Happy New Year with Pictures

Happy New Year!

We were traveling during the Christmas season and so didn't get a chance to send out cards [as if we faithfully do this each year] so here is the visual explanation of our holiday. 

At first we were with Josh's family in Larkspur, Ca. and then we traveled to Monterey again to visit their world class Aquarium. Kids look like something out of the new Star Wars set but in fact they are adorned with a get up 
the Aquarium staff uses to feed the various animals, especially the otters. Great fun.  

Gorgeous octapus

 Mr. G and I sincerely believe that we brought the NW weather to Ca. and a partial end to the drought with our visit. Record rainstorms. However, next day was more like what Californians are used to and we went to a lovely beach in Carmel before our trek back to the city.
 





Christmas day was a hit with the kids and the grown kids. Josh cooked up a storm with a rack of lamb, brussel sprouts with bacon and parmesan and a dessert of apple cobbler. Quite a feast.
 Onward to Zach and Anne's house for our extended celebration in Bothell area. We had a grand time with them and the grands. Such good treatment for two very grateful grandparents.  

Blessings and good wishes to you all for a successful, healthy, happy  2016.


susansmagicfeather  copyright 2015 Susan R. Grout all rights reserved

If I Were Queen I'd Have a Scrooge and Mr. Potter Recovery Program

Our beautiful world

A saintly man carrying a sick child

If I were queen I would add a few new rules to the constitution. I would demand that all people who are going into business or into politics watch both Christmas movies that I just watched and act according to the good lessons contained therein. The movies are "It's a Wonderful Life" [1946] and "A Christmas Carol" [1951, written by Charles Dickens in 1843]. The reasons are quite simple, I believe that today many people are turning into the unredeemed Scrooge and the evil Mr. Potter and don't give a fig about their fellow humans. [Which, BTW is the definition of a sociopath.] 

For many reasons this is quite disconcerting and depressing. Examples of the Potter/Scrooge syndrome abound: Walmart forcing most of it's employees to be part time and then making sure they apply for welfare; CEO's of big companies making 1,300 % more than their employees; several of the candidates for the highest office in our country advocating a unfair rejection of immigrants from war torn countries; big businesses regularly reducing their employees benefits and pay; many in the House and the Senate are actively trying to take away medical benefits of the affordable care act; many attempting to erase Planned Parenthood which serves women and finally, many politicians are trying to make voting as difficult as possible for many citizens. In my book this all adds up to the evil Mr. Potter and the unredeemed Mr. Scrooge. Watch the movies if your memories are hazy about these two men and see if you don't agree.

Both stories are uplifting, yet only Scrooge is saved from his cold, narrow, heartless ways. Mr. Potter remains evil/greedy until the end. Depressingly, just imagine if George Bailey was running for office, sad to say he would be castigated for being kind, generous and a liberal thinker. Potter would be praised for his tough minded business sense. As for Scrooge, he got the message, developed a heart and learned to keep the Christmas spirit every day of the year.

I'd like to spark a 'Scrooge redemption' movement. I'd encourage change for good in all the recently produced societal sociopaths. I'd have them volunteer with the homeless and require them to listen to their life stories. I'd have them try to live on the pathetically inadequate pay a single mother receives. I'd have them volunteer in the children hospitals where the parents of very sick children are in danger of losing their insurance. I'd do all this and would it make a difference? I suspect except for the really crusty individuals, it would. 

What's interesting is ironically, study after study has shown that altruism is very rewarding in the here and now, increases your feeling of good will. You'd think the sociopaths would get the message. In the Scrooge redemption center we would have coaches encourage positive changes for the good of all humans. Hopefully this would halt the sociopaths in their selfish, hurtful thinking as  they got to know and serve the less fortunate among us. One also hopes this would revive the feeling of empathy as a positive value.  Remember, I am queen and can command this.

Here is a partial list of the ideas from the two movies that I believe can promoted change.  Remember:

1. Life can be filled with disappointments, unexpected problems, deceitful people, but also remember there are good people who can reward you for your ability to love and be loyal.
2. Do what's right even if you think you may not be rewarded. Life can turn out better than you can imagine.
3. The future is unpredictable [except that we're all gonna die] and life can turn out differently, sometimes sweeter, so it can't hurt to be hopeful. 
4. Problems always seem darkest at night or in bad weather.
5. Family and friends are more important than financial success.
6. Love is much more rewarding in so many ways than hate and selfishness.
7. It's always a good idea to be generous, expecting nothing in return.
8. Worrying doesn't make things better. The illusion with ruminating is that you'll come up with a solution. Better to put your nose to the grindstone, write a list and then brainstorm with others for mutual benefit.
9. It's important to tell the ones you love what your troubles and fears are. It is so much easier to share life's burdens.
10. Remember to ask for help, everyone needs it sometimes.
11. Every time a bell rings, an angel gets it's wings. [I just threw that in].
12. Money can't buy me love. [OK so I threw that in too.]

the pal who hugs is always dear

Remember, kindness doesn't cost a cent and it's rewards are vast and deep. So to all the young people out there, please do imitate the people who are loving, kind and generous instead of all the fear mongers, the greedy ones and the insensitive people. Life can be lovely if you are loving. Get out there and love!

susansmagicfeather copyright 2019 Susan R. Grout all rights reserved

End of 2015, A Goodbye in Pictures

Kauai in  January

April

The holidays are upon us and so here is my annual post on the year that was. Hope you enjoy the viewing as much I enjoyed the doing.
I love looking back on the highlights of the year and feel grateful beyond words that all these people are in my life.

Thanks Juning with Senja, Trisha, Sally and top row he who shall not be named, Oshea, Chin , me  and Bob in background

May in SF with the Josh's and  Jocelyn and Kevin

Yikes! June at the ocean with the Zach's: James, Lauren, me and Anne and shark

We did all are usual trips: to LA for Thanks juning; to SF area to see Josh's family; the tulip fields in April; a resort in June with Zach's family and of course Groutfest here at home and guitar camp with sisters Trisha and Sally.
A new trip for us was to New Orleans for a week with Sally and Kathleen and friends Jack and Eve. New Orleans is luscious and we explored the food and music scene diligently each day. Great fun.

The dance at guitar camp with Sally, me, Trisha and Steve

Fun on boats with Vail and Jocelyn in August

Kathleen comes to save the Day with Chin and Sally and Vail--
helping out Sally after her operation

This has been a wonderful year. One of many visits from family and to family. We are blessed to have a lively group of relatives who we actually like as well as love. We so relish the time we have together.

Seattle with Anne, Zach and Josh and the grands

Highlight of Groutfest a water balance beam

The Josh's in Sept.

New Orleans in November

more NOLA

Thanksgiving at Vail and Jonathan's: John Robert, me, the mystery man, Josh, Uma, Chin, Ella and Jonathan

Than

In all our summer biking glory


Thanks everyone for reading and have a great Christmas and a very happy New Year.

susansmagicfeather copyright 2015 Susan R. Grout all rights reserved.

On Promoting Positive Changes

Another terrorist attack this time in San Bernardino, Ca. and my greatest fear is that the nation will fall asleep yet again and do nothing. It is going to take a huge concerted effort to change this country's mind set from the hopeless/helpless mode into the activitist mode but I believe it can be done.

After the tragedy in Roseburg, Oregon I saw that it's necessary to point out how inadequate our discussion of gun control truly is. I was surprised to read that the spokes person for the NRA wrote an article in the Seattle Times proclaiming that it is not the guns, but the mentally ill who are doing all the killing and we need better care for them. Well, yes, that is partly true. This was certainly not true of the terrorist couple in San Bernardino. On the other hand it is hand guns, assault rifles, machine guns and guns left unlocked in people's homes that are killing our children and citizens. It is not one thing that accounts for all these tragedies. Many changes must be made. It is not an "either/or" argument but a both/and statement. 

Here is the part that is correct: we do need more protection for all our citizens from the violent mentally ill with suicidal tendencies. Here is the part pointedly omited: we need, today, to get rid of the assault weapons, and the machine guns and we need stronger background checks and we need to make it mandatory that every citizen who owns a gun have it properly locked up. So many preventable accidents have happened because guns were carelessly available to children and depressed or violent individuals. What is so frightening about having background checks in place? Why on earth does any citizen need to own an assault rifle or a machine gun? Think people, why does the NRA bribe politicians? who do you suppose are the biggest donaters and promoters of the NRA? Why,  it would be the arms manufacturers! What a stunning suprise! If the NRA and all it's members are so passionate about "it's all the fault of the mentally ill" exactly where are their enormous financial contributions to prevention and treatment programs for the mentally ill? I ask you. Surprised again?

I find it unbelievably sad that one of the richest countries in the world incarcerates the mentally ill in jails all over our country. Ask anyone who works in the prisons and they'll tell you that there are many inmates who just don't belong there. First up are the mentally ill who stop taking their medications and then awful things ensue from them or to them. Mostly they get taken advantage of and get arrested for being out of line. They truly are out of line and out of their minds but no one is asking, that's too complicated. What do we do with them? Into the slammer they go where the possibility of treatment is zilch. No treatment at all. This is not only sad but nutty if you do a cost analysis. [google and see what several years ago Connecticut's Governor concluded]. This has to stop. The truth is a tiny percent of the people who are mentally are dangerous and violent. Still we, thanks to starting with the Reagan administration, are ignoring prevention, intervention and treatment programs for the mentally ill.  Why is no one addressing this issue?  Out of sight out of mind, really simplistic thinking for an otherwise advanced society.

So happily the NRA is going to put their money where their mouth is, right? They claim they are concerned, so it only makes logical sense that they would step up. Right?

Speaking of concern exactly what, if anything, is going on in the heads of many people who value the lives of some animals over the lives of people? These individuals went cuckoo when the picture of the magnificent Cecil the lion was murdered in Africa by the smug dentist and wanted ACTION NOW for that horrible event. [It was sickening...]Yet where are they with all that energy to aid in the fight against the mass murders right here, right now in our own country of innocent people, even children? Is it because it's people and not animals that are being murdered? Surely we have evolved with enough emotional maturity to have some empathy for human suffering. How is praying for the families and then supporting the NRA, or the people who are beholden to the NRA not a travesty?

This can be changed. If the Aussies can do it we can too. It's been almost 20 years since they have had a terrorist attack in their country. They outlawed assault weapons. Who is going to stand up to the NRA, the arms manufacturers?  Clearly we can't count on the politicians who are accepting "donations" from them.  What is needed is outlawing assault weapons, outlawing any future gun that can rapidly maim or kill people, insisting on background checks, allowing for a 72 hour wait period, at least.

What gives with the vehemence and cruelty denying those of us who would prefer some order and sense in dealing with guns instead of this outmoded 19th century old west approach? It shouldn't shock you to know when cars were new in the early part of the last century there was a terrible fight to have no speed limits, no stop signs, no traffic cops...surely you see where I'm going with this. A car can be a lethal weapon and needs to be regulated and those who misuse their privilege are punished. So tell me why this cannot apply to guns? This is 2015, 100 years after the fight for traffic/automobile rules and regulations. We need something this definitive for the entire gun industry and we are going to have to demand it.

Those of you who are in the state of  Washington, please join me in support of the Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility with a check. But all of us need to take action. One way is to text 64433, it is for the organization called "Everytown" They state,  "Today and every day we come together to say: WE CAN end gun violence". Please do this, we can't just give up. That is hopeless/helpless thinking and just exactly where abusive people want you to be. Here is a good article about the NRA: Mother Jones piece, “The NRA is Losing Its Grip on Power.”

I just got this update that the US Senate just voted down 2 strong gun bills.  Contact these legislators, tell them they are on notice. Next, encourage them to take MANY steps to eliminate violence and senseless death by guns in this country. Tell them, "the repercussion for these unethical acts, against the will of the people, is that we will donate to your opponents in the next election." 

about to blow my top over the inactivity on the gun issues.

susansmagicfeather copyright 2015 Susan R. Grout all rights reserved