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.

She's In A Skirt!

Another week has zipped by! I keep thinking I'm getting energy back, but it leaves quickly. We went to a party at Hattigrace's last night, there were two birthdays to celebrate, Hattigrace's beautiful daughter, Eliana and our beautiful steadfast Amanda - oh I wish I were as young as they are, only knowing what I know now! By the way, this is one of the rare times anyone has seen me in a skirt!

We had a great time. Many years ago I used to cook from the "Fit for Life" cookbook. For last night, I resurrected a "Mediterranean Salad." It was so refreshing and I'm getting ready to make a second go around of it for supper tonight. "H" is sleeping soundly in his pre-bed time nap mode. It is dark (AGAIN!) and rainy. The kind of day one wants to put on "Rainy Night in Georgia" music, sip something good, and read a great book.

Oh, ick, September in Pensacola. We have a cold front coming - clear down to 76 centigrade next week - I'm not yet ready to give up summer tan. Miss Meowi sleeps quietly next to me - she's always next to me anymore, and Psycho too must be sleeping somewhere. Maybe that is not too bad of an idea.

Our next party is going to be a circus party to celebrate a friend's birthday. We are supposed to be in costume. I'm thinking maybe we'll go as zebras.....????? Any better ideas? I would like to do something from the circus era of the 40's or early 50's before side shows were banished - although I am certainly not a proponent of side shows - but it was an era.....I can still twist my arms to their opposite positions and turn one foot backwards......if my feet would tolerate 5 inch heals I would LOVE to go as The Tall Lady!

Next Sunday night we are having an art gathering....do I ever quit playing? No, I play hard, work hard, think hard, and then collapse! Live life with gusto I say!

Legendary War between CIA and FBI

Under any circumstances torture is not acceptable - and is against Geneva Conventions and UN regulations as well - but this little excerpt made me realize that Washington can turn ANYTHING into politics -

Also today, the Obama White House created a new unit that will report to FBI Director Robert Mueller and follow the Army's policies that prohibit waterboarding, effectively removing the CIA from the al Qaeda interrogation business. Mueller and his agents were the first and strongest internal objectors to the CIA's interrogation tactics.

So, one can conclude the legendary war between the CIA and FBI has been playing a part in all this stuff going on about US treatment of war prisoners....the FBI has apparently pulled off a grab that it has long desired! That's not all that needs to be addressed obviously, but . . . .

I wonder if this will only affect operations against al Qaeda? Or is it another power grab of FBI. FBI has an interesting history . . . . Hmmmmm.......

Great Saturday!

First, Saturday started with shopping at the Farmers Market, gathering up tomatoes and eggplants, then for bagels and muffins at a shop overlooking the Gulf. Huge, soft bagels - !!!!


Then a tour through the historic part of town, with a vow to walk it on another Saturday.


My friend and an art teacher as well has new studio space in the historic district and is doing some marvelous things with encaustic. Oh, I wish for a go at the lush medium!


More encaustics


Courtyard in historic area of town, next to studio.

Was a great day. Then I tried water aerobics at a party Sat. night that had various health modules, and today I have hardly been able to walk. :( Hope to pull out of this soon! Do not twist your back, even under water, if you have disc problems!

A friend at the party wanted to know if my husband minded me leaving him for a fun night and I said, no, honey, I left him with a nude charcoal drawing of himself and left him, a very happy man.....yeh, it was a good Saturday.

Still cooking...

Yum, "h" brought home some fish - grouper, mahi mahi and flounder. It was all exquisite in its own way. I used cajun seasoning, but I think that went best with the grouper. I would maybe in the future do something clean and citrusy with the mahi mahi - and teh flounder would use herbs maybe. But it was delicious anyway. This week I'm eating black beans at least once a day. And lots of salad.

Tonight fixed "H" sandwiches on toasted thick buns, with grilled vegetable - tomatoes, avocado, onions, basil drilled with olive oil....he said they were incredible.

When will this cooking binge end? Went to Farmers Market today - was disappointed. Got some good egglplant, but tomatoes too expensive and not organic. But it was nice strolling through the park.

Thoughts from the Swampland

Ninety percent humidity and temperature. So go our days now, probably until the end of September. But its not long till then. Everything feels like the swamp. Its been a weird and short summer, partially due to me being in Wyoming for a month - and it wasn't really summer there - it was sort of like a crisp fall in the mornings and the nights.

I'm sorting - our garage - well the piles have gone from "I can't see over the tops of the junk" to being able to see across to the door. I am making room to stack MORE boxes for a garage sale. Grandson has happily been sorting in anticipation of a sale. Sadly school is starting Monday. My heart is concerned for him - he goes from secure grade school to middle school, changing classes, concerns over bathrooms, new rules, many more kids, unknown teachers - he's a worrier like me. I pray for him. He spent a week with me - we were able to see a couple of movies and he played with his friends in our neighborhood before going back to his parents. We had a good time. He also sorted his toys and put some in boxes for garage sale.

So, I started on the study and will go on that one room till finished, then move on to next room. It seems like I have come to an end of sorting endless bowls, drawers, boxes of trinkets and junks and more junks except paperwork. I think it will be the most difficult as there are so many papers to shred in order to make more room. And I need to empty some shelves in grandson's bedroom to move the lego creations to his shelves. I need to empty a filing cabinent to make room for the water business stuff. It seems endless in there.

In true ADD fashion, I've been making headway in all rooms for two years now, never finishing one. A friend suggested I work on one until done! I don't understand why it is taking me forever. This project was started two years ago after my return from Wyoming. But then, considering the shape the house was in, I kind of understand. Stuff crammed everywhere! Two families in one space. And my stamina lasts about 3 - 4 hours for a day, no stamina first year back, spending the first year as a cripple. I lifted mucho boxes in garage the other day - as "H" was spinning wheels, and expected to be laid out flat - and I'm not in much pain, hooray!

I am at a loss about what to do with all of "H's" books. Our house is too small for endless book collection. Which is sad because he loves books so - I am to the point that my love of serenity and order is more important than collecting books - I would rather use the library, and keep a few that I think I might read again, and my art books only. Our bookcases are falling down rickety being double and triple stacked but really sturdy ones cost a mint, if they even make them anymore. I will google.

Neighbor said he would lay the tiles if we wish to get some ceramic tiles. Our carpet is worn out - I think I would rather have laminate, but I have seen some tiles to drool over. We'll see. In this economy its hard to overcome the fear of spending for more than necessities.

Well, this post is a late night, can't sleep (again), ramble.

I've sold all I can, planted all I can in Farm Town.

I LONG for the day I can't just be done with clutter and then paint! I have so many ideas, so many sketches ready.

I Love Food and I Love to Cook

My mother hated cooking and turned the job over to me when I turned 12. The ingredients provided to me were canned, potatoes and meat, usually steak tough and filled with "gristle" which young jaws could not chew. I knew there was MORE - I ventured into baking - one time hiding a failed sponge cake with much fright thinking of the dozen eggs I had used for the doomed project. But pursue I did. I love the colors of cooking, of fresh fruits and vegetables, the tactile creation, the aromas, the tasting for that last bit of perfection. "H" wished for stuffed peppers - he bought home buffalo burger and the peppers. The fun began....

I was taking far too much sensual pleasure in the ultra sharp new knife I have acquired, the nutty smell of the brown rice cooking.....


The finis!

One to son-in-law, one to grandson, three to "H" and the pleasure of creation and a couple of tastes for me!

Home Sweet Home

Finally made it back home. Twelve hours of flying and changing planes. Today I unpacked most of my things. My cell phone had died out there and the replacement Verizon sent was a dud, the next replacement arrived this morning so I took it over to the office and got it setup partially. I have to go back again tomorrow to finish. Then took Grandson to lunch and to a movie, then to Walmart because someone had cleaned the fridge and there was no food. Which was probably good the mysterious cleaner came by because the food probably had rotted.

Our air conditioning had been shut off by "H" so the house smelled like mold, my plants, herbs, and garden were 90% dead, and out of five houseplants, one was still living. I think my letters/bills weren't mailed as I have messages from credit card companies to answer tomorrow. I went through everything today - and its the usual pain in the butt stuff for bills - the orthopedist bill keeps growing although I quit going to him in favor of Tumeric and MSM supplements which work better and even though the insurance company has made two sizeable payments to the bill. Its always something! My gosh - Wyoming is even a communication devoid land along with everything else and leaving anything for someone else to take care of is foolish.

The cats are a nice quiet change from boisterous dogs which I miss, and much less work - except I learned yesterday to never feed a puddy tat butterscotch pudding - had big messes to clean up this morning before pulling all the dead plants and many weeds filling half a big garbage container.

My mother seemed to be doing well - she had jumped into her pickup and took her BF to his physical therapy appointment the day before I left. I then took her to her post surgical appointment. Everything looked good and she doesn't even hardly use a cane. We did a LOT of work, my sister and I, before I left. I think she'll be fine if she doesn't fall. She is in much less pain than before surgery, there will be a couple of months with luck before snow sets in. Glad its done.

I need a bit of time to recuperate - my back is hurting fiercely and I'm completely exhausted. "H" is a bit frustrated with me, but I think as soon as I get some proper rest and try not to use my back much, I will get back to good function again.

Back Home

Twelve hours of flying and switching planes (today) - watching my mother standing at her "picture" window with the three dogs as I leave the driveway - relieved to be going home, sad I'm not around there more - it was a difficult trip even though the surgery went extremely well. One thing I will say for my mother, she was always ageless. Until the past few years, especially from last year's visit to this year's. I did not like the confusion, the anger, and all the other things that are going on. Having elderly is like having kids, you have to let them make choices, in the case of the elderly, if they are at least functioning at a level that they aren't officially incapacitated. You can't "ground" them. It's worse if they seem to be fluctuating between fairly well and borderling incapacitated.

I just need to get some rest, get my routine established again. I have almost nothing left in flower/vegetable bed but weeds and a few tough flowers. Two thirds of my house plants are dead. Oh well. Too tired tonight to even feel ad about it. Grandson perched here again - his school starts way too soon.

My cell phone has been defunct for at least four days - maybe five. When i get this fixed, I hope this fuzz will be out of my head and I hope by Friday to be able to catch up with everyone! I don't know if this makes sense, I'm too tired.

Dog Days

Anyone who wants to laugh, may. If there were no possibilities of humor in my misadventures, then I would be jumping off the side of the mountain.

Two more days till my sister comes. The moods have improved some - but wow - not enough. I do still have concerns about her staying by herself considering the layout of the house and everything - esp. the dog care. A 2,000 mile spread is pretty far away if she needs help. So far efforts to set up some sort of services have met with scorn and continued griping about how "no one ever helps" and "why does this always happen to me" - not being able to see that house upkeep comes with a house, the operations come with life, that at 83, she actually has a better consitution than I do. I have been freaking not being able to wash my food like a racoon with my special water - and the hygiene at the house, taking every capsule I can think of to keep my immunity functioning.

Going on a road trip Friday noon to Sat. noon - picture taking - filming perhaps - much needed break. I'm well aware that whatever I leave behind temporarily will be snooped through thoroughly - I thinks I will put a mouse trap in one of the compartments of my suitcase.....

I have done my own snooping with permission through the drawers in the dresser in the bedroom I sleep in - its been very very hard - she wanted me to empty my son's dresser in the garage and I opened the first drawer and was overwhelmed with the desire to fold his things neatly and tenderly - and immediately closed it before I became overwhelmed with grief I can't afford to deal with right now. I found an old packet of letters I sent her from Baltimore many many years ago - probably around 1966 - I will have to publish excerpts - will do - much pathos, but many laughs in them too....at the absurdity of life situations.

Well, my grocery basket is looking at me - I should check out - just not ready to go back to the house yet....