Cider Press Hill

Happy 4th of July

2010-07-04T13:33:01Z

Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend and has something fun to do today!! I am in awe--a holiday and the weather here in New England is actually gorgeous--right now, anyway. For what seems like the first time ever, I called my friends in Hawaii yesterday and they were having a rainy day!! A switch indeed!!

And speaking of Hawaii, just a mere 36 days from now................but, who’s counting? Me, that is who!! ;) My boss says she is having nightmares I will decide not to come back. I told her if it were not for our cat, I probably wouldn’t. Nothing else keeps me here and Joe pretty much feels the same way!! I wish I could take her with me, but as Linkmeister can tell you, they quarantine animals for (I think) something like 3 months before they can be with you, so obviously makes no sense when we will be there for just a little over 3 weeks--this time!! Next time, though, should be for a lot longer!!

If you have the time, read the article I posted below this...........food for thought and I really think we had best wake up and wake up quickly or our world as we know it will be totally changed. The lunatics will be running it (if they are not already). This should be the rallying cry for all of us who have at least some semblance of common sense left in our heads. Thanks to Steve (a/k/a Linkmeister) for the link.

Happy 4th of July everyone!

America, the Poisoned: Hold These Truths to Be Self-Inflicted by Charles P. Pierce

2010-07-04T13:15:00Z

"One entire political party has lost its mind, and well may succeed for having done so. A congressional candidate in Alabama is running commercials equating progressive taxation with slavery and the Holocaust. A candidate for the Senate in Nevada seems to deny any role for a central government short of raising an army, and perhaps not even that, since she seems to suggest that, if the election doesn’t go her way, her several followers may go to guns in response. The members of that party in the national legislature have utterly abandoned their duties to the public good for unalloyed obstructionism. On Wednesday, the Senate again failed to pass an extension of unemployment benefits for the first time since the 1950’s, and this in a time of 9.5-percent unemployment. The government is unwilling to bring the criminals of the previous administration to justice, and seemingly unable to bring the corporate criminals of the previous decade to justice, either. Some 20,000 barrels of oil are spilling daily into the Gulf of Mexico, where now huge columns of smoke are beginning to rise from the surface of the sea. And maybe it is time to read Revelations with a fresh eye, after all, except for the fact that the horsemen are not unleashed upon us. We invite them in to ride”...Read the whole article here...State of the Union Essay

For Book Lovers

2010-07-03T00:38:00Z

Since this is a long weekend (in the US, at least), maybe this will give a couple of you something to go with your later morning coffee…

Bookshelf Porn..... I might be embarrassed to tell you how long I spent gazing on all of the sumptuous photographs. There are many people out there in the whole wide world who love books. I love peeping into their homes and public spaces filled with books. Maybe you will, too.

While poking though the Bookshelf Porn photos, I found a few of a book shop in Paris, called Shakespeare and Co., that completely captured my imagination. I think that the shop has been around nearly as long as time. It seems to be a most magnificent and magical place. Here is an article in the U.K. Guardian from last March that is a feast of word pictures. For the more visually attuned, watch this You Tube video of the bookshop and interview with the manager.

Shakespeare and Co. is one place I’d really like to visit before shuffling off this mortal coil.

Enjoy the books.

A letter from a friend

2010-06-28T21:11:00Z

Below is a letter I just received from a friend--a woman who used to work for me in another life! Her son is dying of kidney failure and is desperate for a transplant. Her other son is a perfect match but they will not allow him to be a donor--read below to see why. I am posting this to see if any of your readers, Kate, might have ideas or suggestions. I did forward this to Niki Tsongas, to Sue Tucker, to my friend Deb Silberstein who is running for Sue Tucker’s seat and asked all of them to continue to forward it. I suggested to my friend she try to get in touch with John Kerry and to even try Scott Brown although I seriously doubt he would care one way or the other. Any ideas you might have would be welcomed. Thanks.

Cyn,

I apologize for being such a bother but I need to ask this favor. So, I am going to explain the situation as best as I can.

Last Tuesday, the 22nd both my sons met with the surgeon and she outlined the situation on paper so they would be able to understand it better. My oldest son is out as a donor because he has the same gene and because the disease is rare they don’t have a whole lot to go on other than that Peter needs a kidney transplant. But, he also has a 50% chance of reoccurrence and in order to stop that at this time there is only one (1) drug on the shelve and it costs ---$300, 000 per year --- and the insurance does not cover it.

Where is our government Cyn? that allows these Pharmaceutical companies to make their own prices and make their own rules at people’s expense? This disease attacks mostly children and rarely grownups. How can families afford such a price?

I have heard that some pharmaceutical companies are helpful for people that cannot afford their medication. I am not sure if this applies to this high priced drug but I thought..... If you can tell me how to get in touch with Niki Tsongas maybe a letter to them from her office might be helpful OR she might be able to tell me what else to do. It is all I am asking because you have met her and maybe she can help.

Again, and again I apologize but I have to reach out and do what I can do to help my son. Thank you, Martha

Good Morning!

2010-06-26T12:49:00Z

We are having such (unusually) nice weather for this part of the country, that I have just not had time to pop in and say hello. Between work, driving around in my new convertible (LOL), reading on the deck, the time just flies by. But the weather has been nice, sadly, too dry cause our lawns are burning already (again unusual), but at least we have seen a lot of sunshine.

Just wanted to say hello and bitch about something for a second...Why do you think there are so many naysayers about President Obama and his policies and his administration? How can these people stand there with a straight face and complain, complain, complain. And yet when you suggest that for 8 years the foxes were guarding the henhouse and that is why we are in such a mess, they just sneer and make some inane comment about our president and walk away. I get so mad.

I honestly believe some of these people--no make it MOST of these people, would have been happier with an old war hero - who is not in the best of health and an ignorant hillbilly running this country instead of an extremely intelligent, thoughtful black man? And there is the key I suspect, a “black” man. I think racism is more rampant in this country then we ever thought. Everyone knows there are certain parts of the country where it is pretty obvious and we all know people who are either outwardly racist or quietly racist, but I think there is far more than we ever believed. I mean, how else can you explain it? Sarah Palin, and she is ignorant--not stupid, she is definitely not stupid, but she is NOT intelligent. She is little more than a hillbilly with a gift for public speaking (well to some people--personally I would rather listen to cats howling in the middle of the night) or you have someone who not only can string a lot of words together, who actually KNOWS what those words mean. Ahhh well, what can you do.

I am going to start carrying a list of the accomplishments of this administration around with me and just hand it out to people who make nasty comments. I met the VP of a company the other day--a company my boss works for, I was introduced to him and the person introducing me felt the need (why??) to mention that I am a huge Obama supporter etc. It was all done in a nice way and in a joking way, all was fine. But this AH, felt the need to turn it into something else and absolutely sneered as he made several untrue and well, quite frankly, not very nice comments, ending up with, well, enjoy it now, cause he is only here for a short visit.

There are some republicans that make me want to separate their head from their shoulders with a baseball bat and he was one of them. You know the type, tight-ass, sneer, look down their noses. I so wanted to take this guy on you cannot imagine. But, because I have the utmost respect for the person who introduced us and affection for this man and his wife (who I work for), I had to shut my mouth, smile and say something inane and walk away. GRRRRR

But I think I am going to come up with something I can carry with me (no not a baseball bat) and hand to these idiots.

And on that note, I have to close, thrift shop volunteering today and since it is closed for the month of July, everything in the shop is $1 today, should be bedlam.

Have a good one--any and all suggestions for putting jerks in their place are appreciated--welcomed!!

President's Speech

2010-06-16T12:48:00Z

I am curious if anyone has an opinion on last night’s speech. I am not sure what I had hoped for or expected, but did not get whatever it was I wanted. But then, I have to ask myself, do I spend too much time listening to the talking heads - Matthews, Olberman, Maddow - and do they build up my expectations to an unreasonable level. I just don’t know. I listened, I watched and felt like I feel when someone gives me a cup of decaf instead of caffeinated coffee.

If anyone is swinging by here, I would love to know what you think. I honestly do not know what more Obama can do, I do not know what more he should say. If he gets angry, people clobber him; if he says ‘kick some ass,’ well then he is using gutter language (and whoever said that clearly comes from another planet); if he is calm and cool, he is too professorial. I realize you cannot please all the people all of the time yadda yadda yadda, but this poor man seems to please no one.

Someone not long ago was passing around something dumb (as most things are) on Facebook and it went something like, ‘today I am grateful for....’ and you fill in the blank. Well, I did not do it then, but today? Well, today I am grateful I am not President Obama!!

Just got back from the gym....a new me--was there at 7AM, am going to go at least three times a week before I go to work. Yeah, and if you believe that one.............. But my brain is tired, my body is tired and I need my caffeine.

Ciao’

Hello Sunday

2010-06-13T15:18:00Z

I thought maybe someone might be poking around here since the weather is awful. Weekend has been really crappy so far--anyone in New England remember the long range forecast for this weekend? Words like mild temps, sunshine, progressively getting nicer each day and so on. Yeah, right. Instead it has been getting progressively worse and colder. But I am sure once the work week begins, it will be lovely. Bitter? Who me? Never!!

So, what is happening around here? Apparently nothing. I don’t think anyone has commented on anything in weeks. I just don’t have Kate’s magic touch, that’s all!!

Speaking of Kate--did the lad graduate this year or is it next? Time flies!! If this year, then congratulations to both of you. Wow!!

Am working on a questionnaire to be sent out to classmates of mine from high school. We are having a reunion in July--a middle between two significant years reunion - and I absolutely refuse to write or acknowledge those years cause it is damn scary!! I like to pretend it was just a short time ago and when I see the number it tells me I am in la-la land. SO, anyway, I said I would do the questionnaire and get it out to everyone and a friend is going to put it all together into some sort of booklet. But, I don’t want it to be cut and dried, am trying to make it humorous. So, I am turning to you all. Help me with some off the beaten path questions!! If you were filling out one of these, what would you like to see on it??

I am going to go back and see if I can find the class predictions or whatever it was called. It was something along the line of “...in 20 years so and so will be doing...” I think mine said I would be a carhop on roller skates. Yeah, well I did have a certain reputation back in high school. ;) Of course, roller skates have given way to rollerblades and believe it or not, carhops are coming back into style. We have one close by called Sonic. My goddaughter went with friends, she told me she was going to something called a ‘carhop’ and afterward, she said it was no big deal. They bring your food to your car and you eat IN your car. I laughed and said that’s what we all did back in the ‘old’ days.

There is a page on FaceBook called Plug the BP Oil Spill with Sarah Palin which is a riot. There are over 192,000 members already and counting. Lots of suggestions of other people to use as well. One of whom is Dick Cheney. Remember him? Big mouth up until the oil spill, had lots of suggestions and criticisms of the current administration?? Yeah him. So where is he now when the blame for much of this can be laid squarely at his doorstep. Hmmm, funny how he has disappeared. Must have gone back to that cave he was so fond of.

I did find something I want on that page and so now, This is on MY Christmas list!!

OK, I have a lot to do today so must say so long. If you have any suggestions about my reunion questions, I would love to hear them!!

Ciao’

OK, I just blew it

2010-06-07T14:25:00Z

I spent an hour posting a whole lot of nothing, hit the wrong button and of course, had NOT saved anything. So lost it all, now no time to redo. I will try later on to recreate what I had written. SO, stay tuned, I will be back later on today I hope!!

OK, have lost it entirely (my mind) cause what I wrote DID post perfectly so this post is totally irrelevant. Like me!! I know there is a way to delete it, but I can’t figure it out. Just chalk it up to the fact that today I am living in a fishbowl. I have big, tall, small, little and some in between, men swarming all over the outside of our house. It’s like the night of the living dead. Had the house powerwashed a week or so ago, then they come back to scrape, replace, paint the wood trim and scrape and restain the deck. Weather held them up so today the whole crew is here. Literally there is someone on a ladder at every possible point in the house. I AM in a fishbowl. And it is making me a little crazy. I’ve got to get out of here, I cannot do this. YIKES!

Ciao’

Good Morning.........

2010-06-07T13:35:00Z

Anyone miss me? No, I didn’t think so. I just looked back and I have not posted anything in well over two weeks. Imagine that! But this time of year I think everyone is a little busier, or spending more time outdoors, with less time to play online. At any rate, I will continue to post things here and there, but probably not to the extent I am apt to in the winter months. Part of my problem is also the fact that I waste way too much time on Facebook, posting odds and ends, and on occasion, stirring up a little controversy.

I have a couple people on my “friends” list that are holier than thou types--not friends of mine, but relatives of friends, who for whatever reasons decided to ‘friend’ me, so I let them! One in particular gets incensed when I post anything negative about the Republicans/Tea Party/Sarah Palin (Linkemeister can attest to it cause he is having fun with this guy too), so it has become my mission to get this person to go off on me at least once a week or so. It is hilarious especially since my real friends have no problem trying to ‘educate’ him. It has been very humorous. Unfortunately he is on a pilgrimage to Kenya or the outer reaches for a few weeks now so our fun has to wait. BUT, along with my wishes for a safe journey, I posted a link on his FB page before he left to the story about the witch doctor Sarah Palin relies on for advice. I suggested since he would be in the good witch doctor’s home territory he look him up and perhaps he could get him to lay hands on him for his own divine inspiration. Funny thing, he deleted my whole comment and link before anyone on HIS list of friends could comment. The man apparently has no sense of humor. Oh wait, he is a diehard Republican, of course he doesn’t!! ;) I could have more fun, though and repost it now while he is on his little safari....I suspect he won’t be having much access to FB.

What else? Just the usual, work, not enough play, drama in the lives of some of my friends....dealing with everything as best I can. Went to the Berkshires to try and get a handle on emptying out my mom’s house, spent the whole weekend feeling sorry for myself, being a big baby. I am not normally like that, but for whatever reasons, I had a tough time up there. But I think I am over that and now will be able to deal with it all much more rationally. I did lower the price a little, maybe that will help. And the beat goes on............

High school reunion coming up in July. Not a major year reunion, more like the middle between two big years. But some of my classmates thought it was well past time since we lost a couple of people this year. I will go as long as the house has not sold up there and I have a place to stay. My husband very conveniently has a big soccer tournament the week before and that weekend so he gets to skip out. Just as well, as it would be incredibly boring for him to listen to the rehashing of old stories and the like.

Today is a gorgeous day, clear, cool, crisp (feels more like October right now), but beats what went on around here this weekend - well from Thursday afternoon on. We had the kind of weather much of the rest of the country lives with all the time. It was amazing to see the damage in some areas, while other places minutes away were untouched. Saturday afternoon, I went up to NH to do errands after volunteering at a local thrift shop. Was coming home around 5, top down, enjoying the beautiful day when my windshield wipers went on - my new car is amazing, it ‘senses’ everything so I really do not have to react to much of anything. HA. Anyway, I wondered why they were on cause it was so nice, then I took off the sunglasses and realized maybe it was not so nice anymore.

So there I am speeding along at a speed higher than I should have been driving, realizing the sky in MA is black and there are jagged streaks of lightening all over the place. I was out in the passing lane and trying to get over to the side to stop was impossible. Plus everyone around me was probably hoping to see lightening strike the idiot in the convertible. Finally got over so I could get off at my exit--then had to wait til I got to the lights (which thank god, turned red) so I could put the top up--it’s a hardtop convertible, so does go up very efficiently and quickly--lucky for me! Guy behind me was laughing like crazy. I no sooner got it up and the skies opened up, had it been one minute longer, I would have been doing the backstroke in the front seat. Nuts!!

The entire weekend was like that, one minute beautiful, the next, high winds, lightening, thunder, torrential rain. Just crazy weather. Here is a link to the stories...Stormy Weekend .

And that is all I’ve got. Play nice, say hey if you have a minute, See you back again sooner than last time, I hope!!

Ciao’

Israel's new PR nightmare

2010-05-31T04:07:00Z

Over the past several hours, I have been keeping an eye on a live video feed of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla—several ships laden with humanitarian aid and supplies for Gazans, ships intended to break the Israeli blockade to deliver the supplies.

Over the past couple of hours, Israel attacked at least one of the boats, killed ~~two~~ ~~10-14~~ 19 people and wounded ~~at least 30-50~~ over 60, some critically. (Contact was lost with the other two boats hours ago.) This was done in international waters, at least 78 miles off the coast of Israel. At least one of the ships was registered in the United States. The larger one, which was attacked, is registered to Turkey and is filled with Turkish civilians and reporters. I’m going to assume that Prime Minister Erdogan is not going to take this well.

There are more than a couple international laws that have been trampled tonight. And unnecessary violence and bloodshed. Israel is out of control and I am fed up to the teeth with the Israeli government making excuses and getting away with unrestrained violence. I watched people bleeding to death tonight as it was happening. I watch Israeli commandos jumping off helicopters onto the deck of the Turkish vessel tonight, armed to the damned teeth and terrifying men, women, and children with the barrels of guns pointing at them. Sound grenades going off, too. And did I mention people bleeding to death? People who did no violence to anyone?

I wonder if Israel realizes what a public relations nightmare it has created in front of live video cams that were broadcasting to the world at large. It’s a different world and I hope that tomorrow the rest of the world will catch up with tonight’s events and isolate Israel. They need to get a grip and do it quickly. There are many other things I could and should say about it, but maybe another time. I’m still seeing people bleeding to death and I probably will in my sleep tonight and tomorrow night and...and...and. That’s enough to occupy my brain for a while. Do you suppose Pres. Obama will have anything to say about it to Bibi when he comes calling on Tuesday? I’d like to think so, but who the hell knows.

No Mas.......

2010-05-30T02:22:00Z

For weeks now I have been saying no mas; no, no, no, no more contributing to ANYONE for any reason.

We, like many people, are inundated with phone calls and snail mail from everyone and their brother - some for good causes, many for things I would never contribute to. It has gotten so bad, that I have reached my limit of phone calls I can block on our house phone. I have to wait a few weeks, then clear them all out and start over. It takes about 3 days to fill it up. Anyway, I have had it, am fed up and so have told Joe that either we find a way to contribute anonymously or we do not contribute at all. Tonight he handed me this article Are charities spying on you to read. It pretty much spells out exactly why we are getting harassed 7 days a week starting at 7:30AM and often ending somewhere around 9PM.

If the calls are for Joe, I have been saying, “he does not live here anymore and stop calling me.” If they are for me, he is to do the same or I say that “I am out of town on business.” Pain in the ass, we should not have to do this. I have enough address labels to stick on 5000 pieces of mail and at last count had something like 8 calendars. All with lovely flowers, birds etc. But c’mon, how many of those suckers can you use. Our local thrift shop is the recipient of those, the ugly greeting cards and the endless notepads. STOP IT.

So, follow the link, read the article and let me know if it disgusts you as much as it does me.

Ciao’

Berkshires

2010-05-21T12:57:01Z

Anyone want to buy my house in the Berkshires? I am heading up there today to start to try and figure out how to empty 9 rooms of furniture--most of which no one in our family can use--we all have furnished houses and while much of it is old, some antiques, some just good early Americana, we just do not have room for it. It is so sad, a lifetime of accumulation--actually more than one lifetime. My mom always used to say a lot of it came from my dad’s parents. So now I need to figure out what to do.

I have a garage full of old tools, some just old, some antique, many interesting things in the house too--things that a cobbler used back in the 1800’s--just a lot of stuff. Am going to take pictures to send to two auction houses that have been recommended to me. From what I understand, if they think they can sell things, they will come and pack it up and ship it to their storage places which is terrific. But there is still a lot that they won’t take, so I guess tag sales are in my future and oh lord, it is daunting. I think once I get going I will be OK, it is just the getting going that is bugging me.

I tried to get my husband to go up with me this weekend, but he has things to do, including a soccer game so he declined. He did not think I saw the smirk on his face but I did. He so did not want to do this with me. I guess I don’t blame him. But he will have to go sometime.

Am going out to dinner tonight with an old friend from high school so that is nice and then tomorrow will take my mom’s youngest sister, the only one left of the 10 siblings, out to dinner so a few bright spots in the weekend.

And now that I have brought everyone down, let me say it is not all gloom and doom, I am just feeling sorry for myself and that is stupid and something I rarely do. The sun is shining, the weekend is supposed to be gorgeous weather so I am going to stop whining, put on my big girl pants and get moving.

Have a great weekend!!

Ciao’

Things that make you go hmmmm

2010-05-19T12:37:00Z

Definitely in the ‘things that make you go hmmmm’ category is this little bit from Bizarre News

It seems scientists have pieced together what appears to
be the world’s oldest sex toy from more than a dozen frag-
ments found in a cave complex in Germany.

The 30,000-year-old siltstone phallus was a rare find since
examples of masculinity from that period are unusual to
stumble upon, although female-inspired works of art are
rather common.

Even more remarkable than its sexual function is the fact
that this multi-use tool was also apparently used to ignite
fires. There are tell-tale marks and chips where it was
used for striking against flints.

So why are experts convinced it was also a female sexual
aid? Perhaps because the other end was polished, rounded
and featured raised rings, clearly carved there for her
pleasure!

I am fed up with politics lately and while I have some odds and ends (a post about an upcoming reunion, questions about severe depression as someone I love dearly is going through it, how to empty a 9 room house and all sorts of very exciting - NOT - things) to post one of these days, I thought this particular post might elicit some sort of response!! If not, then I am going to feel very unloved.

Ciao’

Palingate

2010-05-17T01:26:00Z

If you love Sarah Palin then don’t click on the link and don’t read any further. But if you just roll your eyes, shrug your shoulders and wonder - out loud or to yourself - how she continues to pull the wool over so many eyes, then go for it--click the link, read the story. And while you are at it, click through the archives on Palingates (the blog) and then you can really roll your eyes and wonder about a lot of things.

Anyone listen to excerpts of her speech to the NRA? Of course, I only heard the soundbites that made the news, but the one that got me was when she said something to the effect that President Obama and the democrats would take away guns and ammunition IF THEY COULD. Apparently someone has told her to not say they SAID that so now she is putting words and thoughts into the president’s head. He would take those things away IF he could. Hmmm. She just makes my blood boil. Anyway, read and enjoy............or not!

Ciao’

Good Morning

2010-05-14T12:50:00Z

Just watched this about Digital Copiers. If true, this is absolutely insane. Anyone heard or read anything about this?

Sorry I have been missing for a while, life sort of interferes with my fun sometimes. Work, volunteering, little things like that and I have just had no real time to myself. Today I am sitting here waiting for Harvey Doors to show up with replacements for my defective storm doors and for the powerwashers for the outside of the house (inside could use powerwashing too!) I got up early and moved the cars out of the garage so they could park their trucks and we would not have to make them move and it is is 9AM and no one has shown up yet. Why am I surprised? I am not even sure the powerwashing is going to happen since it is raining. Guess it does not matter except to the guys who do the work.

If you have the time and the inclination, visit the link above and let me know your thoughts. I just cannot believe it!

Ciao’