Grandma's House

I just read a few minutes ago that Archibald Cox passed away. I remember him so well, even though I was a teenager. The Watergate Hearings were my baptism into the world of politics. Of course, my folks couldn't figure out why I spent as much time as possible in my room watching the hearings. I knew, even then, how very important those hearings were. I knew history was being made. Of course, at such a tender age, and being raised in a house of Democrats, I was supposed to root for the prosecution. But I didn't really root for either side. I just wanted to be a witness. And I was. I saw the end of the Nixon administration, and I felt that things had changed forever. I suppose they had.

Not long before that, our senior class had to take those dorky tests the military gave every year. Well, thanks to spending a lot of time with my dad, I scored highest in my class on the mechanical portion of the test. An Army recruiter called the house not long after we got the results, wanting me to enlist. This was in 1974. I explained to him that, due to my scoliosis (curvature of the spine), I knew I would never be qualified or even make it through boot camp if I were accepted. He tried to change my mind! He even offered to set it up so the Army would pay for the extensive surgery it would take to fix my back. I told him thanks, but no thanks. I'd had the chance to have the surgery at age 13, and turned it down. Of course, back then the "cure" was a series of operations, over a period of 3 years, in which they would break my spine and reposition it, then fuse it in place. There's no way I could be remotely qualified to be in the Army, with or without the surgery. He finally accepted that, but he was disappointed.

I sometimes wonder how my life would have changed if I had done things differently. But that is something I do not dwell on; those are questions that can never be answered. So I do the best I can, keep a smile on my face, and try to put a smile on the face of others.

Wow, what a night! After passing out flyers for a candidate for House of Representatives during Buffalo Days, my husband came home and collapsed for about 3 hours. Then we went to dinner in Greenfield, and went to the consignment auction. I had so much fun. I hadn't been to an auction in a long time. We bought a ton of stuff for practically nothing. I got a small TV for the kitchen, a new microwave (new to me, anyway), a bunch of linens, several things I can turn around and resell for a profit, and a complete set of stoneware dishes, all for less than 40 dollars.
Of course, there was a lot more I could have purchased, lead crystal, hummel figurines, antiques, etc. But being the end of the month put a slight crimp in our spending. They're going to have another auction in July, where they are auctioning off more than 2,000 Coca Cola collectibles. I'm sure there'll be other auctions in between. I always enjoy going to these auctions. They are indoors, with comfortable seating, and everyone is relaxed and having fun. Boy, am I tired...

Well that was quite a storm last night. The nasty weather broke up about 5 miles from here, so all we got was a good soaking rain and some strong winds. That's okay. We needed the rain desperately. They'd been getting all the rain upstate. I called my daughter Shauna, since the storm would have passed about halfway between our homes, and found out she slept through the entire thing. Apparently they didn't call out the storm spotters, so the scanner didn't wake her up.

Well, I had thought to blog some more tonight, but the weatherman says there's a supercell headed for Greenfield (8 miles from here), so I'll have to get off the computer til it's gone. Don't want a fried motherboard. I've seen that happen before, and it definitely ain't pretty. There was a tornado about two counties north of us tonight, one injury when a woman was struck by a flying 4-wheeler. The fire department was demolished, but the fire trucks are all right. I'll let you know tomorrow how we fared, the radar looks really funky.

According to Reuters, who are always on top of every story *spit*, "Lesbian couples are four times more likely to have children than gay men". I wonder where they got that idea???

My oxygen man, Mike, came yesterday. I had totally forgotten that it was Tuesday. Mike brings me oxygen refills every other Tuesday. Since I had forgotten, when he arrived the dogs were still loose. Boy was that fun!! Trying to get them to go into the living room so I could shut the door and let Mike in the kitchen, that was so exciting! Of course, I know that Bubba and Bandit would never hurt Mike or anybody else (even though they don't like children, which I'll address in another entry), but they could easily get out of the house, and I don't want them running loose in the countryside. The last time that happened, they were gone for a day and a half, and when they came back they smelled of skunk. Yecch. Needless to say, they were not very popular when they came home. But they would never hurt anyone; just jump on them and bark and scare them to death, but not physically harm them. It's just better to play it safe and lock them up when we have company.

I wasn't able to watch President Bush's address on Monday night, since the "Big 4" networks decided they couldn't be bothered to air it. Therefore I had to find out what he said by perusing the net. Took all of two minutes to find the transcript. I only wish more people who didn't have access to cable would put forth the effort to check the web for unbiased coverage of the political scene. Or read the biased ones, but read both sides of the story. Read the liberal views, read the conservative views, read the views of the extremists (AKA nut cases). Get as much information as you possibly can, then decide: which opinions can I trust? I guarantee you, you will not be disappointed.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEDA! I love you very much. To those who don't know, Beda is a nickname for my baby sister, whose birthday is today. She is 21 months younger than I am, but I try not to hold that against her. She is a treasure, a strong woman who has raised three kids virtually by herself, has had myriad medical problems of her own, and still managed to get her GED and went to college, and has just been promoted to a directorship in her dental hygiene school. I am so proud of her. I know our parents would have been proud of her as well.

Go out and celebrate tonight kid. You've earned it!

Well, the kids didn't win their baseball game last night. The final score was 18-11. At least they all had a good time, although they had to move the game to a different ball field, since some idiot decided to break the lights of the field they were supposed to use. I'll never understand why a person needs to destroy things to feel important.

Tonight was my grandson's third baseball game. I was going to go, but with the temperature at 79 degrees, and humidity at 72%, there was no way. An oxygen tank can only do just so much. Even with a broncodilator, that was just too much humidity to sit outside and watch a game. I hope they continue their undefeated streak. He's getting pretty good at baseball. Just wait until he's playing regular instead of Coach's pitch.

My family has really been hit in the past month or so. One sister diagnosed with a chronic illness for which she'll need meds forlife, another sister with abnormal breast exam which turned out all right, third sister has too many vertebrae in her back, then my health problems, now third sister's daughter and family had a house fire. They're all right, but gadzooks! It's time for a break. I told my sister to wrap our brother in bubble wrap so nothing bad would happen to him.

Much craziness in the world these days. Teachers in California are helping students cheat on the state tests so they don't look bad. Kids being expelled from school because a piece of a baseball trophy that just happened to be an 8" bat was seen in the back seat of a student's car. Just craziness!

It seems President Bush fell off his mountain bike during his 17 mile ride. He suffered only cuts and bruises thank goodness. I read at Drudge Report that John Kerry asked reporters, "Did his training wheels fall off?" You know, you'd think an adult would be better behaved. The President didn't mock him or make fun when he fell off his bike in the sand.

There's a new meme going around the blog world wanting to know your favorite movie death. As I stated in other posts, my favorite would have to be the death scene in Bonnie and Clyde. I thought it was excellent, yet surprisingly not as gory as it probably should have been, considering the number of times they were shot. So, what about you? Let's have your favorite death scene.

Well, I am in a holding pattern for about three weeks. Have to redo the ultrasound and see if the "mass" is still there. If so, I'll probably have to have it out. That's okay with me; nothing in there this old granny needs anymore any way. Either way, I'll be glad when this is over.

Lance Corporal Jeremiah Savage, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines Division, was killed in action while handing out candy and frisbees to children in Iraq. His mother is very proud of him. We all should be. He did what many in our country don't have the balls to do, forgive my french. I absolutely hate it when people here at home criticize the military and make fun of the soldiers who die over there, saying it is a waste. What is a waste is the time their parents took to raise them in a free nation, only to have their hateful offspring turn around and spit on the very freedoms they have. Lance Corporal Savage, as well as every other soldier over there, fight every day to protect those freedoms. It's a shame too many people take that for granted.

174,853. That's the number of votes John Kerry got in the Arkansas Primary yesterday. That's pathetic. I think I can say safely there are more than that many people in Little Rock alone. Well, I hope they continue their voting practices this November.

Well, the International Olympic Committee has decided that transsexuals will be permitted to contend in the Olympics in Athens. Frankly I think that's a terrible idea. You're not going to convince me that men who transform into women are not going to have an advantage in sporting activities.

This makes me wonder: Are there any women changing into men? You only hear about men becoming women. Of course, I can't blame them. I certainly would never want to be a man, although being able to pee standing up would be nice sometimes!

Oh, boy. I've really been remiss in my posting here. But it's almost over. Sir Mugley (my better half) has two more finals and he'll be done for the semester. I've spent the last three days typing study notes for him. Now I can finally get things back to normal (hahaha).

Just a few quick notes to catch up.

Randy Johnson, age 40, threw a perfect game today. What a guy! Only one of the batters got three balls before he struck out. See, even us old folks can still play!

I got to see my grandson, Sammy, play Coach's Pitch baseball Monday night. What a tiger. He was put out twice and struck out once, but at least he hit the ball. Now I need to work with him on his base running!

So they finally found chemical weapons. Mustard gas last week, and now sarin gas. Will the media admit they were wrong? Will the opponents? NEVER! Now it's our fault that the weapons caches weren't secured quickly enough! But how do you secure something that isn't there?

I'll post more as I think of it.

Sammy, my 5 year old grandson, has his very first Coach's Pitch baseball game tonight. Of course, I've got to go. Naturally, I can't find our digital camera, and I won't either, until after the game. Then it will be laying out in the open where anyone with half a brain could find it. I'll just have to buy one of those stupid disposable cameras, fill it up, then find a place that processes the film. In the small town they live in I'm not sure there is one. I might have to drive to Springfield to get it developed. Gads I hope not. I hate going to Springfield.

I just received word from MSNBC that the head of the Iraqi Governing Council was killed by a bomb in Baghdad. I don't have any more information than that. I'm sure we'll hear about it in the morning. This can't be good.

I do hope everyone remembered that Saturday was Armed Forces Day. I forgot until just now. Please everybody, take a few minutes and remember what our service men and women have done to protect us from the evils of this world. I'm sure just about everybody in this country had a mother or father,aunt or uncle, brother or sister who has served in the military. Thank God for each and every one of them!

Billy Graham fell and fractured his pelvis this weekend. He just had a hip replacement in January and probably was still in recovery from that. I know this has got to be hard on him and his wife. Here's hoping he will take it easy from now on. The world will have a huge hole in its soul when the time comes he goes home to be with the Lord.

I heard the pilot of the Memphis Belle passed away. He was a very heroic man, and I think they got that across when they made the movie. I know his family will miss him.

Boy it sure looks like I'm getting lazy here. Gotta make time for you guys, don't I? Will write more real soon, I promise.

I watched the final episode of Frazier last night. Not too bad. Definitely better than Friends *spit*. To me, Friends and Seinfeld belong together. Just a bunch of spoiled "young people" who had nothing better to do than obsess about themselves. In all the years they were on, did any of them ever do anything that would be considered significant for someone else? Help improve their community? Anything? I'm sorry. I don't really like shows where there isn't a single mature character. That's what I liked about Frazier. When the "boys" got a little full of themselves, they had Dad to bring them back down to Earth. I'm open to any and all opinions on this matter.

Hi there! Did ya miss granny? I thought not. Anyway, a lot has happened since my last visit. I went to my "check up" and that was unpleasant enough. Then yesterday, I went for the Bone Density Study and an ultrasound. Apparently they are now using ultrasound machines as torture devices. I swear, I have bruises today where I should not have bruises at any time in my life!

Well, today the doctor's office called and my bones are fine for a woman my age (47). OTOH, I have to go to yet another doctor next week for another examination. I haven't told my family yet (hi everybody) but apparently I have a small yet solid mass or lesion around where my left ovary should be. I say should because they weren't sure they could see it. So now I have to wait a full week to ten days to find out what that is. And I still am supposed to have a mammogram this month! Men are so freakin' lucky it stinks!

I expect I'll hear from my sisters later today. Wish me luck.

Okay, after careful consideration and time to calm down from seeing the photos of Mr. Berg's death, I take back part of what I said before. I don't directly blame the idiots who screwed up at the prison. The mess they started did cause the very hearings that made other nationalities think we were weak, but they are not the direct cause. The five monsters are. This episode in this nasty war should draw us back to concentrating on the war and defeating terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan. We need to bear down now, and show them they have bitten off way more than they can chew. It's time they choke on it.

I'd like to take this opportunity to send my condolences to the family of Nick Berg, who lost his life needlessly in Iraq today. This death should be laid not only at the feet of the monsters who actually wielded the knife, but to the idiots who caused the crisis in Abu Ghraib, and stirred up all the anti-American hostility which had all but died down for the most part. They should be held responsible as well.

Well, I just read a Washington Post editorial on the treatment of the prisoners in Abu Ghraib (?). The Post feels that the following things violate the 8th Amendment regarding cruel and unusual punishment: disruption of sleep patterns, exposure to heat and cold, sensory assault. According to those criteria, don't all Americans who live in an urban area suffer from the same violations? I know when I lived in Kansas City, I seldom went more than a few hours without hearing some type of siren, or loud racket. Who can sleep through all that? It seems to me that the treatment of the prisoners would have to be a lot worse than that to be cruel, let alone unusual. How can it be unusual when we all experience it on a regular basis? It seems to me you can find these same conditions in just about any high school in this country. Where's the outrage there?

You've got to see this photo taken in Iraq. This is much more impressive than those negative pictures everyone is talking about, but you probably won't be seeing anything like this on the news anytime soon.

Well, this is fascinating! Shawnee County KS District Judge Terry Bullock has ordered ALL Kansas public schools closed until the state fixes the unconstitutional way money is being distributed to them. Apparently, this judge ordered the state legislature to fix the problems back in December. The legislature, in response, appealed the ruling rather than fixing the problem. So the judge ordered the shutdown. This is great! Somebody's on the side of the kids for a change. You can read all about it here. Of course, the legislature is appealing (sounds like that's all they know how to do, doesn't it?). It'll be interesting to see where this goes. Stay tuned, folks.

Well, Survivor didn't end the way I wanted. I wanted Rupert to win. Please note: this is the first season I've been sucked in to the Survivor craze. But I still want Rupert to win the extra million they're giving away Thursday night. Why, you ask? Well, I'll tell ya. He works with underprivileged and high risk kids when he's not living on an isolated island. Plus, he truly seems to love his wife. Those two things make him tops in my opinion.

Ok, here's my thought: Dishonorable discharge for all soldiers who were directly involved in the "abuse" scandal. I use scare quotes because all I've seen are pictures implying abuse, but no actual electrocutions, etc. Anyway, those soldiers should be dd'ed, and put in Leavenworth for an indeterminate length of time. Their superiors should be punished as well, but the prosecutions should stop at the director of the prison. Beyond that, and you're getting into the ridiculous area. As I said before, Rummy can only be held responsible if he gave a direct order, and I seriously doubt that. I'm sure he has better things to do. These hearings in Congress are only emboldening the opposition. Knock it off, already.

Sorry I haven't posted in a little while. Took Mother's Day off. Got to talk to all my babies yesterday. I do miss seeing them. As a matter of fact, there are three I haven't seen yet, and one I haven't seen since he was just starting to stand up. He's in kindergarten this year. His brothers I have yet to see, except in pictures. Someday, I will see my babies, and boy do I have a lot of spoiling to do!

My daughter invited us over for dinner yesterday, but my husband has a biology test tomorrow, so we stayed home so he could study. You think college is hard for 20-somethings, try doing it at 50-something. One more year and he'll be a graduate. Then we can deal with grad school.

Anyway, I'll probably be posting later today, and I plan on working on my blogroll, getting it up and running sometime in the next day or two. I have a lot to do, but I probably should spend some time cleaning, even though this is more fun!

I realize it's very early in the morning, but I thought I'd get a jump on the day and say, "Happy Mother's Day" to all you mothers out there. I got a wonderful mother's day card and a bucket of cotton candy from my children of fur, Bubba and Bandit. They love me so much. I took off their collars and let them run around naked this evening.

Of course, I'm sure my other two children will also be in touch for Mother's Day. They just don't live at home any more, so it will take longer.

I just read the most ridiculous story I've seen all week. First, let me say that Canada has declared marijuana possession is no longer illegal. Well, that's neither here nor there; I don't want to start a war over that. However, the powers that be up there (whoever they are) have decided that baby walkers are illegal. Possession of one could result in a fine of $100,000. That's right. I'm sorry but that's just ignorant. If you don't want your child to fall down stairs while he's in his walker, put up a gate. AAARRRGGGHHH!

Oh great! They're televising Donald Rumsfeld's testimony before Congress this morning. This is going to turn into another mugging for the camera episode, like the Condoleezza Rice testimony. They're saying Rumsfeld is going to apologize. More later.

Praise God! I just got word from my sister that the tests came back, and the cysts on her liver and kidneys are nothing to worry about. Haven't heard yet what they plan to do about them, but for now I thank any and all who sent up prayers for her. There are no words to show my appreciation.

Didi you hear? The series finale of Friends was on last night. You'd think someone would have published it. (Sarcasm off) I never was so tired of hearing about a show than I have been this week. And it's not over yet. Dateline is talking about Friends again tonight. They've been talking about it on the Today Show this morning. Give it a rest, please!

I hope everyone read the story of the meeting between President Bush and Ashley Faulkner, the 15 year old girl in Lebanon, Ohio who lost her mother in the WTC attack. If not, you can read it here. This is exactly why President Bush is the better man for the job than John Kerry. I've never seen Kerry connect with the people the way George Bush does. George Bush is real. John Kerry, not so much.

According to this Fox News story the Labor Department issued today shows a surge in jobs far exceeding expectations. In addition, the unemployment rate dropped back to 5.6%. This makes 1.1 million jobs created since August of last year. That's just nine months. I thought the economy was tanking. Oops.

I don't know about you, but I think it's outrageous that the Democrats want Donald Rumsfeld to resign over the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal. First of all, that would be very damaging to the Bush administration; Rumsfeld is one of the best defense secretaries of all time. Secondly, forcing Rumsfeld to resign over something done by a handful of soldiers in the field would be akin to forcing a governor to resign because of a crime committed by a mayor in his state. It is ludicrous and a transparent attempt to damage the Bush campaign, as well as endanger the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Happy days are here again! Rachel is back. I sure missed her. Hers was one of the first blogs I ever read, and I fell in love with her attitude. I just know the grackles are terrified... they thought they had won the war. You can check her out here and I'm sure you will love her, too.

Just a quick update from a previous post:

I stated that Rep. McDermott acted contrary to law when he refused to place his hand over his heart and said the Pledge of Allegiance improperly. This was based on information I read at the News Max website. After some searching this afternoon, I have been unable to independently confirm that what he did was, in fact, contrary to the law. If such time comes as I find this evidence, I will repost. But for now, all I can say is my bad. I'll try to be more careful.

Well, grandma's gotta go to the doctor this afternoon. What they call a "well woman check", yeah right. It's really a series of contortions with some pain involved, then a week of waiting to find out whether you're all right or not. Not my favorite annual event, although there are worse things in life. When I come back, I'm gonna try something different. Pretty brave for a person who knows not what she does.

Meirav Was 2

If you don't read another thing today, read this. But be sure you have enough tissues on hand. I wound up wiping my eyes on my sleeves. It is hard to retain a Christian charitable attitude toward people who could do such a thing, even though I know we're supposed to be forgiving.

If you want to read something hilarious, and are a lover of musicals, you need to check out Doggerel Pundit for their parody of West Side Story. I'm still cleaning the screen of my laptop. What a hoot!

Check this out:
"I have spent my entire career standing up to special interests and fighting for the American people."

how about:

"Throughout his career, he has always taken tough positions and stuck by them - even when they weren't popular."

Do you know who this is? Why, it's John Kerry, of course! Do you believe this nonsense? Does he? He has so many splinters from straddling the fence it's a wonder that he can sit down at all!

He has said he joined the Navy in 1966 because he "thought it was important, if you had a lot of privileges as I had ... to give something back to your country." This is in his current TV ad. What he doesn't say is he went into the Navy to avoid being drafted into the Army. (Now I've got no problem with that; my husband joined the Air Force in 1968 for the same reason, though he served with honor for 4 1/2 years.)

It seems he had to enlist because his request for deferment (he wanted to go study in Paris) was turned down. Do you suppose that's why he hates Dick Cheney so much?

Did you see the footage of that helicopter hitting the roof of the apartment building in New York? That was awesome! The passengers were so lucky to have survived that crash. I've never been in a helicopter, but I understand that if there is a problem, it has the glide path of a rock. And since I can't flap my wings and fly, I probably will never be in a helicopter. I don't mind flying in a plane, but I want a floor under my feet, not sky.

Well, well, well. Seems our estimates were wrong (again). Our federal deficit is 100 BILLION dollars lower than was previously thought. That's gotta hurt the Democrats who are already chafing over the lower job rate, higher consumer confidence, etc. If this keeps up, they won't have anything to complain about except the mistakes they've made over the years. Heaven forbid.

Let's not forget that May 6 is the National Day of Prayer. Take a few minutes (or more if you can) and pray for our country, its leaders, and the brave souls who are defending our country. Throw in a few prayers for the moonbats who are trying to block victory and demean the work the soldiers are doing. They need to get their acts together, and support our fighters, unless they want to pray to Allah five times a day. I, personally, do not.

I just read the statement made by the doctor who treated John Kerry's arm wound in Viet Nam. What a joke! If he could get a Purple Heart for that, I should get a Congressional Medal of Honor for giving birth to my children. How pathetic can a man be? If his other "wounds" were equally lame, he should be punished for filing a false report or something. I hurt myself worse than that playing baseball when I was a kid.

Well, I took a day off from blogging. Hope somebody missed me. I had a lot of running around to do today, since it was payday (haha). Of course, I forgot to get my portable oxygen tank out of the car, so when I had to go out, I had to go without it. Being off the oxygen for three hours is something you wouldn't want to experience too often. Suffice it to say, the headache is almost gone, and my breathing is back to normal. No, it wasn't all that bad. But I do get a nasty headache when I'm without it for a while, usually an hour is about my limit. But I've learned my lesson; no more multiple-errand trips without the "tank".

Great news today, folks. The Missouri House has passed a law which would allow a lawsuit against anyone who helped a minor get an abortion without consent. The vote was 109-32. This law would require doctors to have privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of the site of the abortion. It would also reclassify abortion clinics as "ambulatory surgical centers," which would make them subject to inspection by the State Department of Health and Senior Services. This goes hand-in-hand with the law passed in 1983 which made it mandatory to get consent before a minor could get an abortion.

Now all we have to do is get the senate to do the right thing, then we can get on with the inevitable court challenges. And you know they will come.