Dec 4th “JUST… Give ME one moment more…Please”

“Is there – TIME?”

At this “TIME” of the year – everyone finds… that they are so busy – cleaning the house – fixing special recipes before the BIG day to see if they turn out all right??

Also, we have to do – all of the outside sprucing up – what trees will be decorated – what is the outside “CHRISTMAS PLAN” for our house – this year??

Hopefully, all the “CHRISTMAS” decorating lights are all together and are not in a tangle like the year – before? And, we also have the inside lights and ornaments and all of the extra special items – that are always packed away with great care – – as some of these are heirlooms – and… no amount of money could ever buy these – they are just irreplaceable???

Is this the year for a real “TREE” – or an artificial?

Will we be expecting all the same family and friends – or – are their additions, which we will now need to prepare for – and – surely no one has departed and hopefully, there will be no separations in the family???

Should we make some calls and see if there are changes??? Are we recording all the “CHRISTMAS CARD” responses?? Did anyone put inside their card to us – any special notes – to give us an up-date – something necessary for us to know, now – and be prepared for – some questionable things – that are up-in-the-air – a may or a maybe not!

So far – we have gone down our list and we think that we have checked “IT” twice – but did we really???

What about the “HOME BOUND” family member and or friend??

We all have someone, who is not as well as they once were, and now… for them to travel to and from any of our great get-to-gathers – is just a little too much – and they just will not let anyone know their situation – that they can no longer par-take in all of the family gatherings – like they used to do!

Is it too late? Is there some “TIME” – for us to include the “HOME BOUND” – if at all possible? Did we at least send a “CHRISTMAS CARD?”

Is it, maybe possible for us to take something – made extra special just for them and spend some of our “TIME” with them?? Surely someone in the family – should take on the job of checking the “HOME BOUND” – in their homes – just to make sure that they are still alive???

Some of our special family members – gave all of the family so much of their “TIME” when they were younger and also in the best of health – but to all of us mortals – comes a “TIME” – that we slow down and can no longer be the leading force … full of fun – with lots of get-up and go!

All of the “FUN” has now got-up and is gone!??

If ever there was a “TIME” to receive extra blessings – now is the season – just because there is so much to do – just to be able to make “MERRY” with all our family and friends.

So now… if we can only remember those words – that can be found in the “MANUAL FOR LIFE” – it is called the “BIBLE” – and in the New Testament section – see if you can find those verses which promise so very many blessings – that our cup will over flow… –

“When you have done this “KINDNESS” to the very least … you have done it unto me… and, your reward will be greater, than you could ever expect!”

Never let it be said that you forgot to do a small “KINDNESS” – when you did have the “TIME” and also the “WHERE-WITH-ALL” – to do it!

“TIME and TIDE” wait for no man… and, will never ever, let you forget… and your “personal sorrow will be… ever so mindful!”

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Dec 3rd “How Do YOU Mix Christmas with Birthdays”

Christmas and or “CHILD’s” Birthday???

Do you have children and or … maybe – just one child that will have a “BIRTHDAY” in the month of December???

I’ve heard of adults recalling – that when they were a child and their Birthday was in December – they always felt that they had been short-changed!

Most – remember that… they would receive a combination type gift – a gift that took care of their Birthday and Christmas – together??

Also, some other children would have been “LUCKY” to have a definite and separate celebration – they would know – that their “BIRTHDAY” was not “CHRISTMAS” and vice-verse!

Well. – We were this type of family – one son‘s Birthday is on the 5^th of December and then, another son’s Birthday is on the 9^th of January!

Before either of their “births” … we would start putting up the “tree” – soon after Thanksgiving – since the stores had all of their decorations up – and we did like the early Christmas feeling – and all of the fun that goes with getting into – the “spirit” early – it was fun!

Then, after the “tree” is up – we enjoyed it – until – and after “NEW YEAR” – – – no big rush to take everything down, immediately???

So, here is what we did.

We would have a regular big “Birthday” party on the 5^th of December with all of my son’s friends and or family – and then… the very next day – we would put the Christmas records on the record- player – – and sing and sort out what “Christmas ” decorations will go where – and all of the decorating – inside and out.

We still – would take our time in taking down the Christmas tree, and all of the other “HOLIDAY ” paraphernalia! – And – – Then, when the next son arrived on the 9th of January!!! …”Just a few years later!”

So, NOW… in order – that the children would know when their “Birthdays” were and each – would be able to have a “BIRTHDAY PARTY” with their friends and also receive as many gifts – enjoying as much as their friends did … and… that their Birthday was special to them – and also very extra special – – to us… their parents!

Since, the “THREE WISE MEN” arrived to make their visit to the “NEW BORN KING” – supposedly on the 6^th of January – we used that date to end our Holiday festivities – and then, the next celebration would be for our second son’s Birthday!

With young children “Birthdays” are a very special deal to them… so we plan with them, for their extra special day with a big “BIRTHDAY PARTY” – so he could now invite his friends and we would have some of our family – – that – also lived in Florida – all over to celebrate, too!

Our “BIRTHDAY” and “CHRISTMAS” celebrations worked well – for us – with this separation schedule – – but I know that there are “BIRTHDAYS” much closer – even some on “CHRISTMAS DAY” – as for my Uncle Bill Riley.

So, every family has a tough decision to make – and hopefully – these families – – -WILL MAKE A GOOD CHANGE SO THAT – ALL IN THE FAMILY – WILL FEEL THAT THEY ARE REMEMBERED AND LOVED AS MUCH OR EVEN MORE SO – THAN OTHERS AT THIS SPECIAL TIME OF YEAR!

For our family – we could start decorating on the 6^th of December for the “Christmas TIME” – – but everything that was for “Christmas” – we would start taking down on the 6^th of January!

This is the way we did this – so that each child knew – when their Birthday was – and could have friends and completely feel thrilled with the celebration – which was just for them – and everyone knew in our family – that “Christmas” was a very special and “HOLY DAY” that we would all celebrate with going to Church – – – –

After all is said and done – – whose “BIRTHDAY” is it that we celebrate on the day – called “CHRISTMAS” – “NOT MANY REMEMBER – the “CHRIST CHILD!” D.V.

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Dec 2nd “Some “CATS” Know How to Find You”

“Grand Ancestor of Sunset Cat!”

Since the writing about the “SUNSET CAT” – some time ago – I was asked if I had enclosed a picture of the “SUNSET CAT” while she was licking and cleaning her paws ?

When she comes to visit… I will see her sitting on our back-yard picnic table???

Especially, since she will be sitting nice and high – just so that I will see her and know that she is saying a very special “THANK YOU ” to me!

I had to say – “NO” to that inquirer… “because, I just did not think about – getting a picture?? –

So just in case – there is someone else, who would like to know what the “SUNSET CAT” looks like – I have posted the above picture of our cat that lived so many years ago, with our family – when we lived in the Fenton, Missouri area.

We had gone to the “HUMANE -SHELTER” in Saint Louis – and rescued her – and she was grateful – that she could live with us, she just obeyed my two sons that enjoyed having her live with them inside the house.

Of course, since we got her when she was a very young kitten – she lived inside the house with us.

One thing about cats – they will scratch your furniture – so we had to have her nails removed – and she was then, a forever inside cat!

My sons would take pictures of all of the animals – and of course this cat loved to have her picture taken – as you can see on the above picture – she is right in front of the Christmas CRIB and some of the figurines have been moved and or knock down, as she poses – just like a permanent figurine herself?

I’m guessing that some of our Fenton Cat’s family were also adopted – and maybe at some time in some of their lives – they were left outside to make it on their own – and so the one that we call the “SUNSET CAT” – picked up on our scent – – – and was able to locate one of her “Ancestor’s” previous owners – also knowing that – we would always give to her kind a free meal.

This is the way, that she will be able to continue along in many “LIFE” times – living out all of her – “nine-lives” – or however many – that she can live – in the “SUNSET PARK!”

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Dec 2nd “For RAVE Reviews, Try My Christmas Recipes”

“Christmas Cookie Recipe!”

If you like cookies – here is the recipe for a delicious Christmas Cookie.

Ingredients

1 cup soft butter 2 ¼ cup flour

½ cup confectioner’s sugar ¼ tsp. salt

1 tsp. Vanilla ¾ cup chopped nuts

1 Cup confectioner’s sugar for rolling cookies in

Preparation

Beat butter and vanilla until smooth.

Combine the dry ingredients together –

stir into butter mixture just until blended –

Mix in walnuts –

Chill batter for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees —

Roll batter into one-inch balls and place on an ungreased baking sheet. –

Bake 10-12 minutes.

Have your powder sugar in a bowl – I use two slotted spoons to take hot cookies from the hot cookie sheet and roll in the powder sugar –while hot – doing two hot cookies at a time – and then put on serving dish –

When…Cool! –

Depending on when you will serve cookies – you might want to roll cookies… In the powder sugar – one more time ?

While making these “Christmas Cookies” was also making a cake – and then went to make my own “Butter Cream Frosting” as… I did not have “Whipping Cream” – – so I tried something different and everybody had to have seconds on the cake… just because the icing was so good!

The general recipe for icing… that I use calls for:

1 cup butter and I whip that till it is nice and light and creamy – – then I add 2 cups of powder sugar – continue whipping till creamy – and adding almost 2 tablespoons vanilla – and for the final ingredient – 3 tablespoons whipping cream –

and since I did not have whipping cream – went to the freezer and put 3 tablespoons of “COOL WHIP” in…. and continued for another minute – spread that on the cake and decorated to looked like a beautiful “Christmas Wreath” with some very colorful sprinkles on top –

So far, best cake ever!

Try it and see if you don’t also … receive “RAVE Reviews!”

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Dec 1st He Thought This Grandmother Was an Easy Target.””

He Thought This Grandmother Was an Easy Target. She Scared Him Away Thanks To This Device.

Audrey Beck | Wednesday, December 1, 2021

Violent crime is rising against seniors and women, and authorities are urging residents to carry a simple new safety device that can thwart even the most vicious of attackers.

It was supposed to be a normal day of shopping for 76-year-old Donna Mason, but instead, her shopping trip took a terrifying turn.

“I was walking to my car, which was parked pretty close to the store” she remembers, “but I had an odd feeling – like I was being watched.”

Her instincts were spot on – she was being watched. And targeted. In the middle of the day, no less.

Right when she was unlocking her car, a man came up behind her and tried to grab her.

“He told me ‘just give me your purse and I won’t hurt you!’ and he reached for my purse. I was terrified, but I guess my instincts took over, and I yelled and pulled the pin on my alarm”

“The SafeAlarm immediately went off, with the loudest alarm ever. I mean, it was SUPER LOUD. It must have surprised him, because he stumbled backwards and ran like hell. Then other people who heard the alarm ran over to see what the commotion was.”

Donna was lucky. She was carrying a small personal alarm that might have saved her life. But not everyone is as lucky.

There has been a dramatic increase in attacks, especially against seniors. And as the economy worsens, criminals are getting more and more brazen. Remember, Donna was attacked close to the store, in broad daylight.

“The trend is both clear and troubling – violent crime is rising, especially against our most vulnerable citizens, like seniors. Authorities recommend that everyone carry a small personal alarm that can draw attention and scare attackers”

Donna had been given a SafeAlarm by her daughter about a month before. She carried it on her purse, but didn’t think she’d ever need to use it.

“Since my daughter bought it for me, I figured I’d carry it, even though I never thought I’d need it. I am so thankful I had this little alarm. I’m 76, and have never been a crime victim, so when it happens to you, it’s almost a feeling of disbelief.”

“After my attack, I bought 6 SafeAlarms for my friends at the senior center. Because now I know how easy you can be targeted, even in a crowded parking lot in daytime” .

What Is A SafeAlarm?

Imagine a tiny alarm that’s super simple to use, and has the loudest sound ever. That’s the SafeAlarm.

It’s a personal alarm that has a piercing 120db sound, and is activated simply by pulling a pin. It scares attackers and attracts volumes of attention.

By the way, how loud is 120DB? It’s like a military jet taking off. LOUD.

The design is really good too. Instead of a button that can accidentally be pressed, SafeAlarm uses a pull-pin. So it’s easy to use, but won’t go off by accident. And once it’s pulled, it immediately emits its 120db siren, and will continue to shriek for 30 minutes, or until the pin is put back.

Better still, it can be used again and again.

SafeAlarm Was Born From Tragedy

Mark Adams, the inventor of SafeAlarm, says the idea for the product came after hearing about a recent attempted kidnapping in his hometown of San Diego.

“I was watching the news, and saw where a child was almost kidnapped in a Costco parking lot, during the middle of the day” said Adams.

“Fortunately, this particular kidnapping failed because the father was alert and made a big commotion. But it really hit home for me because it was right down the road, and my own daughter is 13 and is just starting to hang out with friends without adults being around. I could not imagine how I would feel if she was kidnapped.”

He couldn’t get the story out of his mind, so he did some research. He found that thousands of children go missing every year, many of which are never found again.

But he also found that noise is the #1 deterrent to attempted kidnappings and violent crime.

“Authorities say successful kidnappings happen when they can keep the victim from making noise, which is easy to do if someone strong covers their mouth. So making noise some other way is crucial to someone’s safety.”

Mark knew what he wanted. “I had two goals – to make a small device that was easy to use, and to make it as loud as possible.”

The best part about SafeAlarm is it can be carried and used by anyone, and is useful in almost any dangerous situation.

Mark explains “Obviously, it’s great for parents to give to their kids to prevent strangers from harming or even abducting them. But it’s also great for women, seniors… anyone. Hey, I carry one myself now.”

Mark has been thanked by people who have used SafeAlarm to prevent a tragedy. “I like hearing that” he says, “but I also wish I came up with this earlier. Maybe some of these missing kids that I read about wouldn’t be missing.”

Authorities Recommend Safe Alarm

Authorities have been wholeheartedly behind SafeAlarm since its introduction, spurring its popularity and leading to the device selling out repeatedly.

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Dec 1st “I’m a Virus Expert and Here’s a Sure Sign You’ve Had COVID”

I’m a Virus Expert and Here’s a Sure Sign You’ve Had COVID

Heather Newgen

Tue, November 30, 2021, 8:31 AM·7 min read

The New York Times reports more than 775,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and more than 48 million have had the virus. However, many others have likely had COVID but weren’t tested or were asymptomatic and didn’t realize they had it. While it’s impossible to know if you’ve been infected without seeing a physician or getting tested, there are signs you’ve had it. COVID affects everyone differently, but according to virus and medical experts Eat This, Not That! Health spoke with, here are the symptoms to watch out for that indicate you’ve had COVID. (Get tested to make sure!) Read on—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss these Sure Signs You’ve Already Had COVID.

1

Asymptomatic People

female friends in kitchen preparing together vegetarian meal

If you had COVID, but didn’t experience symptoms, you’re not alone. Dr. Suman Radhakrishna MD FACP, Director of Infectious Diseases at Dignity Health California Hospital Medical Center says, “1/3 of patients do not experience any symptoms of COVID 3/4 of asymptomatic individuals who receive a positive PCR test remain asymptomatic. This is more common in healthy individuals.” However, Dr. Radharkrishna says, “Asymptomatic infected individuals can have abnormalities on CT of the chest suggestive of viral pneumonia, abnormalities in their blood tests.”

2

Really Bad Headache

If you’ve had a terrible headache with other flu-like symptoms, that could be a sign you’ve had COVID. Dr. William Wang, Vice President/Chief Medical Officer with Dignity Health Glendale Memorial says, “It’s one of the symptoms, one of the first symptoms of the Omicron and Delta variants. Headaches are one of the first things that happen. The probability is it’s not COVID, it’s only COVID if it’s a headache, then followed by a sore throat and then a cough. It’s not all happening at the same time. Just a headache by itself does not mean you have COVID”

3

Bad Cold

“Colds typically last only a few days,” Dr. Wang explains. “A sign you may have had COVID is that the cold symptom sticks around for two weeks or longer. In addition, people have reported experiencing shortness of breath, which differentiates this from a normal cold or flu. Also many patients have experienced what felt like an anxiety or panic attack that lasted longer than usual, which could mean you’ve had COVID.

4

Loss of Taste and Smell

woman trying to sense smell of half fresh orange, has symptoms of Covid-19

According to Robert G. Lahita MD, Ph.D. (“Dr. Bob”), Director of the Institute for Autoimmune and Rheumatic Disease at Saint Joseph Health and author of the upcoming book Immunity Strong, “Sometimes, this is permanent and it really reveals the neurotropic extent of this virus. The virus prefers the brain and nervous system, and the loss of these senses is very much COVID-related.”

5

Brain Fog

Woman hands on his head felling headache dizzy sense of spinning dizziness with motion

Dr. Bob says, “A lot of patients who have had COVID find it difficult to watch a movie or balance their checkbooks, for example. Their degree of concentration is impacted – sometimes for a long time after they contract the virus.”

6

Overall Exhaustion

“This symptom can last for months in people who have had COVID,” Dr. Bob explains. “However, it’s important to get properly diagnosed to ensure this symptom isn’t due to another condition.”

7

Joint Pains

Senior woman suffering from pain in hand at home.

Dr. Bob explains, “If you have anything like osteoarthritis or lupus, you may have lots of joint pain going forward. Again, this can last for months post-COVID.”

8

Muscle Aches

young man sitting on couch with kidney pain

“These aches are common in conditions like fibromyalgia but we see a lot of them in people who have had COVID,” Dr. Bob states. “They are all over the body. Once again, these aches can last for months after recovery from the virus. Even young people can experience these conditions post-COVID. If we see anyone with any one of these symptoms, we’re doing full blood work and many other tests – testing for antibodies and looking at inflammatory markers, red blood cell count to ensure they’re not anemic, analyzing their platelet count, etc.”

9

Persistent Cough

Dr. Wang says, “Again, you would have felt a little ill and then you developed a cough that doesn’t go away. The cough can last anywhere from a week to two weeks.”

10

How to Lower Your Chances of Getting COVID

Two women with black face masks sitting on bench in park

Dr. Reginald J. Jones, MD, FACS General Surgeon/Trauma Surgeon Director of Trauma Prevention Director of Disaster with Dignity Health California Hospital Medical Center says, “Bottom line the symptoms of COVID depend on what health biases an individual brings to the table, i.e. pre-existing conditions, immune status, exposure level, etc. We can mitigate many of these issues by hand washing, mask-wearing and social distancing.

Dr. Wang agrees. “Get vaccinated, continue wearing a mask, washing hands and social distance. That will help people continue doing their daily routines and living their normal lives.”

Dr. Radharkrishna concurs. “I continue to encourage all patients and individuals to continue social distance, wear masks around other individuals, vaccination, and self-quarantine when feeling ill.”

11

One Doctor’s Experience with COVID Symptoms

Doctor nurse in protective face mask listening to breath with a stethoscope suspecting Coronavirus (COVID-19).

Dr. Jones says, “Looking back at my experiences with SARS-COVID-19, both personal and professional, the signs and symptoms like many other diseases are a conundrum of circumstances. An asymptomatic individual can test positive and never manifest any symptoms; this is called a “carrier state”. At the opposite extreme, an individual can manifest any of the classic symptoms of fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea to varying degrees. What we need is personal hyper-vigilance as the margins of the disease are ever-changing with the different variants. Last year, I was involved in the care of a family of 9 people. They presented it to the ER one week after a holiday gathering. The vaccine had just come out and only one person reported being vaccinated and no one had been previously tested for the virus.

The two elderly people ages 75 and 79 both had fevers. The 50-year-old and 39 year old both had severe shortness of breath and required intubation. One person had nausea and vomiting, and the rest had mild muscle aches. All family members tested positive. The one with nausea, vomiting, and muscle aches was discharged the same day for home quarantine. The two elderly people were admitted to the hospital and treated without intubation and then discharged in a week. The 50-year-old had a tracheostomy and suffers from long-term complications from having COVID (‘COVID long haulers‘). The 39-year-old succumbed to the disease within 48 hours.

The signs and symptoms of SARS-COVID-19 from my experience are still a looming question. To quote Winston Churchill, ‘A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma’. If you have any of the classical symptoms i.e, fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle ache, sore throat, runny nose, diarrhea, etc, then get tested. If you have had high risk exposure but don’t have any of these classical symptoms, then get tested. If you test positive and never have any symptoms after two weeks, you may be an asymptomatic carrier.”

12

How to Stay Safe Out There

Follow the public health fundamentals and help end this pandemic, no matter where you live—get vaccinated ASAP; if you live in an area with low vaccination rates, wear an N95 face mask, don’t travel, social distance, avoid large crowds, don’t go indoors with people you’re not sheltering with (especially in bars), practice good hand hygiene, and to protect your life and the lives of others, don’t visit any of these 35 Places You’re Most Likely to Catch COVID.

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