A Good Time

Well, my sister left on the airplane today. We had fun and we talked, talked, talked, talked and talked. Didn't do as much as we wanted to - wanted to drive down the coast across Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana. We didn't make it. My stamina loss makes me angry and frustrated. I wish she could have stayed a month and so we could have done more.

We did a lot though. Just about single-handedly, she finished my flower garden in two evenings. We planted a trumpet bush (the yellow flower). I love it! The pinkish red flowers are "Shrimp" flowers. We bought some blue flowered bushes also. All of these can be propagated to make more. Hopefully next spring the day lillies will thrive as well and I can double the flowers in the planted area and it will become lush. ALL weeds are gone. The compost is spread and pine straw placed on top to keep in the moisture and protect the plants. Looking out my kitchen window and seeing the garden finally finished (here it is fall already) makes me smile!

One morning we sat in the back drinking our coffee and watched the damselflies and dragonflies doing their dances. The "love bugs" are out - once a year the air fills with little love crazy black and orange bugs flying about two by two.

We would forget to eat until one of us felt yucky. Then we'd have something freshly grown from the market. Or oysters. Or catfish. Or cheese grits. She rode with me as I made my medical appointments. We watched "Labyrinth." We drank wine. I miss her so much already.

A Great Internet Quiz!

You're The Guns of August!

by Barbara Tuchman

Though you're interested in war, what you really want to know is what
causes war. You're out to expose imperialism, militarism, and nationalism for what they
really are. Nevertheless, you're always living in the past and have a hard time dealing
with what's going on today. You're also far more focused on Europe than anywhere else in
the world. A fitting motto for you might be "Guns do kill, but so can
diplomats."


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Is this really me?

Introducing............

My sister now has her blog set up. Everyone is invited to visit.

She is Dirt Road Blues 2.

The Week Up to Now

Received a wonderful package from candyminx - collaged postcards which are all mini pieces of art. Each one as I look at it forms into meaning for me. What wonderful fun. I finally part with one of them for my sister, who is also gazing at them absorbing the meanings she finds in them. There was also a wonderful 'Zine that was art as well.

Weather hot and humid. She wants to drive deep into Louisiana. ("H" walked in just now to inform me that there was a hurricane there yesterday.) Anyway, I'm finding my fragile points in stamina as I want to stay up talking about everything into the wee hours of the night and do everything so she can enjoy the area. We would like to drive the coast all the way over.

She is getting my Maine Coon to eat - he's too skinny. It's a shy breed. The others run and gobble - he stands aloof waiting for the others to eat so he can eat undisturbed. The only thing is the greedy little creatures will follow him from bowl to bowl thinking the food is better in the other dishes. I told her he didn't like people food. I was wrong - he likes people food fed to him with people hands. Oh la, Prima Dona Cattuh.

We went to an Irish Pub and had the hugest best flavored hamburgers ever. Today will run some paintings out to a business owner who asked that I bring some buy. A sale? That would be encouraging. I'm hoping I can pick the best ones out and am feeling amatuerish for not having a stock of frames to pop them into before showing them.

And perhaps we will find a snack of Oyster Poboy. Southernstyle.

My sisserbae issa cominae.

I received a phone call about three hours ago. My sister was stuck somewhere in airplaneville. I said, "HUH?" "Thought you were coming tomorrow."

She laughs.

I have the days mixed up. It is tonight. Well, there is a delay in the middle flight. Three airplanes and two layovers to fly from west coast to the east coast and back west again to the destination? Maybe tonight.

This is the sister and I who talk the weird language to each other. Thanks to Jodie Foster and a need to keepa hubsands frooon kanowing whatta wasbe takin bout. Sometimes I swear we should be on stage somewhere as when we get together the comedy hour starts.

I will never forget the night I had on satin black pants and a leopard skin top and she had a dress on. We went out for some fun. Started popping champagne corks on the way to Des Moines. Will never forget Sisty falling down the Capitol Building steps (hope I got the right capitol/capital?). She had on really good nylons, they didn't even rip. Later the wild Irishman futures broker I was dating was running across the street carrying me on his back and dropped me to the pavement shredding some really cool satin pants. Oh well. Those were the days.

I guess I better go and think of something for her to eat when she gets here. Airplane food has disintegrated from pretty good meals to six peanuts and one-fourth of a coke or other beverage. She'll be hungry. Isabee excitabe.

Bags

Bags, bags, bags, I love bags. Back in job world, I would be the only employee with a handbag or a purse, and a bag. Yah, I know - a big fashion "no no." I don't care. I still don't understand how anyone can get by without a largish bag. This is the bag I currently crave.

What do I carry in them? Let's see - there is the utility work "bag." In it, will be a bottle of water or two, a tube of lotion, medicine, crackers and an apple in case you get caught and can't go to lunch or dinner, an umbrella in case it rains, a plastic bag of ice (for my back and you can also chew it if you have anemia) and mail I've grabbed from the P.O. box.

Then, of course, a beach bag is a must, especially if you are a spur of the moment beach goer. Or, in case Fabio calls up and wants to meet you in Aruba, you are ready! In it, is a bathing suit, two beach towels, sun screen, a tube of insect repellent just in case the sand flies are biting, a comb, lipstick, hairspray, a small mirror, a small purse for money, a book or two, and sometimes ice cold grapes, and oh - yeah the water bottles. Camera at the last minute. And, more mail.

Then, the art bag - with a sketch pad, pencils, chalk, and camera, and somehow extraneous paper creeps in there as well.

Then there is a travel bag - a shorter, leopard or zebra print version of the gym bag - for short trips.

The empty canvas bag with strong handles - for trips to the stores - just a small pitch for the environment - one less plastic bag used.

The meeting bag. Any state but the previous one I was in, a briefcase can be the "meeting bag." In the meeting bag - bottled water, a steno pad, mechanical pencils and a pen or two, business cards, (yeh, yeh, should carry a brief case - but didn't want to appear too business like - that is not appreciated where I was in that other State). Even attorneys, like true frontiersfolk carried their files in their arms, but never briefcases. In fact, I was warned right off early by a well meaning associate, that I should "ditch the bag." I found out it was not because there was a prejudice against bags, just a general prejudice against "commie environmentalists." My bag said "Save Our Last Wild Places." Ooops, treason.

So, obviously I drew the conclusion - a bag can define who you are. Thus, partially thus, my craving for the gorgeous bag that I have linked above. Fabio, feel free to add this as a wee gift for me when we take our spur of the moment island trip.

The ideal situation is a bag large enough to hold any assortment of carriables AND a small purse.

Any other bag people out there?

Shredding of Yesterdays

Here's my "do" - doesn't it look great? The best part of this is, I hadn't even combed it after getting out of bed when my daughter caught me with the camera. See, before becoming an acrylics artist, hattigrace has been a hair artist. And, indeed to get a decent cut, etc., one needs a hair ARTIST.

I've been working at my desk. Condensed one plastic file box into another one. I'm shredding two years of receipts from Wyoming. As the last rent receipt went down the shredder, I felt a weight lift from my shoulders. No, that was a figure of speech. A load is lifting from my heart.

Life is so dratted interesting. And hard. Yet, we hang on to it with every shred of our being.

As I sit here feeling "lighter" somehow, I have to relate this story of a supernatural experience in real life:

I went to the meeting although the tiredness went through my bones and weighted them down like lead. I didn't want to be with people or around people. Have you ever been there? And had someone attach to you like glue on flypaper? Well, these wonderful folks did. They pastored a small church.

That particular night a guest was there from the prophetic school down the road about three hours. I was called out for what we call a "word." I went and stood there dreading what might be coming. You see, I had death hanging all over me. I only wanted to disappear.

Most of my young life, I laid in bed at night wishing I were dead. Years later, after I became a Christian I asked God to forgive me for treating the gift of me like it was nothing or something to be destroyed. Yet, after my son died, Death came back and trailed me like an old dog that you can't ever "get rid of." It tormented me, "Ha, ha, I didn't get you, but I got him." Anyone who is a parent knows that you would lay down your life for your child, no questions asked, so you can imagine what this did to me.

As I was called out, I dragged my body up to the front and lowered my head for prayer. All of a sudden it was like I went to another dimension. It was totally black with no presence of God, people, anything. I floated in that pool of blackness with my arms outspread and my legs as loose as if I were in water. The feeling of being TOTALLY without God was overwhelming. Then, from my gut a wrenching screaming came out, over and over and over, "I want to live, I want to live, I want to live." The presence of God returned and the absolute alone-ness left. Then I found myself back with me feet planted firmly on a carpeted floor.

I returned to my seat, weeping and sobbing which continued through the meeting much to my embarrasment. I left that little church with something inside me broken, yet freed from that black spector of death. I remain free to this day. And I fight for every day, I devour every day, I love every day no matter what it brings.

And that's the story. Some of you will probably think I'm nuttier than a fruitcake. Another might cry because you have been or are there as well. Anyroad, as 4D says, this shredding of yesterdays today has lifted something dark off of me as well, and reminded me of the crossroad for life where I made a choice. It's sometimes good to remember.

Ze Leopard!

This is Leopard. (He's an oil painting I've done and then messed around with on the computer.) I've been messing around with digital art again. I'm finding photoshop is a great program to do all the "what ifs" for a new painting. Think I'll take "Hibiscus" over there and fool around with the background.

Not much new except I'm trying to search for a certain piece of paperwork which is not showing up and I hate the paperwork thing (my own) but have an appointment that I need to have "stuff" ready for. Yech.

Have invited "McPuffin" to join my blog friends - she has such an elegant web design and I love her writing. Will try to get her into my template this a.m. before I wander off to other things.

Its another drizzling rainy day. The grass is growing like crazy, much to "H"'s dismay.

Boy is doing very well in school if we can go by the grades coming home, but homework at night wrings us all out.

Feeling ok, blood is still bouncing around from too thin to too thick, so have to run the road back and forth to hemotologist until it settles down. I feel like shopping, but am broke. That is at Sam's Club - I like to buy jars and jars of olives.

Went to see Hattigrace yesterday on the spur of the moment and have a wonderful looking head of hair - I'll see if I can catch a photo before I get it too messed up...........thank you hattigrace! Hattigrace has picked up the brush and is painting like crazy - you go, girl! I'm so proud of you.

Cajun Hibiscus

Psycho stares longingly at the refrigerator. Too bad. I'm painting, no matter what. Everyone is on their own. It's ok, daughter eats at taco bell on the way to work, the boy is fed, "H" will heat up the usual sausage sandwich, and I'm fine with coffee and coke for the paint process. (I'm on a mega liquid vitamin supplement and 5 of the 7-8 pounds gained during the great meds mixup is off!) The cats do have food, just not what they want. Psycho wants the beef stroganoff that is behind these doors.

This painting is acrylic which I don't work with often. I don't like the fast drying time and it doesn't like being reworked, while oils thrive on more and more layers. But I'm thinking maybe the drying times will make me a little more spontaneous.

Started with a cool background but I think now it should have been something hot, or maybe ochre. I struggled with a feeling of "poinsettia Christmas card" with this one - although the finishing touches seemed to bring it back into the hibiscus look. I think I might try a couple more tropicals to loosen me up and get me back in the groove. I have determined to paint everyday. However, my art website - the .com one is a mess and needs attention. And the house and the yard. Oh well - its raining again - good excuse.

Florida Sunset

SUV's, Vegetarianism, and Sink Holes

This was in my email box from Climate Coalition:

Trying to Connect the Dinner Plate to Climate Change. By Claudia H. Deutsch, The New York Times, August 29, 2007. "Animal rights groups do not share the same mission, but they have coalesced around a message that eating meat is worse for the environment than driving. They and smaller groups have started advertising campaigns that try to equate vegetarianism with curbing greenhouse gases. When that report came out, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)and other groups expected their environmental counterparts to immediately hop on the 'Go Veggie!' bandwagon, but that did not happen. 'Environmentalists are still pointing their fingers at Hummers and S.U.V.'s when they should be pointing at the dinner plate,' said Matt A. Prescott, manager of vegan campaigns for PETA... The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has taken up the issue as well, running ads in environmental magazines that show a car key and a fork. 'Which one of these contributes more to global warming?' the ads ask. They answer the question with 'It's not the one that starts a car,' and go on to cite the United Nations report as proof... On its Web page and in its literature, the Humane Society has also been highlighting other scientific studies -- notably, one that recently came out of the University of Chicago -- that, in essence, show that 'switching to a plant-based diet does more to curb global warming than switching from an S.U.V. to a Camry,' said Paul Shapiro, senior director of the factory farming campaign for the Humane Society."

SUV's 'Versus' Meat. By Charles Komanoff, Streetblog.org, August 31, 2007. In reference to the NY Times article above "I spotted one glaring error and one questionable assumption in the U of Chicago article (Diet, Energy, and Global Warming, PDF, 17 pages) that underlies the Humane Society's claim. First, the authors evidently used a figure of around 16 lb of CO2 emitted per gallon of gasoline burned. (They don't give their figure; I backed it out of their Table 1.) But the standard coefficient, easily derivable, is approximately 19.6 lb per gallon. Switching to the correct coefficient would add 22-23% to the 'SUV' side of their comparison. Second, the authors based their 'SUV' calculations on average US per capita miles driven (8,332 miles/yr). The appropriate basis, in my view, would be the number of miles a typical motor vehicle is driven, which is around 12,000 (that's the figure US EPA uses in its calculations of carbon impacts of driving). After all, switching from an SUV to a Camry would mean switching out 12,000 miles, not 8,332. Substituting the higher figure would add 44% to the 'SUV' side of the comparison. Making both changes simultaneously would increase the SUV emission figures by 75-77%, which pretty much invalidates the triumphalist statement by the Humane Society's guy. It wouldn't surprise me if there are similar errors undermining the 'food' side of the comparison. Maybe someone else will take a break from their seitan preparation and check it out. And maybe the Humane Society and their allies can find ways of advancing the worthy cause of vegetarianism that don't require belittling SUV damages and Al Gore."

THEN, I found an interesting article that should have been titled "The Pig Poop Papers." The article pointed out that since mega corporate takeovers of smaller pig farms and the rise of the Super Pig Productions around the country that huge holding tanks of Pig Crap are amounting to untreated sewage abound and these mega-poop ponds are leaching into the ground and into the drinking water which is pulled from rivers and other water bodies. That would be against the law if it were People Poop. Doesn't make sense to me.

It was comforting to learn that most Florida water comes from aquifers in the limestone so we have pretty good drinking water, that is until it reaches the treatment areas where it is pumped full of chlorine and fluoride and ran through lead piping. (It's just the fish we can't eat because of the chemical dumping by paper plants and other sources and we best keep an eye on the fecal coliform levels before we dip in the Gulf!).

Anyway, when we put in our pump for the yard, I was amazed that water was available only twelve foot down. Then it crossed my mind, why doesn't the County regulate these water pumps - how long does it take a subdivision to drain an aquifer? Ever heard of Florida's sink holes? That's how they work - the water is all gone from the limestone caverns and the ground sinks and eats your house with it.

Enough, going to get busy and paint some more. And decide not to worry about this stuff.

Psycho & the Cat Community

This is Psycho's baby picture. He looks innocent and all that doesn't he?

He was taken from his mamma way too early, but the owner said the kittens were destined for drowning (seems to be an old-time remedy for neglect of spaying or neutering). So I took the little lump at age 4 weeks as a present for grandson. So the two little ones slept with me, one, Psycho, nursing the, God forbid, loose skin on my underarm relentlessly as he was obviously not getting milk. The other little one was curled up close to me with his little arm over Psycho. (Today they are still the best buddies.) We bottle fed Psycho (he had a different name before it evolved more to fit his personality, but I don't remember what it was), but he still had this sucking thing that he still gets carried away with. He sits, leaning up against the wall, all curled over, nursing his own belly. Now that is demented. I even hate to confess it.

So, Psycho has grown up. I would judge him to be in late adolescence. He goes out at night and kills rats, even though he is declawed. If we don't let him out, he picks fights with the other cats until we can't take it anymore and let him out.

Ms. Meowie did another dump on my study floor, and though she is not an outdoor cat, in my frustration, I shoved her out the door, and Psycho ran out after her. She took off walking down the street. At that point, I confess, I had cracked, I did not care if she ever came back.

Later, I felt guilty and opened the front door and guess who was leading Ms. Meowie down the street toward home? Yep, Psycho.

Its interesting to watch how they take care of one another in this 3 cat community. Except at eating time that is. Then it is every man, uh cat, for his own self. Once in a while I supplement with - - - canned TUNA! The caterwauling and yowling from when the can is first popped to when it makes it to their plates rivals the best werewolf movie howls.

Ah, cats.

Today.

Whaaaaa! Whaaaaaaa to post?

Networking and internet are back! The guy did come back - they've been picking up big jobs lately - I suspect that their days of doing little house calls are coming to an end. Anyway, it appears to have been the router - it just died. Luckily we had another buried on the kitchen table and it is now hooked up and doing well. Yahoo.

Went to blood doc today who has also treated me throughout this mishap - I had to fight to get in - they wanted me to go to the primary doctor.

"NO thanks, the primary had a bit of a mixup with my readings for the last two weeks."

"Well, the doctor will not write a prescription for you because your primary has written one."

"I did not say I wanted a prescription, I just want the thickness of my blood tested because something is not right, I feel it." "My ankles and wrists look like 'the blob' and I have gained 8 pounds in 4 days." (I think Warfarin is made of a type of sodium.)

"No, I'm not premenstrual (you fool), I am 62 years old."

"I told you the doctor will not write a prescription for you because your Primary.......should be getting the tests and reading them for you."

"Ideally, yes, but Primary said NOT to get tested for a month, but something isn't right."

Now I'm hearing a huge irritated sigh.

"Sorry I bothered you, please send me to the appointment desk."

The appointment lady comes on and makes me an appointment. I hang up, again feeling like a very high on the scale "hypochondriac."

Within ten minutes the hematology nurse calls me and tells me to come in and get a finger pricked for the blood test and she found out I had a doc's appointment as well. ?????? Oooops, was that a crime?

I arrive at the appointed time, they prick my finger and tell me 3.9 - well, that is the consistency of potato soup when I am supposed to be running the consistency of, say, a beer. (Comparison purposes only).

Then she says, "Oh, you have a doctor's appointment." "I did not know."

I say nothing and dutifully trudge behind her into the doc's office.

He is very cordial. He tells me to forget meds for two nights, then resume. I ask him when I can get off of them.

"Maybe six weeks," he said. Maybe.

"So what are my chances of this (pulmonary embolism) happening again?"

"Twenty Percent."

He goes on to explain that if I have symptoms should "it" happen again, they will put me back on the medicine from hell forever or until I kick the bucket. Not medicating is risky, medicating is risky. On thinners, I had just better not get a bump on the head or my brain could bleed to death, which I wonder if it already has. He goes on and says if I have no symptoms with another event, I could die.

I burst into tears.

"Why are you crying?"

Is that a man statement or what? Yah, Yah, I'm supposed to reply, "I don't know."

"Well, I am kinda disappointed, I was hoping to live for a while longer - uh, a big long while longer."

He looks at me.

"Look at it this way," he says, "You have 80% chance of living."

He really was sweet with his big brown eyes gazing at me through his glasses. Here is a doctor who is not burnt out yet. I feel grateful.

As I leave his office, I see about 12 patients in recliners receiving their chemo treatments.

I've been crying all afternoon. I will come through this. I'm scared. I'm also appreciating each minute, each second.

Guess I've understood this thing was bad, but in a way been in a denial. What else could it have been when I got up out of a hospital bed and started a new job the next day? Duh, big denial.

On the way home I prayed and told God the earth was too pretty to leave without a lot more sightseeing of it. And I was reminded that heaven is even more beautiful. (And I'm convinced that heaven has the best Indian food feasts that never put weight on a person - don't ask where I got that in my head.) And I argue as I drive down the road, "My grandson needs me!" Then I realized that I was trying to be in control again as usual......perhaps it is my job to enjoy each day, each moment, and if I really truly believe what I preach....then God will only bring me "home" when everything is perfect for that to happen.

Ha, ha, "L," you thought you were going first, didn't you? What happened to our genes? Most of our ancestors made it at least to their mid nineties! Do you think, despite the dire pronouncements, we shall bamboozle them once again and live until we are 92? I can see myself doing a nude (wearing nothing but a hat and a rhinestone necklace and earrings)self-portrait at age 92. Yah!

Soap Boxes and Frustrations and Globalism

Just popping in on daughter's computer - I'm still without internet - the guy I paid to fix it has not come back despite his promise to do so if I should have more trouble. Such is the 21st century - money seems to have no meaning - society seems to demand that we spend, spend, spend, prices are frightfully high on everything, service is at an all time low.

But at least he did not disable my entire computer like some other repair people have done in the past, so should I think I'm lucky?

Some doctors slop over your treatment, so what if you die, there are plenty more people out there who will flow in and fill up your space.

Items are built to fall apart so a person has to buy another soon, if they aren't built shoddily from the beginning. We just got a recall on our dishwasher - its eight years old and we are told that the wiring is defective and some have burst into flames. But are they giving us enough to replace the defective dishwasher? Of course not, we are getting the 1999 price minus the use.

The dishwasher works, we just have to endure the stress of wondering if the house will be nothing but charcoal when we come home someday or find a few hundred bucks to get a new one. At least Florida insurance will pay for fires, but not flooding or wind damage. Some will pay for wind damage, but with huge, intolerable deductibles. The problem with the dishwasher is, I don't have enough money to make up the difference, however I don't want my house to burn down either.

Food coming from China has hazardous ingredients to human health. Toys coming from China have lead content that will damage our children's brains and bodies. Still we import most of our goods.

I went shopping for my grandson and put three shirts in my basket - until I noticed they were made in China. Then I put them back. Clothing is substandard as well as possibly dangerous. (While visiting with a clothing store owner the other day, I was informed that many knits are made with petroleum - just what I want absorbed into my body, right?)

The quality of U.S. made clothing was much better. But labor in China, India, Cambodia, etc. can be obtained for $.13 cents an hour, and with no labor laws can be produced in larger quantities with exploited people working long, long hours. On the other hand, some exploited people find they are happy to have even $.13 cents an hour. But some are angry when they find out what their hard work sells for in the U.S.

I don't want shrimp from Taiwan. Good gosh. How fresh can they be? However, when our newspaper informs us of the PCB content of the fish in our bays, do I want U.S. shrimp either? And what the H___ is this about PCB's found in the fish in our bays? I thought the use of PCB's were banned years ago. Huh?

Well, as long as I'm writing one of these kinds of posts - immigration - or rather the lack of it: Illegal immigration is kind of like child abusers thinking they are having an "affair" with a six year old. It is not immigration. It is breaking the law. Children are molested, not having affairs. Grrrr. Criminals freely dance across our borders from the south, loaded with Meth to peddle in the U.S.

Granted, some people are hard workers looking for a better life - in that case, I say make legal provision through immigration, and not make it so hard to immigrate. Then let them assimilate but please don't force me to learn another language, we already speak one here. I'm not against learning foreign languages, I wish I knew a dozen because I would not have the nerve to go live in a foreign country and not try to learn the language, what is that all about? And, while we are on THAT subject, why, during Word War II did the U.S. turn boats of desperate Jews back to Europe to death? Gee, was it because they weren't going to fatten employers pockets by working for substandard wages and being content to live in substandard conditions? Oh, I bet they would've for the privilege of staying alive.

The history of the U.S. is full of shame with its treatment of certain people groups. I still run across (mostly older) people in the South who think slavery and segregation were perfect ways of life. I met people in Wyoming who were actually angry at the poor people who were devastated by Katrina, either because they chose to live in New Orleans or because they didn't "walk" out. Hard to walk miles and miles of road when your health is shot, or you are in a wheel chair, or 80 years old, or carrying babies.

Anyway, part of my problem with the illegals from Mexico (or anywhere) is a sense of entitlement that Country (Mexico) has toward the U.S. as well as the employers who break the law to employ the illegals. I used to work for a newspaper in a small town with a lot of illegals. I started a feature story (I am soooo politically dumb) and found that the employers not only were paying really low, many paychecks were being devoured by fees for translation, bill paying assistance, etc., etc. It wasn't long before I received an anonymous phone call threatening my life and my family's lives if I continued to snoop. I stopped. Oh, Rawlins, Wyoming is really quite a town!

Ok, I could write pages. In that kind of mood today.

I thought painting yesterday would help fire up some endorphins - I painted the awfullest ugliest painting you ever saw. Supposed to be a cajun hibiscus - oooohhh, ugh!

Well, going to try to go call the computer guy again today. Then vacumm and paint over the ugly painting.

....on the Catwalk, too sexy for their clothes.....

This is an odds & ends type of post. Wireless woes continue. This dapper doggie is part of a line of pet clothing I invented for a pet shop website a few years back. The website's name was "Catwalk." Of course there was an adorable outfit for kittie as well. I'm, of course, at a standstill on the current project I'm working on because of not being able to access the net.

The dragonflies are back! They are big and fat and colorful. Perhaps they are the babies I spotted at the beginning of summer, all grown up. From what I've seen of them dive bombing into windows and asphalt, they could be mating now. That'll make ya crazy, ya know. That would explain their kamakazee attitudes, would it not?

Some of the types I think I've spotted: Rambur's Forktail (I think these are the one's I've labled "Army helicopters"), Atlantic Bluett (a little far north), Eastern Pondhawk, and Comet Green Darner.

Has anyone seen any fireflys this summer? I think they've been disappearing along with the bees.

Not much going on. My wireless is down again, so I'm again borrowing computer. I don't know what to do. It is crucial I have internet access.

I'm now pulling out of the mixup on the blood thinner meds and lab result snafu of a couple of weeks ago and just today the energy level has been great.

It is still soooo hot. The flowers I labored over to get planted are not faring well. "H" did not want mulch anywhere, and just TRY to grow flowers without mulch to keep the ground moist - it won't work. My intents were to get a couple of bails of pinestraw down here and put it out anyway, but with the heat index at 108 degrees centigrade, I've not been able to do it. I started to rake the pinestraw from the remaining pine trees (remember the "disappearing pine trees") but the gleanings are small after the lawn mower has run over them. Maybe next year. I still have dead trees, bushes and plants to get trimmed out and out of here. Ex-son-in-law was helping, but when he found out he was not going to control my household, he got mad and made himself scarce so repairs and yard work he promised have halted. (Was that bribery to begin with?) Gran'ma has got to get strong here. (He grew up himself like Romulus and Remus and has no conception of regular meals, bedtimes, and the fact that he is a guest here during visitation hours just does not sink in, nor the concept of visitation hours.)

Weekend is here. Boy is glad. His mom visited the teacher today. So far so good. He is higher in reading by a year than we were told originally. He seems hyper in the evenings, but he's a boy child and children need to be out in the evening running and playing. I wish we had a pool as it's too hot to run and play. (This Grandma would like to lay on an air mattress in the pool.) (I can imitate Janis Joplin - and I often sing, "Oh, Lord, won't ya buy me a house on the bay, my friends all have pools, they lay out all day, Oh, Lord, won't ya buy me a house on the bay.") Sigh.

The older boy is on his way to play a football game tonight. While still suffocatingly hot, it is cooler in the evenings.

Time to go scan my emails on my daughter's computer, post this up, and see if I can get my flash drive to take my files over there.

Hall of Fame

No, I didn't paint it. I wish I had. This is a portion of the murals that were on the walls of the hotel where we stayed in New Orleans. As I mentioned, there is a small jazz museum in the hotel. Each room is named after a blues/jazz musician.

For my Canadian Friends.....

This was an interesting bit of information:

The New Dirty Energy. By Drake Bennett, The Boston Globe, August 19, 2007. "For those who dream that high oil prices will help drive America toward a brave new world of clean energy, the MacKay River project in Alberta, Canada, offers a glimpse of the future. The complex is a showpiece of cutting-edge engineering, wresting energy from beneath a swath of boreal forest. Under an unobtrusive spread of buildings, holes drilled at oblique angles free unprocessed fuel from the earth with jets of steam. Thanks to government and private investment, the complex is providing more energy every year, and by 2020, Alberta as a whole is predicted to generate enough to replace a quarter of the United States' current daily oil usage. And as oil prices rise, projects like MacKay River become more and more cost-effective, and more popular. The only problem: The thick, tarry petroleum that the Alberta project pulls from beneath that forest is far dirtier than oil. Alternative energy wasn't supposed to look like this. For years, leading environmental thinkers have argued that high fossil fuel prices are good for the planet, driving investors and customers toward biofuels, solar power, and a host of new energy sources that will quickly become cost-effective... The oil in oil sands is not easily separated out, and the immense amounts of heat required are usually generated with natural gas, giving the oil-sands industry a greenhouse gas footprint much larger than the traditional oil business -- estimates range from 40 percent more to five times the emissions. The process also uses enormous amounts of water: a study (PDF, 42 pages) by the Pembina Institute, a Canadian environmental watchdog organization, found that, depending on the method of extraction, every barrel of oil produced requires 2.5 to 4 barrels of water, all of which is then rendered too polluted to return to the water supply."

Sounds kind of ultimately destructive, do you think? This drilling process was being highly touted in Wyoming - there was no mention of the down side - extravagant use and destruction of useable water and additional greenhouse gas further leading us down the road to more global warming.

Oh, No, here they come again..........

Starting to feel a little bit better. I was reflecting on my situation and realized I am at this point due to a bunch of medical blunders. Best not to think about it so I won't be angry. But anger won't help. So's it is best to just concentrate on wellness and go on.

I got up at 4:00 a.m. this morning to make sure the hurricane wasn't projected to be more north and easterly in the Gulf. Up on this side of the Gulf, people are saying, "I couldn't take another one." I don't want to see anyone "taking" it, my prayers are that it will just DIE - it is supposed to be a four. I saw what a "three" did to our area and to New Orleans and this thing, judging by the size, must be a monster. However, Texas, being a favored state says they are ready for it.

Took the boy to a couple of birthday parties today - one was at a new bowling alley which was a new concept in bowling alleys - it was great and he had a good time with his old friends. I visited at length with a Montessori mom who used to be a special ed teacher and has two boys of her own that have been diagnosed with ADD and it was a great visit. I obtained the name of an iridologist from her.

I've purchased some liquid bonding vitamins/mineral supplement for both the grandson and myself. I think mine are starting to take hold. He seems calmer - I think. With the meds he wouldn't eat and he is a skinny boy - with the vitamin/mineral mixture he's eating. We'll see how it goes. School starts Monday. The new school is actually fairly new and in great condition - the art program is stunning - his teacher has a room full of computers that he has acquired, not necessarily through public funding, but his own pocket. I like the man. The school meals are healthy. The school appears to be more secure than most - and grandson won't have to spend two hours of his day traveling to and from school. I volunteered - oh, I don't know how that will go. I love kids one on one - but herds of them -???? Well, I have mellowed so - I'm open, it could be fun and rewarding!

The second party was at the beach and I couldn't stay long because of the heat - but the party was for the son of a Filipino (yeh, Dinners!) nursing friend of my daughters. Oh my, can they cook! We had crawfish, noodles, some sort of dessert made with rice and sweet potatoes, hamburgers, hot dogs, and more and more food! I was treated with the warmth of old friends (even though I had only met three of the folks briefly at a previous time) - it was a large extended family. I reflected once again, how us mixed culture folks seem to sometimes lose out in ways when it comes to traditions, culture, and identity. Well, I guess I come from a family of ornery independent pioneers - ya gotta have those too. But it was a good day - finished with a semi-nap and not having to cook dinner - just bringing out the food sent home with us was a curative to not feeling so well when I got home.

Dat ol' Sickness Bug be after mah Bodee & Computer too

I'm done in. Can't go no mo' - couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. I was feeling rotten since N.O. Wanting to sleep and sleep and sleep, was dragging the hind end around, and that reluctantly.

The doc's office called yesterday and left a cryptic message to call right away about my blood test. I called them back this morning to find out what was up. They told me they got my test back (I have to test every 10 days to 2 weeks) and to double the blood thinners.

It didn't make sense - they just told me to decrease them the day I returned from New Orleans. I thought maybe walking miles and sweating a lot in the 104-108 centigrade heat index caused me to lose chemicals or something. Yeh, I'm nuts.

Today they said I must not be taking my medicine, because my blood was dangerously thick now. It seems that when they called me last week and told me to decrease the blood thinner, the gal made a mistake and should have been telling me to increase it.

I am rechecking my T-shirts to make sure the lettering on them does not say, "I am a walking guinea pig for medical mistakes."

The pain in my chest that I was afraid was a blood clot hitting my heart, the doctor thinks is asthma. So, despite blood pressure of 150/90, (a rarity since the gas incident in the apartment from hell) he gave me an inhaler. I can breathe better, I admit, and I am not falling asleep at 5:00 in the evening tonight.

Dang near dying has me perhaps overly concerned with every little pain. I have for quite a few years been very fond of living. Can't say that for my whole life, but now, yeh, I love living. I have had friends dying off for several years. "How can that be?" I think. I want to stay alive, partially because I think my contribution to those around me can't be done without - how conceited is that! 4 Dinners - heed this paragraph! We've used up a couple of our lives (being cat persons).

To add insult to injury, I just saw the dentist yesterday - a new one - I LOVED him and his office - really cool techie equipment. I have a tooth with a split root which has infection and he wants to pull it and set the appointment in conjunction with a deep, deep cleaning project. Yah! I was all excited. Doc today said to wait until after November as having really thin blood and making holes in the body by pulling teeth and planning roots under the gums was just asking for trouble. Darn, I was looking forward to it.

Enough..........the computer/network guy is coming tomorrow afternoon - he tried to help me over the phone, but it looked like a necessary configuration is gone - nada - he said, do NOT, I repeat, do NOT use the Windows System Restore to fix problems. He's seen a lot of messes from it. So, hopefully I will not have to borrow a computer.

For now..............

August 29 Anniversary (of Katrina) Coming

Let's not forget the alligators. Alligators are part of a great ecosystem and they live in swamps. Why are swamps valuable? Well, the August issue of Time had an eye opening article about the situation in New Orleans.

You are probably thinking, jees, when will she get off that! Well, I do have a tendency to ride a horse too long, but it is not just New Orleans - our whole country is showing that it is probably unprepared for disaster. Either before the disaster or during or after the disaster. And, as we have seen - disasters happen! More and worse are predicted.

Sometimes disasters are our own fault for ignoring our partnership with nature and the earth. (Or, what is happening in the world politically - i.e., terrorists!) No, I'm not a wacko leftist environmentalist - uh, maybe I am, but we are at the point we can no longer ignore our misuse/abuse of the planet we live on. Or the self-serving greed of politicians who are in office only to serve themselves and to get richer than they already are.

The known or publicized death toll in New Orleans was 1,800. The search is still on for bodies.

Here are some of the highlights from the Time cover article:

The writer recommended demanding of the candidates the answer to a question: How do you plan to protect New Orleans and how about the whole country's emergency management program?

He went on to state that the Army Corps is poised to repeat its mistakes. The drowning of New Orleans as made made, created by lousy engineering, displaced priorities and pork barrel politics.

Fact: Marshes, cypress swamps and barrier reefs are disappearing at the rate of a football field per hour. The "Corp" - or shall we call it the "Corpse maker?" was responsible for some pretty shoddy engineering. Early New Orleans was not on the coast but the Corp forbade communities to let the natural process of the river's deposits of silt to be deposited where Mother Nature would deposit the silt, making a delta which would absorb much of a hurricane striking the coast. Global warning is causing the gulf to rise causing 30% of the coast to slip into the Gulf.

No swamp, no gators. No swamp, more severe hurricanes in populated areas. Land de-intensifies the 'cane. So, that's Florida you say. How about New York? Scientists are predicting fiercer 'canes and expanding strike areas as far as New York in the future.

So what? Well, this endangers, not only lives, but the U.S.'s largest offshore oil and gas industry (who can we invade to fix that?), a huge seafood industry and about two million people.

The levees? The project to fix a known problem? Thirty seven years behind schedule. The article suggests that if scientists are not allowed into the Army Corps plans, the coast will disappear in the not so distance future. If that happens what will the huge population shifts do to the rest of the Country. Pre Karina the population of New Orleans was 450,000, now it is 265,000. I'm assuming these figures are New Orleans proper.

Its not all the Corp's fault. According to the article, local officials helped "scuttle" a Corp plan to building pumps and levees along Lake Pontchartain which would have prevented flooding. The author states, however, the Corps refused to be accountable to even the president and further states that water is a National Security issue. Which leads to another issue: foreign ownership of United States ports.

Well, enough for now, the article can be read in full here.

New Orleans Food & odds & ends

What is New Orleans without the carriage ride? I love to ride the carriages - especially with a good tour guide! The place is so rich with history. Our trip was a bit last minute so funds were sort of limited, so we just admired the wonderful horses this time around. I think I would have felt guilty making them pull us in that awful heat anyway! They do pull the horses out in the afternoon to get them out of the heat and then bring them back in the evenings.

The squares had a few spatterings of art but that is not due to the hurricane. The City decided that street artists should be banned - that was years ago, but since we came south. Fortune tellers seem to be welcome, however. My favorite place, the Court of Two Sisters, a great cajun/creole restaurant with courtyard dining was rather dog eared and moldy and the barbecue shrimp, supposedly with a light cajun seasoned butter sauce tasted like shrimp with molasses syrup. Luckily, I had ordered steak which was big enough to share with two other people.

We decided to skip the legendary brunch at the Court of Two Sisters. Elsewhere, the beignets were fabulous!

This time, the place to eat was Bubba Gump's Shrimp House. One of us had the Bucket of Boat Trash, and it was really great! The crawfish ettoufey was delicious. Waitresses were directed by the guest flipping over a metal plate - "Run Forest Run" or "Stop Forest Stop."

And the pralines! Oh the pralines! A candy made with cream, sugar, sometimes rum, and big nice pecans! Oh, oh, oh. We bought some for souvenirs and ate them all in the hotel room. I'm sorry, really sorry.

Great News Source - if you go here, check on the water woes story (bottom of web page).

Not What We Expected

New Orleans - fun loving town - it is not the same. I kept wanting to stop people, interview them, and take photos. Homeless roam the streets - more than ever. Many old, familiar places we wanted to visit were closed. For miles coming into the city, it looked like a war had taken place. Indeed a war had taken place - a war for lives and for survival.

The desk clerk told us some of her story - her house went in the flood caused by the inadequate levy system that was in place, and rebuilt now to the same inadequacy. She lost everything. She is now living in the hotel where she works. She told us that one of the room service people drowned when the levy broke.

The city is now scheduling demolition for surviving damaged homes under a new ordinance and disregarding the necessity of following the old ordinance which had a procedure lengthy enough to prove that repairs were intended.

Note: I talked to a friend in this area as well who had an older home, undamaged by the hurricane, and was warned that his house was on "the list" for demolition. I don't know how many other communities are destroying people's homes. Then who will buy the land? I can only guess.

There are still unrecovered bodies in places. The newspaper told a story that the rest of the Country does not seem to know.....the water system is barely functioning.....the bridges covering large expanses of water have been rated as hazardous.

If you want to go to New Orleans to party, there is a small area that is able to accommodate those wishes. Otherwise be prepared for an experience - but one you probably aren't expecting!

Because of time constraints we were unable to drive the coast to view the other towns and cities that were hit by Katrina and Rita.

New Orleans in its resourcefulness has added a new attraction: a tour of the hurricane devastated areas of the City.

More later.....will visit ya'll this weekend. To those I need to call: I'm exhausted and will try to get to calling this weekend.

Travelogue #1

All of a sudden my network is working as well as the router. What is it with the computer? Haunted?

Anyway - here's pics:

One for Candy & Stagg - graffiti art!

Puppy - the megalodon is for you!

The little white building is the studio I visited.

These are some of the pins we made...they look better in "real time."

The landscape in this area is incredibly lush with lots of palm trees. No wonder my friend is a landscape painter. I don't think the heat would allow me to do much on site painting however!

Going to bed - heading out to New Orleans tomorrow. Will post up pics of Springs and N.O. when I return.

Coming Up............

Back to blogging for a day - my computer network system got all buggered up when Firefox did its "updated" download. I have refused AOL's updates because of this reason, I just foolishly trusted Firefox a bit more.

We visited a Florida spring over the weekend. It was wonderful and fascinating. I will post pics later with travelogue.

I Want to Go....................

Did you ever treasure a little dream? I have one, one that I hope to see before the dream dies...I want to go see the Mermaids of Weeki Watche Springs. And swim with the manatees myself. I do.

Who was at Wadena and Why did They Go?

August 2, 1970 in Iowa. Hotter and more humid than any place I've been since. A Rock Festival! Why did we go - well, it was the thing to do. I don't even know who was playing there. By the time I made arrangments for my children and found a ride there, people were leaving - it was over with - but on with the story:

What else was going on this hot day in 1960? "Politiking at Clear Lake Iowa, a Governor and Senator listened to an angry young widow: 'A Viet Cong may have killed my husband, but we, everyone in this room, all other Americans are responsible for his death.' A withdrawal was being discussed, but talk was that the President's announcement of a deadline to withdraw would limit options to ending the war." Does this sound familiar? Deja Vu!

The H-bombing of Hiroshima was seeing its 24th anniversary.

But, back to Wadena, to free love, almost free drugs, few clothes and really, really weird people mixed with the young folks who were there just to have fun.

Another excerpt from the Des Moines Register: "I turned around, to be confronted with this guy who looked like Charlie Manson's spiritual adviser __ Jesus length hair , fierce beard, and eyes that looked as though they would melt asphalt."

"God wants this festival," he was saying, "The man wants this festival to take place. The devil doesn't want it to take place." He was talking to no one in particular.

Another: "Excuse me, but did you just use spare change as a verb?"

"I don't know. I just walk around asking people if they've got any spare change."

"A young man had moved into the conversation by then, a long-haired, bearded Young man with octagonal sunglasses and a leather head-band. 'I'd never do that,' he said. 'I think it's degrading.' 'Well, what do you do for a living?" I asked. 'I peddle dope, man.'"

Another excerpt from an article about concessions at the festival - including sliced cantaloupe, deep-fat-fried egg rolls, beaded necklaces, sweetcorn (after all, it was Iowa), and - the ever present drugs.

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness was there working hard to "take many of the kids off drugs by introducing them to chanting."

The pale green outdoor toilets looked like voting boothes.

Marijuana grew wild in the ditches in Iowa. Summertime was a good time for hippies, both full time and part time.

Those were the days.

How was my day at the Beach?

What a great day. Warm sunshine, a breeze, and beautiful water and sand! I'm amazed at kids, grandson didn't know these kids, but within a half hour they are all working together to make a sandcastle. Wish we were more like kids sometimes. A dark cloud came over the area, and the wind picked up bringing up some nice waves. About that time a plane circled overhead advertising lunch bargains. Since the clouds were starting to rumble, we decided to pack up and go eat. After a shower the red on my face settled down to a nice brown. These white sand beaches call for at least 30 block lotion!

Beach Day

I'm off to the beach today. Will take the camera. I only have one question, after doing comments today - how do the codes work - the security codes? My eye finger coordination must be bad, I have to type those in sometimes three times before I get it! Anyone know?

Full Blown Test

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Candy Minx suggested taking all 45 questions to task - I come out just as boring. Oh well.......but dependable! One of my friends, my dear cousin, made a comment in her tongue in cheek wise way - "Oh, you took the County job thinking if you are just kind and wonderful to everyone, things would change." Yep. I did. But I can smile at myself for such naive thinking. Thinking if I just do everything right and the world will be rosy is something I have been "recovering" from - not that I do everything right - but that blankety blank drive keeps pushing me along sometimes..........

Spread those Nukes!

I guess the U.S. is not the only one courting disaster for the sake of oil:


TRIPOLI, Libya (Reuters) -- After agreeing to nuclear cooperation with Libya, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said the West should trust Arab states to develop such technology for peaceful purposes or risk a war of civilizations.


Sarkozy said preventing Arab states from developing nuclear power risked stoking a "war of civilizations."

France agreed on Wednesday to help Libya develop a nuclear reactor to supply drinking water from desalinated sea water. The reactor might be supplied by French atomic energy firm Areva.

Sarkozy told reporters in Libya that to consider the Arab world "is not sensible enough to use civilian nuclear power" would, in the long run, risk a "war of civilizations".

"Nuclear power is the energy of the future," he said. "If we don't give the energy of the future to the countries of the southern Mediterranean, how will they develop themselves? And if they don't develop, how will we fight terrorism and fanaticism?"

Many Middle Eastern countries, including some worried about Iran's nuclear program, are interested in developing atomic energy resources.

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Claude Gueant, Sarkozy's chief of staff, noted the nuclear cooperation deal means "a country that respects international rules can obtain civilian nuclear energy."

Sarkozy, due to travel to Senegal on Thursday, denied any link between the nuclear deal and the release this week of six foreign medics who spent eight years in Libyan jails and were convicted of infecting hundreds of children with HIV.

He helped clinch the deal between Tripoli and the European Union to free the medics, removing a major obstacle hampering reconciliation between Libya and the West. "The only link one can make, is that if the nurses had not been released, I would not have come," he said.

Areva, the world's biggest maker of nuclear reactors, deals with the full nuclear cycle from mining to waste. Libya said in February it would join Areva in exploring and mining uranium.

Saudi Arabia along with Gulf Cooperation Council partners Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates announced a joint project for peaceful nuclear energy, mainly for water desalination, in December last year.

Egypt, which suspended an earlier nuclear energy program after the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, is looking to revive it to meet energy needs and conserve gas and oil reserves.

Libya and France also signed accords for a military-industrial partnership and cooperation in scientific research and higher education on Wednesday.

"I am trying to reassure a part of the Arab world," said Sarkozy. "There is Libya, but all the other Arab states are looking at the way Libya will be treated following the release of the nurses."

Relations between France and Libya deteriorated after an attack on a French airliner in 1989. France convicted six Libyans in absentia but Tripoli has denied responsibility.

The West lifted sanctions on Libya after it abandoned its weapons of mass destruction programs and world powers are jostling for position in the hope of grabbing lucrative infrastructure contracts from the oil-rich country. E-mail to a friend

Mein Garten

First we have Lamb's Ear, and it is truly as soft as a lamb's ear. Next, is the agapanthus - faithfully blooming away - this plant is no prima donna, its very sturdy. My prima donna is the Cajun Hibiscus. Tomorrow I have to dig a hole and mix the mushroom humus (sounds like a spread for crackers, eh?) into the sand and see if perhaps the soil has been too rich - I'm having far too many yellow leaves. Anyone have any ideas?

Another Personality Test

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Why am I so boringly predictable. Since my historical person profile match came out "Hitler" I am absolutely sure these things are way off base! How would one reconcile those two different poles?

What's a little lightning?

Lightning!

Computer is back - kiss, kiss! I woke up this morning with my answer. It was the computer cord. I was sure - the message was saying the cable was bad and it hadn't registered with my brain - I was thinking it surely was something more complicated. My daughter's computer came back on after the storm. I figured it HAD to be the cord. So I went to Walmart and the new one works fine. Ya! I always try to make sure the electronics are shut down when storms come up because we have bad experiences.

BAD Experiences
The first bad experience was a lightning strike to the kitchen - it blew the sheet rock off the walls and the appliances and electronics stopped working. Luckily, we were able to have all repaired except for my computer which was two computers previous to this one and one TV.

We did not repair the lightning damaged sheet rock, dreading the expense.

In the meantime I decided I was finally going to adopt a greyhound. I've long admired these sweet and intelligent dogs, with sleek bodies and affectionate personalities. The adoption society did tell me he was afraid of storms, especially lightning and thunder.

"That's ok, he can sleep with me," I foolishly said.

The dog was perfect - he was gentle with the boy and the cats. He was a constant companion to the boy. One day, the boy put the dog's leash under the coffee table leg, while he went to get the dog a treat. A jet flew over the house - it flew low and the dog, thinking the sky was falling, took off running through the house with the coffee table flying behind him - banging big holes in the sheet rock.

"Oh, well," I thought, "We already have holes in the sheet rock, now we have more."

So I calmed the fellow down and we settled in, one big happy family. Except - ya know when you've been married a long time, you can tell your spouse is pretty upset because they have "that look?" I was getting a lot of "those looks."

A couple of days later, I put the grey in his kennel in the living room and went to pick up the boy from a party. I came home and neighbors were standing in my yard, telling me that dog had eaten the blinds off my front windows. I gingerly opened the front door and - ZOOM - ever try to catch a frightened greyhound?

Greyhounds are also very smart - this guy had not only chewed off the whole corner of a wall in THIS incident, he had managed to unlock his kennel, which had two complicated lifts on two closures. He had peed the floor in the study, and covered it with a throw pillow.

With the help of the neighborhood, grey was located and sheepishly came home with us. Twas another jet! Wanna see the Blue Angels fly? Come visit me in my yard on practice mornings! Well, now we knew the grey was afraid of: sonic booms, loud jets, thunder, AND lightning. "H" came home from work and all H broke loose - at midnight I was waiting at a meeting point to transfer grey back to the foster home, crying my heart out. I whimpered something about being an abused wife, but after the grief left, I realized keeping grey in a household where jets constantly fly overhead, lightning strikes, and...........(see next paragraph) would be entirely too cruel and abusive to the grey.

Two weeks later, I drove to 'Bama to see my other daughter and had little boy with me. My other daughter was working nights - she called me late afternoon and said the house had been hit by a tornado. Ok! At first I thought it was a joke.

I am very calm in disasters. I was calm. I drove home, a tree had gone through the outer window in the boy's room, our roof had been lifted off and slammed back down driving all the nails out of the sheet rock, cracking a wall, knocked some of the brick off the house, our trim was all gone, and the garage door looked like a horse had kicked it. A window in the bathroom had shattered and cut the vinyl on the floor. Our above ground pool was GONE, gone, gone. Missing. The swing set was a pile of sticks.

By this time, the house looked a bit like it could have been bombed.

So, homeowners insurance may not cover hurricanes, but it did cover the tornado! That was way back when deductibles were $500.00 instead of $15,000, hooray! All damage was fixed eventually - seemed like it took a long time to put things back together.

If "H" had known what kind of luck I had, I think he would have turned and ran, and ran fast. My poor children suffer because of these disasters. Just think of a life long tour with me.

Poor little boy could not go into any room in the house for months without one of us holding his hand, standing by while he pottied, staying with him when he slept.

Anyway, we got the house put back together and, THEN.........

THEN - THEN came THE hurricane. This was a time a person (not us, thank God!) could say, "Well, the car was in the pool, the tree crushed a corner of the house, part of the roof is gone, and the carpet and walls were ruined, but, hey, we were really, really lucky!" (We were relatively in good shape, compared to others.)

Another story to be told later. Now, I bet ya'll understand why I have a paranoid snit when computer won't start after a storm!

Wilted Gardenias

Well, no computer again. Another lightning storm hit last night. After a blast that felt like it hit our backyard, I leaped out of bed and shut down the computer. Again, it won't come back up. I don't know if I will get lucky again. We'll see. So, if I'm quiet for a bit, that's what it is.

New Piece

I absolutely hate doing domestic pets as I feel I am not good at them. However, when a photographed image of this kitten was given to me, I instantly agreed to do it. Isn't it a wonderful kitten? It's a little Manx. I've posted her over on the Art Site.

She's mostly finished - just a wee bit more to go.

More on Fashion

Finishing up my fashion fling tonight, the little yellow babydoll dress looks exactly like a pair of "baby doll pajamas" I wore in the fifties as a young teen. To bed only. The little print strapped full short print dress, I had sewed up several like this in the 70's to wear in the hot Iowa summers. Living in ultra conservative communities did nothing for my reputation as I sewed away and wore them about. The other frock, brown print, looks like something I would have purchased the material on sale and whipped up and refused to wear unless it was to a Woodstock type event. The sparkling pant and top - ahhhhhhhhhhh, I wants it. I really wants it.