Oh my, time does fly by.....

Saturday, 9:30 pm

By Cyn

I cannot believe how long it has been since I popped in.  Am home tonight even though it is date night (GASP), which is wicked unusual, but took pity on my husband since I knew he really, really wanted to watch the football games.  So one of his buddies came over, they are in the family room watching and I am sitting in the kitchen playing channel roulette.  Iron Chef competitions--just watched them cook Octopus a zillion different ways, back to the game, then to the hockey game, then back to Iron Chef.  It could be worse!!

SO, was hoping to catch up on Kate’s life and her readers’ lives, but to my surprise I was the last one here.  This is not good!!

What to talk about..........I have to confess I made myself a “few” Nutty Irishman (men?) drinks - or my version of one - tonight so probably anything I even try to comment on will not be terribly coherent. 

I do want to mention the tragedy in Arizona.  Linkmeister - who used to post here often - and who is a friend on FaceBook posted something a while ago to the tune that the Palins, Becks and the rest of the whack jobs in the public eye really need to be careful how they phrase things and what they say.  Not that this kid necessarily took their comments and decided to go and shoot some people, but he might have been a fan.  We may never know.  But if they are in the public eye, then they have a responsibility to watch their mouths.  Just take a look at the phrases Palin uses most often.  What exactly is she saying?  What is she telling people they should do if they do not like the status quo?  And Michele Backman and Sharon Engle. Seems to me they are copying her words themselves.  I realize each of us is responsible for his or her own actions, but there are enough people out there not dealing with a full deck and if they decide these people - Glenn Beck, O’Reilly, Palin, Coulter and others are speaking directly to them, then we are in a world of ****.

And on another note.  Has anyone been following the story about the little boy who was killed at a gun show in Massachusetts a few years ago when he was firing an Uzi??  The trial has just started so it is back in the news again.  I believe the father is suing the organizers of the gun show, the police who were on duty there and everyone else he can think of.  Excuse me?  It is another tragedy and that little boy should be alive and well today.  However, not for one second do I believe ANYONE other than his father is responsible.  He is the adult, he was the boy’s father, he IS the one who thought the kid should be allowed to fire the gun.  I do not care how many adults were there and in charge.  I don’t care that it was supposedly legal.  Dad should never ever have taken the kid there in the first place and certainly should have had enough brains to know this was not something a small boy should have been even THINKING about doing, never mind being allowed to do.  This case should have been thrown out long before this.  Dad cannot place the blame anywhere except where it belongs--on his own shoulders.  We have to begin to accept responsibility for our own actions and stop trying to point fingers at everyone else. And yes, I know this is a direct contradiction to what I wrote in the paragraph ahead.  But there are significant differences between these two terrible events and therefore I am sticking to my story!!

What else?  Holidays are over, seems as if they never arrived.  Our tree is still up and lighted and beautiful.  Last year our first one died two days before Christmas and I had to run around and find another perfect one (and did!!)--this year it is an incredibly healthy tree and looks and smells as wonderful today as it did when it was brought into the house around the 14th of December.  Go figure!!

And now it is time for another NI--a little decaf coffee, some Bailey’s, some Frangelica, topped off with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Anyone want to join me?  So, so smooth................

Ciao’

Keep the Light on by Pauline Clarke

Sunday, 9:13 am

By Cyn

I have an incredibly talented writer/author friend who writes the most amazing stories.  I had to post this one as it brought so many memories rushing back--of me as a teenager and how my Mom would flip that porch light on the second my boyfriend’s car (with me in it) would pull in the driveway at night and how I always left a light on for my kids (and husband) when they were out at night!  Memories, usually a good thing--even when they bring you to tears as this one did.  I hope you can access and enjoy.  Keep the Light On

On my soapbbox again!!

Sunday, 11:09 am

By Cyn

Nov

21

2010

First of all, the weather--while it is SUNNY, as noted, it is also freaking cold!!  However, my cousins in Utah posted pictures on FaceBook this AM of the 7+ inches of snow they got overnight, so I guess I will stop my whining!!

And now to my soapbox, I have been quiet lately (blessedly??) but the apathy on the part of the silent majority is beginning to eat at me.  I have to put myself somewhat in that corner too as I bitch and complain and try to spread the word, but I haven’t gone out and DONE anything for a long while.  I think, though, that the time has come for those of us who are quieter, who might be a little saner, who probably have a good handle on what is going on in this world of ours, to get off our collective butts and stand up together and fight what is going to happen in January when the new Senators and Representatives take their places. They are, mostly--not all, a bunch of hypocrites.  Determined to take President Obama down, to stop health care reform - while screaming about the fact they have to wait a requisite number of days before THEIR health care program, so generously paid for by US, kicks in.  I could go on and on, but I am sickened by the absolute selfishness, arrogance, ignorance and total lack of civility we are seeing day in and day out.

And to this end, I offer this article for you to read, chew on, absorb and then, perhaps someone will have some good ideas as to what we can do.  I am emailing it to everyone I know, have posted it on my FaceBook page, but there has to be more we can do.  We cannot sit quietly back anymore cause WE are the ones who are going to pay the price...........

The time is late. The stakes are extraordinary. While it is true that the billionaires and their supporters are “fired up and ready to go,” there is another more important truth. And that is that there are a lot more of us than there are of them.  Now is the time for us to stand together, educate and organize. Now is the time to roll back this orgy of greed.

Bad owner

Wednesday, 6:09 pm

By Kate

Nov

10

2010

I live in a residential neighborhood filled with children, couples with no children, single women, and retirees. We’re a real mixed demographic and it’s quite lovely in most regards. What drives me crazy, however, is the tendency for everyone to believe with their whole wonderful hearts that their dogs are perfect and obedient and cute and, therefore, do not need to abide by the leash law when they let the dogs out the front door to relieve themselves...usually in someone else’s yard. Of course. That’s just dog logic.

Perfect and obedient are not always the case, though cute often is. In fact, perfect and obedient rarely occurr. I no longer take my dog walking on her leash up the street because she has been attacked twice and scared witless by big old friendly dogs rushing up to her. We don’t deal well with rushing dogs. Especially the ones with jaws snapping and hackles raised. Fortunately, MacKenzie hasn’t been harmed with more than a couple of scratches. Unless you count the trauma, of course. She is terrified to walk up the street. Because she is very little and the other neighborhood dogs are very big.

This evening, I was in the process of dragging my trash barrel to the curb when the dog across the street...a black lab...came charging across the street with his hackles raised, his tail straight out, his ears flat back, showing his teeth and snarling. He wasn’t joking around. He meant it. And he came right for me. We did quite a fancy dance out by the street. He chased me in circles with his jaws snapping, while I turned circles, keeping my trash barrel between him and me. His owner shrieked at him and called him and scolded him and finally grabbed him. She did not say a word to me. I think I said something like, “I guess he doesn’t like me.” Yeah, understatement there.

I returned to the house shaking like a leaf. No apology, no nothing. Just...nothing. I don’t think an apology would have made me feel all that much better, but it would have been good to have some sort of acknowledgment that her dog had done a bad dangerous thing and she has absolutely no control over him. You know, it’s only a matter of time before one of the kids in the neighborhood gets mauled. I don’t know what set the dog off, if anything did in particular. It’s the third time in a month that he’s chased people that I’m aware of. Once was my friend across the street who got out of her car in my driveway. The other time happened a day or two before the lad left for New York. He was crossing the street after carrying some heavy stuff for another neighbor. The dog chased him home and scared both of us. Again, while his owner stood helplessly by yelling at him as he totally ignored her. There is something not quite right with that dog, not the least of it being an overly permissive owner.

What would you do in this situation? I don’t know. I would like the dog restrained at all times.  A leash. It’s the law anyway. A fenced in yard. You know, a few of us with dogs went to the expense of picket fencing our yards in. In my case, as much to protect my dogs as to keep my dogs from wandering. Terry’s middle name was Wander and MacKenzie is basically terrified of anything that moves and apparently looks like easy pickings to larger dogs. Why is it that other people think they and their dogs are so special, even when events suggest otherwise? Why, why, why? I don’t need a leg full of stitches, thank you. Nor do any of the neighborhood small fry need facial reconstruction. This is nuts. Irresponsible even. And stupid. Let’s not forget stupid, either. I’m upset.

Oooh scary

Wednesday, 8:26 pm

By Kate

Oct

27

2010

I really like this website: Pictures of Muslims Wearing Things (Muslims Dressed In Their Garb).

Check it out.

Mute button

Wednesday, 5:37 pm

By Kate

I turned the television on to catch the early news and weather. Immediately an ad came on for a local Republican teabaggy candidate. About all this Republican says is “I’m going to cut taxes. I’m in favor of cutting taxes.” I wonder if he would enjoy living in his perfect free market, totally tax-free, privatized society. I have a feeling not. By the time he and his cronies had finished privatizing everything and paid the fees for every big and little service and road use that they currently take for granted, they’d probably look back fondly on the whole idea of taxation and somehow the whole mess would be the Democrats’ fault.

But anyway. The ads are on in full force and I refuse to listen to or watch them. They are like fingernails down a blackboard. Every time one comes on I hit the mute button. Their ad money is wasted on me. Guess that’s a good thing.