HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESSICA

From My Own Little CornerToday is a bittersweet day. 27 years ago today, at 7:07 am, my first child, and only daughter was born. She weighed 5 lbs 7 oz and was 19 inches long. She had a head full of dark hair, and the darkest violet eyes I have ever seen. She was perfect in every way. I had to have an emergency c-section, as she was in distress, and had been for hours before she was born. Unforunately, it caused severe brain damage. As the unfeeling pediatric neurologist told me when she was 2 days old, "You have a very beautiful baby, and that's all she'll ever be." He was right about her beauty, and she never did develop past the infant stage, but in the short 4 1/2 years that we were privileged to be her caretakers, before she went home to her real Father, she touched more lives, and taught more people life lessons, than any other person I have ever met. She never learned to talk, to crawl, to physically touch, to look at anyone, to kiss, to hug, and she was such a tiny little thing, but her heart was the biggest that any one person could ever have. She was brave, she was a fighter, and she was fiercely loved by many.

So HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESSIE!! Mommy misses you, and loves you more today than ever!

SUMMETIME, SUMMERTIME, HEY LOLLY, LOLLY, LOLLY

From My Own Little Corner Well, it is getting hot here in the mid-west, or for those who didn’t know, Missouri, not too far from St. Louis and the Mississippi, Missouri, and Cuivre Rivers. So not only is the temperature rising, it is getting HUMID!! Or, as Anne Ramsey says in “THROW MOMMA FROM THE TRAIN”, it is getting “sultry”. And with the heat and humidity on the rise, getting the outside chores done has become an early morning, late afternoon endeavor.

The tiller is still in pieces in the garage, and appears destined to stay that way. Such a shame, but I refuse to throw it out, as you just never know when that part may fall into my lap, like manna from Heaven. So for now, it will lay on the garage floor, like an old toy that has been forgotten by it’s owner. The neighbor has managed to borrow a tiller from an uncle, so when it cools off this afternoon, we will till and weed the vegetable garden. The plants are growing nicely, but so are the weeds, and they always grow faster than the crops.

We have several other projects in the works. We are going to paint the shed to look like a barn, but we need to clear the forest that has grown around it before that will be possible. Of course, we need the chain saw for that. So, naturally, it spent 15 out of the last 21 days in the shop, over a span of 5 trips. ARGHHHH!!! Every piece of power equipment I touch this year has decided that it doesn’t like the idea of manual labor, and has crapped out on me. I did get it to work long enough to finish the rebuilding of the retaining wall around my flower bed under the bedroom windows. In pulling the weeds last week, I discovered it was rotting and needed to be replaced. So, intrepid homeowner that I am, I decided that we would tackle the job ourselves. For those who don’t know me personally, I am very stubborn when it comes to these types of thing, and once I decide that I can do it, I will not admit defeat. It took 3 days and the help of the hubby and the son, but it is DONE!!!!!!! We pulled the 6×6x8 timbers out from another bed that we decided we didn’t want enclosed anymore, and recycled them into a new wall. I used the chain saw to cut the timbers, and yes, I did do part of them. Jacob (the son) did one, I did the rest. When we were almost done, with the exception of drilling the last 4 pilot holes for the 12″ spikes that tie the timbers together, the drill died. So I drove those last 4 spikes with the sledge hammer! So the hubby, the son, and I built that wall all by ourselves. Granted it is not a very big wall and it is not perfect, but none the less, we did it! I told the hubby that by the end of summer, if we keep this up, I will be a buff, tanned, 50 year old, short person, and he will be a buff, tanned, 57 year old, tall person.

Well, I need to get the inside chores done, so that I can get to the outside ones that are scheduled for today. Hope all of you have a great Memorial Day weekend, and for those who serve, both active and veterans, THANK YOU !!!!! Don’t forget to thank our service men and women, and to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in defending our freedoms.

For those who read both of my blogs, I realize that this post is redundant, and as soon as I have more time, the two blogs will not be the same, but for now, this is my solution to the time crunch. LOL In otherwords, I am cheating!!

And as always, please pray for peace and enlightenment. My your God bless, and keep, you and yours.

The Tiller Saga Continues And Various Other Tidbits

From My Own Little Corner Thought I had found the parts for my tiller, but they have been discontinued. The tiller is only 8 years old (found the date on the tiller) and they have already decided to stop making the individual parts for the transmission, but they will sell me the whole thing. I spent most of yesterday searching for a used part, finally found it, the fella was going to sell me the gears that I needed for about $25 each, i was going to come home and put it back together myself. Then I made the mistake of telling him the reason I needed to buy it from him, he called the supplier, found out that it was truly no longer available, and decided he could not sell me just the parts, but now I had to buy the whole darned used transmission. And he would so generously lower the price from $300 to $200 and throw in a 30 day warranty.

The whole time he was trying to sell me this “new” transmission, which had grass wrapped around both the wheel and tine axles, he was complaining about how we are a throw away society. I explained to him that I did not have $200 to spend on the tiller, and that I really wanted to just buy the pinion and the gear assembly. No go. He got dollar signs in his eyes. I then told him that there was no way those transmissions (he had 2) were new, that they were rusted, pointng out that there was grass wrapped around the axles, and the paint was peeling off. He then informed me that was because the fellow that owned them, used to work for Sears, and that he did repair work in his off time, and the building had flooded, so that was why they looked so used. I then asked him if they were new, why were they in his repair shop. He replied that he suspected that the man had stolen them. That was my cue to leave, but not before informing him, “I will be sure to tell everyone I know how helpful you were to me.”

I then went to Wally World (anyone who read my previous blog, knows how I feel about them, but they are the only store around with halfway decent prices) for some wasp spray. I noticed some bald faced hornets on the back porch, and they are mean, so if and when I find the nest I will spray it and kill them. But I digress. While in Wal-Mart, I noticed a small tiller, just the size for me, I thought. I asked the price and the associate told me $99. That is a deal. I went back out to the van, told the hubby, and went home to make us a late lunch, and discuss it. When I got home I got on the Internet and looked for the parts for the old tiller. Absolutely no luck at all. So we talked about it, and decided that for $100 it was worth it so that I don’t have to hoe the 10,000 square foot garden. So off we went to Wal-Mart again. We looked at the tiller, they offered an extended warranty, we discussed it and decided to buy both the tiller and the extended warranty, as that would give us a total of 4 years coverage. And we asked, once again, what the price was and were told $99. We took it to the register, rang it up and the total was $237. BACK THE TRUCK UP!!!! $99 plus $19.97 and tax is NOT $237. She said it must be a mistake, deleted the item and re-rang it. Nope, she was the one who made the mistake. It was $199 not $99, so we left, once again, empty handed. Guess there is a reason that I am having such a hard time with these tillers, and though I don’t know what it may be, for now I am giving up the ghost.

When I got home, I got out the power washer, and cleaned the large patio out by the pool. At least that worked. When we turned on the pool, the pump wasn’t working, but after calling the pool guy, (and informing him that he left part of the stoppers in the pool lines out, that the pool was green as grass because he didn’t put enough chemicals in it, and that this has never happened in the 20 years we have had the pool) he told me how to fix the pump motor, rather than coming out and charging me $75 for the trip, then $75 an hour, with a 1 hour minimum. I was very nice to him, as I always am. I don’t generally get upset, as it doesn’t accomplish anything and generally makes things worse. The person you are talking to gets defensive, and then doesn’t want to do anything to help you, even if they can. So maybe he picked up on the tension ion my voice, as I had really had it with things breaking down by this point. At any rate, he told me to take the back off the pump motor, spray the shaft with WD-40, then use a pair of pliers to move the shaft. Put the cover back on, and turn on the pump. Well, after about 5 tries it finally worked.

Hopefully, that was the last major breakdown (although the spa still needs an electrician), and now I can get back to my yard and get the rest of the spring work done. I have 2 more flower beds to clean out, the rest of the concrete to power wash, the screened porch, garage and shed to clean out, and the rest of the railroad ties along the driveway to take out. So we are getting there, slowly but surely, and by the end of summer, we probably will be done and ready to hunker down for winter. AHHH the life of the homeowner. LOL!!!

Last Week Was One Of Those Weeks!!

From My Own Little Corner Have you ever had one of those days? You know the kind that I mean. Everything that you try to do, or touch, just seems to fall apart. I know that everyone knows what I am talking about, and you’re probably all sitting there nodding your heads in agreement.

Well, I just had one of those weeks! It has been just awful. It started Sunday before last. I am in charge of the coffee at church. Our church services are held in the common room of a local elementary school. I arrive about 1 hour early to set up the tables to put the coffee on, another one for information, and 2 for people to sit at and visit before church starts. The pastor’s father always brings about 4 dozen Krispy Kreme donuts and I bring about 5 or 6 dozen homemade cookies. I also bring fresh flowers from my gardens, if they’re blooming, to put on the table with the coffee, donuts, and cookies. I arrived at the regular time on Sunday, to find that the trailer with the coffeemakers, the tables, the information booklets, cups, napkins, creamer, sugar, etc. wasn’t there and neither were the donuts. Normally this wouldn’t be a big deal, but unbeknownst to me, we had special guests. The St. Charles County Youth Choir was performing. The choir members and their parents, numbering about 75 total, arrived before I did. I hadn’t made any extra cookies, brought any extra cups, and we hadn’t printed any extra programs. Fortunately, I always try to have extra coffee, and try to keep extra creamer and sugar on hand. But we didn’t have nearly enough cups. After frantically searching for someone to run to the store (and finding no one), the pastor’s wife happened to find some extra cups in with the Sunday school supplies. In the end everything turned out fine, but I think the guests were a bit shell shocked when they discovered that the guy with the jeans and t-shirt was the pastor, and no, he wasn’t going to change his clothes.

I noticed last Saturday that the rabbits had been in the vegetable garden and we had lost 2 cabbages and 1 banana pepper plant. So I headed out to the local Co-op to find something organic to use to keep the little critters out. When I got home from church, I needed to put it on the plants, and replace the plants that had been chewed off at the ground by the rabbits. So my sister, Montecat, and I planted more cabbages, some broccoli, more peppers, and some herbs. Then we mixed up the spray to keep the rabbits and deer out. Success, it works, but good golly lolly, does it stink and now, instead of rabbits and deer, we are attacked by flies everytime we enter the garden!!

On Monday, I decided that the lawn needed mowing. Our house sits on 3 acres. About 1 acre is woods, the rest is lawn and flower gardens. There are shrubs, a pool, decks, sidewalks, pump house, shed, trees, and did I mention flower gardens???? I decided that before I mowed, we needed to clean out the flower beds (actually the hubby does this for me as my Mother’s Day gift), and my son was planning to move the arbor arch and plant some clematis for me as my Mother’s Day gift from him. This is a tradition. Every year, since they were old enough to do so, my sons have planted a new garden for me for Mother’s Day. Hence, all the flower gardens. But before we started, we headed to the local Wal Mart, to run in and out, for the clematis. Now I am not sure what your Wal Mart is like, but when I say run in and out, I am speaking optimistically. I called ahead of time, was told, by the sales associate, ”Yes, we have clematis”, after the young lady went outside to make sure. I arrived at Wal Mart, parked right next to lawn and garden, and hurried in. I asked where the clematis was and was told, “I don’t know if we have any.” I assured the assistant manager that I had called, they had checked, and yes they did have clematis. WRONG!!!! The sales associate couldn’t find any when I called, so she just made it up. LOVELY! I called the local Orscheln’s and they had them. I went and picked them up, a quick in and out, and headed home.



CLEMATIS



(This was taken from my front walk, and is one of the plants, in one of my gardens)



After we got the arch moved, the clematis planted, the flower beds cleaned out, and all the debris toted to the burn pile, the day was over, so I decided to mow Tuesday.

I know it appears that I am rambling, but, trust me, it gets better (or worse depending on your point of view).

I got the lawn mower (a rider) out Tuesday morning, and started mowing. I had changed the oil and filter, the gas filter, cleaned out the gas tank and fuel line, and cleaned the air filters on Sunday, so she was ready to go. After about 30 minutes, she died. I waited a bit, opened the hood, and checked the oil and fuel. All good, so I started her up again. I noticed that my brother-in-law, who lives across the street, was attempting to cut up some trees that were taken down last summer, using a hand saw. I went over to give him a hard time about not borrowing the chain saw, and the mower died again. I finally got it going, and headed home, and it died again, and again, and yet again. I finally had to get the hubby to help push it home. After consulting with the lawn mower repair man, it became apparent that we were going to need a new mower. We ended up buying a nice little rider, but we had to dip into the emergency fund. I did get to try it out for about 30 minutes before it got dark, though. Very nice.

I got up Wednesday, climbed on the new mower and away I went. Meanwhile, my son was going to cut up some pines that were dead. He got out the chain saw, and it wouldn’t run, so I had to stop mowing and take it to the shop. I went to the local chainsaw repair shop, and was told he doesn’t work on the brand I have, but he would be glad to sell me a new one. Otherwise, I would need to go to the repair shop about 15 miles away. One more unexpected trip and an $18 deposit just for them to look at it. When I got home, I got out my weedeater, a walk behind, and started the weed whacking. About 3/4 of the way through, it suddenly got very, very loud. I looked down and the dad gummed muffler was burning it’s way through the plastic shield. I just kept going. By the time I was done, it was like my ears were packed full of cotton. I fixed the weed eater myself.

While I was mowing and weed eating, the hubby decided to open and fill the spa. I thought, “Ahh, after I am done, I can soak my aching bones.” MEEEEEEP. I got called back to the deck as the spa seemed to have a leak. Boy, howdy, I’ll say. Water was running out the air control valve, because the maufacturer had glued the pvc pipe into the threaded control valve. Luckily, the local hardware store had everything I need to fix it, picked it all up yesterday, and will do the repair tomorrow.

Yesterday, Thursday, was fairly uneventful. I finished up what I hadn’t done the previous days, and nothing broke!! Did the 5 hour oil change on the new mower, and it went just like it was supposed to. No surprises!!!

Woke up this morning to storms and torrential rain. Yay!!! I had gotten all my outside chores done yesterday, so the only thing I needed to do was clean the house. But (there is always a but), we were out of CLR and the shower needed to be cleaned with it, so off to town we went. We also needed salad stuff and cat food, so I got to go to Wally World again. YAY!!! Can you tell I’m ecstatic?? While on the way, the lawn mower repair guy called, and said he finally got the tiller taken apart (he has had it for almost 3 weeks) and the news is not good. They do not make the individual gears needed, so I will need to buy the whole assembly. ” Hmm, sounds expensive,” I think. “Probably going to cost me $150-$200 to get the darned tiller fixed.” THINK AGAIN, STEF! Parts, $600, yep, you saw right, $600. So I tell him to put it back together and I’ll come get it. He gets almost apoplectic, and informs me it will take him a full day just to put it back together. After telling him, “Sorry, I cannot afford to put $800 more into a machine that only cost $649 to begin with”, he tells me he will put it outside and I can come to pick it up when I have time. He also informs me that he already has a $45 charge for pick up and $100, maybe more for the labor to tear it apart, just so he can tell me it is going to be too expensive to fix it. About 5 minutes later he calles me back and tells me if I will come and get it “right now” he will only charge me $75. It is now in the back of my van, in about 15 pieces.

The day wasn’t quite done with me yet. Right after leaving the mower repair shop, with my now disassembled tiller in the rear of my conversion van, I got out my new reading glasses (got them last week) and looked up a phone number on my phone, dialed it, took my glasses off, went to fold them up and put them away, and THE EAR PIECE BROKE OFF at the lens. They literally FELL APART!!!!! Back to Wally World! LOL !!! They got them fixed in 5 minutes and it was…… FREE!!!!!!!!

And how was your week??????????

May your God bless, and keep, you and yours.

Do You Have A House Or A Home?

From My Own Little Corner My home is my refuge from an increasingly crazy world. It is where I go when I need to feel the warmth that only family can give. It is my husband standing at the kitchen stove, the smells of his latest culinary creation filling the house and spilling over into the ourside air. It is the smell of homebaked cookies. It is the smiling faces of my two sons, glad to be safe within the walls that have housed them all their lives. It is the sound of 3 smiling dogs barking, as they run to greet any who come to visit. It is the feeling of soft, silky fur against my ankles and legs, as one or more of the 5 cats, purr their affection. It is the sound of the mockingbird, that has been here for years, singing his song for me, while I sip coffee in the early morning light. It is the gardens that my boys have lovingly planted for me every Mother's Day, until they surround my home, bursting into bloom every year, and filling the air with a fragrance only God can make. It is where friends come to visit and leave as family. It is the place where I want all the people that I love to be, my husband, my children, my parents, my siblings and their families, and my friends. It is in my heart always. It is where every good memory I have has been, and continues to be, born.
My home is the one place, where I can go, that is filled with sunshine even on the cloudiest day.

Is your house a home?

May your God bless, and keep, you and yours. Pray for peace and enlightenment.

WAR IS NEVER THE ANSWER

From My Own Little Corner Lord, have mercy on all their souls. It is time to stop the fighting. It has gone on for decades and it has solved nothing. I am neither Arab nor Jewish, neither Israeli nor Palestinian, but I am human, and it is killing my heart to see the children of these countries maimed and killed. This fighting has been going on for years, and has solved nothing and the only thing that has come out of it is pain, heartbreak, destruction, and death. Why are we still shedding blood in the name of God? Do we really think that is what He wants? He wants us to kill and maim each other over a piece of land that is called THE HOLY LAND? What kind of sense does that make? This is not the Middle Ages, this is the 21st century. We have the ability to send a man to the moon, to live in space, to travel around the world in a matter of days. And the only solution we can come up with to settle a land dispute is to kill each other? Does anyone else see the complete idiocy of this? Can no one else understand that war and killing is never the solution? If you kill in the name of God and the other side kills in the name of God, how can the killing stop? You can't both be killing in the name of God. God says killing is a sin, so in my humble estimation, both sides are wrong. They are doing what the Lord Jehovah told us not to do, and they are doing it in His name. Talk about the ultimate sin. I would venture to say that war is it.

This is only my humble opinion. I just want the bloodshed and horror that we call war to stop. It is time to come up with a better solution. And I know we can, but it will take a lot more effort than simply pushing buttons and trying to destroy the people that you disagree with. I will take the willingness of both sides to decide that peace is a better way than war, and it will take a lot of give and some take by both parties.

In the meantime please continue to pray for peace and enlightenment. May your God bless, and keep, you and yours.

Memories-Old And New

From My Own Little Corner Well, it has been several weeks since I last posted a blog entry. In that time we have celebrated Thanksgiving and this year there is truly much to be thankful for. My mom is doing extremely well, my dad is a healthy 81 years old, my oldest son, Nathan, got married to a wonderful young woman named Nicole, my youngest son, Jacob, continues to do fantastic at college and will graduate in May, my husband and I are fat and happy, my brother and sisters and their families are all healthy and happy. We have a home, with a dry bed and food in our bellies, which is so much more than a lot of people have, and for that, we give thanks. I have friends that have lost their jobs, their homes and are in worse shape than they have ever been, but they haven't lost their faith and continue to remain thankful. It looks like Trina and her gang may move into the house across the street and I'm not sure who is more excited, she or I. Randy's "Misfits For Jesus" ministry is booming, which can be looked at in two different ways. Hallelujah, he is touching the lives of so many people. At the same time it is sad that there are so many that are homeless and in need of his services. Check out what he is doing at http://www.misfitsforjesus.com/. My sister, Sabrina, generously opened her house for all of us again this year for the Thanksgiving meal and it was scrumptious. Thanks, Bebe for all of your hard work. I will leave it to Trina to post pictures of that family gathering.

All in all, God has been VERY, VERY good to us this year and I am enormously thankful.

At this time of year I tend to get a little melancholy. One more year is past and it is time that I cannot get back. When I look at the pictures of my little boys, I can't help but be a little sad that those days are gone. The days of Santa Clause, of the excitement as they wrote their letters to the guy in red, the look on their faces when they got up on Christmas morning and saw the little elf footprints, that I had so painstakingly made from cornstarch, that led from the fireplace to the tree, the wonder in their faces as they watched the Christmas lights on all the houses as we drove home from Memaw and Pepaw's house on Christmas eve, the way saying "Santa Claus is watching you" was able to stop whatever naughty thing they were doing. I really miss those days and almost feel jealous of my friends that still have those little guys to enjoy the holidays with. But the memories are always there and now that they are grown, we have the opportunity to make new ones. A new daughter-in-law, new traditions to celebrate, and the excitement of waiting for them to come home are all new for me. I suppose that I will eventually get used to the new traditions, but for now, I miss the old days. I miss having my son right here with me. I miss the two little guys that are wearing those pilot's caps. I miss my daughter.

For those of you with little ones, cherish every moment. They will grow up fast enough and then you will look back and wonder where the time went. I know I do.

A New Understanding Of An Old Pledge

From My Own Little Corner Sorry for the three new posts in one day, but I had a lot to say. :) This was left in the comments sections on one of my Veteran's Day ireports thanking my dad and my father-in-law. It gives a whole new meaning to our Pledge of Allegiance.


"ONE NATION UNDER GOD"
I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE

This is my right
Each day of my life
To honor my Country
In dawns early light

TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

The place of my people
Who walked on these shores
Who fought and died for
The colors she bore

AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS

For a nation of many
Who came to be free
Oppressed and all broken
Who sought liberty

ONE NATION UNDER GOD

For power and glory
His name shall remain
We shall not relinquish
His light is our flame

INDIVISIBLE

Each state born together
In power shall reign
With God's hands upon us
Our power remains

WITH LIBERTY

For it is our right
And we shall be strong
To always remember
Where Glory belongs

AND JUSTICE

No panel of judges
Can choose what we say
Our Nation's allegiance
Will not change today

FOR ALL

We watch as these people
Who brought so much pain
Now given the same rights
This Nation ordained

We will not abandon
The rights we all share
God and our Nation
The glory we wear

So wave sacred colors
Of red, white and blue
Stand in allegiance
With God next to you

Daisy A Day

From My Own Little Corner When I see a picture of my mom and dad together, this song often pops into my mind, as it reminds me so much of them. It is by Hank Snow and to this day I cannot sing it without crying. So this is for mom and dad. I love you.


He remembers the first time he met her

He remembers the first thing she said

He remembers the first time he held her

And the night that she came to his bed

He remembers her sweet way of sayin'

Honey has something gone wrong

He remembers the fun and the teasin'

And the reason he wrote her this song



CHORUS

I'll give you a daisy a day dear

I'll give you a daisy a day

I'll love you until the rivers run still

And the four winds we know blow away



They would walk down the street in the evening

And for years I would see them go by

And their love that was more than the clothes that they wore

Could be seen in the gleam in their eyes

As a kid they would take me for candy

And I'd love to go taggin' along

We'd hold hands while we walked the corner

And the old man would sing her this song



CHORUS

I'll give you a daisy a day dear

I'll give you a daisy a day

I'll love you until the rivers run still

And the four winds we know blow away



Now he walks down the street in the evening

And he stops by the old candy store

And I somehow believe he's believin'

He's holdin' her hand like before

For he feels all her love walkin' with him

And he smiles at the things she might say

Then the old man walks up to the hill top

And gives her a daisy a day



CHORUS

I'll give you a daisy a day dear

I'll give you a daisy a day

I'll love you until the rivers run still

And the four winds we know blow away

For My Father

From My Own Little Corner This post was written on the 10th, to be published on Veteran's Day, November 11th. I can remember being a child and seeing my father in his dress blues and feeling like he was the hero of the world. He was sooooooo handsome and when he wore that uniform, I felt such a sense of pride. As I have gotten older, I have come to realize that I had many reasons to be proud of my dad, and the least of them was how he looked when he donned his military uniform. The uniform symbolizes, for me, all that is good about our Armed Forces. They work tirelessly for our country, first learning, and then teaching other young men and women, the skills that they will need to protect us. From how to work radios, read radar, fly planes, run ships, read and send code, how to march, follow instructions, drive tanks, use weapons, and many more than I cannot even begin to remember. These things alone are reason enough to be proud of our Armed Forces, but when you compare them with the ultimate sacrifices that they make for our country, they pale in comparison. They leave their families behind, go through a rigorous training regimen, live in foreign lands, fight in wars that no one really wants to fight-but somebody has to-under conditions that are barely livable, give up their limbs and the ultimate sacrifice, their lives. And for what? To guarantee that you and I can live our lives with a measure of freedom that is found no where else in this world. To all the veterans, thank you. To the wives, mothers, fathers, children, and all family members of veterans, thank you. To my father, you always were, and always will be, my hero. Thank you for fighting in Korea, thank you for being in the military, thank you for protecting my country, thank you for taking care of us, thank you for all the wonderful places that I got to see as a child (one of the perks), but most of all, thank you for fighting for my rights, the most important of which we all just exercised in this last election. Because of your sacrifice, we were able to go to the polls and do what many people in this world can only dream of, elect a new President to lead our wonderful country, The United States of America. So please, go out today and thank a veteran for their selfless sacrifice. Because of them you have the freedoms that you cherish so deeply. We must not forget that. May your God bless and keep, you, and yours. Pray for peace and enlightenment. I LOVE YOU, DAD!!!

58.5%*

From My Own Little Corner In the tradition of my baby sister, Catrina, I am doing my own version of wordless Wednesday, but with a few words as a forward. Regardless of your political affiliation, yesterday, November 4, 2008, was a historical day. This country made a giant leap forward in it's reputation as the greatest nation in the world. People of all races, genders, religions, ages, colors, and political backgrounds came together and voted. They waited for hours, in some cases, for the chance to exercise their constitutional right to vote. The turnout was unbelievable. As of the typing of this post, 125,244,014* people out of 213,005,467* eligible voters had placed their vote for the President of these United States of America. That is approximately 58.5%* of the people who are registered. The result was another monumental moment, in our remarkably long list of monumental moments, as a democracy. We finally may have put the behind us the most shameful part of our legacy, racism. At least I hope that we have. Here, then, are some pictures to commemorate this truly phenomenal day.

*these are new numbers available as of 11/10/2008

It's Showtime

From My Own Little Corner
Okay folks, we have had two years of electioneering and now it has come down to it. Tomorrow is election day. The first Tuesday of November, every four years, part of the American people go to the polls and elect a new a President. I say part because, although most people are registered to vote, a good portion of them do not exercise that constitutional right. I'm not sure why, but I do know that if this election has done nothing else, it has certainly electrified the voting masses. That is something that this country has needed for a long time. There are too many people who look at voting as a chore that they are not willing to do. It isn't, it is a privilege that thousands of our forefathers died defending. I think that it is time that we remembered that, and that we remember that our constitution guarantees us the freedoms of religion, speech, and to vote for the person for President that we feel is the best for our country, among our many other rights, and that our forefathers died for all these rights as well. Having said these things, I just wanted to take this opportunity to remind people that voting is one of the most important duties of every citizen. It is these freedoms that make the United States of America the great country that it is. So get out and vote. And if you decide not to, then don't come complaining to me when you think that things aren't going as you feel that should be. Because if you don't use your right to vote, then you have no right to b@#ch. May your God bless, and keep, you and yours.

From:Thoughts From The Fire

From My Own Little Corner
This is from my sister's blog.


Thoughts From The Fire:

"To Stef and Bebe,

Someone asked me once if I had any friends to share
All my secrets, my joys and my grief
I explained I had all a girl could want
I have my sisters and they are all I need
~Catrina (aka Babe)"

Told you she was a treasure.

Blind Ambition

From My Own Little Corner Well, I haven't written a post in a while because someone asked me a question about the election, and I have been mulling it over. I know you're getting tired of hearing about it, but come next Tuesday we will go to the polls to elect a new President and, to me, one of the most important of our duties, as a citizen, is to vote. But first, I have added a few more pictures, including the one at the top of this post, and I am going to try to add one each time I post(I have LOTS!). I love photography and all these pictures were taken by me on my Nikon 35mm, developed at Wal-Mart, and then scanned and copied to my computer. There is also another award from my baby sister, Catrina. She is one of the most wonderful people, kind and warm hearted, and though we often disagree on things like politics, we still respect one another. My other sister Sabrina, is generous, smart, loyal, hard working, and we share many of the same views. My brother, Randy, is the funniest, and he also has a heart of gold. He works tirelessly to help the homeless in St. Louis with food. But much more important, he feeds their souls and spirits by teaching them about the wonderful gift that God gave us when He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins, and he helps me to remember the path that I should follow. My dad and mom are the reason that we all turned out the way we did. We are diverse, we are alike, we are kind, we are proud, we are patriotic, we are spiritual, we are generous, we are soft hearted, we are fiercely loyal, we are democrats, we are republicans, and most of all, we love each other with a love that is unconditional. In all the people that I have met, I don't think I know any other family quite like ours. And these traits are not just in our immediate family, but in our extended family as well. We have all married people that are just like we are. These people have made me who I am. I am an independent, hard headed woman. I know what I think and I make my decisions based on the things that I learn by studying books, magazines, news reports, newspapers, and anything else that I can get my hands on. Having established these truths, I will now tell you what I have been thinking about these last few days. I have been asked why I don't vote for Sarah Palin, after all, we have something in common, we both are mothers of a special needs child. First, Sarah Palin isn't running for President, John McCain is, but even if she was the nominee, I still wouldn't vote for her. I have been watching her for these last 6 weeks and I just don't understand what she is doing. Politics aside, she has a son that was born in April with Downs Syndrome, and this child needs special attention that he can only get from his mother and her being with him all the time. And I am not saying that his father or his sisters aren't effective, but he needs special nurturing from his mother. He has a long row to hoe. When I see her with him on stage, late at night, out in the bright lights and noise, and the cold, I have a hard time believing that she puts his needs first. I had a daughter that was severely handicapped and personally I am appalled at the way they are using this small child. These children need special attention, especially from their mothers. At this time he needs extra care, even more than a child without special needs, for he is bonding, learning to roll over, learning to sit, and all the other things that are learned at this age, but he will need to have extra help. He needs a schedule for his feedings, his bedtime, his exercises, and any other therapy-physical & occupational-that he may need in order to develop to his full potential. He needs stability. I watched her speech on special needs children and was moved by what she said. That may be due to the fact that I have had to deal with the myriad of problems that come with being a mom of a special needs child. My question is this; why aren't you at home with your son? I know that most children do quite well with working mothers and it may be, that at a later period in his life, he will also. But right now Sarah Palin's first priority should be that 5 month old baby boy that the Lord blessed her with, for he is Heaven's Very Special Child. Ambition can come later. If she won't set aside her ambition for her child and do what's best for him, then why should I trust that she will do it for a country full of strangers? Please pray for peace and enlightenment, and may your God bless, and keep, you and yours. Don't forget to vote November 4Th.

My Award

From My Own Little Corner Just a short post. The award that you see at the right was given to me by my baby sister. And now I will say to her, and the world, that I love her more. I have the best family in the whole wide world. They are all so special and I can't even begin to tell you what they mean to me. I am truly one lucky woman.

I Am Confused

From My Own Little Corner Okay, I am officially confused. After listening to John McCain say that Barack Obama is the most liberal senator in the senate, today he said that if we want eight more years of George W. Bush, then we should vote for him. Okay, so then George W. Bush is the most liberal president that we have ever had? I am seriously beginning to wonder about the thought processes of John McCain. Yesterday he told Pennsylvania that he heard that there had been some pretty nasty things said about them. Then he said that he couldn't agree more. When the people booed, he said that he couldn't disagree with them more. By the time he was done I was so thoroughly confused that I am still not sure that what I heard was what I heard. Then there was the speech several weeks ago, when he referred to us as "my fellow prisoners". Now I know that the campaign trail is long and arduous, but if campaigning is going to affect him like this, then what will the strains of the presidency do to his stability? I know that he was a prisoner of war and that he served his country in the armed services and continues to serve as a senator, but I don't know if that is necessarily a reason to vote for him, or that it qualifies him to run this country, especially at this particular time. In looking forward to the country that my children will inherit I personally feel that it time to take this country in a new direction. The old boys network hasn't done such a great job these last 40 years,(with the exception of Bill Clinton and to a lesser extent, Jimmy Carter, although he was dealt a bad hand) and the party that gave us Richard Nixon, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush needs to be replaced and the other party needs to have a shot at fixing what the Republicans have so thoroughly tried to destroy. They promised that if we had a Republican President and a Republican congress, that they would REDUCE the size of government, decrease the amount of our deficit, make us safer, NOT nation build, and oh, so many others. Well, they had their chance, and the end result is a country that I barely recognize anymore. So, in two weeks we will go to the polls and elect a new President, and as I stated earlier, I am confused by John McCain's latest campaign and smear tactics. However, the one thing that I am not confused about is the direction that I want to see this country that I love go in, and as a result I will be voting for change. I will be voting for Barack Obama, and I am doing so proudly. May your God bless, and keep, you and yours. Pray for peace and enlightenment. Don't forget to vote on November 4Th.

Clinton or Bush

From My Own Little Corner George W. Bush cannot hold a candle to William J. Clinton. This country was on the path to an unprecedented future when George W.Bush was elected president. There was an economic boom, the budget was balanced, there was a surplus, rather than a deficit, and we had respect around the world. In the last 8 years George W. Bush ignored the presidential daily briefing that was given to him in August of 2001 (which led to the attacks on the World Trade Center buildings, the Pentagon, and the intentional crash of flight 97 in Pennsylvania by the brave citizens that were on the flight, thereby saving our capitol from the same fate), attacked a country that had nothing to do with those attacks with the approval of the Congress (after he and his aides LIED about the WMDs that were supposedly there, right down to doctored pictures), outed Valerie Plame (a CIA operative) after her husband informed the country that the Bush administration was lying about the yellow cake that was being bought from Niger by the Iraqi government. George Bush even went so far as to include this "fact" in his State of the Union address of January 2003, stating, "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa." (and he already knew that it wasn't true). And of course, Mission Accomplished, The Patriot Act, eavesdropping without warrants, torturing prisoners, and who can forget his handling of the destruction of New Orleans by hurricane Katrina ("You're doin' a great job, Brownie."). Then there is the economy, the record profits by the oil companies (under a president that is an oil man)and Wall Street, the record "golden parachutes" for the CEOs of the companies that we are currently "bailing out", and the slide of the standing of this once great country around the world from respected leader to laughing stock. The thing that is so amazing to me is that no Republican thinks that any of these is a reason to impeach this president, but lying about a sexual act, that took place while a president was in office, is. Let me ask you, in the words of Ronald Reagan, "Are you better of today than you were 4 years ago?" or in this case 8 years ago, or 8 months ago? History will tell which was the better president, but in my own opinion Bill Clinton is head and shoulders above George W. Bush. May your God bless, and keep, you and yours. Pray for peace and enlightenment. Don't forget to vote November 4th.

October 17, 1981 - October 17, 2008

From My Own Little Corner Twenty seven years ago, a young girl married her prince charming. The intervening years have been quite a journey. Shortly after they were married, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer, and eventually had to have most of her cervix removed. He was there, holding her hand and telling her everything would work out. He was right. Very soon the couple were expecting their first child. They were very excited and looked forward to the addition to their family. It wasn't to be, and when she lost the boy child, he was there, holding her hand and telling her everything would be okay. Again, he was right. After a few months, she got pregnant again and this time everything went just as expected, with the exception of the morning sickness that just wouldn't go away. When their beautiful daughter was born on August 11, 1983, she had some major problems. Her brain had been severely damaged during the birthing process and the doctors told the young couple that she probably wouldn't live for more than a few days. She defied the odds and did survive. Through the whole nightmare birth, he was there, holding her hand, telling her not to worry, they would get through this together. And they did. They brought their beautiful daughter, Jessica, home at the age of two weeks. She had a seizure disorder,brain damage, and cerebral palsy, but she was home. Through it all they held each other, giving each other strength. In 1984 they decided that they wanted to add to their little family, and on March 28, 1985, they were blessed with a boy named Nathan. He was perfect in every way. There were the usual problems, along with the extra ones, like hospital stays for their daughter, for seizures, pneumonia, learning how to feed her through a tube, and physical therapy. He was always there, holding her hand, a steadying influence, her calm in the storms. Then in 1987, they discovered that once again they were going to be blessed with another child. They moved to a new house and everything seemed to be going well. Then when she was about 4 and 1/2 months pregnant, a routine ultrasound turned their world upside down again. Their baby boy (yep, another one), might not have any kidneys or bladder. They needed more tests. If this was so, there would be some heartbreaking decisions to make. If the boy, already named Jacob, had this terrible defect, then he wouldn't, couldn't live, and his death would be horrific for the tiny baby. After waiting for an appointment, the day finally arrived for the tests. They were scared but as always he was with her and held her hand throughout. They were together when the high definition ultra sound was being performed, and just as they didn't think they could take another minute of not knowing what the outcome was, Jacob peed. There was a mighty cheer from the doctor performing the ultrasound and cries of relief from the couple. They went home to await the birth of their normally developed child, due the end of February. Shortly thereafter, their precious gift, Jessica, got ill once again. She was life flighted out to a children's hospital about an hour from their house. They went to the hospital everyday but Sunday, when they stayed home with their son Nathan. Nathan spent the long days, as he always did when his sister was in the hospital, with his memaw and pepaw. They were his rock in those turbulent times, and his parents will always be grateful that he had such loving caretakers, and that they never had to worry about him. On December 1st, while standing next to her daughter's hospital bed, the woman felt a sudden rush of fluid and knew immediately that something was wrong. She went straight to the hospital and after a thorough check up was told that she was under too much stress and that the baby she carried was okay. She went home, got some sleep and then went back to the routine that was normal when Jessica was in the hospital. On the 19th of December, they went to his parent's house to celebrate Christmas and she felt the first twinges of labor. After getting home later that night, she called the doctor and he suggested that she go to the emergency room. She told hubby to stay home and that she would be back soon. That was not to be. After discovering that there was a leak of amniotic fluid, it was decided that they needed to deliver Jacob now. The mother was frantic. But, as always, he was there, holding her hand, and reassuring her. Jacob was delivered on December 20th, 1987, weighing 3 pounds, 7 ounces, and once again, her husband's reassurances were right on target. Other than needing to gain weight he was fine. He came home the first part of February, his sister Jessica followed shortly thereafter. Then, on February 16th, 1988, their angel, Jessica, died at home. Those days are still a blur for the wife, with the exception of one thing. Her beloved husband was always right there, holding her up, helping her through those awful first few days. Two days after burying their daughter, their newest bundle of joy, Jacob, fell ill. He had RSV pneumonia and doctors didn't think that he would make it. He spent 2 weeks at the children's hospital, part of that time on a respirator, but just as with every other time, her husband was the rock of Gibraltar and as he predicted, everything turned out fine. With the exception of one other serious illness for Jacob, a bout of pneumonia, caused by influenza A virus, things in their life settled down and they raised their boys. Her husband was always there, doing the dishes, cooking, doing laundry, cleaning the bathrooms, and holding her hand when she felt the overwhelming sadness from losing her daughter closing in again. In 1993, the wife was diagnosed with Lupus, an autoimmune disease that can be fatal. It was a terrible blow to the family and meant that the wife would need extra care. Her husband stepped up to the plate and took up all the slack. On February 14th 1998, the husband woke her up to tell her that their house was on fire. They got the boys up, the boys gathered the pets together and ran to the van, turned it on, and got the heater going, while the wife called 911. The fire department came and put the fire out, and saved the house from being completely destroyed. It had started in the garage and spread through the attic. The wife hadn't even heard the fire alarm go off, so now she could add life saver to the list of things that her husband meant to her. The next morning, feeling overwhelmed by the devastation, she stood in the kitchen crying. You already know what the husband's response was. Now she is 49 and he is 57, and as of today they have been married for 27 years. I know that this story seems to be one of hardships and sadness, but to the wife it is a testament to the love that her husband has showered on her for the whole of their marriage, and to his faith in God, which she finally shares. I am that wife and I felt that I needed to tell anyone that reads this blog, that when I say that my husband is my best friend, I mean it. He is my life, my heart, my soul, and without him I wouldn't be here to tell this story. While I know that he will never be able to read this post, I needed to write it. I love him more than words can ever say and I am looking forward to the next 27 years with my wonderful, loving, faithful man.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, DAN!

Drill, Baby, Drill

From My Own Little Corner Why aren't we griping loudly about gas prices? Oil prices have dropped drastically in the last few weeks and, yes, gas prices are going down, but why so slowly? When oil prices go up, gas prices go up overnight. It seems to me that when oil prices were this low before (and the price of oil is below $75 a barrel right now, which is about half as much as it was this summer), gas was less than $2.69 a gallon. It stands to reason that if the price of oil is half as much as earlier this summer, then gas should be half as much. That should put gas at about $2 a gallon. Now, I won't pretend to be an economist, but when people have to pay the kind of prices that they are paying to fuel their vehicles, then their expendable income goes down. In plain English, they run out money for the items that aren't absolutely necessary. They will stop going to stores (except for the things that are needed for their survival), going out to eat (and that means even McDonald's, which isn't such a bargain anymore, because they had to raise their prices, just like everybody else), going to the movies, museums, zoos, plays, concerts (and anything else that is just for fun), health care (including prescriptions, doctor visits, dental care, well baby check-ups, pre-natal care), and just about anything else you can think of. You see, the cost of gas touches every facet of our lives, whether we realize it or not. When you are spending more that 33% of your bring home pay for fuel for your vehicles, it doesn't leave much for anything else. And don't forget that winter is on the way. That means that even more of your money will be going into the pockets of the big oil companies. The amount of profit that they are making is obscene. We import most of our oil from other countries, with money borrowed from China. Our country is now importing 60% of all the oil used in this country and 40% of all the energy utilized in this country comes from oil. That makes us very dependent on the rest of the world for our energy needs and puts us at the mercy of these countries. And "Drill, baby, drill" is not the answer. There simply is not enough crude in this country to supply our needs as they stand at this time. We need to start looking at alternate sources of energy. Wind, water, nuclear, electric, and hydrogen just to name a few. We are not a stupid people, our brains are just a bit sluggish from lack of use. We've let the government make our decisions for the last eight years and it's time that we took the reins of our destiny back. Time for all of America to start thinking about the future. And part of what we need to start thinking about are alternate energy sources and how to decrease our energy consumption. We can conquer our energy problem and, in doing so, help to fix our economy, because let's face it, these things are all interwoven. When people can't afford fuel for their vehicles, then all the things associated with driving go down the drain. That includes shopping, entertainment, vacations, gift giving, and even faith and charity based activities. We are Americans. We can overcome. It is just going to take some sacrifice. Cutback, consolidate, conserve, recycle, carpool, use public transportation, turn off the extra lights, lower the thermostat, and most important, THINK about the energy that you are using. You see, if we cut back, then the demand for oil and oil products drops, then the reserves go up, and the prices drop. In the meantime, let your congressmen know that the prices need to come down faster, that we need affordable public transportation, that we need alternate sources of energy, vehicles that get better mileage (and that are made in America), and most of all, that the big oil companies don't need to make the profits that are killing the American way of life. May your God bless, and keep, you and yours. Pray for peace and enlightenment. Don't forget to VOTE on November 4Th.

First Lady Material

From My Own Little Corner I watched Larry King Live last night. He interviewed Michelle Obama and I have to say that I was thoroughly impressed. What a classy lady. I don't know if I could be that gracious to the people who are throwing exaggerations and outright lies around like throwed rolls from Lambert's Cafe in Sikeston, MO. But she said absolutely NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING, nasty, snarky, or degrading about John McCain, Cindy McCain, Sarah Palin, Todd Palin, or any of their family members. As a matter of fact she only had nice and complimentary things to say about all of them. She was kind, intelligent, classy, and very, very down to earth. She helped to advance what her husband wants to do in his presidency. She talked about his philosophy-that you can disagree with someone without being disagreeable, that you should RESPECT all people, even those that have a difference of opinion or policy, and that if we all work together we can do anything. That is a big difference from what I have been hearing from the other side. I listened in disbelief as Cindy McCain stated that Barack Obama is running the "dirtiest campaign in American history". And at the campaign rally this week when she stated that it sent a cold shiver down her spine when Barack Obama voted against funding the troops. What she didn't say is that John McCain voted against it also. When she said that she would like for Barack Obama to wear her shoes for a day, I was dumbfounded. Can you see her living the life of an African American? Can you imagine Cindy McCain living in Chicago, in the same house all the time? Can you imagine her withstanding the racial or ethnic slurs? I can't. I do imagine, however, that if she did trade shoes with him, after an hour, she would be screaming that she wants her life back. After watching these two women for the last few months, I can say that it seems to me that Cindy McCain is a woman who is not very satisfied with her life, and that Michelle Obama is happy, grounded, and comfortable in her own skin. Maybe always being on the receiving end of the kind of remarks that I have heard hurled in this campaign, has made her more able to be a TRUE Christian, to follow the word of God, to forgive those who trespass against her, and to not bear false witness. I only wish that everyone could follow her example. May your God bless, and keep, you and yours. Pray for peace and enlightenment. Don't forget to VOTE on November 4th.

"Kennedyesque" or "Nixonesque"

From My Own Little Corner I just finished watching the latest debate. This debate was a town hall style and, according to all the pundits, it was supposed to be John McCain's night. Neither threw any mud, with the exception of the "that one" remark by John McCain. Saying that about his opponent was uncalled for and showed a total lack of respect at the least and total disdain at the most. Both tended to ramble at times and in some instances the question asked was not answered, but overall, it was pretty much what I expected. I liked the information that Barack Obama gave about health care, the environment, the economy, and catching Osama bin Laden and dealing with Pakistan and Iran. John McCain did not impress me with his style or his answers. He appeared angry most of the time that he wasn't being allowed to attack Barack Obama. He was condescending to the audience (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac-you probably never heard of them before), and thought that he was funny, and that doesn't work when you aren't preaching to the choir. Senator McCain said that the new Secretary of the Treasury would buy out the mortgages of people in trouble. That is great. But what about the people with NINJA (no income, no jobs, no assets)loans? How will you guarantee those loans? And he called the bailout a rescue plan, when I don't think the majority of the country thinks that paying for the stupidity of large companies, that give huge severance and stock packages to the CEO's that caused this mess, is a rescue. It is tossing money down a rat hole. Barack Obama offered a plan for medical coverage that, to me, seemed reasonable and plausible. I would love to be able to purchase the same coverage that our congressmen and president have. John McCain thinks that you can get health care for $5000.00 a year. I'm sorry, but if you have a family, preexisting condition, are elderly, or any other number of problems, there is no way. Trust me on that one. I also thought that Barack Obama's plan for stabilizing the economy was more feasible. It is time to review the budget of this country and get rid of the excess baggage. And if you think that you can buy services or products without money, then you haven't learned anything from the latest economic crisis. You need to have income and in this country, like it or not, that comes from taxes. It is time for a fair taxation plan. That includes getting rid of the excessive tax breaks that are being given to these huge companies that have been lobbying congress for all these years. You know, like the oil companies? And it includes making sure that the people with more money pay more taxes. That means if you make over $250,000.00 a year your taxes will go up and if your income is below $200,00.00 they will go down. I didn't really hear a plan from John McCain other than a freeze on spending on everything except military and some essential programs. Does that include keeping the veteran's benefits in place or will he freeze them too? And who decides what is essential? A man with assets in excess of $100,000,000.00? After all the dust settled, I felt that Barack Obama came off as intelligent, willing to work with anyone to get the job done, and eager to hear the opinions and problems of every day Americans. John McCain just looked tired and annoyed most of the evening and like he would rather be anywhere than there. He left very quickly after the debate and didn't seem the least bit interested in what the audience had to say. I thought that Barack Obama seemed very "Kennedyesque" and John McCain kind of "Nixonesque". As I sit here and watch the coverage on CNN I just heard David Gergen make a comment that I hope isn't true. He implied that people might not vote for Barack Obama because he is black. I can only say that I certainly hope that he is wrong, that most people will vote for what is best for this country, and not based on a party or a man's race. After watching them answer all the questions, I can honestly say that there is now no question who is better able to serve as commander-in-chief of the United States. And in my own humble opinion, that man is BARACK OBAMA. May your God bless, and keep, you and yours. Pray for peace and enlightenment. Remember, VOTE November 4!!!!

Yelling At Clouds

From My Own Little Corner I watched today as the stock market plunged to below 10,000 points for the first time in more than 4 years. The world markets didn't fare any better. In the European markets there were losses anywhere from 7.07% to 9.04%. The Asian markets dropped 4.25% to 4.97%. Germany's DAX was down over 7% and British FTSE down almost 8%. The Russian markets dropped even more sharply than these other markets, with losses from 6.10% to 20.67%. And in the midst of this terrible world economic crisis, Sarah Palin was pasted all over the news stations, spouting her rhetoric about Barack Obama's ties to Bill Ayers and telling us how the McCain-Palin ticket is going to change Washington D.C. Never mind that there are no specifics, just the same old, tired lines. I have listened to many speeches from these two and I still don't know what they are going to do. I have only heard the generalized and often reworked stump speech. Now when they see that they are falling behind in the polls, they revert to Karl Rove style attacks. These are the same type of attacks that G. W. Bush used against John McCain in the 2000 primaries. You know when they accused John McCain of having an illegitimate child by an African American woman. Remember back when John McCain decided that he wanted to run for the Republican nomination and he told all of America that he wouldn't run a campaign like the one that Karl Rove ran in 2000 and 2004? You know the kind where you will say anything to get elected. Remember when he said that he would never, ever approve a bill that had any "pork" and that as President he would veto any bill with earmarks that crossed his desk? I think that was just week before last. Gee, how things have changed. His campaign is throwing around false and misleading accusations against Barack Obama and he just voted FOR the bailout (I know that they are calling it a "rescue", but if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck...) and it contained 112 BILLION DOLLARS in earmarks. Of course after he voted for it, he was against it. Remember that little bit of nostalgia from the 2004 election? So far the only change that I have seen from this ticket is in their promise to run a "clean" campaign. When I listen to John McCain now he just sounds like an angry old man, who is yelling at clouds. And as far as Sarah Palin is concerned, she is just the PTA mom who insists that her ideas are the only ones that count and every body else should just shut up. She and John Mccain were very loud and sarcastic today when they told America that Barack Obama was the angry one, the lying one, the one with no plan. It is the same old George W. Bush idea. Lie about it often enough, loud enough, and long enough and it will become true. Well, I have been listening to these two scream and rant and I still don't believe them. And if I am wrong, well, then I will be the first to say so. But I remember when George W. Bush was elected, my husband and I sat at our kitchen counter, in our middle class, 1350 foot ranch home, and told anyone who would listen that he would get us into a war within the first two years of his presidency and that given the chance he would ruin this country. Well, he has done that, and with his economic policies and lies about HIS war, he and his republican congress (it was that way for his first six years, so don't start telling me that the Democrats are in there now) have done more than any foreign or home grown terrorist to destroy MY COUNTRY and it's standing in the world. And so I say to you readers (all 2 of you), can we really afford 4 more years of the same old self serving policies and lies? As always, may your God bless, and keep, you and yours. Pray for peace and enlightenment. DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!!!!!!!!!

Let the Mudslinging Begin

From My Own Little Corner So, Sarah Palin wants to start the mudslinging, does she? Is she sure about that? There are some "associations" in her past and in John McCain's past that I am not so sure they want people to be reminded of.

Ever hear of the Alaskan Independence Party? Like that name? They are a political party in Alaska that Sarah Palin's husband Todd (first dude) belonged to from 1995 to 2002. Their motto is "Alaska First--Alaska Always", a far cry from "Country First". This political party wants a vote for secession from the union for Alaska, the 49Th state. Sarah Palin has had her dealings with this group also.

Earlier this year, Palin sent a video message to the AIP for its annual convention, where AIP vice chair George Clark told the small crowd that Palin "was an AIP member before she got the job as a mayor of a small town –- that was a non-partisan job. But you get along to go along -– she eventually joined the Republican Party, where she had all kinds of problems with their ethics, and well, I won’t go into that. She also had about an 80 percent approval rating, and is pretty well sympathetic to her former membership." (1)

Now, I do not intend to imply that Sarah Palin is a secessionist. Unless you use her reasoning, then there is guilt by association. The main difference here is that Barack Obama was EIGHT YEARS OLD when Bill Ayers, the terrorist member of the Weather Underground that he is supposedly "paling' around with" was being accused of his terrorist activities. The charges were eventually dropped for FBI misconduct. Sarah Palin was Governor of Alaska when she sent her video message to the AIP.

And don't forget the investigation into abuse of power allegations concerning the firing of Walt Monegan, the commissioner of public safety on July 11, 2008 because he wouldn't fire her ex brother-in-law. Neither she nor her staff have complied with the subpoenas issued by the court and have refused to testify at the hearings. She had originally agreed to cooperate with the investigation until shortly after she became the nominee for vice president.

Then there is the association of John McCain with the Keating Five in the late 1980's and early 1990's. For anyone not aware of the Keating Five, here’s a very simple summary:

Charles Keating owned a savings and loan in California. He was illegally using the money of his bank’s customers to give loans to himself and friends that they didn’t have to repay, and to speculate on risky real estate investments, which was strictly forbidden by U.S. law (and was one cause of the Great Depression).

When the feds found out what was going on and launched an investigation into Keating and his company, Keating called five U.S. Senators whom he had wined, dined, and lavished with hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign donations and personal gifts.

Keating asked the five Senators to tell the feds to bug off, and the five Senators, later known as the Keating Five, obliged, meeting with federal investigators twice and pressuring them to stop investigating Keating’s crimes. They bought Keating some time, but the feds didn’t give up and eventually Keating was nailed. The reason the feds were so persistent was because Keating wasn’t playing with mere chump change. Keating blew $3.4 billion through illegal personal loans and bad investments, and the FDIC had to reimburse Keating’s customers who had been ripped off.

(Background Info - Keating wasn’t the only Savings and Loan owner who was committing fraud, 20% of the S&L’s that failed during that three year period were found to have been caused by fraud and/or insider trading. The failure of the Lincoln Savings and Loan and other S&L’s pushed the country into a recession, costing the U.S. government $126 billion dollars in FDIC insurance payouts to investors. All of this came to a crescendo during the first year of the presidency of George H.W. Bush, who pushed through the S&L bailout plan to keep the economy afloat.)

When the involvement of the Keating Five was made public, a scandal erupted and the Senate Ethics Committee launched their own investigation into whether the Keating Five had violated Senate ethics rules. The other four Senators left office either immediately or within one term. John McCain was formally rebuked by the Senate Ethics Committee for exercising “poor judgment” for intervening with the federal regulators on behalf of Keating, but because McCain accepted Keating’s gifts of travel and vacations to Bahama while McCain was a member of the House of Representatives (he served one term there before moving to the Senate), the Senate claimed they had no jurisdiction to censure McCain. (However the meetings to pressure federal regulators occurred during the first few months of McCain serving in the Senate in 1987, so that excuse doesn’t hold up). (2)

These are just 2 of the skeletons in the closet that could be used to counter the latest claims from Sarah Palin. As I have said before and to quote the American proverb, "People in glass houses, shouldn't throw stones".

Everyone has had an association with someone that they regret. The difference between us regular Joes and the candidates, is that with us nobody is trying to use it to their advantage or against us.

So let's stick to the problems that face our country and what the candidates are going to do about it, and quit with the mudslinging.

May your God bless, and keep, you and yours. Pray for peace and enlightenment.

Sources

1. http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/09/members-of-frin.html
2. http://mccainkeatingfive.com/?p=6

I'm back

From My Own Little CornerAfter a long hiatus, I have decided to begin blogging again. I have lots of things to blog about, as there have been lots of changes in my life and in this country since October of 2006. The most significant is the graduation of my youngest son from high school, his starting college, and the marriage of my oldest son to a beautiful young lady named Nicole. They have moved to Independence, MO, where Nicole is going to pharmacy school, and it has almost killed me. I miss them so much. I have gotten 2 years older and a little rounder in the intervening years, but my wonderful husband still loves me. Huh, will wonders never cease? My political views have not changed, if anything they have gotten stronger. I am supporting Barack Obama, and before anyone starts yelling that I am voting for the wrong person, let me just say that, as in the case of our current president, I have done my research. If people had done enough research before GWB was elected, maybe we wouldn't be in the mess that we're in today. I am a born again christian, mother of a child with handicaps (that were much worse than those of Sarah Palin's son), the wife of a man who is blind (from a hunting accident), and am personally opposed to abortion (but I would never attempt to force my PERSONAL beliefs on anyone else). I also believe that global warming is caused mostly by man and his careless disregard of this planet that we live on, that our economy is in the tank thanks to the out of control spending of the last 8 years, that this administration, the one that touts less government, has increased the government's role in our lives more than at any other time in our history, and that the legacy that they left for our children is dismal. Okay, I have ranted enough for one post. As I said in the beginning, I'm back and I have lots to say. May your God bless and keep you. Pray for peace and enlightenment.

Do You Feel Safer?

From My Own Little Corner I haven't written in a while as I have been busy reading. I just finished "Bushworld" by Maureen Dowd. What a good book. It is chocked full of information that is written in an easy to follow and humorous manner. I am now in the process of reading "The One Percent Doctrine" by Ron Suskind. Both books revealed behind the scenes information that is both troubling and scary. This man that was "elected" to run our country and his idea of the "war on terror", his ideas on how he needs to "protect us", and the means that he will use to further his own agenda, and that of his cohorts, are quite frankly, in my own opinion, egocentric and nuts. The scariest part is that he truly believes that he is going to be remembered by history as one of the greatest leaders our country has ever had. I have been listening to some of the speeches that he has been giving over the last few weeks and am both amazed and puzzled. Amazed that he has the nerve to continue to attempt to link Iraq and the 9/11 attacks, that he has had the temerity to say that we have "defeated the Taliban", to tell us that we are safer without Saddam Hussein in power, and then turn around and tell us that we are still at great risk of additional terrorist attacks. That is why I am puzzled. If the Taliban was truly responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks, then why did we invade Iraq? The Taliban were headquartered in Afghanistan, a country that we invaded shortly after 9/11 to try to find Osama Bin Laden (rightly so), and that now we seem to have completely forgotten. The violence there and the resurgence of Taliban activity and their seemingly organized attacks, seems to prove that we have not "defeated the Taliban", but only pissed them off even more. Osama bin Laden is still out there planning and plotting, and GWB and his administration recently disbanded the Osama task force. This was the force responsible for tracking down the man behind the 9/11 attacks. And by moving into Iraq and attempting to set up our own brand of government and democracy, we have just given the terrorists more fuel for the fire. Al-Qaeda is more determined than ever to get us out of there and have join forces with other terrorist cells, including the Taliban, to form what appears to me to be a much stronger, better organized, and more extreme cell. For want of a better term-super terrorists. These terrorists are much scarier than the ones that existed just after 9/11. In their zeal to tie Saddam to the terror attacks of 9/11, this administration has given the terrorists what they always wanted and never had, a reason (in their own insane thought processes) to truly hate us. If they really needed a cause, other than hating us for our beliefs and lifestyle, we have given it to them. I certainly don't feel safer. Do you? And now we are hearing the same rhetoric from our leaders that we heard before the invasion of Iraq. "We won't talk to this country until they do as we say." "We are not making plans for war, just updating the plans that were already in place." "The people are repressed." The IAEA has stated the information that is being spoon fed to us about IRAN's nuclear ambitions and capabilities are being exaggerated. Does all this sound familiar? It's deja vu all over again. Hopefully, this time around, our REPUBLICAN congress will not be bamboozled into doing the same foolish things that they did before, the things that led us into this mess that we have in Iraq. In less than 2 months we will be having an election. It's time for regime change. Bush, his boys and girls, did it in Iraq and I hope that the citizens will do it in the United States. In the meantime, please pray for peace and enlightenment. I will, and may your personal God bless and keep you and yours.

A Great Man

From My Own Little Corner I awoke this morning to the tragic news of the death of a great man. His death was shocking. What was even more shocking was my reaction. I cried. I cried for his family and I cried for the loss of the things that he could have continued to teach the world. He wasn't great in the ways that we often associate with greatness. He was a man that used his God given talents to teach the world that all God's creatures are special and should be valued. His untimely death brought back many of my own memories. Sitting with my two young boys, anxiously awaiting the appointed time of his next lesson on wildlife. Watching with delight as my boys saw the value of the world's wildlife and waited with wide eyed excitement to see what his next adventure would bring. The hours that we spent as a family watching, then discussing what he had to teach us are part of my favorite memories. We watched as he first met and then married his wife. We watched as his daughter was born and again when the world was outraged when he held his son while feeding a crocodile. We watched him build a great zoo and wildlife refuge from the monies made showing the world the many exotic animals that he so loved. This man showed my children that even the ugliest and most viscious animals are an important part of our world and need to be protected. He gave my sons a love of all God's creatures that coincided with my own teachings. He was probably the strongest influence on my eldest son, who loves reptiles and has a red tailed boa named Madeline and an american alligator named Precious. We will miss his teachings and his enthusiasm. As I said he wasn't great in the ways that we often associate with greatness, but, as you can see, he was great in some of the ways that count the most. He loved his family, his crocs, and lived life with a zest that is not often seen. By crikey, we will miss you here at our house. God speed, Steve Irwin, Crocodile Hunter.

Am I A Fascist?

From My Own Little Corner FASCISM(as defined by Miriam-Webster)-
1 often capitalized : a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition
2 : a tendency toward or actual exercise of strong autocratic or dictatorial control
Remember this word and definition. You will be hearing it often in the next 2-3 months. It has replaced the term terrorism in the speeches that President Bush and his stalwart followers, such as Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney, will be using, i.e. Islamic-Fascists. You will no longer be hearing about the war on terror, you will be hearing about the war against Fascism. What better word to strike terror in the hearts of all God loving, democracy loving citizens. I have been called a fascist myself. What I did was so unthinkable that it caused the person who witnessed it to call me a fascist, communist, socialist, an idiot, and unpatriotic. What was this thing that caused me to disgrace myself? I have a Kerry-Edwards bumper sticker on my vehicle. That's right, your eyes do not deceive. I really do have one on my vehicle, and evidently it so incensed one gentleman, driving on the same highway, that he felt that it was imperative that he PLACE HANDMADE SIGNS IN HIS WINDOWS, AS HE WAS DRIVING, expressing his outrage at my fascism. No matter that he had to slow down to tape the signs to his windows, while he was driving, then speed up and drive next to the driver's window of my car to make sure that I saw them. He then proceeded to follow me, get on the passenger side of my car and tape them over his driver's side window, so that my blind husband would also know that he, too, is a fascist. I guess he didn't read the definition of that particular word before he made up his little signs and then endangered every person on the road by expressing his opinion. Is this a great country or what? Oh, well, at least he didn't shoot me. On a much more solemn note, the violence in Iraq continues to escalate. In a speech Tuesday, Donald Rumsfeld accused critics of the Bush administrations Iraq and anti-terrorism policies of lacking the courage to fight terror. He says that we are suffering from "moral and intellectual confusion" about what threatens U.S. security. He also compared what is happening now to what happened before WWII and the failed attempts to appease Hilter. I personally am a bit more worried about what is happening to our RIGHTS in this country of ours. I think that people are so afraid of being called unpatriotic and fascist (ooh, there's that word again), that they are neglecting to stand up against what they know in their hearts and minds is wrong. It's wrong to take civil liberties and personal rights away. It's wrong to start a war. It's wrong to idly stand by while our people starve, while they die from diseases, that, if they had insurance, could be treated. It's wrong to keep our mouths shut when we see our planet being destroyed by pollution. It's wrong to watch as our government helps countries around the world and then let it's own citizens suffer. It's wrong to keep fighting a war that we should never have started and have no chance of winning. And it's wrong for our sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, grandmothers, and grandfathers to continue to die in that war. Come on people, it's time to stand up and be heard. Open your eyes and mouths and stop worrying about what other people think. I did that day on that highway, when I realized that the true fascist was the man in the car, who felt that, if I had a different opinion than his, I must not love my country. Nothing could be further from the truth. I love my freedoms, my right to speak my mind (and his right to speak his), I love the fact that I can worship in any way that I please, but most of all I LOVE MY COUNTRY, warts and all. I guess if that makes me a fascist, then I am proud to be called one. Please remember to pray for peace and enlightenment and may your God bless and keep you and yours.

Not On His Watch

From My Own Little Corner Well, it's been a while since I made an entry. I just haven't had the energy nor the heart to do so. It seems that things haven't changed much in the last few weeks. Despite the cease fire in the Middle East, the area seems even more unstable. The war in Iraq continues to rage on, despite the reassurances of our esteemed leaders. Hurricane Katrina victims are still waiting for our government to do something, anything. In other words, the problems facing us are still there and don't appear to be getting any better. In Lebanon and Israel the fragile cease fire is holding, but for how long? The Israeli government has said that it will review the actions of the IDF and itself and the handling of the "war". I have been hearing disturbing things about corruption there at some very high levels. Hezbollah has said that they wouldn't have kidnapped the 2 Israeli soldiers if they would have known that the results would be so devastating. Really? What did they think would happen? That Israel would roll over and just give in to their demands? Come on. The Lebanese people paid a dear price for the actions of Hezbollah and now the rest of the world will have to be involved in policing the area in south Lebanon in an attempt to keep the peace and in the rebuilding of the infrastructure damaged by the Israelis. In the meantime, we continue to lose our young men and women in Iraq. It is increasingly clear that things there are "going south" at an alarming rate. The latest fatality count stands at 2,860 total coalition fatalities and 2,633 U.S. fatalities. And don't forget about the civilian casualties. As these numbers continue to grow, it is becoming increasingly clear that it is time to get out. President Bush has said not on his "watch". Well I, for one, am glad that his "watch" is almost over. I only hope that our country can survive another 2 1/2 years of his "leadership". Just my opinion. He is in New Orleans today to commemorate the 1 year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. I'm not sure that this is a date that should be commemorated. It was, and still is, an absolutely horrible example of our government at work. Only half of the people that survived the disaster have been able to return. The rest are still displaced. And the citizens of Mississippi are only a little further along. They are trying to get settlements from their insurance companies, and those same companies, who have been collecting premiums from these people, are refusing to pay. They say that the damage was from flooding and, as such, is not covered by their policies. Unfortunately, the courts recently agreed with them. I just have one question-isn't storm surge part of a hurricane? Doesn't storm surge cause flooding? I was under the impression that there are three major components of a hurricane. The WIND, the RAIN, and the STORM SURGE. If this is true, then why isn't the damage caused by flooding from storm surge and rain covered by their hurricane coverage? These people are still living among the debris and trash left by the storm. Are George Bush and all the other dignitaries that are there, going to visit these parts of that once great city? Or will they visit the parts that look good on t.v.? Of the 110 billion dollars designated to help rebuild the area, less than half has been spent. The infrastructure in New Orleans is still in need of serious repair and rebuilding. Only 50% of the hospitals are up and running again, and 25% of the schools. This is a sad testimony to the effectiveness of our federal government. When we are more worried about helping people half way around the world than our own people, then it is time for a change. Our republican government continues to tout the fact that they are for less government. And yet they continue to impose more restictions and take away more of our liberties every day. There are illegal wire taps, monitoring of our phone calls and internet usage, and the deterioration of the separation of church and state. There was a rally held in St. Louis yesterday to oppose stem cell research. It was attended by BOTH religious leaders and politicians. This in an attempt to affect the outcome of the November election initiative on stem cell research. I personally have a medical condition that could possibly benefit from this type of medical research. I lost a daughter to cerebral palsy and often wonder what could have been done to help her had she been born in this time of such great medical advances. These unknowledgeable people continue to assert that this research is tantamount to abortion and even murder. How absurd! And I just wonder how many of these politicians go along with these groups to further their own agendas, i.e getting reelected. Stem cell research is a great advancement in medicine and should be treated in the same vein as the Salk vaccine, antibiotics, organ transplant, and many other advancements that, at their inception, were considered outside the boundaries of ethics. When election day comes, we need to remember that there are many other problems that are much greater and will have a greater impact on this country than stem cell research and abortion. In this country we are supposed to have the right to our own opinion about things and not have another persons opinion of right and wrong forced upon us. Our decisions about who will lead our country need to be based on facts and not on the "religious rights" idea of what is best for all of us. I personally don't understand how you can reconcile sending our children into an unjust war to die and then stand there in righteous indignation and state that abortion and stem cell research are murder. If all life is precious and to be protected, doesn't that include the lives of all our children, not just the unborn? I know that the men and women in our armed forces volunteered, but did they volunteer for this? And while our standing in the world continues to fall, Hugo Chavez is traveling the world. He is telling anyone who that will listen that our government is the greatest threat to democracy that the world has ever known. And President Bush, albeit unknowingly, is his greatest ally. President Bush's foreign policy, or lack thereof, is appalling. His actions with other leader's is at times most inappropriate. Take for example the back massage of Germany's newly elected female leader. Her reaction was almost utter disgust. And don't tell me that he's from Texas and so is used to showing his affection in such ways. He is the President of this country and should conduct himself as such. And there are other threats that are waiting in the wings. Iran is test firing missiles and MAY have the capability to create a nuclear bomb. North Korea is also becoming more unstable. These governments are the reason that diplomacy is so vitally important. Our government cannot simply say to these countries, "You can't have weapons of mass destruction, because we say so.". We need to make them understand the reasons that these weapons are detrimental and give them incentives to stop making them. What we should not do is tell them that if they don't do as we say, they will be punished. That method doesn't work anymore. It is time to change our policies and our leaders. Please, pray for peace and enlightenment, and may your God bless and keep you and yours.