Global Warming

I love to sleep with the windows flung wide open and breath in that wonderful fresh air but there are some drawbacks. At 1:48 AM the neighbors decided to have a discussion. Actually it was a full blow argument. They were in a direct line to my back open window. It's amazing how voices travel in the wee hours of the morning. I wonder if they realize this? Perhaps I could repeat their heated discussion - word for word.
I have to get up and go to work in a few hours and the disturbance was getting under my skin. I could have gotten up and closed the windows but that seemed like a violation of my rights. That's when the 'domino' effect set in motion.
For some odd reason the dog felt the need to be a moderator. He slipped out the dog door and began barking at the shrill voices. He ran back and forth along the back fence trying to serenade the couple. His barking grew frantic. I lay in bed wishing for all of them to just 'SHUT UP'. That didn't happen. I really didn't feel like getting out of bed but my choices were limited. Finally, I gave up and stumbled to the door. I whispered for the dumb mutt and he did not respond. Why does that surprise me?
I went to the garage door opened it and whistled. I could have yelled and become one with the neighbors but I felt compassion for the rest of the sleeping neighbors. The yodelling dog came in panting like a rabid dog and went straight to the bedroom with the open windows with the cool gentle breeze.
I jumped back in bed for some shut eye. The neighbors continued their discussion which seemed to be getting louder. Still, I refused to compromise and close my windows. I pulled the covers over my ears with little satisfaction. At that moment the dog started his scratching and chewing on his body parts. The vet says he has separation anxiety. The scratching and licking continued for what seemed like hours. I yelled at the beast and he ignored me. Enough already - I chased him out of the bedroom and closed the door. Let him have his anxiety separation some place else. And that place seemed to be in the backyard again - barking relentlessly. I should have closed that dog door.
Once again I call to him with no response. I go to the garage and yell his name and he comes running to me with the tongue hanging out and panting like a wild boar. I have never met a wild boar but assume they pant. I secured the dog door and went back to bed closing the bedroom door behind me. I flopped on the bed and listened to the discussion beyond my windows.
I tried my relaxing techniques to resume a restful sleep. I could feel it -almost there. I started to drift and the loud voices were fading. Then, the cat started to whine. There is no peace in a household with animals and neighbors who have early morning gripe sessions. And I just wanted some fresh air.

D.R.I.T.S

My new word for the year - D.R.I.T.S. The meaning is similar to G.R.I.T.S - girls raised in the south. D.R.I.T.S. means dogs raised in the South.
We all know what it means to be a GRITS. Ms. Southern Belle, proper (sometimes) full of energy, life and persistent passion one of which is supposed to include eating your grits. With butter or without.
I am a G.R.I.T.S but I HATE grits. They are disgusting - with butter or without. Most of the time I can't even stand to look at the bowl of mush much less eat it. So much for my southern heritage.
So D.R.I.T.S came to me this weekend when I fed it to the dog. I put it in this cute little take out dish - I forget to bring him enough dog food on our weekend outing. So the grits came with breakfast and I asked for it in a to-go doggie box. And it really was for a doggie.
I opened the wonderful dish right in front of his sniffing snout and placed it on the ground. He kicked it over with his paw and walked away. Now, what can I do with this mound of grits without butter piled high in the grass?
I left it there in the grass and dirt to marinate and before too long the silly D.R.I.T.S ate it - dirt and all. It must have had the correct flavoring after being dumped in dirt. So now, he has become D.R.I.T.S.

Sarah Palin goes shopping

Sarah Palin states she's just an average - 'hockey mom' just like the rest of us. Have you ever seen a hockey mom show up at practice wearing a $2,000 suit? Or have you ever heard of the average hockey mom spending $150,000.00 on clothes to strut across the stage and act like a bimbo on SNL? Think about it.
The Republican National Committee has spent $150,000.00 to outfit John McCains running mate.
I think about how many prescriptions can be purchased for the elderly with a fixed income. I think about how many children can have a nutritious breakfast at school. I think about food pantries and what they could do with extra money. I think about housing for the homeless, care for those disabled, ending cancer and so many other issues that need to be addressed.
I was just given a prescription - it was a two week supply - and the cost is $184.00. I have insurance, so I have decided that I cannot afford this medication.
But your average hockey mom Sarah Palin spends thousands on her outfits. Something is very wrong here.

Joe the Plumber

Seems like Joe the Plumber isn't really a plumber and he doesn't make $250,000 a year. HHHMMMM. Another McCain twist on reality.
Kevin the plumber ( a real plumber) in my neighborhood didn't make $250,000 a year. Not quite sure what he made but what I do know is that he no longer lives in my neighborhood. WHY? Because Kevin the plumber, self employed, no insurance (couldn't afford it on his own) hurt his back and was out of work for a few weeks. Houses in this area are around $200,000, not cheap but not overly priced. Kevin the plumber has three children to care for and a wife who worked a full time job. Not sliders or smucks.
Kevin the plumber paid taxes and was a good citizen. He got behind on his mortgage and his medical bills began to overload the family. Kevin the plumber closed his own plumbing business and went to work for another plumbing business to obtain health care. Soon after that his home went in to foreclosure. They moved away and the family fell apart. The American dream lost in the madness.
This can and does happen to people everyday. It needs to stop. We need health care for those who do not have it and we need tax breaks for those struggling to survive. We do not need welfare or money handed to us. We need a government who will stand behind us.
Whatever your position - VOTE!!!

Madonna Divorce

I've just read about the devastating news - Madonna and Guy Richie opting out for a divorce. This is the second go-round about this tragedy. This dilemma doesn't touch me nor do I care about their status or soon to be non-status. I worry about higher prices, paying a mortgage and keeping my job. Surely blogging pays no bills but it is rewarding.
My distress over this soon to be non-functioning - dysfunctional family is the children. And what about little David the adopted child? He now gets to live in a splintered household. The dynamics of the relationship with only one child being Guy's kin - how and where are his priorities dispersed?
To me this is not shattering news of the day - month -year but just a trickle of stagnant water littering the landscape. So much attention will be directed to these 'celebs' and life will go on. The next 'celeb' news will soon overshadow this blockbuster.
Divorce is not always pretty and nice and it leaves broken bodies in its wake - usually the innocent children.

Second Hand Lions

One of my favorite movies is The Second Hand Lion with Michael Caine and Robert Duval. A couple of cranky old brothers saddled with a great nephew. I love their wit and look on life. Their facial expressions also make me laugh. So I was very surprised when I found myself hiking though the underbrush on Anclote Key with two similar characters.

The boat dropped us off on the beach and I (always prepared for adventure) took with me my faithful Crocs. You can walk in water with them - they dry in seconds and keep the feet off the hot sand and boardwalk. The brothers left their sneakers on the boat. LOL. I giggled to myself. The fools I thought.

We hike up the beach to the boardwalk (about a half mile in length) and start our trek to the lighthouse. The sun beat down on our bodies and also the wooden boardwalk. Did I care? No. But the brothers were barefoot and not fancy free. Apparently they have never walked on hot burning coals. They complained the entire length of the journey. I giggled.

They did they two hop-step down the wooden (HOT) walkway. I offered them a plastic bag but they snarled. I took my time and enjoyed the scenery. More loud complaining. I giggled.

At last we made it to the lighthouse and I began snapping pictures. I caught the boys at their finest.

Cat Whisperer

I recently discovered that the dog has been sneaking into my bedroom when I leave the house and napping on the bed. That sneaky mutt.
So to discourage his bad dog behavior I decided to shut the bedroom door every time I leave the house. This tactic has certainly discouraged his bad dog behavior but it has caused another issue. With puss - the cat.
Old puss is a strange beast to say the least. She has ripped a corner section from the bottom of the mattress so she can have a dark hiding place. She is not kid friendly and hides inside the mattress when they enter my dwelling. I guess this is her security cave.
Cats in general usually follow their own rules - this is puss's demeanor. She likes to be fed on her own schedule and if I do not comply there is hell to pay. Her claws are dangerous.
So yesterday before I left my humble dwelling I closed the bedroom door. Old puss was fast asleep on the kitchen counter or at least I thought. She flew off that counter like a tornado gone wild. She ran to the bedroom door and screeched. I saw those deadly claws make an appearance. She ran right up to the door crying pitifully and pacing back and forth. The screeching grew louder and more intense. She glared at me with those demon yellow eyes. She ran in circles in front of the closed bedroom door. Howling and yowling like a deranged feline. It was a full blown cat panic attack. A sorry sight to witness.
As usual, I caved and opened the bedroom door. Like a streak of lightening she flew into the bedroom and ran under the bed. She peered out at me with that smug look on her face. I placed the gate in the doorway and latched it tightly. HA!!! Let's see that fat old puss leap over the gate to get her food and water.
When I returned home puss was stretched out on the couch and she glared at me with satisfaction. I'm searching for a cat whisperer professional to help me or her with our attitudes and bad behavior.

Where have all the flowers gone?

WHERE HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS GONE
words and music by Pete Seeger
performed by Pete Seeger and Tao Rodriguez-Seeger


Where have all the flowers gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the flowers gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the flowers gone?
Girls have picked them every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I went outside to scoop up tiny little baby tadpoles to feed my turtles - and what a surprise! They have gone. Gone to graveyards everyone? They were there yesterday. What happened? There must have been thousands of them. GONE. Not one left.
What will I tell they hungry turtles? Their food supply has disappeared like our economy. The tadpole supply perhaps affected the DOW? Is that why it plummeted once again? Lack of tadpoles.

AIG - the big bail out

I wish I was a fired CEO from AIG. I could walk away with my STUPENDOUS severance package worth millions and then be hired back by the very same AIG to do consulting work for millions more. What a life.
But wait ---------------- how could I sleep knowing I screwed the American people for everything? How could I face my friends and families knowing I screwed the American people?
Apparently some CEO's from AIG and other big business have no conscious - no morality - no compassion - what they do have is greed.
And we the American people have to support these despicable scumbags in the lifestyle that they have been accustomed to. The big bail out - as we the hard working American people - who go to work every day, pay our bills and give to the community sit in a suspended bubble of uncertainty - while AIG takes its top officials to a Spa and spends $440,000.00 dollars - our dollars.
If I did what you have done I would be prosecuted for embezzlement or fraud.
Shame on you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Palin - Biden Debate

I watched the debate because I listened to all the media hype on Sarah Palin. They said she was so inexperienced that she was going to fall flat on her face. Well - media - wrong again. Sure does sells newspapers.
The debate was almost unforgettable. No history lessons here. Or is there?
My annoyance with the debate came at the end. All the families came up on stage for a photo op and disperse well wishes to their loved ones. And there for the whole world to see was one of Sarah Palin's children holding the baby. One of her kids is almost always holding that baby. I did see mom step off a plane with the tot in her arms - one time. My first complaint is why is it her children's job to cart around that baby? Plus the fact it was 10 pm at night that little one should be in bed fast asleep.
What really gets under my skin - IS - I have never once seen dad holding that baby. WHY? Is it not a manly thing to do in Alaska? Where is his responsibility to that baby. He's an adult. He should be holding that baby not the kids. The kids should be doing kid stuff.
So Mr. Sarah Palin do your duty and hold that baby.