Zippity #AtoZChallenge

My mom didn't want to be "grandma." She was several years younger than my dad, but often accused of "robbing the cradle," because he looks younger. (Especially when he died his hair.) 

So she played around with all the usual choices.

And settled on being called "Zippity" and my dad becoming "Doo-Dah." 

Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah https://g.co/kgs/9zM2nrn

It's an old Disney song. And yes, that should be "Zip-a-dee." But she didn't look it up.

It's irrelevant. My daughter died. My brother's son, assuming it was his, was taken by his baby momma and that's a whole huge heartbreaking mess of heartbreak 💔 and crazy (and expensive legal drama). Plus, she has since passed away, so it really wouldn't matter now. 

Mom's recipe for a quick and easy dinner. Salmon Soup

This is a regular 14.75 oz can of salmon (not the little "tuna" size). Dump in a pot. Fill the can twice with milk, added to the pot. 2 to 4 tablespoons of butter. A dash of black pepper. Heat to boil, then cook about 3 to 5 minutes on simmer.

Glad I had that conversation and took a screenshot. It's a rare comfort food. Eaten with Saltines or Oyster crackers. 

And now it's also saved here, on this blog. Hopefully for all time. 

Thanks for another great #AtoZChallenge 😊

You'll be grateful for it someday #atozchallenge 2025 memory

 

"You'll be grateful for it someday."

My grandmother said that more times than I can count. She lived through the Great Depression. (From a century ago, not whatever current garbage.) So I guess she had to accept a lot of crap. 

I don't know. My great grandparents seemed to be doing pretty well, as far as I can tell from going through the old house. Fine China (now stolen), a crystal chandelier (my dad has that), a piano with real ivory keys, jewelry (mostly stolen now), furs (yup, also recently stolen). [Why didn't my Aunt let anyone sell some of this stuff? Well, a thief sold plenty! The police 👮‍♂️👮‍♀️ caught one guy. He's declaring insanity. Trial pending. 🙄] 

Anyway. What terrified me was that ominous one day. Like, just how far would I have to fall to be grateful for an itchy sweater that didn't fit over my, then, C cups (I'm wayyyy beyond that now, oh my, Victoria Secret doesn't even carry my size- just saying)? And I don't mean slightly itchy. I mean I freaked out and genuinely tried to rip off my skin. Chicken pox itched less. I could not calm down. It's terrifying to think I could be grateful for such a horrifying experience. Just how bad is life expected to get??? 🥺😵

Xandria #AtoZChallenge

Xandria Barbara Smith

My daughter. 

Barbara Smith was the name of the baby-daddy's dead mother. We wanted to honor her. 

I wish I had a better picture. 

Something more than an ultrasound from from my second trimester. 

She was never okay. I did everything I could for her. It wasn't enough. Undersized. Underweight. Underdeveloped. 

There was barely a moment. 

A whisper of life, of motherhood. 

I am still a pro-choice supporter. Even though my choice was her life, and I was denied too much of that experience. 

Tums Gummy Product Review

 NOT an AtoZ post. Please keep scrolling for those.

We got this new Tums gummy. 

John Dorner was fine with it.

Me, less so. 

It was like lighting a match and the popping it in your mouth to burn your cheek.

Or, like if someone really didn't understand how birthday cake 🎂 works, and went all NOM NOM NOM on the still burning candles. 

*Mind you, I've had a similar experience with Stannous fluoride, where all the flesh in my mouth burned 🔥 with no reprieve and water only made it worse. So this could be an allergic reaction. 🤷

I'm also allergic to spicy 🌶, but John is not. So it could be that allergic reaction too, though they didn't taste spicy for the ten seconds I could feel taste. 

Anyway, that's my #ProductReview if anyone is curious. 

Thinking

 (NOT an AtoZ post. Please scroll for those.)

Today I stumbled on a posting about a way of thinking that just 😟😬🤯

 horrified me.

The "logic" (questionable use of that word) is that it's okay if events in life are shitty, because they've been shitty before. 

For example 

If a child is beaten, five bones broken, and a tooth knocked out... but lives

It is then acceptable for that child to get beaten again, have ten bones broken, and half their permanent teeth knocked out. It's okay, because they've survived it before. 

People THINK this way??? 

🤢🤮

That fantastic thinking was followed with defense of trump and his people, who "haven't committed any horrors that haven't been done before, in some manner." 

So... find a mistake and recreate it, but worse! Yay... 

🤦

Stop the 🌎 world, I want to get off.

Wins #AtoZChallenge

Wins 

When I was a child, age 10 and under, I went to toy tractor shows with my Aunt. People display their toy tractors. There are awards, trophies, for this. 

Usually, people just put some on shelves. 

I did displays of the toys looking like they were on farms, or construction sites. Seatbelts became roads. We dyed sawdust for dirt and grass. Blue clingwrap became water. There were toy farmers and farm animals. 

I would rehearse the weekend before, to decide on the scene. Then pack everything, and set it up at the hall or whatever. 

Then I'd sit there for a few hours. I'd hope to read quietly. Sometimes I could sneak that in. Other times, I was supposed to talk to strangers, even though the number one rule is NEVER, EVER, EVER, TALK TO STRANGERS. But I was supposed to know which strangers are acceptable to talk to. 🤪  This, inevitably, resulted in my disappointing my Aunt, because I was trying to sit quietly and read. 

Judges and reporters asked questions. Never the right ones. People didn't show interest in the story I'd mentally write for the characters. They'd ask about the toys and my interest in farming and how I got into this. Stuff I didn't know, I had no actual interest in farming, and my Aunt told me I was interested. 

I just wanted to behave. I wanted to be good. Sometimes, I'd win trophies. But they stayed at her place. 

The trophies, and photo albums that might have shown my wins, have probably all been stolen during the robberies of the last few years. No clue what people would want with that. 

Actually, when I was about twelve, I saw a "behind the scenes" documentary type thing about a movie. It showed how people use toys and models to create sets. (Probably all CGI now.) But I saw a potential future for myself. And was finally interested. 

But we didn't go to shows anymore. Puberty. I became less interesting or something. I don't know. 

Anyway. That's something I was once good at, wins 🏆,  and almost no one knows about it. 

Vegetable #AtoZChallenge

There was a weekend I stayed with my cousin Janelle. Her mom, Debbie, made dinner. There were green balls on the plate. I really liked them, and I said so. 

"Eww," Janelle said.

"What?" I asked.

"You like BRUSSEL SPROUTS?" 

I shrugged. "I don't know. What are they?" 

The green balls.

My dad hated them, so my mom never made them. 

But yeah, I like Brussels sprouts. Best when steamed. A little butter 🧈 😋.