Fuzzbunniesnest

The trip to smicksburg

2007-05-11T22:31:00.000-07:00

Why don't I take my camera with me when I travel? I got a digital one for Christmas so I could carry it with me in my purse and always have a camera. Today is one of those days I needed it and did not take it with me. I really was so angry at myself for this......

My daughter wanted me to make some jellies for her wedding. I do not have the time or the berries to make what she wanted so we decided to go to a town about 50 miles from here called Smicksburg. I knew Amish lived there but I thought it was assuming it was like here where they were few and scattered. I never dreamed that there would be one beautiful farm after another with Amish children playing in the yards and their wives hanging clothes while they worked the fields. As I rode, I thought I was back in the 1800's as I watched the farmers with horses plow the fields and the buggy's filled the road.

These people fascinate me. Their lifestyle does. I could never live as they do but I think it is so wonderful they can live without all the conveniences we have and still have a happy life. My daughter was with me and she said 'Mom, did it ever occur to you that some of our modern consciences are what causes alot of the stresses in our lives'. I imagine that is so.

"I think we would be happier without all our modern convenieces," she said.

I thought of life without my computer. As romantic as the Amish lifestyle seems, I know I am happier with my life as it is.

That time of the year again....

2007-05-06T09:28:00.000-07:00

Spring is here finally. I love each season for it's various reasons. I love spring because the woods behind our home is filled with budding new flowers and babies of all shapes and sizes. A few years ago I witnessed the birth of a fawn much like the one in this pic that my hubby took a few years ago in the woods by our house. I heard a noise out in the field and turned on the spotlight and saw a doe and a wobbly kneed little fawn trying to stand as she cleaned the afterbirth off him or her. It was wonderful.

My husband walked up on this one and took it while it crouched down and pretended to sleep. The mother was a short way off with the twin to this one, hiding. Fawns have a natural instinct to blend in with their background and that is what he was doing....

Having a blast....

2007-04-29T10:45:00.000-07:00

I have the house to myself today so I got it thru my head to work on my daughters wedding cd. I am burning her songs off for her. Here is here list...

Baby I am amazed by lonestar
Unanswered Prayers Garth Brooks
Your Song Elton John
Two of a Kind Alan Jackson
The Dance Garth Brooks
I loved her first by heartland and this is the one she will dance with her dad with.
Piano Man billy joel
God Bless the Broken Road Rascal Flatts
Itty Bitty Alan jackson
Livin on love by alan jackson
Nothing else Matters Metallica
Get a haircut George Thorogood

Notice how many of them are country? This is the same girl who, until a few months ago would not think of listening to country cause she was so wrapped up in rap and hip hop. Well, I guess that is what falling in love with a little Irishman with dark hair and blue eyes does. Especially since he loves country music. Or, maybe she just grew out of the hip hop stage. *s*

In the meant time I am listening to the andrews sisters singing Don't Sit under the apple tree, by the Andrews Sister and that would make my mom happy since she would have preferred them over the Beatles any day...lol

Music soothes my soul.....

2007-04-24T22:28:00.001-07:00

Music soothes my soul.....

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I started to make a list of my favorite music. I had to stop and think about. I really do not have a favorite I guess. It really all depends on what mood I am in.

There are days I put on the classic rock station and spend the day just rocking out to some of my favorite songs and groups such as poison, Warrant, Black Sabbath and a few other groups from the 80's and 90's. I love rock and roll. I love Bob Segar.

Old Time Rock & Roll
As performed by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet BandA classic song today, it only hit # 28 on the Top 40 charts, back in 1979
Just take those old records off the shelf,
I'll sit and listen to 'em by myself,
Today's music ain't got the same soul,
I like that old time rock and roll.
Don't try and take me to a disco,
You'll never even get me out on the floor,
In ten minutes I'll be late for the door,
I like that old time rock and roll.
Still like that old time rock and roll,
That kind of music just soothes my soul,I reminisce about the days of old,With that old time rock and roll.
Won't go and hear 'em play a tango,
I'd rather hear some blues or funky old soul,
There's only one sure way to get me to go,
Start playin' old time rock and roll.

Oh, yah. I can rock out to that one.

But there are days when I feel like listening to music from the fifties and forties. They bring back memories of my foster sisters dancing around as they got ready to go out. Songs like MOON RIVER. Or STARDUST. SINCERELY..

I do not force others to listen to my music. I put my earphones on and go out on our patio on a summer evening and sit there while I listen to some Bluegrass music or the Gaithers sing songs of praise.

Why am I here?

2007-04-17T22:53:00.000-07:00

Tonight I walked into my bedroom and looked around then scratched my head before asking myself, "Why am I here?" I had been working on a needle point picture when got up to go to the bedroom to get whatever it is I was thinking of getting in there. Perhaps it was a needle or another skein of floss. I don't know. All I know is that I stood there wondering what I was looking for before coming out there to the computer to sit down and blog for a short time.

I thought that if I blogged for awhile, the reason I went into the room would come to me. Well, it has been an hour and it still has not come to me.

I have been doing that alot lately. Walking into rooms and wondering why I went there is becoming a habit. Getting out of bed and not being able to find my glasses is also getting old. Oh, and let's not forget those books I start to read and never find until I am cleaning out from under the bed or dresser, or some other odd place and find them long after I have forgotten about them.

The other morning I woke up and went to get my upper teeth out of my cup where I soak them and I could not find them. Luckily I found them in my drawer. Don't know how they got there but that is where they were.

Some days it does not pay me to get out of bed.
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Mother Nature is screwed up

2007-04-12T21:15:00.000-07:00

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Remember the old commericial on television where it says, 'it's not nice to fool with mother nature'. Well, Mother Nature is fooling with us. This easter was one of the coldest ones we have had in years. About a foot of snow on the ground. What happened to all this snow at Christmas when we needed, or felt we needed some snow to remind us of the season? It was warm in December and one of the warmest Januaries on record and then Feb hit and it has been cold ever since then. I wish it would go away.

But we had a lovely easter. I was upset because we could not get out and get to church. First time I have missed church on easter in years but one does not have to be in a building to worship and I enjoyed my time with my family and friends that were here.

First real sign of spring for me.....

2007-04-02T20:45:00.000-07:00

Spring is here. It has been here for a few days but today was the first time I felt like it was truely here and the colts foot I saw blooming along the road and at the edge of the woods confirmed it. It is such a tiny flower but it's brilliant yellow, shines brightly against the dark green grass in th swampy woodlands.

Here are a few things I would like to share with you about this little flower, which is actually a herb.

It can be used for medicinal purposes. Some people use it for a cough suppressant. Link
The leaves are the basis of the British Herb Tobacco, in which Coltsfoot predominates, the other ingredients being Buckbean, Eyebright, Betony, Rosemary, Thyme, Lavender, and Chamomile flowers. This relieves asthma and also the difficult breathing of old bronchitis. Those suffering from asthma, catarrh and other lung troubles derive much benefit from smoking this Herbal Tobacco, the use of which does not entail any of the injurious effects of ordinary tobacco.

A decoction is made of 1 OZ. of leaves, in 1 quart of water boiled down to a pint, sweetened with honey or liquorice, and taken in teacupful doses frequently. This is good for both colds and asthma.

'The fresh leaves, or juice, or syrup thereof, is good for a bad dry cough, or wheezing and shortness of breath. The dry leaves are best for those who have their rheums and distillations upon their lungs causing a cough: for which also the dried leaves taken as tobacco, or the root is very good. The distilled water hereof simply or with elder-flowers or nightshade is a singularly good remedy against all agues, to drink 2 OZ. at a time and apply cloths wet therein to the head and stomach, which also does much good being applied to any hot swellings or inflammations. It helpeth St. Anthony's fire (erysypelas) and burnings, and is singular good to take away wheals.'

In paris they had a picture of coltsfoot at the apothary shops at one time.

Something a friend shared with me.....

2007-03-23T21:33:00.000-07:00

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It snuck up on me this year, dogs and cats have kept me busy as they are wont to do, until suddenly I looked up and here it is, four years ago today, and the news is full of replays. CNN showed the footage from Shock and Awe Night for the ten thousandth time, and for the ten thousandth time I marked each missile I knew for mine as it exploded in the midnight streets of Baghdad.

For those of you who are tuning in late, on this day four years ago I was onboard the USS Higgins (DDG 76) in the Northern Arabian Gulf, and launched more than a dozen Tomahawk missiles for the infamous Shock and Awe Night that failed to shock or awe anyone in particular. I launched a couple dozen more over the first six weeks of the war, until finally our ship left for Singapore and a crew swap. i

I came home on an airplane the day President Bush declared major combat operations over in Iraq, which was a big laugh even then. Since then, my personal year has revolved towards and away from the 19th of March. It is my own Ash Wednesday, a Yom Kippur that I mark with no one but myself. It is Not Done in military circles to speak of regretting your part in a war, and feels disloyal besides. I know, I'm brainwashed. It happens.

Looking back, this spring has been full of Iraq stories, it seems. Insurgents using first IEDs, then shaped charges supposedly imported from Iran, and the latest, chlorine bombs. We escalate, they escalate. We learn to counter the IEDs, they produce shaped charges and chemical weapons. Does anyone still believe this is winnable under the definition the neo-cons originally gave us, that of turning Iraq into a democratic paradise, a beacon on the hill for the Islamic countries around it? At this point, ''winnable'' means ''getting out of there without leaving more of a mess than we have right now.'' According to a story I heard on NPR before switching off the radio and turning on a CD, 51% of the Iraqi public now finds violence against Americans acceptable. I'm not surprised. Under Saddam Hussein, they had no political freedoms but they had electricity, clean water, their children could go to school and they could find medical care.

We've given them civil rights and political freedoms, but what does that mean in a country where the economy is in shambles and violence racks any neighborhood that isn't patrolled on a minute to minute basis by one militia or another? And our military, what can I say? The USMC has given up any pretense of normal rotations and put out a message stating that if you haven't been to Iraq yet, you're going.

The Army lies to itself and its soldiers and the public, but puts troops on a punishing rotation for deployment that doesn't allow time for rest and training between stints in the war zone. The Navy and Air Force have been forced to reduce their manpower in order to funnel more money to the burgeoning ground forces, resulting in deployments and operations schedules so unpredictable that retention is becoming an issue.

I am not overwhelmingly depressed this year, thanks be to God for small mercies that I probably don't deserve. I am mournful, I am contemplative. I wish for forgiveness from myself, I wish I could feel right with God again, but these things may take a while and for the most part, I am at peace. Less than a year from now I will finally take off my uniform for the last time, and be out of it all for good. Next year on the 19th of March, I can go to one of the protests marking the anniversary of the start of the war, and not feel like a damned hypocrite or a spy

. Next year when I renew my membership in Iraq Veterans Against the War, I will check the box that says ''I am willing to speak publicly'' and if they ask me to speak, I will go, and I will tell the audience about how all members of the military carry wounds and scars and scabs on the soul, not just the ground forces. I will speak of the choices you make, the things you do to stay out of prison and earn that honorable discharge and the benefits that come with it. I will speak of the nights I have woken up in a cold sweat, clutching a worried dog like a lifeline, with nightmares of the people I have killed arriving, one by one, at my front door in a line that stretches longer than I like to admit. I am angry, more than anything else.

If, for instance, Hilary Clinton does not cough up the words ''it was a mistake'' in reference to her vote in favor of giving Bush the power to invade Iraq, I will not vote for her if she is the last goddamned Democrat on earth. Senator Clinton, don't you dare try to campaign on an anti-war platform without those words. You voted in favor when it was expedient, and now that it's expedient to go the other way, you've gone. Fuck off. I hope like hell Mr. Obama gets that nomination.

I wonder, sometimes, why I ended up like this and other people on my Tomahawk team did not. Firing Tomahawks is a triumph of military engineering, designed to kill a maximum number of the enemy while causing the least amount of potential trauma to the firing team. It includes any number of factors that will make it easier for a person to kill, including the extremely long range of the weapon (more than a thousand nautical miles, or 1200 statute miles), the shared responsibility (an average Tomahawk team includes two officers, a plotter, two engagement planners, and two launch controllers), and lack of decision-making (targets are selected for you by the regional command).

All of these factors should have buffered all of us, kept us safe from accepting personal responsibility for our choices. Why did my brainwashing, so firm in other matters, fail me when I most needed it? I mean, I complusively check to make sure the buttons on my shirt, the buckle of my belt, and the overlap of the zipper on my pants are neatly lined up throughout the day. My military bearing is rather impeccable when I'm in uniform, if I do say so myself. Bark at me in an authoritative voice and I am liable to follow the order first and think about it later. All the basics are there, but somehow the higher functions didn't install. DOS works, but the Windows-level brainwashing just failed to take, and while on the one hand I'm proud of my ability to retain some level of independent thought, on the other hand entirely I wish like hell I could just buy into the party line and not ... not think, not wonder, not accept that I made the choice to kill rather than to go to prison, even though I thought in 2003 that our reasons for going to war were complete rampaging bullshit dressed up like truth and sent out to walk the halls of the UN.

And yet, the brainwashing was enough to get me to move up a set of orders so that I could participate. Why did it fail to protect me afterward?

It's a different 19th of March this year, at least, and for that I am grateful. This afternoon I played in the sunshine with my dogs, and came in and snuggled the kitties in a sunbeam in the library. I must pause, periodically, in my typing to massage the ears of a grey dog who keeps shoving her head in my lap. I have explained to her that I am a mass murderer in the service of the government. She doesn't much care and wants to know if more ear rubbing will be forthcoming.

She doesn't understand why her doomed attempt to be a lap dog made me cry a little today. But maybe this is where being ok starts: with the two creatures in this world who will forgive me any human failing at all. I'm not right with myself and I'm not right with God, yet, but I am right with Dog and that's a start, isn't it?

I thought it was very moving and wanted to share it with you.

Thoughts from my lofty place on the hill

2007-03-13T22:23:00.000-07:00

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I am a night person. I will always be one. I have tried not to be but I think some of us are meant to be.

After I finished writing in my blog a few minutes ago, I began thinking.....

I get attached to people, even the ones I rarely read on line. Not that I want to meet them or have them over for sunday dinner but I do wonder about them if I have not heard from them in some time. I have one that came in every day when I first started blogging. 'Actually two of them. One of them got me involved in blogging on this site. I enjoyed their postings and one day, I came on and I did not see any from one of them. I thought she had just missed a day but I heard from other bloggers she had not been visiting them either. I think about her often and hope she and her husband are doing okay and her reasons to stop blogging were her choice and and something has not happened to her.

The same way with the second one. Just stopped. I went to her blog and it was not there. I had waited some time but I don't think she will be coming back for some reason.

The thing is, I try to figure out why I worry about these ships that passed in the night. The ones I will never meet.

I hope they are happy and I wish them well.

Corned beef day is almost here..what will I have?

2007-03-13T21:43:00.000-07:00

">Link I have a weakness. It is cookbooks and recipes. I have about fifty recipe books here at home. Some are well used and some barely used. I try to do just one recipe out of all of them just to justify my buying them. I was standing in Sam's Club today looking at a casserole recipe book. I kept asking, should I? Yeah, I decided I should. My friend says I am nuts. I should not buy recipe books since I have a computer. But I still like the books. I have gotten recipes from the computer and lost them then could not find the site where I got them and have not found the exact one I used that was so good. With the books, or my local paper, I have them there in front of me.
Reuben sandwiches
12 ounces thinly sliced cooked corned beef or deli corned beef
2 tablespoons butter, softened
8 slices rye or pumpernickel bread
8 slices Swiss cheese
1½ cups sauerkraut, well drained
¼ cup Thousand Island dressing
Lightly spread butter on one side of each bread slice.Reuben sandwiches12 ounces thinly sliced cooked corned beef or deli corned beef2 tablespoons butter, softened8 slices rye or pumpernickel bread8 slices Swiss cheese1½ cups sauerkraut, well drained¼ cup Thousand Island dressingLightly spread butter on one side of each bread slice.

(I love those ruebens)

Secrets to great corned beef The secret is simple: cook it long and slow, tightly covered. n Corned beef brisket needs to gently simmer. High temperatures can toughen the meat. The steam created during simmering ensures fork-tender, moist and flavorful beef.• Do not boil. Boiling does not speed up the cooking process; it only toughens the beef. • No peeking! Be patient — it cooks unattended. Just check the meat at the end of the suggested cooking time.• It's not necessary to turn a brisket during cooking. Each time the cover is lifted, steam escapes and the tenderizing process is interrupted.• To determine doneness, insert a utility fork into the brisket; the beef is fork-tender when fork inserts without resistance and releases easily.• Carve brisket across the grain into thin slices for the most tender eating experience.
Dijon-glazed corned beef with savory cabbage and red potatoes
1 boneless corned beef brisket with seasoning packet (3½ to 4 pounds)
6 cloves garlic, peeled
2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
2 cups water6 tablespoons butter1 cup thinly sliced green onions, including white and green parts
½ cup prepared horseradish
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
1 head green cabbage, cored, cut into 6 wedges
(1 to 1½ pounds)1Z\x pounds small red-skinned potatoes, cut in half
Glaze
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard

Position oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place corned beef brisket in roasting pan; sprinkle garlic, contents of seasoning packet and peppercorns around and over brisket. Add water; cover tightly with aluminum foil. Braise in upper third of oven 3 to 3½ hours or until brisket is fork-tender.Meanwhile place butter, green onions, horseradish, ground pepper and salt in glass measuring cup. Microwave on high 1 to 2 minutes or until butter melts; mix well. Cover and refrigerate 2 tablespoons for Rustic Corned Beef & Potato Bake.Place cabbage wedges on half of baking sheet and potatoes on other half. Drizzle remaining horseradish-butter mixture over vegetables, turning cabbage and tossing potatoes to coat. Cover with aluminum foil.Roast in lower third of 350 degree oven with brisket 55 minutes. Uncover vegetables; continue roasting 15 to 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender and begin to brown.

Combine glaze ingredients in small bowl. Remove cooked brisket from roasting pan; place on rack in broiler pan so surface of brisket is 3 to 4 inches from heat. Brush glaze over brisket; broil 2 to 3 minutes or until glaze is bubbly and beginning to brown.Carve brisket diagonally across the grain into thin slices. Cover and refrigerate ½ of brisket (about 12 ounces) and 2 cups potatoes for Rustic Corned Beef and Potato Bake. Serve remaining brisket and potatoes with cabbage.Makes 4 servings.Cook's Tip: If seasoning packet is not included with corned beef brisket, substitute 1¼ teaspoons pickling spice.

Be irish for a day and enjoy!!!

The passing of a friend....

2007-03-08T22:23:00.000-08:00

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Four years ago my daughter could not think of what she wanted to get me for a mothers day gift but since she likes cats, she thought I would like another one to add to my menagerie. I kept my mouth shut and graciously accepted the little gray and white tom cat into my home. Unfortunately, this lovable bundle of fur liked to make his presence known by spraying when he got a few months older. He was neutered so he did not think he would do that but Nicholas insisted on being difficult and he sprayed and sprayed. So we kept him outside on our back porch and in a shed out back . He would come and go as he pleased as we had cut a little door in the shed for him to go in and out.

Nicholas was up here playing a few days ago. We would let him in on the very cold nights and keep him in the basement where our other cats resided when it was cold. He played as he always did.

Two days went by and we did not see Nicholas come to where we fed him. My husband came in tonight and told me he found him dead in his bedding where he always slept.

We do not know what caused his death. We have no antifreeze where he can get it and what we have is pet friendly. We had him tested for luekemia when he was a kitten and he did not have it. Someone suggested distemper and perhaps that was it. Or, poision but we do not know who would poision him as our neighbors have cats and the other ones never bothered him or us about anything.

But he is gone and I spent most of the evening crying for him. I know I will miss him terribly at times but he really did have a good home and was a loving pet. He will be missed...........bye nick.

Long Saga.......

2007-03-02T17:42:00.000-08:00

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My daughter is getting married this summer. I say this summer cause the dates keep changing. They change because she annonced last week she is pregant and she cannot fit into her wedding gown so we had to go out and get a new, larger gown for her. The original date was for Aug.18th. Well, the baby is due in sept and that is cutting it close. So they have now set the date for june ninth. I hope this is the last change.

But get this, the grooms parents know nothing yet except they are getting married. They do not know about the baby or anything and they are going to flip out or be very happy about it. I am happy she is going to have the baby and not an abortion. I know it will be rough for them but I know my daughter and she would never forgive herself if she had an abortion.

I love the idea of being a grandmother. But this whole wedding thing has us all in an uproar because so many of the plans had to be changed. I have to remember that babys do things like that. You have to be able to change things at the drop of a hat when babies come along.

I can't wait til june 10th and the wedding is behind us and we can get on to the baby shower and birth of the baby. *s*

Living with diabetes....

2007-02-26T05:35:00.000-08:00

When I was a young girl I would watch our neighbor lady who had what was commonly called 'sugar' by many in our area, give herself her daily insulin shots and go about eating all the sugary stuff she wanted, no matter how many warnings given to her by her dr, family, and friends. I don't think any of them knew how hard it is to stay away from something you crave until you have to do it.

My mother had diabetes and refused to listen. She nearly lost all her eyesight before deciding to try and curb her intake of sugar and starches. Many do not realize it but starches are a huge enemy of those whose body does not supply enough insulin.

I was in denial for several years. I was one that was not going to get diabetes. I went on living my life as though nothing like that could happen to me. By the time I went to the dr to find out why my feet were going to sleep, I already had the nueropathy that is caused by diabetes. My sugar was not extremely high like my moms whose sugar was over 600 when she fell ill. Mine was 268 but had been that way for some time and I just ignored it. Very foolishly but I won't spend my life beating myself up for it.

It is a lifelong process but I am learning to curb my intake of sugar and most starches by cooking with Splenda, making wiser choices when I buy drinks, cutting way back on doughnuts and such. I don't really need them but I do crave them and I am trying to work with ways to get around those cravings.

Exercise is a problem but I am trying to force myself to use the stationary bike since I cannot walk outside much for fear of falling in the winter. I fell three years ago and due to having brittle bones in my feet from the nueropathy, I nearly lost my left foot when I shattered my ankle. If I break it again, I may lose the foot. I love to swim but I cannot do that in the winter since the nearest public indoor pool is over 30 miles from here.

I feel i am luckier than my mom and others in the past. I have so many ways to fix good food now without using the sugar and other fattening things they used.

I also have the internet and an amazing number of other diabetics I can talk to about living this journey through the food maze of jellied doughnuts, cookies and candies that look so good and tempt us so much. Yes, I have it much better than they did and I am looking forward to living a long life in spite of this disease.

Snow, popcorn and movie...

2007-02-18T09:42:00.000-08:00

I don't know why but I am tired today. So tired, all I want to do is yawn and curl up under the covers. I think it is just one of those days.

Everyone is home this weekend.

Last week bil called to say he had some old super 8 movies that his dad had taken years ago of hubby, me and the others in the family. We decided to have an old fashioned family movie weekend. About twenty of us got together for home made ice cream, pop corn, sloppy joes, homemade veggie soup and movies that we all laughed at for about two hours. Of course the kids all laughed at the styles of the seventies and thought our wedding movies were hilarious. There was a tear or two when some of our loved ones who are no longer with us came on the screen but we spent most of the time laughing.

All in all, it made a very dreary weekend, a weekend of fun.

2007-02-12T20:44:00.000-08:00

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I have taken a break from the quilt I am making to work on this and read some blogs. The quilt is for my friend who has been diagnosed with MAYCOBACTERIUM AVIUM COMPLEX....BETTER KNOWN AS MAC DISEASE. Mycobacterium avium complex, or MAC, is a serious bacterial infection that HIV+ people can get. MAC is related to tuberculosis. MAC is also sometimes called MAI, which stands for Mycobacterium avium intracellulare.
MAC infection is usually found only in people with under 50 T4 cells. The symptoms of MAC can include weight loss, fevers, chills, night sweats, swollen glands, abdominal pains, diarrhea and overall weakness. MAC usually affects the intestines and inner organs first, causing liver tests to be high. Swelling and inflammation also occur.

She freaked when they first told her cause she thought she had aids but that is not what it is. I know when I saw her last, she looked horrible. She lost about 90 lbs and they could not figure out why she was losing weight and having all these other problems but they finally did with blood tests. The cure is no easy one. She has to take several pills a day and shots for several months too.

But she loves flowers and butterflies so this is the quilt I am doing....

Anna Nicole...

2007-02-08T23:22:00.000-08:00

Anna nicole Smith died today. I suppose I should not really care abou this but this woman seemed to me to be a very sad, lonely soul who was reaching out for something that was just out of her grasp.

At one time anna was a lovely young woman who had so much going for her. She could have been just about anything she wante to be.

You know the old story about the 'y' in the road and how you can take the wrong one. I think she may have wanted to take the right one but just did not really know how.

I often wonder if she may have been mentally ill and not quite capable of handling the things in here life. When it began to spiral out of control, she did not know what to do or how to cope so she turned to drugs and other things that just made matters worse rather than helped her.

It saddens me to see her life wasted and lost. I feel empathy for her because I have a daughter who is mentally ill and when I would see anna and how she was, I think of my daughter and I fear for my daughter

Yet all I can do is hope my daughter finds a way to get out of the dark tunnel she is in before it is too late. It is too late for anna but I hope it is not too late for my daughter.
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Winter blah

2007-02-02T20:39:00.000-08:00

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I have not been around for awhile. Like many others, I am trapped indoors for the winter and the only thing to talk about is the snow. I know I wanted snow. Well, now that I got it, they can stop any time now. But I have been visiting blogs and reading. I promise I will wite more later...

Believe it or not..

2007-01-21T22:20:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not I was a published writer at one time. I was young, had no children and alot of time on my hands at the old farm were we resided.

I decided to take a home course in writing. I would not say it was waste of time. No venture into the educational realm is wasted. But I don't think my style of writing changed much. I continued as I had for years and wrote when I felt the mood hit me. And I sold stories.

Granted it was nothing that would bring me the pulitizer prize but I am pleased to say my husband was proud of those short stories and kept some of the ones I had all but forgotten about writing.

I felt as though I have been paid twice for those stories. Why?

First, I was paid when the pay check that came in the mail, by no means big but still a payment for something I loved doing. The second time was when I realized that my husband was proud of what I had done and saved them all these years.

Guess which 'payment' means the most to me. *s*

Trip to emlenton

2007-01-19T20:34:00.000-08:00

Hubby and I decided to go for a drive today. It is one of those things we often do when there is little else to occupy our time. We don't always know exactly where we are heading but today we went the quaint little town of Emlenton. Pa.

The first thing I noticed as we drove thru the town were some of the lovely old homes there. Not I did not have my camera with me but I did find some interesting sights and houses on line. It is not just one old victorian home but the town seems to be filled with homes of the former oil barrons who once lived in the town. The two images above were the homes of eban Crawford and his brother. They were two oil barrons from the bygone era. I love Victorian style homes and my dream was to buy one and fix it up but hubby would not go for it.

The lovely church is in Foxburg Pa which is near emlenton. It is a lovely structure. James Peacock Sims had attended secondary school and college with William Logan Fox (1851-80), whose early death was memorialized along with that of his father in this church in northwestern Pennsylvania. The drawing was entrusted to Eyre, Sims's twenty-two-year-old draftsman. The design was directly modeled on one of the rare churches to strongly reflect the Queen Anne revival, Richard Norman Shaw's Church of St. Michael and All Angels in Bedford Park, outside London. A plate of its design was published in an English journal, Building News, on 17 January 1879, and even the format on Eyre's sheet closely echoed that plate of elevations and sections.

I have not been in the inside but they say it is gorgeous.

We always say we are going to go in but we have never stopped. Maybe we will some day.

comfort foods

2007-01-14T21:34:00.000-08:00

The dictionary says....

The term comfort food refers to any food or drink to which one habitually turns for temporary respite, security, or special reward. The reasons that something becomes a comfort food are diverse but include the food's familiarity, simplicity, and/or pleasant associations. Small children often seem to latch on to a specific food or drink (in a way similar to a security blanket) and will repeatedly request it in high stress situations. Adults, however, are certainly not exempt.

How many of us often find ourselves drifting back in time and thinking of the the comfort foods our parents or grandparents used to make us feel safe and loved when we were kids. My foster mom was a great one for cookies and milk. After a long day at school she would be waiting to hear how our day went with a glass of cold milk and home made cookies. Yes they were homemade. No store bought cookies for her kids. LOL

At night she would often let us settle back with a cup of weak tea and a slice of toast before going to bed.

That is what made me think of comfort foods. I was standing out in the kitchen, stirring this tea when I had a flashback of me sitting at her kitchen table waiting on her to bring me me tea and toast. And I find myself often able to fall asleep quicker on the nights I have this tea then I do on the nights I do not have it. There was very little soda in Mom;s house but lots of tea. One of my favorites is green tea with honey in it. Very good, indeed.

Another thing was her homemade chicken and dumplings. No matter how hard I try, I cannot make it as good as she does but it was one of those things I would settle back and enjoy on a cold winter's eve.

Then there was her apple pie. She used it when drunks would stop in and sobber up while she read the bible to them and served them pie and tea or coffee..Did she run a restaurant? No. She was just well known for giving men a dose of religion as she helped them sober up after a night out on the town. She liked to give comfort and talk to people about God. She had always wanted to be a missionary but things did not work out that way she she spent her time doing little things like this.

She was quite a lady. *s* And served wonderful comfort food with her words of wisdom.

Yes, I am a christian....

2007-01-08T22:06:00.000-08:00

I don't get loud and boastful about but I will not shy away when someone ask me if I am a christian. Yes, I am. I am a Baptist also but that is not important to me. I feel that you can go to any church, or no church at all and still be a christian. You can worship God in the privacy of your home or in the fields. Buildings mean little to God. It is what is in your heart.

I attend chruch because I like the feeling of fellowship there but my mother in law is a solitary person and does not like crowds so she sits at her kitchen table each day and reads her bible and quietly goes about her life, living what I and many others feel is a christian life. She never utters a nasty word about anyone and refuses to exchange tasty bits of gossip about anyone. She does what she can for her family and friends.

Yet I have known many who claim to be christian then shout profanities and tell all those who disagree with them they are going to hell. I shake my head and wonder where they got the idea they could behave themselves in that manner and still make it thru the pearly gates.

They get angry at me because I don't pass judgement on anyone. Oh, I am not perfect so I may have a bad thought about certain people or mutter a word I shouldn't but I try not to do such things. My foster mom once told me, 'you may be the only bible some people read so watch yourself'.

I have friends who are athiest and I love them dearly. We understand and respect each to much to try and force our views on each other. I talk to them and say a pray for them but I still consider them my friends.

Computer illiterate here...

2007-01-05T15:31:00.000-08:00

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I know more about computers today then I did ten years abo but there are still some basics I do not know. I have a windows xp home edition here. I have had no problems with it but my outlook express does not seem to want to work right as some ddl files are missing. I was hoping my registry mechanic could fix it as I have been searching the net for days trying to figure out how but could not come up with anything. I can't seem to reinstall it without buying windows ep home edition discs again since my daughter borrowed all seven and only returned about four. One of those has the outlook express on. Anyone got any ideas as to how I can fix this? I will go back to searching, hoping I can find the answer....

The simpler things....

2007-01-03T19:18:00.000-08:00

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I have not been on for the last few days and one of the reasons is my daughter was home and she, my husband, and I, spent the evenings doing simple things like reading, talking and putting a large puzzle together. It is a puzzle with a blue jay on it and a blue backgound with some snow at the bottom. As I sat out there putting the pieces in and laughing I thought of how much I miss those times when our family did these things. The time before the computer and the television invaded our lives and seemed to take every moment over.

I thought of the hours on end we spent playing uno or Rummy with my in laws. My fil has been dead almost twenty years and I am so glad for all the wonderful evenings we spent with him and the rest of the family laughing and playing card games. The kids loved them too.

We would sit out on the porch and talk in the summer. Watch people walk by and wave to the neighbors while the kids played in the yard. The best times I had with my mom were when we sat on the porch and talked for hours about.....everything.

You see we did those things because we had no money to go out and do so many of the things people spend money to do. I thought we were poor. It was not until last night that I realized we were very rich. Very rich, indeed.

Happy New Year

2007-01-01T15:37:00.000-08:00

The celebration of the New yearr is the oldest of all holidays. It was first observed in ancient Babylon about 4000 years ago. In the years around 2000 BC, the Babylonian New Year began with the first New Moon (actually the first visible cresent) after the Vernal Equinox (first day of spring).
The beginning of spring is a logical time to start a New Year.ar. After all, it is the season of rebirth, of planting new crops, and of blossoming. January 1, on the other hand, has no astronomical nor agricultural significance. It is purely arbitrary.

The use of an image of a baby with a New Years banner as a symbolic representation of the new year was brought to early America by the Germans. They had used the effigy since the fourteenth century.

What about traditions? I do not make resolutions but many do. One that I do keep is having sauerkraut and mashed potatoes on New Years day. My family has done that and I am not sure why. "A friend of mine follows the dutch tradition and gave me a dried up donut to keep in my cupboard all year so I would have good luck. Not sure how well that worked....Like some cultures the dutch believe that certain food that circular will bring good luck. So they use the donut.

Some believe they have to sing Auld Lang Syne which means, long ago, at the stroke of midnight.
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Football

2006-12-30T19:47:00.000-08:00

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I like football more than most women do. I have my favorite team and know alittle about the players on it. Enough that I can hold a conversation about Coach Cower...will he stay or won't he?' I know about Ben R., and how he should not have been playing the first three or four games because of his accident and the coach was wrong to do it. I know a little about each player.

But it seems to me that there is a football game on every day now and I wonder when they are going to start feeling as though our lives are saturated by a game where men chase each other around a field and get paid millions to knock someone with a ball down while we barely make ends meet at times.

All I can say is thank god for our second t.v. so I don';t have to watch it with my super duper hubby every night. *s*

Winter blahs

2006-12-29T13:15:00.000-08:00

I may be wrong but I think I have the winter blues. I did not know what to do really about it as I often do not even feel like getting out of bed on such days.

My daughter got me a prayer journal this christmas. I have always kept some form of journals and often find myself trying to remember when something happened life so I pick up a journal to see if the answer is there. I was able to ascertain that one of our cats is ten years old the other day when I was paging thru one. This morning I decided to look at the new one she got me and it is the type that has meditations in it or short stories that inspire one to do things. The story I read was about a man who felt as I do on some days and he decided to try walking. Someone suggested it. Well, he could not walk far but he decided to keep track of the steps he took and make a goal to add twenty steps each day. In order to do this he had to have a pedometer but since I do not have one at this time, I am measuring it in distances until amazon sends me mine.

After reading it I forced myself to get out where the sun is shining some today and walk. Guess what? I do feel better and I feel that things will work out, no matter what. I hope to keep this up all year. I wanted to share this though with all you others out there who may be having the winter blahs.

Boxing Day

2006-12-26T14:57:00.000-08:00

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Today is Boxing day. I first heard of this when I was a child. I do not recall who told me about it then butI somehow had visions of men in various areas boxing in a ring and people celebrated it. They did nto take the time to explain it to me so I continued to think that way til my friend in australia talked of it. She tried to explain it but it still was not clear to me until I visited AC's blog. His blog is always very infromative.

We still have no snow but it looks like some will come soon. Just when I do not want it.

Daughter called. She is finally, officially engaged. His parents do not know yet. They may not be happy as they wanted the couple to live together for five years before thinking of marriage or children. My daughter said no to that and the wedding will be on Aug. 18 in New York if the approve and if not, it will be in our backyard as both of them want an outside wedding.

My eldest moved out. I hope she is happy where she is living. I am not sure how that will work out. She seems happy and I am glad for her.

2006-12-21T21:58:00.000-08:00

The day started out wrong. First off, there is no snow and will be no snow for christmas this year. That saddens me. Not that I love snow but all my memories of the best Christmases are those that have snow. In our little town there was a man who owned some horses and a sleigh. We would bundle up on christmas eve and go caroling (yes this is really did happen). It was like being part of one of those christmas scenes on a card. Then we would all go home and our parents would have hot chocolate and cookies waiting on us.

But we are having a green one this year.

Then I went to get the mail and found my very chatty daughter left us with a 300 dollar phone bill. Fa la la la....Yah. That made me happy....Not. I cannot pull that money out of my butt that is for sure.

We went to this lovely shop where they make blown glass figures. I really wanted to buy a figure for my friend but there was that three hundred dollars looming over my head. I did not get her anything and when I got home hubby told me he got Cindys hubby a gift and I should have gotten Cindy a gift. So we had more shopping to do.

Before leaving I had to go to the bathroom. I flushed the commode and it would not work. We went down to the basement to see what could be wrong. My basement was flooded with....yes, you know what was floating around in my basement. It was gross. I can still smell it and it has been over six hours since we aired out the basement.

Then my daughter informed me she was moving again. She moves alot. I just shrugged and wished her well in her ventures. Wish I could move sometimes......

2006-12-16T20:01:00.000-08:00

Not to long ago there was a big bru-ha-ha over the people in walmart not saying merry christmas to people then this year wal mart told them to say merry christmas if they wanted to. I don't know about the rest of you but I don't care if they say merry christmas or not as long as I get good and friendly service there.

I have been a christian for a good many years and believe that my saviour was born over 2000 years ago in bethleham. But he was not born in December so we are not really celebrating his birthday as so many believe. Everything I have read indicates he was born in the spring. The shepherds slept out with their sheep during lambing season – spring and fall, not winter.
He may have been born in early Sept or late Aug., also but he surely was not born in the winter.

I think Christmas is a retailers dream and every year it gets worse. We have forgotten what it really means. Most of think it is Santa Clause and his eight raindeer that are the important ones. Not Christ. I really think jesus would be saddened over the way we have commericialize his birthday. Or, the day we celebrate his day anyway.

Pictures to share....

2006-12-05T23:07:00.000-08:00

Some time ago I told you I was doing a quilt for my mil's birthday. We celebrated her 79th in November and these are some photoes I took. There is one of her and I under the quilt and the rest are of her looking at it and my neice and her husband holding

2006-11-16T21:03:00.000-08:00

My daughter has cancer. I have known for a few days now but it is not an easy thing to write about. She cries and says it is her fault because of choices she made and she has the hpv virus that so many young girls have today. It is mindboggling the numbers of young girls that are affected by this dreaded disease. One that I know of right now is 17 and has been told she only has about 6mos to live. Maybe a few months more than that.

I do not know what my daughters prognosis is at this time. I do not know how they will treat it as they are trying to figure that out now.

This damned disease is very hard to talk about. I keep thinking she is only 25 and it is not fair but I have to keep thinking she will be okay. I know of several who have had it and they have turned out okay and are either in treatment or it is cured. I keep thinking that she will be one of the lucky ones. I have to think that.

2006-11-16T20:34:00.000-08:00

Sigh....It is a cold and windy night out but warm for november. I was expecting snow but was too warm for it. I guess it is the dampness that has been hanging around for about a month that is getting to me.

So much is happening right now. It is a busy time of the year. Should be a happy time but hectic is more like it for me. Am I the only one who thinks we put too much in store for these holidays? For thanksgiving, a big meal is a must it seems for all. We will be having 2 this year. Our thanksgiving then Mil will be 79 and we are planning a big surprise for her the Saturday after thanksgiving. I am more excited about that then I am turkey day. I have to make scalloped potatoes for 40 people. With all the grandkids and her sisters as well as kids, that is how many will be there. Wish me luck with it. I will need it.

Books

2006-11-03T20:54:00.000-08:00

I love to read. I think I learned to love to read when I was a lonely little foster kid being shifted from one home to another. I never could get close to friends during those first few years in the system because I would always lose whatever friends I had made so Books became my best friends. I didn't care what the book was about sometimes. I would read whatever had words in it.

Sometimes I would curl up in a special place and lose myself in the book for hours. Most of the time it would be my room or a favorite chair but when I moved to my last foster home, it was the attic. I would stay there for hours and read.

I would lose myself in all the Trixie Beldon books, the Hary boys series, and the Bobsy Twins. Later it was nancy drew.

I loved Horses and BLACK BEAUTY by Anna Sewell was my all time favorite when I was growing up. I cried when Beauty got sold and Ginger died. It was so sad. I loved MY FRIEND FLICKA, THE GREEN GRASS OF WYOMING, and there was one about an arabian stallion that a young boy raised. Oh, I cannot forget the BLACK STALLION SERIES.

As I grew into a teen I learned to love all the romance stories. The comic romances and such. I had a dark period where I would root around for some real crime books and read murder stories but that did not last long.

While I was growing up, my childhood was basically a happy one for a child that was being shifted from one home to another. But I never felt I had family or roots in the real sense. I would curl up in the attic read about the girl with the beautiful horses that lived with a family that cared about her and dreamed I would find one like that too. I would often immerse myself in the world of the young boys such as the hardy boys and walk with them as she sovled each mystery and Nancy drew was my sidekick in many adventures.

I could lose myself and become a totally different special person. I loved books feel they kept me sane and happy at times. They still do....

2006-11-03T20:39:00.000-08:00

When it's peach picking time in Georgia....this is a very old country song that was going thru my head recently but it was....when it's apple pickin' time in Pennsylvania....Oh, I love this time of the year and I love smelling the smell of fall in the air. Clear crisp smells of fall in the woods. And the apples...

It is fall and apple picking time here in Pa. My favorites are the Northern spy. They are a tart crisp apple that does not cook up when you make a pie. I Have a bushel of them and a half bushel of Macintosh for eating. I love them. It has been cold and blustery this a.m. and I thought it was the perfect day for an apple pie and an apple crisp.
Apple Crisp
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup light brown sugar
1 stick butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup walnuts, chopped coarsely
8-10 apples, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon sugar
1 pinch nutmeg (optional)
Cut the butter into the oats and sugar with a pastry blender until there are pea-sized clumps. Blend in the cinnamon, salt and chopped nuts. Put the lemon juice in a large bowl and slice the apples into that bowl, tossing after each addition. Sprinkle on the sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg (if desired).
Toss well. Layer half the crumb mixture in the bottom of a buttered crockpot.
Press down lightly.
Add all the apples and then another layer of the crumb mixture. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours. Stick a spoon or piece of crumbled aluminum foil under the lid so that steam can escape during cooking. This will allow the top and bottom to "crisp." Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

2006-10-20T14:50:00.000-07:00

I got up early this morning to hear hubby playing the t.v., the same t.v. he yells at me about every night because he likes to go to bed about ten and I am a night person. Well, he gets up and five and blares it. He thinks that since he is up, we should all be up.

My eldest has decided she is not going to leave home for awhile so we are going to build her a room in the basement. She is really not capable of living on her own and we are glad she came to that decision. She is mentally ill and has the maturity of someone who is about 13 or 14 so it is not like a normal person making that decision. She has attempted it and it has not worked. So we are satisfied with this decision. She may change her mind tomorrow, who knows for sure.

We did have to go and see our youngest today. Hubby is speaking with her now. It is strained but I think things will work out. I hope so. If they do not work out soon, I am going to rip my hair out and run to the woods screaming...maybe they will come to their senses then. I don't think hubby is right, nor do I think she is right in waht she is doing. I think they both need to come to their senses though before it is too late.

Maybe tomorrow things will be better. I doubt it.

Mil is back from Ohio. I am glad she is. She is one that I can talk to. I have no problems with his side of the family. I only had issues with the one sil and once she realized her fight was all one sided and people were not going to pile onto her wagon, she stopped and we now get along okay. There is like a truce of sorts between us, I guess you would say.

One of those nights...

2006-10-17T05:46:00.000-07:00

I slept two hours last night. I have not been able to sleep because of some problems with my feet. I have nueropathy in them from the diabetes and I have not been sleeping at all. That is one of the reasons I have not been on as much. I cannot sit for long period of times nor can I lay. Just one of those things I have to deal with and I wanted some of you to know that is why I have not been to visit your blogs as much. When it is acting up, life is miserable around here but I am glad they have not had to remove my feet yet.

Later all.............

after thoughts on the amish shootings.

2006-10-08T23:24:00.000-07:00

Today the gunman was laid to rest. Acccording to the news reports, over half of the 70 people who showed up to see this man laid to rest were members of the amish community who showed up to show support for the man's family.Such a vast difference on how those of us in our part of the world would have handled it. We would be ready to run her and her children out of town simply because they reminded us of him. We would be out for vengence instead of willing to forgive them for what they have done.

This is an exerpt from a local paper....A grieving grandfather told young relatives not to hate the gunman who killed five girls in an Amish schoolhouse massacre, a pastor said on Wednesday.
"As we were standing next to the body of this 13-year-old girl, the grandfather was tutoring the young boys, he was making a point, just saying to the family, 'We must not think evil of this man,' " the Rev. Robert Schenck told CNN.

How many of us could say that if this has happened to us. Here are some things you may not know about these people.

The farmlands of the Pennsylvania Dutch Country are among the most productive in the nation. But many of the farmers here are different from most Americans; different by choice. For these are the Old Order Amish and Mennonites, also known as the "Plain People". Our Amish neighbors have been employing horse-drawn power since the days when horsepower had a whole different meaning! In comparison to our fast-paced society, the simpler, family-centered Amish way of life holds a special fascination.

These people trace their heritage back hundreds of years, and yet, despite all the time that has passed and the many changes that have taken place in society, they still live and work much as their forefathers did. Their families and their farms are their top priorities, second only to God.

The Amish are very devout in their faith. They believe in the literal interpretation and application of Scripture as the Word of God. They take seriously the Biblical commands to separate themselves from the things of the world. They believe worldliness can keep them from being close to God, and can introduce influences that could be destructive to their communities and to their way of life.

The Amish have long preferred farming as a way of life. They feel their lifestyle and their families can best be maintained in a rural environment. While they do not permit the use of tractors in their fields, these old order Amish groups do use modern farm equipment pulled by teams of horses or mules.
These old order groups do not own or operate automobiles, believing that cars would provide easier access to the ways of the world. You will often see their horses and buggies on our local roads.These traditional groups wear plain clothing styles, which has earned them the name "Plain People".

It is the simple, peaceful lifestyle of these plain people that attracts such a curiosity today. Many wonder how these people can survive in their supposedly backward ways. Well, they're not only surviving - they're thriving.

Since 1960, the Amish population in Lancaster County has almost tripled. Their separation from the rest of society actually helps to strengthen their community. Amish children attend Amish one-room schoolhouses through the eighth grade. Amish worship services are held every other week in one of the member's homes.

Socializing is an important part of Amish life. The Amish have a strong sense of community spirit, and often come to the aid of those in need. Their barn raisings are a good example. Neighbors freely give of their time and their skills to help one another.

They are also quick to help those who are not amish. I often think we should be more like them but I would miss my computer too much.

I don't understand why.....I never will

2006-10-03T06:05:00.000-07:00

5 girls dead in Amish school shooting
By MARK SCOLFORO, Associated Press Writer 59 minutes ago
NICKEL MINES, Pa. - Two more children died Tuesday morning of wounds from the shootings at an Amish schoolhouse, raising the death toll to five girls plus the gunman who apparently was spurred by a two-decades-old grudge.
The toll from the nation's third deadly school shooting in less than a week rose twice within a matter of hours Tuesday with the deaths of one girl at Christiana Hospital in Delaware and a 7-year-old girl at Penn State Children's Hospital in Hershey.
Five additional girls were hospitalized.
The Bush administration on Monday called for a school violence summit to be held next week with education and law enforcement officials to discuss possible federal action to help communities prevent violence and deal with its aftermath.
State police spokeswoman Linette Quinn said the two girls who died early Tuesday had suffered "very severe injuries, but the other ones are coming along very well."
One girl died about 1 a.m., and the 7-year-old girl died about 4:30 a.m.
"Her parents were with her," hospital spokeswoman Amy Buehler Stranges said of the 7-year-old. "She was taken off life support and she passed away shortly after."
Authorities said the gunman, Charles Carl Roberts IV, 32, wrote what authorities described as suicide notes, took guns and ammunition and went to a nearby one-room schoolhouse, where he opened fire on several girls and took his own life, authorities said.
Roberts, who was from nearby Bart Township and was not Amish, did not appear to be targeting the Amish and apparently chose the school because he was bent on killing young girls as a way of "acting out in revenge for something that happened 20 years ago," said state police Commissioner Jeffrey B. Miller.
"This is a horrendous, horrific incident for the Amish community. They're solid citizens in the community. They're good people. They don't deserve ... no one deserves this," Miller said.
The names of the dead were not immediately released.
Of the injured, a 6-year-old girl remained in critical condition and a 13-year-old girl was in serious condition at Penn State Children's Hospital, spokeswoman Buehler Stranges said. She said the names of the children were not being released.
Three girls, ages 8, 10 and 12, were flown to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where they were out of surgery but remained in critical condition, spokeswoman Peggy Flynn said.
Roberts brought with him supplies necessary for a lengthy siege, including three guns, a stun gun, two knives, a pile of wood and a bag with 600 rounds of ammunition, police said. He also had a change of clothing, toilet paper, bolts and hardware and rolls of clear tape.
He released about 15 boys, a pregnant woman and three women with infants, barred the doors with desks and wood and secured them with nails, bolts and flexible plastic ties. He then made the girls line up along a blackboard and tied their feet together.
The teacher and another adult fled to a nearby farmhouse, and authorities were called at about 10:30 a.m. Miller said Roberts apparently called his wife from a cell phone at around 11 a.m., saying he was taking revenge for an old grudge. Miller declined to say what the grudge could have been.
"It seems as though he wanted to attack young, female victims," Miller said.
Miller told NBC's "Today" that Roberts lost a daughter "approximately three years ago" and that that may have been a factor in the shooting.
He said a teacher had to run to a farm house to call police because there wasn't one at the school, in keeping with Amish custom.
Parents refused to fly in planes — again in keeping with Amish tradition — and had to be driven to see their children at hospitals, Miller told "Today." Some were taken to the wrong hospitals in the confusion, Miller said.
From the suicide notes and telephone calls, it was clear Roberts was "angry at life, he was angry at God," and co-workers said his mood had darkened in recent days, Miller said.
In a statement released to reporters, the gunman's wife, Marie Roberts, called her husband "loving, supportive and thoughtful."
"He was an exceptional father," she said. "He took the kids to soccer practice and games, played ball in the backyard and took our 7-year-old daughter shopping. He never said no when I asked him to change a diaper."
"Our hearts are broken, our lives are shattered, and we grieve for the innocence and lives that were lost today," she said. "Above all, please pray for the families who lost children and please pray too for our family and children."
The attack bore similarities to a deadly school shooting last week in Bailey, Colo., but Miller said he believed the Pennsylvania attack was not a copycat crime. "I really believe this was about this individual and what was going on inside his head," he said.
On Friday, a school principal was shot to death in Cazenovia, Wis. A 15-year-old student, described as upset over a reprimand, was charged with murder.

Those children were totally innocent. It was so sad hearing from the cop who held a 6 year old in his arms while she died and from the young boys who survived and prayed while their classmates were being shot. This cannot continue. It can't....But I don't know how to stop them now. To kill these kids out of revenge over something that happened over 20 years ago is so unthinkable........My heart aches for these children's families and the families of all those children who have died thru violence.

2006-09-29T11:56:00.000-07:00

It started out as one of those rather blah, dreary fall days where it does little but drizzle rain but the clouds slowly parted and we do have some sun peeking thru right now.

You know from some previous posts that we have been having issues with one daughter but she did call today and ask me for a recipe of her favorite casserole which is meatloaf on the bottom of a pie pan then bake it for about 45 min. then put valveeta cheese and melt it on then put mashed potatoes on top and bake for another fifteen minutes. Very good recipe for anyone who is looking for something to do in a hurry. I was just glad she called and we did talk for awhile. I am keeping those doors open for her. I want her to know she is loved and cared for no matter what. I felt better after she called.

As you can see the new cat is settling in just fine. She is a very lovey dovey cat and I am so glad we have her. We took her for her shots and she was a real trooper. She is getting fixed next month and the vet says she is about 9 mos. old now so we are going to keep her from our other cats in her own room where she has claimed one of the chairs. She is very indignant when anyone even suggests she move off it.

Another vent

2006-09-16T21:19:00.000-07:00

Not really a vent. I am too tired to be venting today.

For months we have suspected that our youngest has been living with her boyfriend. She never said anything but he was always there and we just never asked. We were waiting on her to tell us. She finally did today. I was not surprised and not really angry but upset because it goes against what I feel is right but I have told her it is her life and I will love her no matter what.`
Any mistakes she makes now are her mistakes and she will have to deal with them.

My husband was ready to disown her but I think it was the typical fathers reaction to the fact that his baby daughter is a woman now and he is up set with what she is doing but he will come to grips with it.

But why does this bother us so much now that we know about it? I think it took alot of nerve for her to come and tell us about it. I meant that in the best way. I think she was scared that we were going to disown her or whatever and she was already rejected by one set of parents. What would it do to her to be rejected by us because she is in love and thinking with her heart instead of her head?

Sometimes I think he is too protective of her and just has to know when to let go. I think our kids are always going to do things we may not agree with as long as we are alive but there comes a point where we just have to say, you know what , it is your life, kids, you live it. We have done what we can....

It does not help that I feel like I am being pulled in two different directions either. I can see where she is coming from and understand his feelings too. Still, he needs to let go.....

I am on someone's 'list' now.....

2006-09-15T17:21:00.001-07:00

Three years ago our neighbors called and accused my husband of shooting their dog. He did not do it. We do not shot dogs. We find homes for them or return them to their owners if they have lisecense. These people have always let their dogs run loose with no liscense. I was even bit by one a few years ago and did not do a thing but clean it up and hope the dogs did not have rabies as I did not want to cause trouble with them. They had six of them this summer running loose and raising hell here. They came down here and harassed our dogs. Our dogs are in the house mostly but I was afraid they would attack them if they were outside and six on one would not be much of a fight. Since one of dogs very small, it would be no fight at all for her.

Last week they tore a fawn apart. A doe and her twins were running from them and one was not fast enough. Poor baby was ripped apart. It could have been I child. We called the dog catcher and now they are going to be sited for not having liscense and stuff.

I will cost a pretty penny but I am tired of it. They will not take care of their dogs. I take care of mine and keep them under control and I think they should too.

tv quiz

2006-09-12T17:13:00.000-07:00

Going to try this. Copied from Thersea who copied it from someone else.

Instructions: Bold (or change the color) of all of the following TV shows which you've seen 3 or more episodes of in your lifetime. Bold and Italicize a show if you're positive you've seen every episode of it. If you want, add up to 3 additional shows (keep the list in alphabetical order).

24
3rd rock from the sun
7th heaven (this one was a must see when my kids were growing up)
Aeon Flux
Alf
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alias
American Idol/Pop Idol/
Canadian Idol/Australian IdolAmerica's Next Top Model Germany's Next Top Model
Angel
Arrested Development
Babylon 5Babylon 5: Crusade
BattlestarGalactica (the old one)
Battlestar Galactica (the new one)
Baywatch
Beavis & Butthead
The Ben Stiller Show
Beverly Hills 90210
Bewitched
Bonanza
Bones
Bosom Buddies
Boston Legal
Boy Meets World
Brady Bunch
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Bug Juice
Chappelle's Show
Charlie's Angels
Charmed
Cheers
China Beach
Columbo
Commander in Chief
Coupling
Cowboy Bebop
Crossing Jordan
CSI - only because of reruns
CSI: MiamiCSI: NY
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Dallas
Dancing with the Stars
Danny Phantom
Dark Angel
Dark Skies
Davinci's Inquest
Dawson's Creek
Dead Like Me
Deadliest Catch
Deadwood
Degrassi: The Next GenerationDesigning Women
Desperate Housewives
Dharma & Greg
Different Strokes
Doctor Who (new Who)
Doctor Who (series 1-26)
Dragnet
Due South
Dungeons and Dragons (old cartoon)
DynastyEarth
2Emergency!
Entourage
ER
Everwood
Everybody Loves Raymond
Facts of Life
Falcon Crest
Family Guy
Family Ties
Fantasy Island
Farscape
Fawlty Towers
Felicity
Firefly
Flamingo Road
Frasier
Friends
Full House
Futurama
Get Smart
Gilligan's Island
Gilmore Girls
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Green Wing
Grey's Anatomy
Growing Pains
Gunsmoke
Happy Days
Head of the Class
Highlander
Hill Street Blues
Hogan's Heroes
Home Improvement
Homicide: Life on the Street
House
I Dream of Jeannie
I Love Lucy
Invader Zim
Invasion
Iron Chef (Japan)
Iron Chef (USA)
Ironsides
JAG
Jackass
Jeopardy
Joey
John Doe
Kath and Kim
Knight Rider
Knots Landing
La Femme Nikita
LA Law
Laugh-In
Laverne and Shirley
Law & Order
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: SVU
Little House on the Prairie
Lizzie McGuire
Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Lost
Lost in Space
Love, American Style
M*A*S*H
MacGyver
Magnum P.I.
Malcolm in the Middle
Married...With Children
Melrose Place
Miami Vice
Mission Impossible
Monk
Moonlighting
Mork & Mindy
Murphy Brown
My Family
My Favorite Martian
My Life as a Dog
My Mother the Car
My So-Called Life
My Three Sons
My Two Dads
Mysterious Cities of Gold
NCIS
Night Court
Nip/Tuck
Northern Exposure
Numbers
One Tree Hill
Oz
Parker Lewis Can't Lose
Perfect Strangers
Perry Mason
Picket Fences
Pirates of Darkwater
Pokemon
Power Rangers
Prison Break
ProfilerProject
Runway
Psyche
Quantum Leap
Queer As Folk (US)
Queer as Folk (British)
Queer Eye For The Straight Guy
ReGenesis
Remington Steele
Rescue Me
Road Rules
ROME
Roseanne
Roswell
Samurai Jack
Saved by the Bell
Scarecrow and Mrs. King
Scooby-Doo Where Are You?
Scrubs
Seinfeld
Sex and the City
Six Feet Under
Slings and Arrows
Smallville
Small Wonder
So Weird
South Park
Spaced
Spongebob Squarepants
Sports Night
Square Pegs
St. Elsewhere
Star TrekStar Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Enterprise
Stargate Atlantis - New season
Stargate SG-1 -Newseason
Supernatural
SurfaceSurvivor
Taxi
Teen
Titans
Teletubbies
That Girl
That 70's Show
That's So Raven
The 4400
The Addams Family
The Andy Griffith Show
The A-Team
The Avengers
The Beverly Hillbillies
The Bionic Woman
The Colbert Report
The Cosby Show
The Daily Show
The Days And Nights Of Molly Dodd
The Dead Zone
The Dick Van Dyke Show
The Flintstones
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The Golden Girls
The Jetsons
The L Word
The Love Boat
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mighty Boosh
The Monkees
The Munsters
The Mythbusters
The O.C.
The Office (UK)
The Office (US)
The Pretender
The Prisoner
The Real World
The Shield
The Simpsons
The Six Million Dollar Man
The Sopranos
The Suite Life of Zack and Cody
The Twilight Zone
The Waltons
The West Wing
The Wonder Years
The X-Files
Third Watch
thirtysomething
Three's Company
Top Gear
Twin Peaks
Twitch City
Upstairs, Downstairs
Veronica Mars
WingsWhat Not To Wear (US)
What Not To Wear (UK)
Whose Line is it Anyway?
(US)Whose Line is it Anyway? (UK)
Witchblade
Will and Grace
Wonderfalls
Wonder Woman
Xena: Warrior Princess
Young Hercules

That is alot of shows but I am older than some of you. *sI*

Rainy day blues got to me....

2006-09-12T16:57:00.000-07:00

Today was one of those days where I just did not want to get out of bed. It has been raining about three days now and today was one of the worst. I just wanted to take a pain pill for my arthritus and pull the covers over my head. But something stopped me. Something who had other things on her mind.

It was Phoebe. Phoebe is the feral cat I tamed for my daughter. Of course she liked me better and my daughter said she did not want a cat now and this is the second cat she wanted but decided after the last second that she did not want it. Both my kids are great for wanting animals then not wanting them after they get them and Mom inherits them.

Not to worry. I love this cat. She is marvelous and loves me too. I am happy and she is happy. Our world is happy......

Well, I've done it now..........

2006-09-04T22:32:00.000-07:00

Years ago I had a great friend. She was like a sister to me. I honestly thought of her in those terms. Our husbands were best friends and so were we. I often babysat her kids in the summer and they were like my own kids. Two of the sweetest boys who grew into fine young men, despite their dad.

We would have remained friends if her husband had decided it was time for them to move closer to his mother and the woman he would eventually leave her for. You see he always ran around on her and I think she felt we all knew things and were not telling her once she found out he was a cheater. I did not know for sure but I suspected. Had I known would I have told her? I don't know. There are times when I think it is best to turn a blind eye. I think she was happy not knowing what he was doing.

Anyway, I had been contemplating writing her a letter and finally decided to do it today. Nothing great but just a note to let her know I was thinking of her and the good times we used to have.

I really do miss those times and if she does not respond, that is okay. I know I made an effort to try and reconnect with her.

Nudge the balance

2006-09-02T13:15:00.000-07:00

Nudge the Balance=================
A 91-year-old woman died after living a very long dignified life. When she met God, she asked Him something that had really bothered her for a very long time. "If Man was created in God'simage, and if all men are created equal, why do people treats other so badly?"

God replied that each person who enters our life has an ability to teach us. It is only through these lessons that we learn about life, people and our relationships with god confused the woman, so God began to explain:"When someone lies to you, it teaches you that things are not always what they seem. The truth is often far beneath the surface.

Look beyond the masks people wear if you want to know what is in their hearts. Remove your own masks to let people know who you really are.

When someone steals from you it teaches you that nothing is forever. Always appreciate what you have. You never know when you might lose it. Never take your friends or family for granted, because today and sometimes only this very moment is the only guarantee you may have.

When someone inflicts injury upon you, it teaches you that the human state is a very fragile one. Protect and take care of your body as best as you can, it's the one thing that you are sure to have forever. When someone mocks you, it teaches you that no two people are alike.

When you encounter people who are different from you, don't judge them by how they look or act, instead base it on the contents of what is in their hearts.

When someone breaks your heart, it teaches you that loving someone does not always mean that the person will love you back. But don't turn your back on love, because when you find the right person, the joy that one person brings you will makeup for all of your past hurts. Times a thousand fold.

When someone holds a grudge against you, it teaches you that everyone makes mistakes.

When you are wronged, the most virtuous thing you can do is forgive the offender without pretense. Forgiving those who have hurt us is often the most difficult and painful of life's experiences, but it is also the most courageous thing a person can do.

When a loved one is unfaithful to you, it teaches you that resisting temptation is Man's greatest challenge. Be vigilant in your resistance against all temptations. By doing so, you'll be rewarded with an enduring sense of satisfaction far greater than the temporary pleasure by which you were tempted.

When someone cheats you, it teaches you that greed is the root of all evil. Aspire to make your dreams come true, no matter how lofty they may be. Do not feel guilty about your success,but never let an obsession with achieving your goals lead you tongues in malevolent activities.

When someone ridicules you, it teaches you that nobody is perfect. Accept people for their merits and be tolerant oftheir flaws. Do not ever reject someone for imperfections over which they have no control."

Upon hearing the Lord's wisdom, the old woman became concerned that there are no lessons to be learned from man's good deeds.God replied that Man's capacity to love is the greatest gift He has. At the root of kindness and love, and each act of love also teaches us a lesson.The woman's curiosity deepened.

God, once again began to explain:"When someone loves us, it teaches us love, kindness, charity,honesty, humility, forgiveness, acceptance, and all of these can counteract all the evil in the world.

For every good deed,there is one evil deed. Man alone has the power to control the balance between good and evil, but because the lessons of loveare not taught often enough, the power is too often abused.

When you enter someone's life, whether by plan, chance orcoincidence, consider what your lesson will be. Will you teach love or a harsh lesson of reality?

When you die, will your life have resulted in more loving or more hurting? More comfort ormore pain? More joy or more sadness? Each one of us has thepower over the balance of the love in the world.Use it wisely!"Don't miss an opportunity to nudge the world's scale in theright direction!

Pass this lesson of love on to those you love and those you havehurt, and those that have hurt you, hopefully with each person that receives this, there will be far less evil and a great deal more love!~Author Unknown~

drive

2006-08-28T22:46:00.000-07:00

Your Driving Is is: 41% Male, 59% Female

According to studies, you drive both like a guy and a girl.
This means you're a pretty average driver, with typical quirks.
Occasionally you're frustrated and or a little reckless, but that's the exception - not the norm.

Do You Drive Like a Guy or a Girl?

She's home again...

2006-08-28T16:35:00.000-07:00

I opened the door and saw my daughter walking up the driveway dragging her knapsack. I know I should be glad but all I could think of is , well, she's home again.....She left last night to god only knows where with someone she was talking on the net too and showed up again today.

She was alive and I was grateful for that. I would never want any harm to come to her but she is 24 and almost a street person. I say almost because she has a home to come to when no one else wants her around. It is hard for some to understand what it is like to have a person like this in your life unless you have experienced it.

She is bipolar, manic depressive and has other mental health issues. She often will not take her meds and it is a day to day struggle with her.

But she is ours and she is home.....now what??

Black Family Cooking

2006-08-28T16:18:00.000-07:00

I am not black but some of my friends are and when they show up for dinner, I try to do my best to entertain them. My cooking is great. They never had any complaints but one did say he would like it if I would try some food that he is more familiar with so his wife sent me this cookbook called THE BLACK FAMILY COOKBOOK. It is fabulous. I have found some great recipes in this book but no one one can convince me collard greens is good. No one. And fatbacK? No way am I gonna eat that. I have been told that it is good but...............well...........I think I can pass on it.

I have a couple that come out to visit us quite often and it is often at thanksgiving time. He is trying to get me to do the cornbread stuffing but my husband is such a traditionalist and only wants the regular stuffing and I am too lazy to do both.

Ashcake is a cake that has been made from the time of slavery on and it was baked in the embers of a fires ashes. Remember, slaves had to make do with what they had and some fabulous recipes came from those who had nothing.

Hoecake was a bread which slaves baked over open fires and they used the on the blade of a hoe. Today the term can be applied to a large biscuit that is traditionally made and saved for the man of the house.

Hopping John is a dish made of rice and black beans. No one knows how it got it's name and it is served on New Years day.

Pot LIkker....When greens have been cooked "down to a low gravy", the cooking liquid that has absorbed all the nutrients is the pot likker (a corruption of pot liqour). The african habit of consuming the "pot likka" provided the extra nutrients that saved the lives of many slaves and masters alive during the antebellum period.

Sop..dipping bread into sauces and juices.

I like the book because it not only has some great recipes I may not have tried if not for these friends but there is a history lesson on most every page.

Thoughts on saying good by

2006-08-22T18:06:00.000-07:00

My husband is one of those people who has to say good by to people. No matter who they are or where we are, he insists on saying good by and wants me to say it to.

I do not like saying good by to people. I think it was because when I was a kid, I said good by to so many people and they they were gone forever. My dad when I was two left us.

When I was six I remember very vividly the day them came to take me to the Williard Home in Indiana Pa. I remember my mom standing by an old stove crying her eyes out saying she would see me soon. It was months before I saw her and years before I ever slept under the same roof she did.

Each time I moved into a foster home, I thought it was going to be my home for life. For three years I was shifted from one home to another. I said so many goodbyes to people I was starting to care about and never saw them again.

I said my final goodby to my foster mom in 1980 and to my biological mom in 1995. I said good by to my fil in 1989. I don't know how many more goodbyes I will have to say. It is not easy and I hate it every time I have to say it even if it is just for a few hours.

I would rather say "I will see you later" and wave then utter the words good bye.

George bush Says............

2006-08-18T22:53:00.000-07:00

Ladies and gentleone's. Glad ya could make it. Want ta talk to you about healthcare.

It's important. Everyone needs your health. Without it, what can you do. And with it, there are only limitations, which means you can do anything.

Some people say its not hard work. But you know how I feel about that. It is hard work. And you know I am President. What does a President do? I make decisions. I lead. I am a diversion. And I am a leader. I love that part of me. I just get up every morning and I lead.I didn’t come here today to talk about me. I came to talk about me. Your health insurance.

Right now many people think they have no health insurance, because it’s too expensive. They’re wrong. Americans want to own things. We've proven this throughout the ages. No matter what your age is. Young and old. And everyone in between. Including the baby bloomers, who are only now coming of birth.

I've developed the ownership society. That’s what I call it. Americans own more homes than they can handle. Especially, the rich are no exception, even you.

I want you to own your health. So I have decided to pick out Health Savings Accounts. These are accounts where you can put your own hard earned pennies apart and save 'em all up. When you have 'em all saved you can hand 'em right over to the docs. It's your own money. Because you own it.

Plus, the docs get a tax break on your money because they own the business. So you get a tax break. And then your money gets another tax break when the docs spend it. Then I take all the tax money you gave and I give it back to everybody. This includes you. That’s right. You. Wherever your money goes it keeps getting a tax break. When it’s all gone we give it to the Defense Department. They then fly over to Iraq and give it to the Iraqis and to Halliburton where it is spread out evenly. Iraqi truck drivers get fifty cents an hour and the Halliburton guys get $100,000 a year. That’s why the Iraqis want? Freedom and democracy? It pays better. Anyway, your money is safe with me. So sign up for a Health Saving Account and watch it grow with me.

And I have some icing on the cake for you. No one is going to escape bankruptcy. When you don’t own anything anymore we are not going to let those who do escape with anything. They have to pay back what they can, because it’s only fair. If you are sick and have nothing, then is the time to help. So help yourself to hard work. Its neighbor helping neighbor.

That’s why I’m not helping out in New Orleans. Those people just need a little encouragement and encouragement is free. So they don’t get any money. It’s like tough love or like hard luck. So you have your choice. Love or luck. Everyone wants it when they get it but don’t know it. That’s why I’m President. To figure things out like this. I like hard work and I'm your President. And I’ll work right along with you, but don’t come too close because we can work apart like Republicans or we can work alone like Liberals, so let’s separate the two for the benefit of all Americans, not like them.

And if we get too close people will talk. They’ll think we’re gay. And I’m for the sanctity of marriage, so let’s keep our distance and play it safe. Do it for the Constitution. It’s America. Not the liberals.
There is too much bi-partisanshit in Washington and we’re going to clean it up. I know all about the lobbies. The hotel lobbies are the worst. Ya just stand in the lobby and nothing ever happens, except you get to check into your room. It’s gonna stop. There are 14,000 lobbyists in Washington and I don’t know one of them. And only one. And his name isn’t Jack, as in Jack Abraham. I swear that isn’t me with him in the picture. It’s a look alike. Maybe it’s Jeb. But he helped me out in the 2000 election, so I’ll let him slide. I’m glad I came here today to level with the American people. They need to be leveled.

And don’t tell me we don’t need a level playing field. It can’t be on a hill or it will slant. For sure. So let’s level it out and all stand straight, not like on a sunken ship tilting into the wind.

This is good.

I like this crowd. Crowds are almost like alot of poeple.

The docs are hurting. All the OB/GYN docs are leaving. Some have left. The womenfolk are running after them. It can't be forever. Don't think that just because docs have three or four SUV's and a couple of homes on the beach and in the mountains that it is all fun and games for them

Lot's of people are suing the docs. Its called irrigation. If we can stop the irrigation we can stop the suits. Docs don’t need suits. They have other clothes to wear. It’s the ownership society. We need irrigation reform.

Anyone can have a Health Savings Account. All you need to do is sign up for a $10,000 deductible policy and have $5000 to open the account. So just sign up. Don't even know what you are signing because its safe as a crap shoot and you'll take it up the kazoo. It’s as easy as 1-2-3, which is like counting single digit numbers starting at 1 and ending on the button at 3. It’s called ownership. It’s America. It’s rugged. Cause I'm from Texas, even though I passed through Greenwich, CT on the way, and stopped off at Yale and Harvard to nail things down, before I decided to talk funny like this.

I want you to think I am stupid because the stupid bird gets the worm and I'm the hen in the fox house, like you. Shrewd as a nickel. And as sharp as a blunt object.

The docs are hurting'. We gotta help 'em. If all the OB/GYN docs leave town, what’s gonna happen to all the yeast infections. If you think bird flu or AIDS is a problem, ya haven’t seen yeast grow. It’s like a blob. If we have that much yeast around it will affect the beer market. Heh, heh, heh.

So hop onto the wagon with your $5000 and get a deductible for $10,000. It means you can’t get sick until you are already sick and paid up with $10,000 of your own hard earned tax free money. Its is a good deal for everyone who will never have insurance of any kind.

And don't blame it on minimum wage. Anyone can live on $5.15 an hour if they apply themselves. Its hard work. And God is behind you. All it takes is God and working 3 jobs, living in the back seat of your car, and taking those math and science courses at the local college. So gas up that car and go to college. I did. And look at me.

We don’t want anyone suing the docs. So stop it. They are pestering me. Everyone who has a yeast infection here, "raise your hand". OK. Now stop applauding. OK. Now applaud. OK. Put your hands down. There. It’s settled. Everyone wants to help the docs and get the Health Saving Account.

Everyone's hurtin' today. The drug companies too. Their drugs are triple and you get much more, that’s for sure. We're trying to get the price down. But they won’t listen. We watch them like a hawk. And they can raise the prices as much as they want but we’ll keep watching them. They can’t stop us. If you are elderly and you need prescription medications just check out my new Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Part D.? It? S called Part D because A, B, and C were already taken. So we came up with D.

If you are old don’t worry. You won’t be around long so what’s the point. And you have my plan as a backup. The drug companies charge triple what they do in Canada but we can still cut the pills into thirds. All ya need is a good eye and a sharp knife.

We have a big program in Afghanistan to open up the heroin market. It’s a success. They are now producing 90% of the world’s heroin drug traffic. It’s another American success story. And it affects our kids too. It’s good for America. We need competition. China isn’t going to take over our heroin production when we can get it directly from our friend and ally Afghanistan. Not while I’m President.

I took $12 billion away from the college student loan program. Some people say? Why? I say, Why not? Besides college kids can’t be trusted. Would you trust a college kid with $12 billion of your money. I doubt they’ll ever pay it back. We can spend it in Iraq. And in Iraq its money well spent? cause it’s for freedom and democracy, not partying in some frat house with a bunch of liberals. Christian colleges. That’s a different story. They got the faith. So we don’t tax? em.

So lets all work together on all of this. It was good to see you today as I always have. The liberals don’t understand and it not their fault. They're using hindsight, not wisdom, like my teeth. Ya can’t have 20/20 foreskin and expect to see anything in true prescription. 20/20 is 20 divided by 20 which equal 1. So what do liberals know anyway? That’s why we need more math and less science.

And God Bless America because you like to hear me say that. And why not today. You can't win an election without God. Try it. It will never fly. If you don?t say "God" people, like you, will start to think something is fishy, like I don?t like the Bible. And God was a fisherman if I remember right. He caught the Bible in the net and created good things from it. Just like I am trying to do, with the help of you, because we are all in this together.

And remember, 70 million Americans don?t have health insurance of any kind. They?re not poor either. They?re smart. Why have health insurance when you?re not sick and how sick can they be if they are still alive. If they?re alive they can work. If they can work they can work hard and do hard work. And if they can do hard work it can be for minimum wage. Hey, we can?t all be illegal Mexicans making $10 an hour. They come from far away places, like Mexico, to put bread on their table. So we can?t deny them. They?re our guests and can apply for the ?guest worker program? so they can sneak over the border and we won?t lay a glove on them. As long as they go deep into the heartland and enjoy America with the rest of Central America, China, India and wherever you come from. It?s a gravy train, so don?t miss it. Hop aboard.

So why have health insurance when you can own your own. We gotta help out the insurance CEO?s. They?re hurtin? buckaroos. They got big penguins when they retire but they can?t spend it ?till they finish with you, so let?s all help ?em, in the Spirit of New Orleans. If you want your health just vote Republican ?cause we?ll sell it to you, for a dime on the fraction, if ya know what I mean.

We?ve gotta a lot of work to do here in the heartland of America. We?ve got Multiplication Sclerosis to attack. And we have Parker Son?s Disease. That?s a downer ?cause ya shake all over. We can cure cancer in your lifetime, so live a long time so we can make it. And don?t get it or it will be over for you. AIDS too. I?m going to pay a lot of lip service to AIDS and my good friend Karl Rove told me to tell ya. I got a vision. It?s about the world. I call it the Vision of America. No one is sick. No one is poor. No one is stupid. No one is Black. And we are all happy about it. OK. You can stop applauding. Even that soldier with the one arm. Heh, heh, heh.

Some people look at other people and say, ?What da F**k?. I look at people and say, ?F**k ?em?.

America can do better. That?s why I?m here. We can do better. Look at me.

I already came up with a cure for the Bird Flu. Don?t touch any birds. That?s it. Case closed.

Did ya notice the evildoers are gone. I haven?t mentioned ?em since a while because I don?t want to scare you until it?s time. I traveled up on the pile of rubble and with the bullhorn said, ?Let?s get da folks who knocked da buildings down?. And did we get them. Not on your life. Why kill the goose that is laying the gander. They can lead us to others. And those others will lead us to still others. And then even more. Kind of like how Mary Kay Cosmetics works. So if ya know a terrorist don?t turn him in. Just follow him. And let me know. Dial 1-800-Hi.It?s Me I?m At The White House, and then leave a message. My secret code is #2. That will get ya right ta me.

So I?m inviting all Americans to climb the pile of rubble with me. Bring your bullhorn and we?ll hug a fireman together. I wish I was at the World Trade Center on 9/11 ?cause I would have jumped too. It was hot. And it was high. And I would have been right there behind you, health insurance or no health insurance. They?re all fallen heroes. And they fell a long way to prove it. But we can only go up from here. And we will, ?cause this is America. Freedom and democracy are on the march in Iraq. And so are the pink elephants. Heh, heh, heh. Hey, if ya can?t laugh at least ya can cry.

Did we know 9/11 was going to happen? You bet your bottom dollar. And I can prove it. Condi told me she had a memo that said they were comin? with planes and they will fly into our buildings. And they flew in. I knew it. I said to her, ?Holy Shit?. So we went on vacation ?cause it?s stressful knowin? stuff like that. So you?re either with me, or I?m against you, as they say. And it happened. Just like that. Poooof. It?s nice being right but ya don?t want to get caught at it too many times.

Don?t listen to the Liberals because they know what they are talkin? about and that?s the last thing we need right now. We need to shoot from the hip because we?re not going to hit anything anyway. So why aim our sights on anything. It?s fruitfuless.

The liberals will just take us down the path to sanity. Is that what you want? No. I didn?t think so. We?ve been down the path of sanity before. Did it work out? You bet your bottom dollar it did. So why do it. They only have solutions. They never have any problems. America isn?t like that. We always go for the goal. And after the goal we go for the neck..

I?ve been your President for five odd years now, or thereabouts. And remember what I said before I said all this. I?m not a divider. I?m a tire. When I took over this nation it was one. But I made it diverse. I brought it together into many. Some will tell you I can?t divide. But I can. I?m a tire. Tires bridge people together into a single string. I?m the bridge and you?re the string. End of discussion.

All the liberals want to do is complain and have peace and balance the budget, and have prosperous times. We can do better than that. We can have our cake and eat me too. Better to spend a dollar now than have a dime saved in the future when inflation deflates it into a nickel. They can chew on that.

Liberals want to redefine marriage. I believe marriage is between a man and a woman. Marriage is like a coin. You have two sides: heads and tails. That?s marriage. Men are the heads and women are the tails. So let?s flip the coin. There. See. It came up heads. Now I?ll flip it again. Whoops. It came up heads again. It?s suppose to come up tails. It tried this at home and it worked there. Anyway, don?t be a one-sided coin. God started marriage. Why screw it up now. Marriage goes back millions of years, before evolution. That?s my stand.

If my son was gay I?d still love him. But I wouldn?t shake his hand. Everyone?s gotta draw the line somewhere. Someone in my office has a lesbian daughter. I?ve never met a lesbian who wasn?t a daughter. So how bad can it be. It?s Dick Cheney. Sen. Kerry let that cat out of the bag, so I didn?t say it first. Nuff said.

Let’s talk about cloning. Cloning destroys life. If there was two of you it would destroy life. I’m for life. Clones are against life. Don’t be a clone. Be regular. Clones are like gays. It’s not normal. So let’s not do it. If God wanted more than one person he would have created more. God didn’t want clones around. It’s too many. It’s almost two of the same person. It’s like looking in a mirror, so don’t. People are different so we might as well keep them the same. That’s why I’m not a divider. I’m a tire. And remember your one times table. One times one equals two. If we go beyond that we are in unchartered territory. Clones. So let’s move on together, as one.

As you know, me and my bride, Laura had twins. We only had sex once but two people popped out. Figure that one out. Anyway, twins are not clones. My twins don’t even look alike so they are two different people. Some twins look alike. That’s called identical. That’s not clones. So don’t confuse the two or you’ll never tell them apart. Clones are separate. They are two different people. Twins are identical. So they are not. Let’s move on so we can discuss a lot more and wrap this up in its entirety.

Americans are the most conductive workers in the world. It’s called conductivity. High is good. Low is bad. So just remember that. Ford just laid a lot of people. Some say 30,000 people got laid. Some say more. As the amount of people go down, conductivity goes up. Before Ford became a car he was a person and he was very conductive because he had no people. He didn’t even have his assembly line or mass conduction. Then he started hiring people. Things went downhill. And he started the famous Ford assembly line. Conductivity started going down. And people started buying lots of cars so he hired more people. It got worse and worse. Every time he hired more people, he sold more cars. He wasn’t a good businessman, like me.

So where did Ford end up. Down, that’s were. But he smartened up; or smartened down, always in the right direction. Now he’s doing fine. Laying off lots of people. Sending ?em to China, India, and Indiana. Overseas. Ford has a long way to go before it becomes conductive again. It still has 130,000 employees that have to get laid and then that will be the last of it. We can’t compete with China. They have over one billion Chinese. We only have a few and they live in Chinatown. Some of them are software programmers and the rest deliver food. How can we compete with that? It’s easy. And we’ll never do it. It’s hard work. We can do it. So hop on the board. With me. Your President. I’ve got it all figured out. If you can’t trust your President who can you trust him for? Tell me that.

How many people here today are liberals? None. Good. They wouldn’t let you in if you were. Heh, heh, heh.

So just sit back and enjoy the ride cause I'm safe and the more you like me, the safer I get.And God Bless America. Because He has the time. And I can’t do all the work. I’m only the Preznit.

Tomatoes anyone?

2006-08-18T19:03:00.000-07:00

I am up to my armpits and tomatoes. The sauce is boiling and smells so good but there are more of them out there. We have had a great year for the garden. Seemed to have rained at the right time.

I wanted to show you some more pics of my flowers and one of my favorite trees. I love trees, especially this ash tree in our front yard.

Why?????

2006-08-14T18:35:00.000-07:00

I feel rather sad today. Not because of anything that has happened to me. I have had a great summer. My girls are doing okay. My husband and I are both healthy and so is my mil. But all around me people are suffering. One friend just lost her two sons. Another lost her mother, one lost her grandmother and several others have loved ones or family members in dire health. I feel helpless as I do not know what to say to them. I do not think that God causes these things but what do you say when someone is suffering and they want to know why their loved ones are being punished. I look at my friend who is a wonderful christain and wonder why she lost her two sons the way she did. Another friend lost two children to suicides and one had cancer. I asked myself hundreds of times why this had to happen to that gentle, kind woman who never harmed anyone.

A young online friend contacted me and told me his grandmother died suddenly. She was 96 and died in her family home surrounded by those who love her. Why can't we all die that way?

Sometimes I am angry with God but most of the time I just do not understand why.

such a tragedy

2006-08-11T21:28:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning we found out that two brothers we know were killed in such a freakish way. Scary how it all came down.

2 brothers die in crashes

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Steven Kerr
Jeremy Kerr

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By Brian C. RittmeyerTRIBUNE-REVIEWMonday, August 7, 2006
Two Butler County brothers who loved to spend time with each other were killed in separate motorcycle crashes about 100 feet and 90 minutes apart.
Steven Kerr, 37, of West Sunbury, was fatally injured Saturday when he crashed into a sign, police said. Upon hearing of the crash, Jeremy Kerr, 29, of Venango, sped toward the scene to try to help but crashed into the back of vehicle stopped in traffic because of the first wreck.
Jeremy Kerr had the 2004 Suzuki, his first motorcycle, for only a couple of weeks, said his brother, Randy Kerr, 39, of Venango Township, Butler County. Steven Kerr had been riding for a few months after buying his motorcycle this spring.
"They really loved to go out and ride together," said Randy Kerr, whose family includes two other brothers and a sister. Steven Kerr "loved to spend time with Jeremy. They clicked together."

Randy Kerr said his brothers went riding together Saturday afternoon but somehow became separated.
State police said Steven Kerr left the road on his 2000 Kawasaki motorcycle and hit a speed limit sign about 8:55 p.m. as he traveled north of Route 38 in Center. It was unclear if he was wearing a helmet.
"Jeremy found out about it, and he went racing to the scene of the accident to see if he could help his brother," Randy Kerr said.
State police said Jeremy Kerr was speeding and not wearing a helmet when he crashed into the rear of a minivan around 10:30 p.m.
"He died 100 feet from where my other brother died, in traffic that was sitting and waiting because of the first accident," Randy Kerr said.
The driver of the van, Veronica M. Smith, 25, and her passenger, Donna Smith, no age given, both of North Washington, had minor injuries.
Randy Kerr said Jeremy was buying his motorcycle from Steven, who had received it in a will from a friend who died in a crash on the same bike.
"I don't know why Steve crashed. Jeremy's crash was just ... because he didn't understand motorcycles. He didn't know what he was doing," Randy Kerr said.
Steven Kerr was married and owned a general contracting business. Jeremy Kerr was divorced, the father of two girls, ages 9 and 5, and a union block layer. Both had served in the military -- Jeremy Kerr in the Navy, Steven Kerr in the Army.
Randy Kerr said Steven was a hard worker, and Jeremy was an avid weightlifter who loved his children.
"They were just great guys," Randy Kerr said. "They were the best brothers a brother could ever have. If you ever needed them to help you, they were there. We loved each other, and we were there for each other."
A fund to help Jeremy Kerr's daughters has been established at Farmers National Bank in Eau Claire, Butler County, in the name of his mother, Nancy Kerr.

The motorcyle the one rode was involved in a wreck in june and a guy was killed on it.

It is such a great family and my heart bleeds for all of them. The Two little girls are dolls. I hurt for all of them......

Much to my surprise

2006-08-11T21:07:00.000-07:00

I came on today and found my pic of taters had been deleted from my photbucket album. I guess my daughter did it. So that is why you will not see it on the blog here. I was going to look for another one but have decided to let it just pass. I know what he looked like and do not have to have a pic up there to remind me. He was my special kitty and I will try to make this one a special one for Kris.

Back again....

2006-08-01T16:45:00.000-07:00

I have not been in for awhile because my daughter has spent most of the time on the computer while she was here and I did not get much computer time. Only later at night but again I got my email done, I was ready for bed.

While I still mourn the loss of our pet, we have a minor miracle of sorts. This is a feral cat that is the short haired version of one of our other cats and my daughter always said she would love a short haired version of Ronnie. Hubby and I have decided to tame this one for her. Any hints will be welcome. I have not named it as I do not want to bond with it or have it bond with me. We cannot get much more than a few feet from where it is til it bolts on us.

We think it is female and we are going to take it to our vet and have him look at it. Well, I have some blogs to visit so will be back tomorrow.

We almost lost him....

2006-07-24T22:38:00.000-07:00

We almost lost this one. My daughter wanted to get him neutered and we agreed becuase it is part of being a responsible pet owner. Well she took him in on a wednesday and I went up thrusday to see how he was doing. I looked around and he did not come running to me. I ask where Taters was and she said, "Did you come to see me or the Cat?" I said the cat and she told me he was still at the vets. I asked why.

She started to cry and told me he had a reaction to the anesthic and they did not know if he was going to live or not. When we went to see him he would not awaken and we tried to get him to stand but he was like a limp rag. He was there a week and it ended up costing alot more than we had planned but he is such a sweety and my daughter loves him so.

Now he is afraid though. Each time she opens the door, he runs and hides. He will stay hidden too for quite some time. We have to coax him out but I hope he gets over this.

Posies

2006-07-23T19:58:00.000-07:00

I am bored tonight and could not think of anything to do so I uploaded the pics of some of my posies. The top one is of my day lilies and the bottom one is where I was playing around the other night and took one of some sun flowers by my back porch when it was dark. I liked the way this one turned out.

Is it just me?

2006-07-13T08:38:00.000-07:00

I picked up the paper this morning and saw where Isreal bombed the beirut airport and I thought what the hell are they doing? More of our soldiers were killed. Others were accused of rape and murder of an entire family. North Korea is lobbing bombs towards Japan and perhaps our western coast if it would reach that far. Do these people have any clue as to the amount of pain, sorrow and suffering they are causing?

And, I mean the man in the white house when I say 'these people'. He is causing much pain and sorrow through out the world by his actions.

That is why I wonder if it is just me who is afraid to read the news any more? I purposely refuse to listen to some of our news cause it is all so bad it seems. Children killing children, rape, murder and a war that seems to be a never ending conflict as well as our own little war in iraq.

Sometimes I feel like the whole world has gone crazy and I am one of the few sane ones left in it.

Why does anyone have to kill for any reason? It is just pointless to me. Some might think the end justifys the means but I it seems to me like there is no end of men wanting to kill other men just because they want to be king of the mountain. How many of you remember that childhood game where someone goes on top of the mountain so to speak and he stays there til someone pulls him off. If no one pulls him off he is declared king. Some of these world leaders remind me of young boys playing that game.

Is it a flower?

2006-07-05T22:06:00.000-07:00

Last year I had a weed growing in my flower garden. Not just any weed but one that was huge. I marched right out there and yanked it out. My husband came home and started screaming about me pulling his flower out. I said it is not a flower, it is a damned weed. "It's a flower. If if comes up again let it go." Well I looked out this year and saw this thing growing in my garden again. My husband glared at me and said don't touch that flower. "It's a weed, " I hissed. "It's a flower," he said.

I asked my friend who knows about flowers. Was she any help. She says 'It is a thistle." I said, 'It's a weed." She said, "Well, it all depends on how you look at it. I would leave in the garden with the flowers cause when it blooms, that weed will draw in all kinds of butterflies and hummingbirds."

So the weed will stay. I guess flowers, like beauty is all in the eye of the beholder. *s*

34 years

2006-07-01T21:05:00.000-07:00

Hubby and I celebrated our anniversary by going to dinner at our favorite Italian restaurant then to see the movie Cars. It was a cute movie but not one you think you would like to spend your anniversary watching but we enjoyed it.

Funny, the night I met him, I did not think I would marry him. We had what you call a whirlwind relationship. We dated five months and he proposed then we got married three months later. Who would have thunk it would have lasted this long. I mean, he is a virgo and I am an aries and every thing about us is opposite.

He is a neatnik and I am laid back and like the 'lived in' look. He is a day person, up at dawn most days and I am a night person. He is trim and I am not. He is not exactly skinny but he is smaller than me. I believe we are together because we both had to learn to compromise. We both stopped trying to change each other years ago and just accepted the fact that we married someone we could not change and it was either adjust or drive each other crazy. Love won over and we have been happily married for 34 years but it takes work and compromising on both sides.

Here is how I feel about it.

2006-06-28T14:32:00.000-07:00

Burning the flag seems to have been a hot topic on some of the political chat rooms I go to and I really have to think about this subject before going on on a tangent of some sort.

I respect our flag. I fly is proudly and fly it daily out in our front yard. My husband was in the service and several of my uncles as well as my brother fought under that flag. I get teary eyed when I say the pledge of allegiance. ( I get teary-eyed over the Stars Bangled Banner too but for a different reason.*s*).

I realized that blood has been shed over that flag.

But does feeling as I do about 'Old Glory' make me a better citizen then the man or woman who burns the flag in frustration or anger over some of the things our government is doing? I may not like what they are doing. I may shake with anger and want to throttle them for doing it. But may they always have the right to do it as long as they are not bringing harm to anyone while doing it.

As long as they have that right, it means we are still living in a country that is free and we can show our displearsure at the people who run this country, in a manner that they see fit. I want to have the freedom to burn that flag if I so choose. You see, I understand why they do it. They want to shock us as much as anything. No one can really think that george bush is going to look out is window and see someone burning a flag and think, 'Oh, dear, I had better bring the men home now.'

They just want to get a reaction out of the rest of the country. They are not going to get one out of me.

2006-06-25T21:19:00.000-07:00

Another rainy day. I have some pics of my columbines I want to post. They are fancy columbines. My daughters paid me a surprise visit. I wish they would let me know when they are coming. I like to keep my weekends open for things hubby and I like to do but they think they can just drop in un announced. Well, we are enjoying it all anyway.

I have to take my dog to the vets this week. He has severe diahrrea and I think it is a parasite. I might get one of them to go with me.

Sick people are all around me....

2006-06-17T20:19:00.000-07:00

Why do people feel they have to tell me everything I do not really want to know about their lives. Especially their sexlives. I do not mind discussing my sexlife with certain people. Mainly when I am joking about something or, on occasion, some of my on line friends have asked me a question and I will answer. I will do so honestly. Well, as honestly as possible without sounding crass.

But enough is enough. I had a lady today tell me her boyfriend who lives about 30 miles from here sent her a video and some beastiality was involved. I was floored. Why would she tell me this disgusting stuff? Well, as it turns out , he thinks my dog is lovely. He is lovely. But the guy wants to take pic of her having sex with my dog. The S.O.B's want to molest my dog. I told her that if I caught them near my dog, I would be screaming for the cops and scream to high heaven. That is sick. I wanted to kick her ass. I am still fuming over this. I am keeping my eye on that dog, believe me.

Cats and their special gifts

2006-06-10T21:04:00.000-07:00

My cats love me. I know it. I knew gizmo loved me the day she gave her firsts mothers day gift.It was Mothers day and I was laying in the yard thinking of what a glorious day it was outside with the sunshine and puffy white clouds in the air. I was feeling happy and seren when I saw my cat come towards me. She stopped right at my lawn chair and dropped a huge rat right at me feet. I let out a scream, fell out of the chair and gathered myself up without tripping somehow and ran down through my yard. My husband came out wanting to know why I was screaming like a banshee and all I could do was gasp and point to my cat who was sitting there with this perplexed look on her face. The rat was racing towards the house and I screamed again and ran inside.Then there was that warm spring day that I opened the window in my bedroom and laid down for a nap only to wake up with Fuzzy, my gray cat standing on my chest with a bird in her mouth. I tried to take the bird from her and she let it go and I spent the next hour trying to get the bird out of my bedroom.Oh, and I must not forget the mouse she brought in dropped on my favorite lazy boy chair. I had to set it out on the porch for a three days before we could get the mouse out of it. Did she feel bad about it. No. She didn't care. You see, cats love you but they really expect you to let them do their thing and you are supposed to bow to them. They do not bow to you.They are not like dogs you know. Dogs come when you call. Cats say, leave a message.....

Funny how time passes

2006-06-02T20:51:00.000-07:00

I was sitting on my couch looking at some old photos of when my kids were younger and yearning for the days they still lived here when I realized that Kris's adoption birthday will soon be here. You see, my kids get to celebrate two birthdays. The day they were born and the day they became ours. I feel that both days are important and we try to do something special on those days. Or, since they are working, on a day close to that time. She likes chinese so we may take her out to a chinese dinner and maybe a movie. We shall see.

It really does hardly seem like she is a a young lady ready to graduate from college next year. She barely resembles the skinny little girl with freckles and a mop of wild curly red hair. She was tough kid who had a tough life and they did not think she would ever amount to much of anything. They referred to her a sorta trampy and she was only a child when she came here.
She was a woman in a child's body. One that never had a childhood because she was left to care for her younger brothers and sisters and she was not old enough to take care of herself, let alone all five of them.

They did not give us much hope of her ever amounting to much. They were wrong.

I told her the time will come that if she so chooses she can go back to those people and stand before them and tell them just how wrong they were about her. Not shove it in their face but let them know the trampy little street fighter just needed someone to give her a chance to make something of her life.

I think alot of kids are like that. They are tough on the outside and hurt on the inside because no one really cares about them. All they need it a chance in life.....

A wonderful memorial day

2006-05-31T21:17:00.000-07:00

I think this past memorial day was one of the best ones I have had in a long time. All of our family was together and for once theire was no bickering and fighting. I think as we are getting older, we are realizing how silly all that was at one time. Our mother in law is aging and we are all trying to make what might be her last holidays with us, enjoyable ones.

I do have some pics of my tulips I wanted to share with you.

4 wheeler vent

2006-05-25T21:53:00.000-07:00

A business near us had to shut down and put 6 people and the owner out of work. Oh, it iwas a small business and some people might find it no great loss because of the number of people put out of work, not to mention a good man having his life ruined because some kids decided to ride a four wheeler on his propet and one of them wrecked and was severly hurt.The girls parents decided to sue for a large amount of money. They sued and won such a large amount, the man decided he could no longer operate his business because he money she won, wiped him out. He had signs up but there is little that can be done even if the signs asking them to stay off are there. I don't know if he could have won if he let it go to court or not but I would have taken them to court had it been me.

I was told by a state trooper that if they come onto my property I was to take their keys and ask them to walk off the property then call the cops to report them. They would make them remove the four wheelers.

I am not anti four wheelers but I do think they should not be on my property unless I give them permission. And I should not be responsible for what happens to them when they are on their without my permission. I was always taught to respect other people's property and not to do anything on their property without asking permission.

With all the deaths being caused by these things, I have to wonder why there is not more outrage over the kids being killed on them. Some that are killed on them are ten and under. That is way to young for kids to be driving them, I don't care where they are driving them. There should be an age limit and they should be liscensed. Those kids that were almost killed were thirteen and fourteen. I feel sorry for the kids that are hurt and many whose lives are ruined because to their injuries or they have to live with the fact they lost a loved one because their parents allowed them to ride four wheelers without an adult around to supervise. My friend lost a twelve year old son to such an accident. He was driving and it flipped over, killing him. While I sympathized with her, I wanted to grab her and scream, 'He was twelve! Why in the hell was he driving that thing? Couldn't you say no to him once?" He always got what he wanted to so he got a fourwheeler for his birthday.......

I had to stop and save this for awhile because I get bent out of shape and so frustrated when I think of how lax the laws are where these dangerous machines are concerned.

If you own a four wheeler, please treat it with the same respect you would a car and do not let young kids ride them unsupervised. Before riding it on someone else's property, please ask. If they say no, move on.....

2006-05-22T22:07:00.000-07:00

I had a very good day to day. My youngest is moving out and we decided to give her our couch. It was the one we had in the family room in the basement. We had two couches, on chair and a day bed there. I decided to make her room into a sewing room so I am bringing the day bed up there tomorrow. I want to fix it up so I can sit there and quilt while watching some of my shows. I have been tearing it all out and moving stuff in. I felt kinda sad about it all but she must move on. I did not want anyone holding me back from life and I will not do that to her.

I cried while hubby and I moved the stuff but had my tears dried when I got to her apartment. It was a nice visit with her and she is coming tomorrow. She has her cat, taters with her. Yes, I parted with taters and was so worried about how he would relate to her roomies cat and they are like the best buddies. I was happy for both the cat and my daughter. Sounds weird, I know but that is how I felt.

All and all, it was good day. :)

Lost Arts....

2006-05-17T21:23:00.000-07:00

Recently I made my daughter a quilt. She took it to college and showed to some of her friends. They thought she bought it from the amish. When she told them I made it they were amazed. They could not believe someone made that by hand unless they did it for a career. I never liked to think of myself as an artist but the quilts I make are my own designs. I do not follow anyone's pattern. Most are quilted by hand, not machineTherefore, her art teacher told her I am an artist working on a type of lost art.

I think there is something sad about the fact that so many things that we once did for enjoyment or necessity have now become a lost art.

Jelly making is what I talked about in a previous post. It too, has been on the list of lost arts. So is canning. It is so much easier go to store and pick things up. But it is better for us? At least with canning or making your own jelly, you know what is going into the food you eat. You don't know that when you walk into walmarts and pick up some chicken, exactly what that chicken ha been fed and I think that is a great problem today.

There are other lost arts fading away and someday we will wake up and realize just how special it was to know how to do those things.

Jelly

2006-05-17T21:15:00.000-07:00

Recently I was talking to some young women and they were wondering how in the world anyone would make jelly. Now these are bright young women and I like them alot so I tried to be very patient and explain to them how one makes jelly. Two of them seemed impressed but one said she would never eat jelly again.

I know women have to work and they do not have the time to make things at home like they once did and I understand that. I also feel a little bit sad when I realize how much they are misssing out by not knowing some of these things or sharing that time with their mom doing it. Some of my best memories are of picking strawberries in the summer, or other types of berries and helping my foster mom pour the hot jelly into jars while we listened to the latest tunes on the radio or she talked about life on the farm as she grew up. She made it fun and made some great memories for me to look back on now.

I have made every kind of jelly imaginable. Rose Jelly, violet jelly, dandelion jelly. All kinds of berry preserves and jellies.

Oh, I have some jello out there....maybe I could make some jelly out of it? *s*

Okay, so I bargained with God.....

2006-05-16T19:50:00.000-07:00

I stood out on my front porch and surveyed the soggy mess that is my front yard then looked to the heavens and said, 'Please God, send this rain to Arizona or some other place that needs this rain. We don't need it any more.' Did he listen? No. It is still raining. *sigh* I tried to think of all the things I could tell God, I would do if he would agree to do this but I am such a good girl, there is no way I could improve upon myself. *s* So I guess we are stuck with the rain til it moves out of here. A month or two I will be complianing cause there is no rain so I think I shold just decide to be satisfied with what we get.

How depressing

2006-05-14T12:01:00.000-07:00

It know it should be a great mothers day and all that but my husband had to get out some pics to show us that he took of my daughter and I falling asleep on the couch. She was on one end of our reclining couch and I was on the other. The depressing thing was, when I saw my pic, I did not see me but I saw my mother lying there with her mouth open, snoring. When did I turn into my mother?

I was once beautiful, young and had a figure that made men turn their heads. Now, I am nothing more than an embodiement of my mother. How sad is that???:(

Attention Dog owners...cats too if they are like one of mine and not picky

2006-05-13T13:36:00.000-07:00

Attention Dog Owners
>
>
> Please read this and make sure to pay close attention to what you buy
> and what your dog eats when out and about. Pass this along to other dog
> owners and lovers.
>
>
>
> Verified by Snopes
> VERIFIED ALSO BY GOOGLE
> Yesterday one of our dog agility friends experienced a tragedy and wanted
> me to pass a special message along to all of my dog loving friends and
> family. Please tell dog owner you know.
> Over the weekend the doting owner of two young lab mixes purchased Cocoa
> Mulch from Target to use in their garden. They loved the way it smelled
> and it was advertised to keep cats away from their garden. Their dog
> Calypso, decided that the mulch smelled good enough to eat and devoured a
> large helping. She vomited a few times which was typical when she eats
> something new but wasn't acting lethargic in any way. The next day, Mom
> woke up and took Calypso out for her morning walk. Half way through the
> walk, she had a seizure and died instantly.
> Although the mulch had NO warnings printed on the label, upon further
> investigation on the company? s website, this product is HIGHLY toxic to
> dogs.
> Cocoa Mulch is manufactured by Hershey's, and they claim that "It is
true
> that studies have shown that 50% of the dogs that eat Cocoa Mulch can
> suffer physical harm to a variety of degrees (depending on each individual
> dog). However, 98% of all dogs won't eat it."
> True information about the mulch can be found here -
> http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/cocoa.htm This site gives the
> following information:
> Cocoa Mulch, which is sold by Home Depot, Foreman's Garden Supply and
> other Garden supply stores, contains a lethal ingredient called
> "Theobromine".
> It is lethal to dogs and cats. It smells like chocolate and it really
> attracts dogs. They will ingest this stuff and die. Several deaths already
> occurred in the last 2-3 weeks. Just a word of caution ? check what you
> are using in your gardens and be aware of what your gardeners are using in
> your gardens.
> Theobromine is the ingredient that is used to make all chocolate ?
> especially dark or baker's chocolate ? which is toxic to dogs.
> Cocoa bean shells contain potentially toxic quantities of theobromine, a
> xanthine compound similar in effects to caffeine and theophylline. A dog
> that ingested a lethal quantity of garden mulch made from cacao bean
> shells developed severe convulsions and died 17 hours later. Analysis of
> the stomach contents and the ingested cacao bean shells revealed the
> presence of lethal amounts of theobromine.
> Please email the manufacturer at michellemessick@hersheys.com and request
> that accurate information about this product be posted on the packaging to
> avoid further tragedy.
> PLEASE GIVE THIS WIDEST DISTRIBUTION
>
>

Another vent

2006-05-06T21:28:00.000-07:00

A business near us had to shut down and put 6 people and the owner out of work. Oh, it iwas a small business and some people might find it no great loss because of the number of people put out of work, not to mention a good man having his life ruined because some kids decided to ride a four wheeler on his propet and one of them wrecked and was severly hurt.

The girls parents decided to sue for a large amount of money. They sued and won such a large amount, the man decided he could no longer operate his business because he money she won, wiped him out. He had signs up but there is little that can be done even if the signs asking them to stay off are there. I don't know if he could have won if he let it go to court or not but I would have taken them to court had it been me.

I was told by a state trooper that if they come onto my property I was to take their keys and ask them to walk off the property then call the cops to report them. They would make them remove the four wheelers.

I am not anti four wheelers but I do think they should not be on my property unless I give them permission. And I should not be responsible for what happens to them when they are on their without my permission. I was always taught to respect other people's property and not to do anything on their property without asking permission.

With all the deaths being caused by these things, I have to wonder why there is not more outrage over the kids being killed on them. Some that are killed on them are ten and under. That is way to young for kids to be driving them, I don't care where they are driving them. There should be an age limit and they should be liscensed. Those kids that were almost killed were thirteen and fourteen.

I feel sorry for the kids that are hurt and many whose lives are ruined because to their injuries or they have to live with the fact they lost a loved one because their parents allowed them to ride four wheelers without an adult around to supervise. My friend lost a twelve year old son to such an accident. He was driving and it flipped over, killing him. While I sympathized with her, I wanted to grab her and scream, 'He was twelve! Why in the hell was he driving that thing? Couldn't you say no to him once?" He always got what he wanted to so he got a fourwheeler for his birthday.......

I had to stop and save this for awhile because I get bent out of shape and so frustrated when I think of how lax the laws are where these dangerous machines are concerned.

If you own a four wheeler, please treat it with the same respect you would a car and do not let young kids ride them unsupervised. Before riding it on someone else's property, please ask. If they say no, move on.....

Myspace rant....

2006-05-06T20:35:00.000-07:00

I heard again on the news about a child preditor picking up young girls on myspace. The tone of the news commentor sorta ticked me off cause it was like he was blaming the myspace owners for all the perverts picking up kids on there.

I have an account on myspace. I do not go there often but there is a friend who is on there and she keeps in touch with me that way. I have seen some of the blogs written by the young kids on there. The language is atrocious. They make it plain why they are on there. There are pics of very scantily clad girls in provocative clothing. Young girls, not young women. Some are only 12, maybe, 13 years old.

My first thought when I saw some of them was, where are their parents? Why are their parents allowing them to post such filth and in many cases they had their full name and address. It would not be hard for a pedophile to find them.

My daughters both have myspace accounts. I never allowed them to post their pics up there until they were adults then they could do it if they wished. Our computer Was always in the main part of the house while they were young. I could see what they were posting and how when I walked by and they never knew when I was going to walk by. They did not have computers in their rooms til they were over 18.

So why blame myspace when these girls disappear? I think the ones to blame are the men who trick them and take advantage of them and the parents who do not control what their kids are doing on a computer. I do not think the kids are at fault as they are too young to realize the danger they are putting themselves in when they put so much out there on the net.

If the parents have done all they could to prevent it, then the blame lies solely on the pervert who did it. Not myspace.

Friday..........

2006-05-05T20:26:00.000-07:00

My daughter called late, very late last night. She was imbibing. Sharing the bubbly with some friends. She was feeling very tipsy and talking to me. I just asked her if she was driving and she said no, she was at her friends house and they were staying over. We talked for awhile and I thought some of the stuff she was saying was goofy but that was okay. I have always kept the phone lines open for my kids. Always. I could call my mom any time of the day or night and that is what I miss about not having her. She is not here for me to call at 1 in the morning if I so chose and talk to her or cry on her shoulder as I often did.

My husband was so mad at her for calling and mad at me for not chastizing her for calling while she was drinking. I told him that my phone lines and doors would always be open to my kids no matter what time of the day or night it is. Drunk or sober. She is normally a very responsilbe young woman who is doing very well in school and holding down two jobs. I have only known her to be drunk a few times and I often look back and think of what I was like at 22 and I was no way near as responsible as she is.

I think our kids have to feel they can talk to us about things or we will lose them. Or, their trust in us and when they are young adults, they often need us as much as they did when they were teens. Just in a different way.

I do not want to shove them out the door or make them feel as though they cannot talk to me. I will never do that either.

getting tired of this...

2006-05-03T22:26:00.000-07:00

For some reason my blog will not publish. I keep trying and none of the ones for may first are coming up. I will try to republish the blog, I guess. My gripe right now is contacting blogger to try and find out why things are not working. I think they should have a button on the page where it says contact us but they don't. I did find the page in blogger help though.

He is leaving...

2006-05-01T13:22:00.000-07:00

Some time ago my eldest daughter called to tell me about this woman who was going to drown her one kitten if she could not find a home for it. I wanted to kill the woman but my daughter wanted the cat so I took him. But my daughter moved out to a place where she cannot have a cat when the kitten was very young. I made up my mind to keep him til I found a home for him. A good home. Well, I found a home for taters and he is leaving next week. *sniff* My youngest and her roommates want him. I would keep him but I have three others and the one does not like Tater Tots. But he is going to a great home.......

It is not that I have not been around...

2006-04-29T13:34:00.000-07:00

Oh, I have been around. In and out checking other people's blog but not my own. You see I have an enemy that shows up every year at this time... It is called pollen and the graft shows what it is like in our area this time of the year. It is one of the worst springs ever for it. 11.0 is about as high as you can go. My head aches, my eyes itch, my nose runs and I am am miserable most of the time right now cause of this nasty bugger. Pollen levels between 8.1 and 12.0 tend to affect most individuals who suffer from the pollen types of the season. Symptoms may become more severe during days with high pollen levels. It has been running like this for about three weeks. I would like to see some relief. *snif* but it does not look likely that will happen.

I am hating spring this year. I do not like hating spring. I am supposed to be happy and cheerful that the winter is gone. Thank god For benedryl and the eye drops my dr. gave me.

holidays

2006-04-13T22:48:00.000-07:00

Why are holidays never what I expect them to be? I love the idea of getting together with my family and all and look forward to it so much but it seems as though there is always someone who wants to mess it all up. There is always some family member who wants to throw a wrench into the whole deal. Somebody wants to fight because things are not going their way or they do not want someone at the dinner cause they are not speaking to them.

And of course they try and pull me in on it but I am refusing to allow myself to be pulled in. I will not do it. I will not tell certain relatives they have to stay away. I love them all and do not want all this stuff going on. I have heard of it happening in other families but did not think it would happen in mine. But it has and it is sad.....

Does anyone know..........

2006-04-08T22:50:00.000-07:00

Where I have put half the stuff in my house? We have been putting tile down in the kitchen and I have been moving stuff around and redoing things and I have managed to lose quite a bit of stufff. I cannot find either of my digital cameras and my manual for my samsung maxima 105 is long gone and I am angry. So angry at myself I am spitting nails. I have no clue where anything is. I have the worst habit of putting things away so I will know where I can find them and not being able to find them. Grrr...................

a woman's poem

2006-04-02T21:38:00.000-07:00

I dread the day my husband retires. Mainly because I do not want him under my feet all the time telling me the things he feels I should know about housekeeping. He has been starting to do that alot lately when it is cold out and he cannot get out for his walks in the woods or the work he does outside. I do not sweep the floor right. I do not set the table right. I do not dust right. Most of the time I ignore him but it can be damned irritating. My friend sent me this poem...

He didn't like the casserole

And he didn't like my cake.

My biscuits were too hard...

Not like his mother used to make.

I didn't perk the coffee right

He didn't like the stew,

I didn't mend his socks

The way his mother used to do.

I pondered for an answer

I was looking for a clue.

Then I turned around and smacked him...
Like his Mother used to do.

Today

2006-03-31T16:09:00.000-08:00

Daughter called and told me to look out my back door. I did and this is what I saw. I love rainbows. I ran for my camera and hung on her without even thinking about it.

hubby is sick

2006-03-28T22:00:00.000-08:00

Hubby has a back ache today. He is one of those kinds who never wants to go the the doctor.He just wants to sit and suffer it out. I hear women say all the time their husbands are whiners and complainers when they are sick but he is not like that at all. He just gets very quiet and never wants anyone to make a fuss over him.. He has always been like that but he does not want to go to the doctors when he should either.

He says he just pulled a muscle but I told him if it did not get better tomorrow he should go to the dr. I hope he is feeling better.

My friend....

2006-03-23T22:09:00.000-08:00

Over twenty years ago I began penpalling with a woman In Illinois. I never dreamed when I picked up that pen and started writing, I would start a friendship that would last a life time.

We wrote for several years before she came to visit me. I had been warned that I did not know her and god only knows what kind of people you meet by just writing to them. Right? Still, we met and instantly liked each other. This woman and I have been through marriages, deaths, and all of life's travails togehter. She helped me thru my grief of losing my mother and I helped her with hers when she lost her son to s drug over dose. She celebrated with me with each child I adopted and I celebrated her marriage to her life mate of 18 years. When I have a problem, I just have to pick of the phone and I have an understanding friend on the phone.

My life has been enriched by knowing her so when I hear people warning others about meeting strangers on the net, I think of the warnings I got when I first talked of meeting her. I would never dissuade anyone from meeting a potential friend but I will give some hints on what to do for your own safety.

1. Never meet them alone that first time. Always take a friend with you.
2. Do not meet them in a secluded place or in your home. Meet them in a restaruant and if the situataion does not feel right, get up and leave.
3, Carry a cell phone with you. When I met with her, it was at a restaurant. She had a friend with her and I had my husband with me.

I would not trade my experience with her for anything. I was one of the lucky ones and I hope that if you ever do decide to meet with someone you have been chatting with on the net, you are careful and you find a friend like Bonnie B. She is fantastic.

2006-03-19T18:49:00.000-08:00

I think of things to blog about at the weirdest times. Today we were on our way back from visiting our daughter when the Dixie chicks song, Traveling Soldier came on. This song was written before the little faux pas over voicing their opinion about 'Bush.

-"Travelin' Soldier"
Two days past eighteenHe was waiting for the bus in his army green
Sat down in a booth in a cafe there
Gave his order to a girl with a bow in her hair
He's a little shy so she gives him a smile
And he said would you mind sittin' down for a while
And talking to me,I'm feeling a little low
She said I'm off in an hour and I know where we can go
So they went down and they sat on the pier
He said I bet you got a boyfriend but I don't careI got no one to send a letter to
Would you mind if I sent one back here to you
Chorus:
I criedNever gonna hold the hand of another guy
Too young for him they told her
Waitin' for the love of a travelin' soldier
Our love will never end
Waitin' for the soldier to come back again
Never more to be alone when the letter said
A soldier's coming homeSo the letters came from an army camp
In California then Vietnam
And he told her of his heart
It might be love and all of the things he was so scared of
He said when it's getting kinda rough over here
I think of that day sittin' down at the pier
And I close my eyes and see your pretty smile
Don't worry but I won't be able to write for awhile
[Chorus]

One Friday night at a football gameThe Lord's Prayer said and the Anthem sang
A man said folks would you bow your heads
For a list of local Vietnam dead
Crying all alone under the stands
Was a piccolo player in the marching band
And one name read and nobody really cared
But a pretty little girl with a bow in her hair

[Chorus][Chorus]

These women were never against the soldiers, yet they were demonized by the press and the country music stations. These same country music stations that refuse to play their music will play the ones by Toby keith and others who are making money off this war. These women were against Bush and the idea that war solves our problems. I applaud them.

I am not against the soldiers. I am against the leader who sends them to such a war.

and this is how my day began.........

2006-03-17T22:39:00.000-08:00

It started out like any other day. One of those days where nothing was going to happen. My daughter and I were going to go for a day of shopping and let me tell you, I am not a shopper. I have been doing far too much of it for my liking so I just would have rather crawled back in bed and pulled my covers over my head but my daughter loves these shopping excusions and I try to please her. We were tooling down the road about fifteen miles from home when she discovered she left her liscense at home. She informed me would drive the rest of the way without them but I said no we would go back after them.

We drove back and ripped the house apart trying to find her liscense. It was not here but a very irate husband was. We had awakened him from his nap that he takes when he is on the midnight shift and he was not a happy camper. Preceded to lecture our daughter on her forgetfulness when it comes to such things as her liscense. Alot of good that did. Right?

Turns out my dauthgers liscense was at her friends house about a hundred miles away. She needed it for her job so we made a day of circling this area of the state. Hubby drove us in to do our shopping cause she needed art supplies for her classes. Then drove up to her friends places. A lovely drive. Then we went to an Italian restaurant where the served the best shrimp scampi I have ever tasted. All in all it was a great day and I am tired. I am just too old for all this runnign around....lol

It is still funny

2006-03-14T22:07:00.000-08:00

A friend sent me this...I am sending cause I often thought of doing something like this and the thought of doing it makes me chuckle....Anger Management
When you occasionally have a really bad day, and you just need to take it out on someone, don't take it out on someone you know. Take it out on someone you don't know. I was sitting at my desk when I remembered a phone call I'd forgotten to make. I found the number and dialed it.

A man answered, saying "Hello."I politely said, "This is Chris. Could I please speak with Robyn Carter?"
Suddenly a manic voice yelled out in my ear, "Get the right ****ing number!" and the phone was slammed down on me. I couldn't believe that anyone could be so rude.
When I tracked down Robyn's correct number to call her, I found that I had accidentally transposed the last two digits.
After hanging up with her, I decided to call the 'wrong' number again.
When the same guy answered the phone, I yelled "You're an asshole!" and hung up. I wrote his number down with the word 'asshole' next to it, and put it in my desk drawer. Every couple of weeks, when I was paying bills or had a really bad day, I'd call him up and yell, "You're an asshole!" It always cheered me up.When Caller, ID was introduced, I thought my therapeutic 'asshole' calling would have to stop.So, I called his number and said, "Hi, this is John Smith from the Telstra. I'm calling to see if you're familiar with our Caller ID Program?"He yelled "NO!" and slammed down the phone. I quickly called him back and said, "That's because you're an asshole!"
One day I was at the store, getting ready to pull into a parking spot. Some guy in a black BMW cut me off and pulled into the spot I had patiently waited for. I hit the horn and yelled that I'd been waiting for that spot, but the idiot ignored me. I noticed a "For Sale" sign in his back window, so I wrote down his number.A couple of days later, right after calling the first asshole (I had his number on speed dial), I thought that I'd better call the BMW asshole, too. I said, "Is this the man with the black BMW for sale?""Yes, it is," he said.
"Can you tell me where I can see it?" I asked. "Yes, I live at 34 Mowbray Boulevard, in Vaucluse. It's a yellow house, and the car's parked right out in front.""What's your name?" I asked."My name is Don Hansen," he said."When's a good time to catch you, Don?""I'm home every evening after five.""Listen, Don, can I tell you something?""Yes.""Don, you're an asshole!" Then I hung up, and added his number to my speed dial, too.Now, when I had a problem, I had two assholes to call. Then I came up with an idea.
I called Asshole #1.
"Hello." "You're an asshole!" (But I didn't hang up.)
"Are you still there?" he asked.
"Yeah," I said.
"Stop calling me," he screamed.
"Make me." I said.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"My name is Don Hansen." "
Yeah? Where do you live?"
"Asshole, I live at 34 Mowbray Boulevard, Vaucluse, a yellow house, with my black Beamer parked in front."
He said, "I'm coming over right now, Don. And you had better start saying your prayers."
I said, "Yeah, like I'm really scared, asshole," and hung up.
Then I called Asshole #2.
"Hello?" he said.
"Hello, asshole," I said.
He yelled, "If I ever find out who you are..."
"You'll what?" I asked.
"I'll kick your ass," he exclaimed.
I answered, "Well, asshole, here's your chance. I'm coming over right now."
Then I hung up and immediately called the police, saying that I lived at 34 Mowbray Boulevard, Vaucluse, and that I was on my way over there to kill my gay lover. Then I called Channel 9 News about the gang war going down on Mowbray Boulevard, in Vaucluse. I quickly got into my car and headed over to Mowbray. I got there just in time to watch two assholes beating the crap out of each other in front of six cop cars, an overhead police helicopter and a news crew. NOW I feel much better.

Anger management really works.

Daughters, Beware of my curse. It may come true.

2006-03-12T15:29:00.000-08:00

My daughters both had to have cell phones. They gave me all the pros and cons of life with a cell phone and compared it to life without a cell phone. For me, life without a cellphone meant I would not have to pay their cellphone bills. For them, it meant they would not be able to call their friends every five minutes to see what they are up to. I knew this but their selling techinque was to tell me that I would be able to talk to them when I needed to hear their sweet voices and they would pay the cell phone bill.

So why am I looking at a 180 dollars in phone bills and two daughters who will not return phone calls unless they want money or want me to do something for them? They say, 'But mom, I was going to call you but I got busy.' Or, 'Mom, janie's phone was not working and I loaned her mine for a few days.' (I felt my temperature rise at that one.)

Okay, I say, I am going to have the phones shut off tomorrow.' But mom they wail, how are we going to be able to talk to you or call you in an emergency? How are you going to call us."

I felt like telling them to use morse code but I just glared and gave them the same Mother's curse my mom gave me. I shook my finger at them and said, "Some day you are going to have kids that act just like you and I hope I am around to see it."

Bewtitched, Bothered and Bewildered

2006-03-08T13:18:00.000-08:00

Nothing moves me as much a music does. I think it really does soothe the soul if it is the right kind of music. It all depends on the mood I am in as to what kind of music moves me.

Right now I am listening to something I never thought I would actually enjoy listening to and that is music from the forties and early fifties. For some reason I decided to order a set of cds Rod Stewart put out Called American Songbook and there are five volumes I think. I two of them.

I guess I ordered them because the songs were songs my foster sisters listened to when I was younger. And as I listen to them now, I think of the long summer walks we had. The talks they gave me about life, love and men in general. The giggles as they shared some of their experiences with me. It was during those times they treated me like a real sister and I could pretend I was their sister. Happy times for me.

Sometimes I play country music and think of my biological mother and all the good times we shared once I got to know her as a good friend. We would listen to Dolly and Porter as she shared her thoughts on life with me. Then we would visit my aunt who taught me to crochet and we would crocehet and and listen to country music for hours while she told me about my biological family and many of the things you all grew up hearing, I was hearing for the first time in my life. It was comforting to me to realize I could look at her and my biological Mom and see someone who resembles me. Good times for me.

My foster mom was very religious and only gospel music came from her finger tips as she played 'I'll fly Away' or 'Amazing Grace'.

So the next time you are blue or feeling like the world is closing in on you, just turn the world off and listen to the sound of whatever music moves you. If you really let it, it can take you away to another time.

Respect for the elderly...

2006-03-05T13:28:00.000-08:00

I heard a woman tell her son how he should show nothing but respect for the older generation. I agree with this woman and taught my kids to always respect those who are older then they are but I often wonder if the older generation always deserves their respect at all times.

I am out and among older people and I often hear them say nothing but nasty stuff about this younger generation. They are rude to the kids. They yell at them and call them names. They talk about how stupid todays kids are all the time and how they had to work so much harder than the kids of today.

Yes many of the elderly had it tough. But so do many of the teens of today. While they are belittling the young ones who was being the lazy layabouts some call them, they are forgetting the millions of teens who get up and go to school or college for the day then go to a job that helps pay their way thru school or for whatever things they might need in life and I have seen kids go out of their way to be respectful of adults only to be sworn at or called names for the silliest reasons. They often feel they have the right to push kids aside and be first in line and such things simply because they are older. I have seen some even elbow smaller kids out the way when walking. It's as though they are shoving them aside and saying, 'get out of the way.' Instead of quietly saying, 'excuse me, please.'

Not only are the physical about it at time but you always have those little old women who like to sit and gossip about the younger generation.

I think that so many forget what it is to be young . Not long ago I heard a woman belittle a young woman who was pregnant. Appareantly this woman forgot that she was in the same vote several years ago and people were talking about her. I just looked at the woman and said, 'well, some of us should not talk.' She did not know what to say but there are countless times I have seen that happen and have wondered if these women think we have all forgotten what happened when we were that age.

I was raised by an elderly person. She was wonderful and knew how to relate to people of all ages and one of the first things learned from her was to show respect for others. Not just elders but for people in general and it seems to me that we are lacking that in todays world so we, as part of the older genearation should show our young people what many of us were taught. Show them respect when they deserve and when they make a mistake, teach them that it is alright to do so without belittling them.

I tell old and young alike, if they want respect they have to earn it.

3 A.M.

2006-03-02T23:44:00.000-08:00

I would like to do a long blog again but it is too early in the morning for my brain to function so I doubt this will be as long.

My daughter and her gay brigade may come home this weekend. She is in college and she does not have a boyfriend at this time but she has several gay male friends who make sure she is safe and has a date if she feels the need to go out to a movie or something. Her college has had a rape and a couple of killings on it so her friends tell her to call them if she wants to go across campus or out for an evening and no one will mess with her. She was out the other night and called Mike to walk back to her room with her. Now, Mike is not a wussy gay man. He is short but built like a bull and can beat the crap out of just about anyone. He works out all the time and she feels safe with Mike and some of his friends.

My husband was a little concerned about this cause people are calling her a fag-hag but I was called that, or something similiar when I was young too. I guess I am an old fag-hag. I have some great male friends that are gay so I I guess she is taking that after me.

I like it when her friends come with her. They are great guys and they love my cookies.

Now some may think my daughter is lesbian and one person even asked me that cause of all the gay men she hangs out with. I said, no she isn't but it would not matter to me cause I would love her any way. She is mine!' Gay or straight. I told her about it and she just laughed and said, "Trust me mom, I am not gay. Just cause Clyde and mike(mike's ex) are gay, that does not mean I am. I date guys mom."

Anyway, I have to get up early and make sure I have food here for the weekend.

sad story for me.............

2006-02-27T21:51:00.000-08:00

Someone told me once that children are our most valued resources and we should treat them with love and kindness. Gently guide them thru life. I believe that. I think most sane people do but I wonder why we allow our children to be treated so horrendously?

I opened the newspaper today and read this story. I cried. http://www.butlereagle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060227/NEWS03/602270386
Ricky Holland's decomposed body was recovered from a roadside ditch in late January, his adoptive parents, the ones chosen by the foster care agency in their area are accused of his murder. Apparently they beat him to death with a hammer.

I could not have children and when I read about people like this having a child, whether it is thru adoption or natural, I want to scream out to God, "Why?" Why in hell do they have kids or are even allowed near them without being struck dead? I am pro life in all issues but when I read stuff Iike this, I can see how people can reach out and kill someone over such an act for just a second.

I just broke down and cried to the point where my husband told me he would take me out to dinner. Of course it was snowing so bad by the time we got ready, we just decided to order out but it has been such a horrible thought to me that anyone can do things to a child like that. I know I should not go off the deep end but part of the writing showed how he went to neighbors and asked them for food because he was hungry and he asked one neighbor if he could live with her cause she gave him a peanut butter sandwich.

Why do we allow this to happen? Why are the foster care systems in this country run so poorly then they are so secretive about many of their cases? They should be held accountable for this boys death just as those parents are.

A story that is not a story.....

2006-02-23T20:40:00.000-08:00

Did you ever know someone who seemed to have so much in life and yet when the truth was known, she had nothing at all?

I had a foster cousin whose was one of those beautiful kids. She was pretty from the day she was born. People would look at her and remark how lovely she was. I did not dislike her but I envied her. She was so pretty boys would look at her then say to me, 'How can someone as ugly as you be related to her?' She really did have that kind of beauty.

The girl had been spoiled rotten by her parents. They bought her everything money could buy and I envied her so for it all. On her sixteeenth birthday they got her a car, a mink, and a poodle cause she wanted all three. (I hated the ugly stole. It looked much better on the mink.)

She had parents who loved her and she thought they loved each other til on her twenty first birthday her dad moved out cause he made a deal with her mom that he would only live in the house with them til this girl turned twenty one. He then moved in with another family this girl knew nothing about but they did.

But that did not matter. She still had the good looking body, the hunk for a husband, and the lovely daughter who was just as perfect as her mother.

Imagine my surprise one day when this lovely creature told me she was jealous of me. Moi? I asked. Why? "Because you had my grandmother and she loved you."

"Your grandmother loved you too," I said. "And you had your parents."

"I had their money and what it could buy,"she said. "Not their time."

I would like to give a happy ending to this story but it is not a story and I can't give it happy ending yet. This girl turned into the type of parent her mother was. Her husband left her for a younger model when she in her forties and she inherited alot of money from her father and her mother but she spent most of her time traveling while her daughter was in boarding school and she and her daughter are estranged from each other. She has become very bitter towards everyone in the family because of some imagined injustices supposedly done to her in the past. She is not bitter towards me but towards others who will not bend to her will.

Or, it seems that way.

But I really think she is a sad, lonely creature who never learned how to love anyone. After all, she learned it all from her parents....

dog diary vs cat diary

2006-02-22T13:34:00.000-08:00

The dog's diary:

7 am - Oh boy! A walk! My favorite!

8 am - Oh boy! Dog food! My favorite!

9 am - Oh boy! The kids! My favorite!

Noon - Oh boy! The yard! My favorite!

1 pm - Oh boy! My poop! My favorite!

2 pm - Oh boy! A car ride! My favorite!

3 pm - Oh boy! Sniffing butts! My favorite!

4 pm - Oh boy! Playing ball! My favorite!

6 pm - Oh boy! Welcome home Mom! My favorite!

7 pm - Oh boy! Welcome home Dad! My favorite!

8 pm - Oh boy! Dog food! My favorite!

9 pm - Oh boy! Tummy rubs! My favorite!

11 pm - Oh boy! Sleeping! My favorite!

The cat's diary:

Day 183 of my captivity... My captors continued to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on

fresh meat, while I am forced to eat dry cereal. The only thing that keeps me going is the hope of escape, and the mild

satisfaction I get from clawing the furniture.

Tomorrow I may eat another house plant. Today my attempt to kill my captors by weaving around their feet while they were walking almost succeeded - must try this at the top of the stairs. In an attempt to disgust and repulse these vile oppressors, I once again induced myself to vomit on their favorite chair - must try this on their bed. Decapitated a mouse and brought them the headless body in an attempt to make them aware of what I am capable of, and to try to strike fear in their hearts. They only cooed and condescended about what a good little cat I was. Hmmm, not working according to plan. There was some sort of gathering of their accomplices. I was placed in solitary throughout the event. However, I could hear the noise

and smell the food. More important, I overheard that my

confinement was due to my powers of inducing "allergies." Must learn what this is and how to use it to my advantage.

I am convinced the other captives are flunkies and maybe snitches. The dog is routinely released and seems more than happy to return. He is obviously a half-wit. The bird, on the other hand, has got to be an informant and speaks with them regularly. I am certain he reports my every move. Due to his current placement in the metal room, his safety is assured. But I can wait; it is only a matter of time.

2006-02-21T22:12:00.000-08:00

How many of you feed your dogs greenie treats? There have been several reports of dogs getting sick and, in some cases dying while eating these treats.

this is an article from a paper in kansas city. We have also had some deaths here in Pa.

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (CNN) -- At least 13 dogs have died after being fed the top-selling pet treat in the country, owners and veterinarians have told CNN.
The problem comes because the treats, called Greenies, become lodged in a dog's esophagus or intestine and then some veterinarians say they don't break down.
"I know they are marketed in saying that they do digest. Certainly the ones that we've taken out, esophageal or intestinal, that have been in for days are still very hard," Brendan McKiernan, a board-certified veterinary internal medicine specialist from Denver, Colorado, told CNN. (Watch a vet retrieve a two-day old, undigested Greenie from a dog -- 7:40)
Greenies recommends owners check that the treats are chewed and Joe Roetheli - who launched the brand as a treat that can freshen a dog's breath and clean its teeth - said it was important to pick the correct chew for a particular dog. There are 7 different sizes to choose from depending on the size of the dog.
But most of the dog owners CNN talked to say they did follow package instructions and they still had a problem.
Mike Eastwood and his wife, Jenny Reiff, recently filed a $5 million lawsuit in New York, blaming Greenies for the intestinal blockage that caused the death of their dog Burt.
"I'm mad that their packaging states that the product is 100 percent edible, highly digestible and veterinarian approved, yet our dog died of it," Eastwood told CNN.
S&M NuTec, which manufactures the toothbrush-shaped chew, won't comment on the case but in court papers denied the allegations.
Roetheli said the focus should be on the dental benefits and Greenies are saving dogs' lives by lowering the risk of periodontal disease.
He says feeding Greenies is far safer than putting a dog under anesthesia to clean teeth.
"Dogs really love the product!" he said. "They do a very effective job of cleaning teeth and freshening breath."
Any suggestion that Greenies are defective was rejected by Roetheli, who developed Greenies with his wife, Judy.
"Our product is safe. It is used every day by thousands of dogs, millions a week and it is basically a very safe product."
A CNN investigation uncovered 40 cases since 2003 where a veterinarian had to extract a Greenie from a dog after the treat became lodged either in the animal's esophagus or intestine. In 13 of those cases, the pet died.
One of those was Tyson, Josh Glass and Leah Falls' 8-month-old boxer, who was taken to Brent-Air Animal Hospital in Los Angeles, California, where vet Dr. Kevin Schlanger found the animal had a blocked intestine.
"It was very clear that it was something dense and firm that had caused the obstruction," Schlanger said. He removed a Greenie from the intestine.
McKiernan's says his Denver clinic has seen at least seven cases in the past five years, which he says is an unusually high number. That prompted him to start researching and writing a paper to warn other veterinarians of the problem.
He says his research, which he hopes to get published in a veterinary journal, shows compressed vegetable chew treats, of which Greenies is the most popular, are now the third biggest cause of esophageal obstruction in dogs behind bones and fish hooks.
The federal Food and Drug Administration says it's looking into eight consumer complaints about Greenies but has no formal investigation.
The issue has also been the topic of news reports across the country.
The chews are made of digestible products like wheat gluten and fiber, experts say, but the molding process makes the treat very firm and hard.
Roetheli, who runs S&M NuTec from Kansas City, Missouri, says Greenies do break down when properly chewed and swallowed by a dog.
He told CNN that any product has the potential to cause an obstruction in a dog and that Greenies packaging warns dog owners to monitor their dog to ensure the treat is adequately chewed. "Gulping any item can be harmful or even fatal to a dog," the package says.
The company's Web site addresses the issue in its FAQ section with the question "When giving an animal Greenies, does it affect their digestive system?" The answer "The only time dogs would be unable to digest anything would be if they didn't chew it up before they swallowed it. Canine and Feline Greenies are highly digestible when chewed."
The company says the number of complaints it has received is very low in relation to the vast numbers of treats sold, and CNN spoke with several vets who recommended Greenies.
Introduced in 1998, we found Greenies now selling for about $16 a pound. Last year, 325 million individual treats were sold around the world, nearly three times the sales of its nearest competitor Milk Bone, according to the marketing company Euromonitor International.
"At the end of the day ... literally millions of Greenies are enjoyed by dogs on a weekly basis with absolutely no incidentsKANSAS CITY, Missouri (CNN) -- At least 13 dogs have died after being fed the top-selling pet treat in the country, owners and veterinarians have told CNN.
The problem comes because the treats, called Greenies, become lodged in a dog's esophagus or intestine and then some veterinarians say they don't break down.
"I know they are marketed in saying that they do digest. Certainly the ones that we've taken out, esophageal or intestinal, that have been in for days are still very hard," Brendan McKiernan, a board-certified veterinary internal medicine specialist from Denver, Colorado, told CNN. (Watch a vet retrieve a two-day old, undigested Greenie from a dog -- 7:40)
Greenies recommends owners check that the treats are chewed and Joe Roetheli - who launched the brand as a treat that can freshen a dog's breath and clean its teeth - said it was important to pick the correct chew for a particular dog. There are 7 different sizes to choose from depending on the size of the dog.
But most of the dog owners CNN talked to say they did follow package instructions and they still had a problem.
Mike Eastwood and his wife, Jenny Reiff, recently filed a $5 million lawsuit in New York, blaming Greenies for the intestinal blockage that caused the death of their dog Burt.
"I'm mad that their packaging states that the product is 100 percent edible, highly digestible and veterinarian approved, yet our dog died of it," Eastwood told CNN.
S&M NuTec, which manufactures the toothbrush-shaped chew, won't comment on the case but in court papers denied the allegations.
Roetheli said the focus should be on the dental benefits and Greenies are saving dogs' lives by lowering the risk of periodontal disease.
He says feeding Greenies is far safer than putting a dog under anesthesia to clean teeth.
"Dogs really love the product!" he said. "They do a very effective job of cleaning teeth and freshening breath."
Any suggestion that Greenies are defective was rejected by Roetheli, who developed Greenies with his wife, Judy.
"Our product is safe. It is used every day by thousands of dogs, millions a week and it is basically a very safe product."
A CNN investigation uncovered 40 cases since 2003 where a veterinarian had to extract a Greenie from a dog after the treat became lodged either in the animal's esophagus or intestine. In 13 of those cases, the pet died.
One of those was Tyson, Josh Glass and Leah Falls' 8-month-old boxer, who was taken to Brent-Air Animal Hospital in Los Angeles, California, where vet Dr. Kevin Schlanger found the animal had a blocked intestine.
"It was very clear that it was something dense and firm that had caused the obstruction," Schlanger said. He removed a Greenie from the intestine.
McKiernan's says his Denver clinic has seen at least seven cases in the past five years, which he says is an unusually high number. That prompted him to start researching and writing a paper to warn other veterinarians of the problem.
He says his research, which he hopes to get published in a veterinary journal, shows compressed vegetable chew treats, of which Greenies is the most popular, are now the third biggest cause of esophageal obstruction in dogs behind bones and fish hooks.
The federal Food and Drug Administration says it's looking into eight consumer complaints about Greenies but has no formal investigation.
The issue has also been the topic of news reports across the country.
The chews are made of digestible products like wheat gluten and fiber, experts say, but the molding process makes the treat very firm and hard.
Roetheli, who runs S&M NuTec from Kansas City, Missouri, says Greenies do break down when properly chewed and swallowed by a dog.
He told CNN that any product has the potential to cause an obstruction in a dog and that Greenies packaging warns dog owners to monitor their dog to ensure the treat is adequately chewed. "Gulping any item can be harmful or even fatal to a dog," the package says.
The company's Web site addresses the issue in its FAQ section with the question "When giving an animal Greenies, does it affect their digestive system?" The answer "The only time dogs would be unable to digest anything would be if they didn't chew it up before they swallowed it. Canine and Feline Greenies are highly digestible when chewed."
The company says the number of complaints it has received is very low in relation to the vast numbers of treats sold, and CNN spoke with several vets who recommended Greenies.
Introduced in 1998, we found Greenies now selling for about $16 a pound. Last year, 325 million individual treats were sold around the world, nearly three times the sales of its nearest competitor Milk Bone, according to the marketing company Euromonitor International.
"At the end of the day ... literally millions of Greenies are enjoyed by dogs on a weekly basis with absolutely no incidents

Now as a responsible pet owner, I would never dream of giving my dogs something like that and leaving them alone. I give my dogs treats every day but I am in the room with them so if something should happen, I can help them. I did have to take a rawhide chewy out of one of my dogs throat once as he decided he had chewed it enough and he tried to swallow it. I would have lost him if I had left him alone. Luckily he is fine. So be responsible and treat your dog as you would one of your children. You would not leave a small child alone to eat so why leave your dog alone.

The vigina monologue....................

2006-02-19T00:31:00.000-08:00

Okay. I saw it and I have to say I was a bit disappointed in it. Yes, it had a great message but I wonder why it had to be so out right vulgar in some places. I mean, I did not really need to hear all the various ways of saying vigina and how how to shout cunt was just out of the question for me. It is not my idea of the proper way to handle such things. But there was some great parts in in too. The most important one for me was this little poem.....
MY SHORT SKIRT
My short skirtis not an invitationa provocationan indicationthat I want it or give i t
or that I hook.
My short skirtis not begging for it it does not want you to rip it off me or pull it down.
My short skirt is not a legal reasonfor raping me although it has been before
it will not hold up in the new court.
My short skirt, believe it or not
has nothing to do with you.
My short skirtis about discoveringthe power of my lower calvesabout cool autumn air travelingup my inner thighs
about allowing everything I seeor pass or feel to live inside.
My short skirt is not proof that I am stupidor undecidedor a malleable little girl.
My short skirt is my defiance
I will not let you make me afraid
My short skirt is not showing off this is who I am before you made me cover it
or tone it down.Get used to it.
My short skirt is happinessI can feel myself on the ground
I am here. I am hot.
My short skirt is a liberationflag in the women’s armyI declare these streets, any streetsmy vagina’s country.
My short skirtis turquoise waterwith swimming colored fisha summer festival
in the starry dark a bird callinga train arriving in a foreign townmy short skirt is a wild spin
a full breath a tango dipmy short skirt is initiation appreciation excitation.
But mainly my short skirt and everything under itis Mine.Mine.Mine.

The idea that a girl is inviting anyone to rape her cause of the clothes she wears is stupid. I used to wear very short skirts and short shorts because I felt good in them. I liked the feel of the wind whipping around my legs as I walked. My body belongs to me and no matter how I dress, no man has a right to touch it unless I tell him he can. I felt it was an important part of the monologue. The other one is about the burqa which is worn by muslin women. I do not have the words for it but It is very moving. It touched me in so many ways.

It describes how being hidden under all that clothe makes them feel invisible and it makes my heart sad for them.

Best Buds...

2006-02-14T22:30:00.000-08:00

There is an old song that goes..Let me tell you about my best friend...It comes from a sitcom way back when. I thought of it tonight when I was my dog and cat together tonight. Ollie is the kind of dog that loves everyone, including cats and nicholas is the royalty of the house. Well, one of them any way. He struts his stuff but is really a marshmallow in side. I caught this pic of the two of them a few minutes ago........................

How well do we know our neighbors...

2006-02-13T21:50:00.000-08:00

I grew up in a small town where everyone knew everyone else. Oh, they knew our business whe did not always want them to know it but we also knew that most of the folks in our town would give the shirts off their backs to help us out if they thought we needed. And, of course we were always too proud to let anyone know we needed anything.

My foster mom did not drink but when the bar next door caught fire, she was one of the firt ones out there helping serve doughnuts and coffee to the firemen who were figthing the blaze.
She often served the drunks who were too drunk to drive home, coffee. She was well known for offering coffee, pie and the bible to anyone who was willing to listen and believe it or not, many of those drunks did. Just for the taste of her homemade pie, I think.

When anyone was sick they could knock on our door and she would go out to help whoever needed it. There were times too when we were sick and we would find Mrs. Frampton or another lady helping mom take care of us. It was just something that neighbors did. What people called the neighborly thing to do. If one of them needed a sitter, I was ther to watch their kids for them and most of the time it was free of charge cause Mom would remind me that the time might come when I would need one of them to help me.

In the summer time we did not watch much t.v but we would all gather out on the front porch to play and have fun while the grownups talked about what was going on in the world. In the winter time we would be out sledding or building a snow man.

I walk through our small town now in the summer and rarely see a soul sitting out talking to their neighbors. All I see is the light of the t.v. in the window. they are busy watching t.v. or on the computer. Very few are out walking. I was happy when my daughter wrote a poem for her school one year about all the walks her and I take on a summer evening. I hope she does the same with her daughter. But, I digress...(I have been waiting ages to use that expression.)

I was talking about neighbors and how they all seem to be in their own little cubby holes, hidden behind the curtains in their home.
In the winter time I rarely see kids out playing in the snow. They are all in front of the t.v. or at the computer, much like their parents. I can't help but wonder how this can be helping them to live a long happy life. I loved making snow angels and sledding when I was a kid. They don't know what they are missing.

The town looks empty and lost sometimes. I know there is life there but it is hidden behind closed doors. I wish they would open them and step out into the sunshine again. Even the rain is wonderful to walk in when you have a friend to stop and chat with along the way.

What a great day.........

2006-02-13T20:48:00.000-08:00

Hubby is making this valentines day very special for all of us it seems. Yesterday we went and took our eldest daughter to dinner and had flowers sent to her. Today we took the youngest out to dinner and gave candy to her since she is not on a diet and could stand to gain a few pounds.

I told him I did not want candy or flowers. I hate flowers for a gift. A waste of money for me. They just die anyway and I cannot eat regular chocolate unless my sugar is low so that was out. He says I am the lucky one cause he is taking me out to dinner at our favorite italian restaurant and that will be my fourth day in a row for going out. (His mother took me out Saturday.) Anyway it has been a great week. I hope all of you have a wonderful valentines day!!!