My Ireland!

Ahhh, Ireland! My Ireland!

As the plane circled over Dublin airport for the 3rd time giving Aaron Feldman a close-up view of the lush green carpet of earth he called his "beloved Ireland" he sighed, muttering under his breath, "American by birth, but Irish by the Grace of God".

That's exactly what he would write to Des when he arrived home from this bloody trip.

Anxious to hear from her, he hurriedly dropped his bags in the elegant entry of his country estate, ran to the library and sat down at his computer.

Logging onto Yahoo!, he double-clicked on the Inbox. What he saw made him smile. Although he had only been gone a week on one of his numerous top-secret missions into Israel this time, with all the added problems he had encountered, it seemed like an eternity.

Too close for comfort, much to close for Aaron's liking, but he had accomplished his objective and had taken out a really bad man.

Hopefully, he was back before his six-year old daughter, Lilly, could barely miss him. A week was a short time to plan and carry out his assigned mission, but too long for a single parent to be gone. Good thing he had his personal assistant, Rose, take over the parenting duties while he was gone. Rose was old enough to be Lilly's grandmother, but she was young at heart and Lilly adored her.

He missed Lilly like crazy, but he had really missed Des, too! Looking at his inbox, she didn't disappoint. There were four ecards and at least that many emails, three of which contained several of her beautiful, original poems.

As he opened the last "missing you" ecard he smiled even broader as the tune of "Somewhere Out There" played softly. Our song, mine and Des. It may seem silly to other people because it was from a children's movie, but one Lilly had watched over and over. At some point, after he had listened to the soundtrack at least a thousand times, he realized it fit he and Des perfectly .

"Somewhere out there if love can see us through, then we'll be together, somewhere out there, out where dreams come true". If only it were that simple, he thought.

And one day, even though they lived thousands of miles apart, he vowed he would meet the woman of his dreams who had captured his heart via email over a year ago.

Just seeing her email ID always caused his heart to do a flip flop.

Amazing what words written on a computer screen had come to mean to him.

Opening her letter, seeing the warm, sincere salutation (although both knew salutations in emails were not necessary), told him at once how her heart really felt as she began, "My Dearest, Darling Aar." Again he sighed with satisfaction and longing as he did so many other times he opened her mail.

The letter said she had missed him, missed his daily correspondence and to remedy her loneliness he wrote in response:

Dear Des:

Thank you, Des, for all the mail awaiting me. It's always good to be home, but even better to have all your mail welcoming me back. I've missed you, too.

It was a long trip this time and I am exhausted. Things are so bad in Israel, anything and everything that could go wrong did.

Then to top it all off, my Glock was stolen out of my car while it was parked at the airport and I spent half of the bloody day at the Police station. The powers that be in Ireland aren't going to like it one bit.

As yet, I don't have a bloody clue as to what my punishment will be, but I'm sure there will be some meted out, on that I can depend. Hopefully, whoever took it won't use it to commit a crime, but what are the odds of that? I shutter to think.

Guess now I'll trade the BMW in for something much simpler, and less attractive. Over here, once a car has been burgled, it's marked, and they will burgle it time and again. So it's best I get rid of it. Thinking of a two-door Toyota, just large enough for Lilly and me.

Thanks again for all the cards, poems, and emails. They made my day. Guess I'd better trot off to bed, I am so exhausted I may sleep for a week.

Will write more later when I am fully rested and awake,

Always,

Aar

Yes, Des made him laugh from the inside out, and that was a good thing. So few things did anymore, as his life became more and more bogged down with both personal and international cares.

Written by Deborah Gibson Taylor

Copyright 2011

COOKING

Believe it or not, I love to cook! Yup, me the career woman. I just love it. More importantly, I love the positive reactions from others for my endeavors. I suppose these "platitudes of gratitude" are why I do it.

Yesterday I was really in the "mood" for doing some major cooking and baking.

When raising my family, I thought one meal at a time. But, over the years, I've learned the joy and ease of batch cooking.

On my last shopping trip, I purchased six pounds of ground turkey, a dozen thin cut pork chops, and a large rump roast.

Using a crock pot for roasts is the ticket! It makes all my Sunday dinners a breeze, now I know the secret to making them taste good. I do the following late Saturday evening for a perfect Sunday roast. First, I peel and quarter a large onion and put in the crock. Next, I put the roast on top of the onion, add a little salt and then liberally sprinkle garlic powder (or to taste) on top the roast. Lastly, I pour in about 3/4 cup hot water around the roast. Turn the crock on high and let it cook overnight. Next morning, you'll awake to a tender, moist roast beef to die for!

But, don't limit your crock cooking to just roasts. You can also fix chicken, turkey, chops, just about anything and everything in a crock pot.

Next, I'll tell you about the ways I use ground turkey for nutritious and simple meals.

In the meantime...

Be well, be blessed!

EVERYDAY THINGS

Sometimes we think the everyday things are mundane things. Perhaps they are, but one thing I've learned over my numerous odd years on Earth, this is exactly what life is made of.

The thought occurred to me, maybe I should write about them? After all, one (wo)man's mundane is another (wo)man's excitement. We'll see. After all, reading this blog is purely voluntary. Those who like it can come back and those who don't can move on, and that's perfectly okay too.

Be well, be blessed!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I know I'm a little late with this posting, but better late than never, my Momma always said.

Speaking of which, we had a great Christmas and I hope you did as well.

As for me, the snow here is nearly melted, the creek running high.

The birds, especially the cardinals and blue jays, are ecstatic about the new bird feeders we've recently hung out in the trees, near our back porch.

Of course, our motive was purely selfish as we can get good closeup shots of the birds with the new camera Santa brought us for Christmas, without setting a foot outside. :-)

Just begin...

Every one has to start somewhere, so maybe instead of saying I am going to begin posting again, I just do it? What have I got to lose and maybe I will actually feel like I've accomplished something.

Not sure I have anything to say that someone else would like to read. In fact, I'm not sure anyone out there reads the semi-rambling thoughts of a "mountain woman." Such as she is. lol

Like, can you believe I've been married over a year now? Life has changed so drastically and for the better.

Before I only had to think of myself, but now everything I do I ask myself would DH (dear hubby) like this? Maybe it's a new blouse or skirt, or a new recipe. (Like this evening, after supper, I made homemade blueberry muffins, with fresh blueberries and homemade strawberry shortcake with fresh strawberries.)

It's the only thing I truly care about, making DH happy. Why? Because he does the same for me.

For a lady who had never experienced this kind of love before, I am humbled by it. And, I must confess, it's totally awesome! I am not only extremely happy, I am truly content for the first time in my life.

Previously, I wrote sad, dark poems, which stemmed from the horrible life situations I kept finding myself in these last thirty years. I kept telling myself once my life made a turn for the better, I would write happy, uplifting poems. So, on the eve of DH's birthday, I did exactly that and gave it to him in his card. Needless to say, he was quite pleased.

Perhaps one day he'll allow me to share it with you.

In the meantime, my faithful reader(s), be well, be blessed!

If you love America, a must read!!!

I thought this really worth forwarding to others, something I rarely do. Please take time to read it. It is so relevant to today.

Subject: FW: AUSTRIA--a must read if you love the USA

Kitty Werthmann’s Life Story Growing Up as a Child Living in Austria -

Freedom to Dictatorship in 5 Years

What I am about to tell you is something you’ve probably never heard or will ever read in history books.

I believe that I am an eyewitness to history. I cannot tell you that Hitler took Austria by tanks and guns; it would distort history. We elected him by a landslide – 98% of the vote. I’ve never read that in any American publications. Everyone thinks that Hitler just rolled in with his tanks and took Austria by force.
In 1938, Austria was in deep Depression. Nearly one-third of our workforce was unemployed. We had 25% inflation and 25% bank loan interest rates. Farmers and business people were declaring bankruptcy daily. Young people were going from house to house begging for food. Not that they didn’t want to work; there simply weren’t any jobs. My mother was a Christian woman and believed in helping people in need. Every day we cooked a big kettle of soup and baked bread to feed those poor, hungry people – about 30 daily.

The Communist Party and the National Socialist Party were fighting each other. Blocks and blocks of cities like Vienna , Linz , and Graz were destroyed. The people became desperate and petitioned the government to let them decide what kind of government they wanted.

We looked to our neighbor on the north, Germany, where Hitler had been in power since 1933. We had been told that they didn’t have unemployment or crime, and they had a high standard of living. Nothing was ever said about persecution of any group -- Jewish or otherwise. We were led to believe that everyone was happy. We wanted the same way of life in Austria . We were promised that a vote for Hitler would mean the end of unemployment and help for the family. Hitler also said that businesses would be assisted, and farmers would get their farms back. Ninety-eight percent of the population voted to annex Austria to Germany and have Hitler for our ruler. We were overjoyed, and for three days we danced in the streets and had candlelight parades. The new government opened up big field kitchens and everyone was fed.
After the election, German officials were appointed, and like a miracle, we suddenly had law and order. Three or four weeks later, everyone was employed. The government made sure that a lot of work was created through the Public Work Service.

Hitler decided we should have equal rights for women. Before this, it was a custom that married Austrian women did not work outside the home. An able-bodied husband would be looked down on if he couldn’t support his family. Many women in the teaching profession were elated that they could retain the jobs they previously had been required to give up for marriage.

Hitler Targets Education –
Eliminates Religious Instruction for Children

Our education was nationalized. I attended a very good public school. The population was predominantly Catholic, so we had religion in our schools. The day we elected Hitler (March 13, 1938), I walked into my schoolroom to find the crucifix replaced by Hitler’s picture hanging next to a Nazi flag. Our teacher, a very devout woman, stood up and told the class we wouldn’t pray or have religion anymore. Instead, we sang “Deutschland, Deutschland, Uber Alles,” and had physical education.
Sunday became National Youth Day with compulsory attendance. Parents were not pleased about the sudden change in curriculum. They were told that if they did not send us, they would receive a stiff letter of warning the first time. The second time they would be fined the equivalent of $300, and the third time they would be subject to jail. The first two hours consisted of political indoctrination. The rest of the day we had sports. As time went along, we loved it. Oh, we had so much fun and got our sports equipment free. We would go home and gleefully tell our parents about the wonderful time we had.

My mother was very unhappy. When the next term started, she took me out of public school and put me in a convent. I told her she couldn’t do that and she told me that someday when I grew up, I would be grateful. There was a very good curriculum, but hardly any fun – no sports, and no political indoctrination. I hated it at first but felt I could tolerate it. Every once in a while, on holidays, I went home. I would go back to my old friends and ask what was going on and what they were doing. Their loose lifestyle was very alarming to me. They lived without religion. By that time unwed mothers were glorified for having a baby for Hitler. It seemed strange to me that our society changed so suddenly. As time went along, I realized what a great deed my mother did so that I wasn’t exposed to that kind of humanistic philosophy.

Equal Rights Hits Home

In 1939, the war started and a food bank was established. All food was rationed and could only be purchased using food stamps. At the same time, a full-employ-ment law was passed which meant if you didn’t work, you didn’t get a ration card, and if you didn’t have a card, you starved to death. Women who stayed home to raise their families didn’t have any marketable skills and often had to take jobs more suited for men.
Soon after this, the draft was implemented. It was compulsory for young people, male and female, to give one year to the labor corps. During the day, the girls worked on the farms, and at night they returned to their barracks for military training just like the boys. They were trained to be anti-aircraft gunners and participated in the signal corps. After the labor corps, they were not discharged but were used in the front lines. When I go back to Austria to visit my family and friends, most of these women are emotional cripples because they just were not equipped to handle the horrors of combat. Three months before I turned 18, I was severely injured in an air raid attack. I nearly had a leg amputated, so I was spared having to go into the labor corps and into military service.

Hitler Restructured the Family Through Daycare

When the mothers had to go out into the work force, the government immediately established child care centers. You could take your children ages 4 weeks to school age and leave them there around-the-clock, 7 days a week, under the total care of the government. The state raised a whole generation of children. There were no motherly women to take care of the children, just people highly trained in child psychology. By this time, no one talked about equal rights. We knew we had been had.

Health Care and Small Business
Suffer Under Government Controls

Before Hitler, we had very good medical care. Many American doctors trained at the University of Vienna . After Hitler, health care was socialized, free for everyone. Doctors were salaried by the government. The problem was, since it was free, the people were going to the doctors for everything. When the good doctor arrived at his office at 8 a.m., 40 people were already waiting and, at the same time, the hospitals were full. If you needed elective surgery, you had to wait a year or two for your turn. There was no money for research as it was poured into socialized medicine.

Research at the medical schools literally stopped, so the best doctors left Austria and emigrated to other countries.

As for healthcare, our tax rates went up to 80% of our income. Newlyweds immediately received a $1,000 loan from the government to establish a household. We had big programs for families. All day day care and education were free. High schools were taken over by the government and college tuition was subsidized. Everyone was entitled to free handouts, such as food stamps, clothing, and housing.

We had another agency designed to monitor business. My brother-in-law owned a restaurant that had square tables. Government officials told him he had to replace them with round tables because people might bump themselves on the corners. Then they said he had to have additional bathroom facilities. It was just a small dairy business with a snack bar. He couldn’t meet all the demands. Soon, he went out of business. If the government owned the large businesses and not many small ones existed, it could be in control.

We had consumer protection. We were told how to shop and what to buy. Free enterprise was essentially abolished. We had a planning agency specially designed for farmers. The agents would go to the farms, count the live-stock, then tell the farmers what to produce, and how to produce it.

“Mercy Killing” Redefined

In 1944, I was a student teacher in a small village in the Alps . The villagers were surrounded by mountain passes which, in the winter, were closed off with snow, causing people to be isolated. So people intermarried and offspring were sometimes retarded. When I arrived, I was told there were 15 mentally retarded adults, but they were all useful and did good manual work. I knew one, named Vincent, very well. He was a janitor of the school. One day I looked out the window and saw Vincent and others getting into a van. I asked my superior where they were going. She said to an institution where the State Health Department would teach them a trade, and to read and write. The families were required to sign papers with a little clause that they could not visit for 6 months. They were told visits would interfere with the program and might cause homesick-ness.

As time passed, letters started to dribble back saying these people died a natural, merciful death. The villagers were not fooled. We suspected what was happening. Those people left in excellent physical health and all died within 6 months. We called this euthanasia.

The Final Steps-Gun Laws

Next came gun registration. People were getting injured by guns. Hitler said that the real way to catch criminals (we still had a few) was by matching serial numbers on guns. Most citizens were law abiding and dutifully marched to the police station to register their firearms. Not long after-wards, the police said that it was best for everyone to turn in their guns. The authorities already knew who had them, so it was futile not to comply voluntarily. No more freedom of speech. Anyone who said something against the government was taken away. We knew many people who were arrested, not only Jews, but also priests and ministers who spoke up.

Totalitarianism didn’t come quickly, it took 5 years from 1938 until 1943, to realize full dictatorship in Austria . Had it happened overnight, my countrymen would have fought to the last breath. Instead, we had creeping gradualism. Now, our only weapons were broom handles. The whole idea sounds almost unbelievable that the state, little by little eroded our freedom.

After World War II, Russian troops occupied Austria . Women were raped, preteen to elderly. The press never wrote about this either. When the Soviets left in 1955, they took everything that they could, dismantling whole factories in the process. They sawed down whole orchards of fruit, and what they couldn’t destroy, they burned. We called it The Burned Earth. Most of the population barricaded themselves in their houses. Women hid in their cellars for 6 weeks as the troops mobilized. Those who couldn’t, paid the price. There is a monument in Vienna today, dedicated to those women who were massacred by the Russians. This is an eye witness account.

“It’s true….those of us who sailed past the Statue of Liberty came to a country of unbelievable freedom and opportunity.

America Truly is the Greatest Country in the World. Don’t Let Freedom Slip Away

"After America , There is No Place to Go."

Old Life

Not often, but every once in a while, I go there. Especially this time of year, close to the time she left. Probably not a good idea, but my SH (sweet hubby) understands the heartbreak, the heartache, and it's nice to have a shoulder to cry on, someone to just listen.

It seems to come out mostly at night. And, before I know it, I am weeping. No one can fix it, well, except God in His own time. But, time does truly hang heavy when you are missing two of your family members.

One I carried under my heart for nearly ten months, happily enduring her every hiccup and mule-like kick in utero, before finally giving life to her over her loud protests. The other, my first grandchild, totally captivated my heart and I still remember the laughter and giggles when as a toddler he delightedly rubbed red Jello into his hair and on any other person who happened by.

But sadly, no matter how perfectly we may plan it, life doesn't always turn out so perfectly. And, so she walked out of my life one day and took my grandson with her.

Eleven years is a long time to never see your child's or your grandchild's face or hear their voice.

I missed all her twenties, and I often wonder what she looks like now at age 33. Is she still my beautiful, blue-eyed beauty? Or, like me, has she aged due to the loss?

And, Jacob? Sad to think he could pass me on the street and I would never know him or he know me. Yet, even when he was so very little he loved me. He knew I would try and protect him. I only hope he forgives me because I wasn't able to.

No matter what, Life just shouldn't be this way.

It's far too short even if one lives to be 100.

I love you, Melissa and Jacob.

I always will.