Walk the Walk

Why is John Murtha still in office? Why is Ted Kennedy still in office? Why the long face John Kerry (just had to throw that in)? Honestly why are these old money grabbers still around? Murtha is amazingly slippery and arrogant and what are these ear marks about other than making people with lots of money more money. Aren't we tired of that old tired stuff about the poor being thrown at us by people with more money that the US Treasury? How sadly simple we all are not to get to the polls every single available time we can vote. We need to get out the vote and keep it up. We need to remove incumbents when they are sucking us dry. We need to keep the seats from warming up and taking the shape of the ass that's in 'em. Are we really so shallow that we think tax the rich is a wonderful thing? Let us make more money by lowering taxes is what we should be screaming. Live by the rules you impose on us is another thing we should be screaming. Use that health care model on yourselves first and get on Social Security and then pound your drums. Jeeeese Louise I am tired of that privileged bunch dictating to us from the vacuum where their souls used to be.

Feet Don't Fail Me Now

Here's something interesting. That dry cracked skin on the heels of my feet? The smear Vaseline all over every night and hope for a miracle? The dermatologist said to hit the feet with a fungicide and after two weeks of treating that way...what's left is the dry skin. Ever hear of such a thing? Me either but I'm doing it. These feet will be soft and lovely one day. Or at least if there is a fungus thing I will run it out of town.

Self healing

Dermatologist this am. I have been waiting so long for this appointment the problem I originally called about has cleared up. There's a sensitive spot on my forehead which feels like dry skin but doesn't look like it, it looks like nothing. Well today it is nothing. I can't even feel where I used to feel that sensitivity. Tomorrow? She'll be back. Yes I have performed the miracle of curing myself. Later....

WORK!!

Off to the big city and WORK in the office as opposed to WORK at home. The word WORK is supposed to be pronounced like Maynard G Krebbs did in Dobie Gillis, WORK!!! Does anyone else have a head that brings that stuff back unsolicited? My husband calls it brain sludge. It floats around in there an occasionally surfaces with out being called up.

One of my oldest best friends was with me for the weekend. She is going through such a rough patch. Her mother died a year ago and her husband has not been well since. He is visiting his family and she will join him in a week but meanwhile, his family calls here every five minutes to report on his welfare. She is so worried about him anyway and so missing her mother and well, we had a nice time anyhow but I'm praying for her and her husband as well as me and mine.

On with the day. Bless us Lord and keep us safe and strong.

News Fatigue

From time to time I read current events on the various blogs available on the net. Actually, I must admit, I am obsessed. I cannot start the day without a zoom through the various places I always visit. I’ve written about this before and so let me reiterate, I have news blogs, plain old blogs, blogs of the soap opera type, blogs by shrinks, health blogs and religious type blogs. I am a blog nut. In order to shorten my morning fix I have a must see folder and today they are all abuzz with the John Doe amendment in some bill that the Dems voted overwhelmingly to cut. The amendment protected whistleblowers actually. When you see something suspicious you say something and it’s checked out and if it’s nothing the person or people you reported go on their way. Some go on their way to sue the whistleblower. This amendment protected the snitchers from those lawsuits which would probably whine that they were picked on due to their size, shape, color, religion etc. Never would the snitching be based on legitimate cause for concern such as the Fabulous Flying Imams and the actions they were taking to draw attention to themselves, get that report in and get a huge publicity campaign and lawsuit cooking.

What is the thinking behind the vote that was just taken? We’ll never know the truth so we are left to speculate and naturally, human nature being human, we think the worst. I have to go pray and read the Gospel of Mark. I am going all the way through start to finish and obsess about the Good News rather than the state of affairs in Washington DC. Bless you all. God is still on His throne.

Another Pizza Roller Incident

The firemen in our little town decided that they would use a home which had suffered damage during an electrical storm and was scheduled to be torn down for a practise excercise. Fire engines were dispatched and ladders climbed and windows smashed and holes put in the roof and roof joists (whatever they are) sawed through and you name it they did it. Wrong house. Is that worse than the Pizza Roller Incident or what? Our esteemed selectmen commended them for their proactive approach to training and then said they would take steps to avoid a problem like that occurring in the future. Can you see the training for that? OK Men. Read the address of the house out loud please! Will the address checker de-truck and evaluate the house that we think is burning? Will the street sign reader please report? Will the house number double checker please co-ordinate with the street sign reader?

I'll bet if they were able to increase our property taxes to the level they wanted, they would have had firefighters on the force who could actually read. I know I know knocking the first responders is so wrong. Sorry. Sorry Sorry.

Love that C.S. Lewis

An excerpt from C.S. Lewis, an essay titled Equality written in 1943. Could this have been written today?

"Where men are forbidden to honor a king they honour millionaires, athletes or film stars instead: even famous prostitutes or gangsters. For spiritual nature, like bodily nature, will be served; deny it food and it will gobble poison."

Granted in this case the king referred to an actual monarchy since he was English and yet if we were to change king to any decent leader in the religious world or political world or whatever...if our heroes and honorable role models are ridiculed and thrown to the ground...isn't this what we have left? Look at what is going on around us now due to the sniping and back stabbing and ridiculing and undermining of every solid person of substance.

Just Rambling

Well work I did and what a nasty mood I brought with me. I tore into just about everyone about everything and surprisingly, got a lot accomplished. I am beat right now and ready for zoning out in front of the TV but first - - -



I came up with a whopping revelation.. again. I am in the middle of some turmoil and boy is this emotion stuff taking its toll. I had a situation in which an action I took has raised some eyebrows..you see, the thing I did I legally didn't have to do but I did it anyway and people don't understand that I had to do it because it was the right thing to do. I am so surprised that so many people don't connect with that. It seems that I am from a totally different planet.

Oh well. I am reading C.S. Lewis again -- one of his books that I have is called The Business of Heaven, it's a book of daily readings and I keep forgetting it exists and then I pick it up and I'm knocked out by how timeless his writings are -- not to compare it to the Bible which is the definition of timeless wisdom but since he was such a solid Christian he was steeped in the timeless wisdom of Christianity and God gave him such a gift that he could write it down in language anyone can understand. Those who say they can't are willfully blind . . just sayin'.

Gotta go forth and be corporate. Bless you all and pray as I do that we are able to stay in God's will. I wish we would get very clear memos on a daily basis and a check list at night. If Mom's were God we might.

To Play Hookey or Not

I have been toying with playing hookey since the weekend. I went to lunch with some lovely ladies I worked with for years. We are all in the area and twice a year whether we need to or not we get together for lunch. One is single and always has been. She lives such a fabulous single life. She has a condo here and in Florida. The Florida condo she shares with a couple of female friends. She travels several times a year to Europe or somewhere in the states. She volunteers for any number of community action things and works part time in the summer to supplement her winter wanderings. She has many friends and interests and when we leave, the gal I always pick up and drive home says....wow, she is so busy she wears me out. She makes me feel like I am doing nothing. Then all the way home the two of rationalize our doing nothing.

Anyhow my busy friend said that she is working for a real screwball this summer and she is feeling some stress. The other day she realized that if she is not happy at work then she should not go. I think she's right. That's what solidifies my hookiness. I'm going though. I will connect later and advise.

My Nice New Friends

I've been off on a few different directions. I am participating in a cyber girls' club. We are supporting each other in our dietary challenges. We all, whether for health or cosmetic or who knows what reasons, are working on our intake and output of calories. Calories can be taken in in many forms and burned up in many as well. If you don't burn much you should take in less if you want to lose or maintain your size. Notice how I have avoided the D word and the W word. What are those words you may ask? You may but I won't answer because if you don't know what they are.....go. away. Take your skinny athletic self somewhere and gnaw on some fruit and vegetables and lean protein. Don't gnaw on much though. You never do. You only gnaw when hungry and when not hungry you stop. Oh!!!! Go!!! Away!!

Well, glad I got that over with. The group I am writing with and reading are all really nice and I am very thankful for the connection. I am much more aware of the D word and really...isn't that what makes it work as it should? The awareness and being thoughtful.

It's nice to meet nice people and that's what I've done. My mother would be so proud. She always liked it when I went out and met nice friends. If she were still with me I would have her sitting here reading and writing with me. She would want to meet everyone.

I am sooooo tired now. It's hot and humid and I have been up and down stairs all day with laundry and such. Got to go sit and cool down. I'll be back...as Ahnold says.

Pray for the Day

So far , so good, I have managed to elude the pizza roller. Today will be a challenge however. Yesterday was a day of gathering and evading deadlines and establishing new deadlines for the same things. Sound cryptic? It all is. Today the rubber meets the road and all but two of the long list of projects that must be completed and handed off by Friday are mine. There are two that are the accountants and he has, I hope all the information he needs.

There are other looming things and meetings for today and I will need God to wrap me in His arms and keep me safe throughout them. Long long ago things are still in the front of people's minds. Bubbling cauldrons have been stirred and eyes of newts have been dropped in and I need God to put me under His wings and let me find refuge in that fortress and all of the other power prayers I can think of I have been thinking and praying. The big picture makes most of this silly but I can't seem to step out of the muck and get a glimpse of that picture. When I do step out, I'm hurled back. I heard a radio minister this morning say that life can be like a giant squid. It wraps those tentacles around you and pulls you down into the black ocean waters. You need to call out to God and He will pull you free.

I know I will be safe and only goodness and mercy will follow me and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Thank you Jesus.

The Pizza Roller Incident

Sunday was pretty darned good, a beautiful sunny day and not too humid. Hubby and I took a ride to pick up some not necessary but wanted items and it was a lovely ride along a little traveled but gorgeous part of our world. The route we took was winding and lined with old weathered shingled homes, fabulous gardens and antique shops and the closest thing to a strip mall was a corner store that expanded 40 years ago and later subdivided so that a family member could run a sub shop, I'm guessing at the history, I do that a lot. At any rate, as you can see we had a day of leisure and relaxed appreciation of the part of the world we live in.



Monday, another story. The news started my day and I had to listen to the later broadcast to be sure I wasn't dreaming and making up the lead story. A woman got her head caught in a pizza roller while opening up the pizza parlor for the day. She was air lifted to a major hospital for medical attention. Now, how in the world does that happen? And you think you had a bad Monday. Think of the pizza roller lady. Not only does she have the recovery from the injuries but the whole world around her knows about the incident. Imagine how her return to work will be handled.

The rest of the day was one minor irritation after another and finally good night. The pizza roller incident did keep everything in perspective. My mother would say, "If you think you can feel sorry for yourself just think about all the youngsters out there with no legs or no hands or no hearing . . . . " she would go on and on and come up with every known horrible affliction she could imagine and when she finally had us totally doubled up with pain for all those poor children well, then her job was done. Now I just have to think of the pizza roller lady and my day seems just fine thanks.

Hope your day is smooth and roller free.

Sundays are Glorious

The most beautiful day of the week. I just read Psalm 16 and I think that will be my Psalm of the week. I have never had a Psalm of the week but this week I am going to. This is such a joyful day and this Psalm says it all.

I am about to go with the spouse to walk the dog. My husband's been in an air cast to his knee for 3 weeks and has at least 3 more weeks to go. A high ankle sprain they say. Last night he felt a sharp pain just above that cast in the knee area. He is still sensitive and finding it hard to walk easily. Monday he will go to the orthopedic expert to see what if any other damage he has wrought. He doesn't realize that casts are to partially slow you down.


Off we go into the day.

Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.

Non-Vacation Blues

And for today. . . . we are doing the usual Saturday things which involve running and fetching and laundry and the dump and then collapse in the recliner to nap but not able to because neighbors stop by and say hi and what's up for later. Being in a summer place where people are on vacation or weekending makes it tough when you're here, living a non-vacation life. Vacations mean never having to do laundry or cook if you don't want to. Vacations mean all the clothes you have are freshly washed and ironed and sometimes new. Vacations mean lots of happy hours and snacks and yikes!!! We are the wrinkled non-vacationers here all the time vacuuming and shopping getting ready for work on Monday folks. Most of the time I love the easy going drop in and say hi have a glass of wine laugh and snack but there are days, and this is one of them where all the things left undone for the past couple of weekends due to my pain in the neck . . family duties. . graduation parties. . bridal showers . . all those undone things are calling to me. Gemma, your laundry wants you to pay attention. Gemma, change the sheets on the bed. Gemma dust for the love of Pete. Who is Pete? No one could ever tell me.

I must obey the call of the dirty dishes and laundry and the unused vacuum cleaner.

I will be back when things are a bit more sparkly.

Epiphanies and Burkas

I just had an epiphany....those crazy Muslims (not the nice ones but the one who behead and take stones to women and lop off body parts) should just trust Allah to take care of business and they should just take care of themselves and not their neighbors. Take for instance that crazy mullah or imam or whatever who exhorted his followers - all young and I emphasize young - men to stay and fight in the mosque while he, dressed as a woman in a burka (sp) tried to escape.

Happy Fourth

Happy Fourth of July!

The sky is so blue right now, it appears that today will be glorious and perfect for those cookouts and parades and whatever anyone does outdoors for the Fourth. We are going to a cookout and the hostess was so afraid it would rain. She must be delirious with this beginning. We will all hope for more as the day goes on.

Because of this party, hot crab dip, seven layer taco dip, chicken and broccoli salad, greek salad, chicken wings, onion dip, not to mention all the grilling going on and the dessert table with lemon squares, red white and blue trifle which sits next to chocolate trifle with strawberries dipped in chocolate, I will not glom on about dieting but tomorrow? she hits the road for low calorie splendors and moving along the walking path.

See ya then. God Bless us everyone.