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!