Music Monday

WARNING: Do not have any liquids in your mouth when you watch these. If you do, don't say I didn't warn you.







(OK< I don't know what happened to the formatting on the first two! I tried to fix it, but couldn't.)

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Again?

This is like, what--the fifth time now? Or is it the sixth? So wanna take bets on how long it will last this time?

Tony and Jessica Split

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Mystery Shawl

I finally made it to the end of clue 3:

And that's about all I did today.

I'm still hanging in there with the Lactaid, though I've discovered that if I want to drink a glass of milk, I need to take two. Also, I should mention that last night, didn't need to wake up and eat in the middle of the night. That's two nights in a row!

Only 16 more days!

Saturday Sky

That's pretty much it. Y'all don't really want to hear about my housecleaning, do you?

But there is some good news. I spent a few hours typing in posts from my little spiral notebook. Soon there will be fresh and interesting stuff to read. I know you're all glad of that.

Lactaid

I bought some Lactaid dietary supplements, and had one with pizza for supper. It seems to be working. I feel better than I have in weeks. What I had always taken for heartburn, I now think to be lactose intolerance, because I had none of it today. When I think more about it, milk has for a long time made me sick at my stomach unless I eat something with it. Cheese gave me heartburn and a bloated feeling. I think this has been coming on for quite a while, but just recently come to the point where I had to take note of it.

So, wanting to ease myself into this gradually, what did I do? I had another Lactaid with a bowl of ice cream.

We'll see.

Photos

'Cause I just don't feel like typing today.

Daylilies:

How Squeaky and Rylea spent their 4th:

And blueberries, in differing stages of ripeness:




I hope you've enjoyed this scenic detour. We will return to your regular blogging soon.

Whiskers and WIPs

Not much knitting progress to report, but I do have a couple of things.

This is my Independence Day project:

And this is another square for the Machosauce Afghan some of us were making:

Why am I knitting more squares? Well, the short version is, we just decided we wanted it to be a bit bigger.


~Whiskers On Wednesday~

Why is Squeaky so sad?



The baby elephant died. I'm sad too.

I think I'll go cry a little bit.

Bits and Pieces

Sharp eyed viewers may notice that I've made a few changes to the blog. I finally decided to update my template. There is a good side and a bad side to this. The bad side is that I lost many of the changes I'd made to my template. All the links and buttons and such that I'd had were lost. The good side is that all the links and buttons that I'd had were gotten rid of. Some of them were so old, they led to sites that were no longer even available. It's a good housecleaning.

The last couple of weeks, my digestive system has been a bit out of whack. I won't go into all the gory details for you, but I am beginning to suspect I've developed a bit of lactose intolerance. I've checked WebMD, and the symptoms fit. I've avoided milk as much as I can, and it does help. I think I'm going to try some Lactaid products, too. I think this is why I haven't felt like blogging much. I've got several posts I need to type out, but I just haven't wanted to do it. I haven't really even felt like knitting. Now, that's bad. I do have a couple of things I can show you tomorrow, though.

Only 22 more days!

Cornerbacks

Take a look at the NFL Network's Top 5 Cornerbacks

See who is at #5?

If they do this list again next year, he will rank even higher than this. Why? Well, for one thing, he missed 6 games last season due to injuries, and the 10 games he did play, he wasn't at 100%. Even playing through injuries, he still cracked the top 5. Just wait and see what he does when he's healthy.

Also, the Cowboys are going to more man to man coverage in the coming season. He has been pushing for this for a long time. Now that they are going to go that route, he is going to shine.
He's already one of the best in the league. This season, when conditions are optimal (as much as real life can be) boy it's going to be a sight to see!

And for your bonus track today:

Bestill my beating heart


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Music Monday

Celebrating America:

Lee Greenwood

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The Declaration Of Independence

WHEN in the Course blah blah blah

WE hold these Truths to be self evident, that all Men are created equal blah blah Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah (lots of blahs)

pledge our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

John Hancock.



So what the heck is that? I'll tell you. That is the version of The Declaration Of Independence that most Americans know. Those are just about the only parts they remember. That's too bad, because there amongst all those blahs are some true gems--our real National Treasure.

Let me share with you some of my favorite parts of The Declaration that most people don't know are there, hidden among the blahs.

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them to another, and to assume among the powers of the Earth the separate and equal station to which the laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them,

The laws of Nature, and of Nature's God. From the very beginning, America seems to have been ordained by God. Even before the founding fathers appealed to him, even before the pilgrims came seeking the freedom to worship as they saw fit. All the way back to Cristobol Colombus, who took the name Christopher, which means Christ Bearer, later in life--when he decided to sail West instead of East, because he believed that is the direction God wanted him to go, God has had his hand on this country. Our forefathers believed it. Benjamin Franklin said, "I have lived, Sir, a long time and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth -- that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an entire empire can rise without His aid?"

A decent respect to the opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impell them to the separation.

I like this line. I just do. Our forefathers believed in the utmost courtesy. That is something that has been lost in the whiny, selfish, perpetual teenage American citizen of today. It's something we need to get back to. Courtesy. If it was good enough for Thomas Jefferson, it ought to be good enough for the rest of us.

We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men.

Rights don't come from government. They come from God. Governments are there to secure them, not grant them and certainly not to take them away.

That when any government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form as to them shall seem most likely to affect their safety and happiness.

It is a God given right for a people to set up the government that best keeps their safety and happiness secure. If it isn't working, it is their right to change it.

But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, persuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty to throw off such government, and provide new guards for their future security.

It is the duty of the citizen to be involved. It is the duty of the citizen to keep the government in check. It is the duty of every American to be responsible for himself and his family, and not allow the government control over every aspect of his life--even if it means he has to work to rpovide for his family, and buy his own health insurance.

A Prince, whose Character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Now, this doesn't limit itself to royalty. There are certain people in this country who may think themselves American Royalty, and want to rule with an iron hand. These people are unfit to lead a free people.

And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

See, this is the thing. Fifty six men signed the Declaration of Independence, but it was nothing more than a piece of paper until they backed it up with their blood. And it wasn't just them. Every man who fought. Every woman who watched her husband, her son, go off to fight, knowing that they might not come home again. Patrick Henry summed up their feelings best when he said, "Give me liberty, or give me death!" Our forefathers believed in liberty enough to die for it. Do we?

Do we?

Happy Fourth!

As only the Muppets can do it.

P.S. I thought today was Saturday all day. Boy I am really confused!

P.P. S. Sorry about my bit of whining in Wednesday's post. I blame PMS.

P.P.P. S. I love Bradie James, too. Did I ever mention that?He's the one with the big, beautiful brown eyes.

P.P.P.S. Only 25 more days!

Long Weekend

I'm free! I'm free! Well, until Monday, that is. We have tomorrow off, and so I keep thinking today is Friday. I'm all mixed up.

No comments from the peanut gallery.

Show Me July

It's July first, and you know what that means-- show me your calendar!

First up, my adorable (as always) nephew Joshua on my bedroom calendar:

A baby fox on my kitchen calendar:

No, the calendar is not sideways. The fox is. He's laying on his back.


My living room calendar with Mike the Tiger:

Finally, my office calendar. Now, I was nearly heartbroken at the though of having to turn the calendar off of my pookie bear Bradie James. Imagine my joy, when I finally cranked up the resolution to turn the page and found


Marion Barber!!!! I love that man!!! July is going to be a long month in my office. It may last until December.

Did I mention that I love that man? Yep. Love Love Love Love

I suppose I ought to. We are engaged, after all.


Yeah, I know it's Wednesday, and that means Whiskers and WIPs, but I'm not doing them. I've only gotten a couple of rows done on the shawl, and you wouldn't notice any difference from what I posted last week. And I didn't get a single picture of the cat this whole week. So, no Wednesday W & W.

Not that it matters. Nobody's reading anyway.

Clean Bill Of Health

I took Katie to the vet for her annual checkup and vaccinations, and she got a clean bill of health. Well, as much as a nearly 14 year old dog can have, that is. She has lost 4 pounds since her last checkup, but the vet says that is normal for dogs as they age to lose weight, just like people do. It's also normal for them to start losing bladder control. So Katie's leaking when she naps is just part of the aging process. The vet said that if it gets to be frequent, they have medication that helps. Since it just once in a while for now, we are going to wait on that.

Katie is terrified of thunderstorms, and the older she gets, the worse she gets. I asked the vet about tranquilizers, and she said I could give Katie benadryl. It's what she gives her own dogs, and it puts them right to sleep. I said that I didn't even know you could give a dog benadryl, and the vet said "Oh yes. It's what we use to treat dogs with allergies. It works just as well as a tranquilizer, and is a lot safer and has fewer side effects." So, next storm, benadryl it is. Maybe it'll keep her from climbing me.

So that was Katie's annual checkup. She is doing great for a dog her age. Hopefully, we'll have her for a few more years.

Music Monday

A couple of weeks ago, Steve posted his all time favorite love song, and asked two questions, What is yours and what does it remind you of. It took a lot of thinking, because there are so many good songs out there, but I finally settled on this one: Everything I do, by Bryan Adams.



It beat out some tough competition, including Faithfully, Shameless, and even a bit of Bob Seger. But it has got to be my all time favorite love song.

What does it remind me of? The movie for one. Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves. Now, one doesn't normally think of that movie is particularly romantic one, but to me it is. I think it is much more romantic than silly movies like oh, say 50 First Dates, or The Wedding Date. Here is Robin, doing what is necessary to protect his country, his freedom, and the woman he loves, even if it costs him his life. Now THAT is truly romantic.

Supervisors

There are three supervisors where I work. They all cover different departments within the plant. I have worked for all of them at one time or another. They are all very different.

Carlo is very laid back. Nothing ever seems to faze him. He never raises his voice, never seems flustered. Carlo's claim to fame--at least in my eyes-- is that he always smells good. Always. I don't know what he wears, but it smells soo good. I used to follow around, just so I could sniff him.

Then there is Calvin. He is just the opposite of Carlo. Calvin is the worrywart. He walks around very fast, with his head down, talking to himself. At times, I would swear you can almost see him shaking from nervousness.

Finally, we have Ronnie. Ronnie is the prankster of the group. He is always clowning about something. Back a few years ago, the plant was setting up a new testing system, and I was running it. Since it was new, Ronnie had asked me to call him every time a unit failed the test. Well, I was testing a unit, and it failed. I looked up into the supervisor's office and saw Ronnie sitting there at his desk. I walked back to the phone to call him.

"Can you hold that unit for a while? I'm all the way over [on the other side of the plant]." Ronnie told me. I agreed to do that, and when I turned around to hang up the phone, Ronnie was standing right behind me! That's the kind of thing you can expect from him.

While it may not always be pleasant at work, I must say, it is always interesting.

It's Getting Harder

It's harder for me to blog here lately. See, I used to write most of my blog posts at work. I ran a machine, and all I had to do was set it up and watch it run. I'd have sometimes as much as 20 to 30 minutes between setups. That was plenty of time to jot down my rough drafts in my little notebook.

Now, I'm back to brazing, which is a much more active job. No more standing there looking. No more idle time to write blog posts. Basically, what that means is that, though I have about a dozen posts rolling around in my head, they don't get written down. Therefore, they don't get posted.

I'm not really sure why I can't just type them directly to the blog, but it doesn't work that way. When I sit down at my computer to enter my ideas, they just don't come.

That's why blogging has been lacking lately. I'll try to do better.

Hurricane Survival Tips

Gulf Coast Hurricane Season Notes

Hurricane season is starting again.

Any day now, you're going to turn on the TV and see a weather person pointing to some radar blob out in the Gulf of Mexico and making two basic meteorological points:

(1) There is no need to panic.
(2) We could all be killed.

Yes, hurricane season is an exciting time to be on the Gulf Coast. If you're new to the area, you're probably wondering what you need to do to prepare for the possibility that we'll get hit by "the big one.

Based on our experiences, we recommend that you follow this simple three-step hurricane preparedness plan:

STEP 1. Buy enough food and bottled water to last your family for at least three days.
STEP 2. Put these supplies into your car.
STEP 3. Drive to Nebraska and remain there until Halloween .

Unfortunately, statistics show that most people will not follow this sensible plan. Most people will foolishly stay here in the Gulf Coast area.

We'll start with one of the most important hurricane preparedness items:

HOMEOWNERS' INSURANCE:

If you own a home, you must have hurricane insurance.

Fortunately, this insurance is cheap and easy to get, as long as your home meets two basic requirements: (1) It is reasonably well-built, and (2) It is located in Nebraska.

Unfortunately, if your home is located in any area that might actually be hit by a hurricane, most insurance companies would prefer not to sell you hurricane insurance, because then they might be required to pay YOU money, and that is certainly not why they got into the insurance business in the first place. So you'll have to scrounge around for an insurance company, which will charge you an annual premium roughly equal to the replacement value of your house. At any moment, this company can drop you like used dental floss.

Since Hurricane George, I have had an estimated 27 different home-insurance companies. This week, I'm covered by the Bob and Big Stan Insurance Company, under a policy which states that, in addition to my premium, Bob and Big Stan are entitled, on demand, to my kidneys.

SHUTTERS:

Your house should have hurricane shutters on all the windows, all the doors, and -- if it's a major hurricane -- all the toilets.

There are several types of shutters, with advantages and disadvantages:

Plywood shutters: The advantage is that, because you make them yourself, they're cheap.
The disadvantage is that, because you make them yourself, they will fall off.

Sheet-metal shutters: The advantage is that these work well, once you get them all up. The disadvantage is that once you get them all up, your hands will be useless bleeding stumps, and it will be December.

Roll-down shutters: The advantages are that they're very easy to use, and will definitely protect your house. The disadvantage is that you will have to sell your house to pay for them.

"Hurricane-proof" windows: These are the newest wrinkle in hurricane protection: They look like ordinary windows, but they can withstand hurricane winds! You can be sure of this, because the salesman says so. He lives in Nebraska.

HURRICANE PROOFING YOUR PROPERTY:

As the hurricane approaches, check your yard for movable objects like barbecue grills, planters, patio furniture, visiting relatives, etc. You should, as a precaution, throw these items into your swimming pool (if you don't have a swimming pool, you should have one built immediately). Otherwise, the hurricane winds will turn these objects into deadly missiles.

EVACUATION ROUTE:

If you live in a low-lying area, you should have an evacuation route planned out. (To determine whether you live in a low-lying area, look at your driver's license; if it says "Louisiana," "Mississippi" or "Florida", you live in a low-lying area.) The purpose of having an evacuation route is to avoid being trapped in your home when a major storm hits. Instead, you will be trapped in a gigantic traffic jam several miles from your home, along with two hundred thousand other evacuees. So, as a bonus, you will not be lonely.

HURRICANE SUPPLIES:

If you don't evacuate, you will need a mess of supplies. Do not buy them now! Long standing tradition requires that you wait until the last possible minute, then go to the supermarket and get into vicious fights with strangers over who gets the last can of SPAM.

In addition to food and water, you will need the following supplies:

23 flashlights
At least $167 worth of batteries that turn out, when the power goes off, to be the wrong size for the flashlights.
Bleach (No, I don't know what the bleach is for. NOBODY knows what the bleach is for, but it's traditional, so GET some!)
A 55-gallon drum of underarm deodorant.
A big knife that you can strap to your leg. (This will be useless in a hurricane, but it looks cool.)
A large quantity of raw chicken, to placate the alligators. (Ask anybody who went through Camille; after the hurricane, there WILL be irate alligators.)
$35,000 in cash or diamonds so that, after the hurricane passes, you can buy a generator from a man with no discernible teeth.

Of course these are just basic precautions. As the hurricane draws near, it is vitally important that you keep abreast of the situation by turning on your television and watching TV reporters in rain slickers stand right next to the ocean and tell you over and over how vitally important it is for everybody to stay away from the ocean.

Good luck, and remember: It's great living in Paradise.....!

Tragic Day

Farah Fawcett and Michael Jackson both died today. And they were both so young. Ms. Fawcett died of cancer. She was 62. Michael Jackson died of a heart attack. He was 50.

I was never a big fan of either of them, but they were icons of my childhood. I remember watching the original Charlie's Angels vividly. One of my 6th grade classmates told me that Farah Fawcett (she was Farah Fawcett-Majors back then--still married to Lee) never combed her hair. She just got up in the mornings and shook her head and every hair fell right into place. I didn't believe my classmate even then. I knew she had to comb her hair out when she washed it.

The Michael Jackson I prefer to remember was the young one. Before he became the creepy pedophile. He once was very handsome, before he began surgically altering his appearance. And at one time, he made some pretty good music. But then he started to get weird. To me, that's kinda when he stopped being Michael Jackson. You could almost say that he died then, in a way. But today, he died for real. So sad, really.

I think I'll go to bed and get this day over.

Whiskers and WIPs

Not much knitting done this week. I ripped the shawl back to my most recent lifeline, and have just now gotten back to where I was.

I need to spend less time on Facebook, and more time knitting. And cleaning house. And sleeping.

Squeaky says, "Here I am. Adore me!"

Life

seems to be a bit overwhelming right now. I've really got the blahs. I think it's the heat. It's been in the upper 90's all week, and they're predicting triple digit temps for the weekend. My A/C has been running almost constantly, and I don't let the dogs out but for a few minutes at a time.

I don't even feel that much like knitting. I ripped my shawl back to the most recent lifeline because the stitch counts just weren't coming out right. I've corrected whatever error I had made, because I'm now back to where I was and everything is working fine.

Anyone remember Project 365? I'd started it back in January. I'm still taking photos for it. I've missed a couple of days, some because I just forgot to take a photo. Anyway, I'd been posting them on my other blog, and have gotten way behind. I'm going to try to get caught up. I got a few photos posted today, and will try to get some more uploaded here in the next few days.

Now, just so this post isn't totally worthless, here is one of my favorite photos of all time:



I took this a year or so ago at the Memphis Zoo. I don't know who that guy is taking the picture with his phone. He just happened to be there. I think what I like best about this shot is that it happened totally by chance, and turned out so well. The lighting, the balance, the composition --it's all just right, and with no editing whatsoever. I didn't even crop it.

Music Monday

This song came out about the time my father passed away. I'm posting it today in his memory.

Vince Gill
 
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Father's Day Conundrum

I know that some of you might know a bit about my past, but for those of you who don't know, Cody was born in Italy, while I was in the Navy. The last time I saw his father was the day before he was born.

I met him while we were both stationed there. Just before we were married, he got transferred back Stateside. I'd wanted to postpone the wedding until we could be together for good, but I let him talk me out of it. He told me it was just a temporary transfer, that he'd be back in 8-12 weeks. We went ahead and got married as planned, and after a brief honeymoon, I went back to Italy.

Time passed, and I began asking him when he would be back, and he's always have an excuse. A few more weeks, he kept telling me. Finally, July came, and he still wasn't back. It had been more than 6 months by then. I asked one more time when he was supposed to be coming back, and he began yelling at me, telling me he wasn't coming back, that it had been a permanent transfer and that I had known that.

So that's why I was pregnant, in Italy, and alone. A week before Cody was born, he flew over to where I was stationed. I thought he was coming to be there when his son was born, but really he came to tell me he wanted a divorce. He'd just gotten married too young, he said. He didn't like married life, he said. He wasn't ready for the responsibility of being a father. He didn't think he could afford to support us, so he was leaving us on our own. "But don't feel bad, you didn't do anything wrong," he said.

That Tuesday, the day before he left, I went into labor. I asked him if he would stay one more day, and he refused, lying to me again. He'd said that the plane tickets he bought were non refundable, which they weren't. I know. I bought them for him. I knew he was lying, but I didn't argue. The next morning, he left, and Cody was born that night.

Cody has never met his father. When he left, he made it clear that he wanted nothing more to do with either of us. He even agreed to have his parental rights terminated. In fact, for the first year or so, he wouldn't even acknowledge that Cody was his. I haven't seen him in nearly 16 years. I haven't heard from him at all in 15 years.

Last week, out of the blue, without provocation, I got a facebook friend request from him.

Now that Cody is nearly grown, now that the expense and responsibility of raising him is nearly done, he suddenly wants to swoop back in and be wonder dad. It kinda makes me mad. He wasn't there when the boy had chickenpox or the flu. He wasn't there when the boy came home from school in tears from being bullied so much. He wasn't there when I was struggling to feed and clothe the boy. He wasn't there when the boy was getting in trouble in school, and getting kicked off the bus. He wasn't there to stop the boy's nosebleeds, or rush him to the emergency room after a bee sting. He wasn't there to teach the boy to hit a baseball, or throw a football, or do a layup. He wasn't there to take the boy fishing, or to kill his first deer.

He wasn't there to take the burden of financial responsibility so I could be there for the boy.

Now that the task of raising the boy is close to being done, now that the boy is only 2 1/2 years away from being an adult, he wants to suddenly show up and be a dad. Ok, I can deal with that. I may not like it, but I can deal with it.

But why is he sending ME a friend request?

Friday Funny

Back when I was in college, I hung around with a rather creative crowd. How creative? Well, let me tell you.

One Saturday, the church that many of my friends attended was having a picnic for the college and career group. Naturally, I was also invited to attend. The picnic was going to be at a park by a lake. When we got there, we found that in addition to food, they had also set up several games--croquet, horseshoes, badminton and the like. We were walking around playing different games, and Tina and Edna decided they wanted to play badminton. There was just one problem. Whoever had set the net up had tied it between two trees so that it ran parallel to the lake shore. They said it was the only place to tie it. So while they were playing, every time they hit the birdie, one of them was hitting it straight toward the lake. Add to that the fact that it was a rather blustery day, and well, you can get the idea. After more than one trip wading into the lake to retrieve the shuttlecock, Tina and Edna moved their game to an open area a bit farther from the lake. They were batting the birdie back and forth, but it just wasn't the same. Edna said, "We need a net."

"I'll be your net!" cried Bill, and he ran out and stood between them with his arms outstretched. Myself, Greg, and a few more people immediately joined him, and we stood in a line with our arms on each others' shoulders. Being the net. OK, that works. Edna and Tina resumed playing. Those of us who were being the net -- standing there in a line, our hands on each others' shoulders--well, the temptation was simply too great to resist. We began dancing.

Edna and Tina never batted an eye. Never missed a beat. They continued their game as serious as could be, as if it were the most natural thing in the world to be playing badminton over a line of people

doing the can-can.

(I searched all over for an animated smiley or gif of the can can, but didn't find one. If you happen to know where one is, please point me in that direction.)