Bfth's Boring Blog

The brutal cold has reached us here in the Northeast.  (After a wild snow squall that hit yesterday afternoon just as my kid was walking home!) I know it's been beyond brutal in the Midwest for what seems like an eternity.  We may not be able to agree on much, but I think we all would agree; it's COLD.  Maybe it's only -1 here this morning (or it was when I started writing this) and its -19 where you are.  Or maybe you're lucky and you live in Florida where it is in the 40s.  (But for them that's COLD.) Before I go any further I want to send a big THANK YOU to my garbage men (I could say sanitation workers, but I won't).  When it was -1 (without the wind chill) and dark this morning they came down the street to pick up the garbage.  There wasn't much out there.  (With the wind whipping around all night who wanted to put out a garbage can.  Not me!  I figured it would blow over and then I'D be out there this morning in the d...

I don't want to be that mom.  You know, the one who gets all misty because "her little boy" is now grown up.  I wasn't going to be that mom.  I WAS NOT going to be that mom. I'm that mom... My son did not suddenly sprout up.  (He's been growing by leaps and bounds for over a year.)  I've known for a long time that he's nearly 6 feet tall.  (It's rather obvious...especially as I just a smidge under 5'1".)  His voice dropped over the past couple of years.  I've heard it.  It's not a sudden surprise.  He wanted (and received) an electric razor for Christmas.  It very obvious that this is no little kid.  As a matter of fact, most people who meet him think that he is fifteen or sixteen. So WHY is this all of the sudden hitting me?  Why am I lamenting the loss of a cuddly little boy?   It MAY have something to do with the fact that I recently purchased a digital photo frame.  (From my local thrift shop.....

People working without pay. People NOT working, not unemployed Not knowing  Bills growing How long with this last? It Shouldn't Be This Way. My way; not your way Your way, not mine Shouting, not listening Not hearing;Not willing Can there be no healing? It Shouldn't Be This Way. Fear, not from the stranger Fear, from within Walls that keep out Can't keep the collapse from within No direction, skewed perspective...endless sin. It Shouldn't Be This Way Right color, wrong color Male, Female, Other Does it really matter? The blood shed is still red Even if we turn away; it IS shed. It Shouldn't Be This Way Evil without, Bad within The lies are true, so we are told The truth...no longer matters No longer exists Humankind is what is at risk It Shouldn't' Be This Way Do not mock my hopes and prayers They are all I have to cling to For every action of good  Is ruthlessly stomped on In a world where kindness dies Where we ch...

Confession time:  I am NOT perfect.  I have done stupid things.  I have said hurtful things.  I have passed judgement without knowing all the fact.  I have acted poorly. Does this make me a bad person?  I hope not.  What it DOES make me is HUMAN and flawed.  It is something we ALL are. But we are all also capable of changing, learning and growing.  However, we need to make that choice.  It is up to us. What got me thinking about this was a video that went (as many do) viral over the weekend.  Taking place in Washington, DC the video showed a Native American man playing a drum and a large group of teen boys who seemingly surrounded him.  Quickly posted by I don't know who (my error #1), I was quick to judgement and condemnation based on what little I knew AND influenced by what the video SEEMED to show.  I was ALSO very clearly influenced by the poster(s) slant and words of condemnation.  Over time, ...

Toddlers and kids can be annoying with their constant barrage of questions.  The never ending why can drive ANY person crazy.  But maybe they are smarter than we think.  They are NOT accepting things at face value.  They want to know why.  They want to know how. Maybe as adults it's time we take a cue from the younger set.  Instead of just accepting information as it is spoon fed to us, we ask why; we ask how. Simple case in point; the recent 10 year photo postings on social media.  The request:  post your first social media profile photo (which for most seems to be around 10 years ago) and then post your most recent.  Everyone seems to be doing it.  It's harmless enough, right? Maybe it is and maybe it isn't.  Maybe its fun.  Maybe it's a way to get more information on you (using facial recognition software).  Maybe that's harmless too.  Maybe it's not.   That's not my point.  My point is bef...

I have never been a fan of winter.  Sure the white snow is beautiful during the Christmas season, but once we hit the New Year, I am OVER it.  And cold is just not my thing.  I'm the kind of person who feels the cold deep inside and then can't seem to warm up.  It just seems to me that during January and February most days are gray and cold.  Who wants to deal with that?  Not me! Then we have the threat of snow and ice.  Is there anyone out there who LIKES to shovel?  I don't mind it so much in the beginning, but after 10 minutes...Cold and aching I just want to hop into a warm shower.  And with each storm, I know that more is on the horizon.  (This week/weekend we are being warned of two back to back storms that is going to bring unknown amounts of snow, rain and ice.  Talk about a fun weekend!) Is it any surprise that depression creeps in on even the happiest of people during the winter? Top that off with our countr...

(With apologies to Hans Christian Anderson, his descendants and full acknowledgement that I have HEAVILY "borrowed" from him.) Once there was an Emperor.  A man of great wealth, power and good looks...as he would be the first to tell you.  His rule was absolute and NOT to be challenged.  He alone knew what was best, not only for the people that he ruled, but for all of the world.  Indeed, perhaps for all of the universe and anything that might go beyond.  He was a smart, smart man...as again, he would be the first to tell you. The Emperor KNEW that the only way to keep his domain safe was to build a wall on the south border.  For only BAD things came from the south; there was no need to build walls to the North, East or West.  The land in the south was the KEY place where security was needed.  There might need to be some security in the North, East and West where other ports of entry existed, but nothing good came from the south.  Only ...

So in addition to walls:  ( https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2019/01/walls.html ), I've been thinking about security a lot recently. Making sure our borders are safe and secure is definitely important.  I'm still wondering about the wall though...not convinced that it would make that much difference or impact the security of our nation while costing us all a great deal of money.  (Someone please explain to me WHY it's costing US money when we were very boldly told that Mexico was paying for this wall.  Have we not yet sent Mexico an estimate and offered them a payment plan?) But that's not the security that has been on my mind. I'm thinking about food.  (Aren't I always?)  Food and security don't go hand in hand usually (at least in my mind.)  But with the government shutdown, the FDA has suspended food inspections.  I think of all the E.coli outbreaks that we've had recently.  Should I stop buying produce and meat and live on...

Which of the following is NOT true: I am 55 years old I weigh 132 pounds I am 5' 2" I have never eaten turkey for Thanksgiving Which did you guess was not true? The answer is NONE of them are true.  They may be "close" to the truth.  I'm not quite five feet, one inch tall (but I do like to round up).  I'm not 55 (I'd LIKE you to think that I'm younger than that!).  I'm NOT going to tell you what I really weigh. And as for the turkey, while I AM allergic to poultry (and just being in an area where it is being cooked can make it difficult to breath), I wasn't always and turkey WAS part of my family's Thanksgiving until I was in my teens and had a reaction that resulted in an emergency room visit that night. Why lie about any of the above? It doesn't make sense does it?  Any of the above COULD be true.  They seem reasonable.  It's not like I presented the following options: I made over $640,00o last year I gradu...

I've been thinking a lot about walls recently.  There are things that I want to say, but I'm not confident in my ability to say it eloquently or even understandably.  But I feel the need to say something, so I'm going to knock down my own barrier of uncertainty and just write what I feel.  You may agree with what I say; you may not.  In either case, if reading this so stirs you to reply, as always, I'd love to hear your thoughts, but ask that you do so respectfully. Walls are NOT a bad thing.  We need walls to protect us...What are our homes other than walls and a roof?  (The ground/floor goes without saying.)  Of course there is more to it than that, but basically most of us live surrounded by walls.  There are walls in our homes, our offices, our businesses, our schools, etc.  We need walls in our lives.  They are important. Walls give us privacy. (Think about public bathrooms!  Stall walls are a GOOD thing.)  We a...

As I've established ( https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2019/01/2019-fresh-start.html ) 2018 wasn't the best of years, but it certainly wasn't the worst.  As a matter of fact 2018 could have been a LOT worse for me.  Let me tell you how... New Years Eve SHOULD be a big thing; at least in my mind.  While I have no desire to stand outside for hours to see the ball drop (No bathrooms?  I wouldn't last an hour!), I am one that thinks I should be doing SOMETHING.  But for most my life, that something has been nothing.  I have gone to some great parties; none of which were extravagant (My neighbor had some wonderful block gatherings and one year, before the kid, my husband and I spent more hours than I can remember with friends in a tiny radio station in CT.)  For two years we did go away and have a wonderful time, but that can be cost prohibitive (and I KNOW 2019 is going to be a year of keeping a careful eye on costs) and with the holiday falling in t...

It seems to me that most of us are glad to see 2018 behind us and have hope for the new year, 2019.  While 2018 was not my personal worst year on record (that record holder is 2012), it certainly wasn't the best.  I'd say it had more downs than ups, but then, as we do every New Year's Day, my family and I opened our blessing jar and I found that it was overflowing:  A lthough my teen son finds this ritual pretty lame (I love my son, but I DO still long for the little boy who looked up to me, both literally and figuratively, and was a happy participant in family doings), I think it's important.  I am the one who writes little notes when I find that something extra special has happened or is worth noting.  No matter how bad the year has been, there is ALWAYS some good and I feel that it's important to focus on that.  (Maybe that's naive, but that's me!) 2018 ended with massive amounts of rain here, but this morning blew (REALLY blew) in with warmth....