Zanax night

Charlie


I took a Zanax last night and told the girls I was going down to the quietness of my own room! Hub called and asked what was for dinner. I told him there was steak, kasha and mixed veggies. He replied with a yum and told me he would be home in about a half hour.

I believe I was asleep when he got home. At some point I awoke to think, I should get up. Nope. Back to sleep. I woke up again, but this time it was after 11:00. Hub was lying next to me watching TV. Watching what the rest of the country was, the devastation for Katrina. I told him hi and then mentioned that the TV was so loud. "Well," he says, "it would not be so loud, but I had to turn it up to drown out your snoring!" I didn't get mad, I just thought, shit, I finally got a good four hours of sleep!

I set up the coffee for the morning. I thought about how yesterday, I was out on the deck with my computer sitting in the fog, and Hub came up and started to fill the carafe with water. He was about to fill the coffee maker with water again. It would have been all over the counter. But, having the great ear that I have, I said, "Hey hub, the coffee is set up. You are up before the timer at 5:51 am! Just turn it to the on position." He says, "I am glad you told me that. That was easy." I was happy too, that I didn't have water all over the place to clean up!

And before you ask, and I know you will, I like to set timers for odd times. I get bored with everything being on the fives or tens! Hence, the 5:51. When my hub and I used to sign our girls in or out of Montessori school, we would sign something like 8:09 or 3:03, most people round to the next five or ten...Not us! LOL

The other morning hub said, "Wow, this is really good coffee!" I asked what was wrong with the coffee on other days. He laughed and said, "Man, you aren't even Jewish!" No, but I have been married to one for fifteen years! Little things like that keep us laughing. Any time he tells me something is good, I wonder why it is better than before. Chances are that it is the same, and he either didn't notice or he neglected to tell me for the answer he got that morning!

We have had almost a week of true summer like weather. I don't like the heat, even dry heat. I love when people complain about the heat in say, Palm Springs or Arizona. People from more humid climates respond with, "well at least it is a dry heat!" So is an oven! Wouldn't want to be hanging out in one of those either. Anyhow, out heatwave has gone away, at least here along the coast. We woke up to drippy fog again yesterday morning and I didn't cause it by washing my car! Imagine that. I am outside and it is all of 60 degrees with 15 mph winds. It is freaking cold out here. Had to put on a sweater. Not cold enough to send me running back in the house though.

One thing that might, may be those really icky spiders I photograph! Icky to most of those who commented on my last photo day post. Love the photos, except the spider...With the exception of Bonny. She commented asking if all our spiders look like that here in California. Said in Toronto, they get little bitty things. Bonn was rewarded with a special email from me, explaining my take on these spiders.

First, I will tell you what I didn't tell her. We live high up above the beach and we live in a cabin like setting. Eucalyptus grove. Wooden house with lots of moths. They cannot hurt you, but I have never seen all an assortment as we have here. Luckily, our dog Charlie, who will be a year old in a week, sometimes thinks he is a cat. He lunges after these moths and eats them. They must be salty because he gets very thirsty after eating one. Okay, my point about the moths is that the spiders like them too.

Every year when these spiders start appearing, I know fall is upon us. They catch moths and spin them up in silk and save them as prey. These spiders can spin the most remarkable webs in record time. My sister in law Phoebe and I watched this occurrence for a few nights while she was here in July. Phoebe with her ultra cool binoculars, for the avid birder, it is the first thing out of the carry on!

These spiders don't bite, sting or hurt anybody. They just exist and hang around til fall, while they get bigger and bigger. By fall, some are the size of a quarter! Seriously. The only problem for me really, is that they spin these webs so fast that you can be taking groceries out of the car and by the walk back to the car for the next load, you get to walk right into a web! Creepy sounding and feeling, I know! LOL

This time of year, when I come out here on the deck at night, I always turn on the lights first. I want to see where they are located so I do not walk into one of their sticky silky webs. If I see one in my way, I will knock it down with a broom handle. This does not make me feel bad, as I know how quickly they can make a new one! But as summer winds down, there are more and more of the creepy crawlers. Left undisturbed they can stay in the same web for a very long time. They seem to hang out in the same area they first appear, only getting bigger. So, these are spiders that remind me that fall is coming and school is starting and frankly, I LOVE THESE GUYS! LOL

I just heard a pack of coyotes making the sounds they make when they get something to eat. Very loud and it ends as quickly as it started. We live in nature. Living around nature is a good thing. It reminds me that humans are not the only living creatures on this planet. Even if we sometimes think we are!

Okay so my fun, upbeat post turned into a spider post. That's okay. It sure as hell beats whining! And for your viewing pleasure, I am adding a photo of a very cool web! So there!


Spider and silk wrapped moth!

Whine!

Lately I have gone to blogs that tell tales of depression, sadness, health problems, worries, fears and I am among them, at least today. I am gonna whine! Leave now Cindy! LOL

I think the state of our world has something to do with mine. As does the devastating Katrina and all the sadness surrounding such horrible loss of life and property. Lives changed forever.

I also think I am more than ready for school to start. As much as I love the girls, they need to go back to school. It has been a tough summer. For me, wanting to teach the girls to deal with boredom. Hmm. Hasn't gone too well. They were bored some of the time. One more than the other. I will not go into more details here. It was just rough.

I have taken on the sale of the lesser known nut program for the Girl Scout troops. I have been up to my eyeballs in paper and emails. I am dreading an all day training session on September 10th...I have been the cookie mom for our troop for five years and done the nuts for two...Not sure what else I can learn...I just multiply the whole thing times twenty troops instead of one.

We have had to endure days of jackhammering from the ongoing renovations next door. That stopped and the hammering, drilling and sawing began. I had a headache for days and I still have ringing in my ears!

I have a had a stack of bills to pay, just sitting here...But, still a thorn in my side. It is like laundry to me, I have to be in the mood to do them. Once I get started, I am okay, it is getting started that is a pain in the ass. I did get some done today.

I need to have my hair cut and colored. Another pain because it is a drive and a process and a drive home, which consumes most of my day. I need a pedicure too. I even have gift certificates to use. I believe I will celebrate the return of school by getting my quickly turning white, hair colored, eyebrows waxed and toesies done...That could help.

I am sad that Lighty is going though such a horrible time. I am sad for Jaded's friend too. I know other's are having health issues and hopefully all will be fine.

My daughter got a call from her friend and her cousin (37) had a heart attack and was in a coma. She just called and told me that he died. Her family is, of course, devastated. So young, so young.

I am off to get my daughter from her friend's house now.

Tomorrow I am going to post something funny because this is the worst post I have ever written. I do feel a bit better by just venting....Sorry you all had to sit thru my pity party, that is if you made it to this point! LOL

Photo Sunday

Click any of the photos for a larger view....

This is one of many Mourning Doves that frequent my little bird sanctuary.

Mourning Dove



I love the Sweet Potato Queens and I have some of their mugs. I had coffee this morning!

Sweet Potato Queen Mug



This is a hot and hazy morning view.

Layers of hazy hills after sunrise



The House Finches and Doves get along very well! This is a hard shot since the feeder is on the outside of the railing.

House finches and Mourning Dove sharing!



Another morning view with a crow fying by.

As a Crow Flies



This spider came down from its web after I moved the umbrellas around...Sorry spider.

And Down Came a Spider



This Scrubjay shot was tough. The big guys land on the feeder and it never stops rocking the whole time they eat.

Scrubjay



This is where the Mourning Doves hang out most of the time.

Northern Pine. Home to the Mourning Doves



This hummer is the one who keeps the others away all day! This is my mosaic bird bath. Pretty huh?

Hummingbird/birdbath

Word Verification

I have set up the word verification. Hope you all don't mind it. It says that it will elimate blog spam sent out by machines. As it takes a real live person to type in the verification word...

This is just a test...Thought I would give it a try. Let me know if you find it annoying and I will take that into consideration when I decide if it works or not! LOL

I am tired of the blog spammers!

In other news it is HOT. 75 degrees at 4:30 am! Yikes, what does that mean when the sun comes up? Hot hot hot!

I am also posting so the photos of yesterday's post make their way down the post road. Sarah will no longer have to wash her eyes out with holy water! And we won't have to look at the ugly creature no mo!

I am keeping Lighty and Jaded and her friend in my thoughts. I feel so bad for all concerned.

Enjoy the weekend, as best you can....This goes for all of you!


Sunset from Huahine

Freaky Animal Happenings

chupacabra

I just heard about this creature yesterday...While I was trying to pronounce it, Katharine says, "Oh, a chupacabra!" She knew all about this creature. An animal that is known for sucking the blood out of goats. Why goats you ask? How would I know!

A Texas farmer trapped this crude animal and it is alive and being sent for testing. The chupacabra is a cross between a rat, hairless dog and a kangaroo! Don't want to offend, but this is one ugly animal! Apparently legendary as well...


Smoking Chimp

This is a 26 year old chimpanzee in a zoo in northwest China. She has been smoking for 15 years. She is smoking even more these days, since the loss of her mate.

She got hooked on smoking by picking up smokes that tourists dropped. Must have been lit ones, cause I cannot imagine her asking for a light! "Hey you, yes you, may I have a light for my cigarette?" Nah....

Her keepers are worried about her health and are trying to give her milk instead of cigarettes. Well, I am here to tell you, if this works, pass it on to the rest of the world!

In an South African zoo, they apparently have the same problem. Their Charlie smokes and started by people tossing him lighted cigarettes and watched him puff away.

The zoo wants him to go cold turkey and call him a naughty school boy, who hides his cigarettes while workers are around!


Shark in lake

This is one of two Atlantic sharp nose sharks caught in a lake in San Antonio in as many days. They are not harmful to humans, but could you imagine hooking one of these bad boys? The shark in the photo measured 37 inches. These sharks belong in salt water, obviously...Nobody knows how they got in the lake...See the next story and we will get an idea of how this can happen!


Reggie the gator

This is Reggie the gator. Released into a lake a couple of months ago. This lake is in LA County! A gator for crying out loud!
Could you imagine fishing or swimming and coming upon a gator, where gators are not supposed to exist? Holy Crappola!

Apparently Reggie's owners released him because he got too big for their mini illegal menagerie. Although they loved him, they could no longer keep him (isn't that sad?) and being illegal and all, they dumped their beloved gator in a lake.

The police found the owners and one is a former copper himself! They found desert tortoises and tortoise eggs, a rattlesnake, a scorpion, three other alligators, two or three piranha and to top it off, six marijuana plants with would have yielded ten pounds of pot...Obviously, they were into the marijuana for medical use program!

Reggie has been illusive to all the gator wranglers LA County has brought in. First being tossed jelly donuts and tortillas. Next thing he knows, he is being surrounded by humans with stink bait balls, trying to trap him. Now, he is in hiding.

The funniest thing was a Louisiana wrangler who said, "I used my sexiest call too!" And then he made the sound...I cracked up. He was so cute! I can only imagine how he calls his wife!

Jackhammer, Boredom, School Shopping

Well, let me start by saying that I am so sick of the freaking jackhammer next door. All day yesterday. It just started again, this very minute and I still have ringing in my ears from yesterday! Not to mention the annoyance of it all. I was enjoying a quiet morning listening to NRP. GONE.

The other day they were throwing all the cut up concrete into a metal truck. Piece by piece. Thump, thump, thump, thump, every thirty seconds or so until the big truck was filled. They dumped it and came back to repeat the process during the afternoon.

Now I am being blasted by loud vibrating jackhammer noise and another guy throwing chunks of concrete into the truck again. I want to scream.

I thought about calling the city and decided it would be better to let it go. I wonder why no other neighbors have called. Am I the only one in the neighborhood that hates this? Maybe I am the only one who spends every morning on the deck with my coffee and computer and think of it as a intrusion of my quiet time! OHM OHM....This too shall pass. OHM OHM.


Zoe and Katharine


Okay, on to school is starting on the sixth...I am happy about this. Very happy. I like the part where the girls can sleep in and do what they want. I started this summer saying it will be the summer the girls learn to deal with their own boredom. I had no plans to keep them busy daily. No activities planned. Nothing scheduled except Katharine's rehearsals, and I had nothing to do with that. She did the auditions, got the parts and did the play thing. Good for her. She gets bored if she has a couple of hours of free time, but has begun reading some books she hasn't read yet for the upcoming school year. Normally a prolific reader, she has not done so this summer.

The boredom thing has been harder on Zoe. She has been quite bored this summer. She has become very helpful around the house, which I like. She wants to help me cook, eager to do something, anything! She has written some, read a lot, worked a bit at the library. And she reads all the time. But, for the most part, it has not been a good summer for her. Yesterday, I think she had a good day. Her friend was here all day and they went for a long walk and hung out at the school for a while. Then went to her friend's to spend the night.

While I feel bad that she didn't have a very busy or fun summer, I stand by my decision about the girls learning to deal with their own boredom. I cannot afford to take them shopping, to lunch, the movies all the time. I have taken them to the movies maybe two or three times this summer, and included their friends. We have done a few lunches as well. I did borrow my cousin's daughter two weeks to keep Zoe company. That turned out to be a nice thing. But, dealing with boredom was not about money. It is something they HAVE to learn now, before they become bored adults.

I know there are many parents who book their kids solid with activities all summer. I have done that and at this age, I feel it is no longer my job to keep them booked and occupied. It is their job. I know this may make me a bad mother to some, but I don't care. I have seen bored adolescents and young adults. They are usually trouble waiting to happen. They don't know how to schedule their time, nor do they know how to handle down time. No parents to take them to the movies or schedule their activities and they are lost. When is the perfect time to teach this lesson? I don't know. I just feel now is the right time. They are at an age where they are capable of doing it. Is this a lesson that needs to be taught? In my opinion, you bet your sweet ass it is!

Now it is time to do school shopping. I want them to purge first...Well, actually, I want them to do laundry first and then purge what they don't need or no longer fits. Then we can go shopping. Zoe is easy, shorts, tops, shoes, school supplies, yearbook, asb, etc., and her size is pretty consistent.

Katharine is a different story. She is in between a 10 and a 12, 10's are a bit too short and 12's are too big in the waist. So, no online shopping for her! She has to try everything on. I have put off shopping with her to the very last minute as her size is slowly changing. I remember last year within months, the clothes we bought for school were too short. I don't want that to happen again. Not so much skirts, mostly jeans. So, I am thinking we will go one day next week. She too, will need school supplies. She got her schedule in the mail yesterday and she and her friends were calling back and forth to find out who had what classes and who was in the other's class. All very exciting for new seventh graders.

So, as I was writing this I decided to take Zoe to marshall's or one of those store today. She only wears shorts and the stores will likely be out of them as they have all the fall fashions in. Fall is going to be hotter than our summer has been. We always have a hot fall and kids cannot wear many new clothes as they are for cooler weather. But, I digress. We need to get some shorts before we can no longer find any! And it will get me away from the freaking jackhammer that is still going. Even the battery bunny would have run out by now! Sheesh!

Telemarketers and YOUR Cell Phone

Add your cell phones to the Do Not Call List Today.
If you haven't already!

JUST A REMINDER... 26 days from today, cell
phone numbers are being released
to telemarketing companies and you will
start to receive sales calls. YOU
WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS...
To prevent this, call the following number
from your cell phone:
888/382-1222. It is the National DO NOT CALL
list. It will only take a
minute of your time. It blocks your number
for five (5) years.

Donotcall.gov works too. It is very simple and requires only a minute or two.

I added three of our cell phones to the list. When I registered two years ago, they only did home phones...That's all we need is telemarketers calling our cells. It may not cost a bundle like it used to, because most of us have plans with extra minutes...But it will save you from receiving annoying phone calls from telemarketers.

I am sure some of you know all this. I just found out yesterday that the Do Not Call list works for cell phones as well. This is not a joke.

I am not sure about you Canadians though...Do you even have telemarketers? LOL

NO COFFEE

I am out of coffee...The store doesn't open til six to buy some. I sit here yawning wondering if I should go back to sleep or go to the store at six and get some coffee...Big dilemma. Not much to do this early in the morning.

Fog is dripping, it's pitch black. The dog wanted out of his crate. Can't blame him. Although now he has chosen a couch to go back to sleep on.

I did some blog comments. I am listening to the neighbor's very loud sprinklers. No owls, no coyotes, just drip drip drip from the fog and the sprinklers. An occasional landing of a newspaper in a driveway.

I need to go to the store, the pharmacy, the bank. I wish they were all open now. That would save me a lot of time and you could bet there would be parking spaces available!

I may have to break down and go to Costco. The dog is out of his chicken treats. I haven't been since the last time I got him some. Three bags. I need to look at back thru the archives to see when I went last. I figure it has been two months. Just think of all the money I saved!

I guess I could go fold a load of laundry and put another one in! That would be fun, don't you think? I am too wired to go back to sleep, so maybe I don't need coffee. Although, I will probably get a headache from the lack of ground beans. I could have decaf, but yuck...

I need to go get a pedicure too. I have a gift cert from my birthday last October and I have not used it. It is for two pedicures too. My toes look so bad I want to do them before I go. Just like cleaning before the cleaners come. Vicious circle. I know they will be talking about my ugly toenails in Vietnamese too. And even if they aren't I will feel like they are. I think it is rude of people to speak to each other in a language the customer doesn't understand, while they are working on my feet. I would teach my kids that it is rude to do that unless, there are no customers. I could find a Vietnamese friend to take with me and she could translate, but then they probably would be nice!

Well, wasn't this a waste of a perfectly clean white post! I really have nothing of significance to say. I am lucky for that as somebody else said, while we can write silly things, there are so many people going through so much right now with their parents and other family being ill and then there is me with no coffee.

OHHH, The NOISE

Welcome to Monday and the return of the freaking jackhammer! There are new neighbors and they have been gutting the little eight hundred square foot hobbit house, for three weeks now. The jackhammer, this is week two. They seem to hate concrete and are removing all of it around the house!

Nothing has been done with one single city permit...It is on a hill. Hmmm. Well, his daddy is a contractor and the spoiled guy is very rude to the subs! He yelled at one the other day for not bringing four guys with him to get a cast iron tub into the house! I started not liking him right there and then. Rude. I don't like rude people. And, the only reason the guy put up with spoiled guy talking to him that way is I am sure daddy contractor is paying nicely for them to expedite the home remodeling process. And, some of the workers likely work for daddy contractor.

Spoiled guy has already ripped out all the beautiful cottage type flower gardens the last neighbor laboriously planted every weekend while he lived there. I am sure it will be fine, but I was sorry to see all the beautiful flowers go.

They begin at 7:30 am and work til 4:00. At least they didn't ruin the weekend with pounding and hammering. I guess that is a good thing...I sure hope I like spoiled guy's wife. She hasn't seen the house yet.

I have tons to do...Girl Scout nut sales begin soon and I have piles of paper to go thru. And the city has decided it wants to sell the Girl Scout House, which has been here since 1932...They want to use the proceeds to rebuild the hill that fell down. There is sure to be a fight. We are supposed to have a big meeting at a park tomorrow afternoon to save the house.

Laguna Beach has a pretty high rate of girls in scouts. 19% of the girls here are involved with scouts. Compared to 9% in most other communities. We only have 24,000 people in this town too. But, you know how we mothers get when they city wants to take away something we have had for so long...No, they city cannot have the house!

Well, that is enough complaining for this morning...Just realized something is due to the Girl Scout Council tomorrow. Better get it in the mail.

Last Nights Drama

Last night was my cuzbro's birthday bash. As you may know my youngest brother was bringing his ex, now back together for the fourth time, and my nephew who has become quite accomplished at playing the guitar. He is thirteen.

Problem was my cuzbro and his wife, my cuzsis, invited my very great friend and a good friend of theirs as well, to this bash. My brother dated her after his wife kicked him to the curb ten years ago. When my brother broke up with my friend Jana, I got her in the split! We have been great friends ever since. We talk daily or email several times a day.

I posted about this in a titled post called "Here is the Story," on the 17th...To get background if you so desire....This is the follow up.

Cuzbro and cuzsis are such great people. They live in the town where they grew up, in LA County. They have a ton of awesome friends. Cuzbro is an artist and so are many of his friends. Some of them teach art, including my cuzbro. And cuzbro has a bunch of musician friends who get together once a week to play. They are called the Porch Bastards. They are great and they play a plethora of instruments and sing too. My brother always played at the parties too. Then he moved in with them for a while and he became one of the once a week players. Then he moved and didn't get together with them weekly anymore. Although he continued to play when he came to a bash at their house.

Last night there were about fifteen Porch Bastards playing and they sounded great. All in all, around fifty people showed up. They have an old Craftsman house, built in 1915, I believe. It has rooms upon rooms, etched glass windows in the closets, nooks and crannies all over the house, beautiful moldings on the ceiling and walls. Just a very cool house! A huge back yard that looked beautiful last night and a fabulous front porch.

Before I go on about the party, I will go back a bit. We all knew that Jana was coming. We also knew that my brother's ex was not going to like it. But, this was cuzbro's birthday party and he could invite whomever he wanted! We didn't tell my brother the guest list. On Friday, the girls and I got home and there were two messages on the machine. First, was from my brother's last girlfriend, whom we love, and she said she was just calling to say hi. The next message was from my brother telling me to call him at work. The girls and I laughed and I said, "Oh, this cannot be good."

Next thing I do is email the ex girlfriend to see if she knows something I should know before I call my brother. Her response was, that their leaving messages next to each other was a coincidence, and my brother is dead to her! LOL I get that. It's recent and raw. Then I call my cuzsis. She says, "You talk to your brother?" I said, "Ah shit, no. What happened?" She told me my brother called my cuzbro and asked who was coming to the birthday bash? Cuzbro told him several names including Jana's. Bro says, "Jana is coming?" Cuz tells him yes. Then bro asked,"Who invited her?" Cuzbro says, "We did!" Bro says, "Well, I am bringing the ex and this is not going to be good." Cuzbro tells him he is sorry, but he is not uninviting Jana. Jana has been to all the events with us for years, including the past four years with my brother's last girlfriend. Bro hangs up. He then calls back and again asked who invited her. Phone went dead, battery, I guess....

Okay, I have to call him back. I do. He asked me, "Is Jana coming tomorrow?" I said, "Yes." He asked, "Who invited her?" I said, "Cuzbro and cuzsis." Bro said, "This is bad. Ex will not come if Jana is there!" Here is where I go OFF. I told him that it has been ten years since he dated Jana and the ex should get over it. He concurs. But, he says, it ain't gonna happen. I told him that Jana has been to all the events and there are a group of women, Jana included, who sit together and laugh until we fall down at these parties. He said he knew, but the ex still wouldn't come. I said, "Look, this is not a welcome the ex back to the family for the fourth time party, it is cuzbro's birthday party!" "And we were not asking Jana not to come!" Not that it was my decision anyhow, not my party. Besides, she is so much more fun than the ex. Then I told him that we have excluded Jana from events like our annual Christmas parties, because the ex was back. I told him we would not do that again. I told him she is our friend and we don't treat our friends like that. Then I mentioned that drinking and smoking at a hippie type backyard party is not the ex's cup of tea anyhow. At least it never has been before. "Did she really want to come anyhow?" My brother said, " I don't know." Then he says he has to go back to work and hangs up....

I called the cuz's back, made them put me on speaker, so I didn't have to repeat it. Told them what happened and cuzbro said, "Hey, it is my party, I invited Jana long before he even got back with the ex." He hoped they would still come and get over it....

So, last night. My brother and his family were no shows. We had a blast. A ton of food. A ton of beer and spirits. I had a beer. I was driving. Awesome music, lots and lots of laughs. A great time. At one point my cuzsis answers the phone and I see on caller ID, it is my oldest brother calling from Kansas....I knew immediately, that my youngest brother had called him for support. He got NONE. My brother told my oldest brother, "When you call them, let them know I am pissed that they chose Jana instead of me and my family!" My oldest brother told me, "He knew I would call you guys." He told my brother the same things I did. Get over it. My brother told my oldest brother to ask his wife to get her answer as far as how the ex was feeling. Oldest bro said, "I don't have to ask her, she would say the same thing! It's been TEN years."

My oldest bro was very disappointed in my youngest brother because he wasn't thinking of this as a celebration of cuzbro's birthday, but a coming out of his son, to play the guitar with the Porch Bastards. He has wanted everybody to hear my nephew for a long time. He would get my nephew every other weekend and we would all get a call to listen to my nephew play the guitar. So, that was the real reason my oldest brother thinks my youngest brother was pissed about not being able to come to the party. Not just because his ex is living in the past. I thought the same thing, but I didn't say it. I did agree with him last night though. So, my oldest bro was of no help to my younger bro, in getting any sympathy.

We stayed six hours and then dropped off Jana and her daughter and came home. Hub had to leave early for a meeting in Malibu this morning. Didn't want to stay too late as the drive home was an hour or so. But, we had a blast and I am sorry my brother et. al, could not wake up and get over their issues. They would have had a good time and we would not have to play this whole thing out next time there is a bash! UGH....

Life is too short to play these games. They are going to miss out on so much if the ex holds on to her anger. And my nephew is missing out of spending time with his cousins and other relatives as well. Not to mention my brother, who didn't come to a party he surely would have enjoyed. And, who knows, the ex may have never even seen Jana at a party that big and spread out! And after ten years, she may not have even recognized Jana! LOL...BTW, Jana looks great! But she would never want to be back with my brother, ever...She has a great life as a single mom of a very intelligent thirteen year old.

Saturday's Photos ala Nancy

Just photos today.....


Martha Washington Geranium



Big Dahlia



Small Dahlia



Zoe



Katharine



Sunshine at the end of the street



Hazy southern view



Geranium plant

Goodbye to the Fishers, Hello to 24 Hour Pubs

Leave it to NPR for giving me ideas for today's post.

I have watched every episode, of each season of Six Feet Under and have loved every quirky show. I had not watched this seasons shows. I had ten episodes on Tivo and I heard somebody died. I knew who. I avoided reading anything about who died. I was asked who I thought had died and I said, "Nate." Mainly because he has been about death since he came back to the funeral home.

I spent this past week catching up just in time for the final seventy-five minute episode this Sunday. I am sad to see it leave. But, I agree, it is time. This past season has been horribly sad. Every single show was sad. David going bonkers since he was taken captive. Claire being back with Billy and finally dumping his off his meds ass. Although it was funny to see her try to fit into the corporate world, but also sad. I loved Bettina and Sarah and their get togethers with Ruth. Kathy Bates and Patricia Clarkson added much to this show.

Dealing with George's breakdown was depressing and watching Ruth fall into the bowels of hell was no fun at all. Watching her be so mean to Claire, yelling at David and finally losing Nate, was heartbreaking. Sweet naive Ruth. Now has Maya to look out for. I love that Nate told her he would want nobody else taking care of his child.

Brenda! OMG. What had she turned into? She has dreams about her brother, comes from a seriously fucked up family. Who can blame her for being the way she is? She never really found herself. Maybe motherhood, if that is how the final show goes, will turn her into a productive character.

Final note. The cast of this show could not be any better. The writing was wacky and wonderful. I will stop now, because I know not everybody has seen it, nor would everybody like it. It is a bit twisted, but if you can handle that, rent the first seasons. Get to know the Fisher Family and those in their lives.


Now the 24 hour pubs...Have you heard of this? This is London's solution to binge drinking. To keep the pubs open 24 hours, they will prevent people drinking quickly before the pubs close and help lessen the problems with everybody leaving at one time and apparently putting a hardship on the taxi service. I am not kidding!

I cannot recall every detail of the story, but to keep a pub open 24 hours seems rather ludicrous to me. Of course not everybody agrees on this solution, but it will take effect very soon. Not all pubs, just some. Which makes me wonder, why some and not others??? Hmmm. To hear more, go to HERE to hear the story. It was on Morning Edition this morning. Type in 24 hour pub into the search field to find it.

How Do I Get Rid of Blog Spam?

opening dinnerplate dahlia,smaller one of two


This is one of my favorite summer time flowers. Dinnerplate Dahlias. I have two different ones here. Both just opening. I will annoy you with them as they get bigger! LOL

Now for the BS.....

Yesterday I had five comments that began like normal comments. I didn't recognize any of the names, but quickly realized they were spam comments.

I have never received these before. I went to Blogger to try and educate myself on this subject and to find out how to get rid of these comments, besides deleting them, which I did. I do have a record of them however, as I have the comments come to my email as well.

I was reading about the new flag tab on the blog page. It said something about blog spam and engaging in illegal activity as reasons for using the flag tab. Blogger can then unlist these spammers. If I understood the information correctly.

So, I am sure many of you get these spam blog comments and was hoping to get some advice from you. Do I flag them? What should I do? What do you do? Or should I just delete them and forget about it?

Any advice will be greatly appreciated...Thanks!


bigger of the two dinnerplate dahlias

Here's the Story

I have three brothers and one cuzbro. Cousin, like a brother. Each and everyone different in many ways.

My oldest brother is actually my half brother. He has ten years on me. He lives in Kansas and is a graphic designer who wants to begin writing a screenplay. He if funny, very smart and has a head of hair that proves that the balding gene comes from the mother's side!

He is married to a school teacher about to retire soon, a lovely lady. She reminds me of Laura Bush is her mannerisms and lady like ways. No matter what she wears, she looks great and almost always wears a scarf. She accessorizes well. She is funny and sweet and she and my brother have been married for about thirty years. They have one son, who is smart, funny and quite the musician, which he is still studying in college.

My next oldest brother is almost five years older than I. He is a big sweetheart. Everybody loves him. He is nice. He loves kids. He is very active in his church as is his wife and her parents. Their three kids were raised in the church and are truly great kids. They have been married for more than twenty years. They have a terrific family.

My brother works in the electronics business. His wife a school teacher at a Christian school for years, left last year to home school my nephew. They felt he was on the small side and not ready to turn him loose into the public school system. When some of the other parents from her school found out she was home schooling, many asked if she would home school their children as well. She agreed, she opened her own little school with about fifteen students. She taught seventh grade last year
and this year she will teach eighth, because my nephew is going into eighth. My sister in law is also a sweetheart.

My youngest brother and I have always been close being only sixteen months apart. I love him dearly, but he has turned into somebody I don't know anymore. He used to be fun. He is not fun anymore. He is grumpy. He is only forty-four and he seems so old sometimes. He has a thirteen year old son. He just got the boot from a four year relationship to a woman we all loved. She was right to do it...I won't go into the details, but suffice it to say, he deserved the boot and more.

Within a week of getting a place near his ex and his son, he was dating the ex again. I believe this is the fourth time they have gotten back together. My mother worked at the bank and got him a job as a bank teller when he was eighteen. His ex, was his boss. They have been together on and off since then. Anyhow, he didn't want to tell me he was seeing her again. We played the game of me asking if he was seeing someone, was she from work? Was she from the pool? Then he fessed up. I just sighed. I said, well hope you are happy. He paid to get out of his newly leased apartment, after he told me how much he liked living on his own and how happy he was.

Next thing I hear thru my Cuzbro, was that he and his ex are looking for a house in a better area for my nephew to go to school. Another thing he didn't tell me. When we finally did discuss it, I told him I hoped it was big enough to have a room for him, for when she sends his ass to the couch....Just a guess after all the years of how their relationship goes. Instead of getting on my high horse, I told him I wished them the best of luck. Because they will be needing it. The reasons they broke up have not gone away. If anything, they have gotten worse. And frankly, they have treated each other so poorly in the past, it concerns me, for my nephew's sake. He didn't even get a chance to mourn my brother's ex girlfriend of four years, who was terrific and loving to my nephew, and he adored her. Between that and the last three times he left or got booted from my nephew's mother's life, I really hope it works this time!

I have this thing where I make friends with his ex girlfriends and stay that way. One of my very best friends in the world, was one of them. I speak or at least email with her several times a day. Since my brother got divorced, she has come to all the family fun events, as my friend, nothing to do with my brother. They were done nearly ten years ago and she would never want him back. When my brother got back with is ex, "MY" friend would be banished from the fun events for sake of not pissing off the ex-wife. Well, things have changed this time.

Saturday is my Cuzbro's birthday party at his and my Cuzsis's home. She is like the sister I never had. She says the same and she has sisters! Anyhow, Cuzsis invited our friend as we all have a blast together. Cuzbro invited my youngest brother. My youngest brother called me the other day and told me he would like to see me at some point. I said, "Are you going to Cuzbro's birthday party?" My brother said, yes he is and that he is bringing his ex, and to be prepared....I didn't even ask what that meant. Frankly, because, I really don't care.

So, the ex is going to come face to face with our friend and her nemesis. We haven't told my brother she will be there. She has been more like family then the ex ever has. So we are going to let things play out. My other brother would like to bring the last girlfriend, who by the way, never had a problem with coming to events at my house with "MY" friend here. She got to know her and like her. We never had to banish her because my brother was in a new relationship. She just had to get used to her being here and a part of our parties.

There is a bit of history between "MY" friend and the ex. They lived across the driveway when my brother was married to his ex and "My" friend was married to her ex. When my brother broke up with his ex, he started dating "MY" friend, who was then divorced. At the time, I didn't even know her, but then we became fast and great friends. Anyhow, the ex would see my brother going into "MY" friend's condo, and lose it. She would move his car, rifle thru his things in the car, and other things as well. I am sure it was painful for her to watch her soon to be ex, with another woman, especially when their bedrooms were across from one another. But, she kicked him out and filed for divorce before he began dating the neighbor.

All of that was ten years ago. Shouldn't the ex have let go of her grudge by now? Does the whole family have to change our ways to accommodate the ex, yet again? Our answer is a resounding, NO....So, this Saturday, should be an interesting birthday for my Cuzbro and quite a sight for the rest of us. "MY" friend has offered not to attend, but we all agreed, she was invited and we want HER there....

So, what do you think about this. Are we being mean and bitchy? Or do you think it is time for the ex to get with the program?

My dog and I are ill

I had to rephrase the title. My dog and I are sick, just didn't sound right! LOL

I have had these damn sores in my mouth. Herpes, the dreaded word. They get so sore that my whole face, head and neck ache so badly, that I cannot even function. I cannot be touched, nothing but vicodin seems to take away the pain and then it truly just lessens it. I had the same thing about a month ago. For years I got this and thought my face had a cold. That is how it feels. Like one side of my face had the flu. Sore, horrible. I finally figured out a while back it is directly associated with the cold sores I get in my mouth. I have tried some of the over the counter and prescription meds. They work somewhat, but basically it will last for seven days or a week...I just have to deal with it.

In other news, my poor pup has been sick. He woke me up about one Sunday night to let him out of his crate and proceeded to get sick from both ends. Thank goodness I let him out! Poor guy. He spent the day yesterday doing the same thing. I got pissed because I cleaned up vomit eight times at least yesterday. Not necessarily that pissed me off, but my kids saying, "Eww, he did it again mommy!" As if it is my job to clean up puke!

Finally, I ordered the girls and Katharine's friend a pizza and a salad and went down to watch TV. Next thing I know, it is midnight. I conked out! I came up and Katharine and her friend were in the kitchen. I asked Kate to let the dog out of his cage. No reason he should be in there if he isn't feeling well. What a mess that would be. He came outside and drank a whole bowl of water and didn't stop til the water was done. I have watched him for an hour or so and so far, he has kept it down.

I am not sure what made him so sick. He eats everything in sight. Even his toys, but something finally upset his digestion enough to make sure he didn't eat anything yesterday. He was not dehydrated yesterday, cuz he was peeing, so I am going to see how he does between now and tomorrow and if need be, I will take him to the vet. But, he seems to have a bit more spring in his step and his ears are perky, so I think whatever it was, is now out of his system. I hope so.

Our cousin Lindsay went home on Sunday. She was a treat to have around. Zoe was bored last night and wrote a poem about it, self titled. Good poem though. But, I have stated this will be the summer they learn to deal with boredom and I mean it. She needs to call the library and figure out when she needs to work again. She likes it and it occupies her time...Hmm, dealing with boredom!

We are very excited about Katharine getting to play Brigitta in the upcoming Sound of Music. She nailed her audition on Saturday and while doing her last performance of Seussical the Musical, I got the call offering her the role! This is her third audition and has been in the ensemble for the first two plays. This is her first real role. This is a major passion of hers, so I am very happy for her.

School is about to start and we need to get clothes and supplies for the new year. Zoe will be starting high school, which blows me away. She is not looking forward to the school change, but I think she will be happy there. She is a great student and usually enjoys school. I think she will see how much more independent high school is and that she will like it. At least I hope so. I am very proud of they young woman she has become.

That's about it for now. I am going to see if I can get some more sleep, after I take some more aspirin! Nighty night.

UPDATE:

Charlie/Steve, the dog...is feeling like his old self. Ready to play, eat and his ears are up and perky and his tail is wagging. The bowl of water he drank last night and the little treat I gave him a bit ago, have stayed down, thankfully!

I am feeling better. Not up to snuff, but better....

Sunday Morning Flower Shots

This is a cluster of varigated double impatiens

Three double impatiens


This is a what it looks like as one. Pretty huh?

a lone double impatien


This is another kind of fuchsia that I like.

Deep pink with purple fuchsia


This is yet another shot of the ever blooming orchid.

The orchid, again


This is a different variety of fuchsia. Smaller yet, prolific.

Smaller fuchsia


This is a shot of them there hills. Not as beautiful as on clear days. Southern view, and no ocean can be seen. When the fog goes away, I will take a shot of all the layers of hills and the beautiful blue Pacific Ocean. But, some sun would help! LOL

shot of hazy canyon

August 12, 1998

Yesterday was the seventh anniversary of my father's death. A hard day. He died three months after being diagnosed with lung cancer.

My father was the baby of his family. He was one of nine kids. His mother died when he was only five. He lived in Oklahoma and worked hard along with the rest of his family. Picking cotton and playing music at night with his daddy.

They were dirt poor. He and my grandpa would play bars around town at night to help make money. My father was a genius with a guitar or violin. He was three when he played for the governor, which was on the radio as well. He would play the fiddle and fall asleep and his daddy would tap him on the shoulder and he would wake up playing without missing a beat.

Later in life that is what he did for a living. He never made the big time, but he played with plenty that did and he also played on some of their albums. He played bars and nightclubs and back then they didn't close at two. He had been married at nineteen, had a son and divorced not long after. Unfortunately he didn't get to know his little boy very well before the boy and his mother moved back to Colorado. My father remaining in California where most of his siblings had landed as well.

When he was twenty three he met my mother on a blind date. They were married eight weeks later. My mother was born in Iowa but came to California when she was very small. She lived in LA and that is where they met. She was a bank teller at the time, and remained in banking her whole life. Which was fortunate for our family, as my father was not exactly Johnny on the spot with a paycheck.

My father would come in at four in the morning and then we kids had to keep quiet or we would get the belt. We were terrified of our father, but we did love him. He just had a heavy hand when it came to discipline. Lucky, was my my half brother who was ten year older than I, or at least I thought of him as lucky, because he didn't get whippings. We got whipped for various reasons. He would tell us to pick out a belt and wait for him in the bedroom, that's very scary for a kid!

We did have some great times though...Fishing, camping, making ice cream, growing and cooking our own okra, he basically taught me how to cook at the age of eight. He was fun to be around when he played music, which was often. He smoked and he would put his cigarette behind his ear while playing the guitar. We would watch in wonder as the cigarette burned down and the ash got longer and longer. Strange thing to remember.

When I was about nine, my mother made my father get a real job. He was a mechanical genius as well. Only went to eighth grade was more knowledgeable than anybody I knew in building almost anything. He could do anything electrical, use any tool, build a patio, brick barbecue, complete with pulley system to bring the rotating basket up and down. He could lay concrete, he had one hell of a head for fractions which came from tools and sizes of nuts and bolts, I believe. After we got married and while we were away, he put in additional outlets in our bathroom. Put more outlets in the garage and added many fluorescent lights. He fixed our yard lights. He simply did it all. So, getting a job as a mechanic was what he did.

He worked odd hours, but brought home a steady paycheck for the first time in our lives. It relieved much pressure on my mother, who had three kids and worked her ass off climbing the ladder in an industry of mainly men. Banking has changed a lot since then. My father brought home an electric cart that they were getting rid of at his company. Fixed it up and we used to drive it around the street and park behind our street. He once welded two bikes together to make a tandem and we loved that bike.

Finally, his company had a layoff and closed his building. He was out of work after about twenty years. He started building guitars, but never sold them, always gave them away. He did the locksmith course off a book of matches! Seriously, took classes via mail and passed, got his license and opened up as a locksmith. He did that for a while, he was good at it, but didn't go to calls in bad areas. Which limited his clientele!

My parents bought their house in 1970 for $34,000. They sold it in about 1994 for more than $250,000. The moved up to Bakersfield, about three hours north of here. My mother had retired from the bank and it was becoming obvious that she had Alzheimer's. We knew she had it before the official diagnosis though. He was there for her. Not always liking it, but she spoiled him rotten and let him get by with everything their whole married lives, it was now his turn to take care of her. And we thought he would always be around to do that.

As it happens, it didn't turn out that way. He was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1998 and died August 12, three months later. Also, one week after my parents forty-fifth weddng anniversary. We had him back down here near us and we moved my mother around between our homes. They had sold their home in Bakersfield when my father was diagnosed. He wanted to go back to Oklahoma. When it became apparent, he would need my brothers and my help, we forced him to come back, only to get off the plane and go straight to the hospital. From there he went straight to a nursing home. It was a very dark time. We took my mother to see him daily. My out of work for a year brother got a job! That left only me to care for my mother who had grown so much worse with the Alzheimer's. And I had a husband and a five and six year old at home as well.

So, my father was gone and we had to deal with my mother, and their affairs. I got my mother into a assisted living apartment not to far from me and as she got worse she needed more help. One day I took her shopping for clothes and she was out of breath. I took her back to the doctor who had given her a physical the week before. Chest ex-ray showed cancer had spread into her lungs. We never found out from where. She died two weeks later and it was almost six months to the day after my father died. They were together again.

The only good thing that came from my father's death, was that we got back in touch with my half brother I had not seen since I was six. He is fully in our lives now and a very important and loved member of our family.

Stop crying honey, your bruise is running

I am a total continuity freak...I don't mean to be, it just happens. I notice things that are out of place. I notice things that are wrong. I am drawn to precision. I notice and actually look for patterns. Such as patterns in a piece of tile or a typed page, the texture of a tablecloth. I am very strange!

I was watching a show last night where the woman was bruised from being beaten up by a mob member. She listened at the door and got caught..After she was rescued, she was at the hospital saying good-bye to a friend who was going into the witness protection program. She had large bruises around her eyes and mouth. She began crying and little by little her bruise ran down her cheeks...How can one take a scene seriously when the injury is dripping off her face?

Another thing is an apartment scene in the Young and the Restless...Okay, wait, I do watch soaps. Yes, I admit it. Okay, back to what I was saying, so this apartment of these college students have had the same plate and saucer sitting in the wooden drying rack since day one. Only one day did it change. One day somebody cooked in the kitchen and washed dishes. I thought, finally, they are going to change the damn dishes in the rack! For all of five minutes they did...Next day, back to the same two dishes in the rack....Things like this get to me. If we are to believe the shows, do something with the sets to make them real dammit!

Or I have noticed the same coffee sets in different households on the same show. Or those chairs with the gold backs that are used in every show with a large event. From TV programs, usually for weddings, to the Award shows where they serve dinner...I would love to have been the maker of those chairs, or at least their leasing agent!

I am notorious in my family for catching inconsistencies in shows I watch. Bad editing. One shot they will show two glasses of wine. Next shot, one glass is half empty. Next shot is back to two full glasses. This drives me crazy...

A shirt is with two unbuttoned buttons, then fully buttoned, and back to unbuttoned in the same scene. A stain on a shirt, there one minute and as if somebody caught it, gone the next.

I love Tivo, I can stop, and go back to these admitted distractions of mine. Just to prove the things I have noticed. I may be nuts, but I like confirmation!

Somebody with a certain hair do, for instance. One scene the woman may have a clip in her hair and the next scene she doesn't and then, behold, it is back again. I will pause, rewind and show it to anybody who will listen. Or her hair may be parted in the middle and then on the side and then back to the middle. Or perhaps bangs today, gone tomorrow. God forbid they should change the color or get it cut in the middle of a scene, that really sets me off. Just wait til the next scene...A new do is okay then!

I know this makes me very strange...I don't care.

I also look for patterns. Patterns in anything. Three trees in the shape of a triangle. Clouds in shapes or how they are spaced. Seeing patterns in tiles in the bathroom. Seeing patterns in typed pages...For instance, a whole line of blank spaces that go across a paragraph or page. When I look at it I see the words, but the stripe of un-typed spaces stand out to me. Does this remind you of Rain Man? I cannot count toothpicks. Although, I can count cards. I also have a wicked memory for numbers. Phone numbers, credit card numbers, part numbers. I don't mean to remember them, but they become a pattern in my head and I will never forget them. I have family members who call me to ask for numbers instead of actually going to their phone books! Same goes for dates...I just remember them, first forming a pattern as usual, then forever in the number department of my brain.

But, mostly it is in movies or on TV when things are wrong that bug me most. I don't know why. I know scenes are stopped for the day and continued the next day while filming. I can recognize that the hair style is only slightly changed and that the actor had gone about their day, showered, had their hair redone to look like it did the day before while shooting. Only to realize it is a little fluffier or something minutely changed. To most, this would go unnoticed. But to me, it is an obsession.

So, for the actress I was watching the other day, stop crying honey, your bruise is running....

Another This and That Post

This is my favorite fuchsia


The other day on my I've Been Tagged post, I got a comment from somebody called Elohimus Maximus. He said, "Being tagged is a sin...repent for that. God 58 Sinners 0. I chalked him up to a wacko and did nothing.

This morning I was at my sister-in-law Phoebe's blog and I saw that he commented there too. I told her the loser commented on my blog too. She said he is harmless and that she has met a very funny Mormon woman thru Elihimus. And that my hub, her brother, put her onto Elihimus. I told the hub and he scratched his head and said, "What?" He does that when he is thinking of an answer. He says, what. Even if he hears you, he says, what? I learned years ago to just wait til the penny drops and he will answer me. Not that he is dumb, just takes him a minute to stop his overloaded with smarts brain, to hear the question.

Anyhow, I clicked on this guy's blog and the hub started laughing. He said, "Oh, he's funny. It's a joke." Exhibit A...The title of his blog is, The Church of Even Later Day Saints.... Okay, that's funny. It was a joke. Glad I didn't blast his ass!

Back to Phoebe's blog. Her link is on my blog. Phoebe owns a Wild Bird Center in West Caldwell, NJ. She is quite the birder and leads hikes for birders. If you ever want to know about a bird or buy backyard bird goodies, check her out. She is also a very good photographer and has an awesome new camera. You may see her photos on her blog. Today was a sphinx moth on some flora...Very pretty and also, her cat Nicholas who was looking out the door. He is quite handsome.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Depp as Willy Wonka


Gene Wilder The Original Willy Wonka


Yesterday, I took four 12 and 13 year olds to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I liked the movie very much. Even though I love the original and love Gene Wilder's wicked and sarcastic wit, which was totally lost on me as a youngun. Later, I GOT it. Still one of my favorite films, I was not looking forward to seeing the remake. It was fine, but Johnny Depp was wickedly wonderful in the role! Luckily, the girls I took were old enough to get the humor, lost on younger kids, and they laughed right along with me. So, I would recommend this movie. Mainly because of Depp and the young boy who played Charlie. He was also the young boy in Depp's Finding Neverland. A movie on my all time favorites list now. This young boy had never acted before and has now done two films with Depp. He is the "To the manor born" kind of actor.

Zoe has her second day this week of helping out at the library. She has begun community service there. She likes it. Community service for the sake of volunteering, not in lieu of a jail sentence!

Katharine has another party. Get this. Today's party, is a cast party for a cast member from Suessical who won't be here for the "real" cast party! She is going on vacation for a week...I suppose any reason for a party is a good one!


Katharine and friend in street clothes after the play


This past weekend Suessical opened and there were two matinees. The same theatre is putting on A Chorus Line as well, with shows at night. Both big casts and a ton of work...This weekend, two more Suessical shows and Katharine will be done. Unless she gets a part in the Sound of Music, which she wants to audition for this Saturday!

And Lindsay, my cousin's daughter that I borrowed for another week, will probably have the honor to go with me to the grocery store! She and Zoe have been burning a hole in the mailbox with Netflix Anime CDs. And, I got them the Anime Network on Demand the other day...The girls are having fun though, that's good enough for me!

Safe Landing for Discovery

Landing in California this morning


I think we were all a bit nervous about the Space Shuttle Discovery landing today. Thankfully, it landed here in California and everything went well.

Every time I heard mission control talk to Eileen Collins, I admired her more. She is a take charge woman who loves what she does. She explained the mission to her two children and showed them how they were trying to make this a safe mission. She sounds like she is a good mother as well as the commander of the Discovery.


Commander Collins

When asked how they felt about landing in California, Collins replied, "We are ready for whatever we need to do." Then when they landed safely, she thanked the whole team. She did not bask in the limelight and take all the credit. She is a team player and it showed.

Eileen Marie Collins, Commander

The 48-year-old retired Air Force colonel has already logged more than 537 hours in space. In 1999, she became the first female shuttle commander. On STS-114, she'll maneuver the shuttle so the ISS crew can examine the orbiter's tiles; rendezvous with and undock from the station; and land the shuttle.

Trivia: She has received many military service awards, including the Distinguished Flying Cross.

The crew as a whole was quite capable and unique. It is very exciting to see Discovery complete a very important mission and to prove that our space program is still working. Although, some may think obsolete....


The brave crew of Discovery


After the Columbia completed many missions and landed so often, we became used to it, almost like everyday flying. But, when we lost Columbia and its crew, it was devastating to their families and our country. We were once again reminded of how dangerous it is to go into space.

I admire these astronauts and their spirit of adventure for our nation. I cannot even imagine the anxiety of going up for the first time since the Columbia disaster. And then the problems they fixed on the outside of Discovery while floating in space, I am just in awe.

Well done and congratulations. This has been a great week with wonderful outcomes. If you have time, try checking out the bios of these adventurers. You will be in awe as well.

Did I mention we could use a good woman president???

A Trip Down Memory Lane/Peter Jennings

TV shows and Movies that I don't think have been remade in the last five years! UGH. I am so tired of all the remakes, so I thought this would be fun. I cannot believe Dukes of Hazzard made top box office this past weekend. We need some creativity in the movie world. Perhaps some blogs need to be made into screenplays...Another thought.....


WKRP in Cincinnatti


Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid




Patton/George C Scott


McCloud


Planet of the Apes


All in the Family


urban cowboy/Debra Winger




Saturday Night Fever


The wonderful wonderful Cat


Lassie and Timmy


Jennifer Beals









Mary Hartman Mary Hartman







And a final goodbye to a dual nation treasure....Peter Jennings....Who left us too soon. I will miss him.