Justice Served with no Apologies

Finally...
I wont apologize. I sat at her funeral. I watched her mother, sister and best friend break down to heaping sobs and I cried with them. Its time he were finally dead. Almost 30 years ago to the day, Oscar Ray Bolin took the life of a friend and once co worker. He was convicted, not once, but through appeals, 3 times of the murder of Natalie Blanche Holley, BJ to those who knew her. He was also convicted 3 times in the murders of Stephanie Collins and Teri Lynn Mathews. He was under suspicion of 4 other Bay area murders he never went to trial for, as well as a Texas woman and the rape of an Ohio woman. How is it he has gotten 30 years to live life and to actually fall in love and marry. (ya believe it or not his lawyer) These are things Natalie never got to do, still dreams at the age of 25. So when they injected him, after a 4 hour delay, and his ever pathetic life oozed from his body, I was glad...
Rest in peace Natalie, justice has been served.

Mother Nature's Way

For November it is repressively hot. Mother nature has been breaking records with 90 degree temperatures. This much heat in Novembers makes me uncomfortable. Not uncomfortable because its hot and humid but because it should be cool, dry and perfect for sitting outdoors having a glass of wine and reading a book. I decided to brave the heat and work on the garden I had planned out. Even in the heat, there is something about working in the dirt and planting that is cathartic. I love creating something that will be eye pleasing. 15 years ago the backyard started out a barren and uninviting space. It has slowly become my oasis as plants have gotten taller and block out the surrounding rooftops. Colors splash at different times of  the year and sometimes I can even forget the world. Its still a work in progress, but that's the fun of it. Today it didn't take long for the sweat to start soaking through the clothes. I jammed to my music, dug holes and planted. With every plunge of the shovel into the ground, pent up frustrations dissipated. Fresh new dirt would would give growth to the plants that I nurtured in pots for several years. Some of those plants had been re-potted over and over and it was time to give them to the ground. Two cacti were special. They had been Pete's; a Buxbaum and a Fish Hook. I also had an Agave and 2 Bayonets. The heat was getting over bearing and I knew it meant rain was likely. I was close to being done when the blue skies started to give way to gray and a breeze began to stir. It wasn't long after that the first raindrops began to fall. The rain got heavier but it felt so cool on my skin after the blazing sun and heat that I kept digging and planting. The rain got heavy and splashed mud onto my arms and legs. I stood up and let the rain wash over me. There is something cleansing about standing in a downpour. I love the rain. I love the smell of rain and I just stood there soaked to the skin with my eyes closed, eventually jolted back to reality by a low rumbling of thunder. In Florida, that's the time to call it quits and head indoors. I gathered up the wet tools and put them away and I, with my spirit now cleansed, headed indoors to wash they physical vessel.

Cassie Has Earned Her Wings

Cassie is gone.... Her full name was lovingly, Cassie Barracuda Piranha Shark.
She will be remembered by many memories and a few scars on my hands and wrists.
Cassie was a troubled fur child. When she arrived her goal was always to maim.  She was filled with so much anger. I knew I was taking on a hard project with her. While she clamped down on the soft skin between my thumb and finger, I promised her, no matter what, this was the last home she would ever go to. She could display her anger, her frustrations and her distrust all she wanted. I would never send her away. In time she came to trust my son and me, and while we were able to rid her of her thirst for blood, she always had to remind us with her lick, lick chomp, that she was in charge and keeping an eye on us. I used to curse at those "nips" but in later years came to love them.
   Last night we watched a sunset together. Beautiful pinks adorned the sky. How perfect I thought. She was brought to me in a pink blanket. AS the air got cooler we sat by a fire. She laid in my lap so quietly. Was she thinking about her next great journey? I had already told her about the Bridge and that all of her friends would be there so we discussed her wings, pouncing on fluffy clouds and how honored I was to have her in my life. As we sat... I realized my decision to let her go was the right thing to do. I know we always have our doubts, but Cassie hardly even moved. She loved the outdoors: digging in the dirt, rooting around in the grass and sniffing the air. She did none of this....she just lay in my lap, listening and occasionally letting out a sigh. When she came here she had so much baggage: loneliness, heartache, distrust, pain, fear... I hope when she left those bags were repacked and overflowing with love, hugs, kisses, happy memories and enough N-Bones to last her until it is my turn to leave this earth.
   Dr Helmer is a kind and gentle person. He spoke to Cassie the entire time and I held her rubbing her head. Its ironic that the heart we were trying so hard to keep going, we now ordered to stop. She is at peace now: happy, whole and free of pain. The house will be quieter...... less energy..... I have been left with a broken heart but a richer life.

In my best French accent........................ to the last one......
                                           
                                                        Viva la Revolution! 

Lazy Afternoons

More and more I have come to appreciate the lazy afternoon. Not a lazy afternoon as in having the tv on blaring away mindless drivel at you, but a lazy afternoon of quiet and serenity, reading a book, e-mails or sipping wine and chatting on line with a friend. The kind of day where weather permits you to take advantage of a gentle breeze and feeling the suns warmth on your skin. I can hear the birds chirp, squirrels chattering and the occasional laughter of the neighborhood children playing. Moments like this help cleanse the soul of the noise and clutter that stresses me out the rest of the week. While I know I have to rejoin the rat race, this helps me cope with it. I find the quiet soothing and enjoying sitting for a spell. Am I turning into an old fart? I watch children go, go , go; teenagers plug into their I-Pods and blast music into their heads while texting to 20 friends at one time; young adults scurry past in a hurry to get to their next destination. Maybe as I get older my head can't handle all the auditory bustle and needs a time out. Maybe thats why my father takes naps now. It isn't that his body is getting old, its just taking a break from all the crap that civilization throws at it. I sat and watched a legion of ants break down and cart off a roach carcass. Ew you say.....have you ever watched them? It's amazing! And its free entertainment from mother nature. I was disconnected from everything around me. A nose poke from my cat brought me back to reality. I would guess that living on my own allows me to move at my own pace and maybe has given me an advantage to enjoy more restful afternoons before hitting the golden years. I must say I highly recommend stopping to smell the roses but why not stop and listen to the breeze and mother natures chorus. You won't hyperventilate.

Ultimate in Laziness

I think I just saw the ultimate in laziness.

I'm overweight and I would NEVER consider using an aid to get me around. I don't spend 20 minutes looking for the nearest parking spot and if I can walk to a store that is short distance I will. Walking doesn't bother me. I can blame some of my heaviness on genetics, some of it is my fault with poor food choices. When the cooler weather is a round I take power walks. When summer comes I don't. If I had the room I would get a treadmill, sadly I don't, not unless I want to put it in my kitchen.

There is a guy I see quite often pass by outside my window at work . He is in an electric scooter chair. Today a perfectly able female, was sitting on his lap, steering his Scooter. He is this skinny little guy and she is a rather large woman. You can hardly see him with her on his lap. Why is she not walking beside him? I hate when I see over weight people using electric carts and in the stores. It really pisses me off. I feel like telling them to get their fat ass up and walk. Its what I wanted to tell the woman sitting in the guys lap.

What is wrong with society?

Why are we getting so lazy?

School Days

The kids are getting out for summer.
I wonder if any get the same feelings I did on that last day of school. In grade school and middle school the last week was always such a lazy week. Tests were over, homework done with and for the most part it was a clean up week. We turned in books, cleaned out desks, received papers and artwork that had been proudly displayed and bulletin boards were taken down. I remember at Juliet W Long, in good old Gales Ferry, Connecticut we had a "field day" where there were races and relays and ribbons to win, followed by a party back in our classroom. In middle school, we didn't clean out desks, but lockers. It was always bitter sweet for me. I missed teachers and the everyday routine, but summer was a time of freedom. Friends were almost always just a bike ride away, of course things were simpler then. Parents didn't need to worry about their kids being too young to ride to a friends house. They didn't worry when we didn't come home all day. Hell.....I bet my mom really loved it when my brother and I would go next door and get our good friends Kevin and Lisa and head off to the woods with a packed lunch.
Adventure awaited!
Rock hillsides to scale...
Open Fields to cross...
Deep woods to explore...
Ravines to descend...
Tadpoles to catch..
A pond to fish at...
A small creek to wade in...
There never seemed to be an end to the fun of summer. When I moved to Ohio it was vacation trips with the family, day camps, and then the wonderful, NO PARENTS, canoeing trip (camp) and biking for a week across Ohio (another camp). What freedom....what an opportunity to discover ones self.

And
on another note...

Do you have a teacher who inspired you? One you saw more in you than anyone else ever saw? I had one in middle school. I was always a low end C student. I just never felt an urge to do more than I needed to. I think I saw school more as a social gathering, a place to meet up with friends. Then one year I had a teacher who always pushed me. Push, push, push, I thought he hated me and just wanted to pick on me and make the days horrible. One day after I had had enough, I mouthed him back. He sent me out to sit in the hall. After about 5 minutes he came out with a chair, sat next to me, looked me in the eyes and said, "I push you because I know who you are. I know you're smart and I know you can do more than just skate by." He continued to talk to me. Some how he knew about other things as well... some of the not so great things going on in my life. He knew I was struggling to find me. He also seemed to know that at times I felt like I was drowning within my own family. That conversation stuck with me. I took a new look at myself and thought about how an adult showed faith and belief in me. He was someone who would listen and often when he saw me after school ( ping pong club, gymnastics, art club, intramural sports) he would stop and ask how my day had been. When track season came around (he was coach) he encouraged me to come out. I did.
Because of him, I found myself.
Because of him I applied myself to school and became an honor student; an honor student who would one day wear gold at her HS graduation.
Yesterday I found him on Facebook. I wrote him a note.
He wrote back.

Thank you Mr Cracas you were my inspiration to be more.

Letting Go

My young nephew wants to do his big boy room in Star Wars. I think, "I can help with that" So today I went out to the closet in the mud room and pulled out one of several boxes that have been hidden away for years. I open it and neatly nestled in it are Star Wars figures still in their boxes. I look them over and a sadness falls.

These were Pete's.

Why is it so hard to get rid of things? They have sat in a closet for nearly six years. I have no use for them. Why shouldn't I give them to my nephew? They would make him happy........and it wouldempty out some closet space!

*sigh*

The logical thing to do is to let someone else enjoy them vs sitting in a dark closet. I know this, but the emotions always overwhelm me. I feel likeI'm letting go of another piece of Pete. There are many other things of his still in the house. These will stay. They evoke strong memories and that is what is important.

Tomorrow I WILL suck it up and mail off the package.

I wonder if I can ever let go of the porcelain cow head that I hate so much and that he loved so much?

Remembrance

I stood and waited outside by the busy street. It was a blustery day and it caused my flag to stand out straight, flapping at attention. I strained to see down the road. Flashing lights were in the distance at the next lighted intersection. Soon the steady stream of headlights could be seen coming.....coming ever so slowly. I felt the rumble of the motorcycles and then the low growling became clearer. Cpl Jonathon Porto came home today. I raised my hand to my heart, bowed my head and said a prayer. He did not come home as a family had hoped........not as we wish all our soldiers would. He arrived at McDill Airforce Base in a flag draped casket. I had never met him; I did not know him, but I shed a tear for him...... youth lost.....a life lost. He passed by with 3 Sheriff's cars, 10 Patriot Guard Riders, his family, his friends, another 25 Patriot Guard Riders and 4 St Pete Police cruisers. It should have been more...... He gave his life for foreigners, for Americans, for you....... for me.

When will this madness end?

Someone else lost their life today......... I hope I was worth it.

The Past Influences The Future

I sat outside on the back deck, enjoying the warmth of the last sun rays of the day. I had been parusing the web and thought I would go check out my Alma Mater's web page on Facebook and get the latest news. A bunch of Alumni, students, faculty and parishioners are trying to save Wildwood Catholic from closing its doors. It appears it may happen…..being saved that is. I have been following the battle with mixed emotions.

Have I donated to the cause?

No...................

I attended Wildwood Catholic for my Junior and Senior year of high school. My family had moved to New Jersey from Florida. I was used to moving, losing friends and being forced to make new, and in most cases, temporary friends. This was the military life. What I wasn't prepared for was the small town, in your business, attitude or the narrow minds I ran into. For the most part if you weren't a local you weren't welcomed. I grew a thick skin in this town.......maybe that's just a thicker skin. I always thought I was pretty good at being me.....but there were times....a few times, my peers put me up against the wall and I almost crumbled into a heap on the ground. I found happiness in a small circle of friends in school and in folks I met through my job. My few friends at school for the most part was a group of misfits, the "square pegs." I heard the whispers, the remarks and I saw the looks. I didn't care......I was never oblivious to it all.....I just didn't care. We were, by all means, an odd group, and that made me like them all that much more. It was my times with them that made going to Wildwood Catholic bearable. It is them, that give me the warm memories and a sense of belonging.

The rest of Wildwood Catholic, well either they didn't notice me.....which is hard to believe in such a small school.....or tried to make my life miserable. I never thought being pelted with food was a whole lot of fun (with the exception of a massive food fight late one night at the Wendy's with all my co workers) but it was a common ritual if I ventured into the cafeteria alone. At these times I usually went to art class to draw away the time. Oh.... and the narrow minds..... having lived all over the US I just never gave much thought to speaking my views, but doing so sure earned me some hate mail. This rubbish was usually found between the pages of a book I may have left unattended for a brief moment, in my locker, or delivered to me via airmail by paper airplane or a wadded up piece of paper. Father Hodge was always good at reviewing the hate mail and finding a way to make me laugh, Eventually I learned to not even look at it and dispose of it in the closest garbage can. These are the things that make me not give a rats ass about Wildwood Catholic.

There were some pretty cool teachers, ones that made me laugh and ones that put up with some silly games.....hey Buck! seen Twiki? ........

I sat back in my chair and grabbed my glass of wine, while taking a sip I looked at the two envelopes on the table asking for my hard earned money. I only give twice a year to a cause. I picked up the Wildwood Catholic envelope and tossed it into the deck trash can.

Funny.......who ever thought some of those folks would want my money....

Circle of Grief

Its not like its my first time going through this, but it always seems that way, and it never gets easier. Billy, Raini, Weeki, Teeki, Nissmo, Woozle, Pheelia, Lielah and now Tauvi, the journey to the Bridge is never an easy one to release our fur kids to. Tauvi is soon for that journey and it eats at me in so many ways.

She is an old girl.

She has had a good life here.

I know I have done my best for her.

I have shown her the stars and told her of the Bridge. I have told her that if her body is tired and her spirit wants to move on, then I understand and its ok. I tell all my kids this. I think way to often our pets hang on.....for us......they need to know its ok to go. Whats hard, is that time leading up to the journey. Tauvi has an enlarged heart. She has been on lasix for a few weeks. This helps remove the fluids, but her heart is pressing on her esophagus. This makes it hard to eat and hard to drink. In past days it seems even harder. She is losing weight from not eating enough. I can't see force feeding her when all that does is stress her out and stress her heart more. So here I sit and worry. Worry; is she eating? Is she drinking? Is she comfortable? Is she hurting? I look in her eyes and question, do I still see a light or has it grown dim and I just don't want see that, because I don't want to do what she is asking......help her to cross. What if I send her off too soon? What if I should have helped her sooner? I hate this part, if I wish it to be over, then I feel guilt because I think I'm wishing her dead......and if she still wants to be here to collect more hugs and kisses before her journey........then I want to give her that love to carry her over. I hate the confusion....the tears....the sadness.....I hate to think of my life without this furry, fuzzy little creature in it. I guess all I can do is what I have always done..........ride the emotional ups and downs and pack her bags as full of hugs and kisses until she tells me its time to go.

A Chilly Night

Last night I got home from being out with my son and threw a quick dinner in the oven. I was very hungry to the point of having the shakes. While dinner heated up I got all the furkids out of their condos and let them out to rampage and terrorize the house and cats. While the condos were unoccupied I clean the liter boxes and shook out the towels and blankets. Once done I pulled dinner from the oven, turned on the tv and sat down to eat
BOOM!......out go the lights
Electricity back on for maybe 2 seconds........
BOOM!.......out go the lights a second time.......
Electricity back on for 10 seconds.......
BOOM!.......out go the lights for a third time....
I sat in complete darkness and nothing.....I felt my way over to where the candles were a lit one....then two.....then three...... I made my way around the house turning off the heat and light switches. I had had a major chill going so had cranked the heat up from 68 to 75. Thank goodness it had hit the 75 degree mark. I sat back down at the table and ate my dinner by candle light. It was black as black outside. The entire neighborhood was down. Outside I could hear sirens wailing away.....so many......it sounded as if the the whole city had gone to hell. Progress trucks rumbled through the neighborhood looking for the trouble. Their headlights and search lights illuminated the front room as they passed. Finished with dinner I carried my dishes and candle to the kitchen to clean up. By 9:30 I guessed that the way the trucks were driving around, that it would be a while before the power was back up. I grabbed the kids and tucked them all back in bed and gave them extra blankets and towels and pulled down the front of the cage covers to help retain their heat. I figured it was better for them to be safe and warm in the cages than running around. By 10 PM, There was really nothing to do, and too dark to read a book, so I myself grabbed an extra comforter, crawled into bed and drifted off to sleep.

The power stayed off until 2 AM. I woke up to the beeping of the phones and the hallway light coming on. I crawled out of bed to a very cold house. I quickly set the alarm clock and turned the heat on......brrrrrrr....thermostat read 57. I checked on all the kids......pig piled under the blankets and toasty warm. Tauvi was snuggled in the two sweaters I had given her.
This time.....
click goes the light switch........out go the lights.....and me......back to bed

What To Do With A Leaky 180 Gallon Aquarium

What could one possibly do with a leaky 180 gallon aquarium????

My back yard is a work in progress. It was originally an open and sparse back yard. It consisted of a rickety deck and nothing more. I tore down the deck...built two..... and have planted. My hope is that when all the plants and trees mature it will be my little oasis, blocking out the rest of the world.

A lack of outdoor counter space and the lack of funds to afford one of those fancy outdoor kitchens will cause a person to use some imagination. So here is what I did.

This is the back side of the aquarium....I planted some sea grass. Eventually it will grow to look like the second picture and cover the whole back side. I go to the Goodwill regularly to see if any good nick-nacks turn up that I can put inside. Some things have been donated by other family members.

9/11/2001

The memories of 9/11 still make me cry and still make me angry.

I was at work....another day of repairing clients data networks......when we first heard the news a tv was brought into our area. I remember the phones starting to ring off the wall with clients calling in from NY and the surrounding states. One of our offices was nearby, it housed network equipment. We had to disconnect customers in order to loan equipment and connections to Verizon whos building suffered major damage. The scramble was on to provide communications to police, fire, hospitals and government buildings. I remember walking into our Network Operations Center, they had a wall of monitors approx 15 feet by 20 feet , maybe bigger, that they used in parts or as a whole, I looked at it and it was set to one large screen......I watched it as the news feeds came across of the towers falling and people running. I was sick to my stomach. Those images will forever be etched in my mind. Bless the souls of those that perished, those that fought the terrorists and those that bravely searched the rubble.

The Material Things

Nearly 5 years and its still hard to part with the material things that belonged to Pete. A few things were sold right after he passed. Some things meant so very much to me but I gifted them to people I knew would treasure them more. Pete was a fireman and had many personal "tools of the trade." My son has become and EMT and can use much of these now. I lovingly pass them on to him. In many ways, by giving these things to Peter, I feel that Pete is there, watching over him, keeping him safe. This weekend I parted ways with a large TV that Pete used.... just a tv...but it was hard. I asked Peter to be sure to be kind to it.
I have gotten better.....I remind myself that these are material things and that the memories are what is important.......that he continues to live on through my heart and mind....not some inanimate object. These object don't tell stories, often, they don't even represent one. They were just "his." Don't get me wrong, there are some things I won't part with.....a jacket.....his gold St Christopher's medal.....I even breathed new life into his MAC just because it was his. I know they only have sentimental value to me....and me only. There are things in this house that I could get rid of.....framed prints and posters.....his hockey gear.......an old football from high school game......a porcelain cows head (how I hate that thing) but just have not been able to .....I guess because they were things he loved. They don't fit in, clutter the house or sit hidden in a closet.
Why can't I just get rid of them?
Why do we put so much into these things?
The photos let me see him and keeps the stories fresh in my head........the voice recording lets me hear him.........what does the TV do besides turn my brain to mush?

Life in Reality

Wow has my inner blogger been denied lately. Its been such a major lack of time. June flew by without a peep. July brought vacation and no internet....which I didn't mind and once it was back to reality, life speed up to 150 miles an hour. Work being the major hoarder of time, has left me worn out. I come home from work and have fallen asleep on the couch, in the early evening almost every night. I'm not complaining.....I am truly grateful for a job. Its just been very stressful and long hours. Peter and his fiancee have vacated for their own place, which is nice and cozy, and left me with my quiet and tranquil house. The furkids are back in their own room and all is right at The Polecat Parlour.
Vacation in Virginia was awesome as usual. It is like running away from reality for a while. When I go there. I don't watch a lot of TV, internet is dial up so I don't bother much to get on and read mail......I'm just locked away in a quiet world and oblivious to what is going on outside of that little slice of paradise. I like that place. All my worries disappear...... having that escape is so nice.......and what is just as nice is all the siblings being together with the niece and nephews. Laughter always abounds.......obnoxiously loud laughter..... its such a great sound. I wish the memories of every visit could stay fresh in my mind with every detail.......well except for one argument :) Coming back to reality always makes me teary eyed. The first hour or two of the drive home I find myself depressed. Oh if life could always be so sweet and care free, but alas, reality comes back and so does the stress of everyday life.
What I always find so interesting is I really have to monitor my blood pressure when I go to Virginia......At home I take my meds daily and life goes on...but when in paradise.....it drops....and I have to make sure I don't over medicate myself and make my blood pressure too low. What does that tell you???
The furkids are all doing well and are a welcome to come home do after a stressful day at work. Little ferrety kisses are so sweet and make my cold heart just melt. I've become such a cynic about the world. The intolerance for others, cruelness people show each other, lack of responsibility for ones own actions, stupid lawsuits, bigotry, you owe me attitude....its all so disheartening. Its all worldwide and so overwhelming. Watching a great nation stumble and becoming only a shadow of what the fore fathers wanted ....it makes me want to cry. Politicians don't listen to what the real people want, they do what they please to line their pockets and only answer to greed. What ever happened to majority rule. We make so many concessions for the "few" that the "many" no longer have a say. I'm tired of the race card being pulled out and PC sucks!!! Its ruining us........

OH HELL! I think I need another trip back to paradise to forget................

Today Pete would have been 40
I can't help but think about the party I would have thrown; black baloons, black crepe paper, and a black cake. He would have gotten a kick out of it. But.................. since there is no party....... I simply say, happy birthday Pete

Swine Flu

BFD
I am so tired of hearing about this.

Someone please tell me what the big whoop-dee-do is about this. Swine flu is no stronger than the common flu. It carries the same symptoms and the only thing I see that makes it any different is that where normally swine flu isn't easy to pass from one human to another in this case it is. OK....strains of viruses are always mutating. The news reports that there are now over 1000 cases in 21 different countries and 20 some deaths. Has anyone looked up the flu stats just from the US? In any given year 5% to 20% of the American population will get the flu, 200,000 will be hospitalized from flu related problems and 36,000 will die.

Which do you think is the "pandemic"?

So ok...there is a flu outbreak in the spring..... do like ya do in the winter.... take the same precautions, wash your hands often, avoid contact with sick people and be smart..... or....... just stay home. I think its just the good ole government trying to take focus off themselves while they waste and throw away our hard earned tax paying dollars.

Good Riddance April

Argh!
April.....what a month...... glad it is over with.
April was nothing but one big pain in the ass; auto registration, boat registration, kitty to the vets, a company that snagged on to my bank account and tried to majorly rip me off, a grumpy gus at work making work an uncomfortable place to be and so many migraines from all the stress. Only good thing out of April was that Peter got his national certification and there is an EMT in da house! Good for Peter.........He finished up his orientation program this past week and is now third on a bus until they pass him on all his checkpoints. Its nice to see him getting it all together. Pete would be proud.
May now.......has started off pretty good. Went to the old watering hole to heckle Fred while he played. It was a nice get together. George was there whom I have not seen for a bit, his son who is back from Iraq with his wife and wee one, and Peter and his GF with Nat showing up a bit later. What could be better than food beverage conversation and close friends.
Nope....no insightful thoughts or observations this time around....just relief that a crappy month is done and gone.

Bail Out - Fail Out

I was against the bail out from the beginning. If anyone needed the bail out it was the middle class people. After all, the rich get richer with all the tax loopholes and the poor..........well, hell, they get lots of free stuff, and the majority getting the free stuff don't want to work anyway. Why couldn't they have given middle class Americans the money? If the government wanted to stimulate the economy then help the ones that spend the most for general life purposes. The government could have paid off home mortgages of the middles class. This frees up money for more spending by the average Joe. It gives banks money they deserve. Banks are willing to continue loaning money and the middle class will be eager to spend since they have no mortgage to pay. You ask what about middle America that does not own a home........... ok, they could be eligible for a small cash back...why not.......

But no..... they had to give money to companies that were failing, failing because loans that never should have been made were made, places where people said ...oh well, the government is backing the loan if it fails......who cares.....well the people cared....and the people got screwed.......Congress gave money to business that squandered the money..... used it for getaways and parties .....for bonuses in the millions of dollars to people who ran the companies into the ground. Rewards for losing money and being incompetent? How does that work? And now the icing on the cake....... 13 of the companies that have received bail out money owe back taxes totalling over 200 million dollars!!! Are you kidding!!???? WTF? and I really mean WTF?? This is not the change that the people wanted.....the new president can say he wants change.....but it is really Congress that has got to want change since they make the laws. Obviously it is business as usual up there in the Capitol..... I knew this bail out was gonna be a mistake and a mess......I was only slightly wrong. Its a huge monstrous mess. The middle class will once again have to take up the ass.

This whole thing makes me sick......just sick...... I work my ass off to make ends meet and keep things together. My property goes down in value, I get less local government services that is maintain by fewer people and yet I pay more in taxes and more for services. I don't get it.

I can't help but wonder if the next rebellion....the next revolt......... the "second" American Revolution might be lurking around the corner.

An Unexpected Day

Wow!

Have ya ever had one of those days that unexpectedly turns out different than you planned and was just a great day?

Today was that day.

I got up and started my normal routine. Made coffee and set to clean cages.It was Saturday so it is the pull everything out and wash day. Set the machine to go and grabbed my morning coffee. Normally I got and enjoy my hot beverage on the couch in front of the TV. Today I decided to sit out on the deck and enjoy the morning cool air. It was still quiet and peaceful. The birds were singing and the breeze rustled the leaves in the trees. Snickers sat on the table and cleaned his paws, Meesha was on the deck laying down and just looking very content........much like the way I felt. When my coffee was done I set to cleaning the kitchen floor and then went outside to trim up the bushes for the spring growth spurt that would hit soon.

So now your say, "whats so great about all this...well other than sipping coffee outside on a beautiful morning"

Well I took my shower and gathered up my MAC to take over to Tampa to get it repaired. I figure I would have to leave it with repair until next Saturday as they are only open 8 AM to 6 PM and I was not fighting rush hour traffic to Tampa during the week. Trying to get over the bay at 5 PM is madness....sheer madness. So I got to Screwbox (MAC repair shop) and walked in. I told the tech I needed a new hard drive and more memory to support the new OS system. Then he told me I could pick it up in 2 and a half hours! I looked at him...."REALLY!!!!" I was very pleased. Then he mentioned that the Gasparilla Art Festival was going on about 5 blocks away. REALLY!!!

So I walked out the door and headed off down the street and sure enough there was the art festival.......blocks and blocks and blocks of artisans. I made my way through all of the booths and perused through the paintings, jewelery, wood creations, wall hangings, blown glass, leather goods, outdoor windmills, pottery and everything else that was being shown. Much of it was reasonably priced. SOme of it was rather pricey. Some of the leather purses were going for $350.00, some statues were $3000.00 and higher. One booth caught my eye..........he made statues, but they were so incredibly life like. I had to take a second look. Sorry the photos don't do justice but it was my phone camera.)

Cool aren't they!!??

Well I got through everything and was a bit on the hungry side so I got myself a greek salad and soda and sat in the park where they had a band playing. The Bus Stop Band........they played quite a bit of everything. I took my time eating since I was enjoying the music. Eventually I looked at my watch and realized it was 3 hours later......woooohooo MAC should be done. So I gathered up by belongings and walked back from where I came, just in time as the MAC was just finishing up the last reload of the OS system. I climbed in my truck, headed back across the bay and landed back home to be greeted at the door by Liberty. *snicker* see even the kids got a good day...since I only expected to be gone for 45 minutes, and they were all sleeping somewhere, I let them stay out and free roam.

AND ........best off..................................

THE MAC IS BACK!!!!!!