Preliminary Kitchen Sketches.

Before I go on to be really boring about the changes to my kitchen, I just want to thank everyone for your kind words on the death of my brother. It meant and means a lot to me. Despite the fact that 19 years of non-communication had made him almost non-existent in my life in some ways, he still hovered around the edges and in my dreams. Everything about him makes me sad and angry... and confused. Some of it sounds petty when I try to explain it, but it isn't and wasn't. But anyway, thank you for your kind thoughts. Special thanks to Dianne for her post sending others to me. And to everyone for your kind thoughts, for the poems and wise thoughts and cyber hugs. They are much appreciated.

**********

Now... I have to warn you that I'm going to be an awful bore on the subject of the amazing changes that will be happening to my house over the course of the summer. My excitement about my new and improved disabled friendly kitchen is building. It's going to be more beautiful than I could have possibly imagined. It is going to be so much more than it even occurred to me to hope for. I am stunned and grateful beyond measure.

The man who will do the work came last Wednesday and looked and measured and talked to me. He has sent me some preliminary sketches which I have paired with photos I took with my old camera quite some time back. (The kitchen is too messy at the moment to take new ones that would better align with the drawings, so these will have to do.) They still give an pretty good idea of how different and wonderful the revised kitchen will be from its current condition. The sketches are just to give an idea. The new flooring will be linoleum, not wood which is probably good and easier for me to maintain and more budget friendly. I don't think they are changing the lights or ceiling either. But I didn't expect them to do the floor, so who knows. Anyway, here are the pictures...


Yippeee!!!

This is my very favorite part of the change. I just love the way
it looks. In real life (as opposed to the look of the mock-up) the
counters will be low, not even with the height of the stove. Of
course there won't be wood floors and my ceiling fan will be
back and it won't be nearly this clean, but still... isn't it just
awesome? Those deeply curious can click on these images
to see them larger.

Part of how this whole process got started was because I was
hoping (originally) that they could (maybe) move the dish
washer against the wall and give me a small area of lower counter
that I could use sitting down and maybe a lower sink. The big
cardboard box currently in the gap next to the dishwasher is to
keep Angel from eating the fiberglass because there's no cover
on the side of the machine. The other part of my motivation
for asking them about help in the kitchen was because I wanted
to get rid of that stupid box. Amazing how miracles can grow from
tiny ambitions. Just look at all the incredible new low storage...
as well as cabinets I'll be able to reach. Yeee haa!

The area below will have my dishwasher (under the counter),
washing machine and (someday) dryer. I'll be able to put my
microwave on the counter above the dishwasher so I can just pop
things out of the freezer and turn around and pop them in the
microwave. How cool is that? I am so excited about seeing this
flooring go. To say I hate it is kind of an understatement. They
won't put wood in, I don't think. It never occurred to me that they
would give me new flooring with the new sink and cabinets. I feel
like I am living an enchanted life. Right now the short blank wall in
this photo has some shelves that are falling down. It will be left
empty and across from it they are building in the pantry (see the
first drawing) and more low and pull-out easy access cabinets.

Here are some other views and a few samples of linoleum tiles I
like. I especially like the first one. The other two aren't very fairly
represented because the pictures I had were TINY. These may be
too expensive and too dark, but I can dream... I'm hoping the kitchen
guy will give me some suggestions. The dryer that goes with the
washing machine is imaginary at the moment but they are making
a space for one. At the moment it will be filled with the low tech
folding rack and the washing machine is in a part of the house I
can't get to physically or agoraphobically.

That's it for now. Thanks for listening.

The Saturday Wordzzle Challenge: Week 65

This is week 65 of the Saturday Wordzzle challenge. Anyone new to the process can refer back here to find out how it works. I hope Mr. Linky has given up his wayward behavior and will cooperate this week. Thanks to all of you for your patience and resourcefulness dealing with that frustration last week.

The words for this week's ten word challenge were: parasite, meals on wheels, crows, it's my fault, everything but the kitchen sink, on sale, patriotism, the love of my life, library card, common sense And for the mini: blackmail, California, stethoscope, postage, crank

Here's my 10-word offering:

Martha's life was a constant battle between and her "common sense and her "it's my fault" syndrome. She felt guilty that she didn't use her library card but instead looked for books on sale. She was compulsive about books. She had to own them to read them. Her personal library was - to say the least - eclectic. She had everything from biographies, to novels, to nature books. Right now she was reading a wonderful book called Crows, Eagles, Turkeys, Parasites and Patriotism. Despite the odd title, it was a brilliantly written everything but the kitchen sink discussion of politics, cultural values (as expressed through things like meals on wheels and socialized medicine), and ethics. She was avidly passionate about politics. Everyone teased her about it and her husband never let her forget the time he had overheard her say, "Right after George and books, politics is the love of my life." "At least you put me first on the list," he would quip, "but I have an uneasy feeling it was a very close call." "Perhaps," she would whisper back, snuggling against him with a kiss on the cheek, "but you do come in first always."

My mini-challenge:

Dr. Jack Johnson fingered the stethoscope hanging around his neck and wished he knew who the crank was who was sending him blackmail threats in the mail. The the postage marks indicated a small town in California. None of it made any sense since he had never been to California or done what this nutcase was accusing him of. The police were on the trail. Across town at another hospital another Jack Johnson remained blissfully unaware that his life was about to take a turn for the worse. In an ironic twist of fate, he and his blackmailer would spend the next five years sharing a cell. How's that for irony?

The mega challenge:

"You are a parasite!" one man in the small gathering bellowed at the little old woman entering the Social Services office. He and his companions were waving Democrats are Socialists banners, along with one which read "Californians for American Morality," and another that said "I want to choose my own doctor" and one that said "Down with Food Stamps. I feed my own family." Several of them were wearing medical greens, but no stethoscopes so she could only pray that they weren't really doctors, just wearing the greens as a costume of sorts. Gloria Grassroots was puzzled as to why they were protesting outside of social services. Seemed an odd location, but they seemed like an odd group, so maybe it was a perfect match. She was tired, but she decided to confront the one who had yelled at her. "Maybe he doesn't have a brain the size of a postage stamp," she whispered to herself. "Maybe it's possible to have a dialogue." And gritting her teeth, she asked him quietly, "Why am I a parasite? Because someone need food stamps or wheels on meals in order to survive you would call them a parasite? I suppose you think it's my fault I'm old or may be sick and poor. Should I just go into the wilderness and die to save you a nickle? You certainly have no reason to yell at me. You know nothing about me. I will tell you that my politics are quite different than yours. The cranked up rhetoric of fear and divisiveness really puts me off. Where's your common sense? From what I can see the real parasites are bankers who destroy the economy and get millions for doing so, or insurance companies that charge mega bucks for coverage which they then deny to those who are sick. Or what about hospitals and doctors that do unnecessary treatments and charge patients $15 for a box of kleenex? Or drug companies that market high priced - I think of them as "everything but the kitchen sink" - drugs that people don't need? I lost the love of my life two years ago to an illness he didn't have to die from because politicians have put their ethics on sale and allow these powerful industries to blackmail them into maintaining the status quo. I don't see it as patriotism to get elected at any cost. I don't think it serves my country to watch my fellow citizens starve or die, while racist morons like Rush Limbaugh crow ugly hate-filled nonsense on serious topics. Have you thought about getting a library card and making sure that what your signs are saying is the truth? Do you even know what socialism is?" She paused here, a bit embarrassed at how carried away she had gotten. For their part, the Californians for American Morality stared at her slack-jawed for a minute or two before one of them took advantage of her silence to shout. "No new taxes." and another began yelling "parasite" once again. "Have a nice day," she smiled, shaking her head, and headed in to start her day's work as a community volunteer.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Next Week's Ten Word Challenge will be: swashbuckler, heads-up, dry martini, recovery, jungle gym, whiskers, bathing suit, spade, circular reasoning, abrasive

The Mini Challenge: butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth, stagnation, chart, star crossed lovers, apricot brandy

Thanks for playing. For those who are new, here are some guidelines to make the process more fun.

Enjoy! See you next week.

DON'T FORGET TO ADD YOUR NAME TO MR. LINKY!!!!!

In Memory of My Brother Phil

Philip A. Rabenau, Jr.
February 14, 1940 - May 27, 2009

After I posted the woodpecker photos below, I was going to go get Quilly's words and do her Thursday challenge, but on the way to do that, I received news that my older brother died last night and even though I don't entirely know what I feel about that, I felt I need to acknowledge his passing.

My brother, Phil, and I have been estranged for the past 21 years. I haven't spoken with or seen him in 19 years. He was a genius. His IQ was 162. He was handsome, charming. When I was young... and well into adulthood, I adored him. I was raised in the family school of denial of how mean and troubled he was, trained to make excuses for his temper tantrums and his malevolence. Although he was 7 and a half years older than me, I had in many ways been the older sibling for our whole lives. He lived across the street from me when I lived in NYC. When his wife fled screaming from their marriage, I fed him every night for the first weeks, tapering off slowly as he adjusted to being alone. When he broke his wrist, I shopped for him, cooked meals for him, entertained him. He was introduced to all my friends, included in all my social gatherings. When he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1978, I was the go to person, the care taker. I called him daily - sometimes twice or thrice daily - to check on him. I also became increasingly aware of how destructive he was to me. It took me 12 years of therapy to recognize that he did not have my best interests at heart and to disconnect myself from the pain of knowing him because I had been trained to negate my own pain. My sister's murder cracked that armor open.


My brother did not use his genius for good. Like me, he was, I think, empathic. But - consciously or unconsciously - he used people's vulnerabilities, their emotions against them. Wow, some memorial piece this is, eh? Perhaps some day I will write more about this. Today is not really the day for it.

There are happy memories from younger days. As I said, my brother was handsome and charming. He could be very funny. Much to my mother's dismay, we used to run down the halls of the house banging into each other playing "Roller Derby." I think I was always Tuffy Bersune... That's a name I remember anyway. "Round and round and round at the roller derby," we would run singing. Sometimes he would pretend he was a robot and walk stiff-legged down the hallway arms stretched out in front of him, intoning in a monotone voice... "Kill, Tobar... Kill." This was the 1950s. I'm sure Tobar had arisen from some movie or tv show. We did our own version of the Sky King show (another 50s program - a modern "cowboy" - for those of you too young to remember these things). Our characters were Earth Queen and Nickle as I recall. When I was 8 and started wearing glasses, when I would take them off, he'd do a take-off on the typical tvs and movies of the day and declare, "Why Miss Jones, you're beautiful!" (So amazing how dumb the men in these programs were. Miss Jones had a body to die for and was drop dead gorgeous but because she wore glasses they totally missed those other things....)

In the end, everyone and everything in our life - the good and the bad - molds us into who we are, who we become. My brother has been a powerful force in my life. Not always a happy force, not always a force for good. But he helped form me, for better or worse, into the person I am today. Although I haven't spoken with him, I have kept track of him. He has been very ill these past years, living in a nursing home. He almost died a few years back and has not had much quality of life. I'm glad that he had some very kind and faithful friends who stood by him and spent time and energy watching over him in the final years of his life and who helped him put his affairs in order before he died.

He is in God's arms now and hopefully at peace. Maybe he's getting a chance to hug his kitty Shawn again. That kitty loved Phil. Although Shawn was very ill, my brother was having a hard time accepting that he was going to die. The night that Phil made the decision to put Shawn to sleep, he curled up next to my brother and let go of his life on his own terms as they slept. I guess if a cat can love you that much, you can't be all bad.

Rest well, big brother.

Wonders Never Cease

Well, my morning began with a loud crash courtesy of Angel Joy, who got her nickname "the Tiny Terminator" for a reason. She is very fond of pushing things off of counters, tables and my desk. She is the world's cutest (I know some would contest this) and the world's naughtiest (I know others would contest this) cat. There was a reward at the end of the aggravation, though. First, nothing major seems to have been destroyed. Second, my back door rewarded me with a baby bunny. I know these pictures are not very good. Rain, dirty windows and distance are an awful combination. But still it was a cute little bunny.



I was hoping the bunny would come closer but suddenly what I originally thought was a big crow flew in and it turned tail for the bushes. What landed on my stump, though, was not a crow it was this guy. I had never seen one before. Alas, added to the dirty windows and rain and gray skies was me getting all hysterical and just clicking away in a panic. So these aren't very good photos but, boy isn't that an amazing bird!? It's about the size of a crow and when it flies it has big white bars under the wings. I'd never seen one before. Had no idea they were that BIG! So that's this morning's reminder that the world is rich in wonder and beauty... as well as naughty kitties....

Progress....

The folks from Delaware Opportunities came today with the man who will do my kitchen. I swear I must have a direct line to the wish fairy at the moment. My kitchen floor is truly hideous. Old fashioned, worn, DIRTY (not the floor's fault) and just not my cup of tea. I have longed to have it replaced. Well, because they'll be moving everything around and so on and so forth, they're redoing the floor too! YEEE HAAA!

Anyway, I'll have honey oak cabinets (no picture samples as yet), all sorts of wonderful changes... my washing machine will be accessible and they're going to put storage and low counter space so I can fold things. It's just awesome.

They brought a drawing (see below) of how the front entrance to the house will be. Looks great! I asked him if he could make area in front of (opposite) the door hinged, so if people didn't want to go around on the ramp they could just step up. He said they could. Mostly I was worried about the garbage guy because he already makes the extra effort to come up to the house. (I toss my garbage as far as I can out the front door.) It's not a long walk, but it's extra steps so if I can spare him any extra, extra steps, I'd like to do that. I can't believe this is all happening. I am awed by my good fortune.

How it is now: You probably can't tell from the photo, but as it is now, the step up is probably a good 12-18 inches. That's how it feels to me, anyway. It may not be quite that much, but it's quite at least 10 or 12 inches. REALLY hard for short wobbly person like myself. Not that easy for others either.

Here's what the new entrance will be... a landing, a ramp and a bench in case I get myself to move past the front door. And he said he'd hinge the gate where the bench is so it could be opened if people don't want to go around. Way cool.

So in conclusion....

YIPPEEEE!!!!!!

A Conservative Changes His Mind:Olbermann & Mancow on Waterboarding

This is worth listening to... A right wing radio guy named Mancow - one of those guys who poo-poos the idea that waterboarding is torture - decided to be waterboarded as part of a publicity stunt. He changed his mind after 6 seconds or less. The first video is some preliminary discussion between Olbermann and Lawrence O'Donnell. The second video is an conversation between Olbermann and Mancow himself. Remember Mr. Mancow's experience was voluntary, among friends who prepared him each step of the way... and he had control over when it ended. He did this to prove waterboarding isn't torture. He changed his mind.

Ruby Tuesday

Well, it's Ruby Tuesday (hosted by Mary/the Teach at Work of the Poet) and not just any Ruby Tuesday, the 1st Anniversary of Ruby Tuesday. Congratulations, Mary. I'm late posting, partly, I guess because I'm not too thrilled with any of my photos today. I really have to do something about the dirty windows. Everything is seen through glass AND a film of dirt. And there are a bunch of photos I missed. The hummingbird keeps coming close and I keep missing it. The rest is mostly reddish leaves, reddish grass, reddish... Sigh.

See the hummingbird?
(center of photo - white belly wings outspread)

Happy Tuesday
and
Happy Ruby Tuesday 1st Anniversary!

An Amazing Surprise!

Isn't he (she?) just too cute peaking over the stump like that?

Had a lovely day yesterday. The weather was beautiful and I had a nice chat with an old friend from New York (it was her birthday) and then my friend Sue asked if I'd like some company so we visited for a while and then Nate and Dan called and said they were going to bring me a new (well new to me) sofa and chair! Yep! The sofa I've had is one I found on the porch when I moved to Callicoon. I made it less uncomfortable by getting some foam and putting it inside of a couple of think sleeping bag things. It wasn't awful to sit on, but it wasn't exactly inviting either.

I've always wanted recliners... so now I have a sofa with twin recliners and a recliner/rocker chair. I just tried the chair out and it's SOOOO comfortable. The only hitch is that I had a really hard time getting up out of it, so I'll have to work something out so I'm not afraid to sit in it. Angel loves it, though. Oh - and they also brought a beautiful coffee table! So anyway, my house is much classier than it was yesterday morning. My big chair from the living room is in my bedroom now, which is really nice. The sofa I had before is in the guest bedroom now and the yucky mattresses are in the storage room until I can get them taken away. How amazing is that? I suppose I should have tidied up before I took the picture, but...





On Wednesday, the man from Delaware Opportunities is coming again to look at the kitchen with a "designer." How cool is that?

Tara Grace love the new sofa. If you look closely at the photo above, she has blended herself right into it. Angel prefers the new chair.

That's my story.

Adding some more critter photos.




One other thing.... I'm worried about my beautiful hasta which seems to be feeling poorly. I tried to look up diseases for hastas and nothing I read seemed to fit what's going on... and then there's the big tree in the back - see the funny scoring marks on it? Do any of you wise folks out there have any idea what's happening to my beloved growing things?

Happy Memorial Day!
May all our soldiers come home soon and safe and may we never again have the need to send young people to fight and die.

Single Payer Health Care

I wanted to share this wonderful discussion on single-payer health care that was on Bill Moyers Journal last night, but couldn't find it on Youtube. While I was hunting for it, though, I found this very well done video. Well worth the ten minutes it takes to watch.

Saturday Worddzle Challenge: Week 64

This is week 64 of the Saturday Wordzzle challenge. Anyone new to the process can refer back here to find out how it works. Thanks again to Dawn Treader for providing the words for this week. They were challenging indeed.


The words for this week's ten word challenge were: albino, trench, marble, assistant, Indian, What's that supposed to mean?, sound first principles, the key thing, moat, curtain Mini challenge: under the surface, doomed, grand design, temple, aspirin


This week's 10 word challenge:

"What's that supposed to mean?" Fred shouted angrily. "I thought the key thing was to establish sound first principles so we don't dig ourselves into a trench we can't climb out of. I don't want to just jump into the deep end of the moat and hope I don't drown." His assistant - who was an Albino Indian of all things, like something out of a mystery novel - walked across the room and closed the curtains, saying quietly, "Well the soundest principle of all in politics is that we have all the marbles which means that we can do pretty much whatever we want. Trust me. I've been doing this for a long time. You have already won. It's just a matter of counting the votes." "But... " "No buts about it, Senator. That's why I'm backing you," Robert Two Hawks replied.... "that and because you're a good man. Trust me, sir. I know what I'm doing. It's going to be fine." And so saying, he smiled, bowed, and quietly left the room.



For the mini challenge:

Much to her delight, as archeologist Anita Aspirin's team methocially excavated the site, the grand design of the doomed temple slowly began to emerge several feet under the surface of the jungle in all it's awesome glory.



The maxi challenge:


The Grand Design Temple of the Albino Indian was a massive marble structure surrounded by a sort of quasi moat or trench depending on who described it. Several great banks of windows were framed by elegant curtains of thick silk and on the wall on each side of the great gilded doors were two massive bronze plaques inscribed with the temple's credos: The First Sound Principles on the left and on the right, The Key Thing. Alas, Swami Jah, the eccentric guru who had designed his new temple to reflect aspects of both the Taj Mahal and a medieval castle, had not counted on his new assistant being clever enough to see under the surface of his scam so quickly. From the very first "what's that supposed to mean?," the doomed con artist knew he was in trouble. "Patience, young one," he had cooed, smiling serenely, "wisdom does not come in a day.... find me an aspirin won't you, my child." "Certainly sir," she had said demurely. When she returned a few minutes later she was not alone. "Here's your aspirin, Swami Jah aka Jake Haspers," she said cheerfully. "You are probably going to need it. I'm afraid "key thing" for you today is that you are under arrest for fraud, embezzlement, tax evasion... " "Bitch," the formerly serene one muttered as they cuffed him. "I knew you were trouble when you started asking so many questions." This time it was Officer Sims turn to smile serenely.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Next week's ten word challenge will be: parasite, meals on wheels, crows, it's my fault, everything but the kitchen sink, on sale, patriotism, the love of my life, library card, common sense

And for the mini: blackmail, California, stethoscope, postage, crank

Thanks for playing. For those who are new, here are some guidelines to make the process more fun.

Enjoy! See you next week.

DON'T FORGET TO ADD YOUR NAME TO MR. LINKY!!!!!

Cranky in Hancock

Well, I'm having another pity party. I should go back and see how cyclical these are. They seem to me to be way to frequent. I'm trying very hard to get myself back into a good sleep cycle with the emphasis on trying, I guess, since I'm not succeeding. Today the sun is out, though and it's warm again. I spent yesterday bundled up like it was winter although it wasn't really that cold. I just don't like myself very much when I get like this. Part of the problem is that I'm not feeling too well physically and that combined with a lack of sleep is just a bad mix. But anyway.... I figure I might as well use my bad temper to grumble about some political things.... in random order

Between CNN (which I listen to way too much) and Huffington Post, I am constantly baffled by how incredibly stupid politicians are, how incredibly stupid they think WE are, how totally self-serving our Congresspeople are as a group, though I think there are a few honest, dedicated folks int he mix.

One of the things that's been leaving me dumbfounded is the whole thing about how "the American people" don't want Gitmo prisoners on our soil. These people have been locked up and brutalized (without any proof in most cases that they are even guilty of anything) for years. They aren't supermen. They aren't invincible. They are people who have been accused of a crime. They can't be jailed on our soil? What will happen if they are? Will we implode? Are they so clever that they will escape en masse? Are our jails so feeble that they can't hold accused terrorists? Absurd. Every time some polititian intones how "the American people" feel this or that or don't want this or that, it makes me cringe. It's like code for I'm about to say something that's total nonsense, but if I claim that "the American people" want it, nobody can argue with me or accuse me of political game playing because it's not me, it's the American people.... How stupid are we? How stupid is our media that they just repeat this crap ad nauseum without actually checking out whether it's true. Jon Stewart said it with humor:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
Guantanamo Baywatch - The Final Season
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Economic Crisis Political Humor

Speaking of checking out whether things are true or not. Polls. I don't believe them. I think we pay way too much attention to them. A cleverly worded/interpreted poll can be made to say what you want it too. I got polled last year on my opinion of the natural gas companies invading my state. The questions asked were geared to make it seem like I'm thrilled with the gas companies digging up my state. (I'm not.) "Do you have any negative opinion about XYZ company?" Well, no, I've never heard of XYZ company.... I could go on. Polls can be manipulated. Questions can be intentionally or carelessly written to give false results.

Nancy Pelosi vs. Newt Gingrich and the CIA. I don't know if Nancy Pelosi knew about waterboarding. She's not the only one on the committee saying they weren't told. She is one of the people pushing for a truth finding commission. I think this is the kind of thing where people can talk past each other.... and of course there is conveniently nothing in writing but people's "notes" and "recollections." I think it's possible that both sides in this conversation are telling the truth as they see it. Nancy Pelosi didn't get to be the first woman speaker of the house by being reckless. I don't think she made here statement casually. She could also be lying to protect her ass. I concede that. This is one of the areas in which I disagree with President Obama. I understand why he wants to avoid investigating the questionable actions of the Bush administration. He has so much on his plate and such grand ambitions for healing what's wrong with this country that he doesn't want to get mired in the political quagmire and divisive psychic pain that will come with confronting the Bush administration's behavior. I don't think we can heal as a nation unless we do, though. A nation that spies on it's citizens and tortures other human beings isn't the one I think of as my country.

I am still stunned that so many people are comfortable justifying torture. Fascinatingly - truly - is that in a recent poll, the people most comfortable with using torture are born-again Christians. Have they read the Bible? I continue to be baffled that people think we can protect our way of life by defiling it. Or that such actions make us safer. There is little evidence that it does. It is, to me, antithetical to what being American is. If it is who we are and who we want to be, then I think we need to face it head on. There's a thing about playing the victim card that really troubles me. I think Israel does it and I think America has been doing it. It's also how many of the terrorists we so loathe justify their actions. Something bad happened to us and therefore we are allowed to justify anything we want to do in retaliation. Thing is, that's not how laws and ethics work. Lots of bad stuff has happened to me in my life. That doesn't give me carte blanche to go out and pillage and murder anyone who I disagree with or suspect of not being a nice person.

Republicans, given that they have nothing much new to offer of their own, are trying to rename the Democratic party as Democratic Socialists. Give me a break. Colbert did a brilliant "WORD" segment last night on the penchant for rebranding.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Word - I Know You Are But What Am I?
colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Gay Marriage

Health care is another thing where Republicans are allegedly speaking for "the American people." I know a few people who are frightened by Universal Health Care, but not many. I know I have been in favor of it forever...

Credit cards... Well there's something I'm happy about (!!!). Finally some action to reign in the legalized usuary of credit card companies.


I could grumble on and on, but this is probably way more than enough. Here are some Spring photos to atone for my political ranting.







By the way - is anybody else having a weird glitchy thing with blogger where the comments count changes back and forth? I fear I may have some kind of virus or something.

Shadow Shot Sunday

Hey Harriet's Shadow Shot Sunday is celebrating it's 1st birthday so I'm glad that I have managed to get my act sort of together. As usual, I'm posting too many photos. As you can see, my lawn has needed mowing. It had gotten so tall that I couldn't see the birds while they were hopping around snacking on worms and other bird treats. Made for some cool shadows, though.

Happy Sunday!

And Congrats to Hey Harriet on One Year of Shadow Shots

Olbermann on Texas Secession

I enjoy Keith Olbermann. He offers here a very logical and detailed explanation of the ramifications for Texans of secession. And of course he's amusing at the same time that he's informative.

Saturday Wordzzle Challenge: Week 63

This is week 63 of the Saturday Wordzzle challenge. Anyone new to the process can refer back here to find out how it works. Many thanks to Dawn Treader for sending me word suggestions for next week.

The words for this week's ten word challenge were: Green goddess, shampoo, filibuster, please and thank you, Operation Marigold, throw pillows, up the creek without a paddle, spandex, ubiquitous, wedding ring, Mini Challenge: Skittles, lamb chops, stingray, chagrin, clever devil

Here's my 10 word offering:

As he arranged the soft throw pillows that would hopefully ease the discomfort of a long-term sit-in on this hard chair, Owen Spandex felt rather like he was up the creek without a paddle. Despite extensive preparation for "Operation Marigold" and all the planning that had gone into it, he felt unready for today's filibuster on behalf of the Green Goddess Shampoo company's ambitious goal of banning all chemicals from personal care products. Nervously twisting his wedding ring, he practiced his introductory "Please and thank you for listening," blissfully unaware that one of the ubiquitous press photographers was quietly snapping his preparations.

My mini:

Skittles O'Hara was a shamelessly clever devil of a crook who was known as the Stingray among his unsavory companions, although, much to his chagrin, his girlfriend called him Lamb Chops.

And the maxi:

Frank Skittles Johnson - also known as The Shampoo King - had planned Operation Marigold down to the very last detail and he could barely wait for the appointed hour. The engagement and wedding rings felt like they were alive in his pocket. He'd purchased them at a high end shop with the absurd name of Ubiquitous Jewelers where he had seen her looking at them with serious longing in her eyes. He had booked the best table at famous Clever Devil Cafe, had ordered her favorite meal - a Stingray cocktail, followed by salad with Green Goddess dressing, lamb chops, filibuster fries (you couldn't stop talking about them), and their incredible Please and Thank You Pecan Pie. He had everything worked out to the last detail, had even bought throw pillows he could kneel on during the proposal. He wasn't going to be caught up the creek without a paddle on an occasion like this. If his Marigold, his gorgeous Spandex Queen, was to accept his proposal, everything would have to be perfect. He wanted no reason for chagrin. He could not wait to make her his bride.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks to Dawn Treader for next week's words. Here is what she came up with:

Next Week's Ten Word Challenge will be: albino, trench, marble, assistant, Indian, What's that supposed to mean?, sound first principles, the key thing, moat, curtain

The mini challenge: under the surface, doomed, grand design, temple, aspirin

Thanks for playing. For those who are new, here are some guidelines to make the process more fun.

Enjoy! See you next week.

DON'T FORGET TO ADD YOUR NAME TO MR. LINKY!!!!!

Hypocrisy & Free Speech & Truth Seeking

I'm chilly and cranky and over tired today even though I slept (or stayed in bed) exceptionally late, so I have to apologize to Quilly again. I just don't have the brain power for the three word challenge.

I've been battling back and forth with myself about posting something about the big Miss California bruhaha. In some ways, I hate to give attention to anything so stupid... but on the other hand, Ms. Prejean (with help from others using her for their own purposes) has been playing the martyr with great effect. My problem with her is less her opinion than the whole hypocritcal, "I'm a tragic victim of bad gay and liberal people" act. And I think it is an act. I like to think she'd annoy me even if I agreed with her. I can't prove that because I do think she's wrong on the subject of gay marriage. But she's entitled to her opinion and her belief.

Maybe Ms. Prejean really does think the question was a temptation from the devil and that speaking her truth was a big risk for which she got "punished." From everything I've read, she was not in the lead going into the question period. She didn't lose because of her answer. She is just playing the whiny bad sport and trying to convince everyone that that's why she lost. Does anyone even know the name of the girl who won? Talk about being a bad sport. I guess God doesn't care about bad sportsmanship. I'll bet the Devil's having a hearty party, though.

Ms. Prejean is also a victim of mean photographers. I like Keith Olbermann's handling of this one...

Olbermann got me to thinking about something else I've been brooding a lot about lately. I wonder if there shouldn't be some limits to what is defined as free speech. Even as wonder that, I'm struck by the awful heresy of even asking. But I can't help wondering if organizations like Fox News which manipulate and distort information and pass it off as "truth" are engaging in free speech or something else. Is propganda free speech? I guess it is. I don't have trouble with someone like Miss California having an opinion - even what I consider a foolish one - and expressing it. I DO have trouble with people consciously misrepresenting the truth. The trouble with trying to control that of course is where do you draw the line? How do you police what's ignorance and what's malice? Who legislates intent? As soon as I ask all those questions, I know that even though it's offensive, the crap Fox News spews as pretended news is does in fact qualify as free speech. Boy, does that suck.


On a totally unrelated not, I watched Nancy Pelosi this morning dance with the press on the question of what she knew about water boarding and when she knew it. She was pretty clear but the press kept trying to change her words to something else. She's on a pretty slim tightrope. The Republicans - who think they see a chink in her armor - are now all eager to investigate the Bush administration's actions. I suspect they'll regret or back up on that enthusiasm if anyone takes them up on it. But wherever the chips may fall - on Democrats and/or Republicans - I think we need to look the truth in the face and not let people like Dick Cheney try to spin it to what he wants it to be.

There are some among us - some who read my posts - who believe that torture can be justified. I don't. I think it's inexcusable and ineffective, both. I think even if it were the most effective procedure in the world, it wouldn't be justified. This is one of those places where the our inner God and Devil really are doing battle. I suppose there will always be such people and perhaps it's all the more important because of them that we come clean and into the open with what was done. If the Bush administration felt as comfortable as they pretend to about what they were doing, the lies and subterfuge would have been unnecessary. It would have been front page news. "Look, bad guys... When we catch you we're going to torture you. If it were as effective as they claim, Bin Lauden would be in prison and they would have won the war they started against terrorism." If I'm wrong about all this, that too will come out in hearings. We need them if we are to heal as a nation. In any case, how we were lied to as a nation and where and how our system of government broke down in protecting us IS profoundly important.

I probably have a lot more to say about all of this but my friend's daughter is about to have triplets and it's late and I've run out of steam so I'm just going to post this and pray that it makes some sense.

Ruby Tuesday and Post #500!

Well, it's Ruby Tuesday (hosted by Mary/the Teach at Work of the Poet) and also my 500th blog post today. I offer an odd mix of reds today. Not very happy with any of these photos. Dirty windows, gray skies are NOT an agoraphobic photographers friend. My camera has a lot of zoom, but not enough to adequately catch hummingbirds from a distance behind dirty windows. But I tried. I think I'll have to point out that they are there, though. Sigh. Photos I missed this week... I don't know if everyone knows, but hummingbirds are drawn to red. Twice yesterday as I headed to my back door to sit and take photos a hummingbird was buzzing my red prayer flag. In Native American traditions, hummingbirds are messengers of joy. Unfortunately I wasn't fast enough to catch these events on film which dimmed my joy a bit... but not completely.

If you look carefully, dead center in this photo and the next,
you'll see a little hummingbird resting on the branch. And there's
a hummingbird in the third photo too ... I love my flowering
quince. It's adds so much beauty and the birds love it too

I mentioned in my post yesterday that I ran out of Tara Grace's beloved crunchy treats and we had a week of howling and grumbling. Now I have 10.5 pounds of them... So I had to add this photo.

I never saw a Baltimore Oriole before Saturday. I saw this one just long enough to get a photo of it's butt. I'm hoping it will return and let me get a picture of the rest of it.

Gotta have a kitty... there's some red on the box.

Ok... this one is stretching it, but if you look REALLY
carefully, there's a little red spot on the bee's wing...

HAPPY TUESDAY!

Inane Thoughts and Some Mediocre Photos

Peace has returned to my little kingdom. We have crunchies again. Oddly I don't know if it was the Dread Pirate Tara the Gray all on her own or our combined obsession with the crunchy shortage, but we now have something of an over abundance. You see, Shannon was visiting the other day and her father dropped by to say he was going to the grocery store and asked if I'd like anything. A small box of crunchies, I said. He came back with a huge bag which he refused to let me pay for. Then Nate came by yesterday with another huge bag... Now we have two... and of course I had gone into panic mode when Dan didn't bring them and ordered a huge bag on-line, so now between us, Tara Grace and I have manifested enough crunchies to keep her happy for a long time. My new worry (what is life without worry?) is that they will go bad before they get eaten. Sigh.

It remains outrageously chilly here. It's 45 degrees as I type this and I'm back into my winter clothes which is frustrating. But it looks like Spring. A bunny visited the other day. There are a few bumble bees (still worried about them but hoping they'll come out in force when the weather warms up). The woodchuck seems to prefer hanging out next door out of camera range. I did see my first Baltimore Oriole on Saturday (he'll show up for Ruby Tuesday tomorrow), and a whole bunch of hummingbirds. And the sun is out today, which is nice.

I have always made fun of my cats when they chase a bug and sit staring at the spot where it disappeared, waiting for it to return, but I realized this morning, that I'm much the same way when I miss a photograph. I keep hoping the bird or bunny or whatever will come back and pose for me when I'm ready for it. Once in a while they do, but not very often. This morning has been a day of missed photos. A hummingbird buzzed my red prayer flag just as I got to the back door and then a nuthatch came and sat on the steps while I fumbled to get it in focus... and I'm still waiting for the oriole to come back. Sigh. My new wish list includes a new camera with more zoom. Everything is too far away.... and my windows are dirty and my pictures all suck. How's that for greed and crankiness?

Well, I guess I'll just post this.


This was a comparatively bright sky over the past few days. It has been gloomy and rainy and windy and cold (for May) with occasional flashes of sun.
I wish this little guy had a pretty background. Isn't the color awesome? He's not as sweet as he looks, though... at least not if you're an ant. Shortly after I took this, he grabbed a passing ant and ....





My yard is an overgrown weed factory. On my worry list - should I ask Sean to wait to mow until June or will it be too overgrown. Thing is I'll be better able to pay him in June. Meanwhile I can worry that he'll come over (no phone to reach him) and I'll have to send him away or... agggh.... sometimes I hate being me...


>

Shannon took these last few photos. Her mother and one of their giant dogs - they got another one - came by for a visit. Buster has mellowed some since I first met him. He's a year old now and has had some behavior training. Angel likes him much better when he's out there and she's inside. Maybe I can get him to spend time outside my door so I can open it without worrying about her trying to make a break for it.

Piano Playing Cat

My niece Cindy sent this to me. Too cute not to share. Kitty reminds me of the late, great Abigail who died 4 years ago at age 21. She, alas, could not play the piano, but she was my baby anyway.

A Frog Prince

I've always liked Prince Charles. He does and has done a lot of wonderful things that which (as far as I know, anyway) don't get much acknowledgment. Anyway, Jay Simser over at Baily's Buddy, posted this and I'm being a shameless copy cat because I think it's wonderful. I hope you'll pop over and visit Jay. He has has a wonderful sense of humor and there's always something interesting to read at his blog. And pictures too.

Here are a couple of places where you can do some good for the rain forest (and other good causes):

Care2.com - Click to Donate

The Hunger Site

and you for a host of other options you can can check out

One Click at a Time

Saturday Wordzzle Challenge: Week 62

This is week 62 of the Saturday Wordzzle challenge. Anyone new to the process can refer back here to find out how it works. I'm looking for some word suggestions if anybody wants to send some.

The words for this week's ten word challenge were: gentle spring rain, mammoth, soap opera, worry, bubble gum, garden gate, seizure, of Biblical proportions, paralysis, wrinkles Mini Challenge: operatic, stuffed animals, anger management, biographical, paint splatters

My 10 word offering:

Following the mammoth seizure which had led to her paralysis, Myrtle Mimsy took her pleasure where she could. On sunny Spring days, her health care worker would wheel her to the garden gate where she would sit and enjoy the beauty of the flowers and a soft breeze. Occasionally, she'd take with her a large basket of bubble gum and after popping a piece into her own mouth, would pass it out to children and adults as they passed by. Sometimes she'd have bubble blowing contests with the children. This year the weather had been bad and she had been reduced (though she secretly enjoyed them) to endless hours watching endless hours of soap opearas. Although today there was a gentle Spring rain, it had been raining on and off constantly for weeks and weeks and she feared not just flooding but flooding of Biblical proportions. All this worry will give me wrinkles she mused, and it won't stop the floods if they do come. I do miss giving the kids their bubble gum. Maybe it's time to throw a party and take everyone's mind off this weather for a while. "Matilda," she sang out. "Come along. We have a party to plan."


My mini:

Although Floretta Fiandoche was often sweet as the stuffed animals she collected, when she lost her temper it was operatic and dramatic in the extreme. This had gotten her into a bit of trouble at home and at the office and now she was being forced to take this stupid anger management course. It really pissed her off and she was simmering with anger as she did the stupid paint splatter exercise that was supposed to help her express her feelings in a healthy way. The biographical information her husband had shown her on this half-witted psychiastrist had not mentioned that she was an IDIOT! Just wait until she got out of here. There was going to be more than paint splattering, she thought to herself as she tossed another wad of red ink at the thickly dripping canvas. Watching through the two way mirror, the aformentioned psychiatrist shook her head and sighed. This one was not going to be easy.



The maxi:


Looking at the paint splatters with which 3-year-old Timmy had managed to cover the walls, his stuffed animals and a number of assorted toys like a not-so-gentle Spring rain, Jennifer was really glad that she had worked on dealing with anger management. It was amazing that a child who looked as sweet and innocent as Tim could wreak a kind of havoc of Biblical proportions so seemingly effortlessly... and with such devastating regularity and such incredible speed. It wasn't as though she was careless either... she was a woman who never left the garden gate open, who kept as steady an eye as possible on her creative young son. Her husband always teased her that Worry was her middle name. He didn't have to live the soap opera that was life with this particular child. Tammy, who was now 10, had been a dream of sweetness and good behavior. She had created none of these mammoth operatic crises that Tim managed to pull of on a daily basis no matter how closely she watched over him. About the worst Tammy had ever done was to get bubble gum in her hair. In the diaries of biographical memories she was keeping for both of her children, Tammy had only three or four pages of "stories" even though she was now 10, while Timmy's misadventures had already filled up two volumes, added wrinkles to her once youthful face and left her near paralysis with terror on occasion and - in situations like today's mayhem - on the edge of a seizure with anger and frustration. One thing that conforted her, though, was that as a writer, she figured she had a pretty entertaining book in the making based on Timmy's bad behavior. Her tentative title was Surviving Timmy. If it sold, she figured it would pay for his college and her own therapy.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Next Week's Ten Word Challenge will be: Green goddess, shampoo, filibuster, please and thank you, Operation Marigold, throw pillows, up the creek without a paddle, spandex, ubiquitous, wedding ring,

Mini Challenge: Skittles, lamb chops, stingray, chagrin, clever devil

Thanks for playing. For those who are new, here are some guidelines to make the process more fun.

Enjoy! See you next week.

DON'T FORGET TO ADD YOUR NAME TO MR. LINKY!!!!!

Nothing But Gray Skies...

I had the best intentions to play Quilly's 3-word challenge today but somehow the day has been moving forward and I haven't. Stayed up too late last night and Tara (who is sleeping sweetly now) was restless. I actually gave the girls an extra meal yesterday because they seemed hungry. Sigh.

It's gray and gloomy here again today but the pink trees are almost in blossom so it's pretty. Not much to say beyond that. Too tired to think. Here are a few random pictures....

Busy Bees and the Pirate

Well, I was planning to do Ruby Tuesday today - I have a few pictures for it, but I'm over tired and it's late and I'm cranky, so I'll catch up next week, I guess. It remains kind of chilly here in Hancock, though it at least looks like Spring. Grey, rainy Spring, but grey with lots of yellow and pink and green decorations on it, so I don't mind the blah skies so much.

Given my penchant for worry, I'm worried at the moment about the bees. There don't seem to be very many of them this year. Of course, there's a good chance that this has more to do with the chilly weather than the health of the bee nation, but I know there were concerns in some parts of the country last year about a mysterious illness that was killing off bees so I have it in my head that bees here are now endangered. I hope I'm wrong. I took some pictures the other day. Nothing too inspiring, but it kept me entertained. I was going to title today's post How Doth the Little Busy Bee? But I wanted to talk about Tara Grace too, so I'll just share the poem instead... It's a Victorian piece written by someone named Isaac Watts. I don't know why I remember it, but it's one of those things that - at least the first few lines - get stuck in your (my) head:

How doth the little busy bee
Improve each shining hour
And gather honey all the day
From every opening flower

How skillfully she builds her Cell
How neat she spreads the Wax
And labours hard to store it well
With the sweet food she makes

It gets a touch preachy from here on and blogger is refusing to hold the formatting which is making me REALLY irritable and frustrated, so if you want to read the last two stanzas, you can go here to see the whole poem. . .







On another note, the Dread Pirate Tara the Gray has taken over Sweet Tara Grace, the good and demure. Part of the reason I am tired an cranky is because unlike Tara, the Dread Pirate is not at all cooperative about letting me sleep in the morning and paces around - up and down, up and down - at bed time, muttering and yowling. I did get some nice pictures of her while she was on break from scolding me the other night, though my picture-taking set her off on another round of criticism. (I think she channels my mother at these times, but I could be wrong.) I wish I understood feline. I'd love to know what she's saying. I think. Anyway, Angel has had a number of solos this past week, so I thought I'd give the Dread Pirate her shot at fame. There has been a shortage of crunchies (Tara's favorite treat) over the past week. I don't know if that's what all the yelling is about or if it's something else. We are due for a delivery of the sacred food later today, so I guess I'll find out.

You will do what I want. And you will do it now....

Happy Gray Tuesday!!
And Happy Cinco de Mayo!!

Shadow Shot Sunday

It's been quite a while since I participated in Hey Harriet's Shadow Shot Sunday and I've missed it. Since I last posted a month ago, robins, crows and grackles have been building nests, Spring has greened the grass, the daffodils have come up, the forsythia and my flowering quince are full of blossoms. The mountains are still biding their time getting their green robes on, but they did offer a few shadows. Anyway, I've taken lots and lots of pictures after the doldrums of a very long winter. What I lack in quality, I make up for in quantity.

Sorry my windows are so yucky dirty, but she's too darned cute not
to post. Tara Grace has been camera shy so alas
I have no pictures of her this go-around.

HAPPY SUNDAY!

Saturday Wordzzle Challenge: Week 61

This is week 61 of the Saturday Wordzzle challenge. Anyone new to the process can refer back here to find out how it works. I think the words I pick get worse and worse every week, but maybe that's just my imagination. Looking forward to reading what all of you have come up with.

The words for this week's ten word challenge were: translation, crunchy, cat’s paw, trunk, I love raspberry tarts, global warming, star struck, the midnight ride of Paul Revere, fragile, Spring fever Mini Challenge: pancakes and syrup, flat tire, mongoose, this place looks like a bordello, first dance

My 10 word offering for this week is:

Between Spring Fever, worrying about global warming, and feeling deeply star struck over the handsome Mark Harmon from NCIS, Samantha was feeling rather fragile at the moment. On top of all this she had spent the morning rummaging through her grandmother's trunk looking for the French translation Grandma had made of a favorite poem by Longfellow called "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere." She didn't remember exactly the story behind her grandmother's effort, but besides being a unique in itself, it was a work of art. Grandma had written it out it in the wonderful calligraphy she was famous for and had illustrated it as well. Sam had always wanted to frame it and hang it on the wall and for some reason today she had become obsessed with the task. She was tired, shaky and ready to scream when she heard the voice of her friend Margaret calling at the back door. Margaret always made her feel better. Today she had come armed with two mocha frappachino's from Starbucks and a special treat. "Margaret, you are a life saver. I LOVE raspberry tarts, especially when they are crunchy like these are... and I REALLY needed company" Samantha gasped. "I'm crawling out of my skin today and ..." She paused in mid-sentence, thinking even as she did how amazing it was that thinking about someone else could make your own troubles seem so quickly meaningless. "What's wrong, Margaret? You look upset!" "My mother said that Martin is using me as a cat's paw to get to Carly,' her friend sobbed. "A what?" "Cat's paw... dupe... you know mother, never one to say things in words anyone would understand," Martha replied feeling better already. There was nothing like talking things through with a true friend.

And for the mini:

Mongoose Mills, Minnesota was holding it's annual wild rice festival, which consisted of three days of fairs, balls, rice centered dinners and the famous Sunday morning pancakes and syrup breakfast at the First Dance Cafe. The cafe was something of a joke in town, even though it was a popular gathering place. Most people on first entering muttered something along the lines of "this place looks like a bordello." Oddly despite the hideous decor, the owners were such warm, kind people and the food was so good, that people eventually not only got used to it but became fond of it. Let's face it, Mongoose Mills was a strange town with an odd name and a rather eccentic population, many of whom were artists and some psychics. It was the psychic who owned the First Dance Cafe who had come up with the idea for the festival. She had a vision of a car with a flat tire and then many other cars and had realized that the town was meant for greatness. Of course the festival was still very small. Only about 100 people came each year, but Madam Zelda knew that soon many more would come... that was why she had persuaded the town to build an annex to First Dance which would be called Last Dance. The town was on it's way up and so was Madam Zelda.

This week's Mega Challenge:

Harold loved watching Jeopardy more than almost any other show on TV, though he loved all kinds of games and word puzzles. Tonight's categories were Star Struck, Global Warming, Longfellow, Cat's Paws, Unusual Animals, and Translations. "Midnight Ride of Paul Revere," he shouted happily in response to the first question. "I mean, what is..." he added. "What is a mongoose?" he shouted next. He'd made a non traditional dinner for himself... an evening breakfast of pancakes and syrup and crunchy bacon which he at off the old steamer trunk that he used as a coffee/dinner table. His was a true bachelor pad, nothing fragile or girly in his decorating, just a peculiar hodge-podge of odds and ends he had found at flea markets and second hand stores. He did love color though, especially reds. "This place looks like a bordello," his best friend had said the first time he visited. It still made Harold laugh. He guessed it was true, though he had never been to a bordello to check it out. Still, today - his 24th birthday - had been a good day on the whole, though a bit lonely. He missed his famiy back in Iowa on days like this, but he knew they would call shortly. He'd gotten their package this morning. His sister had sent a vintage album by his favorite rock group. It was called Lost Love. He liked the music, and the band, which was called The Buzz, had played at the first dance he had gone to in college, the dance where he met and fell in love with Francine. Thinking of her took him back in time. She was like Springtime and when he thought of her in any season his being was filled with a kind of Spring Fever that was part tenderness, part grief, but mostly the deep contented joy of one who has known true love, even if only for a short time. Francine had died too young, but in his heart she would never die. His family had been so good seeing him through his grief, but they had always been good. He was one of the lucky ones. His life had always been rich in love and affection. Just then the phone rang. "Hi, Mom! Thanks so much for the photos ... and for remembering how much I love raspberry tarts - especially yours! Except for a flat tire on the way to work this morning, it has been a splendid birthday! And actually, even the flat tire wasn't so bad. I met a really nice girl while I was changing it. Guess what! She loves Jeopardy and she's going to be a contestant in a few weeks. I may apply to go on the show too! How cool is that! Back in Iowa, his mother breathed a sigh of relief for her son. He was going to be fine.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Next Week's Ten Word Challenge will be: gentle spring rain, mammoth, soap opera, worry, bubble gum, garden gate, seizure, of Biblical proportions, paralysis, wrinkles

Mini Challenge: operatic, stuffed animals, anger management, biographical, paint splatters

Thanks for playing. For those who are new, here are some guidelines to make the process more fun.

Enjoy! See you next week.

DON'T FORGET TO ADD YOUR NAME TO MR. LINKY!!!!!