Tracie's World

Almost two weeks ago, my Gram passed away. Although she was in her 90's, it was quite unexpected, and happened so fast. To say that I have been devastated is more than an understatement.  Once I got over the shock, I made plans to make a very quick trip home to Iowa for the services. Getting to Iowa is not easy under the best of circumstances, but I was fortunate to find a good airfare, and to be able to make the trip with some of my siblings. My parents were able to come up from their mission in Mississippi, and my sister from Texas and her family also made the trip.  We joined with my Aunt and Uncle, and my cousins, in grieving, and reminiscing, and eating (when it comes to our family, there is always lots of eating), and it ended up being a good weekend. Gram was not LDS, but she had a very firm faith in Christ, and the services I think reflected that. Her minister spoke and shared some of her favorite scriptural passages, and my Dad's side of the family sang "I B...

Well, Toby and I have been in this shared housing situation for a couple of weeks now, and we're getting more used to each other. He's started eating again, and actually taking himself to the food bowl, rather than the other way around (pretty sure he was playing me to get me to bring the food bowl to him). We've figured out some ways of controlling the cat hair (lots of brushing and lint rollers), and are working at finding a good litter box combination (so far haven't found one he likes). And although he left me a couple of unwelcome gifts yesterday, he's ok, for a cat. (Sometimes he likes to sleep with his paw over his face. I think he does this to let me know he's not enjoying my choice of movie) (If it's sunny out, he likes to sit in front of the sliding glass window, but only if I open the window and leave the screen closed, so he can feel the fresh breeze and hear the birds)

Earlier this week, my Congressman, who I did not vote for, put his foot in his mouth (again), and it irritated me so much, that I felt compelled to send him an email. This is not something I do every day, but in this case, I felt strongly enough to stand up and say something. In an interview with CNN, said Congressman implied that low income folks need to choose better, and not buy the new iPhone when they could buy healthcare instead, saying that it was a matter of self reliance and prioritizing properly. Now, for full disclosure, said Congressman is a member of the LDS Church, as am I. The church preaches and teaches self reliance, and I certainly believe in that. That is not my concern with his comments. My concern is that they are nowhere couched in reality when it comes to the priorities of folks on low incomes.  Having been at times considered "low income" myself, and having friends who are currently in this same boat, I can vouch that an iPhone is not even a gleam in...

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Cindy, and I got to go see Stevie Nicks in concert. Being that she is my birthday twin, I follow Stevie on Facebook, so when I found out she was coming, I was one of the first to get tickets. And imagine my delight to find out that The Pretenders, fronted by Chrissie Hynde herself, would be the opening act. Stevie and Chrissie are both in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, so it was a rare treat to get to experience a concert with two Rock legends in one show. Cindy and I used to work together at IHG, and I knew that for her, Stevie was at the top of the musician Pantheon. Cindy is also raising her three young grandsons, her daughter being unable to care for them. She is doing this while working full time, and needless to say, not getting rich at it. So it was a pleasure to be able to treat her to the show, and give her a much-needed night out while fulfilling a bucket list item in her life. Something she would never have done for herself in a mil...

I talked last time about having some ideas for dealing with my stress and anxiety, and that there was one idea I wasn't quite ready to share yet. Well, that time has now come, and I have gone and adopted a cat. His name is Toby, and he was adopted from Davis County Animal Control. He is a 7 year old Manx (the specific thing about this breed is that they have no tail). He is very sweet, and unfortunately, very fat, weighing in at a whopping 20 pounds. You are all probably wondering, why in the world did I get a cat? Honestly, a cat was not really on my radar. But dogs are not allowed in our complex, and guinea pigs or birds would require way too much space and effort. So, feeling like I had been prompted to get a pet, and knowing the restrictions of my home and my hectic life, I needed a pet that could be independent, and was already trained. And when a co-worker recommended a cat, I jumped in headlong.  I grew up with a Manx cat, so I knew it was a good breed. After look...