Iggy

Off Topic: Are you going through Menopause? I was 52 when it hit me - like a ton of bricks. Hormones treatment proved to be the wrong answer. I went on Black Cohosh capsules. It took two years to get the right dosage. For me it was 3,000 mg a day. 1500 in the morning and 1500 one hour before I went to bed. The only place I could find to get them was from on on-line place. ALSO I had high blood pressure. That causes mood swings too. Then I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. When that is not under control - your mood swings like Poe's Pendulum! I am done with menopause - my High Blood pressure is affected by my diabetes - so when I eat properly, take my meds on time and remember to take my insulin - then there are NO mood swings.

Me too - only I am not gruff. Husband is helping me to temper, tone-down my bluntness. And the Lord has been instrumental in keeping His hand firmly over my mouth while I am under His roof.

As a light-hearted response ~ It is the responsibility of the person who committed the sin to own up to their actions, repent sincerely, and ask Heavenly Father for forgiveness. IF he/she transgressed against me - then in the repentance process he/she must make amends to me when it will cause no more harm. What is the Lord's standards for child abusers? Didn't realize that I was coming across as NOT FORGIVING - sorry about that. Big misunderstanding there. I meant to be NOT FORGETTING. The offender transgressed against innocents (not necessarily me) but I was witness of either the deed or the aftermath - so I am standing in extreme attitude of never letting this offender have the opportunity to transgress against me? To do me harm, injustice, sin against me? What I am doing is preventing this offender from having a opportunity to do that to me. Thus, I have learned from witnessing and hearing from their victims and am protecting myself. Okay - I don't see anything here that a Church Council would shake their fingers at me for, or call me to repent of my extreme attitude. I don't watch programs that have excess swearing and foul language. Let's go back many, many years to the sitcom Good Times. I refused to let my then under 12 yr old step son watch it when he was with us - the kids on that show were disrespectful, rude to adults and obnoxious. When my step-son acted out like JJ from the show, he got grounded. I don't watch shows like Chicago PD - where law enforcement officers break the law and get rewarded for it. I also don't read or watch movies about children being possessed by demons. For one, it is gross. Two it is not possible for an innocent child under the age of 8 to be used by Satan. God does not allow it. I also don't subject myself to music that is grating, disrespectful and overly loud and obnoxious. So why should I repent of these standards? There is no reason for me to Forgive and Let Go, really.

Oh for goodness sakes. Mirkwood - I am not looking for a fight. I was just trying to express my opinion and have that opinion understood. Understood does NOT equate to agree. Str8Shooter - I have reported this person to the legal authorities. I took pictures of all of the vehicles visiting for under 2 minutes, three pictures per vehicle. Of it arriving, of this person greeting the car with a small parcel, then vehicle leaving. All of the pictures are date/time stamped. At my cost (SD memory cards are not really cheap). Our Branch President prefers to wait until this person is arrested and charged. This person has moved out of my neighborhood - now she is someone else's problem. Mahone - I have never been around someone with tourettes, but I doubt I would have a stance on that. Just as I am not critical of those who have a mental disorder: Mentally Challanged, etc. As for excessive body odor - it is MY home, MY car. I can refuse entrance to any one I choose. IF I should happen to meet someone with that excessive body odor that is a result of a medical condition, then we can meet outside. My older sister and older brother have had chemical changes in their systems that pretty much nullify deodorants and if they use antiperspirants their underarm pores swell up and get infected, as do mine. I also have run the gamut of deoderants and they just don't work anymore. So, what the three of us do to keep from stinking is several times during the day - we wash our pits with soap and water. I prefer to use Hibiclens - it is effective and I don't break out like I do with bar soaps. Then I rub my dried pits with baking soda. Then I rub in Gold Bond. Where do I draw the line? That is between me and my Lord and Savior. The only ZERO tolerance stance I have is regarding recreational drug abusers and child molesters.

In my neck of the woods, the missionaries eat at various times. I always ask them what is a good time for them. Sometimes it is 5 or 5:30, sometimes 6 ish, then there was once when it was 8PM. Husband and I are retired, so time is really not a problem. There is a note tacked up on the refrigerator in the Missionaries apartment, with our name, phone number and that of two other couples, where they can call and get an instant invite to dinner or lunch. If a family that signed up and then failed to follow through - the Missionaries are instructed to call of us three couples so that they will not be without a meal. When our Branch found out that they were having to go to the Subway to get a meal when a family didn't follow through - we started this Call Us For A Meal program. They have called three times - once for lunch. They were thrilled to get Nalley's Chili, crackers and cheese for lunch. For dinner I threw together homemade tuna noodle casserole, their choice of frozen vegetable, bread and butter. We were having lasagna the one night they called - took them a record 5 minutes to get here for dinner . The owner of one of the Mexican restaurants are members - they have told the missionaries to come there to eat - free. Lunch and/or dinner. So our Missionaries have absolutely no excuse for not eating every day of the week.

Are you really alone? Is not the Holy Ghost with you, always?

Want to clarify a bit. I no longer hold grudges. Used to do that up until I was about 30 - all that does is act like a spiritual cancer and eat away at your soul. I am extreme in my attitude regarding a lot of things. Come live in my shoes for a bit, and you will then understand why I am that way. Bini - in my old profile I had a quote that I was not allowed by forum rules to place in my signature - so I put it in my profile. Only my *friends* can read that quote. It is about political correctness - and comparing it to picking up something 100$ unclean by it's non-existant clean end. Once upon a time you were my friend - now all that shows on this new set-up are the friends who have not been active in years. Try it and see if you can read it. It is listed under Profile Feed. I am The. Most. UN-Politically. Correct. Person. on this planet!! In this Universe. Bleh. thank you for your post - it warms me heart a wee bit.

Bini, when you first said DIY - to me that means repairs around the house first. Out of necessity and desperation I learned how to replace the innards of the toilet. That didn't solve the year long problem of water, water every where - so after asking my across the road and up the mountain trail neighbor to come show me where my water shut off to the house was, turned off the water, went and bought a whole new toilet and replaced it. It isn't that hard to do. Messy - and for some it can be a really icky, stinky job. I cleaned the old toilet thoroughly, and followed the directions from the set of How To Do It books I had bought from a Used Book Store years earlier. I have replaced locking door knobs - closet knobs. Removed the cupboard doors, removed the hinges and placed in de-greaser to clean, sanded and painted the doors. I even replaced ALL of the outlets in my home. Learned quickly to do this job in the daytime and flip the main breaker. Why did I do all of these jobs? My then husband was too busy sitting in the bars drinking, and I was sooooooo tired of the toilet leaking water, the plugs to everything having to be taped to the outlet so they wouldn't fall out, the salt in the air (living next to the ocean results in salt in and on everything) corroding the locks - changed the locks then put tennis balls over the knobs. My kitchen sink would not drain properly - after taking a good close look, the drain pipes were not the proper size, or the correct configurations. I measured, and then during my lunch break at work (I worked at the hardware store), I put together a drain. Paid for it, and after work installed it. I also had a 1500 square foot garden. Then husband roto-tilled the land, we added a pallet of garden lime, he roto-tilled it again, then using re-claimed items I put together the garden. The fencing we bought. 6 foot high 2" mesh chicken wire. We had re-claimed t-posts and re-claimed rings for the t-posts. The three gates to the garden area were re-claimed, as was the single kitchen sink, garden faucets and an old kitchen counter that we put the sink and faucets in. The roof we put over it was also re-claimed - old aluminum siding. All of the wood used to frame the roof and sides were left over from a friends construction job, as were the nails. I bought new hoses to run the water from the house to the garden. Took 75' of hose, then I got old hoses and soakers from people who were tossing them out. Worked great for me. I knew that to use sprinklers was a waste of water. Too much evaporates in the air. I also used old carpeting that had been tossed out to make a walking path around my raised beds. Kept the weeds from growing, the slugs avoided it as did the deer. Oh, husband left the gates open and a deer found her way in. She only ate one cabbage. Took two bites and the second bite was mostly slug. Saw the remains she spit out, along with more spit as she exited the garden. I paid sale prices for the vegetable starts. The store I bought all of the starts from, was family owned drug store/ five & dime - I went to them with a proposition. If I buy all of my starts/plants from them, will they give me a discount? I bought 80 tomato plants, 4 different varieties and 3 different cherry/grape tomatoes. Got all the vegetables too (too many to list here). Total was $350.00+, they discounted it by 15%. The corn and snap peas I planted from seeds. Oh, I also bought marigold plants - several flats of them. I would have had a wonderful garden if then husband had not sabotaged it. You cannot smoke around vegetable plants, most especially tomatoes. You cannot even have smoked, have the tar and nicotine on your hands and then handle the plants. He knew this. He is the one who read it from the Organic Gardening magazine. Yet he smoked while he was in the garden. He touched the plants. He also power watered them. Holding the nozzle of the pistol grip to the ground and blasting the water into the ground. None of the corn grew. Only 1/3 of the bush and pole beans grew. None of the beets, carrots or radishes grew. Their poor seeds were blasted clear to China by his watering methods. I did get brussels, cabbage, and my cherry tomatoes. Only 4 of the tomato plants produced edible fruit. The rest got tobacco wilt disease and rotted on me. I tore out all of the sickly plants, and burned them all. All that hard work, money and that year the mosquitoes were the worst they had ever been. I ended up in the ER with so many bites. Only time in my life I never felt the needle when they gave me shots for it. The second time I just went to my Dr. To work in the garden I had to wear a huge brimmed straw hat that I sewed an old sheer curtain on, home made skeeter netting. I wore yellow rain gear three sizes to large - those skeeters bit me through my jeans and flannel shirt. I wore high top rubber boots - with the pant legs of the rain gear duct tapped to the boots. That summer was one of the driest and hottest for this area. I lost 25 pounds that summer. Sweated and worked it off. When my across the road neighbor showed me pictures of my then husband in the garden, the low harvest made sense. I didn't do a garden after that. Why? I have taught myself how to use power tools. All of them except the circular saw. That one is just too awkward/ heavy for me. Mom and Grandma taught me how to sew - on both a treadle and electric machine. Dad taught me to knit and darn. I have made my own laundry detergent, but it is powder - and for some reason powder just doesn't work well for me. I buy the cheapest liquid I can find, and only use 1/3 of the manufacturer's recommended amount. Now, 30 years later I am not able to do as much of the DIY repairs as before. Can no longer replace faucets, or fix drains, or even remove and install toilets. Can still do door knobs. I just have to sit in a chair to do them. I now live in a mobile home park, and do not own the land. I tried to have a veggie garden- in pots across the front of the double wide - but the slugs and the neighbor cats destroyed the plants. Had the handyman build me a ledge to put my planters on, slowed the slugs down but didn't detour the cats. So instead of veggies, I put in flowers. I am still battling the cats. I really want to plant the pansy's, petunia's, etc., but the soil is so polluted by the cat poo and urine. Sick cat poo and urine. The only planters the cats have not befouled are the railing pots on my porch. AND the huge pots on my porch that I planted yams in. Time to hunt down a huge bag of garden lime, mix it with the two huge bags of outdoor potting soil and get some flowers planted. I bought some deer netting. 1/2" mesh, 7' x 100' of nylon netting. Will put 1 x 2 board on the house to staple the netting to, and drape it over my plants. Think mosquito netting from a canopied bed. The bees can still get in. I will have hanging pots of flowers for the hummingbirds and butterfly's. Bini, when I was a little girl - 5 to 7 years old, we were so poor that toothpaste wasn't on the shopping list (12 people in my family) - my two uncles and our two neighbors smoked cigars. Mom collected the cigar ash from them and mixed it with baking soda. THAT is what we brushed our teeth with. Me, I refused to use it. Even when threatened with a *whipping*, I wouldn't use it. The baking soda- yes, I would use that. Mom got bar soap that was brown lye soap. Harsh!! You washed with two wash cloths. One with soap and one with rinse water. You could not leave that soap on tender child skin for the length of time it took to rinse the cloth out. We grated that soap, added it to boiling water to make a gooey liquid and that is what she washed laundry with. We also washed our hair in a very diluted solution of that. Then rinsed with vinegar and water. Did you know that blended up cucumber peelings in a bit of water is repellent to ants? I used a paste I made and globbed it on where my clothesline was attached to a surface. (Tree and house) Kept the ants (all sizes) off the line and consequently off my clothes. If you have 100% cotton white garment, that has a stain that didn't wash out - do not put in the dryer, hang it outside in direct sunlight and spray the stain with equal parts water (filtered of chlorine) and lemon juice. Make sure the stain is in direct sunlight. I have done this to my whites - cottons - that have had tomato based and mustard stains. Sometimes it takes twice, the mustard took three times.

So that I don't continue to hijack EarlJibs thread" Fine, we are clear - I agree, my attitude is extreme. Coffee drinkers? No, Tea drinkers? No. Alcohol? YES. Yes to smokers. I avoid people when they are smoking. Steer clear of my house and property line. Even though I smoked for 30 years, now I detest it. I won't even give a ride to someone who smokes. It is on their clothes and the stink transfers to my car. ICH! I also won't give rides to those who have offensive body odors. Don't care if it is too much cologne or not enough bathing. If you stink, you do not get in my car OR in my house. I could care less what teenagers do - I don't have any. I don't care if teenagers do it, I don't care if you do it. And really Mirk, that is JUST too much! When I was asked by a judge if I could sit in a jury for an accused adulterer and be impartial, I said No. Been cheated on, have no tolerance for it. There was no way I could be impartial, not after 20 years of being a victim myself. The thief, when I see someone who is stealing, I call law enforcement. Did that too. Watched a man steal groceries & wine from the store as I was shopping. Went and told the manager, then I took pictures of him emptying his pockets and pants legs of the food items and put them into his van. I then called the police. I turned the pictures over to the store and to the cops. Shoplifters are why the store prices are high. The speeder. I pray that their speeding will not end in death - theirs &/or an innocents. When we are on the road and there is a car that is driving erratically and dangerously, I call 911 on my cell phone and report the driver. The neighbor who allows his dog to bark all night. Been there regarding that one. After 15 minutes I call the non-emergency police and fire number - ask for them to do a welfare check at the house. Used to call and complain, but you get a faster response when you ask for a welfare check. So, does that answer your questions Mirk? Yes I am extreme. I have a very low tolerance for law breakers. I obey the laws of the land and I obey God's laws. I know of a LDS member who steals (from Rx drugs from homes of the members she *visits*, to cancelled checks so she can order new checks on line so she can have money, to credit cards and identities), deals in illegal drugs, lies, cheats others, forges checks. I know the victims - yet this person gets rent paid and utilities paid by the church. It really galls me, BUT as my Husband keeps reminding me: IT IS NOT MY STEWARDSHIP. I continue to pray that the Lord will keep His hand firmly over MY mouth- and that He will continue to banish the evil from our neighborhood, and I give thanks to Him for the drug free neighborhood we now have. She moved up the highway about 20 miles - YEAH!!!!

Go to church. It is just me and the Hubby - We pay more attention to the Sacrament talks, and lessons. Probably our discussion at home while we eat brunch will be more about Christ, his atonement and resurrection. We normally discuss, re-hash and finish Sunday lesson's during brunch anyway.

I prefer the simple decor of our chapels. We stress Christ's suffering in the garden of Gethsemane more than the crucifixion anyway. Those fresh bouquets of flowers are spendy - and the money comes out of the Branch/Ward budget. That money is better spent paying someones electric bill, or rent for a month. I went into total sticker shock when I had to order flowers for my mother-in-laws memorial service back in 2006. We had set aside $500.00 thinking that would pretty much fill the foyer and chapel. HAH! It paid for four arrangements!! FOUR!!! The RS President then asked me: You are going to leave the floral arrangements for Sunday aren't you?? At $125.00 an arrangement - which each one was tailored made for her, not for the Sunday Sacrament - I am NOT. I took them home. We have one bouquet in our chapel - it changes seasonally. One of the sisters does the arrangement. The Branch pays for the dried, silk flowers, etc., and the vases. This is a HUGE arrangement - and it sits to the right, behind the Branch Presidency and the sacrament table. If any sisters have excess flowers blooming in their gardens, they will bring them in a vase for the RS room. They are to take them home at the end of the block, but generally they don't.

Came across that way to me.

From: https://www.lds.org/youth/for-the-strength-of-youth/language?lang=eng Language Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good. Ephesians 4:29 OTHER STANDARDS How you communicate should reflect who you are as a son or daughter of God. Clean and intelligent language is evidence of a bright and wholesome mind. Good language that uplifts, encourages, and compliments others invites the Spirit to be with you. Our words, like our deeds, should be filled with faith, hope, and charity. Choose friends who use good language. Help others improve their language by your example. Be willing to politely walk away or change the subject when those around you use inappropriate language. Speak kindly and positively about others. Choose not to insult others or put them down, even in joking. Avoid gossip of any kind, and avoid speaking in anger. When you are tempted to say harsh or hurtful things, leave them unsaid. HIDE Always use the names of God and Jesus Christ with reverence and respect. Misusing the names of Deity is a sin. When you pray, address your Father in Heaven in reverent and respectful language. The Savior used such respectful language in the Lord’s Prayer (see Matthew 6:9–12). Do not use profane, vulgar, or crude language or gestures, and do not tell jokes or stories about immoral actions. These are offensive to God and to others. Remember that these standards for your use of language apply to all forms of communication, including texting on a cell phone or communicating on the Internet. If you have developed the habit of using language that is not in keeping with these standards—such as swearing, mocking, gossiping, or speaking in anger to others—you can change. Pray for help. Ask your family and friends to support you in your desire to use good language. (bolding and underlining by me) Are we, as adults, not held to the same standards as our youth? I believe so. Mirkwood - I "aim my attitude" at all people who use foul language. It matters not to me what faith they are or are not. What race or what gender they are. Or what job they hold, what educational level they have. There is NO EXCUSE for having a potty mouth.

reason for edit: changed my mind about responding to Mirkwood's post. Need to give it *10 Coats Of Time*

I only use the mylar bags as liners, not to seal the food in. I have a FoodSaver brand vacuum sealer. Have used two other brands - but they konked out on me after 90 days. This food saver is 8 years old!! When you vacuum seal boxed pasta - DO NOT let the auto vacuum go to the end. Stop it as soon as the bag is deflated but BEFORE the box gets crushed. Allow the heat seal to finish though. I vacuumed sealed lasagna in the box too long. Ended up with lasagna DUST! I put it through my blender and now I use that to thicken soup and gravy's. I also don't buy mac & cheese mixes. Can't stand the kind with the powdered cheese and Velveeta Shells and Cheese doesn't last on the shelf for more than a year. The cheese turns into rubber even though it is packaged in a foil pouch. I buy the pasta shells or spirals when they are sale and use 1/2 jar of Wal-Mart brand of cheese spread to 2 cups pasta. I have opened jars 18 months after the Use By date and they are still good. It is easy to see if they aren't - the jars are clear. When the cheese goes bad, it pulls away from the jars and turn an ugly, dried brownish orange color. Also from experience it only takes 4 cups of water to cook 2 cups of pasta. If you are going to have canned vegetables with it, then drain off the liquid from your canned vegetable and add water to make the 4 cups liquid to cook the pasta. When you microwave your canned vegetables you do not need more than 2 tablespoons of the liquid. I love to to spinach water to the pasta water. Or canned beets.

Contact your Ward/Stake Preparedness person(s), and/or your County Extension Office. I was given two 5 gallon buckets of white flour from a sister in the Ward. She and her husband were reducing their storage - since they had been empty nesters for the past 15 years, they decided they didn't need 20 buckets of flour. When I opened one of the buckets, the top 5 inches was living, thriving weevils. I promptly put the lid back and opened the next one. Same thing! I contacted our county extension office and was told that the weevils needed to be scooped out of the buckets and killed. The easiest way he said was to do this outside on a calm day- scoop them into a brown paper bag (grocery bag) and then burned in a burning barrel. The lid needed to be thoroughly cleaned, and the entire bucket placed in a deep freezer for 2 months. Every week removing the bucket and rolling and flipping it end to end then put back in the freezer. THAT would kill off the weevil eggs. Maybe. Then when I used the flour, make sure that the mixture is thoroughly baked/cooked. No eating the raw cookie dough, etc. Didn't have a deep freezer that big, or have access to one. When I told this couple about the weevils, they checked out the rest of the buckets - weevils in each and every one of them. Rather than scoop and bag the weevils, he took them aboard a deep sea fishing vessel owned by another church member and they opened each bucket while at sea and dumped the contents in the ocean. When they got home, the couple and myself cleaned the buckets with bleach and TSP - When they processed these buckets many years ago, they followed the directions from the church and packed them with dry ice. Before I quit using processed flour I purchased the 3 pound bags when they were under a $1.50 a bag, vacuumed sealed each one. Weevils and other bugs can't get into them from your cupboards and before I put them in my cupboard for storage they sat in my upright freezer for two months, then got put into my cupboard. I no longer use store bought flour. I want my flour to be UN-enriched, UN-bleached and UN-GMO. I buy wheat grain from Emergency Essentials. I repackage it from the 40-45 pound buckets into 3.5 pound vacuum seal packages. 3.5 pounds, ground is 6 loaves of bread. I have yet to purchase dry beans in quantities large enough to store in 5 gallon buckets. But pretty much every food item I buy for storage is then vacuumed sealed by me for storage. I buy my dry beans from an organic food co-op in bulk. I sprout them prior to cooking and often eat them as sprouts. The store packaged dry beans I had, were vacuumed sealed by me. I also vacuumed sealed the boxes of Rice A Roni, boxes of pasta, and the Hamburger/tuna helper. Even though the pasta in the latter was sealed in cellophane - I still vacuumed sealed it. Gamma lids are the way to go for the buckets. Go to: http://beprepared.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=gamma+lids . The co-op I go to sells these, but emergency essentials prices are better, even including shipping. Unless I bought the buckets new I would purchase Mylar bag liners from the same place, just to insure that there is no cross contamination. We have been waiting for our investment interest check to come, then we are going to buy more organic sprouting seeds, dry beans and vegetable seeds for storage. The co-op we prefer will order and sell to us in bulk at reduced prices. BUT they want to do the order all at once. We would prefer that too. I have been buying the vacuum seal bags when they go on sale - so I won't run out after we get our bulk foods. I had to rethink how to store the items I vacuumed sealed. Obviously they won't store individually on a shelf - but they do go into plastic totes/tubs. These totes/tubs then can be lidded and stacked in closets, corner of the bedrooms, etc. Do not place any tote or container directly on a cement floor. Don't know how they do it, but they absorb moisture. If I am storing plastic lidded totes in my outdoor shed, I duct tape around the lids. Haven't found even one brand where the lids are air and bug tight. When I replace the food in the plastic totes, I will line with Mylar bag liners. Even though everything is vacuumed sealed individually - I still want to double protect from bugs. There is nothing creepier than opening a plastic tote to find a clan of spiders living in it!! {{{shudder}}}

I was born in 1952 - in a Quonset Hut *hospital*. Until I was a junior in High School, we only took a bath once a week. Saturday evening right after dinner was the start of the baths. We washed our hair once a week - in the kitchen sink before we went to take our baths. When I was a junior, I started washing my hair every third day, and I took a bath every other day. I didn't fill the tub up all the way either. The water was to only be deep enough to come to my wrist when I put my hand in, fingers touching the bottom of the tub. We washed our hair with Breck Shampoo, and did a second rinse with Rinse Away or I preferred vinegar in water. My hair was thick and to my waist. Getting all of the shampoo out was important. We didn't have a hair dryer, so I sat on the floor in front of the natural gas furnace so that I could brush my hair while it was running. Then I put my hair up in curlers I made from small frozen juice cans. Dad helped me poke holes in them, so there would be air circulation. Every morning after I ate breakfast and before I walked to school, I sat cross legged on the dining room table so I was up high enough for Dad to braid my hair. Yep, I slept in those huge *curlers* all night, then he braided my hair. Did a braid off to one side, then wound it in a figure 8 at the back of my head. Held it in place with a huge leather 'saddle' over a chignon. When I had headaches I didn't bother with the curlers, Mom would then braid my hair and weave and wrap it around my head like a proper Norwegian peasant girl. Then cover the lower portion with a chignon. We also wore our skirts to just below the knee cap. The fashion trend during the last two years of high school was for shorter hems. By the time I graduated, the hems were halfway between the tops of our knees and 'Possible'. Not at all comfortable for me. Too much skin exposed to the wind and rain. In my 20's I took to wearing pantyhose. Thought I would like them because there was no garter strap getting caught on chairs and snapping me when I stood up. Wore them for years before I finally grew to detest them. Went back to *Real Nylons* held up with garters. Learned that if I wore Pettipants (http://morningsprinklesandeveninggunfire.wordpress.com/2013/09/22/ms-slips/ ) instead of slips that ending the 'snapping'.

When I was living with husband #1 before we were married, we traveled all over the 8 states of the west coast - he was an installer for Stromberg-Carlson. I wrote letters to my girlfriend who lived in Seattle. Every day I wrote a 3+ page letter. Every day I mailed them to her. The only time I didn't mail a letter daily was when we were on the road traveling to the next job. So for about a week to 2 weeks, it was every day. Then for 3 to 5 days I would write, just not mail them. Did that for 6 years. She kept every letter I wrote to her. She also used carbon paper when she wrote her letters. (you over 40 year old's out there, do you remember carbon paper?) so she had copies of her letters. When I was going through the worst part of my life - the many mistresses of my 1st hubby getting in my face flaunting his infidelity, etc. - I wrote to her. I also went and stayed with her for two weeks, trying to decide if I could live with her or near her if I should leave him. Those letters were like journals of my life. Her life too. 6 years of my life on the road, and then 20 years of my life with 1st hubby. I re-read all of those letters. She had kept them in file boxes- each month to a folder, in chronological order. I was going to save up the money to pay for making copies of them all. Never did save up any money. She was going to use our letters and write stories about them. It was fine by me. All I asked was that I receive 10% of the royalties. A few years went by, actually it was nearly 10 years - on the day I got my Final Divorce Decree I called her and said - well, are you going to write some books or not? Yep, she would get started right away. The next day she told me that she went out to the garage to get the boxes of letters and ALL of them had been taken over by mice and rats!!

EarlJibbs, I prefer to surround myself with good, positive feelings, language, music. My first husband was evil. I didn't see it at first, naturally. As much as I could, I kept the vocabulary coming from my mouth clean, uplifting and positive. When I reactivated back into Church, and saw for the first time For The Strength of Youth pamphlet - I read it over and over. Kept it in my purse always. I choose to avoid people who choose to be negative. I don't need them in my life, ever. The only people I really know who are highly educated are the members of my sisters stake in Seattle. I have always enjoyed going to her Stake conferences and remaining for the *Linger Longers*. These members who are professors at the University of Seattle, Doctors, Lawyers, CEO's of large corporations - - - Highly Intellectual People, don't use foul language. Their conversations are enjoyable and it is rare that I don't learn something new. I love riding the city buses around Seattle. I am a people watcher. So it stands to reason that I am a people listener. The language gets foul when we get into the seamier parts of town. I love to sit in a park, or shopping mall and watch and listen to the people. Anatess; I totally agree - kids from the 80's on back also spell correctly and have better grammar and diction. The other saying, " You Know" is just as irritating as "Like".

When a quite smart, highly intellectual person resorts to foul language to convey emotion or weight, s/he has lost my respect and attention pretty much forever. Both of my Mom's brothers were Marines. In their own homes they had incredibly foul mouths. One was a cop, the other a long haul truck driver. In our non-LDS home foul language was NOT allowed. Nor was it allowed around myself and my siblings. Disrespectful talk/comments were not allowed either. example: Uncle Younger commenting about his very pregnant, very miserably uncomfortable wife: "If she doesn't drop that kid soon - I am moving out, can't take any more of her tossing, turning, and pacing through out the house." Dad corrected him. Cows drop calves. Women give birth. Uncle was removed from our house and not allowed back until he apologized to all of us. Mom, us kids, his own mother (who lived with us) AND his wife. I owned a tavern - my customers were loggers, truck drivers, fishermen, motorcycle riders ( Gypsy Jokers, etc.) Foul language was not tolerated in the tavern either. I didn't like it and the Oregon Liquor Control Commission Rules and Regulations stated that the bartender/ bar owner must maintain control - No foul language. No lewd behavior. Etc. The manual was nearly 2 inches thick. Cutting the offender(s) off and turning them out of the bar for the night, worked. After just once, they kept a clean mouth. Foul language just is not acceptable or appropriate at any time. It chases the Holy Spirit away. https://www.lds.org/youth/for-the-strength-of-youth/language?lang=eng Ephesians 4: 29 Let no corrupt acommunication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. Do not use profane, vulgar, or crude language or gestures, and do not tell jokes or stories about immoral actions. These are offensive to God and to others. A highly intellectual person will use words that convey emotion without lowering her/him self to base language. As will a moderately intellectual person. The loggers, truck drivers and fishermen were mostly high school drop outs - but in my bar they refrained from cursing, cussing, & foul language.

Back in my previous life, when I was inactive and owned a tavern, I read in the Good Housekeeping magazine about how writing a journal can help you overcome the blues, keep you on track to overcome bad habits, blah, blah, blah. 1st hubby was an alcoholic, abusive, cheating bleh! The regulars at the tavern were really getting on my nerves. Repeating the same stories they told me again, again and again - year after year. I bought a Mead 5-Subject spiral bound notebook and started Journal 1. That progressed to Journal 2, 3, and 4. All were 5-Subject notebooks, and all had to be kept hidden away incase 1st hubby found them. Those journals kept me sane. I wrote in them a lot. At times, three to four times a day. Sometimes not for days or weeks or even months. At one time, my older sister got me a beautiful hard bound journal. I decided that wold be my Good Journal. I would only write good, happy events. Until I left 1st hubby, that pretty journal was mostly blank. I still have those spiral bound notebook journals. I have been separated from him for 15 years, divorced from 1st hubby for 11 years, He has been dead for 4 years. I was going to read through them to see if it is time to burn them. Can't make myself read them. I am not healed enough to go back and read of the hurt he did to me. I don't want to burn them until I am healed enough to read and then toss. Husband #2 isn't even interested in reading them. He saw the suitcase they are in, and inquired as to why I had never *unpacked* it. He has an ammunition box full of letters from his daughter, and an old girlfriend. They were hurtful, hateful letters. I have no desire to read them, and when he is ready to destroy them, I will stand with him as he does it. I purchased a journal that I downloaded to my computer. It is Personal Historian. It is LDS based. I don't write in it as often as I should -

I don't understand the reasoning behind having Engagement parties. Is it to get gifts?? If I politely declined an invitation, in writing, to anything (such as a RSVP note) - and then was asked why by the person inviting me, I think that I would say that Husband and I will be busy that day/ evening. If the person continued to pursue the questioning, again: We have committed to another invitation. If the person is so tactless as to ask a third time, then my response would be: Enough - asking once was rude of you, continuing to ask is beyond bad manners.

In my humble opinion: Cursing, Cussing, Swearing is never appropriate at any place of employment. Using curse words just shows that you have a very limited vocabulary. Please don't curse, swear around me. or Swearing and cursing is offensive and I know that you don't wish to be offensive. Is what I used when I was a bartender/cocktail waitress (did that work for 12 years) and when I worked in an office with all women!! Within a week pretty much all of the foul language was gone. As for that language at lunch/meals. Get up and sit elsewhere. When asked, be honest and say that the foul language is inappropriate and unwanted.