact, we have a pay cut. In truth most of us are thankful to still have a job.

Good thing I won't be need a permit for anything this year, and that with a bit of creativity I can find ways to get where I want to go without using the turnpike. I can do without cookies, a sacrifice, but worth it to make a statement. Perhaps a few more payments on-line will help take the sting out of the postage budget. I know that a brand new car is out of the question, who can afford the excise taxes?

What is your biggest complaint on price and fare increases?

Type A/B Fundraising

Here is the muse for the day....

Volunteering can be an interesting activity especially when it involves fundraising with other people who are different from yourself. It can really stretch one's comfort zone to let other's take the reigns. I tend to be more of a type A personality, who enjoys making lists and work plans. I like having the tasks set before me so I can plan out my time into "bit sized pieces" this also helps me see the priorities, like which task has to come before another. Some people are the more creative type who like to do things a different way. It does not necessarily mean that we won't end up at the same place in the end, it just means we have different ways of getting there.

In the end I find it helpful to split up tasks. As an example, you handle publicity, and I will handle the set up and food. I like the set up part of an event because I can run in my own lane with my charts, diagrams and plans while the others can be creative and make the place look pretty!

My hat's off to everyone who volunteers to help out. Whether you are a Type A or B, you're input is necessary. After all, what good is a perfect set up if the flowers don't look good!?

A Science Fair Winner!!!

Hello all,

Wow, guess what? (actually you can probably see from the title of this post) My kid won the school science fair!!! Way to go!!! It's okay for me to be excited, right??

If you want to see the details on her project, see my previous post.

This is a great honor for her.

Science Fair Parking Project

Hi All,

My daughter just finished her science fair project which involved parking and parking perceptions. Her question was "do people take longer vacating a parking spot when someone is waiting?"

She did an on-line survey with 100 people, 96% of the respondents thought they went faster or at least the same speed if someone was waiting. Only 4% thought they actually went slower when someone was waiting.

She found 5 parking lots and timed 100 cars, timing started when the person touched their car. The averages were interesting, when no one was waiting the average time was 31 seconds. When someone was waiting the average time was 1:17. Quite a difference. 94% of the people left the spot when no one was waiting in under 45 seconds. Only one person took more than 1:30!

A comment was made that when we were waiting for a car, one lady even lit up her cigarette, put on her lipstick and stared at us like we were rushing her. This particular person was the longest wait time of 3:08 minutes. We just sat there as she glared at us!

Overall, when no one was waiting was the fastest. Only 4% of the people were right in what they perceived would happen. Quite fascinating.

My daughter was made a semi-finalist for the science fair and was able to present to the parents last night. A comment was made that she was the only 7th grader ever to present at the science fair!

The Value of a True Friend

Here is my muse for today....

Have you ever encountered a phony person who acts like they like you but what they really want to do is stab you in the back when you aren't looking? Or maybe say something about you to under-mind your credibility or reputation? Or post something awful about you on facebook? If this ever happens we all need someone to help us get away from the drama. I believe this person would be an actual true friend. Someone who stands up for us, listens, cries with us if we are hurting. We should all have someone like this. A true friend who would not reveal our secrets even if the bamboo was being shoved under their nails. Ouchie! Hurts just to think about it. Maybe if we act like a true friend to others maybe they will respond in kind and we will have a happy place to go when we need it the most! I have a friend and two sisters who fit into this category. I am a very blessed person indeed.

Family Waiting Room Photo

Hi,

This is the long awaited family photo from the Haartz Family waiting room. I have more of the actual waiting room. Does anyone want me to post what it actually looks like? This is a preview of our 2009 holiday card photo. It was taken by professional photographer Tony Rinaldo and is (c).

Headed out to Pasture

Got to musing again today about my volunteer term ending soon. It has been a long road of over 10 years of volunteering, which culminated in being President for the last 21 months. Every day, seven days a week I work on my Auxiliary responsibilities. All for the good of the patients our hospital serves. Some days there are many hours others just a few follow ups or small tasks.

For the last 9 months I have been training my replacement. It is hard to think of the person as a replacement because I have been so attached to the organization. But change does and will happen. People will arrive that do not think like us or act like us. As a matter of fact, they will be abrasive. And why you might ask is this? Because they think they can do better and be better. It won't be done "our" way any longer it will be "thier" way.

I wonder what the future will bring.... I suppose I find myself saying yes to some other organization who needs my assistance. I am looking forward to giving of my time and talents in new and different ways elsewhere. When I join up with a new group I might be the new fresh face they are looking for!

Doubt Worry Fear & The Economy

Hello All,

Got to musing today about the current trend... we are all working harder and getting less. I don't care if you are in a secular job or a non-profit job. It may be in the form of a pay cut, a benefit loss, time off without pay, your co-worker being downsized, your 401K match went poof. The general mood is not a good one that's for sure. Panic and fear seems to be taking root in a lot of the minds of the people around me. I have to be careful because fear is contagious. In my way of thinking fear is bad.

It's easy to let fear take root. I think that fear starts with doubt. When you have doubt about something you start obsessing. For example, if I doubt that the economy will get better, I will start thinking about it all the time. If I doubt I can keep up with extra work load, I will starting thinking about that as well. If I doubt that I can pay my bills that's a meltdown waiting to happen. Doubt starts harassing most of my thoughts. So then this doubt moves into a new category which I call worry.

When it hits the worry phase, things go down hill fast. Worry causes stress and anxiety. Then when I'm stressed and worried I really can't keep up with the work load. It would be easy to find myself not sleeping laying awake worrying. No sleep = more stress and sometimes immune system weakening which leads to getting sick, yucky! Worry is draining and time consuming.

If left unchecked the doubt and worry move decisively into the fear category. A full blown panic attack can occur when we realize that everything around us is in a full scale downward spiral. We go to work wondering if this is the day we might lose our job. We fear that our car will breakdown and we won't have the money to fix it. We fear that our bills will cause us to default. We fear other things as well.

So what can we do about all of this? First, we must learn to stop the worrying so it doesn't keep progressing. This isn't always easy but it is well worth the effort. Maybe our co-worker does get laid off and we have more work as a result. Should we worry about it? Well, can you change the situation? If not, try to keep positive and tell yourself you will do your best to adapt. Keep your chin up, so to speak. Resist all temptations to to say negative things about what you are dealing with. Try to find a positive spin on things. This is difficult, I know this from personal experience. Let's all try to keep positive and banish the negative thoughts, they lead to too much stress.

The Turkeys are Back!

Hello everyone,

A sure sign that spring is here.... a pair of turkeys showed up in my back yard today! How exciting! Last year we had a pair and 7 babies. We watched the babies grow up through out the summer and into November. I found out that wild turkeys really like birdseed with sunflower seeds and corn. They would wait for me in the trees to come out with the food. One by one they would fly out of the trees.

Have you ever seen a turkey in a tree? It is a very strange sight indeed. This year I want to video tape their take off sequence in the backyard. Imagine 9 turkeys standing in a straight line taking off one by one, barely making it off the ground landing on the lowest branch they can find. It was especially enjoyable when the older birds taught the babies how to fly. Quite funny.

I had wondered if the turkeys were hunted for Thanksgiving last year. All 9 of the turkeys disappeared the Monday of Thanksgiving. It was hard thinking that someone ate them for dinner. So much so, that I refused to have turkey and made two chickens instead! Somehow I just could not bring myself to eat turkey after having 9 pets for 5 months.

Launching a new company in this economy!

Hello,

For the last several years we have been working on a secret new product. Much time, energy, and finances have been invested in this project. The economy doesn't help much with so many people in financial difficulty. But we were ready to go, and decided to go for it! We think this is a great product because you can choose your team logo, and the lid is interchangeable. So if you have a football team logo, you can then change it over when baseball or basketball season starts!

So with out further ado.... drum roll.... the product launched at a convention in Reno this week. Initial reaction has been fantastic. We have already been approached by an NFL team wanting to get in the action. You can check us out at teamgrill.com. Once you see the photos, you know you are going to want one, especially you sports fans! Make sure to click on the logo to see what your custom grill would look like.

Why are some parents so competitive?

Got to thinking about the recent swim championships. We have a team who wins the league championship every year. The parents of these star swimmers have gotten a bit pompous about their undefeated status. Sure, they are a great team with great swimmers who consistently do a good job. I will give them credit for that achievement.

Here is why the pompous parents were getting on my nerves..... Let's say little Mary wins her event and gets the gold medal. Are her parents satisfied? Not with this bunch. I repeatedly heard the parents congratulate the kids with an addendum tacked onto the end. "Oh honey, congratulations you swam a really good race, too bad you didn't break the league record." I heard this at least 5 times during the championship event. You could see little Mary all happy with a smile on her face, and then you could see it in her eyes, the sting of reproof. The blank stare realizing that winning first place just wasn't good enough.

What is wrong with these parents? They need to stop this ridiculous behavior and notice what they are doing to little Mary's self esteem. Jeez, enough already! Give the kid credit for the achievement and keep your competitive comments to yourself. Shame on all of the parents who did this to their children.

My child, the one with a physical disability, was also swimming that day. She had overcome great odds to be seeded in third place overall. These same twitty parents were looking at the psyche sheet, talking about my kid, saying "oh our swimmers can crush her." OMG was I mad, I blurted out "don't count on it." My kid did win third place as seeded. Whoo hoo for her!! I couldn't have been a more proud. I hugged her, kissed her, patted her on the back, and then took her out for dinner to celebrate. Not once did the thought, oh, how come you didn't win enter into my thinking.

My message to the overbearing, self esteem damaging parents: "Cut it out, little Mary is a star who took the Gold medal, be proud and celebrate her accomplishment, get over yourself, it's not about you."

Old North Bridge

This is the Old North Bridge in Concord, MA. The previous post was a picture taken from the center of the bridge. So if you stand there you can get a good look downriver. It is a very peaceful place to visit. Notice the water marks on the bridge support beams, sometimes the water is another foot higher than what is shown here. This makes for some fantastic canoeing or kayaking on this scenic river.

Concord River

Hope you are enjoying looking at some of my photographs. This picture of the Concord River was taken while standing on the Old North Bridge looking downriver. I vividly remember my first trip to visit the bridge, sight of the start of the Revolutionary War, and the "shot heard round the world." As I stood there, I contemplated the men who fought there to free us from religious and political oppression. It was a "goosebump" moment. The Minutemen assembled on the left side the Redcoats on the right. This is a place that is definitely worth the trip.

Photo was taken by a pocket canon camera.

Butterfly Photo

Hello,

We like to go to the local botanical gardens to take a look at the various flowers. While we visiting we found a group of monarch butterflies. What a beautiful sight. I love the symmetry in their coloring. There were about 12-15 butterflies in the same grouping. This one was by itself. We took this photo with a simple pocket canon camera.

Pileated Woodpecker in my Backyard

Hello,

Ever hear a woodpecker in one of your trees? You know the sound, its a tap tap tap. The bird bores it's beak into the wood to eat bugs under the bark or nesting inside the wood. Well for awhile I have been hearing one in my wooded backyard. One day, while on my porch, the elusive bird flew into a tree directly across from my backyard porch. He began his tap tap tapping on the tree. I ran for the camera and got it's picture!! I was rewarded for my efforts when I realized that the bird in question was actually a very rare pileated woodpecker. The local bird watchers actually report sightings and keep a log of where and when they are sighted. I had my own personal showing. This bird was a whopping 18-20 inches tall. A real beauty. After I got too close it took off never to be seen again, but not before I got him on film.

Pool Side Beverage Service

Hello,

So my kid likes to swim. Perhaps you have seen this in my previous posts. I am very proud of her for her dedication and perseverance. It is extra hard for her with a shoulder disability. In her latest meet, her shoulder actually popped out while she was swimming the backstroke. It took skill to get it to go back into place without skipping a beat. She still managed to gain about 15 yards on her competitor.

One of the drills her coach taught her was to balance a half full cup of water on her forehead and swim a length of the pool without it falling off. This technique was used to demonstrate the principle of not moving to much side to side which causes drag and slows you down. This is my favorite picture of her. She did manage to complete the drill and swim 25 yards without spilling a drop.

The Case of the Nice Lunch Lady

Today I got to musing about a lunch lady I had while in college 20 years ago. She was a really nice woman who decided to take an interest in me right after my mother’s death.

Here is the story….
After mom’s death I had to fend for myself and got an apartment, which came with the usual assortment of bills. I was definitely a part of what people call the “working poor.” The people who do their best every day and work hard in an effort to make ends meet. It seemed I was always one catastrophe away from default, living by the paycheck. In addition to this I was attending college at night taking a few classes.

At the time, I had my friends saving me all of their proof of purchases so I could send away for rebates. I always shopped at the place with double coupons. What ever rebate checks I got that week was my food budget for the week. Usually around 10 dollars a week plus a couple of free items. On Saturday’s I would bum a ride downtown to the farmers market and haggle with the vendors. I liked to arrive right before they closed so I could snag a good price for whatever they didn’t want to go home with. One time I even got a pineapple for 30 cents. What a treat!

Of course, not eating much did help control my size. As my weight diminished, it did not go unnoticed by the lunch lady behind the school cafeteria serving line. She always eyed me and would try to find a way to strike up a conversation. Eventually, she found out about mom and the struggles financially. She always had a smile on her face when she saw me. She started bringing me food items, saying things like, “hey I made some muffins last night, and I brought you one to try.” Other times it could be an extra half of sandwich, or a cookie. I was not oblivious to her genuine feelings of concern for me. Her acts of kindness were heartfelt and I appreciated them very much.

Her most obvious gesture was the morning pancakes. The school offered two pancakes for 50 cents. I would always try to get them to sell me only one. As a general rule they didn’t want to do that but this lady convinced them to let me be the exception. She was the cook, so when I ordered my one pancake she was the chef pouring the mix. You can probably guess that mine was always twice the size of a normal pancake. Huge actually, taking up the entire plate. Some of the kids would look enviously at my lone pancake wishing it was their breakfast instead of mine. She also arranged for me to have a “coffee sponsor” which was someone who would buy me a coffee in the morning. What a gal!!

I chuckled to myself today when I thought of this special lunch lady, and have this message for her…
“To the exceedingly kind lunch lady who decided to make a difference in a young adult’s life..... You forever touched my heart with your acts of kindness, and you unknowingly became a blueprint for my desire to help others as you once helped me. Thank- you and Godspeed!”

A 25+ Year Promise Finally Fulfilled!

Great news, I have finally fulfilled a 25+ year promise to myself. Here are the details.....

Way back when I was just out of high school my mother was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. I was scheduled to head off to college at Northwestern but changed my plans and stayed local so I could help with her care. My mom fought hard to beat the disease but it won out in the end. My sister Pouty Baby was also involved with her care.

The pain and suffering she endured near end the end of her life is forever burned in my memory. No one should ever have to suffer the way that she did nor die as early as she did, in her early 40's. I learned very early on the adage "Life is not fair."

Pouty and I spent a lot of time at the hospital near the end. We dutifully and lovingly spent time visiting her as she did not want to be left alone. In her last few days, our mom started hallucinating that the devil had arrived to take her and was laughing at her as she suffered. It was very sad to witness and experience. We just had to "suck it up" and not show her how much we were also suffering as we watched her die.

We took turns staying with her. One of us would be stuck in the awful family waiting room with the hideously uncomfortable chairs, the harsh lighting, the stark walls. Neither of us wanted to leave nor did we want to be in that room. We were both emotionally and physically uncomfortable.

It was then that I made a promise to myself.... "I don't know when, or how, but someday I am going to help someone not suffer due to the surroundings of a lousy waiting room while their loved one's are are receiving care." I never forgot that promise to myself.

About two year's ago the local hospital was building a new surgical center. They had a need for a donor for their family waiting room. After much discussion, my husband I decided to make the donation to build the waiting room. I recently got the call that our waiting room was completed and the plaque was hung. People were starting to enjoy the comfortable chairs, tasteful decorations, kitchen area, and computer access! I started to cry when the woman told me the news. A triumphant "Yes - It's Finally Come to Pass!" shouted in my thoughts.

What's In It For Me?

Have you ever willingly volunteered to get involved and help out your community? Maybe just something small at first, like volunteering to help clean up the local park? Then slowly you find yourself getting more involved and your activity moves to something more time consuming and significant?

Well, that is how it was for me volunteering at the local hospital. It started innocently enough about 10 years ago when I volunteered to help with a golf tournament raffle and sold tickets to the attendees. It was exhilarating to hear we had raised nearly $75,000 to help patient programs. I was hooked!

As the year's have flown by, I have been involved in all sorts of fund raising projects, Run/Walks, concerts, art shows, fashion shows, holiday memorials, and more. Of course, the reward for doing a good job is more work! And so, over the years I have advanced through ranks and am now President.

Being President of a volunteer group takes more work that I ever expected, dreamed or imagined. Motivating non paid volunteers is clearly the most work I have ever expended for no paycheck. So why do I bother?? Because it's actually rewarding to be able to help someone else and step away from my personal drama for a time.

My personal "non-paycheck" reward seems to be the thank-you notes stemming from our non-fundraising projects we provide to the patients. Those would include our cancer quilt program where each new patient gets a handmade quilt, the teddy bears we sew for the scared and frightened pediatric patients visiting the emergency room, the free acupuncture gift certificates we provide the chemotherapy patients, and the homemade pediatric pillow cases provided by the ConKerr group. These are the things that make it all seem worthwhile!

Putting Things in Perspective

Nicci's Musing....

Have you ever had one of those days where you thought that people were "out to get you?" Or that Mr. Murphy himself personally visited you to deliver the cliche "whatever can go wrong will go wrong?" Then there is the day where it seems that you make everyone around you mad. Or when there is some strange nebulous vibe going on around you that you can't quite comprehend, but you swear deep down its there? Or how about the day when people just stare at you and you wonder what they are staring at, "gee do I have something in my teeth?" And then one of my least favorites, when every time you touch something it breaks, warps and generally becomes useless, there-by hindering your entire day's productivity.

I know that we have all experienced these days in some form or another. I call these sorts of days "Perspective Days." They are the days that make our good days seem more glorious. They put good things that happen everyday on a new level, something to cherish. I find that when I become engulfed in the funk of life, I take a step back and start to ponder. I force myself to make a mental list with the top 5 things that make me happy, something that went right, or think about the people I love and who love me. Usually my perspective starts to shift as my thoughts move to the more positive things causing the negatives to fade to the background. This helps get my out of my funk and gain a new perspective. To quote Winnie the Pooh "I like the happy bouncy Tigger better!"

Don't Underestimate Determination

Hello,

My musing today is about the power of perseverance and determination.

Here goes the story....

My daughter had a significant accident while snow tubing on a school outing. One of the kids was breaking the rules (a faculty kid) and caused the injury. The injury itself involved the labral which is within the shoulder housing. It helps keep the rotator cuff in place. Up until the accident, my daughter was a star swimmer. She was one week shy of championships for the season and was seeded 1st and 2nd in two events. She was a lean, mean, swimming machine. The injury immediately caused her to be dropped from the championships. She was told by the shoulder specialists that she might never swim again. The doctors refused to clear her for sports so she had to sit on the bench for the next 10 months. She was destined to be a couch potato!

The poor kid had to wear a sling for months, endured numerous tests, met with many doctors, and survived through 10 months of rehabilitation. At the last meeting, the pediatric shoulder specialist from Children's hospital said that her injury was the worst possible kind, had about a 20% success rate if they tried to operate, and basically she was deemed to have a permanent disability. I was sad because I knew how much swimming meant to her. You can only imagine the thoughts going through my head~ I wanted justice, I wanted the girl to pay for what she did to my kid. Bitter, unkind thoughts filled my head, I was burdened by anger.

Not so with my daughter, she was a kind, tender hearted person, and acted like she was the adult. She was the one who had to comfort me and tell me that justice wasn't necessary. How had the roles gotten reversed? She went on to say that she never even told the girl that she was responsible for the injury. I asked why, and her answer was astounding, "mom, how do you think the girl would live with herself knowing she caused me so much pain?" I sat stunned, in silence, staring at her, pondering her words. My child was compassionate, a trait we don't see much of anymore. I learned from her that day.

The specialist said that because the injury couldn't get worse, she should try whatever sport she wanted to see if she could handle the pain. So, my kid went for it and started swimming again. She started gradually, one event only. The first time she got on the block I was petrified. I watched in horror as she had to place her dislocated shoulder back in place just before the race. Fear and panic was winning in my mind, I wanted to run and pull her off the block and tell her you can't do that, you might get hurt!!! She was determined to swim again, and swim she did! She not only swam the race without further injury, she won the race! My head was screaming OMG OMG OMG look at her!! Tears misted my eyes, could this really be happening? The next meet, she did fantastic and set a new team record. Then at the next meet she won her event and set another team record in a different event. So much for the pessimism of the doctors, so much for my fear. And yeah to the power of determination to push beyond what others thought was impossible.

Twilight Series is Astounding

Hello everyone,

My teen daughter has encouraged me for months to read the Twilight series. I scoffed at the idea on numerous occasions. "Who me?? read about vampires?? read about werewolves?? You must be joking!! Harry Potter Yes, Vampires No!"

She got me at a weak moment on a plane with nothing to do, and handed me the Twilight book #1. She of course had already finished the series but had this book hiding in her carry on. She waited for just the right moment to pounce. I kinda pursed the lips and said again, "yeah right, sure." But she persisted so I decided to start reading. You know what, I almost didn't want to get off the plane because I would have to stop reading!!! Imagine my surprise when I got totally engulfed in the book so quickly.

I read the other 3 books quickly there after. And then the most amazing thing happened, I had to read them a second time! I let my newest mystery novel by my FAVORITE author languish on the counter in favor of a second read. Then I went back and read the love scenes again, how utterly silly and delightful is that? Apparently, I am a hopeless romantic. I highly recommend this series. And, NO, you can't borrow my copy, I might want to read them again!

The Queen of Haartz Goes Blog

Welcome,
On the advice and request of Pouty baby, here I sit posting my very first blog. Deborah, the talented blog designer did all of the work setting this up. What I lack in computer savvy, she has in abundance.

For the most part I spend my time helping other people over at the local hospital. I am President of the Auxiliary coordinating the efforts of 350 or so members. This is a group of men and women who volunteer their time raising money and giving of their personal time and talents to improve the patient experience. My daughter also designed our auxiliary blog.

In an effort to stave off boredom and loneliness, my volunteer work also entails being on the hospital foundation board, and being president of a private family foundation. I am also on the annual fund committee for my daughters school and serve at a Board director at another charitable organization.

My summer past time is golfing. My nick name is Boom Boom Haartz as I can drive the ball pretty far for a girl my age :-) ! It is so rewarding to play a round of golf, even if it's not a particularly good score. I remind myself that a lousy round of golf is better than sitting in an office somewhere wishing I was outside enjoying myself. This usually improves my mood and puts a smile on my face.