taking a stand

1 .   My Blog - Although I will continue to enjoy blogging by writing on my new Isolationist Blog
and reading the posts for my own enjoyment - I will no longer read or comment on other blogs.

2.    My Faith - I will continue my Personal Relationship with The Sovereign Creator of The
Universe.

I will Always Strive in my Heart to be Christlike - and not just Christian.

I would - however - like to distance myself from those on a certain mainstream
Los Angeles based Conservative Blog.  They appear to be Heartless, Shallow
and Self-righteous.

Perhaps some Soul Searching is in order - and soon.


3.     My Political Stance  - Although I will remain a Registered Democrat so that I can Vote
to Re-elect President Barack obama-got-osama & brought-all-of-the-troops-home-from-Iraq
Obama for another Four Years - in my heart I will think of myself as a don't-f***-with-me
and-I-won't-bother-you Libertarian.

Bill Maher is a Libertarian so that works for me.

and finally...

I  Pledge My Forever Allegiance to an American Icon -Bill Maher- as a True and  Loyal Fan.

Bill Maher has Stood On The Front Line and has taken more Heat than he has Ever Deserved.

Among my most Treasured Possessions - the photo of Marie Curie/Albert Einstien & my
Bobblehead Bach -

I will place my copy of New Rules, Religulous and the videos I'm Swiss and But I'm Not Wrong.

Enjoy New Year's Eve in  Hawaii, Bill. 


I'm quite sure you have Earned it.
~~~

hang tough joe(truth101) cube & ducky...and XO

later on - stop by later to find out my new direction in life

eight below - ya gotta love this movie

The best part of this movie is the actor who is in the lead role - easy on the eye Paul Walker.

Or the other actors who do a great job.

And although I loved seeing the raw beauty of Antarctica -
plus the scene with the Northern Light - that's not it either.


No - it's not any of these things that have made me enjoy it time after time.

It's the dogs.
~~~

At first it tears your heart out that the team has to leave the eight dogs behind
when there is an unexpected snowstorm that shuts down travel and the possibility
of rescuing them.

But soon after that feeling is replaced by the amazing way the dogs get loose from
their chains and fend for themselves for the winter.


Eight Below is a gripping, heartwarming  inspirational family movie with a happy,
but tearjerking ending.

It's been out a while but it's never too late to catch  Eight Below.

my faith journey - #6

Normally I would post 'my faith journey' on Sunday - but I was too busy blogging.

Then last night I was going to post my faith journey but I was too tired.


But things always look better in the morning and now I'm ready to post it.
~~~

As I was driving along Rt. 37 N to Indy I thought about many things that I could be
thankful for:


~that although at first it was foggy  it soon cleared up

~that traffic was flowing smoothly

~that I didn't speed & therefore didn't get pulled over and ticketed

~that Beethoven wrote the 5th symphony - especially the andante con moto

stuff like that
~~~

But that's not what I'm really thankful for in this faith journey post today.


What I'm really thankful for today is that it is such a beautiful day - sunny,
blue sky with only a few fluffy white clouds and the gorgeous fall color
along the road.

That's what I'm thankful for today.
~~~~

So....

thank you God - for this beautiful day.

:-)

a new concept in blogging

WELCOME TO THE COMMENT-FREE BLOG.


I have to run now - but tonight I promise a movie review.


Kevin James in ZOOKEEPER.
~~~

Wait a minute - I  haven't watched that yet. :)

How about Walt Disney's  EIGHT  BELOW starring Paul Walker?
(it's inspired by a true story and the dogs are adorable and inspirational)


See ya later then.


BOO

tomorrow

the sun'll come out tomorrow
bet your bottom dollar that
tomorrow there'll be sun

just thinkin' about tomorrow
clears away the cobwebs
and the sorrows  - til there's none

when i'm stuck with a day
that's gray and lonely
i stick out my chin and grin -
and say

the sun'll come out tomorrow
so ya gotta hang on till tomorrow
come what may

Tomorrow!  Tomorrow!

I Love Ya

Tomorrow!


You're  only
        
       a

day away!

                  ~zach

another wonderful day of blogging...

I feel so good today I feel a song coming on:


Oh, what a beautiful morning,


oh, what a beautiful day -



I got a wonderful feeling




no Conservative comments today !


~~~


sigh........

i feel better already

ATTENTION: THIS IS NOW A CLOSED BLOG.

 i will continue to write on this blog for my enjoyment only


no one is welcome here


NO ONE


This is my blog and I will write on it, read it, and even comment to
myself.

Case closed.

everything you ever wanted to know about bill maher

Ok.  I thnk it's time to come clean.

I haven't been honest about my relationship with Bill Maher.

I said last night on a Conservative Blog that I had never met him.

But that's not true.
~~~

You see, dear Fellow Bloggers and Commenters, my relationship with Bill
began about three or four years ago.

I met him one day as I was shopping at Krogers.

He came to me in the form of an orange book - the name of which is New Rules.
I can recall now that at the time I had never even heard of Bill Maher - but for
some reason unknown to me I instinctively picked up the orange book, paid for
it at the checkout along with my groceries - and took it home.

Later - I don't remember when - maybe it was even that night - I picked up the
orange book and began reading it.

At first I just smiled at what was written in the book that this Bill Maher called
his New Rules - but by the time I was not even one third of the way through it -
I was laughing uncontrollably.  I had not laughed so hard and out loud when
reading a book since I read Joseph Heller's Catch-22.

And Bill Maher has kept me laughing ever since.

~~~

You want to know anything about Bill Maher - just ask me.


I know everything there is to know about him.

Well, almost everything.


But one thing I know for sure is that I believe in Bill Maher.

He has always been there for me.

He has never let me down - and I know he never will.
~~~

And  you can't ask for more than that.
~~~

You may also ask yourself why half of this post is in regular type and the
rest is in italics.

It's because I'm so f***ing stupid I can't figure out how to shut off the f'ing italics.


:)  seg

laughing vs crying

Ever heard the expression 'a good cry?'

Well, I've never had one.

Crying makes me feel bad - no matter what I'm crying about.
~~~

What I'm talking about is uncontrollable hard crying.

Not the ending of ET crying.

I think ET has a well-orchestrated perfect ending and I've always cried when watching
the ending of ET. 

~I cry because I am happy that ET is going home. 

~I cry a little for Elliot because he will miss ET. 

~I cry a little for the rainbow.

... and I cry a little because something inside of me wishes
I could go where no man has gone before.
~~~

But there are three movies that have taken me by surprise and I have had at the end of
each of them what I would not call a good cry:

1.  Million Dollar Baby - I liked it but had no idea that Hillary Swank was going to bite her
tongue off.

2.  Man on Fire - Again - it was the element of surprise.  When I realized that Denzel
Washington was 'going away' with the bad guys I lost it.

3.  My Dog Skip - When the son said that his mother told him that they buried Skip
under the tree in the back yard but that wasn't true because 'he is buried in my heart'
I not only burst into tears in the theater but we sat in the car for 15 minutes while
I cried and then finally regained my composure enough to drive.
~~~

Lost

I watched the series finale alone and although I loved the ending when Vincent
 appeared and stood by Jack's body I was completely

lost.
~~~

I would much rather laugh.  I never had a sense of humor until I started becoming
despondent :-) and now  I not only laugh whenever I have the chance but I find
myself laughing uncontrollably while shopping alone - when I think of something
that sets me off. 

Now  if you are laughing - let's say in Walmart - and you are alone people tend to think you are
unbalanced. 

Funny thing is - when I get back in the car and think of the same thing it's not
funny anymore.
~~~

I'll take laughing over crying any day - a good laugh sure beats a good cry.

cause i like him

Gerald R. Ford

Anyone know what the 'R'  stands for?

Rudolph.
~~~

When I think about the late former President Gerald R. Ford I never associate the
word 'controversial' with him.

But rather I think of him as nice.

Unpretentious.

Honest.

True to himself.
~~~

But he was controversial - wasn't he?

More than a few Americans were unhappy with his decision to pardon Richard Nixon for Watergate.

But he wasn't wrong.

He was right to just pardon President Nixon so that our nation could move on.
~~~

Anyway - please watch one of my very favorite movies starring Frank Langella doing
such a terrific job as Nixon  that sometimes I have to say to myself, 'Sue, that's really
not Richard Nixon.'

And I love Michael Sheen (Tony Blair in The Queen) as David Frost.

But in Frost/Nixon it was Sam Rockwell that caught my attention (Green Mile, Moon).

There is one scene that is particularly good when Jim Reston (Rockwell) has such hatred
for Nixon because of the harm he feels that Watergate did to our country that upon
having a chance to shake hands with the Man Himself he says No way. I will never do that.

But Nixon offers his hand to Reston first and Jim stands in awe of probably not Nixon
but of 'The President' and is reduced to the same thing that most people are on seeing
a President of the United States face to face.

You see, it's more than the presence of the 'Man' but rather the 'Office' that humbles
most people.

It's standing before one of the people who will go down in history as the Leader of the
Free World  - and of Our Country.

I realize that when I look at my Presidential Posters.  On these posters - the pictures are
all the same size.

 Great or not - even good or bad - these men have endured what is
probably the hardest and most respected position on Earth. 

And once your picture is on the poster - even resignation can't take that away.

I love that movie.
~~~

And did I mention that I not only like - but have nothing but Respect and Admiration for
Gerald Rudolph Ford.
 

the arrival

After an unexpected meltdown as I walked out the door for the last time
I was fine for the rest of the trip.

It was not my fault that I was 25 minutes late for the closing.  This
town is impossible to get around in - with on street parking everywhere
and tons of one way streets - always going in the wrong direction.
~~~

Arriving for the impending move could not have come at a worse time for me:

homecoming on a college campus

Cars everywhere.  I don't think I have ever stood and looked in every direction and saw just cars.  

And college studends.  Walking all over the place as if they lived here - and owned the town.

Wait a minute - they do live here and pay big bucks for that.

But we'll get along if they stay on campus and I stay off.

~~~

Dinner at T.G.I Fridays could have gone badly since as I approached the restaurant I could see that the entrance was heavily decorated with green stuff representing spider webs - and there was a healtlhy assortment of fake spiders in the webs - one was particularly big and hairy.

But since they were only at the front it was not a problem.
~~~

After supper we went to the house & after I pulled in the driveway I sat for a few minutes to stare at the unfamiliar house that I would come to know and I'm sure love.
~~~

The only other thing of note happened when I had to make three trips to the car with the hotel cart to bring my stuff in.  But I told myself that after all this is a permanent move and not a weekend getaway.
~~~

After the smaller load on the second trip spilled over on the hotel parking lot with my cd's all over the place I was ok.  The good laugh I got out of it relieved the tension I felt from moving out of the comfort zone that took me 24 years to establish.
~~~

It will be ok I told myself.  I've only been here 4 hours.
~~~

After a good night's sleep I'll deal with it. 
~~~

day one in the new place

will appear on my blog tomorrow.



but thanks to my daughters - neil young and ludwig von beethoven and
especially his 5th symphony when i needed them the most.

tribute to isorski

Some time after I posted on my first blog my daugher called me up and said, 'Mom, you've
got a comment.'

That comment was my first link to the world of  blogging - and little did I know then what
was in store for me.  Almost four years later I have toughed it out and now I am hooked.

I owe it all to Isorski.

The name of his blog is Isorski's Musings - one that I only occasionally check and comment 
on because it is about rock music.

But it is the best and most consistently good blog I have ever come in contact with.

~~~

And Isorski introduced me to Neil Young.
 
I never knew who he was although I recognized Harvest Gold when I bought two of
his cd's.

Last night as I was taping up boxes I had one of them on - and today this is what ran
through my mind and helped me endure.

Of course you can't hear the music - if you don't already know it - but these are the lyrics
 of Harvest:
~~~

Did I see you down
in a young girl's town
With your mother in so much pain?
I was almost there
at the top of the stairs
With her screamin' in the rain.

Did she wake you up
to tell you that
It was only a change of plan?
Dream up, dream up,
let me fill your cup
With the promise of a man.

Did I see you walking with the boys
Though it was not hand in hand?
And was some black face
in a lonely place
When you could understand?

Did she wake you up
to tell you that
It was only a change of plan?
Dream up, dream up,
let me fill your cup
With the promise of a man.

Will I see you give
more than I can take?
Will I only harvest some?
As the days fly past
will we lose our grasp
Or fuse it in the sun?

Did she wake you up
to tell you that
It was only a change of plan?
Dream up, dream up,
let me fill your cup
With the promise of a man.
~~~

a poem by Paul Hamilton Hayne

a comment from Cube inspired me to post this:


Art thou in misery, brother?
Then I pray be comforted.

thy grief shall pass away.
~~~

Art thou elated?
Ah, be not too gay;
Temper thy joy:

this, too, shall pass away.
~~~

Art thou in danger?
Still let reason sway,
And cling to hope:

this, too, shall pass away.
~~~

Tempted art thou?
In all thine anguish lay
One truth to heart:

this, too, shall pass away.
~~~

Do rays of loftier glory round thee play?
Kinglike art thou?

this, too, shall pass away!
~~~

Whate'er thou art,
wher'er thy footsteps stray,


Heed these wise words:


This, too, shall pass away.
~~~

all packed up

I'm done as much as I can do tonight.


In the morning I need no more than an hour - and then I'm outta here.


I stripped this house clean tonight - and felt like the Grinch:



when he took the last can of Who Hash.  :-)

at the crossroads of my life

Since this is the very last day in my house and the town I've loved for twenty-four
years I thought I should get a few things off  my chest - then when I'm in the new
house I can turn over a new leaf and become a kinder - more gentler - Liberal.

~~~

Miscellaneous gripes:

~when I am  washing my car in the driveway and a neighbor says - when you
are done you can come over and wash mine - although I almost never wash
my car in the driveway - this is just a classic example of the gripe

~when I watch a good movie but in the end I don't 'get it'

~when I see just enough of those little lines that run across the bottom of the tv
screen on CNN to pique my interest but not enough to get the point of it

~when I struggle for a long time to open a jar lid - and probably loosen it - and a
guy effortlessly finishs the job with a seg on his face

~when after a tiring shopping session I cannot do the subtraction in the checkbook

~when I hurriedly wash my hands and put on hand lotion only to discover that I have
not rinsed all the soap off

~when I rush into a room to get something but then have to go back to the original
room to remember what I wanted to get - for me this is legion

~when I run over a curb - that always makes me feel so stupid

~when instead of saying just thank you to a compliment I smile and wholeheartedly
agree with the person

~when I don't get a grocery cart for a few items but then get more than I can carry
continually dropping them

~and much much more

ha! i guess i showed those conservatives - that ought to keep them at bay for a while :)

THIS POST FOR LIBERALS ONLY!

WARNING:   GRAPHIC  CUSSING

~~~

ok.  I've been down in the basement taping up boxes all
evening, see.  And while I've been taping I've been thinking.
There is something that I need to get off my mind - and I
intend to do it right now - before I leave town on Friday.

~~~

It's about tailgaters.

Ever since I have had two tickets against me - one for not
wearing my seat belt and one for speeding I always wear
my seat belt and I never speed.

So I'm trying to pass a car on the interstate going not over
65mph and here comes a Type A personality d*psh*t
right on my tail. 

I'm determined that I 'm not going to exceed the speed
limit of 65 mph - that is while I'm in Illinois - then in
Indiana I can go 70.

So here's this guy - it's always a guy - right up behind
me.  Now here's what I fantasize about doing:

I hold steady at 65 mph while I continue to glance
in the rear view mirror - then when I have a clear
look at his face I slam on my brakes and have
the pleasure of seeing the s*n-*f-*-b*tch*s reaction
of surpise as he slams into my rear end and we
both roll over the enbankment and burst into
flames.

~~~

Of course I would never do that - but rather I
would continue around the car at 65 mph until
I was back in the sanctity of the right lane - and
as the d*ckh**d passes me with a sh*t-**t*ng
grin on his face I fl*p him off.

~~~

And now - with that said I am going to retire
and prepare myself for the last day in the house
that I have loved for 24 years and suck it up
and leave a town that has never disappointed
me.


and cry myself to sleep....

tonight

....I'm going to the basement and tape up the rest of the boxes.


And that will just about wrap it up for tonight...  :-)

reaching an important milestone

200 more clicks and my blog counter will reach 1000.



somehow i don't think it will happen tonight  :-(

now something more mellow

A classic tune from The Man himself.

Ya gotta love ole Blue Eyes.


And dedicated to Legion.

~~~

And now the end is near - well i think I have a few productive years left
And so I face the final curtain,
My friends I'll say it clear
I'll state my case of which I'm certain.

I've lived a life that's full - half full anyway
I've travelled each and every highway, - not quite
And more much more than this
I did it my way.

Regrets? I've had a few
But then again too few to mention,
I did what I had to do
and saw it through without exemption.

I planned each chartered course- with Your help
Each careful step along the byway,
And more much more than this
I did it my way.

Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew,
When I bit off more than I could chew, - yes
But through it all when there was doubt
I ate it up and spit it out. -or sometimes choked on it
I faced it all and I stood tall - I just wish I would stand up straighter
And did it my way.

I've loved, I've laughed and cried, -  more so now
I've had my fill - my share of losing, - no
But now, as tears subside,
I find it all so amusing. - mostly about myself

To think I did all that,
And may I say, not in a shy way - : )
Oh no.  Oh no, not me.
I did it my way.

For what is a man?  What has he got?
If not himself - Then he has naught.
To say the things he truly feels
And not the words of one who kneels.
The record shows I took the blows
And did it my way.

Yes, it was My Way.

as promised

I like this one because I like Billy Joel.

And Billy Joel wrote this.

~~~

This catchy tune is dedicated to Speedy G:

my only commenter today

and because he is so smart to say that Liberals
live in a utopian world.

Thanks Speedy - for your support and really smart comment.

~~~

It's Still Rock and Roll To Me    by Billy Joel


What's the matter with the clothes I'm wearing?
Can't you tell that your tie's too wide?
Maybe I should buy some old tab collars.
Welcome back to the age of jive.

Where have you been hidin' out lately, honey?
You can't dress trashy till you spend a lot of money.
Everybody's talkin bout the new sound, funny, but it's
still rock 'n roll to me.

What's the matter with the car I'm driving?
Can't you tell that it's out of style?
Should I get a set of white wall tires?
Are you gonna cruise the miracle mile?
Nowadays you can't be too sentimental.
Your best bet's true, baby, blue Continental.

Hot funk, cool punk, even if its old junk,
It's still rock and roll to me.
Oh, it doesn't matter what they say in the papers
Cause it's always been the same old scene.
There's a new band in town,
But you can't get the sound from a story in a magazine...
Aimed at your average teen.

How about a pair of pink sidewinders,
And a bright orange pair of pants?
You could really be a Beau Brummel baby
If you just give it half a chance.

Don't waste your money on a new set of speakers.
You get more mileage on a cheap pair of sneakers.
Next phase, new wave, dance craze, anyways,
It's still rock and roll to me.

What's the matter with the crowd I'm seeing?
Don't you know that they're out of touch?
Well should I try to be a straight A student
If you are then you think too much.
Don't you know about the new fashion honey?
All you need are looks and a whole lotta money.

It's the next phase, new wave, dance craze, anyways,
It's still rock and roll to me.
Everybody's talkin' 'bout the new sound,
Funny, but, it's still rock and roll to me.

comin' up: billy joel's it's still rock 'n roll to me: straight from utopia on the edge of the abyss

i've always liked this one

My ole buddy Bob Dylan stopped by and I said Bob can
I use this one on my blog.

He said Sure Sue Go right ahead.


No charge.

~~~

Maggie's Farm


I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
No, I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
Well, I wake in the morning
Fold my hands and pray for rain
I got a head full of ideas
That are drivin' me insane
It's a shame the way she makes me scrub the floor
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more

I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more
No, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more
Well, he hands you a nickel
He hands you a dime
He asks you with a grin
If you're havin' a good time
Then he fines you every time you slam the door
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more

I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more
No, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more
Well, he puts his cigar
Out in your face just for kicks
His bedroom window
It is made out of bricks
The National Guard stands aournd his door
Ah, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more

I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more
No, i ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more
Well, she talks to all the servants
About man and God and law
Everybody says
She's the brains behind pa
She's sixty-eight, but she says she's twenty-four
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more

I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
No, I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
Well, I try my best
To be just like I am
But everybody wants you
To be just like them
They sing while you slave and I just get bored

I aint gonna work on Maggie's farm no more

~~~

I've always liked this one.

helpful and inspiring song lyrics comin' to you from the edge of the abyss:)

 My ole buddy Bob Dylan has promised to stop by to help me out - but first this:

~~~

Blanket Statements:

   
Liberals hate America


~if anyone can honestly say that and believe it in their heart then read no further

but i'm here to say that it simply is not true

~~~

Read and sing or hum along to this one and give this some thought:

If push comes to shove - would you really refuse to stand up beside
a person on the opposite side of the fence  - for the sake of our country?

~~~

God Bless the USA   by Lee Greenwood

If tomorrow all the things were gone,
I'd worked for all my life.
And I had to start again,
with just my children and my wife.

I'd thank my lucky stars,
to be livin here today.
'Cause the flag still stands for freedom,
and they can't take that away.

And I'm proud to be an American,
where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.

And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.
~~~
From the lakes of Minnesota,
to the hills of Tennessee.
Across the plains of  Texas,
From sea to shining sea.

From Detroit down to Houston,
and New York to L.A.
Well there's pride in every American heart,
and its time we stand and say.

That I'm proud to be an American,
where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.

And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today,
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.

And I'm proud to be an American,
where a tleast I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.

And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today,
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.

~~~


Come on everybody.  The eyes of the world are upon
us.  We need to show them that we can hang in there
togther and get through this.

~~~

a poem by robert frost

Does this strike you as a bit over the top?


Perhaps a bit melodramatic?


Me, too. 


But consider the source - and I'm not talkin' about Robert Frost
but about sue the impossible drama queen who always turns
to poetry and song lyrics when she is looking into the abyss.

~~~

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

~~~

: - )   : - (

this is what i want to say about this

Since I put up links it has not gone unnoticed  - to me - that there
has been a sharp dropoff of comments on my blog.

It could be because:

1.  No one wants to comment on my posts

2.  I have 'mixed it up' in my links - some from each
side of the fence

3.  Neither of the above


If it is because my posts don't stimulate comments - frankly
I don't give a d***.  I used to have a really good blog that
few people commented on.  Before I go to bed at night I
often read my own posts and enjoy that very much.  I even
get a good laugh out of it.

See - I'm ok with that.

~~~

I want to have commenters - but only on my own terms..

I will have the links I choose to have  - period.

~~~

If I am making much ado about nothing - and everyone is
just too busy to comment on my blog that's ok too.

See - I 'm easy.

I just wanted to clear this up for myself.

~~~

Actually - it very well could be that I have packed too many
boxes and need the next two days to chill out before I fall
over the edge of the cliff of insanity on which I am dangling.

~~~

Thanks folks -  for your attention to this matter.


and if no one is reading this then thanks for nothing :) seg

popeye the sailor man

After Ripley - ya gotta love Ripley - my fictional hero is Popeye.

Cause he knows who he is.

He says:   'I Yam what I Yam.'

See?   No pretensions.

~~~

To make my point in another way:

In the hilarious but meaningful and poignant comedy - The Birdcage - Armand (Robin Williams) tells his son - who wants him to pretend he is straight:

'Yes, I wear foundation.  Yes, I live with a man.  Yes, I'm a middle-age fag.

But I know who I am, Val.

It took me twenty years to get here.

And I'm not going to let some idiot senator destroy that.'

~~~

But out of his love for his son he gives it a shot anyway - and the result is amazingly funny - and
all's well that ends well.

~~~

Even Michael Jordan saw the importance of  what Shakespeare said in Hamlet:

To thine own self be true...

And I have MJ's quote taped front and center on my desk:


'Authenticity is about being true to who you are - even when
everyone else wants you to be someone else.'

~~~

Kermit the frog also expresses this sentiment:

'It's not easy being green
     having to spend each day the color of the leaves

When I think it could be nicer being  red, or yellow,
     or gold,
or something much more colorful like that


It's not easy being green

It seems you blend in with so many other
     ordinary things
and people tend to pass you over
     'cause you're not standing out   
like flashy sparkles in the water
     or stars in the sky

But green's the color of spring
     and green can be cool and friendly-like
and green can be big like a mountain
     or important like a river
or tall like a tree

When green is all there is to be
    it could make you wonder why
but why wonder why wonder

I am green and I'll do fine
    it's beautiful

and I think it's what I want to be'

~~~

If a muppet can grasp the concept of  how important
it is to just be what we are -

then maybe I can too.

on coming with a lot of baggage

After having packed up everything in the entire house except the computer and two large
flat screens - all that is left is my personal stuff.

And all I can say is that man I come with a lot of baggage.

~~~

I remember that in high school I used to carry every book in my desk home every night
whether I cracked even one open or not.

I remember the embarrassment I felt pushing a cartload of my junk through the lobby of
nice hotels to the stares of the more civilized folks.

~~~

Remember the old lady in Titanic when Bill Paxton flew her in on on the helicopter
and she not only had her granddaughter with her but also a passle of photographs and her goldfish?

That's me.

~~~

Now that I am faced with how much junk I carry around no matter where I go I have
decided that I'm never going to change.


But I accept responsibility for my junk.


And - I always carry it myself.

~~~

In fact  - if anyone tries to help me I may say:


'If you touch my junk, I'm gonna have you arrested.'

                                 ~John Tyner
                                   during a TSA patdown
                                   November 15, 2010

there's a storm comin'

I don't remember when there has been such beautiful fall weather.

Day after sunny day, mild temps, sometimes a nice breeze.

We did have a frost a couple of nights ago but by four pm it
was too warm for my fleece jacket.

~~~

But today I noticed the clouds were rolling in.

I thought to myself  - there's a storm coming.

~~~


Yeah - I think there's a storm coming....

you can't judge a book by its cover

A while back I bought the book Imperfect Presidents- Tales of
Misadventures and Triumph by Jim Cullen - because it had a rather
attractive-looking Patriotic dust jacket. It also has excellent pictures
of the presidents inside.  It sat around like a knick knack and I would
admire the dust jacket whenever I walked past it.

While packing up for the move I decided to keep it out and read from
it. 

I have not been disappointed by this book.

~~~

The author wirtes about twelve Presidents of the United States
but not necessarily about when they were president. The list
below will show that:

~General Washington
~Vice President-Elect Jefferson
~Former President John Quincy Adams
~Representative Lincoln
~'Gentleman Boss' Arthur
~Dude T.R.
~F.D.R.
~Landslide Lyndon
~Vice President Ford
~The Gipper
~Slick Willie
~President George W. Bush (who was still in
office when the book was written)

~~~

Cullen begins each chapter by revealing the weaknesses
or mistakes of the presidents - and ends each one by
showing how they transcend their human frailities.

The book should be of interest to anyone who realizes
that our presidents are - indeed - human.  And only
confirms my belief that although the a person is elected
to the Presidency and gains respect or disdain on an
individual basis - the job is pretty heavy for one person
to take all the responsibility for.

And the weight of the responsiblities is getting heavier
all the time.

It really seems as if it is too heavy for one person - so without
changing the office that the Founding Fathers chose for our
Country - perhaps we can step up and lighten the load for
our leaders-to-be.

~~~

How do we do this?

Through cooperation, working together, unity, sacrifice, perhaps
less government machinary - well, you know what I'm saying
 - stuff like that.

~~~

Jim Cullen is also author of  Born in the USA, The American
Dream, and other books.  He has taught at Harvard, Brown,
and Sarah Lawrence College, and currently teaches at the
Ethical Culture Fieldston School in New York, where he also
serves on the Board of Trustees.  He lives in Hastings-on-Hudson,
New York.

BLOG UNDER CONSTRUCTION

I'm trying to put up links to show my favorite blogs
but now this blog is a mess.


Please excuse it until I can get it worked out with
the help of my great IT Man.

my faith journey - #5

I'm turning over a new leaf.

From now on I'm taking full responsibility for my actions.

No more blaming God for all the times that I have made the
wrong choices.

~~~

Sure President Obama takes a lot of heat.  His ears must be
ringing everyday with all the harsh words and negative comments
that come his way.  It's gotta be hard to be the President of these
United States.

~~~

But then I think - wouldn't it be even harder to be God?

In charge of the entire Universe.

Talk about taking a lot of heat.

Sure - many folks praise and worship Him on a daily basis.

But for twenty-four years I have been God's worst nightmare.

Giving Him little thanks for the wonderful things He has done
in my life - yet constantly griping when things don't go my way.

~~~

So starting right now I'm on a mission.

It's called 'Give God the Glory.'

Or as my 96 year old mother says about the weather:


'We take what we get and like it.'

~~~

So from the new me:

thanks God - for everything.

hangin' it up after an exhilarating saturday night of blogging

please come read my newest faith journey post in the morning -


BUT THIS IS MY BLOG AND FOR TONIGHT  I WOULD

LIKE TO SAY THAT IF I HAVE TO PACK ONE MORE

F***in'  BOX I WILL SCREAM


:) seg

funny how when you take a stand the comments drop off to 0

Ever felt like Bruce Willis in Sixth Sense

or 

The Invisible Man

thanks for the memories

~the pavillion and lagoon in the center of  a really great town.

~to Bergner's where I purchased my complete wardrobe of jeans, t-shirts, Columbia fleece
jackets and running shoes - and especially  the cosmetic counter where I was always
shown the anti-aging cremes by the beautiful  kind young clerks.

~to the always infuriatingly polite local police officers who taught me to restrain my driving
habits and to always buckle up.

~to the Speakeasy Art Center where I was going to rent a studio until I found out that the
only available space was on the third floor where there was never any a/c or heat.

~to Big Lots where I sometimes found inexpensive movies I liked and sometimes not.

~to the cashiers, clerks and greeters with whom I formed mini-friendships.

~to the Public Library where I held my only art exhibit and dragged my family down there
on Christmas vacation and got maybe ten total comments from local people.

~to Family Video for providing me with endless hours of entertainment and allowing me
to now have memorized the title of every movie in the store.

~to Kountry Nook for the great personalized shopping

~the two nights I drove around the perimiter of the area that was blocked off and the huge
spotlights that shone amazing me that the people from Extreme Makeover were actually
working through the nights to make someone's dream come true.

~and the Sports Dome - you big overgrown igloo - who collapsed the night of the big snowstorm
and where I enthusiastically waved my little 9/11 flag and thrilled to the sound of Lee Greenwood
singing God Bless the USA

she was holding her father's hand

Earlier this year I was walking down an aisle at Walmart - focusing on buying a
newly released movie.

My eyes fell upon a man and his daughter - standing there looking at something
they were going to buy.

And the little girl was holding her father's hand.

~~~

As I hurried on I suddenly realized that I had witnessed something that is burned
in my mind and heart forever.

Yes, the little girl was holding her father's hand - but his hand was not flesh and blood -
but a shiny metal hook.

But to the little girl - she was holding her father's hand.

~~~

Now aside from that most cherished gift - as I see it - that I was given to witness such
a beautiful and touching - yet poignant occurrence - this is why I'm sharing this story:


If  - as President Barack Obama announced today - the war in Iraq is in fact at an
end - and if in fact the troops will be home by the end of this year - then that could mean
that some other little girl will be able to hold her father's flesh and blood hand instead of
a shiny metal hook.

~~~

I need to add that of course I have no way of knowing - and I will never know - if that
man lost his hand as a result of the war in Iraq.

But if there is even a small chance that he did - then I am overjoyed that our troops will
be coming home soon - all of them.

And it will always be my fervent wish - and prayer - that the day will come soon that they
can all come home.

music as a tool

During this time of  packing up I have found that music can do its
part.

~~~

Bob Dylan - I avoid my favorite prophet since Blowin' in the Wind
tends put me in my Joan of Arc mode.  And Masters of War -
I'm not even gonna go there.

Ludwig von Beethoven - The Fifth Symphony - particularly the second
movement -Andante con moto works to get the stuff in the boxes.

Justin Moore - Helps me get started in the morning - and I find the same to
be true on a road trip.

Piano music - Has a calming effect on me. I really prefer Vladimir Horowitz
at the keyboard. Horowitz can pound the crap out of the piano and then play
the most expressive music without taking a break.  But he can't play the Rach 3
like the Russian - Eugene Kissin - cool and perfect.

Preservation Jazz Band - Is too mellow for packing so I use it just before supper
when I have a mixed drink of raspberry lemonade and Perrier water.

why does everyone but me have their head up their *ss

Ever watch the movie In the Heat of the Night?

At one point Virgil Tibbs becomes very frustrated and says: 

YOU'RE  HOLDING  THE  WRONG  MAN

~~~

That's what's happening here, folks.

Ever hear of  Herbert Hoover?

He wasn't exactly a beloved president, but he was a good, decent man
who contributed more than his share to make the world a better place.

~~~

Barack Obama is a good, decent man.  He is taking the heat for way
too much.

He may be the President, but he is not responsible for the problems
that are going to take our country under if something isn't done and
soon.

You have to be blind or just plain stupid to blame Barack Obama
for this country's problems.

~~~

Or maybe you just have your h **d  ** y**r ass.

answers to movie quotes quiz

1.  Collateral - Vincent/Tom Cruise

2.  The Pursuit of Happyness - Chris Gardner/Will Smith

3.  A Christmas Carol (1984 ) - Tiny Tim/Anthony Walters

4.  The Aviator - Howard Hughes/Leonardo DiCaprio

5.  Gladiator - General Maximus Decimus Meridius/Russell Crowe

6.  The Edge - Charles Morse/Anthony Hopkins

7.  Independence Day - Captain Steven Hiller/Will Smith

8.  Good Will Hunting - Sean Maguire/Robin Williams

9 .  Apollo 13 - Gene Kranz/Ed Harris

10. 2010: The Year We Make Contact - Heywood Floyd/Roy Scheider

fun post - #3

Movie Quotes Quiz

~~~

Must have name of movie and either character or actor that said it.

~~~

1.   Why are you still driving the cab?

2.   This part of my life...this part right here? This part is called 'being stupid.'

3.   God bless us everyone.

4.   The way of the future...the way of the future...the way of the future...

5.   What we do in life echoes in Eternity.

6.   Never feel sorry for a man that owns a bank.

7.   And didn't I promise you fireworks?

8.    It's not your fault...it's not your fault...it's not your fault...

9.    Let's work out the problem people.  Let's not make things worse by guessing.

10.  We were only the tenents of  this world.  We have been given a new lease, and a new warning ,
from the Landlord.

~~~

Answers in next post at 11pm CT.

fun post - #2

My movie quizzes are legendary in the family - you see I always use clues that are
so remote that I'm the only one that knows the answers.


But now I see that we've got a live one out there - a real movie aficionado.


So let's move it up a notch - two of my faves intertwined.

Each and every clue will be from both movies.

The answer can only be correct if both movies are named.
  
~~~

Clues:

~~~

diamond/book

~~~

parachutes/ferry

~~~

mammal/politician

~~~

balloon/pages

~~~

amy/adam

~~~

escape/assassination

~~~

there will be one final clue after this

meanwhile check out my third and final fun post for this evening

~~~

Movie Quotes Quiz

~~~

Answer to Movie Quiz:  Congo/The Ghost Writer

fun post

I just put my noon movie on - I try to do this to remind me to eat lunch and sit down for
awhile.  No sound.  I've seen all my movies many times so I like the no sound thing. And
really you notice so many other things without the music and words.  Like the acting.
And background stuff.

Oh, and I do allow subtitles.  I like to have the subtitles.

~~~

I'm going to start with one word - you know it's a movie.

I'll come back with one clue at a time.

I love this movie.

Title of movie will be revealed by Thursday - today -  10pm CT - or if someone gets it before that.

~~~

Clues:

~

1.   Jerry

~

2.    underwater sci-fi

~

3,    super intelligent alien computer

~

4.    jellyfish get queen latifah



AND WE HAVE A WINNER!!!!!

absolute marxist - you win absolutely nothing
for guessing the movie:  SPHERE

~~~

Sorry if all of you others are disappointed.

Let's do another one.

to boldly go where no man has gone before

These most wonderful daring words - of course - are about Star Trek but this post is not.

I simply chose them as the title because I like them.

~~~

As with most hard books I have not actually read Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness word for word
but simply have scanned it for the parts I really like.


In the case of Heart of Darkness I bought the book when I became aware of its
connection to the movie Apocalypse Now - a movie that I love but rarely watch
because it gets so dark in the end.  But it is a beautiful darkness and is made even
more beautiful by Martin Sheen and even more so by the genius of Marlon Brando.

Because I am in the middle of the move of my life I confess to not having turned to
the book to write this post - although I have it here beside me and it has a great picture
on the front -but rather to google without whom I am nothing.

According to Wikipedia Heart of Darkness is a heavily symbolic story within a story -
and the term that most catches my attention is 'unfathomable darkness'  - perfect for a
wannabe abstract painter who heavily indentifies with the despondency - if not the
unobtainable talent - of Jackson Pollock.


Here are some phrases - not complete quotes - from Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness that I
lifted from google:

~buried in a vast grave of unspeakable secrets

~the unseen presence of victorious corruption, the darkness of an unpenetrable night

~that seemed to draw him to its pitiless breast by the awakening of forgotten brutal instincts

~the horror!  the horror!

~the offing was barred by a black bank of clouds, and the tranquil waterway leading to the
uttermost ends of the earth flowed somber under an overcast sky - seemed to lead into the
heart of an immense darkness

~~~

Don't have time to read the book?

Rent the movie - directed brilliantly by Francis Ford Coppola.

a farewell to the animals

~the deer - thank you for not running in front of my car and hurting us both

~the raccoons - the nights you stood on the patio out back and gazed at the house
    wearing your natural mask but also a silly seg - you never looked mad - just rabid

~the mole - the Friday night that you dropped out of the fireplace screen and I jumped
up on the couch like the coward I am but then I noticed that you must be blind - edging
your way along the wall at which time I opened the patio door and you went on into the
night

~the squirrels - who I learned to like and I'm sorry I didn't before because I always
     thought you were twitchy

~the chipmunks - you were always a welcome sight darting from one side of the patio
     to the other always in a hurry

~the mice - I never liked any of you and am happy that you have gone elsewhere now
      that we have houses around us and not a field where you came from

~the birds - I'm going to miss you most of all and I am sorry for all the times you flew
      mistakenly into the big picutre window some even fatally but I'm going to tell new
     lady about you and maybe she will continue to feed you - did you have a lookout  
     posted when we were on vacation and that is how you always were here right when
     got back - I've wondered about that

there's no pleasing some folks

I bought First Spanish Reader - A Beginner's Dual-Language Book
edited by Angel Flores - because the left page of the story
is in Spanish and the right side is the English translation.

Wow! - I thought - I can learn Spanish quicker that way.

I never got past the right side of each story because the little stories
are all so good.


Here's one:

~~~


FATHER, SON, OR  HORSE?

By Don Juan Manuel


A farmer who lives in the country says to his son:

'Today is market day; let's go to town to buy a few
things that we need."

They decide to bring a horse with them in order to
carry their purchases. They leave very early in the
morning for the market:  the horse without a load and
they on foot.

Along the road they come upon some men who are
returning from town.  Those men then say that neither
the father nor the son seem very wise, for they are
walking while the horse goes without a load.  Upon
hearing this, the father asks for his son's opinion.  The
latter admits that the men are right and that, as the horse
doesn't have a load, one of them should mount it.  So,
the father orders his son to mount, and they continue
on their way.

A little later they meet another group of men returning
from the town.  These men state that the father is crazy
because, old and tired, he walks, while his son, so young
and robust, rides on the horse.  The father asks his son's
advice and the latter declares that, in effect, the men are
right.  And so the son gets down from the horse and the
father gets on.

Some minutes later other men who are returning from the
market criticize the father.  According to them a young boy
so weak should not walk.  Therefore the father has his
son mount the horse and neither of the two walk then.

Further on they meet other men who are also returning
from the town and they also criticize the father as well
as the son.  They say:

'How can a horse so scrawny carry two men so big and
heavy?"

The father asks his son what they should do in order not
to be criticized any more and finally they reach the conclusion
that the only alternative is to carry the horse.  So, father and
son arrive at the market with the horse on their shoulders, but
in spite of this, many criticize them.

~~~

you can please some of the people all of the time & you can
please all of the people some of the time but hard as you try
you can never please all of the people all of the time

just ask barack obama

~i said that

i have been to his house

I love George Washington.

Why?

Because I have been to his house.

~~~

For three years I lived just a mile from Mt. Vernon  - so I could go there any time I wanted.

I should never have gone on his birthday because it is always free on that day and everyone
goes to Mt. Vernon on George Washington's birthday.  It was silly of me to go that day since
I ended up not even going into his house after exchanging dirty looks and maybe a few harsh
words with a guy over a parking space.  In retrospect it was all my fault since I could have gone
anytime and he probably drove all the way from Montana to visit Mt. Vernon.

I hope he has forgotten the incident as the last place I want to appear mean and rude is at
George Washington's house.

~~~

I love George Washington - his house says what he was.

Simple at heart, elegant, functional and stately.

I walked through the room where he dined with friends.

Where he must have spent cherished time with his family.

I stood in awe beside the bed where he lay as he drew his last breath.

In the closet hung his long coat and there sat his boots.

The adjoining kitchen where his sl*ves faithfully and probably lovingly prepared his meals.

And the magnificant carriage lucky enough to carry him.

~~~

And I love George Washington for his unspeakable courage and loyalty to his troops as they
fought for us enduring unbelievable hardship at Valley Forge.

~~~

But most of all I love George Washington  - because I have been to his house.

my faith journey - #4

I read that besides what we think motivates us on a daily basis - our own desires and wills - we also all have an 'inner intelligence.'

The article said that whatever we want to recognize individually as our inner intelligence is up to us.

Without hesitation I know that I view God as my inner intelligence - the Force that guides me in
my daily quest to right the wrongs of the world.

~~~

But the article went on to say - and I am in total agreement with this - that it is not important
what we choose to be our inner intelligence but rather it is recognizing that we do have an inner
intelligence and choosing to recognize this will help us to go farther in life than if we try to
accomplish our goals on our own.

~~~

And being free to choose the source of this inner intelligence frees us up to rise to whatever
heights we want to obtain - than if we think we are limited to what someone else tells us
who our inner intelligence is or should be.

~~~

Thank you God for allowing to make this choice rather than limiting us to what others want us to choose.


This makes You the Awesome God that we Believe that You are.

bureaucracy at its best

Last week my husband and I made a trip to the local Social Security Administration.

I needed an update on my file, and the whole thing took no more than 30 minutes -
but for me it seemed like an eternity.


Here's how it unfolded:

~~~

We drove up to and parked near a fairly new one story brick building.  I made a mental note of the attractive sign by the road that
read -  Social Security Administration -  which also told the hours of operation.

As we entered the building a very polite young man with his hands folded on the desk
in front of him greeted us with - 'please take a number.'

We did so and as we sat down I saw that there were others waiting also.  Our number was
40, and I asked the young man how many people were in front of us. He  politely
gestured to the digital sign at the back of the room that read - 00.  He said, 'It isn't working.'

So I suggested that perhaps I might run an errand and then come back in time before my
number was up.

The smile never left his face as he warned me, 'I wouldn't do that if I were you.'

In an attempt to start a conversation I complimented the attractive sign out front
and he seemed genuinely pleased and told me that they had recently added the information
about the hours of operation.  I told him I thought that the sign appeared to have been
thoughtfully designed - to which he nodded with a proud look on his face.

~~~

On the right upper wall was a very nice tv screen that the young bureaucratic man
watched - still smiling - while illustrated facts and figures flashed by.  Attempting
to bring some sort of  humor into the humorless situation I asked the nice smiling
young man with his hands folded in front of him if he could get The View on.
He just glanced over at me and seemed amazed that I was not satisfied to watch
the our government at work information.

~~~

Before long I heard a voice say, 'Come to the back of the room and sit in the second
cubicle on the left.'  For a moment I felt alarmed - as if some type of interrogation were
to take place.  We complied and a nice woman greeted us with conversation about
what beautiful weather we had been having. 

In five more minutes we were out of there, no problem at all.

~~~

As we drove back home I pondered over what had taken place.

Sure there are situations much more complicated, much more frustrating and much more
time-consuming in dealing with The Bureaucracy. 

But as towns go we live in a medium sized one and I had just witnessed - on a small scale -
our Bureaucratic Government at work.

~~~

In this case it was efficient, neat, the sign and the building were attractive, the people were
friendly and polite - but it left me with a weird feeling.

Like it was too nice.  Too efficient.  Too robot - like. 

I thought maybe I had wandered in and out of the Twilight Zone.

~~~

But as I write this - I know it's just that I've packed one too many boxes - and there
are still many more to go.

i also like william howard taft

William Howard Taft never ever wanted to be President of the United States.

But Mrs. Taft made him do it.

Even when he was president he didn't like it.  For one thing he really wanted
to be on the Supreme Court.

~~~

Now President Taft was a man of size.  But he had a heart to match.  It is said
that he always put others at ease - knowing that they may have been feeling a
little awkward about his girth.  And that's not all, President Taft was a very
good tennis player - and a graceful dancer.

He served his time and then they let him go.

~~~

Fortunately, this story has a happy ending, for William Howard Taft became the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States of America.

~~~

He said:  'Politics when I am in it makes me sick.'


I agree with you Chief Justice Taft.



But someone's gotta do it.

thoughts

I love the Autumn,
And yet I cannot say
All the thoughts and things
That make one feel this way.

I love walking on the angry shore,
To watch the angry sea;
Where summer people were before,
But now there's only me.

I love wood fires at night
That have a ruddy glow.
I stare at the flames
And think of long ago.

I love the feeling down inside me
That says to run away
To come and be a gypsy
And laugh the gypsy way.

The tangy taste of apples,
The snowy mist at morn,
The wanderlust inside you
When you hear the huntsman's horn.

Nostalgia - that's the Autumn,
Dreaming though September
Just a million lovely things
I always will remember.

                     ~Jacqueline Bouvier
                       1943

my love/hate relationship with spiders

Right off I want to say that some people think spiders are special
because they eat the other bugs or maybe it has something to with
Charlotte of Charlotte's Web fame.

Well, this is my blog and I don't like spiders.

I think they are scary-looking.

Furthermore for the last 20 years they have been coming into my
home uninvited - especially in the fall.

I kill any spider that I find in my home.  I especially refuse to sleep
in the same room with a spider - no matter how small it may be.

No matter how tired I am at night if I see a spider trying to discreetly
spin one of those white cocoons where the wall and the ceiling come
together, I am prepared to stay up as long as necessary until said
spider's small broken body is lying on the carpet in front of me.

Now it has been my experience that these small spiders are no dummies.
They will play dead until I start to walk away - then they scurry off.

I am on to that.

It is extremely hard to stomp a spider to death on the carpet - especially the small ones -
so if the spider should escape I do not sleep in that room until it shows itself
and I am able to have the final victory.

This is the 'hate' part of my love/hate relationship with spiders.

~~~

What I do 'love ' about the creepy little b**t**d* is that spiders have helped me
come to terms with one of my greatest fears.

I no longer fear spiders - well, to a certain degree - but rather I take any action
necessary to keep them out of my living space.

I do not kill outside spiders.  Fair is fair.

~~~

In closing I would like to share a poem with you that I wrote about spiders:

i do not like bugs for they creep and they crawl
as for spiders - i do not like them at all

when one comes to my house
i do not say come and sit


but rather i drop a big book right on it

(based on a true story)

~~~

no spiders were harmed in the writing of this post

on living with my fears

I read this story to my 5 year old granddaughter about seven years ago.

I would give credit to the author and even tell you the title of the book
but unfortunately I can't remember either.  The illustrations were good
but here you'll just have to use your imagination. These illustrations have
stayed with me so that I can picture the story as I tell it.

This is me telling the story remembering it the best I can.

~~~

Every year the wolves would come and the people in the village
would hide in their homes.

The wolves would sit outside the house and the people would stay
in their homes and wait until the wolves left.

One day a little boy looked out the window and saw a wolf in his
front yard.

The little boy walked over and opened the door and the wolf got
up and walked into the house and sat down in the living room.

The little boy then shut the door and went over and sat down
beside the wolf.

The wolf and the boy stayed together all of that winter before
the wolf left.

~~~

The little boy is us.

The wolf represents our fears.

If we face our fears head on, insteading hiding from them, but
rather invite them to live with us, then we are on our way to
conquering them.

~~~

Does this mean that we can actually conquer our fears.

For me the answer is no.

But taking steps to conquer our fears is better than hiding from them.

~~~

I am afraid of heights.  I will always be afraid of heights.
I will never try to conquer my fear of heights.

But sometimes if I face situations that I can conquer I try to conquer them.

Last year I tried to face up to a emotionally hurtful personal situation by
writing the names of the people involved on a 4 x 6 card in bold letters.
I then put it in a prominent place - one that would only be seen by me,
however.  Every time I looked at that card with the names of those people
that I was 'afraid' of, I became less 'frightened' of them.  Soon the situation
was more bearable, and eventually it was no longer a problem.

~~~

I had let the wolf in the door and allowed it to sit down beside me, instead
of hiding from it.

When I took that first step in conquering one fear, I knew that I could go on
to the next fear, and the next...

~~~

'I think over again my small adventures, my fears,
those small ones that seemed so big.  For all the vital
things I had to get and to reach.  And yet there is only
one great thing.  The only thing. 

To live to see the great day that dawns, and the Light
that fills the World.

                                                     ~Old Inuit Song
                                                       From the movie
                                                       Never Cry Wolf
                                                       (1983)

serfs

Whenever in my early education I learned about serfs, for some reason I was fascinated by the subject.

~~~

A few months back I subscribed to the National Geographic Kids Discover Magazine.  I often
buy kids' books - like the many Spanish workbooks I have - because I have poor concentration
and am easily distracted - so simpler versions of the hard adult stuff work better for me.

But in my defense, I occasionally read grown-up books - one example is Walter Isaacson's Einstien.
This book is really good, it's thick and I read every word - some parts more than once.  I highly
recommend it.  He makes even the scientific parts understandable - kind of like Einstien for Dummies.

But seriously, it is a great read.

~~~

The latest issue of my Nat/Geo Kids Discover is about the Middle Ages.

And in it I found some good stuff on Serfs.

I'll quote directly this part:

'Peasants spent long days working the land.
Serfs or villeins (vih-LANES) had to work for
the lord a certain number of days per week.
(Kind of like a housewife, don't you think.)
Plus, they paid the lord fees, including a yearly
tax and a fee when a woman got married. 
Other peasants, called freemen, paid rent
but not fees and owned the lord less labor.'

~~~

Slightly offtopic, but this also caught my eye:

Most boys were trained to be knights,
while girls learned skills that would
make them good wives, such as
spinning and cooking.  Hmmm.....

~~~

Hopefully, we have made significant progress -
and yet one wonders.  Certainly more progress
is in store for serf-like conditions in this world.

~~~

On June 15, 1215, the Magna Carta came into
being - and was a huge thing for the serf  people.

Note:  Sometimes you will see 'Carta' spelled
'Charta,' but this is not correct  - according to
google.  The 'h' is silent, and google says that
the correct spelling is Magna Carta.

So here is the Magna Carta - straight from my
revised edition of One Hundred and One Famous
Poems.

~~~

Magna Carta


On June 15, 1215, King John met the barons near Runnymeade on the Thames,
and granted them the charter which they laid before him.

This charter conatins sixty-three articles, some of which were merely temporary;
the principles uponwhich the whole English judicial system is based are these:

'No freeman shall be taken or imprisioned, or disseised (dispossessed of land), or outlawed, or banished...
unless by the lawful judgment of his peers, or by the law of the land.'

'We will sell to no man, we will not deny to any man, either justice or right.'

Among the most important articles were the two which limited the power of the
king in the matters of taxation:

'No scutage or aid shall be imposted in our kingdom unless by the general council of our kingdom;'

and

'For the holding of the general council of the kingdom...we shall cause to be summoned the
archbishops, bishops, abbots, earls, and the greater barons of the realm, singly, by our letters.

And furthermore we shall cause to be summoned generally by our sheriffs and bailiffs, all others
who hold of us in chief.'

~~~

Thanks, King John

john adams is simply my favorite president

George Washington and Abraham Lincoln are always the top two presidents when I rate the Presidents of the United States.

But John Adams has always been and will always be my 'favorite' president.

Why?  Because I like him.  He was so human - with his vanity, impatience with others, not to mention
his high ideals. And he contributed greatly to the foundation of our Great Country.  John  Adams always
'comes alive' for me more that any other president.

~~~

However, it doesn't hurt that he had a lifelong relationship - and a very deep reciprocal love -  for Abigail
Smith Adams, who is thought to be the only First Lady who if she were alive now would be our
first woman president without all the baggage. :-)

Abigail Adams is still alive for me.  She lives on through her courage in times that were really tough - maintaining their home while her spouse was overseas, she virtually, singlehandly raised their children (nurturing a future president) and all the time keeping alive a very loving, strong relationship with her husband through letters -who just happens to be my favorite president.


And so while, yes, John Adams is my favorite president, it is really is in honor of Abigail Adams that I post this poem by John Milton.

~~~


On His Blindness


When I consider how my light is spent
Ere half my days in this dark world and wide,
And that one talent which is death to hide
Lodged with me useless, though my soul more bent

To serve therewith my Maker, and present
My true account, lest he returning chide,
'Doth God exact day-labor, light denied?
I fondly ask.  But Patience, to prevent

That murmur, soon replies, 'God doth not need
Either man's work or his own gifts. Who best
Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best.  His state
Is kingly:  thousands at his bidding speed,
And post o'er land and ocean without rest;
They also serve who only stand and wait.'

october

a poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar

(1872 - 1906)


October is the treasurer of the year,
~~And all the months pay bounty to her store:
The fields and orchards still their tribute bear,
~~And fill her brimming coffers more and more.
But she, with youthful lavishness,
Spends all her wealth in gaudy dress,
~~And decks herself in garments bold
~~Of scarlet, purple, red, and gold.

She heedeth not how swift the hours fly,
~~But smiles and sings her happy life along;
She only sees above a shining sky;
~~She only hears the breezes' voice in song.
Her garments trail the woodland through,
And gather pearls of early dew
~~That sparkle till the roguish Sun
~~Creeps up and steals them every one.

But what cares she that jewels should be lost,
~~When all of Nature's bounteous wealth is hers?
Though princely fortunes may have been their cost,
~~Not one regret her calm demeanor sitrs.
Whole-hearted, happy, careless, free,
She lives her life out joyously,
~~Nor cares when Frost stalks o'er her way
~~And turns her auburn locks to gray.

~~~


Fall  by suetheimpossibledreamhanes

usually fall means cooler days
~~ but it's still too warm for me

leaves are falling but i don't rake
~~i'm an inside girl you see

anyway this fall things will be different
~~for on halloween that scary day

no candy will i be passing out
~~for the movers arrive so they say

we're outta here on nov first
~~my back is already forlorn

well what can i do except use ben-gay
~~for i've certainly been forewarned

sure it will be the last place i'll live
~~in this earthly life filled with strife

no i'm just kidding i really can't wait
~~to hang pictures and start a new life

comedians are a special gift from god

Prologue to this post:

Klaatu (played by Keanu Reeves) seeks out fellow alien at
McDonalds :-) and alerts fellow alien Mr. Wu (played by
James Hong) that all humans are to soon be exterminated
so that the aliens can make use of the Earth - a rare life-
supporting planet.

To Klaatu's surprise, Mr. Wu (who has resided undercover
with humans for 70 years) states in no uncertain terms that
he has come to love humans and wants to stay and die along
side them.

Now - here is why I am mentioning this movie:

Mr. Wu makes the statement - 'Human life is hard.'

~~~

When I heard Mr. Wu make the statement, 'Human life is
hard,'  I thought  - Wow, he is right.  Human life IS hard.

Coming to the point of this post, I believe that because God
knew that life was going to be hard for us humans, in His
always Good and Magnanimous Spirit, God gave us a sense of humor - and laughter.


And thus Comedians - to make sure we carry out the God's purpose
in giving us a sense of humor.

~~~

When things get very bad - we need to balance this sense of desponency
with laughter.

It works - and really - it is not only the best way to survial, I have found it
is the only way.

~~~

:)  seg

on severing my ties with the democratic party

As soon as I can - and when I figure out how to do it - I am going to change my voter registration
card so that I am no longer a registered Democrat.

Why am I doing this?

~~~

For some time now I have not liked being associated with the Democratic Party label.  But this is
what made up my mind definitively.

~~~

I would like to preface this by saying that I still consider myself a Liberal.  But the politlcal party
thing is getting way over the top for me.  I voted for Barack Obama and I still hold the belief that he
and his family - on a personal level - are good people.  But I will not vote for him next November - there is simply no reason he should continue in office the way things are.  He needs to get out and
live his life with his family before his girls grow up.  In other words, I am not deserting him, but
rather I am supporting a better life for him.  I am not here to argue about what kind of president
he has been.  That is NOT my intent.  Again - I will not vote for President Obama to be reelected.

~~~

Back to the reasons for severing my ties with the Democratic Party:

When President Obama gave a short speech about the debt ceiling a few months ago, I sent him a letter of support, fully expecting  - when the WH got around to it - to receive the usual reply of thanks and a nice family picture.

Last night I was dismayed - and then very upset - to find that my letter had been hijacked by the
Democratic Reelection Committe.  And - it was only an attempt to get me to give money to their cause.

My letter to Barack Obama was just that -  for him to know that I liked him and was encouraging him stay the course and do the very best he could for his country.

In normal times I know I would have received a picture and form letter with a stamped signature, but these are not normal times.

So...as soon as I can arrange it, I will no longer be a Democrat.  Fortunately, there is still time for
me to make a rational and hopefully intelligent and well thought out decision as to where I will place my vote - a right which I hold up very high in importance.

my faith journey - #3

I like Justin Moore's cd - Outlaws Like Me.  In it he sings 'If Heaven wasn't so far away...'

Well, I can tell you that for me Heaven gets closer all the time.

~~~

Now that I'm on the other side of sixty, and with every loved one I lose - whether it be
friend or family, or even someone I've never met but have admired and respected from
afar and that person has impacted my life in some way - in my mind I think of them in
Heaven.

Believing there is a Heaven makes life more bearable - like they are waiting for me to
arrive - and I like to think that Heaven will start when we all get there.

~~~

For as many people as there are that believe in Heaven there are probably just as many
different opinions of what Heaven is like.

And that's ok.

I know what I want Heaven to be like and that's what counts.

~~~

Because I believe in doubting as a healthy thing, I allow my self to doubt - at one time
or another - everyone and everything.  And Heaven is no exception.

But doubting for me means either giving up on someone or something - or coming back
to that person or thing with a stronger feeling.

~~~

And I always come back to Heaven - as where I want to end up.

On my own terms, of course.  :-)

~~~

So I say to God:

Thank you, God, for giving us the hope of Heaven.

a word of thanks upon arriving home

~ to Mother Nature for the absolutely beautiful weather we experienced
      in the last few days - nothin' but blue skies...

~ to the Master Artist for the spectacular fall colors along I-74 - nice touch

~ to Delta Airlines for the on time and turbulence-free flights

~ to Hertz Rent-a-Car for a luxurious, smooth ride although I still regret my
     restraint in not jumping over the counter and not choking the New Yorker
     lady-with-an-attitude who remarked that I seemed confused well really that
     was after two flights and a layover in between


~ to TSA for the non-offensive patdown

~ to the kind, thoughtful lady seated next to me who overheard me telling the flight
     attendant about the funeral and who although she didn't have to she offered her
     condolences to me and my family - and prayers

~~~
~ and finally my sincere and humble apology to God when after I hit my head on the
     car door (it hurt) after which I said unkind things to Him as I drove away while all the time
     knowing that it was not His fault since as Forrest Gump observed:  sh*t happens

we miss you already

it's over now - the day I did dread
and yes it was hard - just like i said

a piece of my heart left the church today
but then we said farewell to you - in a big way

family and friends - we all loved you so
how much we hated to see you go

stories we told - they did abound
about you - laughter all around

you see - we will be better now
for having known you - which God allowed

we are happy that you and your lovely wife - my sis
will be together forever - in heavenly bliss  :-)

he was not ours

To an Athlete Dying Young by A. E. Housman (1859 - 1936)

The time you won your town the race
We chaired you through the market-place;
Man and boy stood cheering by,
And home we brought you shoulder-high.

To-day, the road all runners come,
Shoulder-high we bring you home,
And set you at your threshold down,
Townsman of a stiller town.

Smart lad, to slip betimes away
From fields where glory does not stay
And early though the laurel grows
It withers quicker than the rose.

Eyes the shady night has shut
Cannot see the record cut,
And silence sounds no worse than cheers
After earth has stopped the ears:

Now you will not swell the rout
Of lads that wore their honours out,
Runners whom renown outran
And the name died before the man.

So set, before its echoes fade,
The fleet foot on the sill of shade,
And hold to the low lintel up
The still-defended challenge-cup.

And round that early-laurelled head
Will flock to gaze the strengthless dead,
And find unwithered on its curls
The garland briefer that a girl's.

From  - A Shropshire Lad

fran - with love admiration and respect

Crossing the Bar  by Alfred Lord Tennyson


Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea.

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.

Twlight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;

For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crost the bar.

prayers needed

We begin looking for a new home today - and this is huge for me.

~~~

However, I received word this morning that my brother-in-law has died, so I will by flying
to New York with my two daughters in a few days for the funeral.

He leaves behind twin daughters and a 6 yr. old granddaughter.

His wife (my sister) died of breast cancer in 1991 so my neices are
devastated at losing their only surviving parent.

Fran impacted my life in many important ways - not only as a family member but
as a mentor.


Any prayers offered for me and my neices - Melinda and Jennifer - will be greatly appreciated.


Thanks,   Sue

on being put to the test - my faith journey #2

I like to think of myself as a person of great faith.

But last night God took me to the edge of the cliff
and dangled me over saying - as Ben Gates said to
to Abigail Chase in National Treasure: Do you trust
me?  - with God all the while thinking Let's see what
Sue does now.

~~~

I was talking with my daughter last night  - she sometimes
steps in and counsels me - not an easy job.
When the deal on the house was not finalized as hoped
I lost it, and was reduced to tears, blurting out my 
innermost hostilities toward God that I had been saving for
such an occasion.

But my daughter has four children of her own - ages 12, 9, 6, and 4
and in her gentle but firm voice she said, 'Mom, you are tired.
Get some sleep.  Things will look better in the morning.'

~~~

Today the deal went through.

Only slightly embarrassed that God exposed me for the
faithless, weakling that I am, I am confident that God
and I are on solid ground once more.

~~~

Thanks, God.

For what, you ask?

Nothing in particular.

Just...thanks.

relocating

sue the impossible dream hanes is relocating.

It's been a long haul for me but now the part of my life I call waiting is over.

~~

 This has been really  hard.  At one point I thought I would implode into a thousand pieces
and disperse into the blogosphere forever.

For those who have supported me -  it means more than I can say.

For those who don't like me,  can't stand me  and even wish I would go away:

to you I would say:  I'm not going anywhere.

Blogging is a fun way to pass a little time - and see what others are thinking.

Even if there are those who don't really take what they say seriously..

~~~

For anyone who might have been prayin' me through,  thanks.

~~~

I'll be posting updates.