Oh My

Is it me or is there really a dark cloud over the coming election? Are we really ushering in the hopes and prayers of all those old '60's radicals who wanted nothing more than to blow up the system and shake their clenched fists in the face of "the Man". If that Bill Ayers and the woman he chose has been behind the scenes and if the Chicago machine has been tutoring the B O man then we are in for a treat as grand as the Clintons who felt that if you have the key to the house then . . .everyone is your servant. Right????

Oh bless us everyone. I think we should all read the Old Testament and get ready for the next Nebuchadnezzar. He wasn't as refined as Stalin. That's all I have to say.

Togas R Us

That toga thing? I just read that Obie Wan's speech will appear to be coming from a Roman or Greek amphitheater.......check out the post at Powerlineblog.com -- The Temple of Obama --- it is exactly what I have been thinking of!! I must be a prophet.

Togas for The Politicians

Before I forget about this... over the weekend I walk with some neighborhood ladies who are also my friends. We pound the pavement for about an hour or so depending on how hot it might be determining the distance. We generally go almost 3 miles. During that 3 mile jaunt we blab constantly about everything and anything. On Saturday we ventured into the political arena and trust me, it can be very tricky. For the most part they are Dems but not terribly liberal. They know I am a major conservative right wing gun toting bible thumper and tip toe around me as I do them. This walk however we agreed on one huge thing. Our elected officials are a law unto themselves. "Do you know who I am?" is one of their favorite phrases and is usually heard immediately after they have been told they are no different than any other citizen waiting in line for ... whatever. We decided that every politician should wear a Toga. That immediately identifies him/her as a truly important individual. The back of the Toga would have a D or R followed by the last name of the individual wearing it. This would take care of anyone who doesn't know who they are and it would also, perhaps, change the behavior of the Toga wearer. Perhaps if they were ALWAYS recognized they would try to keep a lower profile, be more considerate of others, wait their turn, not accept bribes - oh you know, any number of behaviors might be reduced.

What do you think? I'm all for it. Uniforms must be worn at all times. Just like a police officer must wear his/her gun even when off duty...so must they wear the Toga. The Togas could be designed so that the state they represent is noted. Imagine. There you are at the airport when ahead of you is a Toga wearing gentleman from your home state. You know immediately that he represents you in the legislative arena because of the Toga he wears with the colors of your state. You approach and let him know that he represents you. You let him know of a concern you have...he thanks you for your input. You shake his hand and let him know that you appreciate his concern. You tell him that you noticed he wears a D and you are an R but you will consider voting for him next time because he has impressed you with his regard for the little guy.

Yeah -- I think it might work.

Where Did the Time Go??????

Labor Day is this Monday -- one week from today!!!! Note the exclamation points. There are many. My husband is planning, as he always does, to invite the entire world around us to a cook out on Sunday. He smokes pork butt, yeah, I know, that sounds peculiar doesn't it? But and I mean of the Pork variety is great. All of the men in the neighborhood are true carnivores and it is a good thing since there is more meat than you can imagine. The husband, he starts this process months in advance. He buys the butt and makes his rub and applies it to the butt and wraps it and freezes it and buys some more and so on and so on and then........he smokes it for hours and hours and hours and then TA-DA!! It is ready to be pulled and saturated with whatever sauce you prefer. There is a true North Carolina vinegar base and one that more resembles barbecue and then everyone brings something so in addition to the meat there are salads and dips and cakes and cookies and on and on and so forth.

I merely run and fetch and keep the plates and napkins handy along with the plastic and glasses and -- oh yeah, I show everyone where the bathroom is and make sure the dog is in her room.

Problem is, I have no time off this year and will arrive late Friday so I only have Saturday to do what I have to do and I can't believe it's Labor Day in ONE WEEK! Gaccgkk! That is a choking fit kind of sound. I have to make lists. Bye!!

One Thing I Have Learned

Going through a lot of angst lately...lately? Well maybe still is a better definitive word for the end of that sentence. The point is that I have been exhausted, emotionally riding the roller coaster and working away from home for many more days that usual. The end of this wild ride may be on the horizon but then, as I know, the next chapter begins. I am in the middle of attempting to sell a family business and untangling years of snarled up finances, family grievances, bitter resentments and employee anxieties. Following this there will still be piece parts left that will be shared but there will be no employees. The bitter resentments will no doubt be present as well as the family grievances. The snarled up finances should be unsnarled and the management of the remaining resources should be in neutral hands. The disposal of the remainder should be dealt with by those neutral parties and then, and only then, will the ride end. Well that particular ride anyway.

If there's one thing I have garnered through this journey of pitfalls and pot holes it's the fact that there are very few blissful moments. Grab what you can when it appears. Bliss is so sweet that it has to be short lived. If it lasted longer than the few seconds it does, well then we would all have other problems as a result of that euphoria.

More Prayers for Other Things and People

I will go further into this when I can but I am just so in awe that I had to write it down. It has to do with praying and although it isn't about my cousin's sister-in-law, I am sure those prayers are buoying up that family. Here is another prayer testimony. I have a friend whose husband is a very heavy drinker and after many, many, many efforts he has finally consented to go to a facility for help. Pray pray and pray some more that he will actually stay there. In times past he would be out in 3 days then back to his life in less than that. This time he is staying, at least for a week he said. She got a call last night from him and in a voice she hasn't heard since the drinking thing began he said he will stay for as long as it takes. Praise God and keep the prayers going. I have more but I have no more time.

Up Date and Thanks

Thanks for your prayers. I wish I could say there has been a miraculous event but, well maybe there was. She managed to get away for the weekend with her family and except for her exhaustion, they all managed to enjoy their time. The kids are in softball tournaments and each were playing so she was able to see them. Maybe without the prayers that wouldn't have happened. Life is so hard isn't it?

A Prayer Request

I have a cousin who has a sister-in-law who is fighting a losing battle with leukemia. For the past three years she has been valiantly moving through the medical world of chemo and transplants and transfusions and on and on. Her husband has been maintaining contact with everyone through a truly wonderful service set up by the hospital which provides a website where he posts daily or weekly or monthly updates to the family and their life with this bombshell that went off in their midst. I have never met these people, my aunt told me about them and the website and I went there one day left a message of, I hope support and encouragement, and from that time on I have been included in the daily or weekly or monthly updates. It had been a while since the website was updated and I wondered. I have honestly prayed for that very brave woman and her family if not daily, more regularly than I have ever prayed for any.

This month, the updates began again. The news was not good and has not gotten better. The leukemia had returned and she was hospitalized and now, she has been sent home, treatment discontinued. She has a limited time left and her husband has asked us to pray for a comfortable time for her and her family. They want to share the last days in some semblance of normal family life. I pray for that and ask you to do so as well. We know the power of prayer and if we don't, trust me, it's powerful. Her name is Dee and she has a daughter and son and husband and dog who love her dearly. Pray for all of them if you would.

No news here -- Move along

I lost all respect for Colin Powell quite some time ago so this endorsement thing? Who really cares except the solidly entrenched "we drank the Kool-aid" gang.

What a GEM

It is still way too busy here. That shopping trip with the FIL was a hoot. He got into the scooter and worked it like a champ. We were in Sam's club and you know how there are places here and there where they give away free samples? Well every time the FIL went missing I would find him at one of those areas chatting away with the lady as if he were at a singles bar. He got turned down a lot but as he said "I;m a try harder". He'll be back ladies. Watch yourselves.

Meanwhile I am back to the grindstone. The end result will be a beautiffully polished gem I'm sure. That's where the name came from guys. My initials before marriage were GEM. My Dad wanted them to spell something and he, until I married, called me Gem...his unclaimed jewel....all right now....in unison "AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW"

Later

Day of Rest?

Things have been terrifically busy in my life lately. That is not to say I have been having a great time. I have been hoop jumping and tail spinning and running and fetching and fallin asleep so early because I get up so early to -- see previous action word.

I sit down here and want to write but I'm empty so I just poke around and read everybody else. I don't comment since one click of the mouse to jump from place to place is about all I can manage.

Today, Sunday, is to be a day of rest. Thank you Lord for providing this. I will be accompanying my husband to his father's where we will jam him into our car...it's not easy folks. We will then take him to lunch and then shopping at Sam's Club. They have those wheelchair/scooter things I believe and we need to shop, he needs to get out of the house....it will be a double accomplishment. Sounds good huh?

I will let you know how it all works later.