My Million Dollars

Money RollI have often pondered upon this topic [What would you do with a million dollars, tax-free] before today. In fact, hubby and I have pondered this together and came up with a plan of action. No kidding. There is a plan. Now if only we can remember to buy lotto tickets..

The Plan:

  1. Keep mum. We don’t even tell our kids because ex-spouses & other hostiles don’t need to know.
  2. Pay off the mortgage on our retirement home. Put our current house on the market and as soon as it sells, probably at a loss – good thing we have bucks,we move on to #3.
  3. Retire. Think of all the writing I can do without my day-job! Hubby will be in his huge shop puttering and I will have all kinds of time to write.
  4. Invest some of it. Not most of it because only God knows what the market is going to do. Our million maybe safer buried under the big rock.
  5. Help our children out. With paying off student loans, that kind of thing. Things they need. Need being the operative word here. They can work for the stuff they want. We had to.
  6. Spoil the granddaughters. Take them to Disneyland, Hawaii. Of course, I will have to take their parents too. In case I need to “give them back” when they are grumpy.

I realize that my approach to being rich sounds boring to most people. Too bad. I have had all the drama and excitement (a.k.a., stress) that I need in this lifetime.

So bring out my rocking chair, would you dear?

The Top 10 Best Words, Ever

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Lots o' WordsI love old-fashioned descriptive words. They are fun to say. You can use them everywhere – in front of your mother, the neighbors little kids, at work. You don’t have to type symbols [#$%&*@!] when writing them either. My grandparents, aunts, uncles and parents use these little darlings. Now I’m saying them, and trying to explain their meanings to my granddaughters…

The Top 10 Best Words, Ever:

  1. Scalawag (or Scallywag): (skălˈə-wăgˌ); (skălˈē-wăg) noun;  1. a scamp; a rascal. Origin: term used by Southern Democrats for the Southerners who supported the Republicans during the Reconstruction after the Civil War.
  2. Varmint: (värˈmĭnt) noun;  One considered undesirable, obnoxious, or troublesome.  Origin: Variant of vermin.
  3. Geezer: (gēˈzər) noun;  An old person, especially an eccentric old man.
  4. Hooey: (ho̵̅o̅ē) interjection, noun; Nonsense, B.S.
  5. Floozy: (flo͞oˈzē) noun; A woman regarded as tawdry or sexually promiscuous. Origin: flossy
  6. Rascal: (raskəl)  noun; 1. a scoundrel; rogue; scamp: now usually used jokingly or affectionately, as of a mischievous child 2. adjective; low; dishonest; base.  Origin: Middle English- rabble, commoners.
  7. Skedaddle: (ski dad‘l); verb; to run off or away; leave in a hurry. Origin: popularized in military slang of Civil War period: prob. a fanciful formation.
  8. Loony: (lo͞oˈnē); adjective;1. Extremely foolish or silly; 2. Crazy, insane. Origin: shortening and alteration of lunatic.
  9. Scruffy: (skrufē) adjective; Shabby, unkempt, grubby. A man who has not shaved in days, like my husband.
  10. Shenanigans: (shê-‘næn-ê-gênz) noun; A playful or mischievous act; a prank; a secret scheme or machination. Origin: possibly Gaelic “sionnachuighim” meaning “I play the fox”.

I know there are more but honestly, I’m tuckered out.

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Acknowledgments:
Many thanks to the folks at Your Dictionary Logo who actually had all these words in their database. Impressive!

 

Genius or Gorgeous?

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Plain Rabbit
Plain Rabbit
Jessica Rabbit
Jessica Rabbit

I am already smart enough.

I want to feel how I imagine it feels to be extremely good-looking. It must be wonderful to have self-confidence. To not worry about what people are looking at, or thinking, when you enter a room.  To instantly be given the benefit of the doubt instead of treated with suspicion. To be flirted with instead of ignored, or worse,  avoided. To get a friendly warning instead of a traffic ticket. People are just more patient and courteous. Men smile at you. A Knight in Shining Armour around every corner: guys happy to open doors for you, help you carry things, change your flat tire. Help you when you’re lost. Ask and thee shall receive.

At least that is what I imagine extremely pretty women experience. I would like to experience this. However, no matter how much make-up, cute hair styles or fabulous clothes I put on – I stay little Miss  Plain. The only thing worse than a photograph of me is video.  Ugh.  Hollywood is not looking for this gal.

Given the choice, I will definitely go with gorgeous. Please don’t tell me it was a rhetorical question. I’ll am waiting …