Tidbits...

We had some beautiful days over Thanksgiving, sunny and in the 40's. We took a quick trip down to Sheldon Iowa and spent some time with my 97 year old Auntie Lo. She has failed a lot since we last saw her in May, her mind still clicking but slower. With a twinkle in her eye she maintained she is going to live to 100 years old. I learned very young not to bet against her.

On our way home we stopped at my nieces in the hills of Mankato for Thanksgiving dinner, she is a lurker here so I am saying thank you for the Turkey by Phil and Chef Valli and Sheila's gourmet touches to the rest of the meal, pie ala Jeff. I am going to watch my calories for the next couple weeks.

Black Friday is getting crazier and crazier, the news reports that a 37 year old man in NY was trampled to death at a Walmart when the crowd waiting to get in, crashed through the doors. I don't think there has ever been anything I wanted bad enough to stand in line waiting for a store to open.

When we got home Friday night my computer was funky turned out to be a dead mouse, Techy Flash was here Saturday morning with a temporary fix, along with Nick the stud muffin. Don't tell him I called him that, he may be 16 but he still blushes. Flash also downloaded some video help for me, so last night Hubba and I caught up on Desperate Housewives via my computer. What next in the Techy world, boggles my brain.

It is gloomy and damp today, a good day for a movie so I am heading out to see Australia while Hubba sleeps in his chair.

I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving weekend and now the rat race begins in full.

Bah Humbug!!!

Recount !!

Today I decided to stop over at our Civic Center and check out the
Franken / Coleman Senate recount as it progresses.
Our city was chosen as one of the many recount areas in the state.
Several of my friends and also my daughter are Al Franken Observers.
Some have taken vacation time off from work to volunteer for this duty, I was told that some of the Coleman
observers are paid by the hour.
Today there were 4 tables set up with 2 staff people and 2 observers for each campaign plus
each campaign had a couple lawyers there to assist with legal questions that might come up.
The observers were there yesterday from 9:00 AM until 8:30 PM., and
they didn't get a lunch break until about 2:30 PM.
Today they were back at 9:00 AM.
I decided to just drop by and watch for awhile yesterday and again today.
The Media said it was like watching paint dry, but I was pleasantly surprised to find it very fascinating
Every now and then a ballot was being challenged, and the lawyers would go over to check it out.
I watched one challenge by a Coleman observer, she challenged the ballot because the
person filling in the oval had gone outside the lines.
I wanted to tell her this wasn't an art class, but I bit my tongue knowing that the judges reviewing it will look for the intent only and will count it for Franken.
The Franken volunteers outnumbered the Coleman camp 2 to 1
and seemed to be in much better spirits.
Maybe because this area went overwhelmingly for Democrats
so it has to affect the mood of those losing the battle here.
But this is just one area and statewide Naughty Normy is still leading by 100 plus votes.
There are several hundred ballots around the state unaccounted for at the moment, but I'm sure they will turn up.
I have no guess as to what the final vote will be,
it will be determened in the end by a few judges that will be examining
the challenged ballots.
I do know that when it is finished there will be no doubt as to the winner,
because this isn't Florida
and our Secretary off State is Fair.

Obama speaks to the world !!

I was too young to remember FDR's fireside chats.
I suspect they may have been some thing like this.
How great is it to hear some intelligent talk??
We are off to our Family Thanksgiving dinner at our Daughters.
Meanwhile just bask in the light of this man's intellect.

Angel of death ??

Just when you think she is gone.

To think this Bimbo was considered for the VP spot
boggles my brain.

Looking forward to a New World !

I received an e-mail from a niece, one of Hubba's step brothers daughters.
She had some questions about her Grandmother ( Dads Mother).

I wondered what my in laws
would be thinking about todays elections.
Her dad Vane was one of my favorite people and political nemesis.
It took him sometime to warm up to me when I married his baby brother.
His wife like me was an Irish Catholic and this didn't play well in a
Lutheran Republican family, we became very close friends.
Another brother also married an Italian Catholic he met while stationed in Germany during the Viet Nam war.
After trying to live in his home town ,
they eventually settled in northern Italy
where they raised 3 children who still live there.

Needless to say we were not the favorite daughter in laws.

My Hubba was only 4 years old when his widowed father married
the young widow with 4 sons, and he and his 6 year
old sister who had been living with their Paternal Grandma
finally had a family.
He and Vane the youngest was 6 years old
and they became the best of buddies.

Vane and I had lots of friendly disagreements over
candidates and I really missed him during this last election cycle.
I don't think Mother in law and I would have had any discussions,
ignoring the ethnicity of Obama would have been difficult for her and also for
my father in law.

She was not to blame for her chilly attitude towards her G kids,
in many ways it had to do with her upbringing.
She was raised by a single dad who I doubt handed out very many hugs.
She resented the fact that she was not able to go on to college.
She told me her Father did not believe in girls furthering their education.
I don't think she was raised with a lot of warmth either.
I'm not sure how she was toward her sons.
It was her loss not having G kids who wanted to spend time with her.
I think I opened my nieces eyes a little bit about her G mom
and the fact it had to do with that old German way of rearing children.
Germans are not known for their warmth.

Hopefully we have broken that cycle with the next generation.

It was so good to hear from these young people in the family
who are so supportive of our new president and maybe the
next Generation will do a better job in uniting this country.

Letter from a Marine !

Techy Flash at Centrisity received a letter
from his son Sgt. Tom.

I want to share the thoughts from this Marine
who at one time was going to make the service his career.


Flash wrote to Sgt. Tom

"So your last E-Mail said you reconsidered re-upping so you can go to school.
Did the desert change your mind?
As for a school, the U of MN has a great program *wink*
Would LOVE to have you back in the state. We miss you to death!"




"The desert didn't really affect my state of mind, it was more looking
at the way the machine affects the people who have been in for a long
time. If you stay in this Gun club for too long you start to loose
track of who you are on a more personal level. Its hard to describe
but you loose a piece of who you used to be, you change. On the other
hand you also get stronger in other areas. I guess its a hand off. I
look at it as I did my time, now its time to move on. With the new GI
bill taking effect in Aug 2009, I will be properly equipped to move on
to the next level. If you ever have time to kill you should google
"new GI Bill". They started a site for it. Its pretty good stuff.

I would like to be a structural engineer, or do something in developing
more efficient alternative energy. I'm not sure but I will figure out
as I get further down the path. Right now I have 9 months left on my
contract. pretty crazy to think its been near 5 years since I got out
of High School.

Well I am glad the boys got through the first quarter, I just wish
they knew what I know now. The value of an education. If I have gotten
anything from the marine corps its an appreciation for higher learning
lol.

Well I gotta run dad, It was great hearing from you.
Love your son
Tom


Now we just hope he gets out of that sand trap safe.

Visit Centrisity and leave a message..

Have you thanked a Vet today?

Techy Flash at Centrisity tells the story of some of the Vets in our family.
Check out the link on my page.

Needing some Sunshine !

It's really hard to get back into the swing of things,
after spending the last year pretty much wrapped up in campaigns.
Yesterday and today I have been feeling let down.
You know how it is when you climb that steep hill
then you slowly have to walk back down.
Or when you are looking so forward to something
and when it is over you just feel like covering your head with the covers.

This morning when I woke up it was even worse,
that sick feeling you get in your stomach when something is wrong.

I need to go shopping for a refrigerator but I didn't think it was that.

While I was paying bills and writing the date Nov. 9th down a couple times,
it hit me.
November 9th 1994, 13 years ago was my Moms funeral, she died on the 2nd
and I hadn't even thought about it because I was so involved with the election.

I think maybe she was giving me a nudge, she didn't like being ignored.
We are heading into the holiday season her favorite time of year, but not mine.
She loved coming up to the big city and hitting all the stores even though
she had been done with her Christmas shopping
months before.
It was fun, but exhausting, I couldn't keep up with her.

She became very independent after my dads death, she took driving lessons
so she could drive her self to work at the St.Peter State Hospital.
She was an LPN and she worked with the geriatric
In those days we had state institutions for those who could not afford private nursing homes.

After she retired, she did a lot of traveling with her friends, she was busy all the time.
One of her traveling companions and best friends Grace who is 98 years old and she is
still living in her own apartment.
I talked to her a while ago, she hasn't been feeling very well lately but she
was so excited about the election.
Grace was a Hillary supporter that jumped right on Obama's train.
I am sure my Mom would have too, even though she didn't like politics that much.

Now that I have acknowledged my Mom maybe
my stomach will settle down.

We'll see tomorrow..

Worst Person In the World

I am still recovering from Election night.

We are in the midst of a recount vote for Senate,
not wanting to jinx anything I will wait to discuss that race.

Minnesota voters are a mixed lot.
They voted overwhelmingly for Barack Obama, but
they also sent back to Congress 2 very conservative members of Congress.
I can understand a Republican area choosing John Kline who
fits the voters there.
But in the 6th District they chose bimbo Michele Bachman
over a moderate Democrat El Tinklinberg,
who would have given that area some respect back.
Michele Bachman is a loose cannon, she told everyone 3 years ago that
God spoke to her and told her to run for Congress.

Then during Bushes State of the State address in 2007
she acted like a rock star groupie when Bush walked by,
placing her hands on him and holding on till he finally gave her a kiss.

Larry King for some reason was including her as one of the Republican
commentators, giving her lots of free air time.
When she finally showed the American people what a dimwit she was on Hardball
I honestly thought her district would open their eyes and send someone with a brain to Washington.

But I was wrong.

El Tinklenberg's loss was the result of ticket splitters, who would rather send
back a lame brain before they would vote a straight ticket.

With the following statement to Politico.com. Michele Bachman earned Keith Olbermnann's
Worst person in the World" award on Last nights show.

"After suggesting that Barack Obama had anti-American views in an exchange three weeks ago with MSNBC host Chris Matthews, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) told Politico Thursday that she was “extremely grateful that we have an African-American who has won this year.” She called his victory “a tremendous signal we sent."

In case you didn't catch this on Hardball, just watch!!
Then tell me if you don't think she is a hypocrite.

Yes We Did !!!

Goodby to W !!

Soon the polls will close and we will know who our new President is.

I don't believe in predictions, maybe I am just a little too superstitious.
If you want predictions go to my Centrisity link.

My stomach has been flipping all day, it has been a long time since
we had a major win that was good for our country.

People voted for George Bush not because they thought
he would be the best President, but because they would prefer to have a
beer with him instead of stuffy old Gore or Kerry.
A chance in hell unless you were a multi-millionaire.

Bush and Cheney were the worst things to ever happen to our country
and I think that is why you are seeing so many Republican's jumping ship this year.

An Obama Presidency isn't going to be as good as the Clinton years at first,
he will have way to much damage to repair.

But one thing I am certain of, the world will look at us a lot differently
if Obama and Biden are leading our country.

So if you haven't voted yet,
there is time, and when you do,
come share your experience here im my comments.

I am going down for the election night party in St.Paul
with my niece and her husband the Mayor of our town.

Keeping my fingers and toes crossed until the votes come in.

Les Misbarack