Bfth's Boring Blog

  July 4th, which I once called Independence Day, is surely not the same as it once was.  "With liberty and justice for all," seem to be hollow words, when they should be hallowed words.  And yes, I'm having a serious issue with what has happened in America where 249 years ago it was declared that " all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness," rights that seem to have been aborted But as an anonymous reader posted:  "I’m celebrating the Fourth this year. I’m not letting those asshole take away what America means to me. Also hotdogs."  I won't argue with that. This is not the 4th of July that I (or perhaps anyone) wanted, but it's the 4th of July we've got, so I'm going to try and make the best of it.  I'd made some fun plans, but... We'll start off with the plan for a (small) family gathering in the cool of...

The current regime claims they want to make America great again.  Some would say that America was never great.   On that I disagree.  America has been great.  NOT perfect, but great.  I believe America was great when our forefathers (flawed and imperfect men) declared independence from a despotic king.  When they signed their names on a piece of paper that would be known as the Declaration of Independence.  What could be greater (although not perfect) than these words:  "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Since those words were written we have had times of greatness.  (And again while I say I believe we had times of greatness, it does not mean that things were perfect or even great for everyone.  Even greatness can be deeply flawed.)  Times that seem to b...

  Here we are in July.  The above photo was taken on this date in 2023.  My son had graduated from high school nine days prior and I had arranged for a 5 day family vacation to celebrate.  He had no party; this was his "gift," We needed to celebrate him. And we tried our best.  But it was hard.  Dad was finally home, but on hospice care.  I'd seen him a week ago and I truly expected him to last until after the 4th of July.  After all, mom did the year before.  ( https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2022/07/one-month.html ).  But he didn't.  He died on this day (actually evening) two years ago...about 8 days after I finally got him back home.  (Something I wasn't able to do with my mom.) Two years later and I still feel guilty about not being around when he died.  After all, my mom died while I was holding her hand.  I wasn't there and in all likelihood, I wouldn't have been there even if I had been in NJ sinc...

  The above photo was taken 102 years ago. It is of my maternal grandmother on her wedding day (if that wasn't obvious).  There is no wedding album (that I know of or have ever found).  I have a good idea of where it was taken.  I know the road, I'm just not sure of the house #.  It could be one of two houses (as my great grandmother lived in both; I'm not sure when she moved from one to the other.)  There are no photos of the groom (that I know of).  There are no other wedding photos that I have found.   Maybe once upon a time there was a wedding album.  Was that a thing back in the 1920s?  If there was an album, I've never seen it or found it.  (I do have my parent's wedding album and there are tons of photos from when I got married.)  This is all that I have. I don't know where the wedding took place.  I suspect in the house where this photo was taken.  Or maybe it was taken at the town Methodist church. ...

  One year ago today we decided to buy a house in the Poconos.  We hadn't planned on it.  It just "happened."  Boy did it happen! Backtracking a little...with my son at college, global warming and NJ getting more and more congested (at least my sliver of Jersey), hubby and I thought we should consider moving to the mountains.  We didn't know where and we figured this was something we'd do in 5 years or so.  The question was where?  We knew moving north would mean cooler temperatures (I'm not a cold weather person), but with global warming we figured that by the time we got there, the temps would be what we USED to get in NJ.  We wanted to stay in the east, so we stated in Berkshires of Massachusetts.  It was  okay , but didn't blow us away.  In June we tried (not too far) upstate NY (Ullster County) as we know someone who lives in the area.  Again, it was okay, but we couldn't necessarily see ourselves there.  Finally, we ...

  Nine years ago (officially tomorrow)  I started a new job.  As I begin year 10, I still have the same job title, but so many things have changed! When I found this position, I was working for a company that I liked.  I liked the people. (I am still in touch with several people there; as a matter of fact my former boss and I share a birthday!) I liked the commute.  The pay wasn't that great, which is why started looking at other opportunities. It was a small(ish) corporation with several small companies/brands under its umbrella.  I met with the president of the company that I would work for and like him.  He was bold and brash, but I could tell he would be fair.  (I was proved right time and again.)  A week or so later I met the head of HR.  I liked her too.  I thought that was it, but then I was asked to meet the VP of Sales and Marketing.  He was a little more challenging and I thought at the time that if I didn't get o...

  Only this time it's not house related.  Its Bfth related! If you know me, you know I've had some "weird" health issues in the past.  Nothing too bad, but strange (ostochondritis and pityriasis rosea to name two).   I've also got some life threatening food allergies (eggs, poultry, and shellfish) that keep me on my toes.  (And keep me away from restaurants.  I'm still seeking a "safe" place to dine out.  Sadly, the one place that I found was REALLY safe isn't in PA or NJ; only in the New England area and upstate NY... 100 Grille  I need locations closer to me!)  I've also got the seasonal allergies (who doesn't?).  But what happened the other night/day really has been stumped.  I hate having mysteries that even Nancy Drew couldn't solve. But here's your chance to pull out your magnifying glass and try to solve my mystery. Thursday was like any other day.  Even though it was a federal holiday (Juneteenth...let's not forget...