If you wanna be sad, read the newspapers

Each day I check the NY Times to see what's happenin in the Big Bad World. Ach! Don't ask. My primary concern is the Healthcare Package. A lead photo showed a female senator ascending the stairs and I said to myself, Senators: What pompous assholes. This, as distinct, from the pompompitous of love as espoused by Steve Miller.

What I'm trying to say, Dear Reader, is I'd rather be Anywhere but Afghanistan. Which is why, when I went to the Willow Grove Post Office, I picked up a flyer announcing Moms Stuffing Stockings for the Marines in Afghanistan. I thought this would be a great thing for our group to get involved with.

A small group of us went forward to the Upper Moreland Intermediate School. I got to ride in Fontaine's borrowed Lexus where at the touch of a finger you can control every aspect of driving comfort including starting the car with a push of the button. My jaw dropped open and she and her daughter laffed.

Arnie was following us in his beautiful newly painted van.

The moment I got there an attractive blond woman came up to me.

Are you Ruth Deming? she asked.

I was in a state of confusion cuz there were no signs telling us where to go in the huge gymnasium.

I am, I said.

Dyou know who I am? she asked.

I looked at her and her beautiful blond hair.

Denise so-and-so, I said. You called me twice and never left me your phone number.

Anyway, Denise is a former member of ND and wanted to reconnect about 6 months ago. How frustrating not to have her phone number.

I called her this a.m. and invited her to be our first Spotlight speaker in December. She's been off all meds for about 8 years - hallelujah! - and thanks the Lord for this great feat.

Whatever works!

Here's some of the gifts we're sending the Marines in Afghanistan at a cost of $20,000 to ship. Each volunteer took a stocking and went to various stations where young voluntters, such as Cub Scouts, or children of Marines, threw a gift in our stocking. When finished, we put our stocking in a huge plastic tie-able bag where more gifts were thrown in.

Everything was tiny:

Whitman Sampler
Cigar
Harmonica
Tastycakes

Lunch was furnished afterward, some tasteless hoagies which I doctored with hot peppers and mustard. Ada sat next to me on the bench. Denise came over to her and thought Ada was a Family Members. No, said Ada, I run the Depression Group.

But you keep smiling, said Denise.

That's because I'm feeling fine, smiled Ada, who looked even more beautiful than usual.

Just then her husband Rich walked into the room. We stood up and waved so he'd find us in the crowded room. They were gonna stop in to see Ada's mom, who turned 100 last month.

Fontaine dropped me off at home and I went to Scott's house. He was in the basement lifting weights. He wears a belt when he does it. I watched him do it once but never again. He said he procrastinates sometimes for 45 mins cuz it's so demanding.

It's beautiful out, I said. How bout a bike ride? Jack goes to a certain Pennypack Trail in Philadelphia.

Sure, he said. Just lemme finish lifting.

We went for the most arduous and wonderful bike ride ever, up these excrucatingly difficult hills where we'd walk our bikes, and then zoom quickly down very steep hills. I love going really fast but you must be really careful cuz you share trail space with

whole families
moms pushing babies in strollers
people walking dogs
other zooming bikers
piles of manure
mud and leaves

Fortunately I only fell once cuz Scott passed me on the right and didn't say, Coming thru! As soon as I fell, I called I'm fine, cuz there was a walking couple behind me and I didn't want them to worry. To my left was a steep cliff where I could've tumbled down to the Pennypack Creek. It was actually no big deal.

I did nap when I came home and then made a fab dinner of salmon, asparagus, brown rice, cranberry sauce sweetened with maple syrup. Scott's dad gave us a bunch of movies so we watched This Gun for Hire, a film noir which made Alan Ladd a star.