Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas






Parody thanks to Sacred Cow Burgers.

Happy Birthday

My dearly beloved was born on Christmas Day. I strongly suspect that has something to do with his general attitude about the Christmas season. Bah Humbug pretty much sums it up.



Last year we spent Christmas/his birthday with his children in Boston. We spent a wonderful week with his son, daughter, daughter-in-law and grandchildren. Aren't they all beautiful?

It was a very nice Christmas/birthday!



As long as I've known him, I've suspected that he secretly likes Christmas. He's just too manly to admit it.

We celebrate Christmas in the morning and his birthday in the afternoon. He's bound to feel cheated.

His mother told me that when he was a child they tried to celebrate his birthday in June so he'd have a seperate celebration. But when people asked how old he was, 5 1/2 just didn't cut it. So it went back to Christmas Day.

Maybe he was disappointed when he got old enough to realize all the decorations and celebrations weren't just for him?

So this post is for you, honey. It's not wrapped in Christmas paper and not a single jingle bell on it.

Just wishing you a Happy Birthday. You da man!

Love you,
Me

Merry Christmas to my Children

I forced my children to pose in these homemade fleese scarves we made last year. You can see how thrilled they look :). We made them from leftover material from the fleese blankets we made.

I think my daughter-in-law thought of making the scarves. She's quite handy with making things.

They are all in other places this year. So - I'm sending a Merry Christmas via blog to my sweet children.

I wish for you long, happy and prosperous lives!

I love you!

Remembering Christmas Past

Christmas Day was spent at my grandmother’s house when I was a child. Really through my young adulthood, until her death in 1994. She insisted on it.

I didn’t understand until I was older that she pretty much made everyone come to her house on Christmas. To me, it was just what we always did. All of her sons and their families were dutifully at her house on Christmas. I’m not sure anyone questioned her authority.

She decorated – really decorated. The photo in this post is perfect of her. It’s how I remember her, especially at Christmas, with all the frills, lights, candles and garland she could fit into her house.

It didn’t seem to matter that she was living in a mill town in Georgia and her husband was a barber. She had my grandfather, and after his death, my uncle take her into Atlanta to Rich’s to do her shopping. She was a lady and she would have the nicer things. Period.

She wasn’t a bad person. She had a difficult childhood and a strong will and with all sons, she was not going to be take a back seat to anyone. I’m not sure she wasn’t right, she set up a family tradition that contributed considerably to the closeness of the family and some very fond memories.

She worked us all hard. There were no excuses for not contributing. That was expected too. She raised 5 hard-working, very fine, honorable and just basically good sons. So she obviously did some thing right.

That was Christmas. We got up in the morning. Daddy always made us wait in the hall while he got his movie camera out (the kind with the huge hot lamps), when he had everything set up, we could come into the living room and see what Santa had laid out for us during the night.

Then we all got ready and went to my grandmothers for the evening and opened presents again. One or the other of my uncles always had a prank gift for someone. My uncles were all hilarious. They played as hard as they worked.

After dinner the men would go and sit on the porch and smoke and tell tall tales. The women went to the kitchen and cleaned and prepared for opening gifts. When I was very young I could go out on the porch with my granddaddy and uncles. I always liked going out there with them. They talked about more interesting things than the women did and they thought I was cute. They would sit me on their laps and let me light their cigarettes with those old-fashioned propane lighters and laugh at everything I said and did. I loved them very much.

As I grew older, I had to help in the kitchen, but escaped as quickly as I could to go back out to the porch with the men.

I remember the last real Christmas there. The last one before they all started leaving. It was crowded in her house, as usual. I remember we were at her table and she was opening presents. My daddy’s youngest brother had gone into the kitchen to get more coffee and was coming back into the dinning room, I bumped into him as he came through the door. He made some kind of joke out of it, as he always did, I wish I remembered what he said.

What I do remember is that I looked straight into his eyes and I remember behind his laughter I saw a sadness. He was beautiful, he had strikingly beautiful eyes, and he was so very young.

It was the last time I ever saw him.

A week later he died of a massive heart attack at 47 years of age. He was the first. My father died just before Christmas the next year. Within a couple of years, 3 of the 5 brothers were dead. All died suddenly of massive heart attacks, just like their father did.

Nothing was ever the same after that.

My grandmother still insisted on the Christmas gatherings at her house. But it was different now. The laughter was more forced, if it was there at all. Unspoken sadness inevitably hung over the gatherings. The two surviving sons talked together and became closer than ever.

My grandmother outlived all but one of her sons. When her 4th son died, she seemed to decide it was time to go herself. Eventhough she had been remarkably healthy during her life, she died within just a few months. We haven’t had Christmas together with that side of the family since then. I’ve rarely seen them at all since then.

I find true joy in my family and friends who are in my life now. But during the Christmas season I always find myself thinking back on those years with a certain amount of melancholy.

I am always sad for the times that have been tucked away into the past. Times that I had no idea would ever end. I miss the people who have left.

I miss them, everyone.

Christmas at Arlington

Greater Love Hath No Man .... Than To Lay Down His Life ...

The picture speaks for itself.

I found this at Freedom Folks
Trackback url: Freedom Folks

Cartoon of the Day

Christmas Tree

A friend sent this to me today and I thought it was appropriate to put it on this blog.

For anyone who might be confused.

This is a Christmas Tree.

Christmas Tree.

It is not a Holiday Tree.

Just wanted to clear that up.

America's Earliest Terrorists

I ran across Collecting My Thoughts today (well, actually, I went there because she had left some comments on mine). She has a lot of interesting and informative information. Facts, in fact, that are well-researched and documented. If you are really interested in understanding some of the issues our society is facing dealing with, you can find a good collection of articles in her blogs. She touches on a wide variety of subjects.

I found an article I found particularly interesting having to do with the Our Earliest Battles With Islamic Terrorists.

She states, among other things, that in 1786 Thomas Jefferson and John Adams met with Sidi Haji Abdul Rahman Adja, the Tripolitan ambassador to Britain. They met to negotioate a peace treaty and protect the United States from the threat of Barbary piracy.

"These future United States presidents questioned the ambassador as to why his government was so hostile to the new American republic even though America had done nothing to provoke any such animosity. Ambassador Adja answered them, as they reported to the Continental Congress, "that it was founded on the Laws of their Prophet, that it was written in their Koran, that all nations who should not have acknowledged their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as Prisoners, and that every Musselman who should be slain in Battle was sure to go to Paradise."

More can be found in this article by Joshua E. London (December 16, 2005)

Thomas Jefferson and John Adams came to learn back in 1786, the situation becomes a lot clearer when you listen to the stated intentions and motivations of the terrorists and take them at face value.

It's worth reading and thinking about.

Blue Star Chronicles

Remember to check out my new blog at Blue Star Chronicles ....

Blog address updated in March 2006 - check it out:

Blue Star Chronicles ....



See you there :)

Schwarzenegger Stands and Delivers

Good for Arnold. He didn't bow down to pressure from the League of Hollywood Obnoxious and Over-rated.

In a very articulate and well thought out statement. Gov. Schwarzenegger in part states:

"After studying the evidence, searching the history, listening to the arguments and wrestling with the profound consequences, I could find no justification for granting clemency. The facts do not justify overturning the jury's verdict or the decisions of the courts in this case."

The 9th U.S. Circuit Appeals also denied Tookie's request for a reprieve stating in part that there is no "clear and convincing evidence of actual innocence."

I still wonder why there is so little said about his victims (at least the ones he was convicted for murdering. There is so little said about them, that a MSN web search yields THIS INSIGNIFICANT blog!!!

That's pretty telling!

Treats for the Troops

I have been getting packages together to send to my son and his new wife overseas. Being in the military they are poor as church mice, so I send them what I can. Just everyday things are helpful and not that expensive or time consuming to get together and send.

Some tips on sending packages:

• Make sure you have the correct APO address.

• Be sure to fill out a customs receipt at your local post office

• If you are are sending food, the more airtight the better. Send vacuum-packed cookies, or you can remove air from a zip-lock bag by sucking the air through a straw.

• Layers! The more layers the better. Wrap items in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and place them in zip-lock bags.

• Pad items with soft usable items. Toilet paper is great for cusioning and something that will be much needed itself.

I have found the post office personnel to be very helpful when sending packages to APO addresses.

Packages can take 3 or more weeks to get to our soldiers, especially if they are deployed. So make sure they are packed well and that the contents are the type that will travel well.

Some suggestions for travel-friendly treats.

Crispy Peanut Squares

1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 cups crisp rice cereal squares
1 cup peanuts

Combine first 3 ingredients in a glass bowl; microwave on HIGH 3 to 4 minutes or until melted, stirring once. Stir in vanilla.

Fold in cereal and peanuts. Spread mixture into a lightly greased 13 x 9 inch pan. Cover and chill 1 hour or until set; cut into small squares

Spicy Pecans

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup orange juice concentrate
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cups coarsely chopped pecans

Cook first 6 ingredients in a skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, and stir in pecans. Transfer to a lightly greased baking sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes or until toasted. Cool and store in an airtight container.

Chocolate Nut Brownie Cookies

2/3 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 cup chopped walnuts

Beat first 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs, beating until blended.

Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; add to mixer, beating at low spped jut until blended. Stir in morsels and nuts.

Drop dough by tablespoonfuls for small cookies or 1/4 cupfuls for large cookies onto lightly greased baking sheets.

Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or untils et. Cool cookies on baking sheets 1 minute, and remove to wire racks to cool completely.

** These recipes aren't original with me, but I don't remember where I got them. But they travel well.**

Check out Samantha Speaks who has a post about deployed warriors today.

Also check out Any Soldier for more information about sending packages to our soldiers. At Treat Any Soldier you can order packages and have them sent to 'any soldier'.

Hope this is helpful!

*also post at Blue Star Chronicles

Cartoon of the Day

I found this at The Changing Face of America. And on The Median Sib. It just seemed apropos .....

Retreat and Defeat

The Progressives (new term for liberals) are none too happy! They support our troops! They have said so repeatedly. Their words are just being taken out of context by the evil Republicans.

That is NOT what they MEANT!

This ad is making them crazy.

Howard Dean states:

The idea that we’re going to win this war is an idea that unfortunately is just plain wrong.

John Kerry states on December 4, 2005 on Face The Nation (CBS),:

There is no reason Bob that young American soldiers need to be going into the homes of Iraqis in the dead of night terrorizing kids and children, you know, women.

Barbara Boxer on Fox News Sunday on December 4, 2005:

So there’s no specific timeframe but I would say the withdrawal ought to start now, right after the elections December 15th.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi at a November 30, 2005 Press Conference:

I'm Endorsing What Mr. Murtha Is Saying .... And Let's Be Clear About What It Is Mr. Murtha Said, 'Yes, Let's Bring The Troops Home.

Representative John Murtha (D-PA) speaking on a Congressional Resolution on November 17, 2005:

The Deployment Of United States Forces In Iraq, By Direction Of Congress, Is Hereby Terminated And The Forces Involved Are To Be Redeployed At The Earliest
Practicable Date.

I support our troops, but ........

cartoon from Sacred Cow Burgers.

Also posted on Blue Star Chronicles

Blue Star Blogroll

I'm in the process of moving. I'll be spending more time over on The Blue Star Chronicles. I hope you'll come visit over there.

For information about the Blue Star Banner check out this post.

Join The Blue Star Blogroll

Christmas in My Neighborhood

I live in a pretty quite neighborhood. It's the kind of place that you'd have a hard time finding if you had a GPS tracking devise and exact directions.

During the winter, like now, you can kinda sorta see the road just below us. The trees have lost enough leaves that you can see the lights of the houses down there and sometimes even hear the people who live there talking if they are outside and the wind is blowing in just the right way.

One of our down-the-hill neighbors puts out a 'National Lampoon Christmas Vacation' style display on their house and in their yard every year. It's hard to miss and occassionally if I walk by certain windows in my house and catch the light from the corner of my eye, I think for a second that the woods behind my house are on fire.

The couple that live there spent last weekend putting out the display. I was out in my yard and could hear their voices, but not make out what they were saying. Then all of the sudden I heard a crash and a string of what sounded like some serious cursing.

This was getting interesting. I kept working in the yard.

A couple of minutes later the voices were sounding decidedly irritated and angry. But the work continued interspersed with loud phrases that floated up the hill and through the trees. Phrases like, 'Just hand me the d*mn hammer' and 'Did you plug the f*ckin thing in?'.

By the end of the weekend the display was up and out and fully lit. As far as I know they aren't in divorce court yet.

Merry Christmas!

Speaking of Recipes

Two of the best recipe books I have come across are not easy to find. One is written by Ruth at RuthLace. Recipes, Rhymes and Reflections. It contains some of her good down-south recipes as well as her poetry.

Another is written by Carol at The Median Sib. This book is a collection of recipes from her family members and has some downright excellent recipes. The recipes are shared with just a dash of stories and personal accounts of memoriable meals.

You might check out The Cozy Reader and her post suggesting a way to deal with the Christmas 'problem'. She also has an excellent post on the rising danger presented by President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela.

The America-hater Chavez continues to viciously stop any opposition against him and rally his people against the United States. I have heard lead Democrats say we should overlook his attitude towards America and instead look at Venezuela as an alternative oil source. So, it's just about getting their oil??

Joan at DaddysRoses has a post about tacky Nativity Scenes. It's worth checking out. And while you are there, check out her Basketmaking for Gift-Giving

RuthLace has an excellent posts Christmas Wishes and a Chaplain's Report from Iraq.

AND, my brother Terry has posted an actual recipe (I bet his wife and kids think that's a hoot! lol).

Okay - still reading. Will check back again in a while.

adios

Recipe of the Day

This is one of my family's favorites:

Pepper-Seared Beef Tenderloin With Hoseradish Cream Sauce

4 (6-ounce) beef tenderloin fillets

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cracked pepper

1/2 cup butter or margarine

2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

2/3 cup whipping cream

2 tablespoons prepared horseradish

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Sprinkle fillets evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt: press cracked pepper into all sides of fillets

Melt 1/4 cup butter into a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat; add beef tenderloin fillets, and cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side or to desired degree of doneness.

Melt remaining 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and ground pepper until blended;

Cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute.

Add cream, and cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute or until thickened and bubbly.

Stir in horseradish and mustard.

Drizzle over fillets.

YUM

Cartoon of the Day

Actually, this is the cartoon of a couple of days ago. Just been too busy to post it.

I found this on Sacred Cow.com.

With the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, I had been wondering about the same thing, what if it had happened today?

Quote of the Day

There are no great things, only small things with great love. Happy are those

Mother Theresa

An the Nobel Prize Goes to ...

Harold Printer.

Harold Printer, writer and political activist.

His most notable works date to the 1960s and 1970s. He is an Englishman. He is very ill with only months to live, if that.

So one would expect he would use his probable last moments in the spotlight to be a voice of calm in this turbulent world. Or perhaps to speak of peace, love and understanding. Maybe he would use the time to reflect on contributions to world peace he might have made.

No, he spent 46 minutes of a taped acceptance speech to spew bitter hate-filled rhetoric at the United States.

I surfed around blogdom a little last night and noticed blog after blog written with the same vehement rhetoric. One that I found particularly interesting was written by a South African who was extremely defensive when a non-South African made a rather non-controversial statement about her country. So defensive that she seemed to run out of vocabulary pretty quickly as she resorted to calling the person vile names within just a few words.

What was interesting about her diatribe against the visitor to her blog was that her blog was primarily focused on the great evils of the United States and Americans. I should write 'dumb Americans', to use her eloquent words.

Her logic? If you aren't a South African you have no right to critize South Africa or say anything about it for that matter. If you aren't a citizen of the United States, you have an obligation to verbally beat the living daylights out of the US and citizens of the US at every opportunity.

Another blog I thought was particularly pathetic was written by an American citizen lamenting the fact that she is an American citizen. She made statements about feeling 'culturally deprived' as an American. Culturally deprived? Which culture is she deprived of? Asian culture? South American culture? Which? I'm sure she means European culture.

Meet the United States of America - the world's whipping boy. Take a shot, it's free, it's easy and guarenteed no consequences for whatever you have to say.

I understand why people do that. People don't want to lose their own cultures, they want to retain their own languages, of course. A powerful, wealthy nation is a threat to those things. Their cultures, their native languages. We could easily get way too homogeneous for anyone's taste. Our differences are our strength and with instant information, we are losing our diversity. Fortunately, 'we the people' of the United States of America don't want to destroy other cultures. But the fear of it happening anyway is there, and rightfully so. It happens with no one meaning for it to happen. We are big, wealthy and strong. We are hated for that.

Meanwhile, Nobel Prize for Art, Literature and Politics winner, Harold Printer will leave as his virtual last words a legacy of divisiveness, hate and bitterness towards a nation that's not his own.

Frieden

Quote of the Day

When I only begin to read, I forget I'm on this world. It lifts me on wings with high thoughts.


Anzia Yezierska

Bah Humbug for Crying Out Loud!

My new best friend San Francisco Liberal Traitor has brought to my attention that one expects Christmas recipes on a Merry Christmas blog.

My answer to him is as follows: (I would have written a post rather than just repeating what I wrote on his blog - but it's time for Survivor and one has to have priorities!)

My dear friend Liberal Traitor,

I have read your posts and your comments on my blog. And have taken all of your suggestions under a considerable amount of consideration.

After much contemplation and the picking off of fleas. I have come to the very uncomfortable position of having to concede you have maybe made perhaps just a tiny little tad of a little bit of a point in the Merry Christmas political blog issue.

In deference to your suggestions and out of a deep and enduring respect for our new found close friendship, I have made the agonizing decision to post daily (maybe) Christmas recipes on the Merry Christmas blog.I only cook when there are pending nuclear holocausts immediately threatening my own personal neighborhood.

Hopefully, that gives you some idea of what a real sacrifice it is for me to trudge out holiday - opps - Christmas recipes just for YOU.:)

smooches back at cha

Beth

Daily Southern Christmas Recipe

Southern Christmas Peacan Pound Cake

1 1/2 cups butter or margarine, softened
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3 cups sugar (the granuated kind, not the kind your grandmama used to ask for )
6 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 chopped pecans, toasted

Beat butter and cream chees at medium speed with an electric mixer 2 minutes or until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating 5 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until yellow disappears.

Combine four and salt, and add to butter mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla and chopped pecans. Pour batter into a greased and foured 10-inch tube pan.

Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

Eat - yum.

Quote of the Day

One ought never to turn one's back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it. If you do that, you will double the danger. But if you meet it promptly and without flinching, you will reduce the danger by half.

Winston Churchill

(1874 - 1965)

Ain't America Grand!

Just when I thought Liberal Traitor and I had kissed and made up, he posts this on his website.

I've been doing my best to educate him on the right way of thinking ( grin and wink ). But it doesn't seem to be working.

He says: "While I didn't see a single tree lot advertising "holiday" trees"

I have, I have seen them everywhere. I haven't seen a single sign for 'Christmas trees' since this issue has been brought to my attention. That's ridiculous.

He says: "Even Fox News is doing it"

Then it should be brought to their attention.

He says: "why do you hate capitalism so much?"

I don't. Can't speak for other people. But there is a difference between being 'inclusive' of other relgions and deliberately excluding the religion that is responsible for at least 85 - 90 % of their seasonal sales. Come on!

Since Liberal Traitor is on the left coast and I'm on the right coast (figuratively and literally) we couldn't get a photo made together. So I found a computer simulation of us as new best friends :) Can you tell which of us is which?

Hope you enjoy:)

Ciao

They Are Tearing Up My Front Yard

I stayed home today to try to get some work done without the constant interuptions I have in my office.

So the city decided to tear up my front yard today. It's a conspiracy, I'm sure it is.

I went out and talked to the guys with the front end loaders (plural) digging up my yard. They are putting in new water lines, they told me. All the way down the mountain. It's all about improving our ability to get good water from the water tanks on top of the mountain.

I think it's really about the chi-chi new neighborhoods that are being built a little further down the mountain from us and one a little higher on the mountain.

As per the city, they have a right-of-way up to 15 feet into our yard. Well, maybe we'll end up with better water.

A man is standing in the hole they are digging and I can only see his head - so it's pretty deep. As I watch them tear up the curb, and dig out the entire length of the road front of our yard, I can't help but think of all the money we spent last spring to reinforce the drainage system around our property. { See previous story about the need for drainage and flood insurance when you live on the side of a mountain. }

Sigh.

Uh - Oh San Francisco Liberal Traitor Doesn't Like My Blog

It seems I've offended San Francisco Liberal Traitor.

He's getting "all whipped up into super Christmas spirit!" just reading my blog.

He says, among other things, that I am cheerleading for "Bush's war in Iraq and attacking those of us who don't think it's a particularly good idea for us to be in that war (you know, the majority of Americans at this point, not to mention the rest of the world)."

He says my blog is the rantings and ravings of another rightwingnut.

I wondering who I have attacked and who is calling who names??? hmmmmm.....

I also notice in San Francisco Liberal Traitor's blog several posts having to do with other blogs he disapproves of.

For instance, in this post, he makes catty, vicious and rather nasty fun of another blogger. He even states this other blogger is the source of jokes among bloggers who are regulars on Blog Explosion.

Just a few of the names San Francisco Liberal Traitor calls people he doesn't agree include: religious lunatic fringe; rightwingnuts; braindead neocon sheeple. I didn't read any further.

Ah well, it's a good thing he's a liberal and therefore so accepting of people who don't agree with his point of view.

I'd hate to see how mean-spirited it might have gotten if he were a conservative!

Thanks Traitor, for showing me the error of my ways.

This rose is for you.

Quote of the Day

“The Statue of Liberty is no longer saying ‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses.’ She’s got a baseball bat and she’s yelling, ‘you want a piece of me?’”

Attributed to Robin Williams

Etiquette Question

If you are giving a Christmas party and you've included on your guest list elected officials, does that violate the Seperation of Church and State?

This is a real dilemma! I don't know what to do. I want to do the right thing for our country.

Should I change it to a 'Holiday Party'? But that has religious implications as well.

Perhaps I should not invite anyone who holds public office. That would solve the problem.

Maybe it's better to not give a Christmas party at all.

I want to be a good American. It's probably better to just call the whole thing off and sit at home alone in the dark and eat nothing but dry bread crumbs comtemplating the suffering the American Lust for World Domination has thrusts upon the world.

Bah Humbug

Cartoon for Today

It's Up To Arnold

Stanley 'Tookie' Williams made a phone call recently to address a gathering of people who were rallying on his behalf. He said that he had made an impact on the world and whether or not he was executed, he would be remembered.

Tookie, your last hope is now in the hands of a man who's nickname is 'The Terminator'.

It doesn't look good for you.

Oh, and, you are a flash in the pan. You are having your 15 minutes of fame. You have not contributed to the world in any positive way. When you are gone, no one will remember you.

Quote of the Day

Some see private enterprise as a predatory target to be shot, others as a cow to be milked, but few are those who see it as a sturdy horse pulling the wagon.

Winston Churchill

There's Something Between Her Ears!

My daughter has a full time job and goes to school full time. She doesn’t have a 9 to 5 type job. She’s an investigator, which requires her to work all kinds of odd hours and deal with all the paperwork that accompanies a job like that. She’s also working on her M.B.A., which requires her to attend classes, work on presentations, read, study and meet with study groups.

She’s a little bit of an over-achiever. Yes, I’m bragging on her a little, but there is a story here.

She went to college away from home and when she graduated and moved back to the area she had her own apartment. So, she’s been on her own for a while. About a month ago, she decided she would move into our basement to save some money.

Even though she’s living in our basement now, we still don’t see all that much of her. But it has been nice having her around more than she was before.

Part of her day today: She tried to track down someone she’s been trying to interview for a few days. She’s been told not to go to this interviewee’s house without a male co-worker because of the reputation of the neighborhood and the person she is to interview. So today, she got one of her co-workers to go with her to the neighborhood in question to see if she could find this woman.

No one answered the door, again. But as she started to walk back to her car a man rushed over from across the street. He said, ‘I know who you are and I know why you’re here.’ He went on to say he was glad they were there because he was tired of all the sh*t going on in the neighborhood. He then proceeded to tell her that he’d spent a year and a half in Vietnam and hadn’t seen as much sh*t as he sees in that neighborhood.

He said, ‘You go ahead and do your job.’

‘No one is home’, she replied. ‘I’ll come back.’

‘She’s hiding from you.’

‘Where is she then?’ my daughter asked.

‘She was right out here when you drove up, you saw her. You know where she went.’

‘I’ve never met her. I don’t know what she looks like, I didn’t see her.’

‘You saw her, she’s hiding, go get her, I’m tired of her doing that sh*t.’ ‘Everybody here does that sh*t and I’m f**kin sick of it. You had to see her, she was right there when you drove up.’

‘I didn’t see her. I was looking at the people on the sidewalk when I drove up. Where is she hiding?’

He looked at her quizzically and then looked at her male co-worker. ‘She’s awful pretty, but there’s nothing between here.’ he said, pointing with great animation at his ears.

Her co-worker tried to help her out by explaining to the man that no one had come to the door and they couldn’t go in with only suspicion. The man shook his head and replied, ‘She’s hiding, you know where she is.’

‘She’s in there doing that sh*t right now, hiding.’ His bling glistening as he spoke.

‘What sh*t is she doing?’ my daughter asked, wanting him to be more specific. ‘Doin sh*t’ doesn’t always stand up in court.

‘You know what I’m talking about. She’s doin’ sh*t right now. Now, you go do your job. I know you’ll do the right thing.’ Looking at her co-worker, he motioned towards his ears again, shaking his head vigorously. ‘There’s really nothin’ in there, right? She’s mighty pretty though’.

Trying to help again, the co-worker said, ‘If you could tell us what sh*t you think she’s …’

‘I don’t think, I know what sh*t she’s doing.’

‘As soon as you leave, she’s gonna come out here and jump all over me want’n to know what we been talking about. And I’m gonna tell her ‘Go on now B*tch, I told them what sh*t you been doin’ and I’m sick of you doin that sh*t and all the sh*t your bringing down on this neighborhood.’

He went on in this vein for a while. My daughter was taking notes and he began instructing her on what to write and spelling words out for her at times. Several times looking at her co-worker, nodding towards my daughter, gesturing towards his ears and shaking his head.

‘When you get her, you tell her it was me that told you.’ He said at one point.

‘What’s your name?’ the co-worker asked.

‘I’m the nosey neighbor.’ He replied.

‘Okay, but what’s your name?’ My daughter said.

‘I just told you.’ Looking at the co-worker, nodding towards my daughter, gesturing towards his ears and shaking his head again. ‘She’s real pretty, but there’s nothing between her ears.’

In his own way, he was trying to do something for his neighborhood. He was right about all but one thing he said.

She does have something between her ears.

Mindless Clicking

It's after midnight. I missed blogging on December 1st by 12 minutes. Instead, I've been mindlessly clicking around the internet.

With two hours sleep last night, a very busy day at work today and thinking I'd come home and go to bed, I am sitting here just clicking from page to page. Wide awake, but basically brain-dead (yeah, I know, I'm opening myself up for all kinds of sarcastic remarks for writing that!).

I probably should rename this blog something to do with insomnia.

I've cruised a lot of interesting pages, but can't seem to retain the thoughts long enough to write anything about them. Or I'm just too lazy right now to give it any real thought.

The poor peace activist who have been kidnapped in Iraq. I've read several blogs about them and their probable fate, including the Median Sib. Idealistic, unrealistic, naive, silly, stupid and horribly misguided. Their reckless disregard for the dangers of the world (a war zone, no less) and credulity and disloyalty to their own country will probably cost them their lives, in a very cruel and horrific manner. I have a lot of thoughts about that, but it'll have to wait.

I've read a few of pro-surrender sites. People who seem to think that surrendering to the enemy is the answer to ... the answer to what? I haven't figured that out. They just scream surrender and vile hatred for our President and critism of everything American. But I don't seem to get their motivations, other than they just want to protest something. I have a lot of thoughts on this too, but another day.

Most of these types are in their 20s or 60s (who are missing the 1960s).

I've seen several really silly accusations against the behavior of our military. They always say they support the troops, but are against the war. But they attack the troops to protest the war. Perplexing, isn't it?

So there'll be more to say on another day when I'm not so sleep deprived. Meanwhile, I'll be clicking around glaring at the computer screen.

Gute Nacht

Quote of the Day

'To all who wear the uniform, I make you this pledge: America will not run in the face of car bombers and assassins so long as I am your Commander-in-Chief.'

George W. Bush

President of the United States of America

United States Naval Academy

Annapolis, Maryland

November 30, 2005

Entire transcript of speech can be found here.

New York, New York

Watching Imus in the Morning this morning. He just interviewed Senator Joe Lieberman (democrat) who dares to make statements like, 'Things are better in Iraq' and 'We are making great progress there.'

NOT the party line!

Following the interview, the crew on Imus' program start whinning and carrying on about how silly it is to think anything can be gained from 'winning' a war in Iraq.

Imus said, 'What are we going to do? Stay there till there are 3,000 dead?.' Bernard, one of the regualars on Imus, made a sarcastic statement, 'As long as it's not one of your family.'

That's the point that I blew up.

What exactly happens if we surrender? Huh? Have you thought that through?

That's what they want us to do. They call it 'a time-table for withdrawal'. But leaving a battle unfinished is surrender and defeat. (Iraq is a battle, not a war. The war is bigger than Iraq, in my opinion).

What happens then? New York? What happens then?

Imus, you are in the great state of New York. If politians keep interfering with this war and set a time-table for withdrawal, ignoring all reports from the military and civilian personnel on the ground in Iraq, than New York had better brace itself.

Imus, if we leave the Iraqi people now, after liberating them and without any further support to get on their feet, you had better go back to your ranch in New Mexico before the celebrating in Iran, Syria, etc is over.

I don't know if New York or Israel or California will go first, but New York is surely on their short list.

I'm sick to death of these politians trying to build their careers on the bodies of American soldiers. They seem to live for counting bodies.

Let the military handle the war and SHUT UP!

Who Did Stanley 'Tookie' Williams Murder?

Who did Stanley 'Tookie' Williams murder? It's hard to know.

I Googled his name to try to get a better understanding of the issue and the man. The first few pages of Google results read page after page hailing Tookie's Redemption.

I had read an article a while back written by prison officials that were in direct opposition to the headlines and movie star statements about this death row inmate.

I tried to find the statement on the internet without success. I did find several sites that blast the prison officials for trying to discredit Tookie.

I did find the names of his victims and descriptions of the crimes he was sentenced to death for. But only on a few blogs. Michelle Malkin discusses his crimes and quotes the survivors of his victims. FullosseousFlap's Blog has a series of posts keeping watch of the Tookie story.

I'm sure there are more sites with information about and/or sympathic leanings towards the victims of the crimes. But I didn't have time to spend hours looking for them.

As part of Tookie's Redemption, he has written children stories to inform kids of the dangers of gang life. He says he doesn't want kids to end up like him.

The statement from the prison is decidedly debunked by Tookie's spokeswoman, Barbara Becnel. He has a spokeswoman?!?!

His supporter's challenge the prison's official statements regarding Tookie's Redemption or lack thereof, with statements like:

• 'they are trying to discredit him at every turn'
• 'it's an abuse of the prison system's power'
• 'we knew they would try to malign him'
• 'they are trying to drum up business on death row'
• 'they can't even let him have his dignity'
• 'the prison system's allegations are ridiculous'

The supporters of Tookie are also simply appalled that the Los Angeles District Attorney's office wrote a letter to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger that included details and photos of the crimes he had been convicted of committing. They called the photos and descriptions of his crimes bloody and prejudicial.

San Quentin spokesman Vernell Crittendon said "A con always will say one thing to you while the whole time he has another agenda," the San Quentin spokesman said. "I'm concerned that possibly this marketing that's going on ... leads the public to hear the words, but not to see that sleight of hand."

Crittendon has noted, among other things, that Tookie has an unusually large bank account for an inmate. He often gets $500 or $1000 at a time as compared to other inmates with $10 or $20. Tookie's spokeswoman says that's just cause people appreciate his work.

Tookie's spokeswoman and celebrity supporters have an answer to every allegation prision officials have made concerning Tookie.

Most of their comebacks are on the level of, 'Yeah? Your mama!'

So let's recap:

• Tookie was convicted of horrific crimes {plural};
• Tookie was sentenced to death by lethal injection in a state that supports the death penalty;
• Tookie has run out of all his appeals;
• Tookie has now turned to publicity and goof-ball celebrities who will get some air time to take up his cause;
• Tookie's people say looking at photos of his crime scenes and descriptions of his crimes is prejudicial;
• Tookie's people say he's been redeemed;
• Tookie's people say he can help save children who might go into gang life;
• Tookie's people say the prison officials are just out to get Tookie;
• Tookie's people don't want us {we the people} to know the names or circumstances of the deaths of the people he was convicted of murdering;
• Tookie is getting desperate;
• Tookie is running out of time.

What's left to find out is whether or not Governor Schwarzenegger will have the guts to let justice take it's course.

If the governor does not interfer with the 1979 sentense, then perhaps Tookie will get his wish. Perhaps he'll be able to help the children from the communities he says he is reaching out to through his books.

He says he does not want these children to end up where he is.

Where he is right now is in the lime-light with a bunch of celebrities surrounding him and taking up his cause.

If he really wants those kids to see the results of gang life,

then ...

he should get his wish ...

with an exclamation point at the end of his wasted life.

We Have a Blue Star Banner in Our Window

Someone asked me what the Blue Star Banner on my blog means. It simply means that someone in this home is proudly serving in the United States Armed Forces.

The Blue Star Banner is properly displayed in a front window of the home. It should be hung inside, not outside.

The Blue Star Banner was first used during World War I. Some history of the banner can be found on the American Legion Website.

"The Blue Star Service Banner was designed and patented in 1917 by World War I Army Capt. Robert L. Queissner of the 5th Ohio Infantry who had two sons serving on the front line. It quickly became the unofficial symbol of a child in the service.

On Sept. 24, 1917, an Ohio congressman read the following into the Congressional Record: “…The mayor of Cleveland, the Chamber of Commerce and the governor of Ohio have adopted this service flag. The world should know of those who give so much for liberty. The dearest thing in all the world to a father and mother - their children.”

Other websites or blogs that might be helpful in learning more about Blue Star Banners include:

• Blue Star Mothers of America
• Blue Star Moms
• American Gold Star Mothers
• America Supports You
• Directions for making a Blue Star Banner Quilt (believe it or not)

One of the interesting things that I have found is that the Blue Star Memorial Highways historical markers we see along American highways were taken from the tradition of the Blue Star Banner. The Blue Star Memorial Highways historical markers are tributes to Armed Forces that have defended the United States of America.

And that is what being a Blue Star Family is about. Hope it helps.

Quote of the Day

"Any man who may be asked what he did to make his life worthwhile,

I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction,

'I served in the United States Navy.'"

President John F. Kennedy

August 1963

Addendum to A Fierce Blow

And another thing ....

My husband was giving me a detailed explanation about the weather earlier tonight (see post below). He really does know a lot about the weather. He used to have his pilots license, so he has a thing about weather and weather maps and the like.

When we were looking at the map on the internet, he instructs me, 'see the little red dots here?'. 'Yes', I reply. 'These are right over us now, this is the worst part of the storm.'

He moves his finger over the computer screen, showing me how the storm system is shaped. 'See how it is swirling back to the west here?'. He's pointing to a question mark looking area all the way up in Canada, where the storm sweeps back and under into the US. I ask him what that shows. 'This is a fierce blow', he says.

This is the front end of a cold front he tells me, but he assures me it's fast moving and we are directly under the worst of it at that very moment.

There's more, but that's the general gist of my weather tutorial for the evening.

All that said, I couldn't help but be impressed with the detail with which he could read the map and the weather systems blowing over the length of the United States.

The little red dots in particular stuck in my mind. Considering that not an hour earlier he couldn't find his pants.

'Where are my other pajamas?', he had asked me. That's translated to mean; where is a pair of sweat pants other than the one's I'm wearing right now?

I went back into our bedroom and picked up a pair of sweats and brought them to him in the family room. 'Where'd you find those?', he sounded surprised. It took me as long as it took me to walk to the bedroom and back. I had the distinct impression he'd been looking for a pair for a while.

He can read a weather map in great detail, but can't find a pair of pants in his closet.

And that is the fundamental difference between men and women.

Retailers Banning Christmas

Hardcore Conservative has posted the results of a survey done by the American Family Foundation on stores banning Christmas.

He writes:

We gathered advertising inserts from 11 different companies placed in two papers on Nov. 27 (Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal and Memphis Commercial Appeal.) Combined, the inserts totaled 280 pages.

Of the 11 companies, only one McRae’s/Belks had a reference to “Christmas.” They mentioned “Christmas” only two times. The other 10 companies did not mention “Christmas” a single time! While refusing to use “Christmas,” they used the term “holiday” a total of 59 times in their 10 inserts. The companies which refused to mention Christmas a single time in their 260 pages of insert promotions were Target, Kroger, Office Max, Walgreens, Sears, Staples, Lowe’s, J.C. Penney, Dell and Best Buy.

Their online petition can be found at this link.

Might be worth checking out :)

We're Having a Fierce Blow

My dearly beloved just checked the weather website and told me, 'we are having a fierce blow'. I pretty much already knew that because it's storming something fierce outside. But he confirmed it officially.

He actually gave me a more indepth analysis of the weather system that is currently immediately over our house. He's an expert on weather amongst many other things. I defer to him on issues of weather.

Our relationship is like that. There are some things he knows and some things I know and we both pretty much know which is which. But we don't always agree on which one of us knows more about which things. If that's confusing to you, you might have an idea of how things are in our house sometimes.

Nights like this make me think about flooding.

A few years ago we bought a house on the side of a mountain. Our house is no where near the top of the mountain, it's on the side of the mountain closer to the bottom than the top. Our yard is pretty much angular. It looks pretty, but is more of a problem in terms of mowing and lawn maintenance than either of us realized when we bought the property. Some people actually get nervous driving down (literally) our driveway. A few yards behind our house is what we call 'the gully'. The gully is where the yards merges into a severe drop off that does go straight down.

So imagine my surprise when we moved into the house and my dearly beloved takes out flood insurance. 'FLOOD INSURANCE?', I said. Flood insurance on a mountain? In my feminine mind, I was wondering how on earth water would rise this high!

He gave me 'the look'. That being a look I've become accustomed to and understand to mean he's wondering how on earth I could be this dense. As he's giving me the look he also gives me his usual elaborate detailed explanation about why we need flood insurance. I'll quote him verbatim: 'We need flood insurance.' The end.

At times like this I know it's futile to argue with him about it. So I deferred to his greater knowledge on these matters and let it go. But I was still grumbling in my own head about how dumb it is to have flood insurance when you live on the side of the mountain and Noah himself would have been safe this high up, for crying out loud.

It wasn't long before I found out why you need flood insurance when you live on the side of a mountain towards the bottom.

Did you know, when it pours rain for several days that all the water raining at your house is also raining at every point higher than your house? In addition, as the ground becomes saturated, it starts running downhill, gathering with other water running downhill it becomes little streams, by the time the little streams get toward the bottom of the mountain {like to our house} it's like little torrential rivers.

All this water from up the mountain heads directly at our house. I'm sure of it.

It doesn't sit in the house like traditional flooding, it flows through the house, yard and everything around it. That also explained to me why we had to have such an elaborate system of underground pipes and landscaping around the house and yard. Another issue I balked at.

I'm a big enough person to admit he was right and I was wrong. This time.