Have a very happy holiday!
I very much enjoy reading your haikus on here, btw. Thank you for that.

Wages have grown faster than costs

www.americanprogress.org/article/amer...

And if you did have a newer house in a better area, your parents probably went to college or had generational wealth.
And even then, houses were much smaller than they are now.
5-6 ppl in a family shared one bathroom.. Only upper income ppl had two bathrooms - That was a luxury.

They were always in debt.
My mom bought Xmas gifts on layaway.
My mom grocery shopped once a week on payday and by Thursday, we had white bread and milk gravy (no meat) for supper.

And we were among the more “well off” in our neighborhood. Most other families on our block rented.

It fills me with absolute glee to watch Stefanik’s political aspirations slowly crumble, bit by bit.

I haven’t watched since mid-2024. Sure as hell am not watching now.
I do read my local paper once a week and check out Reuters and the Chicago Sun-Times.

I used to listen to NPR in the car but I can’t even take them anymore.

I’m reading a lot, though, writing and watching some good movies.

Oh, I loved that one, too!

There are ppl who abuse it, tho’.
My hairstylist told me he and his extended family do this every time they fly! He admitted they’re faking.
I was appalled.
But the service shouldn’t be harder to use, bc I think fakers are a minority, and disabled ppl shouldn’t have to jump thru hoops for help.

Nope, in the US, on retired people time. 😁
I only know what day of the week it is, usually, bc my adult kid and I see a movie together on most Wednesdays.
Which was yesterday, but..🤷🏻‍♀️

lol, I just realized it’s actually Thursday today.
Ope.

www.theartsdesk.com/new-music/al...
I agree with a lot in this review.

I hope he gets the justice he deserves someday, and someday soon.

Omg these fucking assholes.

7/I wish my aunt’s final days could be in peace. Idk if they are. I suspect not always due to the dementia.
But I hope she has lucidity now and then, and I hope her memories are comforting at those moments.

I know my memories of her are.

6/ ..and how confirming their stability, their traditions, have been for me. I noted their unconditional generosity back then and I have carried that with me into adult life.
I wish my aunt knew this.
But she probably did..
They helped raise me - elevate me - and I am so grateful.

5/..ensured it was a shit show, strewn w/eggshells..

It was a relief to go to Aunt Ruth and Uncle Alvin’s the next day, where there was normalcy, boundaries (no drama allowed), true affection, and true gratitude.

My uncle passed yrs ago. I don’t know if he and my Aunt knew how comforting and..

4/My own parents had a tumultuous marriage. As the oldest child, I felt the stress and anxiety of their relationship throughout my childhood.

My dad’s family disliked my mom, she disliked them. (That’s simplifying things too much but that is about it). We hosted them on Xmas Eves and the adults..

3/..and my Uncle Alvin. They were the bedrock of my mother’s extended family. My entire childhood to 2019, they hosted every Thanksgiving, Xmas, Easter, and July 4. All were welcome - us, our friends, new spouses..
They made room for all of us.
We were welcomed, fed, and loved, no matter what..