Stop Talking and Listen to Others!

Dear...To no one in particular and everyone else:

My business is failing...we don't have any work. My company is allowed to fail by my government as I am clearly not "too big to fail"! I am not being political here although I am sure there are some who will take it politically because that is what this country does!
We have become a country of talking heads who never listen!
I would like someone to hear my pain...
My company, my family business is failing...Don't look away! Don't marginalize me with "Monday Night quarterbacking" ...I know there are many others like me. Don't send me your stupid email forwards with the analogy of "The Ants and The Grasshopper!"

I am not asking for money or even sympathy...I am asking that you hear me.

My business that my sons, my daughter, my husband and I have poured our hearts and soul into is over. Our dream, our American dream is done. The sadness sometimes washes over me and I cry...I know God has plans for us and we will move forward but allow me my sadness.

I once took a course on customer service training...and one statement that I have never forgotten...
People's perspective is their reality...their reality is their truth...even if it is not the truth...it is to them! They can not move forward until you hear them.

I am trying to make a new reality and a new truth for me.
I encourage everyone to stop talking and listen to others...Hear what they have to say!

From:
No one special.

Does This Outfit Make Me Look Racist?

Maybe...but I have to say wearing a flag on your butt does make it look big!
Also, the guy next to you looks like the punch line to
"You know you are redneck when..."

It would seem that some people object to former President Jimmy Carter stating that some of these people's anger comes from race rather than just plain old disappointment with our President.

I don't know if some people protesting are racist or not but I know all them aren't...most are just mad about what is "going on" and "they want to "take" their country back.
Now what they want to take it back to might be a concern to some folks! Especially to people like 80 year old southerners who remember what it used to be like. Would this frighten an 80 year old black citizen of this country who lived through our history?

I would like to point out that when I protested the war in Iraq and questioned why we were in the wrong country...as in "They-went-that-a-way Cowboy Bush!" And when I chanted "How are we going to pay for this George Bush?" I was called Un-American, aiding terrorists and anti-military! I was dressed in Jeans and a T-shirt and ...
yes...it made my butt look big too!

Random Ronda's Rants

I am in Jacksonville...it has been interesting...we stayed for a month in St. Augustine and then the following two months in Jacksonville. We are remodeling a few fast food restaurants...I won't say which because I will rant about that in the next sentence or two! It takes us about a month to remodel one and the work is fast paced and difficult...we are doing these because we don't have anything else right now!
We are grateful for the work but...it isn't fun being away from your home and family.
What is fun however, is living in someone else's home! We have chosen to rent homes in the area we are working in...I loved the older bungalow we stayed in St. Augustine and the walking lifestyle it afforded us. The second home was a third floor condo on the inter coastal...our dogs became city dogs quickly and learned what the "dings" of the elevator meant! The home we are currently staying is on the St. Johns river and so far has been very peaceful.

My rants...I do not ever shop at Walmart but the closest grocery store is a Super Walmart and so that is where I was yesterday...
They had two register lines open for 10 items or less, with about 10 people in each line. The other register line was labeled 20 items or less and had about five people in it...the other line was for the fools who bought more than twenty items and I was in ...IT! Me and about thirty people waited in one line with other people who chose to buy more than twenty items of Walmart's cheap stuff and we are rewarded... with a twenty minute wait!
This makes no sense to me!
I miss you Publix...very much!

My second rant...
We are remodeling a popular fast food restaurant...they really need to be remodeled...they look nice when we are done...nice little stucco boxes...with no insulation of any kind in them!!! In Florida...no insulation...yes, I am contributing to part of the problem!!!
I guess, this is more of a confession than a rant!
Enjoy your day!

Nancy Pelosi...Please Shut Up!

Hey, Ms. Pelosi,

"I was wondering Nancy...May I call you Nancy? Listen, would you do all of us a favor...and just Shut up!"
I mean seriously, "Who do you think you are fooling? Okay, you say CIA lied...Uh, Yeah they did!
For God's sake they torture people...lying is nothing..."
I would like to believe with all my heart that if I was sitting in some boring meeting and some CIA guy said "Well, we have these Enhanced Interrogation Techniques we are going to use!" I am hoping and praying I would have said "WTF, (sorry Mom) does that mean, sir?"
Nancy... we all knew when you took impeachment "off the table" for George W. Bush ...you were culpable!
We are all culpable...I am culpable...I knew CIA was doing this...All Americans knew CIA was doing this...very few people spoke out against it...to my shame I did not!

I love to hear Christians discuss this...
These good Pro-Life, God loving Christians haven't said anything about torturing a human being! Many of these people want it illegal to burn an American flag...but torturing a suspected terrorist is okay!

First group of people led by George W. Bush say "America does not torture people!" That's it...it just did not happen!
This reminds me of another president who said "I did not have sexual relations with that woman!"
So...George W. Bush is lying or like Bill Clinton he does not understand the question!?
But...to give George W. Bush all the credit in the world ...he has gone quietly home to Texas to write his memoirs, unlike others...

Then, we have the next group of people who are led by Dick Cheney... and He says.."Yes , we did it... but we saved a lot of we people's lives...so it's okay!" "The information that we tortured out of them...saved lives!"
These are my very favorite people...I love to listen to them...I love to listen to good people justifying human torture! If you don't say a word...just listen...it will break your heart into a million pieces but they just keep talking!

And...then Nancy...there is our group...you and me...I watched you at the press meeting...watched you stammer and stutter! We, in our group, most assuredly do not want to talk about it! I wondered what I would say if I were in your place...and I don't know! But...you knew it was happening...The House knew...Congress knew...America knew!
I wonder if you heard the rooster crow...
I did...

If I have offended any of you...I am sorry! This is my rant...it belongs to me...I should have spoke out much sooner!

PS. Nancy...I just heard the GOP would like you to apologise...
Please say your sorry for not being as good a liar as those boys are!

And You, too Grandma?

I just listened to the news this morning and again....they are talking about the mother who put her children out of the car three miles from their home.

As I understand the facts...the girls were fighting and she told them to get out...she drove around the block and when she returned the girls were no where in sight. She drove home and the older girl was home...the younger girl had been found by a woman, bought ice cream and then the police were called. The younger girl was taken to the police department.

Mom calls police to report her young girl missing. Dad and Mom go to pick daughter up and Mom is arrested. Here...is the part of the story I didn't know...Grandmother was in car!!!

I was not judging this Mom...although, let me be clear...I do feel what she did is wrong...and while I wasn't a perfect mother...I never threw them out of the car for arguing or anything else for that matter.
I might have threatened to kill them, but that's all!
But...when I heard the grand mother was in the car...I was furious!
I don't know why but it just seems heartbreaking to me that Grandma was in the car!
What do you think?

Wake Up Maggie May!

I had an interesting morning...
First...Hubby and I are in a significant tiff...the kind where he sleeps and snores and I toss and turn thinking over each statement he made to me! We are in St. Augustine... still at the charming bungalow we rented...
Hubby left early to go to the job site...I, who had fallen asleep on the couch, in her clothes and woke up with half her makeup still on...only now at the bottom of her face, sit pouting on the couch!
My cell phone rings and it is a good friend who has relocated to Jacksonville...I am chatting away...not caring that it is after 9am and that I look like death warmed over...when someone pounds on the front door! Dogs barking...I quickly say my "goodbyes" and answer the door!

There is a man in uniform with clipboard in hand who looks up over his clip board to ask if I am
John Smith... ( not actual name said)...
I without a thought about what I look like reply...
"No!"
Uniformed man sighs and says..."Is this John Smith's house?"
To which I reply honestly..."I don't know!"
Uniformed and evil thinking man questions "Don't you know where you slept last night?"
I am now getting snooty...well as snooty as a disheveled 50 year old woman can get!
I try to straighten my hair and smooth my wrinkled shirt and say...
"I have rented this house and I can't remember his name off the top of my head...."
and then I say with a touch of a British accent because the British do snooty best
"What seems to be the problem?"
Evil thinking, uniformed man who now is snooty too, or actual British citizen...says
"Well, it would seem that , it is unfortunate for you because I am here to turn off your electric!"
And he did!
My phone is now ringing...and it's my daughter and I ask her for the owner's name and phone number and she gives it to me.
I then start to tell her what evil thinking, uniformed man said and I stop unable to express in words what this man thought of me and I am saying...
"He thought I was...was...was..."
And my daughter cracked me up when she said...
"He thought you were Coyote Ugly!"
I am laughing and said
" I should have yelled over my shoulder...Hey, are you John?"

Hubby reached owner by phone, and the owner was mortified although I am unsure he may know what mortified really feels like! He said he would call the management company and then he said to my Hubby..."What about the water?"
I told Hubby...I wasn't answering the door the rest of the morning!

Good news...
Electric is back on and water seems to be fine!
I am off to take the trolley ride!

10 Things I Hate About You

****This was a post I was never going to "hit publish post" for...but I mentioned it on a bloggy friend's blog and she suggested I should publish it and since...I am in an argument with my Hubby I decided to "hit publish post!"
I was frustrated with my Hubby to the point of planning his demise and how to dispose of his remains when I reminded myself of two things...I am not a good liar and my brother is a homicide detective for the county I live in...

Brother: "Ronda, where is your husband?"
Ronda: "He is in the backyard...under the azaleas!"

Seriously...The plot of the next Lifetime movie!

My second thought was to lacerate (nice ten dollar word) him on my blog but...my kids read my blog and frankly My Hubby would possibly strike back with his own blog....Bob's Bitchin' ( sorry Mom!)
anyway...I decided to turn my frustrations inward and this is the post! The things I hate are about myself... I don't really "hate" these things...I am merely not fond of them but I liked the title of the post...so I left it!
My point is there are two sides to every argument...and while I am tempted to say My side and the wrong side...it wouldn't be true!****

1. I hate that you follow rules to the letter...that if you don't know them you look them up! You are the rule keeper, the rule reminder and you let everyone know if they broke the rules!
2. I hate that everything is a "big deal" to you...it would seem there are no small problems...only large ones!
3. I hate that you are so insecure... At what age are you secure about who you are as a person?
4. I hate that you keep and maintain a record of wrongdoings...you know it's wrong and yet you do it!!
5. I hate that you don't trust others. You may feel you have good reason but it effects all your relationships adversely!
6. I hate that you swear...it doesn't make you clever or bold...it shows how weak you feel.
7. I hate that you are afraid of change...nothing remains the same and change is normal.
8. I hate that you are so sensitive...let things roll off your back more often!
9. I hate that you always feel you need to defend the "underdog"...it makes others feel like you think yourself superior to them.
10. I hate that you would actually argue with a brick wall!

Dear Anonymous

Anonymous ,
...Get your own blog! This is Ronda's Rants...not Anonymous Rants...I no longer allow anonymous comments!

You will need to "man up" and leave your name from now on!

Sincerely,
Ronda's Rants

Gee...I Miss The Travel Channel!!

Dear Travel Channel,
I just watched about ten minutes of Bridget's New Show and may I just ask...

Are you freaking kidding me?
So...I do read from her bio that she has a B.A. in Communications and a Master's in Communication and yet she still talks in a breathy little girl voice!!!
I have to ask...
Why does she act like her brain is much smaller than her boobs?


You may put Miss Bridget opposite Monday night Football!!!!

Please bring back Samantha Brown!!

Sincerely, Ronda of Ronda's Rants

It's gonna be cold... it's gonna be gray... and it's gonna last you for the rest of your life.

I was not picked for a trial...well, I was picked at about 3:00pm in the afternoon. Our group of about 30 was sequestered in a small room where we waited and waited for two hours. I thought if I ever see this judge I will discuss the definition of torture with him. I do think serving on a jury if asked is a civic duty and very important...but the way it is carried out needs to be changed!
The court needs to be a little more sensitive to people... especially those who haven't committed a crime!
In our county when you receive a jury summons, you are instructed that you will sit in the jury pool until your name is called or in my case...until 3:00pm. We are told to arrive at 8:00 am. I tried reading but the chairs were hard and it was incredible cold...I had dressed warmly because I do know me well but I forgot to wear my fur-lined boots so my feet were freezing.
It was a long day...especially since there was a young man of about 30 who also had an answer for everything...I mean everything. Whatever topic was brought up...his answer was "Well, in the military we would have shot them!" "Or I prefer, military justice!" On and on it went...I prayed to Jesus...I just don't want to be here anymore and not around this guy...So of course at 3:00pm when his name was called and he was lining up...I smiled...right up until my name was called!
I lined up beside this guy and said silently "My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?"

I spent two more hours with this guy..in a room... much smaller than the first...waiting ...waiting... waiting. I found out a lot about this young man during this time...He was afraid he was going to lose his job and when I said I was sorry...he brushed it off with a shrug and said I will find another... but I could tell he didn't believe that! We were told once that in 10 minutes we would be entering the court room and given our instructions on what order to line up...One hour later the bailiff came back in! One very strange woman who I can't imagine would fit on any jury of any one's peers began to lose it...I mean lose it! She did threaten the bailiff and God love him he was patient...she said she was walking out at 5:00pm! He said I understand your frustration but the judge will site you with contempt of court!

We were all in that tiny room for two hours and I began to think this was some sort of reality TV show or purgatory...Finally... right at 5:00 pm...we were called into the court room and told by the judge that what we had done today was important but we wouldn't be needed!
Who knows maybe the angry young man is right..."Maybe we do need military justice!" Or maybe just God's Justice!
Part two of Monday...for tomorrow!

"He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8

Oh No She didn't?

Yesterday, I read a couple of blogs that touched me in different ways...one a good hard shove and the other like a warm embrace...I guess it all depends on how you like it! I know lot's of people who liked to be shocked or they need to be provocative to be noticed or whatever! I don't mind controversial...it's the hurtful ones I find uncomfortable reading. I find "mean spirited"...not funny, clever or interesting.

About fifteen years ago, while working in banking I found myself needing a different schedule because my "Motherly bee-hind" needed to be at a bus stop with my 12 year old daughter who's bus stop was on a busy street and she was the only occupant of said bus stop! My supervisor wouldn't accommodate my needs because the single, childless woman of the branch would think I was getting preferential treatment....So I transferred to a different branch where they were just thankful to have a good employee! An employee who couldn't open up the branch but who could work until closing! This was the Siberia branch of the banking world...overworked and underpaid as it wasn't a big commission branch, like the kind I just left, this was more of a service branch.
The branch manager was a nice lady but not very effective as a manager so everyone just ran all over her and each other! The office morale was awful! There was one girl...who just was mean spirited and everyone just stayed out of her way including me. She was a Big girl, who was sarcastic and who seemed to enjoy hurting others!
One fateful Friday late evening...another young girl, who was small and quiet came up short a lot of money...I didn't work behind the teller line but my heart went out to her so I started helping her look for this 2000 and something dollar mistake. Her direct supervisor who was kind but also not very good at managing people told the rest of her staff that because of the sizable outage...all the tellers would be audited before they could leave! The big girl was having a cow...and it was painful for all of us to listen to! She complained loudly while we all dutifully counted cash and reviewed paperwork! She was hungry, she was tired and finally she had had enough...she walked over to the small girl and said that this was all her fault and she was just S.T.U.P.I.D....
I said..."Knock it off you witch" only I pronounced it with the BAH sound! There was the sound of silence...I got every one's attention as I hadn't said much until then! Big girl...got mad and stepped forward ...I stepped forward...I was ready to turn the other cheek...her cheek round and round! Oh God...Chick fight in a bank...news at 11:00 pm...How did I get here?
It was then that both not very effective managers ordered both of us to the office! I am wondering how a good girl like me ended up in trouble...while I see real fear in Big girl's eyes...that was perplexing!

The office manager was a nice women who happened to be Christian but as I said she hadn't been very effective as a manager.
She asked Big girl what happened and she told her side of the story...when she got to the part where I said witch only not witch...I was feeling ashamed because I could hear the hurt in the girl's voice...I realized she was only about four years older than my oldest son.
The manager dutifully chastised her for making the small girl feel bad and then she looked at me!
She spoke softly... and broke my heart "Ronda, you know our words should edify our God!" I was moved beyond anything else she could have said to me...
I turned to this girl and put my hand on her arm...which shocked her and with tears in my eyes...I said "I am so sorry I said that!" and I was sorry...I hadn't made this better for the small girl...I had made it worse for everyone!
I would like to say this girl became nicer...she did a little and I would love to say I don't swear anymore...I don't... much! But... I have never forgotten the time in that managers' office and what she reminded me. The political season is upon us and so we can all choose to be nasty or not...

Pass the Broccoli!

I am either a vegan or a vegetarian...I am not sure...I am trying to work it out though...as it seems important to have a label! I like vegetables, nuts, grains, beans and fruits and I have found that I just don't enjoy meat that much anymore. There are other reasons why but I hate to get into them as others seem to really take this personally...like I am making a statement about their choice which I am not. My Hubby is a meat eater as are all of my children...in fact... I only know one other vegetarian and she lives far away from me!! My Dad, in particular is concerned about my health! Or, the economy...what if everyone did this? What indeed?
I rarely bring it up (yeah, I know I just did) but when we eat out people seem to notice my meatless plate and take it personally! I am not talking about how they cooked the meal and invited me over because I would just eat it...No, I am talking about how we are all out and I am paying my own way and...they want to know "Why aren't you eating meat?" It's like it's un-American! Y'know like I am missing my flag lapel pin or something! I know I will still cook a Turkey on Thanksgiving and I will still do a Sunday Pot-roast because my kids love it but I just don't feel like eating it anymore...
Don't worry I'll keep shaving my arm pits, coloring my hair and wearing a bra, an industrial strength bra!
Visit Travel with Ronda for our Bonnie Hunt Show Experience!

What Not To Wear???

Okay...if I gave birth to you or nursed for the first two years of your life you may not want to read any further....Yes, kids that's you! This post is not for you!

I am 50 now and learning fast that there are now rules, actually many rules you need to follow and 50 seems to be that magical cut off mark...and I am not liking it!
Don't get me wrong, I don't want to be that desperate woman in the room who still acts and dresses like she's 30 but some of these rules...are mostly just unsaid!
I was getting ready to turn off the TV, when Kathie Lee and some guy...I think named Kelly from What Not To Wear made "suggestions" for women over 50...this caught my attention and so I sat down and waited with my cup-of-joe.
While I waited...I thought about the changes my body has decided to completely do on it's own and the age spots that now even reside on my legs for God's sake!
I have a gained weight...I understand it may not be a lot of weight for some but it prevents me from wearing some of my clothes as they no longer fit and for me because I love clothes, this is like losing old friends, well toddlers really but still they are friends! I am coming to terms with all of this and my mantra has been I shall age gracefully...so this show was going to inform and enlighten me! But, this Kelly guy...his tone was a little condescending, like women over 50, maybe a little stupid as well, I think even Kathie Lee felt defensive. Let me say, there isn't a lot of role models...women who actually age and don't have plastic surgery! I have seen some actresses this fall season that I didn't even recognize...Anne Archer for one and Meg Ryan...What has she done to her lips?
So, according to Mr. Smarty pants...
1. No cleavage...ironically enough "the girls" just came in and I have to keep them under lock and key!
2. No shiny lipstick...spotlight those tiny lines around your mouth!
3. Longer dresses...50 year old knees shouldn't be seen!
4. My purse shouldn't match my shoes! Yeah, that's it...that was his advice!
5. The real killer...lower heels...I guess I could fall and break a hip!
I stopped my day for this earth shattering advice...that he dispensed so patiently to the disadvantaged Seniors of our world...Thanks!
Here's the thing...The Hubby and I are home alone with no children for the first time in over 20 years...and he would love me to dress like a Hootchie Mama! I ask, what's a 50 year old broad to do? I still like to dress nice and I love to dance...Do old people not do these things? I guess it hit me for the first time...50 might be old and yet I don't feel old at all!

Okay, kids you can uncover your eyes and ears now and come back into the room!

Sunday...not Peaceful!

My Hubby and I attend church faithfully...I say this not to brag or boast!

I attend church because I NEED it...it is my "easy button" to remember God is in charge...not me! I also need to be reminded of His Grace and that I constantly need it and that I need to give Grace to others... I don't believe you have to attend church to worship God...I do it, because I need it in my life. That being said...I have noticed that during the service and the Sunday School hour... our congregation is becoming separated along party lines...not all of us...but many, many of us. I have included myself in the "us" because I am a known liberal Democrat and I am not afraid to engage in any discussion about politics. I love politics! BUT... I LOVE GOD , HIS PEOPLE AND HIS CREATION, MUCH, MUCH MORE! I have many, many Republican friends...so I don't think that it is because I am intolerant that I am having this problem but...it might be that I am wrong!

The Sunday School class I attend is studying a book called Eat This Book by Eugene H. Peterson and the premise of the book as far as I can see (I am only into the second chapter) would be the importance of Christians using the Bible as opposed to other contemporary literature for listening to God and responding in prayer and obedience.

The opening devotion used by the teacher of this class was an OP ED piece by Judith Miller...the irony it would seem was lost on my Sunday School teacher...We discussed an obvious political piece in our Sunday School class during a discussion about the importance of using the bible for our instruction!

Now, I ask you if God can turn Lot's wife into a pillar of salt...Why can't he render me speechless for 25 minutes! I am sure this teacher and I both made a room full of people uncomfortable ...as I could see members of the room aligning with each of us! Why does Politics have to invade my time with my church family? My very best friend is a fairly conservative Republican and she loves me and has even bought me an Obama T shirt...and yet, I have another friend who I also love who sends me political cartoons characterizing my party as socialists! Why do some people think that your faith defines your party? But, if you do feel that way ...Why can't you see and allow this for others outside your particular party?

I ask that you pray for me...I want to drop out of this class...My Hubby said that he thinks I need to stay because my voice needs to be heard. I feel like this teacher is willing to give of his time to our class and I am grateful but he has a definite agenda as to what "Christians" should think and feel about current issues! I think he is intolerant and I am a distraction! This is a good man who loves God but he doesn't leave his politics outside the class and I don't look good in a muzzle...So, what is a girl to do? I am asking for guidance as I don't want to feel like this after leaving worship and I don't want others to feel this way because of me and my viewpoints! Okay...please comment...I can take it! Really...

Thanks...

Don't forget to watch Bonnie Hunt!

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Stupid Fat Cow....

The title of my post is from my little brother...when he was little, he was angry, really angry with my youngest sister because she had hurt his feelings and he calmly tossed out the worst insult he could think of...If it fits the crime...I say use it!

Special warning...this is not a happy post...you may want to move on for sunshine and rainbows...I am fresh out, until I make it right with Jesus.

My grandmother, who is 91, is in the hospital, she fell again trying to do more than she should, only this time she hurt herself badly. She fractured a disc in her spine and she has been in excruciating pain, she has dementia and she is hard of hearing.
Yesterday, I ran into the Stupid Fat Cow of all nurses and now I have a face to attach to Pray for thine enemies...

Now granted it could be my sparkling personality that caused this, but that is subjective, so let's just stick to the facts or rather my facts since this is Ronda's Rants!

I got to the hospital at 8:30am to relieve my exhausted Aunt...Granny is on pain medication and we think she may have had an anxiety attack due to withdrawals from the pain medication...she can't handle the pain and she doesn't seem to be able to handle lessening her dosage. Anyway, not a lot of sleep had transpired for either of them...
Here's where I pick up...My Mother said "Do not try to take her to bathroom by yourself ....always call a nurse or a tech but not by yourself!" So, Granny is sitting up and wants to go to bathroom...I call and nice young man comes and helps us. The Stupid Fat Cow (nurse) comes in later and asks Granny (hard of hearing Granny, who has dementia) if she had a BM." WHAT?" Granny says...Stupid Fat Cow says it again...I answer from behind her, That yes, she did have a BM...and Stupid Fat Cow turns around as if looking at a cockroach and then turns back around and looks at my grandmother and says..."Did you get a sample?" I am thinking...well I am not going to say what I am thinking.
Granny is still yelling... "WHAT...YOU HAVE TO SPEAK UP....I AM HARD OF HEARING!"
"GRANNY," I say "SHE ISN'T SPEAKING TO YOU, BUT RATHER AT YOU, TO ME!"
"No, I didn't get a sample" but I did call the tech and he helped Granny" I added.
Stupid Fat Cow still looking at Granny says..."They have 10 patients to look after"
Granny..."WHAT? YOU HAVE TO SPEAK UP...I AM HARD OF HEARING!"
"Really?" I say..."Well, if I need to do a job...maybe, I can have a little bit of training..."
That little smart ass remark I made...cost my grandmother, big time! This nurse left the room and then a tech came in and said she was there for Granny's bath...Granny said she had to go to the bathroom...I am thinking this worked out great...good timing Granny! But, no..... tech disappears and doesn't come back and we wait a full five minutes. Granny starts to ask "Ronda, where is she? I am going to go." Still, no one and finally, I pull a Shirley MacLaine in Terms of Endearment and run into the hallway...Stupid Fat Cow and Tech are standing in the hall way talking....I yell, in a hospital...."My granny needs help now!" but, it was too late Granny was crying and had urinated all over the floor.
This is the women who all my life has loved me and has just been the best Grandmother anyone could ever have...I tell her it's okay and a man comes in to help her to the bathroom...she is telling this man how sorry she is and not to worry about it that her granddaughter will clean it up (which I did, because I understand this would be a further humiliation to Granny) But, I would have loved, dearly loved to have made Stupid Fat Cow do it!
To these two women my grandmother is just an old women who repeats herself and requires a lot of attention...really, just a nuisance!
But, this women has been the heart and soul of our family and it is breaking all of hearts to lose her and especially in this way.
I wouldn't wish this on anyone, not even... Mine enemy.
I really do need to spend the day in prayer.

Tag You're IT!

Jennifer at ttp://thefunhousejennifer.blogspot.com/ tagged me--well I read her blog and it said "you're tagged" so I'm taking her up on it! Her challenge is to write six quirky things about yourself...

Now I am thinking...just six...Honey, I could come up with 600

1. I apparently made funny faces with my mouth when I ran bath water for my children...I see no reason why this defect would have gotten better with time so I assume it is only a matter of time before the grandchildren point it out!
2.I can NEVER finish a cup of coffee...I pour it and drink it and then leave the gross cup some where and can't remember where and then pour myself another cup...only to discover the other cup later...my Hubby said it is like the scene from the movie Signs with all the glasses of water!
3. I LOVE,LOVE, hot weather it is the best but I can not go outside without sunglasses which presents a problem because.... I lose my sunglasses or eyeglasses regularly!
4. I have started talking to myself...I thought I just talked to the dogs...but sometimes, I've noticed they aren't in the room any longer... I think by definition...that IS talking to oneself!
5. I am a Christian and I try to be a very moral person and any dirty kind of joke makes me very uncomfortable but.....I have been known to... on a occasion... perhaps more than once... swear like a drunken sailor! I know that's not quirky...it's sinful but...there you have it.
6.I love to travel but HATE to fly really, really HATE to, but I make myself go because I love to travel!

Remember she only asked for six...I have got 594 more!
Tag, You re it!

Changes in Attitudes...

From Patagonia's website.

I wanted to share some changes we have made since reading the book Everything Must Change by Brain D. McLaren...The book asks the basic question...

"How do the life teachings of Jesus address the most critical global problems in our world today?

Some of these social injustices I was aware of, others I was not. I thought I was doing an okay job of taking care of God's creation and His resources, I was not.

• We no longer use bottle water...ever! We have a filter on our tap and we drink that water.



• I recycle...faithfully! I was sporadic at best before.



• I have become a vegetarian almost completely. Most of our country's processed meats come from South America and that country is destroying it's Rain Forests to keep up with our demand for meat. In the past India and China were mostly vegetarians but they are now adopting a more western "meat eating" lifestyle. It also takes more water and land use to raise cattle than crops. (I did have a bite of a baby back rib, the other day!)



• We are now a one car couple and we plan our use of the vehicle daily.



• We have set our air-conditioning on 80 degrees. I am now cold almost any store I go in to because I have adjusted to that temperature.



• I shop only at stores that are rated an A or B by Better World Shopper.



• I consume far less than ever. I buy only what I need and look for environmentally friendly goods.



• I use cloth bags when I shop. No more plastic!



• When people say things that I believe are not factually accurate...I speak up. We can change this, we don't have to have a defeatist attitude and small changes CAN make a difference. No, I am not asking you to live in the "Dark Ages!"



• I use fair trade and organic items as much as possible. It IS the new name brand.

I am learning new ways of living...change doesn't have to be scary! I will continue to make more changes as I learn more.Find out what is the best possible solution for YOU and make small changes and share what you have learned. I would love to hear and maybe others would to.

A quote from Everything Must Change by Brian D. McLaren

..."The other day I saw two bumper stickers, spin-offs from the WWJD (What would Jesus do?) bracelet phenomenon of the 1990's--

WWJB and WWJE:

What Would Jesus Bomb? and Who Would Jesus Exploit? Bumper stickers aren't a good venue for serious theological reflection, but they can raise some good questions that deserve deeper reflection after a hard day of shopping for a bargains."

As for me, I can't just sit on the pew in my church or work on a committee anymore without these thoughts filtering every moment. I now ask myself daily"What does it mean to be a follower of Christ? For me, it means my acts of consumptions can not harm another person or the place where they will raise their families. My talent, my treasure and my time will go towards taking care of God's creation and His people. I may not be the most polite girl in church (okay, so I wasn't before) but I am going to speak up when I feel God's creation and His people are not being taken care of!

What are you going to do?

Sweet Deal...for Big Sugar

Okay, a disclaimer of sort's is necessary, again,....These are my thoughts and opinions hence the title Ronda's Rants not Hubby's Rants or Adult Children's Rants or even my Church Family's Rants and Oh, especially not my Parents' Rants. They are mine and other's may or may not agree, probably not... but again to make perfectly clear these thoughts are all mine!



I would like you to consider that if I damaged the wetlands on my property in Florida with any of my actions both private or through my business...I would be fined and made to clean it up! You are not allowed to redirect water flow or cut down any plant life on your private property if you have wetlands due to the Clean Water Act, also dumping huge amounts of phosphourous is a "No-No", which I do believe it is as it should be. If I could not pay my fines or clean up my land, a lien would be placed on my property. I could be forced to sell my property and if government decided that my property was for the betterment of the community...I could lose my property through eminent domain. I understand this. What I do not understand is every one's excitement over the deal our Governor has made with Florida Sugar. Government officials and Environmentalist are said to be "Giddy" with excitement.

Big Sugar has through the business of growing sugar very nearly destroyed the Everglades and the company management has been given a sweetheart of a deal. Former Sugar executives have stated that they feel Florida is overpaying or bailing out a company that is burdened with debt and while it's company is dealing with lawsuits from former employees due to questionable pension dealings.

Florida will pay $1.75 Billion dollars for United States sugar, which will have six years to continue farming before turning over 187,000 acres, along with 2 sugar refineries, 200 miles of railroad and other assets. The details of this deal does not require legislative approval...(just a bunch of lobbyists working it out, I guess) This purchase will be paid for with bonds and from fees already added to water bills. Now, we haven't been able to get Big Sugar to clean up their mess so far, so now that we are buying them out; What is to stop them from changing their wicked ways these next six years?
Now, that our Governor has this nice "shell game" with the Florida Everglades going, we are supposed to overlook the fact that he will ruin our tourists industry with drilling for "black gold" off the Florida coastline!
Meanwhile, Florida needs to make further cuts to education!

It's called Ronda's Rants because their mine.

Okay, a disclaimer of sort's is necessary, actually it was necessary awhile ago but....
These are my thoughts and opinions hence the title Ronda's Rants not Hubby's Rants or Adult Children's Rants or even my Church Family's Rants and Oh, especially not my Parents' Rants. They are mine and other's may or may not agree, probably not... but again to make perfectly clear these thoughts are all mine!
Mouth stops here!
I just want to say that drilling for oil off our coast will not lower your gas prices anytime at all. Making the big oil companies pay taxes on their huge windfall profits will not lower you gas bill either and taxing them at a higher rate won't either. Because for all of the above, they will further the cost of said exploration and raised taxes to you the consumer! That's how business is supposed to work here in America and I think it should otherwise you are living in a country like Venezuela! If you want to lower gas prices, invest your money in alternative energy and buy energy efficient vehicles and MOST importantly drastically reduce your usage of gas! This is based on supply and demand and that does not mean we demand you supply us with gas! That only puts us between a rock and an oil barrel!
So stop using this product drastically and watch the prices go down. You will have to sacrifice and change the way you do things for this to happen!
Also, stop forwarding those emails that tell you to stop using oil from certain oil companies on certain days and then your gas prices will go down. No they won't!
Please do everyone a favor and check those out at http://www.snopes.com/ before you hit forward!

Okay, I think I will walk somewhere now.

What breaks my heart...

There is a time for everything,and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance...
Ecclesiastes 3

What breaks my heart is when people treat the poor with contempt or utter disdain. When they judge them as responsible for their situation when this question should be asked of themselves..." How am I going to respond?" It makes me so sad to see so-called Christians with so much, and then be so critical of those with so little. We are all being made perfect by his love and I do know that our God uses every tear and every heartache for his plans and purpose and ultimate good.

"He will reply, ' I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for the least of these, you did not do for me.'

Matthew 25:45