No Greater Love......Robert Minara

I did not know Robert Minara. I know he was a New York fireman with Ladder 25. I know that he died on 9/11, trying to saved others in the World Trade Center. I know that he was 54 and left behind a wife and two grown sons. I know they are proud of him.

I sometimes wonder if he knew what had happened. Did he know that it was a terrorist attack and not just an airplane going off course? I am sure, though, of one thing. It did not matter to him how or why it happened or who did it. I am sure he was only concerned with saving as many people as he could. He was one of many running into the buildings as smoke made it hard to see, trying to save as many people as he could. We may never know how many he saved.

Did he know that he was going to die? Maybe. I am sure firefighters and other first responders are always prepared for that. He did not turn and run, he did the job he joined the fire department to do. America needs more men and women like him.

Another thing I know about Robert Minara is that he died a hero. And, maybe that is the best thing to know about him. God bless you Robert Minara.

A Firefighter's Pledge
I promise concern for others. A willingness to help all those in need.I promise courage - courage to face and conquer my fears.Courage to share and endure the ordeal of those who need me.I promise strength - strength of heart to bear whateverburdens might be placed upon me. Strength of body to deliver to safety all those placed within my care.I promise the wisdom to lead, the compassion to comfort, and the love to serve unselfishly whenever I am called. -Author Unknown

Back to the beginning

Today is Labor Day, a day set aside to give the working man (and woman) an extra day off. It also marks the end of summer. Do NOT wear the white shoes that were perfectly good to wear yesterday.

But seriously, let's take a look back at the beginning of this country. Read this:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
In case anyone did not recognize it, that is the Preamble to the constitution.


And now this:

Bill of Rights
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Amendment II
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.
Amendment III
No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Amendment V
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
Amendment VI
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.
Amendment VII
In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.
Amendment VIII
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
Amendment IX
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Amendment X
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

Did you read those? Easy reading,huh? Now, here is a sample of the Patriot Act....ok, I will give you a link, if I don't then this post will be way to long http://www.epic.org/privacy/terrorism/hr3162.html.

See the simplicity of the first two compared to the last? Why is that? Is it because more words are thrown in to confuse the reader? My son-in-law is a lawyer. He and I discuss most everything. I remember him telling me that the Patriot Act scared him. And, he is a card carrying Republican.

We have people pounding pulpits and whatever is around saying in their best W.C. Fields voice, that we need to get this country back to what our forefathers wanted. Yes, we do. However, we do NOT need more legislation or committees and sub-commutes. (Can't anyone see that the congress is looking more and more like a Monty Python skit???)

We need to follow and abide by the Bill of Rights, because, frankly, it says it all. And, in words the simple man can understand. It doesn't take a lawyer to read it and explain it.

So, yes, let's get back to what our founding fathers wanted for our country. Join www.mybillofrights.org.

Dear Lord, save me from fundies

I have been trying and trying to get that cafepress logo off my blog, but have had no luck. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know what to do. In detail.

I was having a great Saturday until my daughter called from Michigan and told me it was Sunday. Well, dang.

Then, I read a letter from a fundy on an email group that I belong to and that has set me to the boiling point. He is one of the type who thinks that any time a horrendous storm happens, then it is God's punishment on the evilness of man. I wrote back and asked him that why, if what he believes is true, the French Quarter was basically unharmed. Ya'll remember the French Quarter.....Mardi Gras, topless dancing, etc. And, I asked why Las Vegas is still sitting there with not one thing happening to it.

I also asked what sort of evil was going on when Betsy blew through and almost destroyed Grand Isle, La and the tornado in the 30's that nearly wiped out Tupelo, Ms and then went on to cause havoc in other states. What about the flood in the twenties that killed so many people in Tennessee and Kentucky. This led to the Tenn-Tom waterway. Maybe those ole boys were drinking or selling too much 'shine.

I am going to post part of his email PLEASE KNOW THAT I DO NOT AGREE WITH THIS.....Some tragedies are judgments of God on the wicked. I understand that one of the cities that was hit the hardest was very wicked. Immorality, crime, murders and gambling was rampant. Maybe God allow this to judge them so others would take heed and repent and turn to Him. It is undeniable that America is turning farther away from God all the time. Many of these troubles could be God's warning that He will come in greater judgment on a wicked nation.

This man is the sort of pastor that I run from. On the one hand he acts like God speaks directly to him and then he runs from any questions.

I dare him to come down here to the Mississippi Coast and try to 'minister' to the people still living in tents, under bridges or doubled up with family.

I have seen people leave jobs and families to come down here to help. They open clinics and places where people could get hot meals....sandwiches do get old....they go door to door because they know that not all people can get to the rescue centers. I watched a group of kids with one adult supervising them, replace the roof on one of my neighbor's house. At no cost. The man just had to buy the shingles.

These are the people who impress me. The ones out living their faith, not sitting at home looking for the bad in people.

God Bless them the ones who put their faith in action.

TV anyone????

Well, I went to the doc's for labwork last Tuesday. My cholesterol is 208, it was 270. I was thrilled, but apparently the doc isn't so he wants me to take yet another med along with the Lipitor. Ah well. I think that if I had not just come back from that fifteen day trip, eating things I shouldn't have, the numbers might have been better. We'll see when I go back to be checked in November.

Being short of money, for various reasons, I have cancelled the premium channels on cable. Which means that now, instead of flipping through 140 channels, trying to find something to watch, I now flip through 60, trying to find something to watch. I do most of my TV watching or hunting,at night. Can someone tell me why there are three channels with Law and Order on? Is it really, truly that good? Then, there are the shows that are trying to get you to try (buy) their way of making a million a year or the makeup ones, or the natural health ones. I found one that seems to talk about excessive fecal matter all the time. They told the world (being facious there) that during John Wayne's autopsy, the doc found forty, FORTY pounds of old fecal matter! No wonder ole John walked like that.
Someone please, dear God I beg you, please put something good to watch on late night TV for us po' folks who need something to help us get in the mood to sleep.

Bricks and ..........

My youngest daughter is spending some days with me while she goes to school. I watch her son who is two and also her Boston Terrier puppy. She stays for three days and then goes home.

A couple of nights ago, I went out to put the trash can by the street and saw a small piece of brick laying by the driveway. Now, this piece of brick has lain on the railroad ties that separates the flower bed from the rest of the grass, forEVER, or near 'bout. So, of course my first thought was that I had interrupted someone who was fixing to break a window and come into the house. I didn't say anything to my daughter because I didn't want her to worry.

Until today. She called and we were just talking about whatever when I decided to tell her about the brick. As soon as I mentioned it, she started laughing. Finally, she says, that she was the one who moved it. Seems her puppy needed to go outside and while Michael was waiting on her to finish she noticed the brick. HER first thought was that someone could use it to break in on us. So, she moved it to the side of the road.

We then decided that with two crazy people living here, we need some way to keep up, so we are going to put a dry erase board up and write down if either of us do anything silly during the night.

When I was out in Utah, I stayed with my friend Leslie's mother. Her house is huge. She has seven bedrooms and five bathrooms and lives alone. Her basement runs the entire length of the house and she put two apartments down there. I spent a lot of time down there, because the upstairs was full of strangers with their kids. One morning I walked up stairs....didn't turn the stair lights on so it felt like coming out of a cave. My friend was standing in the middle on a bagillion people and saw me coming up the stairs. She put her hand to her head and said, ' oh nooooo, this means we will have six more weeks of winter'.

Maybe you had to be there.

Cow patties and meteors

Welp, I finally did it. I went to Arizona and Utah....and also Texas. Just the panhandle though.

I went with a friend whose mother lives in Utah. We had a hoot of a trip. The second evening we stopped for the night in Quanah, Texas. The desk clerk told us that there was a local annual rodeo that night so, we decided to go check it out. I mean, Quanah, Texas....what else is there to do?

Actually, it was fun. The rodeo was being held in support of the local 4hers. First thing I did was buy a ticket to win a quarter horse, but when it was pointed out that I would have no way of taking him in any direction, I told the little girl who sold me the ticket that if I won, I would give her the horse. Poor thing kept her fingers crossed all evening. I didn't win.

There was the usual cowboys doing their thing, but the best part was the kids. There was the sheep riding, the ride the hide and pull the bow off the cow's tail. Ride the hide looked like fun. There were three relay teams. Each team had someone on a horse holding onto a rope with a tarp tied to it. One kid would lay down on the tarp and the horse would take off and drag him/her through the dirt (this was about half-way through the rodeo, so you can imagine what else they were pulled through) down and around a barrel and then back to the starting line. That kid would roll off and then another would jump on and off they would go.

The announcer either had a speech impediment or needed a new speaker cause he kept inviting everyone to stay after the rodeo and join Trigger Happy in a good ole country ass-whooping. I finally asked my friend if she heard what I was hearing and she said 'yep' (she seemed to be getting into the spirit of the rodeo). We kept looking around to see other people's reactions and then he announced it again. What he was saying was, that Trigger Happy was a BAND and there was going to be a country and western dance after the rodeo.

The next day we went to ice cave and walked to the top of a volcano. Oh, and no way was it a twenty minute walk. Took at least thirty and a tough thirty at that. I have some pictures that I will post, cause we we to the Petrified Forrest, Grand Canyon and the Meteor Crater. I also go an official Route 66 and area 51 license.

See ya tomorrow.

Heaven???

I got this in the mail today. I loved the message and decided to share it.


A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the
scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead.
He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been
dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.
After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side
of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was
broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.
When he was standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch
that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked
like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as
he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.
When he was close enough, he called out, "Excuse me, where are we?"
"This is Heaven, sir," the man answered.
"Wow! Would you happen to have some water?" the man asked.
"Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right
up."
The man gestured, and the gate began to open.
"Can my friend," gesturing toward his dog, "come in, too?" the
traveler asked.
I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets."
The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and
continued the way he had been going with his dog.
After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came
to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never
been closed. There was no fence.
As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a
tree and reading a book.
"Excuse me!" he called to the man. "Do you have any water?"
"Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in."
"How about my friend here?" the traveler gestured to the dog.
"There should be a bowl by the pump."
They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an
old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it.
The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself,
then he gave some to the dog.
When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who
was standing by the tree.
"What do you call this place?" the traveler asked.
"This is Heaven," he answered.
"Well, that's confusing," the traveler said. "The man down the road
said that was Heaven, too."
"Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope.
That's hell."
"Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?"
"No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave
their best friends behind."

Soooo...
Sometimes, we wonder why friends keep forwarding jokes to us without
writing a word.

Maybe this will explain.
When you are very busy, but still want to keep in touch, guess what
you do? You forward jokes.
When you have nothing to say, but still want to keep contact, you
forward jokes.
When you have something to say, but don't know what, and don't know
how, you forward jokes.
Also to let you know that you are still remembered, you are still
important, you are still loved, you are still cared for, guess what you get?
A forwarded joke.
So, next time if you get a joke, don't think that you've been sent
just another forwarded joke, but that you've been thought of today and your
friend on the other end of your computer wanted to send you a smile.
You are all welcome @ my water bowl anytime

It has occured to me that I talk about my grandsons, especially the baby, but not that much about the older two. The tall one on the left is Nicholas, who will soon be 14 and the shortie on the right is Ryan, who is 12. Now, don't think I am being mean by calling Ryan a shortie. He and I have had a unique relationship since he was about 3. He is a joker and loves practical jokes....just like I do. Sometimes we write silly things back and forth trying to outdo each other in insults. Nick is quiet and a voracious reader. He read the last Harry Potter in one weekend. I has more of a sly sense of humor, and can be so funny. This pic is the only one I have of the three boys together and it is 2 years old. When they were here last April we took all sorts of pictures, but none with the digital camera. I want to get some new pics of them all. Actually, Nick and Ryan look the same, just taller.

Puppies, young boys and born gentlemen

I went over to Baton Rouge today to visit my youngest daughter and her husband and son. Ok, so I actually went to spoil my grandson, who at two years old continues to amaze me with what he knows. He knows his colors, can count to ten, knows his ABCs and learned Twinkle Twinkle Little Star from the cd I gave him for Christmas. He is one smart little youngun. Here he is getting ready to give Johnny Depp a run for his money.







The other reason I went is because they got their new puppy, Annie. Look at that face! How can anyone want any other kind of dog???? Boston Terriers are the best dogs, hands down.

So, I played cars and trains with Reese and tried to keep Annie from gnawing my toes off. And, hated to leave when I did, but a friend drove me over because my van is kinda sorta falling apart just now.

On the way home I started telling Leslie, my friend, ( some people think that my friendship with her is sending me straigt to hell, but that's for another day) Anyway, I started talking about my older brother and how odd and talented he is. He once paid my youngest brother a dime to let him, the older brother, push the younger brother's face down into the mud so he could make a plaster cast to use for a dummy's head. He still has that dummy. He also has two others, both he bought. He also is an amateur magician and has designed and built several 'tricks'. Over the past few years he has been moving his dummies and tricks to a room at his bakery (he makes absolutely the best doughnuts. No one is as good.) So, even though his house got flooded during Katrina, he did not lose any of the special things he values. Anything else he lost can be replaced.

James writes and draws and just thinks of the weirdest things. A conversation with him is, you ask a question or mention something and off he goes, while you sit back and just enjoy.

He has always loved old cars and has had a 1928 Model T and a 1932 Roadster with a rumble seat. I may be wrong on the years, but I do remember that one was a truck and he had to use a hand crank to get it going. (This is one incident where he wished that he had a regular car.) This happened in a spooky house we lived in once, where weird things were always happening. Or, my brothers tried to scare me into believing they really happened. The only thing that happened there that I believe, but didn't see, happened to my oldest brother. James worked at a bakery and had to be at work at 3:30 am. When this incident happened he was there alone. The rest of the family had gone to visit my stepfather's family. James said that he got up one morning and while he was getting ready he heard a car or truck drive up and stop in front of our house. He heard men laughing and talking and sounds of equipment and doors banging. He didn't think anything of it because we had been told that the city was soon going to clear the trees and make the road go all the way to the next subdivision. He finished getting ready and went out to get in his car......he had a 1932 Ford Roadster that he had to crank....and there was nothing, not a car, truck or anyone, out there. He swore that he had heard this. He also said that he had never cranked that thing so fast before.

I love my brother. He has had a hard life. He starting working when he was 8, on a paper route. He had a good route too. Most people in our small town knew our family and that our father was an alcoholic. James' route covered the black section of town. Every so often, the newspaper would hold a drive to get more subscriptions and the paperboy got the most would get a prize. Good prizes too. So, the people on his route would all get together, sign on for taking the paper and then after the contest was over they cancelled their subscriptions, till the next contest. He got a bike, one the he road while I was standing up on his shoulders. (I trusted him and would do anything he asked.) He also got a TV. This TV happened to arrive on my 5th birthday, so nothing could convince me that it wasn't my birthday gift. (Of course, this was before my mother got so involved with the JWs.)

James used me in a lot of his magic tricks and I thought I was the coolest thing going. He also taught me to read before I started school. He brought home at least one Little Golden Book each time he got paid.

James didn't finish school. He barely finished the seventh grade. He had to work to support us, since our father wasn't going to and our mother could only get work heading shrimp. But, James is the most intelligent, scholarly man you would ever want to meet. And, he did it on his own, after work or in between jobs. He proves what makes a man great. And, it isn't the name of the school you go to or the name of the family you are born into.

It's War

A friend sent this to me and it was just too funny to keep to myself. Especially since we all need a laugh now and then.

This morning, from a cave somewhere in Pakistan, Taliban Minister of
Migration, Mohammed Omar, warned the United States that if military action against Iraq continues, Taliban authorities will cut off America's supply of convenience store managers. And if this action does not yield sufficient results, cab drivers will be next, followed by Dell customer service reps.

It's getting ugly!

The Bill of Rights

Below is the Bill of Rights. I decided to post it because we all, everyone of us in the United States, no matter our political persuasion, should know these by heart.

The First 10 Amendments to the
Constitution as Ratified by the States
December 15, 1791

Preamble

Congress OF THE United States
begun and held at the City of New York, on Wednesday
the Fourth of March, one thousand seven hundred and eighty nine.

THE Conventions of a number of the States having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government, will best insure the beneficent ends of its institution

RESOLVED by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, two thirds of both Houses concurring, that the following Articles be proposed to the Legislatures of the several States, as Amendments to the Constitution of the United States, all or any of which Articles, when ratified by three fourths of the said Legislatures, to be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of the said Constitution; viz.:

ARTICLES in addition to, and Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, proposed by Congress, and ratified by the Legislatures of the several States, pursuant to the fifth Article of the original Constitution


Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Amendment II
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Amendment III
No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Amendment V
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Amendment VI
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

Amendment VII
In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Amendment VIII
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Amendment IX
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Amendment X
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Movies

Two words for you........Johnny Depp. I went to see the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie today. I was totally surprised that there were so many people there at such an early time of the day. We actually had to sit on the very front row of seats. And, it was worth it. I laughed most of the time and some people cheered. It is a good movie and the special effectives are believable.

But, I saw something there that I could not believe. A preview of aNOTHER Rocky movie. Yes, you read that right. A new ROCKY movie.

Lord help us.

Finally, an intelligent, funny comedian

Ok. When there is a Recover post link, you would think it would actually recover the post, right? Well, it didn't and I just finished writing the perfect rant. But, never fear, I will rewrite it.

It is about one of my peeves (ain't no pet about it) untalented comedians who resort to vulgarity instead of learning their craft. It is either that or they think that we, the audience, are too ignorant to get the jokes without the vulgarity. For instance, a comedian walks on stage amd starts his/her routine. First joke goes something like this......Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side. He/she get some lame, pity laughs. So, they decide they need to turn it up a notch, or they will never get on the Tonight Show. So, here's the joke the next time.....Why did the m*****f*****g chicken cross the f*****g road? To get to the other G*dd**n side. This time the audience roars with laughter, because, after all, we can't look uncool can we? The comedian has learned that using vulgarity instead of intelligence gets the laughs.

Thinking more about this, maybe, the audience does have a huge part in this. Don't get me wrong, vulgarity does not offend me. It is the presumption that I am too stupid or ignorant to understand jokes without the vulgarity.

A friend of mine has said that AIDS has killed the really talented people in Hollywood. I am beginning to think she is right.

I had written more about this, wrote about the stupid movies that are being made. And, tell ya'll the sexiest scene in a movie I have seen, without seeing sweaty, jiggling bodies. I will do that tomorrow. I was just going over this blog, lord knows, someone has to read it, anyway, I saw that I was supposed to tell ya'll about the sexiest scene I ever saw in a movie. Get ready. It was in "It's A Wonderful Life". Stay with me here. Remember when Donna Reed was on the phone with an old boyfriend and James Stewart was standing close to her, listening? And, he slowly leaned a tad bit closer, then closer? Then, he could smell her hair. (He wasn't sniffing like a dog, but was aware of how good it smelled.) And, she kept talking and he just looked at her and got closer. Well, there it is. My vote for the sexiest movie scene of all time. It was classy, sexy, tasteful, and it gave us (the audience) credit for our intelligence of what he was thinking and that she knew what he was thinking. We did not have to see them..............oh, lawd, I can't even type what I was just thinking.

There is hope for us though. I just found a comedian who is funny and intelligent. And, who is a juggling fool. His name is Chris Bliss, and just because I have just discovered him just means that I am, as usual, way behind times. I wish he would put all his videos on his website. I also wish he would come to a town, or casino, near me. I would love to see him perform live. Go to his site, check him out. And, then check out his Bill of Rights page.

LQQk over there ~~~~~~~>

See that CafePress thing over there? I have been trying to get rid of it, but can't. The store is closed and I am waiting on blogger to tell me how to take that off.

i-glasses

So, I am getting used to the diet Barq's rootbeer. I love the real Barq's but my favorite is still the real thing, good ole Coke. But, I have been good and have not had one in over a week. One thing with this med I am taking is that it makes me not want to eat, so I have lost ten pounds this past week. I want to lose weight, but not so fast that all the skin is hanging and I would look like a human shar pei.

I haven't been posting here very much lately because I have been busy listing things for sell on ebay. See, my friend who does some silly things at times, decided about six years ago that she wanted to collect promo cartoon glasses. So, she now has about 200 of them. She asked me last week if I would list them for her. It seemed a good way to pass the time till the new Johnny Depp movie comes out, so I said yes. ( Did I say she sometimes did silly things? Well, she isn't the only one.) So, anyway, she brings out the eight, 8, EIGHT, boxes of glasses. each held 24 glasses and in some she had doubled up. So, I start. I get a glass, took a pic of it, then listed in on ebay. It was ok, but not going fast enough for me. So, I got the bright idea to take pics of them all and then crop them and save them....you know the drill. Well, this seemed a fine idea, until after I spent 2 and 1/2 hours doing it, I realized that I hadn't named or numbered the ones that are the same. So, it was back to getting a glass, taking the pic.........

So, now I have several glasses listed and several scheduled to start in a couple of days, and will also start listing again Wednesday. If anyone wants or collects these cartoon glasses, check out ebay under i-glasses, my name on ebay.

The meds are working good except that I have been have weird dreams. My two youngest kids are having a good laugh at me. Well, piddlesquat, I laugh at them too. Man, the stories I could tell about them. Like the time my son freaked out in haunted house in Virginia Beach, and the time my daughter, who's name is Michael, was signing up for a discount on some makeup at a department store. She told the salesperson her name and then was looking around, her mind obviously not in the store at the moment. The saleslady looked at her and, to check the spelling of her name, said...'Mic...." my daughter looked at her and said...'key'.....spelling Mickey Mouse. I died, right there. Poor kid. She got the name right finally and was redfaced until we left the store then we both had to sit down on one of the benches because we were laughing so hard we couldn't see where we were going. And, trust me, they are better and funnier stories.

I think that in a month or so I will publish my log of taking the cholesterol meds and the depression meds......the last I call the meds so I won't kill Phil (my youngest)

Sad Sad day in Mudville

Well, it's a sad sad day in Mudville. I went to the doctor yesterday. I knew my cholesterol was high but had no idea it was as high as it is, so I am seriously going to work at getting that down.

The sad thing is, I am borderline diabetic, which means no more cokes. A friend told me that she heard that two people had been laid off from thre coke plant in Atlanta and their kids kick out of school, since I am no longer supporting them.

Diet Barqs rootbeer seems ok........but there is nothing like the real thing.

I am going to take a couple of days to mourn and then hold a ceremony in the back yard, burying empty coke cans and pouring the coke over them as we sing.........I'd love to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony...........ah well....and end of an era.

The pic of the sweet baby girl is my youngest daughter's soon to be newest critter. She is trying to think of names now. Lola might be it. The puppy is three days old now.

Well, it has certainly been an interesting day. First, I went to the doctor for the first time in over two and one half years. The doctor is one I really like, he is down to earth and is easy to talk to. The last time I went to him my cholesterol was high and he prescribed some cholesterol-lowering medicine. I took one month, but stopped because it cost just way too much and at the time I could not afford

. Today, when he asked how I was doing on it I honestly told him that I
was not taking it and why. I am also borderline diabetic, which right now can be controlled with diet and exercise (aaaagggggggg!!!) so, ok, I will stop drinking cokes. This is not going to be easy since I can easily drink twelve or more a day. I will need to lose weight too. I will start walking then will start swimming again. I also need medicine for depression. So, after my exam, the doctor left the room and came back with a bag of Lexapro (for depression) and,,,oh shoot, I can't remember the cholesterol meds and I am too lazy just now to go in the bathroom and get it. Anyway, I will not have to buy meds for as long as the doctor gets the free samples. And, as soon as my prescription insurance kicks in.

I also have something funny going on with my liver. The doctor has scheduled an ultrascan to see what it might be. It doesn't hurt and like he said I am not yellow, so he doesn't think it is anything serious. BUT, I have had two brothers die from cancer, one pancreas/liver cancer and the other they were not sure exactly where his started. He only lived seven days after his diagnosis. So, I am going to be a tad bit nervous until I find out what is going on.

On a lighter side, I went to a casino for the first time in about three years. I tried craps and lost, then went to a slot machine and did pretty good for awhile. Actually, I would have come out ahead if I had left sooner, but I was playing Wheel of Fortune and it was just so much fun. I only spent twenty dollars of my money, the rest was the casinos so it was ok. The bad part was the food. Casino food is usually good. This was horrible. Even the crab legs were overcooked. But, it was fun. But, I won't be going back for a long time.

I am going to start selling Leslie's cartoon glasses on ebay for her, then when I get done with them, she wants me to put her Mormon books on there to sell. She is doing it to keep me busy, because, when I have too much time on my hands, I do dumb things. Like play Wheel of Fortune.

And...

OK, the obsessions are kicking in, I can feel them now, sneaking up behind me. I suppose it is a good thing that I have a doctor's visit tomorrow. Have I mentioned how much I dislike and distrust doctors? Well, I do. But, I am going, since it has been three or so years since I have gone. So, I go, they give me meds for, oh say, high cholesterol which lowers that but eats up my liver.

You know that I am rambling now because I should be working on a story that I have had rattling around in the back of my head for a couple of weeks now. And, there is another one peeking over that one's shoulder, so, I suppose it will be another night of all night writing. I wish it were easier to write.

So....ta ta everyone.

Well, it's Memorial Day.....whoooo hooo. This year I find myself wishing I could get all pumped about it. I remember the Memorial Days of the past when I would throw some hotdogs, buns , chips and cokes in the car.........and the kids...and we would head up to the nearest creek to swim all day. That was so much fun. But, now, some of the kids
have kids and the one who doesn't thinks it is silly to spend time playing in the sand with his mama, so he is off fishing and eating the flounder they gigged last night. So, today I will put in a load of clothes, get my newest NetFlix movie and snuggle down on the couch with Gumbo. That's Gumbo up there in the pic.

Nothing much has been happening lately, which is probably a good thing. It's about time things quieted down. I am supposed to go up to Michigan in two weeks to get my two oldest grandsons and bring them back here for the summer. If I can afford it. I will need to do some major praying as I do my budget for the month. Those boys need the time away from Michigan and I need them down here. Even though they spend the first week asking me to repeat whatever I say to them. They are good boys. I was looking for the latest pic I have of them, but dangit, I think I deleted them along with some stuff that needed deleting. I will ask my daughter to send me more, so I show them off too.

Ok. I may write more, but I am also supposed to be working on a story for a writing group and I have a bad case of the popitifuls, so maybe that will be for tomorrow.

Weird dreams

I have been having this recurring dream. I am in an old rundown house. I am moving out, and there are people coming in and out who have bought the house and will be doing extensive remodeling. I am terrified because I know that there are pictures hidden there of my mother killing my father. And, I am the one who took the pics. There are people coming in and out, some I know from years ago and some I don't know. I keep trying to figure out how to get my father's body and the pics out of the house.

This is where it always ends, and I wake up in a total panic. My father died of liver failure in 1974 and my mother died in 2001.