Pride, Foolishness & Utter Idiocy

I'm having a difficult time blogging at present, but since I have to get myself motivated to do my weekly wordzzle and there are a couple of things bugging me, I thought I'd share a funny Daily Show clip and a quick thought on the controversy about the arrest of Professor Gates.

For those living in caves who have missed this sad silly story gone mega... A prominent Harvard Professor returned home from a trip and was having some trouble getting into his house. The door was jammed or something. A neighbor saw two black men with back packs and reported that someone was breaking into a house. By the time the police arrived the professor had gotten into his home and was able to show proof that he was in fact the legitimate resident. From what I can tell he was pretty cranky with the officer who was just trying to do his job. So both men got all testosteroned up and the professor was rude and accused the cop of persecuting him because he was a black man and the cop arrested him for disorderly conduct... in his own home which he had not invaded. Now both men are demanding apologies... and as far as I can tell, both probably should make them. Alas, a reporter at the end of President Obama's Health Care press conference asked him about the situation. He prefaced his comments by saying that the Professor was a friend of his and that he didn't have all the facts, but it seemed that the police had acted "stupidly" to arrest someone in his own home after he had shown them proof that he was in fact the rightful resident and not a felon breaking in. He went on to talk about the historical issue of blacks and Latinos being profiled. The press has allowed these comments to totally eclipse the health care discussion and the police union is now backing up their officer and demanding an apology from the President who already modified his comments slightly the next day. In other words everybody is acting like an idiot and instead of all parties behaving like grown ups and admitting that there was probably some bad behavior on both sides, they are polarizing the situation. From what I can tell, the Professor was probably rude and overly reactive, but a policeman invaded his home and arrested him, so I can kind of see why he might feel that way - particularly in light of the reality that black men deal with a lot of police persecution. Even if this cop was just doing his job and isn't a racist, it isn't surprising that a black man accused in his own home might feel like he's being persecuted on the base of race. That's the reality of the world we live in. It's also the reality of the world that pliceman live in that they have to make difficult decisions, face danger and that they are human and have human reactions when people give them lip. So my guess is, as I said earlier that both men were behaving badly but understandably and both could do with a bit of apologizing to the other.

There's a common belief that apologizing is admitting you're wrong. I've had lots of situations in my life where people have hurt me without meaning to. The grown-ups have apologized, not because they were bad or wrong, but because they were sorry to have hurt me even inadvertently. We all sometimes get involved in misunderstandings. I sometimes miscommunicate or am misunderstood and if and when that happens. I apologize. I apologize because I'm sorry that I've hurt someone, not because I'm wrong or bad. If you step on someones toes, isn't it sensible to say you're sorry? Can't we be sorry for hurting someone even if we didn't do it on purpose, even if we weren't "wrong.?" That's what this whole big fuss is about in my opinion. Two people who stepped on each other's toes and now their pride is involved and they are both too immature to acknowledge the other guy's side. Or that's what I think.

On another topic, there's this wonderful piece from the Daily Show on the continuing nonsense about whether President Obama is an American citizen.... If you want a truly tortured conversation from the other side, check this conversation with Gordon Liddy. Jon Stewart, by the way, recently polled as the "most trusted newscaster" in a Time Magazine Poll. I trust him more than most newspeople.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
The Born Identity
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Joke of the Day

Health Care Update

I received this note in my email this morning in case anyone wishes to give their reps a call. I've tried to just copy it from my email and am having a bit of trouble because it's I'm not sure how to fix the coding to make it look right here. This email came to me from the Democrats, but you don't have to be a Democrat to want universal health care.

Dear Katherine,

Wow!! Thanks to your calls and emails on Friday, Rep. Dennis Kucinich's amendment to let states adopt single-payer healthcare passed the House Education and Labor Committee by 25-19.

Of course the insurance industry will try to kill the Kucinich amendment during future votes, so we will watch carefully and keep you posted.

Today the House Energy and Commerce Committee (E&C) will vote on Rep. Anthony Weiner's amendment for an even better bill: universal (not state-by-state) single payer healthcare, Medicare for All (H.R. 676).

Please call some of the Democrats on E&C right now and urge them to vote YES on Rep. Weiner's single-payer amendment to the healthcare bill.

If you speak with a staffer, post their reply here:
http://www.democrats.com/weiner-single-payer-vote-today

And if you can be in DC on Thursday July 30, celebrate the 44th birthday of Medicare and rally/lobby for single-payer:
http://www.democrats.com/node/19877

Thanks for all you do!

Bob Fertik

Energy & Commerce (202) 225-2927 Henry Waxman (Chair) (202) 225-3976 John Dingell, MI (202) 225-4071 Edward Markey, MA (202) 225-2836 Rick Boucher, VA (202) 225-3861 Frank Pallone, NJ (202) 225-4671 Bart Gordon, TN (202) 225-4231 Bobby L. Rush, IL (202) 225-4372 Anna G. Eshoo, CA (202) 225-8104 Bart Stupak, MI (202) 225-4735 Eliot L. Engel, NY (202) 225-2464 Gene Green, TX (202) 225-1688 Diana DeGette, CO (202) 225-4431 Lois Capps, CA (202) 225-3601 Mike Doyle, PA (202) 225-2135 Jane Harman, CA (202) 225-8220 Jan Schakowsky, IL (202) 225-2111 Charles Gonzalez, TX (202) 225-3236 Jay Inslee, WA (202) 225-6311 Tammy Baldwin, WI (202) 225-2906 Mike Ross, AR (202) 225-3772 Jim Matheson, UT (202) 225-3011 G.K. Butterfield, NC (202) 225-3101 Charlie Melancon, LA (202) 225-4031 John Barrow, GA (202) 225-2823 Baron P. Hill, IN (202) 225-5315 Doris O. Matsui, CA (202) 225-7163 Kathy Castor, FL (202) 225-3376 John P. Sarbanes, MD (202) 225-4016 Chris Murphy, CT (202) 225-4476 Zachary Space, OH (202) 225-6265 Jerry McNerney, CA (202) 225-1947 Betty Sutton, OH (202) 225-3401 Bruce L. Braley, IA (202) 225911 Peter Welch, VT (202) 225-4115

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Lavender Cowboys and Big Rock Candy Mountains

Kind of after the fact, I thought I'd share where Lavender Cowboy from the Wordzzle came from. It's a Burl Ives song I grew up with. Why it popped into my head last week and ended up in wordzzles, I can't tell you, but I thought it might be of interest to know the source in the deep recesses of my goofy brain. I couldn't find it on You Tube, but did find the lyrics, which are as follows:

he Was Only A Lavender Cowboy,
the Hairs On His Chest Were Two,
but He Wished To Follow The Heroes
and Fight Like The He-Men Do.

but He Was Inwardly Troubled
by A Dream That Gave Him No Rest,
that He'd Go With His Heroes In Action

with Only Two Hairs On His Chest.

first He Tried Many A Hair Tonic.
'twas Rubbed In On Him Each Night.
but Still When He Looked In The Mirror
those Two Hairs Were Ever In Sight.

but With A Spirit Undaunted
he Wandered Out To Fight,
just Like An Old-Time Knight Errant
to Win Combat For The Right.

he Battled For Red Nellie's Honor
and Cleaned Out A Holdup's Nest
he Died With His Six Guns A-Smoking
with Only Two Hairs On His Chest.

Here's Burl Ives singing another song, though.

Then I found this medley with Johnny Cash...

Saturday Wordzzle Challenge: Week 72

This is week 72 of the Saturday Wordzzle challenge. Anyone new to the process can refer back here to find out how it works. Lucky for you we have donated words for next week. I don't know who was controlling my brain last week, but yikes!

The words for this week's 10-word challenge were: corn pone, delegation, nectarines, happiness, 12 going on 13, prancing horses, magenta, butterflies, fragmentary, arthritis And for the mini: lavender cowboy, over the moon, preparation, zebra, area rug

My 10-word for this week:

Happiness for Margaret Magenta Simonson was being selected to be a member of the Corn Pone Delegation to the State Fair and getting to travel to Kansas City with Martin Milkin and his sister and her husband for a week of festivities. Being around Martin gave her butterflies in her tummy and made her feel like she was 12 going on 13, not 35 going on 36. The feelings, it seemed, were not unrequited. The first night of the convenion Martin took her out for a fancy dinner. They had a wonderful romantic meal, drank a special nectarine liquer and then went dancing. Being around Martin made Margaret forget her arthritis and shyness. He too seemed to recapture his youth and he danced around the floor like a prancing horse. It was a glorious evening and though due to the over-consumption of alcohol her memory of the moment was a bit fragmentary, much to her surprise and delight, he pulled out a diamond ring and proposed under the light of the full moon. The Fair was wonderful, the Corn Pone Delegation a great success. Though they married late in life, Margaret and Martin lived happily every after.

My mini:

Most people were surprised that Fred Franklin (aka the Lavender Cowboy of western movie fame), would live in an ornate mansion with an eclectic range of furnishing that ranged from massive Tudor pieces, to exquisite hand knotted Persian carpets that looked like area rugs in the vastness of the massive rooms, to extremely modern pieces and even one room with a zebra-skin rug and fabric pattern. In preparation for the magazine lay-out Helen had been granted a rare interview and tour of LC's (as he was called) home. To say that she was over the moon about not only the house but it's owner was to understate her feelings. She was infatuated, in love, in awe... It was something poor Fred had contended with for most of his life and it made him terribly uncomfortable. Helen's husband was not too happy about it either, but he knew it would pass when the issue was published. Her enthusiasm and passion for her work was part of what made him love her.

And the maxi:

Larry Crazner hated being the Lavender Cowboy. He had wanted to go with Magenta, but the film's director had been over the moon about some stupid folk song about a lavender cowboy and so he had been stuck with the stupid sissy name ever since. It still pissed him off. Not that the movies had been much better - all corn pone, prancing horses, heroes and villains and gushy love interests with flowers and butterflies. The movies had been aimed at kids 12 going on 13, he thought, though they had been pretty popular. They hadn't demanded much of him. He had engaged in rather fragmentary preparations, occasional public appearances and the delegation of most other duties to his assistant and his accountant...and anyone else he could foist them off on. Although his films had been produced in the days before there was a lot of marketing, there was at one point a collection of area rugs made in his likeness and that of his horse. Strange what people would buy, he thought. He had tried to break out of the Lavender Cowboy mold at one point, making a safari film. He had loved the experience of Africa and had found such great happiness in seeing elephants, lions and zebras in their natural habitat, that he had decided to make the veldt his home. The film had tanked, but Lavender Cowboy reruns left him with enough money to live in comfortable seclusion where no one remembered him or his horse which the same nutty director had insisted on naming Nectarine. Money being a bit tight, he had recently come out of retirement to do commercials for an arthritis cure. All in all, much as he had hated the role, it had given him a pretty good life and he was grateful for that. He was grateful too, that he had saved a few dozen of those area rugs. They were apparently collectors items now and would provide his son and grandchildren with a nice inheritance. Life had been good to him. Even his arthritis was paying off.

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Carol Peiffer (aka Pro Artz) has generously given me a few weeks off picking words. Here's her explanation of how she chose the first batch of 15 words: "#1: I opened everyone's response to the 7/11/09 challenge, positioned the writing on my screen, closed my eyes, moved my cursor, then chose the word closest to the cursor. If the word was one of the challenge words or a very ordinary word like "it," "is," "and," etc, I tried again. There were 16 responses, 17 including yours, so I took one word or phrase from each except yours and mine. "



Next week's 10 word challenge will be: riverboat, procrastinaton, drank, demons, invisible, candle, enough, film stars, summer job, computer

For the mini: general demeanor, surprisingly, masked man, reach, standards

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!!!!!

A Letter from Dennis Kucinich

I thought this was worth sharing. I wish all of our Congress people had the passion and dedication to the well-being of our citizens that Mr. Kucinich has. I'm going to let him speak for himself and not add anything.

Healthcare: Change the Debate
Support a Real Public Option

Dear Friends,

In mid-May, in an effort to reach consensus, President Obama secured a deal with the health insurance companies to trim 1.5% of their costs each year for ten years saving a total of $2 trillion dollars, which would be reprogrammed into healthcare. Just two days after the announcement at the White House the insurance companies reneged on the deal which was designed to protect and increase their revenue at least 35%

The insurance companies reneged on the deal because they refuse any restraint on increasing premiums, copays and deductibles - core to their profits. No wonder a recent USA Today poll found that only four percent of Americans trust insurance companies. This is within the margin of error, which means it is possible that NO ONE TRUSTS insurance companies.

Then why does Congress trust the insurance companies? Yesterday HR 3200 "America's Affordable Health Choices Act," a 1000 page bill was delivered to members. The title of the bill raises a question: "Affordable" for whom?.

Of $2.4 trillion spent annually for health care in America, fully $800 billion goes for the activities of the for-profit insurer-based system. This means one of every three health care dollars is siphoned off for corporate profits, stock options, executive salaries, advertising, marketing and the cost of paper work, (which can be anywhere between 15 - 35% in the private sector as compared to Medicare, the single payer plan which has only 3% administrative costs).

50 million Americans are uninsured and another 50 million are under insured while for-profit insurance companies divert precious health care dollars to non-health care purposes. Eliminate the for-profit health care system and its extraordinary overhead, put the money into healthcare and everyone will be covered, everyone will be able to afford health care.

Today three committees will begin marking up and amending HR3200. In this, one of the most momentous public policy debates in the past 70 years, single payer, the only viable "public option," the one that makes sound business sense, controls costs and covers everyone was taken off the table.

In contrast to HR3200 ... HR676 calls for a universal single-payer health care system in the United States, Medicare for All. It has over 85 co-sponsors in Congress with the support of millions of Americans and countless physicians and nurses. How does HR-676 control costs and cover everyone? It cuts out the for-profit middle men and delivers care directly to consumers and Medicare acts as the single payer of bills. It also recognizes that under the current system for-profit insurance companies make money NOT providing health care.

This week is the time to break the hold which the insurance companies have on our political process. Tell Congress to stand up to the insurance companies. Ask members to sign on to the only real public option, HR 676, a single-payer healthcare system.

Hundreds of local labor unions, thousands of physicians and millions of Americans are standing behind us. With a draft of HR3200 now circulating, It is up to each and every one of us to organize and rally for the cause of single-payer healthcare. Change the debate. Now is the time.

The time to act is now!

Sincerely Yours,
Dennis Kucinich


PS - Over the next several months, I will be engaging all of you with frequent updates and will ask you to continue a movement to fight for what needs to be done now; ending this war in Iraq and stopping the escalation in Afghanistan, attaining true single-payer healthcare for all Americans, standing up for my brothers and sisters of organized labor.

After you have contacted your member of Congress, please tell us your thoughts and ideas on how you are organizing your friends and neighbors towards a single-payer movement and all of the other issues that are important to us.

Contact us at feedback@kucinich.us

Empathy

Well, my heart isn't quite into posting but I'm foolishly listening to the hearings for Judge Sotomayor. The Republicans are having a great time mis-quoting or quoting President Obama out of context on the subject of empathy. (He stressed equally the importance of adherence to the rule of law.)

What's fascinating to me is that they don't seem to understand what empathy is or think that one capable of empathy is only capable of empathy for the side of an argument they are most partial to already. In fact empathy implies the opposite. The capacity for empathy means that you are capable of putting yourself into the shoes of parties on BOTH sides of an argument. Empathy actually allows one to listen to arguments from outside the narrow confines of one's inherent prejudices with an open heart and mind. It is very much the opposite of what Republicans construe it to be. Empathy isn't bigotry, nor does it incapacitate one's ability to reason and adhere to the precepts of right and wrong or the letter - and intent - of the law.

Then there's the whole nonsense about activist judges. The Supreme Court seems to me to be a relatively "activist" branch of our government in some respects. Over the course of history the Supreme Court has interpreted and re-interpreted our laws in ways that have changed the course of the nation, sometimes for good and sometimes for ill. While our law is a set of codes and guidelines, it is also a "living," evolving entity and one which is open to interpretation. That's why there IS a Supreme Court. Were this not so, racism would still be constitutional, women would not be able to vote and many societal evils would still be legal. I really have to stop watching CNN. It makes me cranky.

Guess that's all I've got in me. A little spurt of opining. Now I will scurry back to my cave and rest. Here are some photos of the woodchuck who visited yesterday for a while and posed quite nicely.

HAVE A GREAT AND EMPATHY-FILLED DAY!

Saturday Wordzzle Challenge: Week 71

This is week 71 of the Saturday Wordzzle challenge. Anyone new to the process can refer back here to find out how it works. I thought this was a really tough set of words and I'm not too thrilled with what my brained spewed out for next week either, but... Looking forward to reading what you all have come up with. I just love the variety and creativity of everyone who plays and what a wide range of directions the words take us to.

The words for this week's ten word challenge were: sober, spoilage, knight, laugh and the world laughs with you, peak, blueberries, owl, drugstore, lampshade, keyboard For the mini challenge: economy, Michael Jackson, ladder, clue, structure

My offering for the 10-word challenge:

Sometimes I think life would be easier if I wasn't sober, but I know that's not true. The spoilage of alcoholism runs deep and wide and destroys not only your own life but hurts everyone around you. I was lucky that I found my knight in shining armor who swooped me up and helped me heal before I came a lampshade on the head drunk. He was - well he still is - a pharmacist at the local drugstore. His name's Powell and for some reason I started calling him Powell the Owl... I think because he always said "who's next?" in a way that made me smile. My drinking was moving towards that peak - or maybe chasm - from which it's hard to return, but my wise owl - maybe it was his wisdom that made me call him Owl - helped me to see myself as worthy of better. He gave me his love but better than that, he taught me to love who I am. "Laugh and the world laughs with you," he always says, "but better yet, laugh and you lift your own heart. That and a box of blueberry tarts are the key to happiness." He plays a mean keyboard too... and he got me to sing... which is how I make my living now. How can you not love a man like that?

For the mini:

It's a strange commentary on our society that poor Michael Jackson dies and becomes the only news. Forget the economy, forget the goings on in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan... Dozens of people who haven't a clue, really, sit and gossip, try to create a structure of truth out of speculation and rumor and pure nonsense. It's sad really, the alternation between meanness and adulation, the hyperbole. A death called "mysterious," when it was really just unexpected. They build a ladder out of all the ugly half truths, lies, facts and opinions and pretend or convince themselves they have climbed somewhere. For me - whether I'm right or wrong - my instincts say that Mr. Jackson was an eccentric genius and a profound and wounded innocent who was easy prey for the more heartless and manipulative souls in our society. One thing that makes me think I'm right is just how very much those who really knew him loved him. Whatever the truth of who he was, hopefully he is at peace now. Poor Farrah Fawcett (this is for Mommy Wizdom), another eccentric often tormented by the media... was either unfortunate or lucky enough to die in the shadow of Mr. Jackson. Probably she was lucky not to be given our media's idea of a eulogy. May she too rest in peace.

My maxi:

"Laugh and the world laughs with you," my knight in shining armor always says with such sober seriousness that he makes me laugh in spite of myself. George is a physicist by profession, studying the structure of the atom., but an expert on everything from the economy, to decorating (his specialty is lampshades), to comparative pricing at all the local drugstores, the comparative virtues of different computer keyboards based on their structure and ergonomic virtues... The list goes on and on. There is nothing that George doesn't know. Really. The range of his expertise is phenomenal. He can quote the lyrics from every Michael Jackson song, everything that Joni Mitchell ever penned and... well, that list goes on and on too. He's like a living encyclopedia. But with charm. He's also a birder. He can name any bird he sees and not just in general. He knows every species and sub-species of owl and hawk and he can tell you their habits, habitats, mating habits, and calls. He's a genius on every subject. But amazingly, he's not a bore. He's fun and full of the joy of love and living. He makes time for me and the kids and even though he always wins at Clue and Trivial Pursuit, he does so with such good grace that I can't really be as annoyed as I'd like to be about losing. The only game I ever saw him lose was Chutes and Ladders and I'm not sure he didn't do that on purpose because he wanted the kids to feel good about themselves. Oddly, the only thing that makes my George cranky is grocery stores. He gets livid when there's what he considers unnecessary or unacceptable spoilage. This irritation peaks for some reason on the subject of spoiled blueberries, his favorite food in the whole world. This year, we are growing our own. Given George's penchant for excellence, I'm sure they will be the size of grapes and sweet perfection... just like my sweet, loveable husband.

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Next Week's Ten Word Challenge will be: corn pone, delegation, nectarines, happiness, 12 going on 13, prancing horses, magenta, butterflies, fragmentary, arthritis

For the mini challenge: lavender cowboy, over the moon, preparation, zebra, area rug

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!!!!!

Happy Birthday to Me, Happy Birthday to Me...

Well, I feel like such a bad blogger and such a bad blog friend. I'm not only not posting much, I'm not visiting anybody to speak of. I'm just in an odd funk. I think I'm working my way out of it, though.

In any event, today is my 62nd birthday. I have lived another year. Whew. It's starting out really well. On Wednesday, Shannon brought me beautiful framed photos of Angel and Tara Grace - photos she took and they are truly lovely. I am trying to decide where to hang them. I may wait until the kitchen is done and hang them there. Not sure yet. I want them to have a place of honor, though.

Then yesterday, I got a wonderful note (didn't get my mail in until late so it came close to midnight) from one of my nieces. She sent me a bar of this awesome soap which I just used. I feel all silky and 20 years younger. But the real gift - well, let me just quote her note because it's funny:

Dear Aunt Kathie,

Sure, soap is cool. Who wouldn't love a nice bar of soap on their birthday? But it doesn't have quite the pizazz as, I don't know, a visit from your niece and nephew-in-law-ish? Let's have your people talk to my people and we'll set up the details.

Needless to say, that made me very happy indeed. Euphoric, even. And my people have already contacted her people. We're talking August or September.

Nate and Dan dropped by for a quick visit. We were supposed to have an Inkspot meeting but that didn't quite work out. But they came to say a quick hello and brought cat food for the girls. While they were here, Dan washed the glass on my back door for me so hopefully new photos will not look like they have been taken through a mist. A great birthday gift.

And when I checked my email, I got a gift certificate from my other niece and her husband and kids for Amazon.com! How cool is that! I can spend money!

Then, this morning, Delaware Opportunities called to set up a date for contractor walk-throughs. Yee ha! Whoopee! My hope is that by the time Diana comes the work will be all finished and the house will be pretty and shiny new. I've been busy researching linoleum and toliets to find one that fits the budget. I never really thought about how many different styles of toilet there are. They are such clunky things, aren't they? I did find one I like that will hopefully pass the cost specs. I'm hoping that contractors can get them cheaper than what Home Depot charges. We'll see.


Whatever I get is going to be way, way better than what I have now. Besides being a hideous green, my sink and toilet are old and rusty. I am moving up in the world. In my research, I found this one, which I think is extremely funny.


For linoleum, I'm thinking this. I saw a photo of the stuff I thought I liked - which was over the alloted budget amount - and fortunately it looked really horrible on the floor - like a moldy carpet, so I'm not sad that I can't have it. I think this one looks pretty good.... but I'm hoping the contractor may have some suggestions for me too. Not sure if I want to use the same thing in the kitchen and bathroom. So many decisions... and I hate decisions... but the research is fun...


So, that's my story. Another year older and deeper in debt, but pretty happy...



Now I'd better go look at the wordzzle words and get myself at least thinking about them.

Happy Day, everyone!

Happy July 4th from the Land of Occasional Sun

Happy 4th of July!

I don't have anything much to say but I had a lovely visit from the cutest bunny yesterday and I thought I'd share them.... lots of them. Hope you are all having a glorious day. The sun is in and out but at least it's showing itself today. We have had rain, rain and more rain here.

Isn't he/she just adorable?

I know this one is blurry, but I like the action...

And away we go...

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

oh... and Dianne's a Nana (grandma) of a beautiful baby girl...

Saturday Wordzzle Challenge: Week 70

This is week 70 of the Saturday Wordzzle challenge. Anyone new to the process can refer back here to find out how it works. I hated these words. Not happy with what I came up with, but so it goes. Always looking for volunteers to provide words. Then I don't have to blame myself when I'm this annoyed by the options.



The words for this week's ten word challenge were: Florida, spit, child bride, operatic, busy, holding pattern, sunflowers, ginger jars, office, superintendent: For the mini challenge: music to my ears, plot, powerful, braggart, super model




My 10-word offering:


Florida - everyone called her Flora - Sanderson was no child bride. She was nearing forty and had held the busy and demanding job of assistant to the Superintendent of Schools for almost ten years. Many people thought she should run for that office herself, since she did most of the work, but she didn't care about credit, she cared about Fred, her boss and now fiance... finally. Her life had been in a holding pattern for years now as she waited patiently for his proposal. Fred wasn't a particularly romantic man; he had no operatic flair about him, but he had a quiet tenderness that endeared him to those who saw past the spit and polish exterior he presented publicly and he had a wonderful, subtle sense of humor that delighted her beyond measure. How had he proposed? Two beautiful ginger jars (she collected them) for her birthday, one full of her favorite sunflowers and the other, well it had held an engagement ring and tickets to Reno. "I know it's taken me way too long to ask," he had said, "but will you?" "Yes," she had answered happily. "I'll go pack."




The mini:


I know it's wrong of me, but hearing the laughter and the humiliated wails of the nasty braggart, super model Amanda Plot when she fell flat on her ass in front of all those people was music to my ears. I wish I could say it had made some kind of powerful impression on her or made her change her ways, but unfortunately she remained as big a bitch as ever. Oddly, it changed me. I didn't mind her so much after the big fall. She had become human in my eyes even if she still treated me like dirt.



The mega:

Super model, Florida Sunflowers (yes, she had made up the name), was possessed of what could be called an operatic temperament. When her flight was delayed - some nonsense about holding patterns - due to weather and other problems, she and her manager stormed into the office of the busy airport superintendent spitting those proverbial tacks in his direction and ranting about how she knew powerful people whom she would engage to plot his undoing if he did not get her flight in the air. In the midst of her fury she smashed two roughly made ginger jars and was about to toss another, when the elderly man spoke in a quiet tone that silenced her immediately. Those jars were made by my late wife. The one you are holding contains her ashes and I suggest you put it down immediately. I called Jenny my "child bride," even on our 40th anniversary because she was everything you're not.... gentle, kind, beautiful inside and out, open to life and joy. There was nothing of the braggart about her, even though she had more beauty and talent than you will ever achieve, despite fame and riches and allegedly powerful friends. Her voice was music to my ears and she would never have engaged in the kind of petulant self-indulgence you just did. I can't control the weather and I have no intention of risking people's lives to indulge your drama. Go back to the boarding area and wait with everyone else - or rent a limo and drive to your destination for all I care. Oh - and you can write a large check to the American Cancer Society in Jenny's memory - to pay for the jars you broke. Stunned into a rare silence, Florida Sunflowers left quietly. She never stormed another office and she not only wrote a check but a letter of apology. When he received it, he smiled and whispered to the jar once again in it's proper place on the shelf, "Jenny, my love... even from the grave you touch lives. I miss you, sweet woman."





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Next Week's Ten Word Challenge will be: sober, spoilage, knight, laugh and the world laughs with you, peak, blueberries, owl, drugstore, lampshade, keyboard

For the mini challenge: economy, Michael Jackson, ladder, clue, structure

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!!!!!

Still Here

Hi

Just wanted to let everybody know that I'm not sick and I'm not dead, just processing, I think. For whatever reason, I'm just kind of over tired and in a sort of withdrawal at the moment. I think it's almost over, but not quite. Mostly I'm wandering around in a cyber kingdom slaying dragons and other monsters. Terrible to be this way when there are so many things to be opinionated about, but such is life. Gays will still be struggling to get married an serve their country when I come out of this funk. The people of Iran will still be in foment and their maniac leadership will still be saying crazy things. Republicans will still annoy me. Scare mongering about health care will still be going on. Republicans will continue to oppose Sotomayor not on any real principle other than that she was nominated by a Democrat. I fear there will still be 24/7 speculation about poor Michael Jackson whom even death can't protect from hyperbole and rumor mongering and distorted reporting. And on and on. I will have a lot of pent-up opinions to spew when I come out of my cave.

I did get myself to watch Benjamin Button last night. Suprisingly good. Discovered that if I push my comfortable "new" chair back against the wall it can't rock so much and screwed my courage to the sticking place and sat in it. Getting up was a bit rough but do-able. Yippee!

Tiny movement on the renovations front. Signed and returned the contract from Delaware Oppportunities. One day soon (hopefully) there will be walkthroughs with contractors, bids, and then magical transformations.

There hasn't been much sunshine here but here are a few pictures through my now filthy - we've gone way past dirty - windows.







My apologies for vanishing, for not visiting anybody much, for being in a funk. See you Friday for Wordzzles for sure.