And a Happy New Year!

May you be poor in sadness and rich in goodness.

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas

Just wanted to send out Christmas greetings to everyone.  Feliz Navidad!

Mandatory Service for everyone?

So I've had a contemplative thought as I read about FedEx reducing overall salaries to protect jobs in the company.  In the ensuing discussion I began to ponder the very idea of service and how we view it as Americans.

And I came up with the ultimate idea.  Mandatory service for all.

I've met far too many Doctors(PHd & Md), scientist and lawyers who approach life as an entitlement which is no different than welfare entitlement. In fact I think one sentiment stems from the other.

You don't get that shared American experience at Harvard, Hopkins or the hood either. They exist as practical homogenous environments. Such an experience between the two is an interesting way to break that barrier - if only a little.

And while I originally pondered a mandatory military service, such as is implemented in Germany, Switzerland and Isreal - it occurred to me that my pondering could in fact solve far many more problems such as balancing the budget by lowering the cost of government, and raising students standards by providing teacher aids and tutors.

In other words - mandatory public service one year after graduation, followed by one week a year, for every able adult.  And they don't get to choose where.  Can you imagine?

It brings ask not what your country can do for you right home.

Ok, tons of issues with this, like rich people getting out of work and scary criminals and all that jazz.  So what?  I happen to believe that criminals are born of circumstance - and I believe the statistics easily back that up.  I'm sure we could spice it up with tax incentives and apply some federal penalties for those that fail to comply.

After all - we let the average Joe perform as a juror who can execute another citizen.  Yet we're afraid to make ourselves a better nation though service.

Some interesting articles about the subject.

1. SFGate on Jim Lehrer's ideas
   
2. Universal Service Act of 2003, a failed proposal

My biggest gripe about my own idea though is that it hinges on a political element.  There is far too great of an opportunity for this political element to degenerate into soviet-style "Young Communist" programs and the like to become a tool of indoctrination.

I'm still idealistic about it -  but it falters on the basic principle of liberty and a wariness of intentions.

'Tis the season!

Why the heck not?  The season for inane lists and funny ideas!  Came across this on a couple of blogs - thought it could be fun.

So, here's a list of things one should accomplish before dying.  

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland (DisneyWorld) (Eurodisney)
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person (I tried but ran out of time!)
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (a couple, even.. if only basically)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (in general)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance (but it wasn't for me!)
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris (and the bottom, even)
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching 
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job (I asked to be laid off, even!)
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit (I was sued for 1 million dollars!  Honest!  Fortunately, we settled for 1 dollar!)
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

And here's a few things I'd like to add to the list, which are far more adventurous.

1. Built or created something entirely from hand, and then gave it away anonymously
2. Sang Christmas carols on the street, complete with candles and funny hats
3. Carved your initials in a tree
4. Eaten with a stranger, bought their food, and chatted with them
5. Conducted a scientific experiment entirely on your own, complete with write-up and pictures
6. Went to a lecture on an obscure subject completely out of your field without a friend
7. Attended a funeral for someone you didn't even know
8. Crashed a wedding, and ate a piece of wedding cake
9. Issued a public apology
10. Sold something to buy someone a gift
11. Hosted a concert at your house
12. Attended a public demonstration, complete with sign and chanting
13. Washed someone's dishes without being asked
14. Broken a record of any kind
15. Given a public performance of any kind, complete with hat
16. Mowed a message in your lawn
17. Changed a diaper in an airline bathroom

I can personally attest to to the difficulty of #17... and I'm 6'4".

Suicide?

I'm not usually one to bring news out - but this just gets me today.

Billey Joe Johnson was a top-rated high school football player and sought after by several schools across the country, now he is dead after a self-inflicted gun shot wound. (postchronical.com)

Now here's where it gets interesting...

The officer had left Johnson in his vehicle and returned to his squad car when he heard a gun shot. Johnson was then seen by the officer, laying on the ground next to his car with a shot gun lying on him.

A shot gun suicide?  In a car?  By one of the most sought-after football players in the country?  In Mississippi?

Ok - I admit my first thought was quite the obvious.  The cop did it.  But this isn't the 1950's anymore - it's pretty well known that kids can be stupid, or depressed, or simply clumsy.

I hope for his family and the greater community that the truth is found & accepted, and that the community isn't torn apart in the ensuing investigation.

Wow, it's cold...

Just bone chilling cold now at 25ºF.  Got the pipes dripping, animals are up and safe.  Hopefully no pipes break!!

Of course my poor brothers live in Minnesota... where it's 2ºF, covered in snow, and did I mention freakin' cold? What were they thinking?  The Soviets used to send people to Siberia... because it was a bad, bad place to live.

Just had to mention that one more time.  Happy Holidays, my brothers.

Cities fail basic certification check...

You'd think large cities like Dallas & Amarillo would do basic background checks such as certifications, safety studies, or licensing when they purchase equipment and services?

But apparently not.  Income generated by red-light camera tickets may be refunded due to lack of proper licensing by the manufacturer - and a federal judge is agreeing.

According to KFDA-TV in Dallas, "A District Court Judge agrees with [the plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit], saying the [red light camera] company is operating illegally and should have to refund all fines they collected." That's a major victory for camera opponents if the ruling stands up on appeal. Both of the other companies operating red light cameras in Texas are similarly circumstanced.

HT: Grits for breakfast

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy turkey day to everyone.  Hope you enjoy some great food and good company.

A little lollygagging on Saturday Nite

Thanks to Meagan for this idea!

Band Name: Corentin Celton (Paris Métro)
Album Title: Sometimes I Still Do
Album Art:

Want to do your own?
Here’s what you do:

1. Band Name: Random Wikipeda Link
2. Album Title: Random quote generator (take the last four words from the first quote on the page ... I scrolled to the end of the quotes and clicked on new random quotes)
3. Album Art: Flickr Interesting Photo (pick one)

That was...odd!

US SEEKS $300 Billion from Gulf States

Why not just say we're asking the Muslims to bail us out???

Announcing... the Quantum Bomb

So I'm going to make one of my grand predictions... Some day in the future humanity will produce a weapon capable of complete annihilation.

A few years back a team developed a terahertz detector - rigged it up to a camera and everything was pretty neat. 

Then recently a Swedish team developed a quantum cloaking device:

In practice, this means designing quantum corals, elliptical nanostructures, that absorb terahertz waves of specific frequencies. When a molecule that emits this frequency is placed at the focus, it cannot be spotted. It is essentially invisible.

What this means to me - is that e still equals mc^2.  In other words, energy IS matter, and though messy and antiquated machines of destruction are very much a threat - it may be possible in the future to "unmake" matter utilizing quantum mechanics, and a massive amount of energy.

Ok, I've officially scared myself.

Predictions for the future from 1991?

I am a BIG fan of the musical group Arrested Development. They sprang forth on the scene during the time when a lot of folks were chanting, "Cops hat kids and kids hate cops. Cops kill kids with warning shots. What is crime? What is not? What is justice? I think they forgot!"

These days, AD has made a comeback, playing to huge audiences around the globe, notably in the Middle East. I find myself wondering if they are not trying to combat the image that all African-Americans are gangstas.

When I worked for Lufthansa, our baggage security agent was Nigerian. We had lots of long talks about what it meant to be African. He noted that most African-Americans had no actual knowledge or wisdom about what it is truly like in Africa. Most, he said, would gladly head back to the US, no matter how horrible the conditions here.

I find that really hard to believe. Many Americans of all stripes have flat out lost hope and faith in anything. Grandma going to church is a memory for most, not a reality.

Enter the renewal of Arrested Development.

Interestingly, Speech is now a minister of some sort. He is not, no matter how much he invokes Malcolm X, a Muslim.

The lyrics of hope from 17 years ago may very well have come with the election of Obama.

Here's the problem: We don't honestly know what Obama's cult of personality will lead to. Josef Stalin or Ghandi?

Unsure of this reference? Watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3YIuUIZlLo

And so, we pray for our president elect without reservation.
We pray this bloodless revolution we call democracy remains bloodless for every soul's sake.
Let's see what kind of guy Obama is.

Will he give a man a fish, so he eats for a day?
OR
Will he teach him how to fish, and he'll eat forever?




And yes, I actually think Arrested Development would be a great choice for the inaugural, or, at the VERY least, a prominent after party!

Abbey of Saint Walburga: The Dignity of The Person

Abbey of Saint Walburga: The Dignity of The Person

What good neighbors do.

Read more here.

Hermit Crab Peeks Out

For those of you who have treated me so sweetly and kindly during these hermit crab years...
JOIN FACEBOOK
LOLOL
it's a blast. I am getting back in touch with friends from elementary, jr. high, and high school

Feeling a lot like this right now:

HOPE

Hope is the one thing I know about best.
All Hope flows from the One Source.
Instead of worrying, become a tributary.

Proud American

Thank God for bloodless revolutions!!

After I Voted

This came to mind, because I embrace people, not politics

Election Day Meditation

Breathe deeply. Vote.

9 years ago my Daddy passed from this earth

How can 9 years still feel like yesterday?

Mom & Dad's Song



Another song they loved



Daddy always danced with his 3 ladies whenever this song came on



This was ALWAYS one of Daddy's favorite songs. He'd lay back, hands behind his head, eyes closed, and sing.
Time and again, It was a poignant reminder of all he truly desired from this world.



Daddy always liked this song, too. It took on a life of its own after he learned he had cancer. We'd all dance and hug.



I liked this song more than Daddy did, but it seems to fit as a memorial of his passing.



Now THIS Marley tune would bring a very bright smile to my Daddy's eyes :)



It has been a rough, rough, nine years for me. I literally stored the camera and video recorder away because, for 9 years, I couldn't stand the idea of a family photo without my Dad in it. If you saw me this weekend, you know I only very recently learned to take photos with a smile again.



And finally, my Adoration song. Seriously, this has been my Adoration meditation for years now. The spirit has hope that is the ONLY thing which can transcend the dismal despair the mind and body can become ensnared in. Prayer is the ONLY place where our earthly selves come into communion with that which we can not KNOW.... yet. This is why I pray for All Souls, especially Daddy's....



I was SO HAPPY Daddy no longer had to suffer that it took 9 years to recognize the depth of my depression over the loss of his mortal love. If it were not for CD and the children, I would have died right along with Daddy. That is the absolute truth.

Thank you, my beloved husband, for keeping me on the life support only unconditional love can achieve. You have suffered much with me and because of my inability to admit or express my grief. Ich beehre Dich sehr! You certainly chose the perfect patron saint...

And so, with this rather long tribute to my Father, ending in tribute to my Husband, I begin digging the grave this damnable depression belongs in.

May lilies and roses begin to grow.

Hank Williams Jr. on McCain-Palin

His voice was a little rough at the actual rally, but it was fun to watch.

You can find it on youtube, but I posted the audio video for better song quality...

What Obama's Civilian National Security Force might look like

had to post this (ducks and runs)

Did You Know?

Jesus was a Democrat?

Yeah, I'm probably gonna catch some shrapnel for posting this, but the question remains...

If your experience informs your conscience, you can understand why this song, or at the very least the lyrics, will resonate with a LOT of people.

There is SO MUCH ANGER that "Compassionate Conservative" ended up equalling the stripping of basic, guaranteed rights.

8 years to show compassion. Give me a concrete example of it.

Ignorance must be bliss, because knowing is very troubling.

Cardboard Testimonies

I found this very moving.

It also made me think, how do you get your life down to two phrases? What a relief to not have to go into details!

http://www.rhchurch.org/pages/cardboard-testimonies/

My Superpower: Human Jukebox

After I wrote a LONG entry, I found this video, which sums up my current quandary.

Puzzling Pundit! Where R U?

I've made no secret of my admiration for Ron Paul. A *lot* of us these days describe ourselves as "libertarian leaning."

A memory came to mind today that I thought might be good to share.

I went to visit a former, and most beloved, teacher after university classes.

The Presidential election was in sight.

She casually asked about my political leanings.

I enthusiastically told her I was neither straight vote Republican or Democrat. Feeling *really* progressive, and in trusted company, I confided that I intended to vote Libertarian in my first-ever election!

The look on my dear teacher's face would have frozen a lightening bolt.

"Libertarians are outright racists!!!"

We both just sat there, watching each other's reactions. I had NEVER heard such a thing. After some research, the accusation proved to be accurate.

That was almost 20 years ago.

Is there a lingering perception the Libertarian party is racist?

Is that perception justified?

What influences lead voters to turn from the other parties toward the LP?

Just thoughts before the election.

This is some election year.

Pax!

New Puppy

As some might know, I am not a huge fan of large dogs. That said, I absolutely adore our Jack the Great Pyrenees.

I've missed having a lap dog. I didn't realize I missed having a lap dog, because I have so many little laptops, er, children.

With the big kids in school, and huge leaps toward actual cleanliness in the house, a little miracle happened.

Some friends found an abandoned Shi Tzu near their home. I ***LOVE*** Shi Tzus.

The little gal had a really hard time. She was obviously well cared for, as her hair was trimmed and nails clipped.

Sadly, she now has only one eye, and (had) a ton of fleas. 7 flea dips required to provide relief.

Shi Tzus are notorious for having sensitive skin, so tomorrow we will provide her will further relief in the form of an anti-itch spray.

I hope to have pictures of our cute little "Bitsy" online tomorrow. She's a real keeper... already house broken and very mild mannered. NOT a yipping dog, either. She has a cute bark, actually.

If you are surfing about and found this post, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not drop your unwanted pets off in the middle of "nowhere." They can get really hurt before someone finds them. Also, it's pretty danged mean to pull a nursing mother away from her pups. There are plenty of no-kill shelters who will find your little one a home!

That said, I am very, very happy Bitsy now calls our house her home.

G'nite

Laughing Little Guy

This is SO FUNNY I had to post it

Baby? BOOM!

Wow, a lot of family and friends have had or are expecting babies!

Adventures in parenting are always fun with Rodney Atkins. Grab a beer/wine/mineral water with lemon, and enjoy!

For all Kings & Queens with a little Prince


For all Kings & Queens with a little Princess


For a young lady I love, no matter what. Stick it out, gal. "All who wander are not lost!" -J.R.R. Tolkien


And an extra goodie, just 'cause I'm feelin' the local love. Yaaaaahooo! Come on, WEEKEND!

For those of you who believe...

Turns out just about EVERYTHING they taught me in school about "how the world works" what pure bologna.

First, I was surprised to learn that our stock markets are, and by law will be manipulated.  The plunge protection team is hard at work saving the DJIA & S&P from it's natural state these days.   Ever heard of the PPT, aka the Plunge Protection Team?

And of course if you only take BUY orders the market goes up:

"If this was purely electronic, it could have been down 1,200 or 1,300 [points] on the Dow," Bernie McSherry, a senior vice president with Cuttone & Co., the largest independent floor operator at the NYSE, told the news service.

You can't make this stuff up...  But I guess we should be glad.  Otherwise I'd be stocking up on toilet paper and beans right about now.

Too busy to blog

It's that time of year... the great race to keep up with events. And they're off!

The Bois D'Arc Bash was last weekend. We enjoyed the music Friday night, but had to miss out on the rest of the weekend due to the eldest coming home with pinkeye. Fortunately, the illness did *not* spread like wildfire. Only one down... 6 spared!

All but 2 endured 3 days of food poisoning. It was hell on earth, let me tell you! Recovery and cleaning expected to take several days.

Soccer, local new Church dedication, fall festivals galore, and Oktoberfest! Much on the plate, but it's all good fun.

Hugs to all. See ya 'round the bend!

Paulson and Bernanke at the Congressional Hearings?

(pretty goofy.... but it juxtaposed so well!!)

Truth or Propaganda?

Let us contemplate

Why mortgages are killing the economy...

I've been wondering why mortgages have been such a contributor to our market weariness...  and I think I finally figured it out.

We've had regional and even larger foreclosure crises before... plenty of market drops and the like... but why do we suddenly have to buy mortgage houses now?

Insurance... or the lack thereof.

From my basic research... banks long ago determined that they could take bigger risks if their loan investments were covered by insurance.  They created a marketplace to buy and sell this insurance, and they guaranteed payouts in the event of a loss.  That financial insurance instrument is called a credit-default swap.

But a credit-default swap(CDS) is NOT insurance, it is only an instrument.  It's not regulated, nor is it required to be backed with liquid assets of any real amount.

On the books though - a CDS looks pretty good.  And if you want too... you can even trade them like stock called derivatives.  They were one-way bets on banks that mortgages would fail (thus they were seen as stable and creditworthy because mortgages shouldn't EVER fail... right)  - so banks started selling LOTS of them.

To the tune of 62 Trillion dollars in derivatives market value.   Yes Houston - nearly 9x the US national debt of 9.3 Trillion.

Now's about the time it all clicked for me.  See - suddenly any bad debt could be papered over with CDS.  Never mind that CDS was nothing other than a pie-crust promise that mortgages would always pay.  Never mind that banks then further fueled the insanity by trading them like real money.

If you had potentially toxic loans - it would be covered with a CDS...  You were effectively spreading the risk of failure to all the schlubs you bought a CDS from.

Aha... so that's why Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley "suddenly" want to be real commercial banks.  They must to bring in real cash to cover their CDS obligations or risk an AIG death dance.

Because there really is no protection when it's not regulated.  AIG was loosing billions on CDS contracts back in February... they had written over 500 Billion in CDS contracts and were still growing.  Papering over bad debt became a drug habit response in the investment industry and now the real cost was suddenly rising rapidly to the point where insuring 10 million could cost 2.5 million up front!

And so when real foreclosure numbers started ramping up over the past two quarters... well lets just say it was going to be a slaughter.

As I format my cluster storage....

I read that McCain disagrees with the bailouts the Fed has been dropping on a regular basis, and wants to fire the current SEC chairman.

I'm all for canning the SEC chairman... in fact I think we need a total SEC overhaul.  I can't tell you the number of times I've yelled about fraud on the market.  Yes - it's a human institution that's bound to make mistakes... but one of the big reasons we're bailing out these giant companies is because of the SEC (and the FTC) has allowed these same companies to merge.

Speaking as a architect in IT... it's like putting the entire internet on 4 servers.  If one of those servers goes slow or dies... then you loose 1/4 of the internet.  But chances are also greater that one of the other 3 will also go down - because the load has increased from 25% to 33% (at best).  You can guess, that if 3 goes down - that 2 will certainly follow on quickly, and so on until you reach a complete collapse.

So what's the solution???  Diversity, redundancy, and backup.  Diversity is achieved by having functionality broken down into separate areas.  In business speak - that means going back to walling off investment & commercial banks.  Redundancy means having more than 2-3 major players in a market segment... Fannie, Freddie, and Ginnie should be broken up and sold to investment groups.

And finally, we get to backup.  And that means the Fed in this case.

Frankly, the Fed is doing exactly what it should be doing.  The main problem is that it wouldn't be this bad in the first place if Diversity and Redundancy in the market were alive and well.

What lead to the great depression of 1929?  

-- Stupidity and greed.

What made the depression last 10 years?? 

--No customers.  Plain and simple.  Call it underconsumption, lack of credit, gold standard lockin... whatever.

The fed has no choice here....  they've got to bail out these scumbags to keep consumption up.  People don't feel like consuming when they're bank is on fire.  They take their leftover money, stuff it in the mattress and start waiting around for the apocalypse.

Let's just hope they don't go bailing out Airlines and dogfood factories.  Even if they deserve it more than our banking mafia.

The good news is that the Fed now has these scumbags by the necktie.  If they had a pair - now's the time to start implementing the golden rules of market stability....  diversity, redundancy, and backup.

Anyway.. back to my SAN.

Blogging from 1881...

My family has a penchant for collecting history.  My grandmother passed down her grandparents' diaries before passing away.  I've skimmed them a bit - but never did much with them for 10 years now.

So anyway... now I've decided to digitize and "digitize" it for future posterity... aka my kids.

The Loughborough Diaries, with scans.  Hopefully I can put a few up every week or so.

End of world rescheduled for sometime late November...

LHC (Large Hadron Collider for those of us living under two rocks) is set to perform a beam test tomorrow - which in plain terms means they're going to send some particles onto the two main loops.

All this hubbub about the world being destroyed is flakey nonsense because:

1. There won't be any collision tomorrow
   
2. It's running at ~7% speed (which we've been doing for over 20 years now)
   
3. The first collision is whispered to be in November.

I'm looking forward to something spectacularly WRONG to happen myself.  And I don't mean that in a malicious way - I just don't think that we're going to fund the Higgs boson (the mysterious particle as it's known).

So what will they find?  Well what I'd like to find is a graviton... Now THAT would rock.  Totally unlikely... but I can always hope!

 

Salute the 6th Grader!

Composite Percentile: 97
Stanine Reading: 9
Stanine Language: 8
Stanine Math: 9

The books we received today are just luscious! Oh, this was such a great decision!

McCain-Palin: 2 Gun Salute

I was finally able to watch Sarah Palin's RNC speech tonight.

At the very end, when McCain came on stage, the reason this ticket can work struck me:

"I KNOW you, America!"

Beyond all other politics, this is the most important message this ticket sends.

It will work because the Democratic elitism has been on blatant display since McCain announced Palin as his VP pick.

In no particular order, unfounded assumptions have been made regarding Palin and conservationists.

MEDIA MISTAKE
Trig is not Sarah's baby. He's Bristol's. Palin is doing the old grandma--> mama switcheroo.

AMERICAN REALITY
A woman doesn't have to be huge in her 7th month. Many indulge in that wonderful, "I'm pregnant! Pamper me!" idea with the first baby. Not so much in later pregnancies. More often than not, there's a tremendous desire to stay in better shape, if only because you don't have time to indulge yourself!

MEDIA MISTAKE
Social conservatives will be APPALLED!! SHOCKED!! EMBARRASSED!!! to learn Bristol is, in fact, 5 moths pregnant! Sarah will be shamed out of the VP nomination!!

AMERICAN REALITY
There's an old joke: If you're not a liberal in your 20s... If you're not conservative by your 30s... something's wrong with you!

Very, very few people have become conservationists just 'cause Mama & Daddy said to be.

Very, very few even vote straight party tickets anymore.

More often than not, most people see the entire spectrum first hand and come to their own political/religious decisions as a result of understanding that what they grew up with is not necessarily worth preserving, but conserving. This is a very important difference. To be sure, CD and I are not doing things the exact same way our parents did. Truth is, however, that we respect their EFFORTS, recognizing their efforts as the rooting force they were.

So, to the point. Sarah & Todd Palin's 17 year old is pregnant. So are 2 of my friend's 17 year old daughters. What matters is not what has happened, but what is presently happening. These girls didn't run away from home out of fear or shame! They talked to their parents. Their parents still love them. You bet the parents are getting to know the boyfriends better. While they are doing that, they are helping set up nurseries.

This is one side of social conservattionism that people seem too busy to notice! Thanks to McCain-Palin for shedding some light on the subject! Damn, y'all... haven't you noticed there are a lot more Juno families in this country than "kick 'em out on their butts!" families????

MEDIA MISTAKE
Sarah has a special needs child How will she be able to care for him if she's VP?

AMERICAN REALITY
Haven't you been watching the family play "pass the sweet baby?" Even Trig's youngest sister knows how to hold and care for the boy! This is how families work when they work best. Everyone pitches in. Everyone cares. Everyone loves. Never perfect, to be sure, but it can work out beautifully when people let it. And who's going to care for Obama's girls when Mama & Daddy are busy? I bet Washington has some *excellent nannies* if necessary. Why the myopia? What a slap in the face to every working woman in America who's had to entrust their precious children to someone else's care! What a real slap to the families who have both Mom & Dad working multiple jobs to ensure funding for the next surgery their "special needs" child requires!

MEDIA MISTAKE
If Sarah had had better pre-natal care, Trig would not be a Down's Syndrome baby.

AMERICAN REALITY
Not only is this false, it is cruel. Read the news. They knew Trig was going to have Down's Syndrome very early in the pregnancy. They chose to keep him alive and thriving in Sarah's womb. Look at that sweet face! Look at this family! Do you see regrets? Do you see a lack of love?

MEDIA MISTAKE
Oh, ho ho! Look at this! Todd Palin isn't even a Republican! He's a Democrat! Sheeeeee's outta here!

AMERICAN REALITY
There are too many "mixed marriages" in this country to count! I wouldn't go there!

End game is this. McCain, whether politically profitable or not, has chosen for VP someone who represents a lot of parents, as well as grandparents and adult children. With the choice of Palin, he's effectively said, "'Compassionate Conservatism' might have been a sound byte for Bush. Here's my understanding of the true meaning."

It has completely changed my opinion of McCain. He gets it. He really gets it. He has managed, in one brilliant stroke, to capture a snapshot of an often overlooked section of the great American fabric. People look at Palin and say, "Gosh, she looks like she could be my neighbor." Quite a coup because, religiosity aside, most of America believes, "Love neighbor as you love yourself."

I can't wait for the rest. I really can't! Because here is the reality:

The more the media & Democratic elites slam Palin, the more they are rattling the pitbull cage they don't seem to know exists. The more they assume they know how conservationists think/act/feel, the more they are shown to be ignorant. Most importantly, by slamming Palin, they are unwittingly slamming a million mothers who believe Obama will help them. Shame on them!

Maybe we'll finally see what CD calls, "Darwin in action," work! That would be a phenomenon worthy of a history book.

OMG

A cousin inspired me to write what, I believe, might just actually, really, truly be my first QUALITY Polidori work.

Or second, depending on how that poem about my Dad dying set with you.

In any case, I will be able to declaim for sure!!

Awaiting Test Results

B. took the CAT placement exam last week.

We are still waiting for the scores, but she must have done quite well.

24.7 lbs of 6th grade books shipped out to us today.

God is Near

Sunsets are God’s footprints;
sunrises are His smiles.

You can be a window
where God shines through to others.

Realize what God can do through you
and minimize what man can do to you.

God's love helps us to be hopeful
in the midst of confusion and uncertainty.

When we put God first,
every second is enriched,
every minute enriched,
every hour ennobled.

God is in you,
in every person and problem today,
and in every answer tomorrow.

Each day God makes appointments for every person
—do we recognize and keep them?

Regardless of clouds above us
and problems around us,
underneath are God’s everlasting arms.

-William Arthur Ward
as found in the St. Michael the Archangel, McKinney bulletin

Grammar Conundrum: Amn't I?

So, my brilliant 5 year old is the first child to be grammatically correct.

"I'm a good boy, amn't I?" as in "Am I not?"

"Aren't I?" is actually wrong... "I'm a good boy, are I not?"

So... do I correct his cuteness to speak as all others do?

Or do I let it play out?

Think I'll let it slide......

Music for the International Day of Peace

I finally finished the playlist we'll be jamming to on Sept 21.

Only a handful of people who are not familiar read this blog, so no long winded explanations.

Suffice it to say, if I wrote a persuasive paper on peace, hope & love, I would approach it from this perspective.

The Sound of Silence -- Simon & Garfunkel -- Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits
This Is a Test--Shock of Pleasure--
This Is a Lie--The Cure--Wild Mood Swings
What You Do With What You’ve Got--Eddi Reader/Thomas Dolby --TED Talks
What's So Funny 'Bout Peace, Love, and Understanding?--Nick Lowe--Untouched Takeaway
The World I Know--Collective Soul
On the Turning Away--Pink Floyd--A Momentary Lapse of Reason
Wind Chimes--Sounds of the Earth--Sounds of the Earth Collection
One LovePeople Get Ready--Bob Marley--Legend (Remastered) [Bonus Tracks]
Applause--Pete Seeger--Children's Concert At Town Hall
Perfect Place--Voice of the Beehive--Honey Lingers
Circle Dream--10,000 Maniacs--Our Time in Eden
Whispers--Fairground Attraction--The First Of A Million Kisses
Shine--Collective Soul
Love the World You Find--The Flaming Lips--Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium Soundtrack
If Everyone Cared--Nickelback--All the Right Reasons
Upside Down--Jack Johnson--Sing-a-Longs and Lullabies for the Film Curious George
What the World Needs--Wynonna Judd--What the World Need Now Is Love
Lean On Me (Single Version) --Bill Withers--Discover Bill Withers - EP
Love Is In the Air--Medusa--Party Hits, Vol. 5 - Das Beste aus Mallorca und den Skihütten
Peacetime--Eddi Reader--Peacetime
MLK--U2--The Unforgettable Fire
In the Arms of Love--Ottmar Liebert--In the Arms of Love- Lullabies 4 Children + Adults

The Deal of the Century

I've long opposed this "appearing" and "disappearing" price the media feeds us.  Concepts like markets and prices are bewildering for most people out there...

But, I have my father to thank (and my 9th grade economics teacher, Dr. Lee) for teaching me about markets.  My father, being the rancher that he was, woke up every morning to the Livestock Report on the radio and often explained many of the details of contracts, futures, pricing, and of course, cheating.

So I've been loudly grumbling at the radio when I hear that oil keeps rising "and we're not sure why."  Well, Time recently  a decent article and makes some obvious connections.

Why is oil rising?  Simple greed.  Duh?

You don't need to understand Monte Carlo futures predictions to know that when greedy people leverage huge chunks of cash against a market - we consumers are going to pay out the nose.  And we are.

Choir Practice

One Love
9/21/08
9:21 & 21.21 GMT
local times 4:21 & 16:21 (GMT -5)
to check your GMT equivalent times, click HERE



***If you don't know me personally***
please consider this before commenting
particularly the lines

The road of life is rocky and you may stumble too,
So while you point your fingers someone else is judging you

Take 5 Minutes for Peace

Dr. Patrick Swift is a friend from my St. Rita days.

Enjoy the peace of this video, based on quotes from his book "One Mountain, Many Paths."

Extremely good work, Patrick!

Abbey of Saint Walburga: Humility: Rejoicing in God's Gifts

Abbey of Saint Walburga: Humility: Rejoicing in God's Gifts

Common Sense Resquiat in Pace

From my Uncle:
An Obituary printed in the London Times........ Interesting and sadly rather true.

'Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was,since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.
He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
Knowing when to come in out of the rain; why the early bird gets the worm; Life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).
His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; his son, Reason.
He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights; Want It Now; Someone Else Is To Blame; and I'm A Victim
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on.

Dalek Prototype revealed....

(Warning - Not for the squeamish)

The University of Reading, UK has begun prototyping our future overlords.  Using brain cells cultured from a rat they have built a robot capable of collision avoidance.

I'm sure, that soon, there will be millions of them.

Memorial of St. Edith Stein

First, a little oddity... CD rented "Die Fälscher," which is about a select section of Jews in Sachenhausen prison camp. Turned out we watched it yesterday, August 9th, Memorial of Edith Stein. We didn't plan it that way... indeed, we hadn't even checked the calendar to see who's day it was.

I found a few of her quotes below. Enjoy




"'And the Word became flesh'. That truth became a reality in the manger at Bethlehem. But it was to be fulfilled in yet another form: 'Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood, has eternal life.' The Savior, who knows that we are human beings and will remain human beings who have to struggle daily with weaknesses, comes to our assistance in a truly divine manner. Just as the human body is in need of daily bread, so also does the divine life in us require constant nourishment."

"Whoever really takes this as his daily bread, experiences EACH DAY the mystery of Christmas, the Word made flesh."

"And that is doubtless the surest way to maintain constant union with God, to grow each day more firmly and deeply into the mystical Body of Christ. I am well aware that for many that is an all too radical request. In a practical sense, it will mean for most--when they first start--a complete change in their external and internal life. But that's exactly what it is supposed to be! To make room in our life for the Eucharistic Lord, so that he can change our life into His, is that asking too much? One has time for so many useless things: all sorts of stupid stuff gathered from books, newspapers and magazines; sitting around in bars and gabbling on the street for a quarter-or half-hour; all these are diversions which waste time and energy like crumbs. As a challenge to the whole day, should it not be possible to put aside a morning hour in which one is not distracted but recollected, in which energy is not wasted but gained? "But, of course, this requires more than just one hour. From one such hour to the next, one must so live that it may come again. It is no longer possible to 'let yourself go', even if only for a time. One cannot escape the judgment of those with whom one daily associates. Even if no word is spoken, one senses how the others feel towards him."

"He may try to adapt himself to his companions, and if it is not possible, their common life becomes a torture. "It's the same in our daily encounter with the Lord. One becomes more and more sensitive to that which pleases Him or not."

"If, on the whole, one was previously quite satisfied with himself, it will now take a different turn. One will find much that is bad and will change it as far as he chooses."

"And he will discover many things he cannot consider well and good, but which are nevertheless hard to change. Then gradually, he becomes very small and humble; he grows patient and indulgent toward the splinter in strange eyes because the beam in his own is brought into being; and, finally, he also learns to be patient with himself in the inexorable light of the divine Presence and to surrender himself to the divine mercy which can take care of all that ridicules our energy. The road is long from the smugness of a 'good Catholic' who 'does his duty', reads a 'good newspaper', 'does the right thing', etc. but on the other hand does what he pleases, "to a life in God's hand, in the simplicity of a child and the meekness of the tax collector. BUT WHOEVER HAS ONCE WALKED IT, WILL NOT GO BACK AGAIN."

- "Who can sleep on the night that God became man?" St. T. Benedicta, Edith Stein

Perpetual Kinder Garten Update

The first week was amazing. Mother Goose Time ROCKS! Had to convince a couple of boys that it was not just for preschoolers. The art is FUN for everyone, and I am so pleased to include it.

The themes for August are friends & transportation. Including the older 3 extends the discussion time and makes it truly enjoyable. The sweet thoughts coming from them this week were down right inspiring!

NEWSFLASH...

A BREAKTHROUGH!!! 4th grader LOVES school now!!!
I don't SQUEEE as cutely as LQ, so just imagine a big LQ SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

My Kindergarten Kid could NOT wait to delve into his work.

My 6th grader is still awaiting placement test results, so she made some school work for herself... poetry, math, handwriting. Ya gotta love independent learners!

The twins can not wait for school to begin. Presently, we play outdoors in the mornings. School begins when the heat sets in. This will flip-flop in autumn.

Someone PLEASE pinch me... 5 kids, no, and I mean ZERO struggles! May weeks 2-52 be as magnificent!

Summer Vacation Videos!

Sean & Brittany take a flying leap!



Joey gets in on the fun!



Bobby was pleased as punch to "float down the river!"



Debbie wanted to go swing, but has to wait a couple of years...

Priorities

Keeping up with Texas law...

Found lots of juicy nuggets happening in Texas this past week...

How about license plate readers on Texas highways run by the DEA?

District attorneys utilizing public (and non) Facebook pictures for prosecution and sentencing?

Collin county judge ordering the search of lawyers files for evidence? (What?  Client-attorney privilege? Never heard of it!)

If this piques your interest... check out Grits for Breakfast!  A slightly liberal, but very relevant look at Texas law.

One Stop Catechesis

I forgot to mention a real coup in assignment books.

Jeanne recommended Catholic Elementary Student Planner.

Coupled with the Teacher Planner, this agenda is loaded with excellent resources for living liturgically.

If your children's school does not issue an agenda, you might take a look at these.

Ours arrived today, and I am pleased as punch :)

Rita passed on her son's Faith First! CCD materials for grade 3 and 4. These are the workbooks used at St. Joseph's in Commerce.

I can not tell you how delighted I am. They integrate so many wonderous elements of our faith.

Imagine my surprise to see Julian of Norwich!! That's reachin' deep in the treasure chest!

Remember this?

Which Saint Are You?

You are Julian of Norwich! It's all about God, to you. You're convinced that the world has a happy ending. Everyone else is convinced that you're a closet hippie, but you love them anyway.
Take this quiz!








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Join

| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

Gearing Up for Homeschool Version 2008-09

Oh, man. This is the time of year I buy much stuff which is of no practical use.

To offset the binge school shopping, I have

1) Decided to stick with what works for K-5, which is
----MCP math
----Little Angel Readers
----Catholic National Readers
----history based on holidays
----science based on the world around us
----geography based on the lives of the saints. This year, a big ol' map goes up. Yay!!!

2) Mother Goose Time for all 5 - a pre-packaged preschool curriculum. Only subscribed for 3 moths to see how it goes. Historically a great segue into school. Daily art projects, which save me time, money.

3)6th and up will forever more do correspondence school, specifically Seton. I've had my pendulum swinging about this particular program since the eldest was a newborn. Infused with Catholicism from day one (one of my early gripes.)
All grades are extremely challenging. I prefer a laid-back approach in the early years, though. 6th is when I think it's time to move outside the basic parameters.
High school? Focused, rigorous, excellent. Beyond college prep, the insight into all subjects is truly university level work. Mucho AP and CLEP placing anticipated.

4) Adding Spanish, piano, and guitar. "Cause they are just plain FUN!

Definitely our most ambitious year, but I am so ready for this challenge! I always get a bit (!!!) hyped when school starts. My primary objective this year is to channel that energy correctly.

As my teacher friends tell me often, education is an art in need constant fine-tuning. :) How I love you guys for being open about YOUR teaching process. It keeps me uplifted and on task. SUCH A BLESSING YOU ARE!

Blessed Franz Jägerstätter, Ora pro nobis!

I really admire Archbishop Chaput of Denver. He thinks before he speaks.

These two speeches are really thoughtful and thought provoking.

Go ahead and take a gander :)

Mission Possible: This Double-Life Will Self-Destruct
by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.

on the same theme, from last year

Address to the Australian Catholic Students Association
by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.

Music fun!

Found a neat site today... OurStage.com.

It's a fan-ranking marketplace for music (and videos).  I found the quality to be excellent!  If you're looking for some new music... I recommend it!

On a different note... if you haven't found pandora radio yet - definitely give that a try as well!  You start with giving it a band or song - and it "automagically" creates a playlist based on similarities.  

Britian in angst over Google Maps?

I read that google is doing street level maps of London this week... and I was a bit surprised to read in the esteemed DailyMail that the Brits are... upset?

Britain - of all places - is upset about pictures landing on the web?  

I mean, people are recorded on CCTV all over Britian!  It's like a giant video roach kingdom over there.  There's more cameras than eyeballs to watch them!!

Or perhaps it's simply a matter of NIMBY?

I Found It!

Heard this on KETR--- our local university radio--- quite some time ago.

Could NOT remember the name of the band until tonight.

Hope you dig it.

In other news, some horrific yellow creature stung my hand when I was penning the goats up tonite. The Filter (TM) was luckily in place, otherwise my children's vocabulary would have changed dramatically for the worst. Sample outburst: OWWWWWWWWWW!

What I was really thinking: *!*@*#*$*@!*!($*%:@$*@)__%(#$)*(*)(%(#&*&#)($*!!!!!

Anywho... back to the musik

What is Gramm Smokin'????

So, we are ok, yup, but as I've mentioned before, many of our neighbors are not.

Gramm Calls Slow-Down "Mental"

So, what is former Sen. Phil Gramm smoking???
He might want to share with those who really are crushed beneath the weight of mortgages, groceries, and fuel.

EDIT: Marketing has convinced one and almost all that wants are NEEDS. This is a tremendous problem, as most of our friends recognize.

As long as "the drug of the nation" (Do I really need to repost the U2 "Zoo Station" video from D.C. again???") pumps up the consumerism volume, a large majority of people will feel they have a right to buy what ever they want.

Please recognize that home mortgage (ARM?!?), grocery and fuel costs ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE INFLATION INDEX NUMBERS. When these prices escalate rapidly, people feel the pinch, the smack, the knock-out, depending upon their situation.

Know what? If something is uncomfortable, people tend to whine. Yes, I whine a bit when I fill up, or when I see the register total after buying enough food for a family of 7. Gramm is right about this... we have a multitude of other options. After a little "whine at dinner," we tend to do what I suspect Gramm had in mind--- buck up, knuckle down, get to work.

Here's the problem, IMHO. I strongly suspect others might really be crying. The concern becomes not whether or not I have enough things... it becomes, "Do I have any extra tissue, hugs, or dinner on hand." This is a love your neighbor as yourself things for me. Not politics.

Asking Prayers

For Fr. Timothy Heines, former Pastor of St. Francis of Assisi in Frisco.

I could write a lot about what a wonderful priest he is, but will remain simple.

He is made of the same stuff as saints. Please pray for this man.

Thanks

Just One Reason

My Uncle Bob is sooo cool! "Favorite Lyrics" from his website,

As I walk through this wicked world
Searchin' for light in the darkness of insanity.
I ask myself is all hope lost?
Is there only pain and hatred, and misery?

And each time I feel like this inside,
There's one thing I wanna know:
What's so funny 'bout peace love
& understanding?

And as I walked on through troubled times
My spirit gets so downhearted sometimes
So where are the strong and who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony? Sweet harmony.

'Cause each time I feel it slippin' away,
just makes me wanna cry.
What's so funny 'bout peace love
& understanding?

(excerpt from Peace Love and Understanding by Nick Lowe)

Anyone NOT feel that way??? Really, I am so proud to have friends who will identify with this immediately.

Alrighty... so I got to see my wonderful uncle yesterday. I told him I could place the lyrics, but not the tune. The surprise here is, yes, I remembered Elvis Costello singing this song! Ah ha!

However, if I do say so, I prefer Nick Lowe's performance of his song as seen here:

Love

KubotaGrrl

Isn't she CUTE!  Thank you Uncle Sam...

And a happy Independence Day to ya'll!

Sad news leads to impressive discovery

Sadly, Thom and Mark Girard died in an accidental drowning June 30th.

However, learning of passing led to the discovery of a rather amazing program +Thom helped develop.

(Video) Knights of Lepanto: Encampment for Fathers and Sons

+Thom and +Mark, resquiat in pace!

Trifecta strikes again

Little Women (a review of The Lolita Effect)

Even some Catholic Schools leave a lot to be desired

The Wise One Who Builds on Rock

Gardasil linked to ~20 deaths so far...

I bet Gov. Rick Perry is glad that the legislators overruled his executive order requiring Gardasil for all school children. It's not looking good so far.

Gardasil has been linked to 18 - 20 deaths among recipients, and numerous complications including Grand-Mal convulsion, coma, and foaming at the mouth.

I'm aware that vaccines are supposed to save more lives than would die of cancer - but Gardasil is different. You should take Gardasil at an early age for maximum protection, but how many women would live 30, 40 or 50 years before death from HPV?

HPV kills 3,700 people in the USA - will gardasil prevent some of these deaths or will it exceed this number when full compliance is reached?

More here...

Tractors are sooooo

Baby Love Songs

Pics from B's 11th birthday, our vacation, and new farm animals coming soon.

I realized I forgot to post Sean and the twins' hand-selected "baby love" songs.

In other words, B's song has been "Wonder" since we knew a baby was on the way.
The same applies to these songs for the Sean, Booby, & Debbie.
Look for Joey's song in December :)

Some day, I'll make my own commemorative video for each of my darling children.

Til then... enjoy these :)

Sean's Song: Beautiful Boy (Darling Sean)-John Lennon


Bobby & Debbie's Song: You Are the Sunshine of My Life-Stevie Wonder

For My WONDER filled Daughter

on her 11th birthday.

This is YOUR song, baby! Sing it, Live it!



"WONDER"
Doctors have come
from distant cities
just to see me
stand over my bed
disbelieving what they're seeing

they say I must be one of the wonders
of God's own creation
and as far as they see they can offer
no explanation

newspapers ask
intimate questions
want confessions
they reach into my head
to steal the glory
of my story

they say I must be one of the wonders
of God's own creation
and as far as they see they can offer
no explanation

I believe
fate smiled and destiny
laughed as she came to my cradle
"know this child will be able"
laughed as my body she lifted
"know this child will be gifted
with love, with patience
and with faith
she'll make her way"

people see me
I'm a challenge
to your balance
I'm over your heads
how I confound you
and astound you
to know I must be one of the wonders
of God's own creation
and as far as you see you can offer me
no explanation

I believe
fate smiled and destiny
laughed as she came to my cradle
"know this child will be able"
laughed as she came to my mother
"know this child will not suffer"
laughed as my body she lifted
"know this child will be gifted
with love, with patience
and with faith
she'll make her way"

We're outta here....

Looks like Ireland put the Lisbon treaty in the dirt (as I expected).

celogo chimes in with musical message :)
Nár lagaí Dia do lámh! (May God not weaken your hand!)

Lyrics Here

Anyway... we're on the road down south... should have a nice vacation.

Ciao!

Happy Birthday to Sean!!

Sean's 9th BirthdayTime flies!!!

Girls report severe reactions to Gardasil vaccine

Here's a link to the video.

This is the same vaccine Gov. Perry made MANDATORY for public school girls beginning in 5th grade.

How many more cases go unnoticed/unreported?

SHUDDER

IT

CD found a link to this from digg.




Please take a minute to visit the family's website. They need our prayers!

To have to take your child/children to the Mayo Clinic in search of an answer to illness is such a huge, humbling, hopeful thing.
My mother took me 30 years ago.
I remember passing a church on the way to the airport as we headed home.
"Let it Be" by the Beatles played on the radio.

Again, please pray for this family.
Just click below if you'd like and close your eyes.
God love ya!

Flora!!

Today was all about identifying some of the flora blossoming on our property.

Using texaswildflowerpictures.com, we identified

basil bee balm
queen anne's lace
rose gentian

queen anne's lace must be differentiated from hemlock. very carefully. quintuple-checked.

Learning a lot and having fun! Looking forward to aesthetic,culinary, medicinal uses of these and other blossoms.

It's not too late to come for a wildflower picking visit :)

What's in a name?

Meet "honey" and "black forest"
or... "pinky" and "wilbur"
or... "piggies"




In about 3 months, they will be called dinner.

Turtle!!

Sean spotted this red eared slider on the road last week. What a find!




"Tiny Tim" is named after a song Sean learned in 1st grade.

Ireland to decide entire fate of EU?

Yup, it's true.  European commissioners got sucker-punched with their so-called "constitution" and have learned the hard way to push it through legislation rather than votes.

Unfortunately, one nation has a legal obligation to vote on the Lisbon Treaty.... Ireland.

When will they ever learn?  I just can't stop laughing...

My act of stupidity for the year...

Lawnmowers are dangerous... I have this speech to a 'T' which I deliver to my children.  If only I took my own advice!

Last evening I was mowing as dusk was settling in.  Since we had rain recently, the grass was super thick.  My lawnmower was churning on something so I turned it off and reached under to grab a clump of grass.

Oy vey!  Cuss cuss cuss cuss....  My fingers are on fire!

Fortunately, no missing phalanges, no cuts, no broken bones - but my lord it hurts.  Right index and middle finger were struck by the (still turning, although comparatively slowly) blade.

Dumb dumb dumb....

Noonan Nails It

I haven't enjoyed Peggy Noonan's work in a couple of years. Every once in a while, she publishes a zinger.

"Sex and the Sissy" definitely qualifies!

It is prissy. Mrs. Clinton's supporters are now complaining about the Hillary nutcrackers sold at every airport shop. Boo hoo. If Golda Meir, a woman of not only proclaimed but actual toughness, heard about Golda nutcrackers, she would have bought them by the case and given them away as party favors.

Noonan invoked one of my heroes.

I vividly recall watching a Golda Meir biopic on tv as a child. Living on a kibbutz has been attractive to me ever since :)

As for Hillary, God bless 'er. She's a mess!

Egg Chicken Chicken Egg

Ran across this while doing a little pre-doctor-visit research.

Lots of folks, my Mom and Nana included, would say, "You didn't know that?"

What we know intellectually and how we become accustomed to living can be so far apart at time as to cause despair.

I've had trouble sleeping at night since I was little.

After a traumatic event as a teenager, I could not sleep.

Add to this my beloved career in passenger service, when I was scheduled for late-night shifts.

Even after I left that career, I had become so accustomed to not being able to sleep til 2 or 3 am that it seemed "normal."

I met a lot of "normal" people along the way, too.

Didn't help (or hurt) that I married a man who's company name was "Nocturnal Networks." LOL

Long story short, I am trying very hard to live with enough sleep.

It feels weird, even selfish, because I had become accustomed to doing housework after the kids fell asleep.

In light of this "well, no kidding!" article, I have hope this might be a piece of the restorative puzzle.

G'nite!