You’re right, Mare. We’ve got to get men more involved with important aspects of life. But, SMU and GW #43 rather go’together in that regard, you mentioned - shoving people out of their homes. It seems they completely missed the teachings of Dr. Maslow.

Annie, were you with DODS? If so, please let me know. There’s a cadre of supportive women who are retired from DODS who were teachers, etc. It may be a great resource for you—also write to any of your colleagues from those years, to reconnect, and see where they are now. In the LA area, from my experience hearing from others, temp. work is often the entre to a great opportunity. A VP at Sony made her entre just that way - “Look at her now!” Hopefully, serving coffee is out of date, in LA, too. Another suggestion is to contact the “best-rated” employers of women (there’s lists on the Internet - just Google it), in the LA area, and phone Human Resources, requesting an appointment for a resource-interview only - in other words, you’re “new to the area” and want to make some contacts before you begin your search. You will make some appointments, and be able to learn from the people you meet. Always listen and take notes, but before you leave, not pressing anyone for a job, once you’ve briefly outlined your goals, ask for a suggestion on what other employers you should contact…then ask that person if they’d make a referral for you. Be sure to contact the universities, local women’s center and the YWCA; the local employment office may offer referrals, and testing, too. In re your daughter, that’s tragic and must be very hard for you. Remember, neuro-science is advancing rapidly. You have my sincere empathy, and I hope you stay strong, yourself. I nearly lost a daughter when she was 16 to an AVM (brain), and it took months to save her life (in the 80s), and years off of mine. But, keep in mind, at 55 you are just beginning to live. The world’s your oyster. You’ll be just fine - count on it.

In Eureka Spring, Ark the Carrie Nation home has suffered this tragic demise for lack of volunteers, and interest, since “everyone’s going to Branson now, it’s all country, Christians, and crafts” a local merchant told me when I enquired why the home was closed—few people really know about Carrie, and I felt I was abandoning her. In years passed, I once vowed in my retirement I would start a volunteer program for our nation’s historic sites, like the National Park Services, for which I was a volunteer, and loved every minute of that experience. I knew that volunteers could “lodge” in these sites, and in Eureka Springs, I was told I’d be welcome to stay in the Nation home, and “the restaurants in town till feed you, too ..” A traveling companion and I vowed we’d return there one day, for just that reason, and spend a week exposing people to the real Carrie Nation. We didn’t get back there - yet. Imagine the retirement group that travels to our parks, going from park to park as volunteers, they could do the same for our nation’s historic homes, too. With the NPS, they would leave a message for me, with information as to which park needed my help for the upcoming weekend, and paid me a pittance cents/mile to travel, fed us, but we had to provide our own ‘housing,’ or tent. I loved the thrill of hearing a plea for help after an exhausting week of work. Those pleas carried me into the weekends with a new fervor, and great anticipation about meeting the “regulars,” who traveled the nation as park volunteers — a great bunch of people. I’d often just toss ‘used’ holiday trees in a lake with a Ranger, from a boat, or teach a class in the nature center (again, I wouldn’t touch anything that didn’t talk); or tell stories to children, and sometimes, adult groups, too…that’s when Nikki Giovanni, and a Dallas poet came in very handy - everyone loved it when I did readings from their books. This could still be done. Wouldn’t it be fun!

Look at what you started, Joni. This feeds into our most basic fear. Hotel rooms are a story and more. The absolute worst I can recall in my experience including foreign countries was, believe it or not, 3 years ago in Austin. Unable to secure my favorite B&B for my return to see a wonderous oncologist, I let an online hotel reservation program help me, and knowing it was “Cedar Season,” I opted for one of the large chains, since my stay would only be overnight. Good gravy, it was raining, non-stop, and cold as Billy-O, but worse was the hotel room. Nary a blanket, much less a mattress covering on the bed. A transparent sheet loosely dangled from the mattress, at 11 PM when I turned back the bedding. In shock, and beginning to chill, I phoned “the desk” and was told no one could do anything, because the “other people don’t like to work when raining start…” so there was only 1 employee on the premises who could not leave the front desk. In desperation, I tried to purchase something warm to drink from a machine - they were all empty. A few people were outside my room complaining, in as much “shock” as I. Desperately tired, I thought of many friends I could phone, but didn’t have the heart to waken anyone, and many were out of town, anyway, so I was tempted to see if I could check in to the hospital for a 23-hour admit. Having the greatest respect for the best physicians I’ve ever experienced in one place, it just wasn’t in me, yet. My departure was scheuled for the next morning, so I thought I could surely survive a few more hours. Those hours ended up being lived out at a nearby restaurant bar! With all that cover-up, one person recognized me! I was mortified at my own stupidity, but the following week severely paid for that misearble hotel with a URI, and the “reservation” group would not budge to my threats, other than to admit they would not refer to that particular hotel again. That franchise, incidentally, was owned by an Austin M.D. HA! I did get my turn!

Yes, Bella, and the population turns “red” when hit extraneously with a “killer.” ;-)) The Asian Cockroach is a small thing, but the American roach is enormous…I’ve experienced the “American” roach only once in my life—it walks like a large spider. YIKES. Me, organic-minded, once suffered the tortures of the damned when my condo in Dallas was sprayed (but not mine, of course). Guess where those little things scampered for protection? Out came the boric acid, corn meal, and white vinegar (we used to spray the pastures with that stuff to keep horses free of miseries, and also added it to their grains so they’d sweat it out and flies stay away), and an outing to find “Horse Apples” to cut in half and spread around - VOILA! They went back home, I think. That one infestation took me 2 years to get to the point where I could open a cupboard door, or lighten a dark room before entering it, without cringing. That was disgusting. In restoring 2 homes to National Historic Trust regulations, I once found ‘them’ behind ceramic tile, and canvas walls, in droves. I vividly recall thinking, “I’m going to restore every home I live in from now on.” I don’t like anything that moves, and doesn’t talk, except butterflies, birds, and most fish.

Opps, Liz, what happened to the separator notice, the insertion tip that showed up when we entered a thread? Has the need for that HTML entry been circumvented, or is it just on multiple line entries? Thank you … I’m now using adaptive software due to a vision disorder, and not having to make that insertion has been most convenient for my “Screen Reader.”

A virtual breeze from the ocean, Liz. Thank you very much, and have a wondrous weekend.

Praytel, i think our president is going to go there when he’s through working - he said he wanted to sign up to fight in Afghanistan if he didn’t have his job, or was younger but I heard a man trying to be president say he would keep figthing anhother 100 years so our president will have plenty of time to go help our soldiers, and especially my daddy who’s been there 3 times. I feel so sad sometimes, I don’t think those people care about us, only us paying them to be polticens.

< >Liz, I use Kurzweil 1000 daily! I’m now a “blind user…”

Please Become Interested in Healthcare Consumerism. Let’s look at some of the most crucial aspects for healthcare consumers. I’ve been an advocate for about 30 years in my spare time, and now retirement, and there are some shocking needs that must be put in place ASAP, in consideration of the very near future of health, here and around the world. One, breathing disorders, including COPD is the 4th leading cause of death in the world now, and the public hasn’t a clue what its early warnings are, nor do many physicians. It’s only going to get worse. People who survived Polio and others with neuromuscular disorders are suffering unnecessarily in the US…because only a handfull of doctors know how diagnose and treat hypoventilation (the symptoms are horrific)—oxygen is not the treatment! Worse, the insurance industry is separating chronic conditions from acute, which limits excellent care for those who are most in need, and highly viable (check out Dr. Reji Mathews writings such as http://www.post-polio.org/edu/pphnews/index.html)—Reji’s at NYU, and of course my own!). There’s the new Project Blue Whale that’s taken on this mission, and there’re trying hard to get the Bill in the House and now Senate passed to grant Medicare-covered Respiratory Therapists over-sight in home care—crucial to support the Supreme Court’s Olmstead Act and Money Follows the Person, keeping people out of institutional care throughout the nation…it’s working, but RRTs must be recognized, quickly. http://tinyurl.com/22zqn8 (AARC chair’s page); http://tinyurl.com/35h2pr - Its now in the Senate, too.

Have you read Franklin’s current article in the New Yorker? I wish I had written it! http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/television/2008/03/24/080324crte_t… The viewing public is far too gullible, but it does not excuse people like Oprah, and Dr. Phil, et al, from taking advantage of the public to pad their own pockets. Harpo is now ding the same thing that journalists and citizens have been beating away at the FCC about - conglomerates taking over the airwaves, preventing diversity in content…one media corporation owning multiple outlets: newspaper, radio programs, TV stations, etc. Philanthropy? Come on. The most philanthropic people I’ve known (and I’ve witnessed multi-million dollar gifts being created) were all by people who insisted on remaining anonymous. The problem with today’s media, newscasts, et al is the infernal anchors, who shout at us 2-1/2 Octaves higher than their actual voices, or the news alerts to keep us tuned in. Secondly, religious and sexual bias exists in programming. We’re being drowned in sports, and then it’s religious programming that’s often “off the wall,” on far more channels than imaginable, and then there’s no respect for “Children’s Televiewing Hours.” The FCC chairman’s a nightmare and we, the voters again, should have done more to outst the idiot for ignoring us, and legitimate journalists, but in the end, it’s all about the sponsors. If they don’t hear from us in a force equal to that which we preceive is hitting us, and threaten, indeed do, turn off TV and radio, or boycott the movies, we can just keep complaining. I was involved in the beginning of Action for Children’s Television, in Boston in grad school, and went on to our first jobs in the SW - where the public believed if anyone tried to “control our airwaves they should be imprisioned…” and Earl Warren was being impeached on the streets and byways of Oklahoma and Texas. Great Scott, there I was in my knee socks, wool plaid skirt from the “Coop,” and straight hair, with 3 babies, and my head still filled with graduate research and programs of merit, surrounded by women in pastel stretch pants, and bee-hive hairdos who hated me, I just knew they hated me. But, I won their hearts through children. In fact, a “write-in” to the FTC done in the parks of Dallas, and surrounding areas, while someone I knew burned the flag on a toothpick in Lee Park and was summarily arrested and put in prison, accounted for the greatest volume of mail ever received by the FTC…they acted. We are not helpless. We are power.

Kudos AC. I agree about psycho-analysis. Far too many pscychs are out ‘there’ doing nothing for mental health, in fact the term has become one of this century’s oxymorons. I am so relieved for you. You should be feel liberated, indeed, proud of your courage, too - “You’ve come long way, baby!” I had to go through years of same due to repressed, horrific child abuse—the memories began eeking out right after my first mastectomy — guess why! I ran, didn’t walk, to the best expert I could find, but had to interview about 9 first, swollen with chemo, and PTSD to boot. Few people on earth realize the courage survivors have just to live life, day to day, after loss, abandonment, torture, and/or despair. I know of one woman who learned about the reason for a life of depression on her deathbed - in a hospice - she was abuse by her father. Thank goodness my shocking memories arose (as horrific as they were) before my last days on earth. It’s worth everything to jump in with both feet, after finding the best expert to help us on such journeys. I’m so happy for you. My journey has been amazing - no more internal tugs when I remember anything - no more pain, just knowledge that “they happened…” Prior to that once the memories eeked out, they were experienced with the full force of the pain received at the time, as a little child. I well-remember hearing rain for the “first” time, one day in Austin. Calling my analyst, in utter amazement, he kindly said, “Welcome to life - we’re on the way!” Indeed, we have arrived!

Fran, thank goodness age has its privileges, but … Eventually, each of us has such moments, and I, for one, remember one glaring event that I’d love to believe was a nightmare, but it wasn’t. Part of my reaction was deliberate, in fact, and it had the desired outcome save for, like yourself, distancing someone from me. I know better, though, and realize when something or someone grabs me in the gut, there is something about myself in their message that I don’t like - ME. Over the years - I have a few on you - I’ve learned to sit tight, and keep my big mouth shut (believe it or not!). Than being said, I met some wondrous women the other day, randomly, and never expected to find them “out here…” but each random, unplanned meeting (out in public running errands) led us into conversation, some with others, that bolstered my self-image. Many of “us” experience such sad times, but in the long run we’ve kept our mouths shut far too long. In my own case, I now know exactly from whence I came … and I shall not return. Chin up, sister, it’s over and done with, let go, and see what happens. My hunch is that suddenly things will mellow out as if there was never a rife, and things will go on as before…but it takes time. There’s more than yourself in that equation, in fact too many unknowns to be able to estimate the outcome. In the meantime, think about your reaction…for yourself, not any one else. Hugs.

Ah, your sharing and the mere memories of years passed with a home-full of children, lull me into deep relaxation for this weekend. Spring is finally coming, and the promise of new seasons may convince us all to have hope and rest a while with those we love, or enjoy the mementos of past years that fill our happy hearts. Vivaldi’s Four Seasons will swell the throats of the new Daffodils, and perk up the little birds who are now joining the Mourning Doves in their daily calls. Having “switched” my rooms around again, to take advantage of the views I’ve created, I’m looking forward to being present with nature - silence after many years of fabulous din is now greatly appreciated.

WowOwow, me, too. My town’s school district is now totally run on wind power; it’s wonderful to look out into the clear, blue sky and see those majestic linear sculptures producing gratis power from the atmosphere. Wonderful contribution, Liz.