End This Endless War

I need to quit watching news shows before I go to bed.
I sat and watched Anderson Cooper tonight following a Marine unit in Iraq.
So now after seeing our kids fighting a war that can't be won, knowing kids that are there.
Steven the son of my neighbor and friend,
just shipped out a couple weeks ago with his guard unit.
His dad talked to him today after he had come back from having some minor surgery on his foot. A spider bite that caused an infection.
Unbearable heat, and he gets a spider bite to add to it
Makes me &%#% sick to see what our "Moron President" and his administration has gotten us into.
No matter what any of the candidates say right now, there is no easy way out.

When we leave, there will be massacres.
If we stay it will be our kids, 100's every week and growing.

My guess is Bush will drag this out so he can blame another President for the disaster that will follow.
It's now or later, I say now.

Forever Young

I can't believe that it is 10 years since Diana left this planet.
It seems like yesterday when the news flashed across the TV screen.

Those handsome boys, mourning their Mom.

How sad it was to see them walking to the church
for the services.

How sad it has been over the years to watch them grow and know she couldn't.

Elton Johns beautiful tribute

"Candle in the Wind"

Goodbye England's rose;
may you ever grow in our hearts.
You were the grace that placed itself
where lives were torn apart.
You called out to our country,
and you whispered to those in pain.
Now you belong to heaven,
and the stars spell out your name.

And it seems to me you lived your life
like a candle in the wind:
never fading with the sunset
when the rain set in.
And your footsteps will always fall here,
along England's greenest hills;
your candle's burned out long before
your legend ever will.

Loveliness we've lost;
these empty days without your smile.
This torch we'll always carry
for our nation's golden child.
And even though we try,
the truth brings us to tears;
all our words cannot express
the joy you brought us through the years.

Goodbye England's rose,
from a country lost without your soul,
who'll miss the wings of your compassion
more than you'll ever know.



Diana, Princess of Wales 1961-1997

Things that I Hate

I hate it that our favorite TGIF is closing on Monday.

I hate that all of the staff and servers, and bartenders, that have become so close are being split up and sent to different restaurants.

I hate that some of our favorites weren't working tonight.

I hate that next Monday night will be the last time we see some of them, unless we run over there tomorrow night.


I hate that I when I went to do some laundry this morning, I found water on the floor from a drain backup

I hate it that I forgot to call David, our Drain cleaner guy, 6 months ago when we were due
to clean out the roots we get from the trees in our front yard.

I hate that it is another sign of brain cells dying.

I hate that I am the one that will have to remember to call him in 2 years so we don't have a major flood down there.

It wouldn't be the first time.

More then anything else,

I hate it that George Bush and friends have destroyed our reputation on this planet, and have at least 17 more months to cause more damage.

What ever happened to the Phil Donohue's and the Dan Rather's in this world who were willing to speak out??

Right now all we have is Rosie O'Donnell and Andy Rooney.....

And though I love them, I hate that....

Here he come's again !

Tomorrow "The Shrub" invades our space again.
He isn't flying in to see the flooding or to check on the recovery of the last body from the Mississippi
River after the bridge collapse.
No, he is flying in to help raise money for our Senator Normy Coleman.

Across the Lake at a public park, from the million dollar house where he will gracing everyone with his Texas charm, and with 1000.00 handshakes.
Protesters will be standing with signs, maybe whistles and duck calls.

I wonder if the true genius Karl Rove will be with him ?

Letter to the Editor in the St.Paul Pioneer Press. August 18, 2007

A True Genius

It was pure coincidence that I purchased Boy Genius on Sunday and the subject of the book, Karl Rove, resigned from the White House on Monday.
It didn't take many pages to realize that Rove is a brilliant and ruthless political operative. whose philosophy seems to be that the ends justify the means.
From the beginning, he employed the most devious and dishonest methods to achieve his political objectives.
His achievements are impressive.

He is responsible for twice helping elect an arrogant, incompetent buffoon to the most powerful office in the world.
He took a failed businessman, George W.Bush, and placed him in charge of the economy of the United States.
He took a man who dodged his military service in Vietnam and turned him into the commander in chief of the US military.
He took a man who failed his law school entrance exam and placed him in a position to nominate Supreme court Justices

Yes Rove's most historic triumph was creating the worst president in American history.
And that is why some call him the Boy Genius.

TOM HAMMOND
Woodbury

Somewhere Richard Nixon is smiling!

Shrub

George Bush is about to break Ronald Reagan's
record for vacation days.

Meanwhile more slaughters in Iraq
and several more mine workers injured,
with three more dead in the Utah Mine

What is happening in New Orleans?
Nothing!
Are they prepared for the next round of Hurricanes?
No!

His old MaMa must be proud!

"George can't halp it he was born with a silver foot in his mouth"
Ann Richards 1988 Democratic Convention

Oops I guess that was his daddy,
the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree does it?

Time Flys When Your Having Fun.

I went to my Dermatologist today for a post op check of the skin cancer he removed from my face.

My friend Marie went with me to Edina where his office is located.
He told me not to worry about the puffiness and said the scar on my cheek would fade.
If it doesn't they have a few tricks they can use.
Meanwhile he was very kind and told me I could do my follow up body checks with my GP who is a Female.


After my visit, Marie and I headed over to the Cheese Cake Factory for a salad.
Love that place, and we were good and skipped dessert.
You don't know how hard that was.
But I have a Big Birthday coming up next Monday 8/20 and I intend to drown my sorrows, starting on the weekend.

My daughter who just celebrated her birthday is having a BBQ at her house to celebrate all of our August birthdays.
My Hubba 8/5, daughter 8/8, oldest son 8/19 and twin G sons 8/17 are all Leo's.
Can you imagine Kings of the jungle all under one roof?
Well it certainly was interesting when the kids were growing up.
My youngest son is an Aries and kind of hid from every one
at times.
But believe me he held his own, and still does.

How old am I?
I gag when I think about it.

Jane Fonda and I were born in the same year
so when you think of me visualize her.
That seems to soften the blow for me.

Anyway I've been told 70 is the new 50.

Please don't pop my balloon..

Lazy day

Couldn't believe it when I stepped outside this
morning.
The humidity has dropped about 20%.
I am actually going to go out on my deck and read.
I don't know how long we will have this reprieve.
So I am going to enjoy it.
Meanwhile for some good reading
click on my links, especially

"My girl with kaleidoscope eyes"
*smiling*

Stormy Weather

It has been one of those weeks when I didn't have time to breath.

Add to that the god awful heat we are going through right now in Minnesota.
Earlier it was 90 degrees with 68% humidity, perfectly conducive to a major storm.

I love rain storms in the spring, but this time of year, it frightens me,
Every flash of lightening and crack of thunder reminds me of a storm we had a few years ago when we lost several trees and we were without power for 6 days.
I realized then that I would have made a terrible pioneer woman.
I wore the name "Bitchy" with pride.

We have storm warnings right now and hoping for the best.

Last night trying to sleep when thunder and lightening rocked our house, and rattled our windows.
I think it was well past 4:00 AM before I fell asleep.
This time we were lucky there are areas in Mpls without power.
The State Fair grounds has massive damage and the fair is scheduled in about 3 weeks.
I am feeling guilty for whining,
so I will do what the Nuns always told us, back in grade school.

"Offer it up"

I will tonight for all those kids in Iraq basking in temps of
120 degrees.

Happy Birthday Eve..

August is probably the worst time of the year for me.
8 years ago today my life changed
Why? Let me explain the best way I can.

Every body has friends, I am lucky to have many.
I am still close friends with those I had in childhood,
friends from High School, friends I worked with.
friends from Church and through volunteer activities.
We moved into our neighborhood, and became involved in our community, worked on campaigns, volunteered at our kids schools, we met many people we became close too.
Over the years we have lost many good friends, it has been hard on Hubba who has not only lost
all of his siblings, but most of his close childhood friends too.

But I digress.

When we moved into this community over 40 years ago.
I met someone who would become the best friend anyone would ever want.
You know what I mean?
Someone who you can tell anything too.
Someone who accepts you warts and all.
Someone who would come and sit at your bedside if you were ill, and she did.
Someone who would baby sit not only your kids but your dog as well.
Someone you could be with and not say a word, but leave feeling you had just had the
best time of your life.
Well for me that was Arlis,
It would be way to long to go into how we became friends.
Just know that we became close.
Arlis, who was widowed, was about to retire from her job as an LPN at a local nursing home.
She planned on putting in her notice on Monday Aug 3rd 1998.
I was so excited, because we had made plans to go to New York City for a trip to celebrate and then to Connecticut to visit her daughter and family.
On that Monday I was home supervising the carpet layers as they put in new carpeting in my family room.
The phone rang and it was Arlis, she had not gone to work that day because she had been up with chills and headache all night.
She was calling me to tell me she had a new granddaughter Eve, and she was so excited.
I congratulated her,and told her to rest.
Her son who was in med school and lived at home was out of town and would be back late Tuesday the 4th.

I did not talk to her again until late Tuesday night, she said she was tired,
so I told her I would stop over in the morning.
I did, around noon, and when I saw her I thought I would die.
I could see how ill she was.
I wanted her to go to the Doctor and she wanted to wait till her son came home.
I argued with her but she was determined to wait.
I went home and called my hubba and told him to come home from work, because we needed to get her to hosp.

Why didn't I just call 911?

By the time he got home, so had her son, and I went with him to the Hosp.
Before I left the hospital that evening I told her I loved her and not to worry.
We thought then it was pneumonia and she was in good hands.
It was the last time we would talk.
By the following Sunday she had died from a rare strep infection of the blood,
and no idea where it came from.

The following Wednesday was her funeral, her daughter, son in law and newborn little girl Eve flew in for the funeral.
Leaving their oldest daughter at her paternal Grandma's.

Little Eve turns 8 today, Arlis never met her.
I have received pictures and she is Arlis's clone, not only in looks but according to her daughter in personality and gentleness.

I am sad today, and I am sure that Arlis's family is too.

Arlis was my soul mate and I miss her..

Happy Birthday Eve, you had a very special Grandma!

Are Your Bridges Safe?

What a tragic night we had yesterday.

The collapse of the 35W bridge has caused many deaths and injuries, at this time 20 to 30 are missing , probably in the Mississippi river.
There is a recovery going on now.

I was watching the 6:00 news when it happened and immediately started checking to see if my family and friends were OK

This morning our President appeared on TV and began to spin.
He blamed the Democratic in congress for not bringing him a spending bill.

Give me a break!!

He forgot to mention that our Republican Governor Pawlenty vetoed a Transportation bill
that included a 5 cent gas tax increase that would have gone to road and bridge repair.
Our Governor who has made it clear "no new taxes" under his watch.
He is only willing to borrow and spend, so I expect to see him offering a bonding bill to the legislature
It should be pointed out that our Government has been ignoring the infrastructure in this country.
Money that should be used here is being used in Iraq.
The essay I posted "The Fungi Terrorist" by Charley, written tongue in cheek
has this quote in it.

"When we weren't looking, Al Qaeda took the money from our infrastructure, so that soon
our bridges will collapse under our heavy S.U.V.s and our roads will fill with potholes."

It give me chills to think what we have ahead of us.


Go to my links at the right and click on Centrisity
for more info on this tragedy, he is doing a great job of updating!