Life and Loss, Good and Evil

Shaquille ONeal is a sweetheart - in response to news of the death of a five year old girl, sold into white slavery, subsequently prostituted and murdered, he paid for her funeral.

Another sad story - these things hurt my heart so much.....and make me wonder about the meaning of life despite my faith.

The child was sold or traded for drugs according to one news story, by her mother. I don't understand how a mother could do such things to her child. Another day in which I don't like the world.

Well, I'm going to Walmart to return videos and come home and do art. It's actually cold here, am going to turn on the furnace! Er - cold by my definition. I am also cold because I am being very careful of what I eat and the chills indicate a need for carbs - but I will conquer this demon screaming in my head...."eat pie, eat cookies, eeeeeaaaaat!" Finally returning to exercise after the flu bout. Was invited to see a film at a friend's house - but I'm soooo cold and its dark and I want to run home, put the rest of my groceries away and ........

Judging from the amount of pain I still experience from time to time, I really need to stick to the plan of getting the rest of the weight off - it's made a huge difference. I know its bad when I'm looking at the Christmas ads and a purple walker with a seat and basket jumps on my "like" list. I'm the woman who refused to ride the carts in Walmart when I could barely walk when my back was so bad and I'm looking at a walker.....but it was purple.
That must have been why.

"H" is worried about my yearning for a bicycle - he thinks I could be accident prone and it isn't a good idea to go bike riding when you're 64. My medicare card arrived. I am stunned. Not sure how that happened (getting this old). My brain isn't old, my mind isn't old. And actually, compared to many my age, my body is not that old either. It's all a piece of paper. Er.........

I spent the entire afternoon at the car dealership - my car was very sick, last night it was screaming - I was scared, seeing big monies flying away when I need to buy Christmas presents. The bill was to be minimum $260.00 - turns out it was a defect that they have attempted to fix twice prior, and they charged me nothing - not even the $80.00 diagnostic fee. Yes! There is good in the world.

Thanksgiving was good - time with family was good.

Oh, rats - I see from the preview that I need to enter code to get paragraphs, but I must return those videos so I'm going to be lazy. Sorry.

Day Before Thanksgiving

Despite being totally exhausted, "H" (for hubby) and I went shopping for a tree - decided I wanted a "real" one this year. However, we were quite taken by the lighted palm tree, but not the price. For an insane moment we considered it, but decided that kind of money would be better put somewhere else, but still.....we would have left it up all year round, it was a magnificent palm and rather cheeky. It badly needed its branches adjusted, but "H" drew the line at me climbing up on the display to "fix" them.

My oil pastels arrived - they are like perfect chocolate - creamy and easily blended - and fine jewelry could not come in a more pretty box. Now, I need to see if I can fix the mess I made of "Leopard Skin Shoes."

My kitties - they are driving me nuts - I need to arrange some play dates or something for them, they are at my feet or my side at all times. Aren't cats supposed to be independent?

Then, I walked the edges of the swamp yesterday for just a while - the days have been so beautiful and a wide range of wild flowers were blooming - however the mist and my camera phone weren't cooperating - I lust, lust after a super camera.

Next, Happy Thanksgiving for those who are celebrating tomorrow - and if not celebrating - everyone have a super rest of week.

I'm cooking this afternoon (I think) - part of it done yesterday, then tomorrow we are going to younger daughter's house - where her "H" will do most of cooking (oh, yay, he is proving to be quite a good cook) and my oldest daughter will come with older grandkids - and we hopefully, if our physical condition allows us - will hit "Black Friday" somewhat - I want to get my oldest daughter some sexy boots for Christmas, have already bought youngest daughter and family presents - the older grandkids I'm getting them some prepaid charge cards and small trinkets to open - -

The tree - we bought a 4 foot fir tree - a houseplant which in Florida will also grow nicely on the patio. Environmentally friendly - now to get a still tired "H" to get decorations out of garage when he gets off work - maybe I can ply him with food......

Finally fixed the paragraph problem with some html code - nice to know the blogspot will now take html codes!!! I'll have to dig the recesses of my memory, might be able to have some fun with that!

Nevermore II

Nevermore II will soon be leaving for a European Holiday.

New Drawing/painting....

Thinking of doing this for Milla -at first was going to do the bird looking back at the tree, but then the whole scene with the bent paper and tree looked intriguing to me...sooooo

Ha, would you believe the picture post isn't working - I'm out here alive - will post more later when the photo thing is working....tomorrow....and will visit everyone. I have to get up early and take Grandson to school.............

Till Monday.....

Maw and Paw

It's been a busy busy time - had company from Wyoming - they purchased their winter home....etc., etc. All done. They'll be back after Christmas till the worst of the Wyoming winter is over and they will then return up there.

This week grandson had a choir presentation and also a band concert. They were both quite good. It has been amazing to watch him pick up an instrument in September and play various songs in November and in "concert" with 100 other instruments.

Then I was drawing on Weds. nights with some friends, but pulled out of that as a busy holiday season is here . . . I have enough sketches of nudes that I can continue to build on, however.

We made an art room in the study with a paint cloth on the floor to protect the carpet and made the cats mad....haha, I think I shall cover the furniture in retro paint cloth and make a table cloth now that I have found something that cats avoid....can break all their nasty habits of dropping hair where it shouldn't be dropped.

Plus I had the flu, hurt myself in the toe and burned my hand and arm.....

"H" working long hours - tired all the time. I've been aching - don't know if it is from cold air (yes, yes, it's not REALLY cold down here) - or arthritis or WHAT! I thought I had lost a couple more discs in my neck but pain is abating some. I'm tired too since the flu. Guess some of my younger friends are dragging too - perhaps its the times we're living in - things changing so quickly, violence escalating - prices shooting out of control - feeding the kids - parents sick - political fights abound - we are told our country is broke, but then money seems to come out of nowhere for crazy things........

We were talking about maybe going to New Orleans for a weekend to see the Christmas lights, etc....my daughter is going this weekend for an Emily Autumn concert (Victorian Techno???) - maybe they can tell us if the trip will be worth taking - the whole face of New Orleans changed after Katrina....if not, perhaps can slip away to some quiet romantic place on the beach...."H" says he doesn't want to eat out - so what else is there? We could put on winter coats and have a long walk on the winter beach......OR CLEAN THE GARAGE.....

Having fun Christmas shopping - its easy this year - except the eternal clash between me wanting things done way ahead of time, and "H" wanting to wait until last minute....that is sort of throwing a "clink" into what could be a well oiled machine......

Thanksgiving with family this coming week -

Today some little girls came to my door with two absolutely adorable dogs - the dogs have been running the neighborhood obviously lost. Of course they sniffed me, decided to come on in and make themselves as home, ignoring the cats. OOOOOhhhh, I wanted to keep them - a gorgeous, dignified red dog - maybe a lab? and a smaller curly dog - a cockapoo? Well mannered and responded to voice commands - oh "H" would have shot me - and I really couldn't afford doggy vet bills since vets cost as much as neurologists (human ones!) anymore. But so sad, the beautiful things deserved better. Now, I will wonder what happened to them.

Rocky winter

Been kind of "out of it" for a few days, a week, more. October a hard month, November too - although I did good, and only had one day of really hard crying. But I give myself that - sometimes we just miss someone so much, that we have to let it out. And I've had new pain radiating from my neck and its been a bear to deal with. So that's where I've been. And addicted to Farmtown, and quicky FB posts.

Had to post pic of my home state, since I was lost in revery for a while. My mother sent me a couple of boxes of "stuff" from Wyo that contained son's drawings, some writing, some art prep materials, etc., etc., pics of kids, my grandma who is no longer with us, and newspaper clips of my oldest daughter who won "Player of the Year" in Wyoming and "Best All Around Athlete" - these were state level awards and who now lives with chronic crippling pain. Being a young athlete takes its toll.

A pic of my grandma in front of a Thanksgiving bird - she always insisted I set the turkey on the table whole and not cut up. I smiled looking at the photo - she was so old and shrunken up, the turkey was as big as her - but she had a huge smile plastered on her face.

My baby book with 8 of my teeth taped into it, and locks of my hair. That's over 60 years ago - didn't realize paper lasted that long - till now. Oh - just joking on that!

It's cold here now....brrrr. Down to the 60's.

So, its been an odd period of weeks here - - - I want to come back to Blogspot and be creative.....need to know what all of you are up to and what is going on in your lives too!

Daugher going to concert with Emily Autumn in New Orleans this weekend - so I have grandson then, yippee! Perhaps I will take him to the new disaster movie - 2012 - I went the other day - if one is an adrenalin junkie, I would recommend it - not bad for a diaster movie. Rather unsettling actually.

Christmas shopping already - woo hoo - I love this zany month - I even have my fake holly all around the room partition to the kitchen.

Fall Reflections

Whew, the storm is over, the sun is shining - but only on the outside. I think the reason I don't like fall is because of the sadness that comes. I made it through the anniversary of my son's death yesterday, but today I have been weeping buckets and more buckets. Not only that, but looking at old pictures of my kids and I miss them, I miss them so much. The girls are still here as adults, but ....well, I miss them.....the trucks, the dolls, the basketball games, the school projects - making sure they had warm winter clothes for when the hard Wyoming winter came - just having them with me. I miss them so much today.

Will let myself grieve a little while longer, then suck it up and get with today, and put the past back neatly into a box - label it, "The Past." Going through a box my mother sent - with my son's drawings, writings - even my report cards from grade school, my baby book, family photos, oh dear. And I wonder if they will go to a trash can somewhere when I am gone.

Today I realize how old I am. There is no path as I walk down the end of life, not that its the end - if I went by my female ancestors - I have another 30 years, LOL!! But also a package came from an attorney with all my medical records, and I realize I could also make that end journey at any time. But that is true for all of us, we are living in violent times.

I remember all the angst and drama of youth, of my twenties, thirties, and forties. And it gives me more patience with my daughters. Photos of an ex husband and my poor dark face - that one was a BIG mistake. But it took me to a place where the fall was wonderful - my kids and I would wander the woods and the pumpkin patches and I would can and work with food while they played in mountains of colored leaves - fall in Iowa is an awesome spectacle. We would carve pumpkins and we would make bonfires and roast marshmallows over the burning piles of leaves. The neighbors thought I was quite nuts - and perhaps I was - maybe. I was so poor - I would take my son to the mall, and he loved cheese - we would go to the cheese store - he always liked to do that even though we could only afford one pound of cheese - he could choose the kind he wanted after tasting through the different ones.

Ok, 'nuff of this. Going to go get on my elliptical, try to get in the mood for drawing tonight - and think about THIS Thanksgiving and what I have NOW to be thankful for.

Flying Pumpkin Pie and Turkey?

I can't believe this - almost mid November and Hurricane Watch out there in the Gulf? Noooooooooooooooooo

http://www.nola.com/hurricane/index.ssf/2009/11/grand_isle_louisiana_coast_und.html

Looks like it might hit Louisiana coast - if so, we'll still get some fallout.

Extraordinary Super Cat Massage Therapist

Company has gone home - I've cleaned my lair and it is inviting me to come.....relax.......sleep

A few days back I heard a very loud pop in my neck and then a couple days later another.....and I have had some serious pain in my shoulder down into my arm - don't like how it feels, too similar to the one leading to surgery in the neck, I sure hope it's just something like sleeping crooked as they say, I hope I hope. In the mean time, I have this compassionate helper......never mind he has the wrong arm - his heart is in it. What does it mean when they drool during a massage? Deep concentration? Obviously, it really wore him out.

Hope to get back to normal routines tomorrow! Grandson came to visit today - we had a very quiet laid back day - although I wanted to go to the Greater Gulf Coast Arts Festival. But it was a good day.

Well, I just asked "H" if he wanted to watch "Madea goes to Jail." "Uhhhhneyehhhhh. " I reply, "Is that a yes or a no?" "Oh, if YOU want to." If I want to what? I think it means, "No, don't you know that football is on again tonight?" I think. Not sure. Not like there is not three TV's in the house - heck, I'm going to watch Madea, if he doesn't want to, he can go do the foooooootbaw! After 30 years I am starting to understand a little bit what Unneyeh means.

Eeeehaw! I get to sleep in tomorrow morning. I could not sleep last night - no matter which way I laid, I could not get out of pain. My friend left me some anti-inflammatories - will try one of those!

A Hard Day's Night

Here I am hunkered up in my grandson's bunkbed with computer, hiding from football racket on TV. It wouldn't be bad, but it goes all day on into the night. I change it to my channel, leave room and its changed back to guest's channel. I turn off, walk away, its turned back on.

When alone, I have had the TV mostly off all the time except for a few choice shows when I am in my solitude. "H" is very happy, of course, to have male company to watch football with, in the living room at that! Bigger screen than is in male lair.

I might get attached to bunkbed lair. I've decided to put a poster on the bottom of the top bunk. And install a clip on light for reading. :) No TV here - but a hook up for video games on a screen.
I was going to move into "H's" lair for a week, but he looked at me with dazed eyes and said it was impossible to clean it up. Also he does not like to sleep with the lights out or the TV off, and I can't sleep with the TV and lights on. So I told him I would not be in his male quarters. Too much work, too little sleep. He concurred! I noticed it was also impossible for him to clean his bathroom up. So I dove in that room with disinfectant in one hand and papertowels in the other. Then settled into grandson's guest room. I gave the guests the master bedroom because they were looking at the air flight from Hades from our town to Wyoming, then a long at least three day drive to West Virginia. Like us, they ain't no spring chickens. (For the unintiated to country folk in the U.S. - it means they are getting, not old, but ripened, like us.)

Friends found second home (small mobile home) in a very beautiful area 25 minutes from here. They fell totally in love with the area. Papers signed already and they have their utilities all on except one. But they are still here at Casa ? Then they will go home Sat., drive to West Virginia to clean out his house, back to Wyoming, then down here after Christmas to spend winter.

I was supposed to show a water machine today, but "H" lost my demo equipment somewhere in the garage and swears he never saw it before. I am trying not to be short tempered. I am so overwhelmed with my stuff being lost so much of the time and it being physically impossible for me to lift boxes to search for it. Not a good way to run business.

Spent today resting after running guests ALL OVER the place for two days.

Still stressed out over my grandson's predicament. Can't help it I don't think - I am hardwired to think I should save the world, most especially grandkidz. Send good energy and/or prayers that he can stay the weekend so he can kick back and relax!

He is texting me about his injured tailbone now - must sign off.

Update

Happy Halloween to those who celebrate it. I love birds - these are so pretty! I have been begging Chuck for a parrot, but poor sport - he says no. Like all I need is something, somebody else to take care of.


I'm not even turning on the porch light tonight - I feel bad about it, I love seeing the kids and their costumes, but company is coming from Wyoming, in fact, I'm about to go out to airport and get them. I think they are bringing shorts - and the temperature suddenly dropped today - ooops. Lots of sales now so it shouldn't be a problem, but I'll hear about it I'm sure.


Sorry, I haven't been visiting blogs as often as I would like, the days are flying by. I can't seem to make it through one either, without a lengthy nap. I don't know what kind of flu hit me, but it has left me exhausted and run down feeling. And, I've been eating sugar which is like poison for me - but it tastes sooooo good - those little super sweet candy corns!

My company wants me to accompany them on their runs around this area looking for houses, but I would fall out - can't do it. I found one area here with low cost housing in a really beautiful place, but I just can't travel much further than that, right now anyway. So anyway, hope we all have a good time while they are here. At least my house is mostly clean!!! Mostly.

So, please everyone, have a safe Halloween - and now we can look forward to turkey day - I think Canada has had Thanksgiving already, hasn't it? Then, Christmas. Wow. Scary soon.

Still working on the shoes - decided they needed an anchor in that space. Also have committed to a drawing for someone, and a painting as a gift. But I'm moving along on the art pretty well, not stagnant like I was.

Ok - time to depart for airport - hope to get to all of you very, very soon.......

Darn, they still haven't fixed the paragraph problem - next post I will see if it will take the

code.

Leopard Skin Shoes

Aren't these chalks pretty? The colors are full of light and vibrant. I think the Leopard Skin Shoes are mostly done. A bit of shading is all that's left and I'm going directly there as soon as I finish this post.

Wyoming friends are coming for sure starting next Sunday and will leave the following Saturday. I hope they find the property that will make them happy so they will have a place to escape the Wyoming winters. My mother tells me that three feet of snow was supposed to start last night and they are also expecting 70 mph winds. I could not live in that. I remember being so cold out there that my toes were blue.

Last night had pitas stuffed with a a vegetable salad mixture - today going to make curried vegetables. I'm the only person I know that can be sick with the flu for a month and gain nine pounds, but I did. Gotta get it off before it becomes 20.

The burn on right hand is healed up, I am able to get a shoe on the foot with the cut up toe, and the large burn on the arm is healing up nicely. Last night I dropped my super sharp serrated knife on my foot - thankfully the handle hit first. I'm thinking I need to go shopping for a pair of steel toed boots and fireproof gloves to cook in.

Going to the easel now, after getting dressed!

BFF

One of my best friends from Wyoming is thinking of getting a place in which to "winter" down here. She'll be coming to look at properties next week. I'm not going to get too excited yet. The story of our friendship is pretty amazing.

While we were driving around looking for a good area for them, I noticed the camellias are blooming. They'll bloom up to January, maybe through January. Red ones, white ones....pink ones.

Other news - grandson is doing very well on the clarinet. I love hearing him play.

Foot is healing - the glue has rolled off about five days early, the burns seem to be healing. Haven't quite regained all of preflu strength. Lots to do before company gets here - and I am on an eating binge that I HAVE to cut off immediately! Ever since the flu, wonder what that is all about. Doesn't matter, just need to get back into control.

Weather is cool - 68 degrees.

Ready for bed.

To Be or Not to Be

Thanksgiving is coming! I want to go to Atmore to the Indian celebration, as does oldest daughter. No one else does. I think it would be fun - could have a traditional dinner anytime. Who says food is Thanksgiving?

Speaking of food: For some time, I've been thinking about going vegetarian, maybe even vegan. Lots of reasons - I love animals, birds, fish - praying mantis (no I don't eat those) - but my conscience bothers me soooo

And I worry about bacteria, hormones that I don't choose with my doctor's input, if growth hormone is illegal for me, (even though proven to cure things like Crohns, to rebuild bones, etc., etc.) why would I eat it vicariously in unmeasured dosages through my beef?

It's a contribution for me to "Go Green." I'm 3/4 of the way there, I don't eat beef, I think I ate it once in the last 8 months, or pork. Just chicken and fish. So I'm 3/4 there.

And I have about 20 more pounds to shed!!!

Problems - "H" is avid meat eater. But then we've always eaten differently from one another anyway. I feel as this would also be a commitment to go organic, or mostly organic because its also for health reasons - and its more expensive. I LOVE turkey. And fish tacos. I can't eat pasta - it converts to fat almost immediately. Well, I can eat it 1/2 cup at a time, but what joy is in only 1/2 cup?

Finding lots of wonderful recipes on line - I added some vegetarian blogs to the food portion on the lists on the left.

So, yeh, off on another tangent. Having a ball though.

The glue is holding the toe together it appears - didn't go to draw the model tonight - worried about charcoal dust in my burns - but next week, I'm on again.

Well, time to watch Cougar Town - its hilarious.

The Season of the Clutz

Americans have a saying - if we keep having accidents, we're "clutzy." My accident log for the last month:

1. After dark, fall down in street by car door. Struggle to get up, leg won't work. Grandson, who is with me - freaking and trying to stand in front of traffic and stop vehicles bearing down in same lane where I lie, struggling to get up. Assign him duty to stand on sidewalk, turn on cell phone and flash light at traffic. Gives him something to do and keeps him from getting run over, better me than him! Finally crawl around car to curb. I don't understand why someone doesn't pull over and help an ol' lady up.

Two days later I read in the paper, an older than me woman, was hit by a car in the same area, and dragged for some time and left in a parking lot to die. She lived, but isn't in very good shape.

2. Grab pan on stove with bare hand. Thumb burned. Is at the point all the skin has peeled off and it's icky. Now I have to wait until healed in order to draw again.

3. Pull cookies out of oven and scrape arm along top rack of 375 degree oven. Wound similar to photo above.

4. Drop heavy can on foot, split big toe open. Drive 3 hours looking for a doctor who will see me. My own physician's chant, "Go to Walk-in Clinic" or "Go to ER." ER costs $150 to cross their threshold. Walk-in Clinic made the lst step in medical mistake that nearly cost me my life, then risk department harrassed me for some time after mistake was discovered, very intimidating (guess they thought I might sue - not, was too busy trying to live), so I definitely will not go there again, EVER.

Then, even with insurance, they want $$$$$ up front before they will see you.

After the third clinic turned me away, I was about to go home and just put foot in plastic bag to catch blood, and hope it stopped eventually, when fourth clinic I walked into said they would take me in. After about 4 hours. They glued my toe shut - this is a new process to me - after insisting that I have xrays. A side note, apparently the man who invented flesh glue, also invented Super Glue. So the nurse tells me.

The reason the other doctors would not take me, they tell me, is that they did not have xray equipment.

Seems like the "new medicine" people will not just sew up a wound - first, must x-ray. If broken bone, then refer to orthopedist for more xray and outpatient surgery. Being conspiracy minded, I suspect it is all a play for money. I have been sewed up many a time, and merrily gone my way to heal up just fine. But this is 2009. This is today. The day of the super germ and massive infections so, they say, these procedures. I have a flash back to when "H" had hand surgery and ended up off work for months as he acquired a hospital staph infection.

"Just sew the thing up, already," I impatiently say.

It's not broken, they "think" after they read the xray. So they glue it shut.

During that time, we have been gone from home for seven hours looking for medical care, and then waiting in the clinic, so we are hungry. "H" has gone out for sushi and brings it back to clinic. Hey, pretty strange as we eat sushi in the doctor's office while people are coughing and hacking over our shoulders. Flu season is in full swing. I see an older couple that is requesting a vaccine, being turned away as the clinic does not have any flu vaccine.

Soooo - Finally, we leave, go to pick up grandson as youngest daughter is at doctor, herself. We go home, I prepare a salad for supper before obeying instructions to stay off foot. After supper, finally fall asleep, wake up at 1:30 a.m., and covering they put on foot is lost in bed, the tape splint has adhered to the wound and directions specifically state, DO NOT PUT TAPE OVER WOUND ADHESIVE. OK, now what.

At least I also got a prescription for the burns as they notice the arm and tell me the arm will soon start sloughing skin, and I should have a prescription for it. Ok, thank you, I tell them.

"H" takes me home, I am apologizing because I know he has little patience with anything to do with medical and we had planned a day of fun, not this. Especially a day that is wearing on into ten hours in traffic and clinics. He swears he's ok, but I notice he is getting grumpier and grumpier. It's his only day off this week. I am mad at myself again for not being perfect. Oi, far from it.

The sore places from the fall have healed. I just began to exercise again today. Now I am down again for three days. I will miss our drawing session tomorrow....

My Maggie (daughter) was rear-ended yesterday at a stop-light and they discovered several bulging discs in her neck. She is discouraged.

I just pray October gets over with soon.

Now, where are we from, REALLY?

My oldest daughter and I have a standing joke about me looking like a Pakistani woman when I was young, albiet a very tall one. She also has a long nose and olive skin. I was also a middle eastern man magnet, so figure. A few years back, I had a 5'4" Egyptian wanting me to meet him at Disneyworld. Go figure. Again. NOT.

Anyway, most recent text from daughter is humorous enough (to me) to post - so here it is - to make a long story short, she is going through some financial difficulties and has done a lot of phone calls for me, which stress me out way too much. I told her, "thank you, thank you sooooo much for taking care of me." "You can come live with me and help me."

Her reply: "My qualifications r running hot baths braiding hair cooking curry and providing redbox horror movies and speciality pushy calls to moronic people or companies."

I reply with a private joke over a recent ad in the paper for a combo nanny and office assistant that spoke two languages for $12.00 an hour: "PERFECT! Skills very much in need except we don't have much hair. " "But I am shooting for modified dreads because I'm tired of washing my hair." "Only I wish you could speak Swahili with a little bit of Urdu thrown in for good measure."

Hopefully you aren't looking at the letters blankly and thinking I'm really nuts this time.

Exhausted all day and in pain, tonight I'm HYPER! Woo hoooo. Popcorn and spooky movies all night!

Finished!

Had to take a break from sorting - oh my gosh - and more sorting and shredding. I even found my cholesterol results from 1999, LOL. I am determined to bring 5 files drawers down to 2.

Sooooo - I am very weary of all that paperwork. I shredded a huge job search file, and wouldn't you know it, the very next day I had need to go back and find some dates that were in it.

As a break, and because I promised to donate a drawing to a "Save the Brilliant Bean" auction, I finished three charcoals. I think I have about 7 paintings to finish, and a pastel painting of a pair of leopard shoes. Well, I'll do it. In process of converting study to studio, hooray.

Can't decide which drawing to donate. I think the apples. I goofed on Nevermore - a composition thing. And if I were to do "House Fire" (the one with the dog) over I would change composition on it too. This was done from a photo in the newspaper of a man whose house had burned down - he lost four of his five dogs, but was able to rescue this one.

Tonight a very small group of artists, including me, went together and hired a model, so we will be doing live drawing! Looking forward to it....

Think the flu is gone - busted, except for tiredness - oh, I am tired after three or four hours. Going to nap now.

Back to the Land of the Living

Have been a bit delinquent posting and commenting. Partially because of frustration with Blogger and partly because of being under the weather with the flu. The last three days, I've been up more and more. I'm the only person I know that would have the flu for three weeks and gain weight.

I know I'm better because instead of sleeping all the time, I am awake at night - the long sleeps felt really good, super good, and I have been leisurely sleeping through the night - and most of the days.

The cat is better and itching to go outside again. I'm trying to keep him in, but he is absolutely crazy when he can't go out.

This video is from the demo at the art party before the sick came back around and hit me second round a bit worse.

Getting excited - I'm going to work with a few other artists once a week - we all pitched in some $ to have a live artist's model contracted for a month or two.

Too much allergy inducing stuff in the air to do any yard work, even if I felt like it - but fall preparations are calling loudly, maybe soon.

Ah - the drowsiness approaches.....

Not much new - the weather has cooled down to between 75 and 85 degree centigrade.

Cleaning out the study to make it into a studio.....hope it isn't dragged out forever!!!!

How much does it cost to play shoot at the moon?

What could the leaders of the country possibly be thinking? Crashing into the moon to see if it has water when many U.S. States have 10% plus unemployment rates, when 42% of the world has decent drinking water, leaving the rest of the world to cope with water borne illnesses that are the major killers of people?

Are they going to ship clean water from the moon to undeveloped nations? Will this water cure sick people? Will we be able once again to put Halliburton to work in building a interspace water pipeline? In the meantime kids go without school books because there is no money to buy any. People here go hungry and go without medical care.

Does NASA employ 12 year old boys who have not had to live out on their own in the real world? Having a grandson this age, I realize bombing things like planets is part of play, but who is working at NASA? Who gives the ultimate ok to spend billions on something like this? I don't understand. I loved this quote from someone on the net, among hundreds of others, from people who are just shaking their heads and wondering how they will pay their tax bills come March 2010.

Well, never mind the quote, blogger won't post paste and copy material anymore - or else I suddenly had a blank place in my brain and can't retrieve how one performs the procedure.

Ah - here's a link - maybe that feature will perform tonight.....let's see...it's very tongue in cheek and funny. Sort of funny. If we weren't going without to pay for NASA's play time.

Update

Not much going on. Feeling a bit better, but have a way to go yet, so much fatigue - (sure now because of that, it is bronchitis) - so have to nap a lot. Lucky I can, yes?

Did start a project in the study - a convert to studio project. Candy Minx, you a worth a million, billion, gazillion dollars and more........

Kitty Kat much better!

I was going to load up a video - but Blogger takes forever even for a 2 minute video and sometimes is unable to complete it. So that's out - just a short update is all this is.

Fuzzy Troubles

Mr. Psycho, poor dear, looked up at me and I noticed an egg sized (large egg) swelling on the side of his face. That was Thursday, he had an appointment Friday and by then was really in bad shape. He was definitely in distress, pain, shaking his head and his leg. He had an abscess of unknown origin and had to have surgery for drainage and a shunt put in as well as a course of antibiotics.

Truthfully, I suspected Big Mama, aka Ms. Meowie of foul play. She is soooo bossy, pushing him around all the time - she could have bopped him. She guards my bedroom and won't let the poor boy in, although its odd, I think she knows he's a walking wounded and she let him in for a nap with me today. She often herds him away from the area where I feed them. I always make sure he gets to eat, he's a nice meaty 12 pound cat...so he's ok there. Multiple cat houses present their problems.

Anyway, he's home from vet and overnight stay, sleeping a lot, but also occasionally begging to go outside - silly boy.....NOT! The brats have been expensive this month - flea meds - and as soon as his infection is gone, they both need their vaccination updates. Silly me, I was just begging "H" to get me another Maine Coon, a rescued one - must have temporarily lost my mind.

"H" has gone up to see if he can give grandson some relief from "chores" and pressures and maybe we can take him to dinner.

I keep sleeping, sleeping, sleeping - I think my lungs are perceptibly better, now if sinuses will heal! I've tried the pot of steaming mustard water.....woo hoo - like inhaling sushi, wasabi fumes that is!

How nice! We can now size photos on blogspot. I just can't find the delete feature. I don't like the most recent "tweaking" of the program. Oh well, they didn't ask me anyway.

Saturday will be week two of this virus/whatever. I've been getting up with the sunrise, and living life in a series of naps. I have all kinds of engagements to be at this weekend, not sure if I'll make it to any, we'll see. Not only am I extremely low on energy, but the sinus infection portion of the illness lingers on. I do not want to make anyone else sick by going to events where there is close contact, food, etc.

This weird lifestyle is kind of fun, but at heart I'm a regular hours kind of person, so I suppose I will be switching back to 10 or 11 bedtime soon and arising around 6 or 7 a.m. in order to get something done in the day time.

The weather has tipped cool enough to go walking in the a.m. "H" is content to sleep until its time to go to work - so the plan is, as soon as I am well, to find some new, safe, walking paths and enjoy the sunrise with or without a companion. I hate exercise, but then when I can't do it, I long to get back to it. At these times I wish I had a dog that was protective. Recently, at any time, a protective dog would have been nice.

The times are gone when I will go to isolated areas by myself. This is not a walking conducive town - many people get run over and killed here - just walking and minding their own business.

I was surprised - even a "backward" state like Wyoming seems to have lots of walking paths placed in pretty areas - there is a new gym around the corner - but expensive. The economical one is across town so have to add gas to a membership. I resist giving someone access to my bank account for "monthly" fees - been there and done that and these deals are just about impossible to get out of. I think I need to invent some ideas that would make the elliptical less boring. It's safe, dry, maximum output for time invested - but yes, boring. And, after the huge, muggy summer, I crave fresh air. Would love to open wide the windows and let fresh air in.

One window is covered in a mass of rotting vegetation. I keep wanting to go pull the vines down but thinking a lot of fungus in the sinus and lungs right now is probably not a good idea.....everything needs its fall fertilization, the lawn, the palms, the trees. I need to do stuff that includes inhaling puffs of "stuff" into my lungs. My 83 year old mother that had the recent hip operation is out digging, pulling, preparing for winter - I can't fathom 35 degree weather yet, but know it happening! I wish I had her constitution. She's rarely ill. She's still convinced that death is imminently close - go figure.

I had better get moving, cleaned up, etc....art lessons, trip to vet, to store for still life materials - make art area presentable.....find cat cage......gallery show tonight. I miss grandson something awful - - perhaps he'll be able to come for short visit tomorrow - will have snacks ready -

I think I will go up to the store and get some pumpkins and maybe corn - have someone coming for art lessons - would make a great still life for charcoal. Probably shouldn't be inhaling that either - don't know whether to call the doctor again for another antibiotic or just let it wear itself out. Its obviously a penicillin resistant bacteria, if indeed its a bacteria. My doctor prescribes through messages sent to his office help. Oh, I forgot - Psycho's baseball growth is back on the side of his face - I will try to get him to vet this today - I have to! I wonder maybe if she would check my sinuses? If he is getting abscesses from Big Mama bopping him, I have a bigger problem.

Notices she's getting even overprotective of my bed - she was trying to butt "H" out last night! Just got rid of a freak who wants to run my house - now a cat? Do I look like a "pansy?" A pushover? Don't answer that.

Explaining the Need for Armor

What is this, you ask? Well, there is a story behind it. I am a walking accident waiting to happen. I fall down, I bruise myself, I cut myself, I burn myself, also sometimes say things that set people off (not meaning too - I crave peace!) - in other words, full blown clutz-ness is my lot. I would rather project an image of timeless, beautiful grace, but.....

"H" does not allow me to have sharp knives. I would be frustrated with all my knives - so dull - except, well, being an independent woman, I purchased a sharp, super sharp serrated knife, AND a super knife sharpener and went to town sharpening all my knives to razor sharp beautiful cutting tools. Yep, did it - a serrated knife cut hurts worse than a regular knife cut I believe. So "H" bought me a coat of armor - for my hand.

Grandson gets upset if I pluck my eyebrows at a stop light - he is sure someone will rear end me and I will put my eye out. Or pluck it out.

This week has been incredibly hard - emotionally and physically. I had an allergic reaction which went to bronchitis and sinus infection. I have been laid up in bed. But first, I fell - big time - went downtown after dark to health food store to get grandson snacks for weekend and parked on a four lane traffic street. Getting back in my car, down I went in the traffic lane. I could not get up. My legs would not work. Somewhat concerned that I might get run over, I told grandson to wave my cell phone around (with the light on in it) but DO NOT get in the traffic. Poor child was petrified. Finally was able to drag self around to front of car and eventually get up. Lesson learned - do not park on the street after dark, especially the busy street. A few days later a 70 year old woman was struck only about 1/2 a block from there, and dragged for a while - they don't know if she's going to make it. I was very depressed about getting old, and thinking oh dear, I need to get THE back surgery, until I remembered that I have fallen for no reason since I've been in my twenties.

And I was scared, that I would be considered unfit to care for grandson if I was the sort of person to be crawling in traffic after dark.

Same weekend, the insane ex-son-in-law got in my face badly, when I told him he only had an hour with grandson (supervised visitation in place and I've been made the family warden). It turned into a HUGE family fight with me being the bad evil person. I have finally reached the end of the rope with this character - he will no longer bring BB guns to play with all the kids in my yard, (there have been three major screaming fights over his "right" to play with tasers, numbchucks, and ninja steel sharp discs with grandson and the neighbor kids). It is not his "right" to bear arms on my property.

I made it clear to my family that my intent has been to protect my grandson. And while he is in my care, I will do that, but weirdo will no longer yell and scream when he doesn't get his way (esp. in front of grandson) on my property or within 100 feet of me, or ever come in my house again. He shoved me over the BB gun argument. I should have called the law - I didn't want grandson to see him hauled off to jail - that is the only thing that held me back. Perhaps that was a bad example and subtly said to grandson that such actions are ok. He really should not be seeing grandson but that is not my decision to make, I am powerless and have often put myself in bad situations to keep him from being alone with this weirdo. Hindsight is always better than forsight. I have feared that if left to someone else the visitation restrictions would not be heeded, but I have been deluded in thinking I have any control over that anyway.

What I could not figure out, is how suddenly, in the family dynamics, I became the perpetrator, ex-son-in-law the victim, and the little boy, the liar. I have been one mad grandma - there is only one thing more scary than a mom protecting her kid, and that is a grandma protecting her grandson. I love all those grandkids sooooo much.

Caused a big frou frou fight with "H" - after five days, we finally began talking. I always want things handled NOW and he, besides, not liking confrontation, is a slower more logical thinker than I - which is probably a good thing. Thing is the confrontation of the weekend happened again in front of grandson with two men standing right there when it happened and no one called wierdo SIL on it, they stood there and let him threaten to kidnap my grandson, in front of my grandson.

Why do I share something so personal? Because chances are I'm not the only one facing such crazy problems in my life. I share partially to make some sense of something senseless. To garner support which always has been a blessing from my blogger friends - not only support, but many speak the truth to me if I'm wrong. Because when these things happen I feel very alone. And because I need to know I'm not crazy. No, really I know I'm not crazy, but affirmation is always helpful. I share because I'm not good at secrets. Damn secrets are killers of the heart.
Anyway, so its been a really really rough week - all that stuff together. It will be better soon. My faith helps.

Well, going to take my coughing self up to the corner, buy a supply of bananas for shakes, try not to fall down, and come back home to lie down and to read some more.

My group of friends is gathering for our quarterly "slumber" paintathon party this next weekend - our theme since all kinds of stuff has been going on (always happens around Halloween - crazy stuff seems to grow out of nowhere) is of battle - that of warrior women. We'll wear fatigues, boots, black t shirts and be fierce of spirit. We're mama lions. We would all die in a moment for family. Our stories bond us together. Hope I'll be well enough to join in. We will have young women, old women, nursing moms with newborns, pregnant moms, ready to birth women, all beautiful, honest, open women, beautiful to the core. Even with our foibles, our mistakes, our eccentricities, our constant striving to do right and take care of our families and our friends.

I purloined the following Battle Cries:

Self Portrait Pieces

Have Tent, will Travel

Certainly the mideast mindset is different from the western mindset. Adminijab (Iran) wants to buy uranium from us. Duh - why don't we just sell him a bunch?

Being down sick in bed with some sort of virus, the TV drones on because I am lonely and I drift into the United Nations Assembly and a 90 some minute ramble from Gaddafi, (Libya) dubbed by the press as "Daffy." Besides wanting to do away with time zones and move the meetings of the UN because where they currently meet could be hit by terrorists, he had personal troubles locating a good spot for his tent. Central Park was out, much to his chagrin - guess America is just not a good host country for tent dwellers. What have we come to? I'm wondering if his tent was too big for an RV ground.

He called Obama his "son" even though Obama and more than half the assembly, including our President left before or during his ramblings.

He blasted the UN and Europe. He asked for a couple of Trillion bucks for reparations for Africa, praising Italy for already paying their share. Like we really have two cents in our coffers to hand over to him.

All in all, I thought he used the podium to list all his grievances down to time zones and his ramblings sort of obscured anything constructive (if anything) that he wanted to get across. But then, humble housewife in the U.S., what do I know?

I do not agree with all of our policies, but I am sure thankful I live here, and not in Libya or anywhere in the middle east! I am not sorry to see him pick up his tent, where ever he was finally able to pitch it and go home. When he said the UN was prime target for terrorists, I wondered what he knew that the rest of us don't?

For some reason, despite playing with paragraphs, Blogspot does not want to delineate them for me....makes a harder read.

"Nevermore" quothe the Raven

Found this little fella at the dollar store - just too droll to resist. When I wake up for a 2:00 a.m. coffee, there he is. I almost expect him to smile with his little beak and mutter, "Nevermore!" I like tucking crazy little things around the house to make myself smile.

This humidity is just about to get to be too much - Saturday's am adventure at Grand Lagoon left me with either the flu, bronchitis or really bad allergies. No fever, thank goodness. Foolishly went on a spree of trying to eliminate dust from book shelves in the bedroom and all I did I think was to stir up the dust something fierce - even my high powered air cleaner that I keep in the room couldn't handle it all.

Hope I'm well for art demo by Sunday - should be. I'm up to 3,000 mg of Vit C a day. Woo hoo!

Have outside vines to handle that have grown up the side of the house and obliterated a window - I'm tired of no light in that room, but saving that for after art gathering in case the mold added to the dust and humidity shuts down the breathing mechanisms.

Weird year here - bugs ate EVERYTHING practically, what they didn't eat - the early hot summer did it in. I haven't seen the armadillo for a while, I'm afraid the neighbor trapped him. I was getting fond of the little fella - he was really after the bugs, slugs, and crawling things.

Psycho was bitten by something and his face swelled on one side quite badly making him look like a freak cat, I hate it when they get sick and their inner eyelids stay shut - they look quite possessed - more than usual that is - I doctored him and bathed him, flea treated him, gave him extra vitamins and special foods and prebiotics and kept him in for several days now he's back out again, and I see skin problems arising again - so I will have to put up with his crazy running and jumping trying to get out so he won't get sick again.

Trying to figure out the contradictory information in regard to Social Security, Medicare, etc., etc. What a maze. I have called "H's" insurance twice and received two different answers on how they handle coordination - I will try to finish that up when offices open up this morning.

So, everyone - have a great Tuesday!

New Bag

A bag I found for my daughter in Wyoming - I kind of like the tattoo with the fringe thing.....

Beloved Gulf Shore

The foreground is white sand - a bit darker than the usual sparkle, but it had been raining off and on.

The dunes were not as spectacular as they were before the 'cane of five years ago (to the day when these photos were shot, I believe) but they are still beautiful

Don't know what was on the minds of these little guys, but they seemed to be in a trance as they stared out into the world of water and sky.

This is a "barrier" island, not an island really, but an attachment to land, land which is mostly separated from the mainland by water. Condo after condo lined the "island" but there was a wonderful wild place that had been left undeveloped.

I so love our beautiful shore down here - the mood is always different. Wednesday, we drove down the beach road to an area I haven't visited since the big 'cane of five years ago. We eventually ran into rain, but after we had enjoyed a laid back period of time. I loved the overcast photos of the beach.

Has anyone been having trouble with blogspot? I am unable to add in Utube, cut or paste is non-functional, it's just quirky lately I think. Hoping it is not my computer.

National Treasure

Yesterday finished up watching the interviews with Whitney Houston by Oprah. The interviews were honest, at times uncomfortable, uplifting, tear jerking, and....I've ran out of words. In my book, completely worth watching.

Oprah several times said that Whitney's voice was/is a "National Treasure." As if it didn't belong only to her. And maybe it didn't. Doesn't. When someone is gifted in that manner, then does a burden or obligation exist to share it with the world? I think it does because that person will never be completely whole if that "creating factor" within them is not producing. And we will never be whole when that magic creative energy is missing from life. Creativity can be a heavy burden, witnessed by the death of so many talented musicians and artists.

Maybe its wishful thinking, I hope not, but I feel an energy, a realization that no part of a person should ever be diminished to make another look larger, a growth, an explosion, a "Big Bang" has happened and a new universe is created for Whitney Houston.

When Whitney quit the music scene, she quit. She explains those years in her interviews. For anyone who has ever been in an abusive relationship or lost in a fog of drugs and for those who haven't, but have wanted to give up, or anyone who has ever liked her music, she is an inspiration and a true Phoenix arising, a gift returned to us. The interviews left me down, but ultimately up. And really happy that she is "back!"

I was never a huge fan of Whitney - she was (is) tremendously talented and I did (and do) think she had one of the most powerful voices I ever heard. Now - well, now, she has a depth added to that beautiful voice that makes her, in my book, a number one "soul sister." Her new CD I think might be part of a spiritual cleansing for her, and a putting away and putting in order of the last seven or eight years of hell and we're going to see a star - and I mean a bright, celestial powerhouse of light back in our musical scene.

Today H" gave me the CD she recently made - and despite a beat I found distracting, reminiscent of a disco beat - please, someone tell me I'm wrong, her singing, the lyrics, her delivery, the power of HER - makes this CD something I will listen to fairly often. And, most of all - Welcome Back to a beautiful strong woman, full of love and magic and beauty!

The French President's Wife

I've become fascinated with Carla Bruni after seeing a special about her on Sundance channel. She is quite a talented singer and seems to be a really well grounded woman. I know her husband, Nicolas Sarkozy, is not too popular for reasons unknown to me. But he has good taste in women. Most of the time Carla is pretty much without makeup and working hard in her studio when she isn't out being "The President's Wife."

She's endured, or perhaps enjoyed all the talk and spin surrounding her. Who knows. But what a woman . . . this one will bear watching.....someone with the class of a Jackie Kennedy with whom she has been compared.

I have no sound on this desk top computer, but it does not matter

Need I say anything? Anything at all? (Doc Lovely has many talents, painting, resculpting humans, piano, singing, poetry, writing)

Should We Let the President of the U.S. Into the School Room?

Obama's Speech Banned from Florida Schools - further news has come out - I guess Obama is not only speaking to college students but has also a scheduled live broadcast to students in elementary schools.

What a furor is going on in Florida over school children viewing this speech in the schools. The furor is further splitting our populace into those who are afraid of exposing their children to the President of the United States on one hand, and those who are sure that banning a live speech from the President in the schools to be nothing less or more than racism alive and well and politics AGAIN! At the worst, there are even people who are saying that we will end up in the ovens as in Nazi Germany!

A comment was made that government should stay out of school. Well, then should we close down "public tax payer funded schools" and move everyone over to private schools?

No one seems to know what the 18 minute speech contains, other than encouragement to stay in school and to work hard for an education.

The following is from The Orlando Sentinel -

Barack Obama's school speech: Pundits lambaste furor as stupid

Pundits this morning weren't showing a lot of sympathy for critics of President Barack Obama's address to schoolchildren this week.

"We live in the age of firestorms," Thomas Friedman of The New York Times said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

The president will talk to children about the importance of staying in school and working hard. Friedman didn't look kindly on people who don't want to hear that message. Friedman said: "What it [the controversy] needs is for people to stand up and say, 'That's flat-out stupid.'"

What do you say to that?

On the same program, former NBC anchor Tom Brokaw described the controversy as "stunning."

"It's so ripe for satire, it's unbelievable," Brokaw added. He called Obama's message appropriate and said the president exemplified working hard and overcoming adversity.


Even Rudolph Giuliani, the Republican former mayor of New York, said the controversy was "unfortunate."

"There's a lack of respect for presidents," Giuliani told "Meet the Press."

On ABC's "This Week," former George W. Bush strategist Matthew Dowd seemed stunned as well that presidents can't speak to schoolchildren about staying in school. "If he can't give a speech like that to the schoolchildren... without people freaking out, that's the problem we have today," Dowd said.


Also on "This Week," Katrina vanden Heuvel noted that Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush had given similar speeches and that education is a critical job for the federal government. She blamed the right-wing media for fanning the controversy. David Sanger of The New York Times said the furor had less to do with what Obama was going to say and more to do with what some parents think of the president as a leader.


George Will, however, was the rare pundit who faulted the White House in this furor. He said it's not the federal government's job to raise children and blasted the administration's approach to public relations. The president is ubiquitous in the media, Will said, and has become like elevator music.

On CBS' "Face the Nation," Secretary of Education Arne Duncan wondered why it had been 18 years since a president had addressed schoolchildren. Duncan said listening to the speech was "purely voluntary" and it was "just silly" that some parents were keeping their children home Tuesday.

"It's just going to be an 18-minute speech," Duncan told Bob Schieffer. "And so that just doesn't make any sense."

The speech will not be canceled, Duncan added.

The Fox channel reports were very much different, rather extreme right wing for a news agency, appearing to reflect more of a tone of a talk show than a news channel.

I will remember this when it is time to vote: Escambia and Santa Rosa County School Superintendents have decided that Obama's message won't be played live at school but they might decide the speech will only be taped and played back should it "fit into a classroom lesson".

In Santa Rosa's case, this could be backlash for the Civil Liberty Union's successful coupe in banning prayer from the public schools. Or it could be blatant racism which is very alive and well down here. And, as well, probably is also the roaring fear loosed by the political wars between Republicans and Democrats.

My personal opinon? Again, I'm embarrassed. I love Florida. I am ashamed of the attitudes of some of the Floridians. Perhaps if the President would just pop into the schools and read a fairy tale or two, he would be more welcome. With a paler face. Grrrrrrrr. A few days ago, I posted in Facebook a statement of admiration for Michelle's beauty and the controversy over her hair styles. (of all things) And a VERY racist comment was made - it shocked me. I deleted it quickly and decided not to post anything remotely political on Facebook ANYMORE. Especially hair styles. I guess I expect change too quickly, I remember in my life time when people who weren't "white" could not drink out of the same fountain, eat in the same restaurant, etc., etc.

Next, I'm going to post my granddaughter's poem. It's a lament, really. Next post.

Happy Labor Day

THE ORIGINS OF LABOR DAY

This was interesting - some things I didn't know:

The observance of Labor Day began over 100 years ago. Conceived by America's labor unions as a testament to their cause, the legislation sanctioning the holiday was shepherded through Congress amid labor unrest and signed by President Grover Cleveland as a reluctant election-year compromise. Read about the turbulent circumstances of Labor Day's birth, browse NewsHour segments on labor and the economy, and explore labor-related resources on the Internet.


Pullman, Illinois was a company town, founded in 1880 by George Pullman, president of the railroad sleeping car company. Pullman designed and built the town to stand as a utopian workers' community insulated from the moral (and political) seductions of nearby Chicago.

The town was strictly, almost feudally, organized: row houses for the assembly and craft workers; modest Victorians for the managers; and a luxurious hotel where Pullman himself lived and where visiting customers, suppliers, and salesman would lodge while in town.

Its residents all worked for the Pullman company, their paychecks drawn from Pullman bank, and their rent, set by Pullman, deducted automatically from their weekly paychecks. The town, and the company, operated smoothly and successfully for more than a decade.

But in 1893, the Pullman company was caught in the nationwide economic depression. Orders for railroad sleeping cars declined, and George Pullman was forced to lay off hundreds of employees. Those who remained endured wage cuts, even while rents in Pullman remained consistent. Take-home paychecks plummeted.

And so the employees walked out, demanding lower rents and higher pay. The American Railway Union, led by a young Eugene V. Debs, came to the cause of the striking workers, and railroad workers across the nation boycotted trains carrying Pullman cars. Rioting, pillaging, and burning of railroad cars soon ensued; mobs of non-union workers joined in.

The strike instantly became a national issue. President Grover Cleveland, faced with nervous railroad executives and interrupted mail trains, declared the strike a federal crime and deployed 12,000 troops to break the strike. Violence erupted, and two men were killed when U.S. deputy marshals fired on protesters in Kensington, near Chicago, but the strike was doomed.

On August 3, 1894, the strike was declared over. Debs went to prison, his ARU was disbanded, and Pullman employees henceforth signed a pledge that they would never again unionize. Aside from the already existing American Federation of Labor and the various railroad brotherhoods, industrial workers' unions were effectively stamped out and remained so until the Great Depression.

It was not the last time Debs would find himself behind bars, either. Campaigning from his jail cell, Debs would later win almost a million votes for the Socialist ticket in the 1920 presidential race.

In an attempt to appease the nation's workers,
Labor Day is born -

The movement for a national Labor Day had been growing for some time. In September 1892, union workers in New York City took an unpaid day off and marched around Union Square in support of the holiday. But now, protests against President Cleveland's harsh methods made the appeasement of the nation's workers a top political priority. In the immediate wake of the strike, legislation was rushed unanimously through both houses of Congress, and the bill arrived on President Cleveland's desk just six days after his troops had broken the Pullman strike.

1894 was an election year. President Cleveland seized the chance at conciliation, and Labor Day was born. He was not reelected.

In 1898, Samuel Gompers, head of the American Federation of Labor, called it "the day for which the toilers in past centuries looked forward, when their rights and their wrongs would be discussed...that the workers of our day may not only lay down their tools of labor for a holiday, but upon which they may touch shoulders in marching phalanx and feel the stronger for it."

Labor Day: a good-bye to summer
Almost a century since Gompers spoke those words, though, Labor Day is seen as the last long weekend of summer rather than a day for political organizing. In 1995, less than 15 percent of American workers belonged to unions, down from a high in the 1950's of nearly 50 percent, though nearly all have benefited from the victories of the Labor movement.

And everyone who can takes a vacation on the first Monday of September. Friends and families gather, and clog the highways, and the picnic grounds, and their own backyards -- and bid farewell to summer.

Hope you are having a happy farewell to summer -
We worked all day around the house, except for a trip to the Bagel place for breakfast. "H" is going to daughter's house to watch ballgames since we only have 24 channels now. Which has worked out fine until football! Grass is mowed, I've come closer to conquering the weeds in the front - another batch of Ratatouille sits on the stove - I'm craving it. Weird, yeah.

Family in Mobile have a severe case of the flu. We have a lot of fear about the Swine Flu - I'm not getting shots this year though. I was over there - I'm hoping my 2,000 units of Vitamin C and and other supplements keep me well...so far our city has not had a lot of trouble with flu. I'm watching an infomercial about Jack LaLanne's Power Juicer - I want one......

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Headlines - should Obama have been allowed to talk to college students? I knew it - there is truly a dumbing down going on in the U.S. Since when did college age students not have the capacity to make up their own minds about issues or think for themselves? They are flying fighter planes, leading in war, many are working, living in their own places, raising families, participating in the community....WHAAA?

By proxy, I would like to apologize to college students for those who don't think YOU can think.

Cat n Woodstock

Ah, the sensuous abandonment of a queen size kittie rolling with abandon in the sun, on warm cement. She looks like something other than a kittie, but I can't think of what!



Just returned from seeing the new film about Woodstock - it was really great (but maybe that was because my early twenties were my traveling times through that era). The movie was flashback for me and made me so nostalgic - starts a little slow, but I think all in all, once it got rolling - it was wonderful.