2448 The Whistle Stop Pot Luck

This story is fiction; absolutely fabricated. It's wishful thinking; a fantasy. But it might just work in real life. An original story by Norma Bruce.

As I moved the dust around and spiffed up the bathrooms and mirrors in preparation for our dinner guests, my husband looked at the list of errands I'd left on the counter.

"What's this item for the party supply store?"

"Whistles."

"Why do we need whistles for a dinner party?" he asked.

"Because of our age."

"Our age? What's that got to do with anything?" he said.

"Everyone will receive a small whistle on a loop of ribbon to wear around their neck. When anyone starts to talk about the three forbidden topics, the listener blasts on the whistle to put a stop to it."

"What three topics?"

"Age. Health. Weight. Any sentence or phrase or story that mentions your age or health problems or weight."

"I don't tell people my age," he said.

"Maybe not in so many words, but these are the tips to blowing the whistle on age topics.

"At my age. . ., "

"It must be my age, but. . ., "

"I must be getting old, because. . ."

Then there are subcategories. You also can't tell any story that your spouse has heard 3 times in the past year, because that just screams you're losing it."

His face turned grey. "You mean I can't tell anyone about my wonderful grandfather or your terrific mother?"

"Exactly. We've lived here for almost 40 years. There isn't a person in central Ohio who hasn't heard about Biggie or Olive. So if I hear you starting on those dear people, I'll put the whistle to my lips."

"And no operations? Not even my rotator cuff? No emergency room visits?" he whined.

"Nope. You'll get a tweet, or will have to blast the others if they start in on an organ concert," I said.

"Well," he said, "I do OK on weight, don't I? I'm not overweight and I teach an exercise class."

"Yes, but your weight encourages others to talk about theirs, so if you hear, 'How do you stay in such good shape,' you'll just have to blast 'em. Don't even think of it as a compliment--it's a lead in for them to tell you about their sluggish metabolism, their beer belly, bad knees or when they gave up smoking."

"But honey," he said quietly, "what's left to talk about if we blow the whistle on weight, age and health."

"There's always religion and politics. These days, I think I'd prefer that to calories, class reunions and colonoscopies. Then there is literature, music, theater, movies, concerts, decorating, global warming, the war, business, China, garage sales, fashion, gardening, IPOs, energy prices, sailing, technology, travel, art, and volunteer activities to name just a few. If you're absolutely desperate, I suppose you could talk about sports or grandchildren--but I'd keep those low on the list since they tend to be gender specific."

"It might work," he sighed. "Maybe you can teach an old dog new tricks."

"TWEET!"

2447 Dream Mom has a dream

Dream Mom has a severly disabled son. When I first read her blog and saw a photo of him sitting up in a wagon, I thought it was current. But it was a reflection on a past event, when he had learned to pull himself upright in his wagon while they were out for a walk--a huge accomplishment for which she lavished praise. Now he is bedridden and frequently hospitalized. She has lost her home, her job, her savings, her retirement--and cares for Dear Son, as she calls him in her blog. However, she writes an even more touching story here, "There's no place like home," about a little boy, much healthier than hers, whose mother gave him up. But life could be easier for all parents of disabled children, she writes, if just these things were available:

• "We need to have daycare facilities that take all children, regardless of their disabilities. While legally, they can not discriminate, they often won’t take them. They don’t make money on kids like that, even if they had employees trained to care for them. Daycare for disabled children, is practically non-existant. We need to do this so these parents can work and take good care of their children and themselves.
  
  
• We need more Respite care so when their parents are tired, they get a break.
  
  
• We need to require hospitals or medical centers that have specialty physicians who care for these children,
  
  
• and have suitable rest rooms so we can change them on a bed instead of on the bathroom floors.
  
  
• We need to have assistants located in the parking lots of our medical centers, so they can help us lift the children in/out of the car, making it easier, instead of paying people to say hello to us when we come for an outpatient visit.
  
  
• We need to allow parents to save tax free in a 401(k) for their disabled children’s retirement, in addition to their own retirement, so the children/adults will be less dependent on Medicaid, Medicare and other government programs.
  
  
• We also need to provide for medical withdrawals, based on need, for these 401(k) plans, in case of catastrophic medical bills. We could do this very easily, by using our current Social Security definitions of a disability, as a requirement for the new 401(k)."

I've come across many blogs written by parents of disabled children, who describe the challenges, heartaches, and victories of their staggering tasks. If blogging has done nothing else, it has certainly brought these exhausted and caring parents out of the closet so the rest of us can see what they deal with daily.

2446 God and Gore

In a magazine side bar today I notice a list of conversation starters and stoppers. For instance, complimenting a woman on her jewelry can be a conversation starter. Asking her how much it cost--a stopper. On the list of conversation stoppers was disagreeing with the other person on God or Al Gore.

2445 Preview of coming attractions

On Monday May 8, Monday Memories will be about my dream to open a book store, and on Monday May 15, I'll fill you in on the lost and missing beds. These seemed to be the two most popular from the May 4 Thursday Thirteen list.

Monday Memories

Thursday Thirteen

2444 Word wizards wanted

Canadian gay couples are unhappy that they aren't listed as "husband and wife" in the latest census according to an item noted by Elizabeth Marquardt at her blog at Family Scholars.

A husband is a man and a wife is a woman and these words are embedded in our English collective memory, literature, holy books, music, indeed, the very fabric of our culture. I'm puzzled that a gay man would want to be called "wife." Or a lesbian, "husband." If gays want a permanent relationship recognized by society, let them invent a word that works for them and then try it out on the general public--sing about it, write about it, and use it among their friends. Someone invented all these ridiculous terms we use with computers, and we use them without thinking in less than a generation. Considering the bad press and scorn the feminists have dumped on the institution of marriage, homosexuals may even wish to stay away from words that describe specific roles. There are probably languages or dialects that have appropriate, meaningless words, which could be borrowed for the purpose of a census until something catches on.

2443 Am I bad luck?

Recently I wrote about a film program called 168 Hour Film Project and signed up for their newsletter. The first newsletter I got announced the death by drowning in a bathtub during a seizure of one of their 14 year old actors. Then I recently linked here to a doctor, BigMamaDoc, who calls her site Fat Doctor and she was attending a conference in California the last time I looked. I checked today to find out she has had a stroke and was hospitalized for neurosurgery. She's only 37, and from reading backward in her blog, this was not her first stroke. A friend is updating her blog.

2443 What profits and price gouging?

You can read the whole piece over at Amy Ridenour's National Center Blog, as reported by Peyton Knight, and this actually records a higher amount for profits than I've seen at other sites--9.7 cents per dollar of sales:

According to Ken Cohen, vice president of ExxonMobil, ". . . in the first quarter of 2006, ExxonMobil made $8.4 billion in total profits. Profits in the U.S. accounted for $2.3 billion of that total. And what did ExxonMobil pay in total government taxes in the U.S. in this first quarter? $3.7 billion. The company paid $1.4 billion more in taxes than it took in profits.

In fact, Mr. Cohen says, from 2001 to 2005, ExxonMobil's total U.S. tax bill was $57.1 billion, and its total earnings in the country were $34.9 billion. This means that over the most recent five-year period, the company paid $22.2 billion more in taxes than it earned in profits.

In 2005, he says, ExxonMobil earned 9.7 cents per dollar of sales in the U.S. To put this in perspective, he notes that pharmaceutical companies earned 17.6 cents per dollar, banks earned 19.1 cents, and household and personal products firms earned 10.9 cents.

"We are the most heavily regulated industry in the country," said Cohen. "The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) has a special branch that does nothing but regulate energy companies."

"With regard to the current climate," he noted, "We are in an election year and it appears that the candidates are more interested in running against us than running against an opponent."

When asked about his thoughts on a possible "windfall profits tax" on the oil industry, Cohen points out that "there is a history we can refer people to... it's been tried before... it really impacted citizens in the country negatively, and did not have the desired impact."

Full account here.

2442 Gasoline Meme

What are you doing about high gasoline prices? Copy this meme and highlight the items that apply to you.

1. Very little. Prices here aren't high enough yet to cause me to sweat. $1.50-$3.00 a tank increase.

2. Consolidating some trips so I'm driving less.

3. Not driving. I stay home and pout.

4. Carpooling.

5. Bought a more fuel efficient car.

6. Bought a hybrid.

7. Installed one of those food oil converters that improves my mileage.

8. Walk more.

9. Bicycle to work or local errands.

10. Moved from the suburbs back to the city.

11. Taking public transportation.

12. Checking for lowest prices at gas web site and buying out of my neighborhood.

13. Buy gas at a discount or off-brand station.

14. Driving the speed limit with tires inflated correctly.

*15. Wrote my congressperson and asked that government gas taxes be suspended.

*16. Wrote my congressperson and asked that new refineries be approved.

17. Gave up bottled water, a 6 pack of beer, a pack or two of cigarettes, or my latte and applied the savings to the gas tank.

18. Not buying gas between Thursday and Sunday when it is the highest.

19. Bought energy funds for my portfolio.

20. I'm blogging about the problem.

*My e-mail to Congresswoman Pryce

Dear Deborah Pryce: I would like you to 1) support the suspension of federal gasoline taxes, 2) support new refineries, and 3) drilling for oil in Alaska in order to decrease our dependency on foreign oil and to reduce the prices at the pump. The immediate crisis can be solved simply by #1. It would be counter productive to tax the energy companies more because they just pass the price on to the consumer.

gasoline prices
gasoline conservation
fuel conservation
refineries
Deborah Pryce
consumer tips

2441 Party Time!

The social calendar is really filling up. Tonight my daughter and I are going out for dinner while our fellas are out of town. I expect the talk will be about little Abby and her liver problems (Chihuahua). My guy will be at Lakeside and hers will be visiting his mother who is in hospice. Then tomorrow night we're invited to a Kentucky Derby party. No, we don't fly down, but the hosts are fabulous cooks and plan themed parties and have a very interesting, historical home. I have to read the sports page today so I know which horse to bet my dollar on. I'm supposed to wear a hat, but don't have one.

Then Sunday evening we meet with our new SALT group (couples group from church). Lovely people, delightful conversation. Ah, and then on Friday we are hosting some friends here for a farewell dinner (pot luck) for one of our pastors and his wife who are going back to the mission field, this time in Haiti (about 14 years ago they were in Camaroon). It will be a terrible loss for us, but they love mission work and are now empty nesters.

Speaking of parties. My son took a week in mid-April for vacation and put in his garden. I'm a woman with a brown thumb and no interest, but even I know it's awfully early for gardens in Ohio. However, the weather has been fabulous and we've had no late Spring frosts (last year it snowed the end of April). But some birds did stop by and have a huge party in his freshly installed young plants and ate them to the nubbins. He's now replanted--about the right time, too. I suggested chicken wire because I'd seen my mother do that, and now it's pretty secure so I should have a source of garden fresh tomatoes this summer. He's got a painting of Mom in her garden (by my husband) in his living room and says he knows Grandma's tending garden for God, but that He probably doesn't let her mow in electrical storms as she was inclined to do. (Interesting what kids remember, isn't it?)



Also next week, although not in the party category: a hair apppointment (roots, you know), writing class, and helping with the church picture directory. I've got a new audio book (Planets by Dava Sobel) for my walks in the park. Retirement's sure tough, innit?

Thursday Thirteen for My Monday Memories

If I don't look through my notebooks before tossing them into a box, I might miss some good ideas. Short term memory, you know, for my long term memory. So I'm rechecking for my Monday Memories. I haven't written these, but they are percolating with a few notes. Some would be brief and I can't remember the endings; others are too long, or have been partially mentioned in other blog entries. Here's the list. The nice thing about the draft feature is you can start a memory, save it in draft form for the date you want, and come back to it when another idea pops up, then it's practically ready when Monday rolls around.

1) Have I ever told you about jump rope and jacks? [partially finished]

2) Did I ever tell you about my plan to own a book store in the 1980s?

3) Did I ever tell you about my paper routes? [still working on some details]

4) Have I told you about my well-planned, orderly mid-life crisis? [this one I actually remember]

5) Did I ever mention our family vacations when I was a child? [this would be extremely brief]

6) Have I ever told you about our lost and missing beds?

7) I remember my baptism; let me tell you about it.

8) Did I ever tell you about my mother's retreat center and garden?

9) Did I ever tell you about Sauerkraut Day? [partially in another entry]

10) Did I ever tell you about my empty nest syndrome back in the 80s? [it's funny now, but so painful then]

11) Did I ever tell you about my first photograph album?

12) Did I ever tell you about the time my husband brought home a sick kitten and she stayed for 18 years?

13) Did I ever tell you about my mother's dishwasher? [you've probably guessed this one]


(If you participate, leave your link in the auto-link and it will post here, but please leave a comment.)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things.

Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
Banner by Nello Design

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

2439 Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Just to placate those who thought I was teasing for not sharing the Apple Sour Cream Pie recipe (I've checked all the recipe sites on the internet, and didn't find my exact recipe), I want to mention how much I'm enjoying this one. I love chocolate and peanut butter. And this one is sugar-free. I've been experimenting since the Columbus Home Show when I saw something similar demo'd that included bananas. I couldn't get that part to work since I don't have a kitchen flame-thrower and it was extremely labor intensive. This one is super easy, or I wouldn't be making it.

If you really, truly need sugar-free, as in no sugar at all, first make a regular pastry crust and bake and cool it. If you can have a wee-bit of sugar, buy a chocolate graham cracker crust--8 or 9" and use that. It actually makes a more handsome dessert because of the rich color.

Mix low fat 8 oz. cream cheese with one cup Splenda and one teaspoon of vanilla. When smooth, add one cup creamy peanut butter (I use Krema brand which is natural, but other should work if it's natural). Mix until complete blended. Blend in about half an 8 oz. carton (or all if you want it lighter) of thawed sugar free Cool Whip. Fold all this into the prepared pie crust and chill. When it has firmed up, warm up a small amount of sugar free hot fudge sauce in the microwave, and decorate the top of the pie with circles or dabs. Put it back into the frig until serving time. Serve small pieces, because even though low fat and low sugar, it is quite rich.

I think this is just a fabulous, fancy dessert, and eating it practically takes the inches right off the thighs! (Big fat lie.) The only reason to tell anyone this is sugar free is that some people prefer not to eat Splenda or it bothers them. Otherwise, I don't think anyone would know.

2438 Feminism's granddaughters

Maybe that's an oxymoron. Perhaps the feminists of the 70s aborted their future. But that's another blog. In this morning's paper I read an employment article that indicates Gen-X supervisors (b. 1965-1980) are having a problem with the Gen-Y female workforce. That means 36 year-olds are puzzled that a 21 year old is dressing like a prostitute for the workplace, can't write or spell or work overtime without a hassle, and has been catered to and spoiled by her parents. Wow. Imagine the problem a 60 year-old must be having with Gen-Y employees.

Jeffrey Zaslow, the author of today's WSJ article, mentions the book, Tripping the Prom Queen by Susan Shapiro Barash. According to Publisher's Weekly, "The 500 women gender studies scholar Barash interviewed for this exhaustively researched book on female competition confirms that women can indeed be mean. Barash outlines why women compete with each other differently than men do with other men and why women often want to sabotage powerful female rivals. Male competition is goal-oriented and limited, Barash says, while women compete over appearance, children, the workplace and relationships. Why? According to Barash, for women, competition is about identity and relationships, and they have a harder time setting boundaries to competition. Barash devotes chapters to specific areas of competition, from looks to career, and then presents real-life examples of situations in which resentment and jealousy can be used to improve one's life without destroying anyone else's. Overall, this study provides a helpful starting place for any woman wondering if it's possible to get what she wants without hurting or being hurt." Library Journal and Kirkus reviews are a little less sure this book is accurate. See reviews here.

Often these expose books on women are as anecdotal and gossipy as the office itself. (See Spin Sisters) If this is true, it sounds like nothing has changed since the 70s. The workplace was filled in the 1960s and 70s with jealousy and backbiting, and women preferred to be supervised by men. The feminist movement was supposed to change all that as women moved into management and wrested control from the testosterone charged workplace.

The absolute best boss in the world I ever had was a woman, and I look back on that time very fondly. She was smart, fair, funny and enormously encouraging. But I've got to admit, she was a rare bird. She stopped working in her mid-30s to start a family and I lost track of her. My all time worst boss was also a woman, but I sure learned a lot working for her.

2437 On immigration

Here is a list of entries on immigration, legal and illegal, at Collecting my thoughts.

How to Write your Congressman

Narcos and illegal immigration

Social Security and Illegals

Deborah Pryce Record

Republicans have failed us

Friday Fourteen (via Tran Sient)

Ethnicity in the United States

How a legal immigrant does it

Bite the hand that feeds you day

10 things that make me angry about illegal immigration

Word games

Illegal immigrant demonstrations

Irish illegals

Brain drain immigration

Should illegals receive. . .

Immigrant themed music

Sergey Brin, Immigrant

Immigration and security

This is my blog on illegal immigration issues.

2436 Ethnicity in the United States

About a decade ago I heard that the largest ethnic group in the United States, if you can call them that, was German-Americans. I think it was 30% or something. That would be me. But when they count the Scots-Irish and the English, that would also be me. So somewhere along the graph of ethnicities, the statisticans will have more than 100% if I get counted three times. So when I heard on the radio that by 2050 the United States will be over 50% Hispanic, I figured, Yes, if we don't count anyone twice, which wouldn't be fair.

I have a number of friends and family who ethnically are Hispanic--i.e., their parents or grand parents were born in Mexico (where the borders are now). To my knowledge, they don't know a word of Spanish, except maybe cognates or names of restaurants. They are middle class and evangelical Christians. Republicans, would be my guess. My husband's niece, even with the extremely fair skin of her blonde Indiana Scots-American mother, is noticeably Hispanic. Her sons, only one-fourth Hispanic have her large, snappy dark eyes and stocky build that hints at their Indian ancestry.

We've got an architect friend in Texas; both his parents are from Mexico. I remember asking him about Spanish, and he said his parents never spoke it in front of the children and so he spoke nothing but English. A very successful architect, he graduated from college as did his siblings with blue collar parents. And what about all those Spanish descended Americans--from Cuba or Puerto Rico--who have no native peoples in their bloodlines? How are they going to be counted--as European Americans or Hispanics? They never picked tomatoes or cleaned toilet--they've always been privileged.

My German ancestors gave up their German-English dialect in Pennsylvania after about 100 years--around the 1840s. It was probably an economic necessity--they were farmers, carpenters and teamsters and worked with "the English." Then they moved westward, and probably forgot what little German they knew. And what value would it have been to hang on to a child-like, narrow dialect when the rest of the German speaking world moved on in literature and music and politics evolving a language as they went? I once asked a German student at the university if he could translate a note I found in a family Bible. He was completely baffled. He knew it was German, but not what it meant.

And so it will be in 2050.

illegal immigration
Spanish

2435 On loving our pets

You're going to be so mad at me when I say your pet is not "just like your child," or "like a member of your family." I've been a daughter, a mother, a wife, a sister, a niece, a cousin, a grand daughter and a girl friend; and I've also had dogs and cats (and a horse) in my life. I can name all the dogs and cats I've had and how they died, and how I felt. I can still see my puppy under the wheels of that bus when I was six years old. Trust me when I say--it's not the same. Not even close, and if you think that, sit down and reassess your life's relationships. Something's missing. Something's messing with your mind.

I've buried two of my children and I've had a miscarriage and a botched adoption. Trust me folks. This is the voice of experience. Your dog is a dog. It is not a child. You can love her, play with her, look forward to spending time with her, and even trust her with your life, but she is a dog and will always be a dog. Loving him will not make him something he isn't.

You have accepted tremendous responsibilities in pet ownership, an unwritten contract to love and care for an animal who will become completely dependent on you. And I truly hope you're holding up your end, because this animal can't reason and make choices. I hope you've had him neutered and that you don't let her run loose to ruin other people's lawns, gardens and enjoyment of their privacy. I hope you've trained him so he doesn't attack other animals, that you're picking up his fecal piles from public land and easements and I hope you're not breeding Susie or Max indiscriminately and setting up shop as a puppy mill.

Now what in these examples would indicate we are talking about family members? Keep your child in a cage all day, or let her urinate in the neighbor's daffodils, or let him chase cars on the highway, and see how far you get with your excuses when you're arrested for child abuse. But dogs do it, even the dogs you love and think "they are like family," and no one will arrest you unless your dog maims and kills someone.

I know there are "animal rights" people out there who think animals should have legal rights accorded people, but that's the fringe group (for now--but they're coming down the road in packs closing in on us). I'm not addressing that. I'm talking to those of you who know that this four footed animal has a life expectancy of 8-10 years, will grovel at your feet when you are displeased, or will perform tricks (if you've trained her), or will play with a chew toy. It won't argue, discuss, listen to music, make love, worship God, bring you gifts on a holiday, contribute to the family income, clean the house, fix a bowl of soup when you're sick, fold the laundry, or fix a flat tire for you.

What's so wrong with loving your dog as a dog, or your cat as a cat? Is that so terrible? Is it a love that dares not say what it is? Why do you want to make this wonderful God-created animal into something it can never be?

Polka-dot, my last dog

pets
children
pet ownership

2434 Listen while you walk

If you dislike exercise, it helps to take along a little entertainment. I've got Mozart in my CD player, and Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck on the radio. I think Rush is #1 and Glenn is #3 in talk radio. Rush is good; really good. If you don't like him, you won't believe any of this. Here's why I like Rush Limbaugh.

• He's positive
  
• he believes in America
  
• he's upbeat
  
• and believes you can do anything if you put your mind to it
  
• he can make even sports interesting--former sports announcer (for me that's a huge accomplishment)
  
• I think he's honest--without dwelling on it, he's talked about his addiction to prescription drugs and rehab and how much he's learned from the experience; if you don't believe him, you'd better stay away from Al-Anon and AA because you won't believe them either
  
• he varies his program--it's not all politics
  
• he's not a victim
  
• and doesn't whine
  
• he is a conservative, but not a party-line man
  
• he has a wonderful voice--one of the best in radio
  
• he's articulate
  
• has good bumper music (former disc jockey)
  
• on open line Friday--he gives even liberals a chance to go to the mat with him
  
• usually he avoids talking about religion
  
• it's often like radio theater if you can remember that far back
  

I only listen occasionally, but am rarely disappointed. Today because of a morning rain I walked in the afternoon, so I caught his show. There are things I don't like--but I control the dial and I switch to FM country music if he's off on a tangent that makes little sense. For instance, he really needs to give up his obsession with Bill Clinton. Gracious. It's been 6 years. Being critical of the Clintons' marriage is bizarre for someone married and divorced 3 times. Also, occasionally, his listeners know more than he does--and that's hard for him. He was doing a parody of Chairman Hu of China a few days ago, and a Chinese-American listener, a loyal fan, called to correct his ignorance of Chinese laws and customs. He just didn't get it and he missed a great opportunity to say he'd at least look into her better grasp of her own culture.

I know he has staff who put his recordings together (they probably get bonuses to find the most outlandish material), but today's montage of "President on the aircraft carrier for mission accomplished 3rd anniversary" where he ran back-to-back Democrats in Congress and then back-to-back MSM reporters (his newest favorite term for them is "drive-by media") was really hilarious. There was no comment except from the participants--and you know them from their voices. Who sounds more absurd than pompous Chris Matthews? Rush pondered whether the talking points came down from the Democratics in Congress or DNC to the MSM, or if there is a third group out there giving them both instructions on what to say. When you watch only one newscast, you don't see how the same story, with the same political slant, moves like lined up dominoes until it gets the famous Rush touch and they all collapse.

Rush Limbaugh
talk radio

If John Kerry gave Churchill's speech

Mark Steyn mentions Kerry's position of the week on Iraq:

"We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, at least until May 15, when I have a windsurfing engagement off Nantucket."

More at the Sun Times And he's looking up that Thomas Jefferson quote, too.

2432 Book Club 2006-2007 Selections

Our May meeting, held at the lovely home and gardens of the even lovelier Barbara, was a delight with discussion of Anne Perry's The Christmas Journey, a short novel about guilt and redemption. Then we moved on to voting for next year's selections. Each member gets 1.5 minutes to plug her favorite (must have read it first). There were excellent suggestions, all well worth reading, but we can only choose nine. TA-DA. The winners are:

September: Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin. I'll bet you thought there wasn't anything left to say about Abraham Lincoln, didn't you?

October: (note to self--you're bringing the food) All shall be well by Deborah Crombie. Ah, my least favorite genre--a mystery. We get at least one a year, and I'm a good sport and read them, but the joy just eludes me.

November: Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian. This title, published over 35 years ago, is part of a series, and was made into a popular movie starring Russell Crowe.

December: Curious incident of the dog and the nighttime by Mark Haddon. A novel about a teenager with autism.

January: Between Two Worlds by Elizabeth Marquart. I blogged about this book which looks at the effects of divorce on children.

February: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. One of our long time members thought we needed to read a classic and made a good case. I've never read a Dickens book, so if you're yearning for the good old days of education, it apparently wasn't the 1950s. So I'll probably need a study guide.

March: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. Another novel involving a journey and redemption.

April: Keys of the Kingdom by A.J. Cronin. The member who recommended this book, published in 1942, says that next to the Bible, this has been the most important Christian book she has read.

May: Eat cake by Jeanne Ray. This is a first novel by a 60 year old. The member who recommended this has never steered us wrong, and reads more than anyone in the group.

Book Clubs

2431 Yummy breakfast cereal

Last week at Trader Joe's I bought Organic Pumpkin FlaxPlus Granola by Nature's Path. A mouthful to say, but a delicious mouthful to eat, too.
The back of the box says that pumpkin seeds are not just for Halloween. They are legendary (according to Michelle Fabian, the dietitian) for their Omega-3 content and digestive benefits. Omega-3 fatty acids help reduce the risk of heart disease, discourage the growth of prostate and breast cancer, and support immune function. Just like eating fish, only it tastes better! Pumpkin seeds include zinc, a trace mineral that affects our immune function, and helps keep our hair, skin, nails nice, ladies, and the male reproductive organs in working order. Pumpkin seeds are also an excellent source of iron.

Unlike a lot of cereal box authors, Michelle even sites her sources which includes three major peer reviewed research journals, and warms the heart, soul and tummy of librarians around the world. Way to go, Michelle. All this good stuff, and I think it was only $2.49 for a box. I think that is cheaper per serving than a lot of the huffed, puffed and fluffed grains I've seen at the supermarkets.

2430 How a legal immigrant does it

Lynda's entry for Monday Memories was about her becoming an American citizen. Very appropriate for May 1. Stop by and read her story.

immigration

2429 Bite the Hand that Feeds you Day

Stop by at the Guard the Borders Blogburst to catch the best at one site. Those companies that shut down to show support, should be closed for good if they are hiring illegals.

Median Sib says it's not racism.

Illegal immigration

Monday Memories

Have I ever told you about apple sour cream pie?

You'll have to pry the recipe out of my cold, dead hands. I learned it from my mother, and I suppose some of my nieces have that recipe, which is so heavenly that I won't even enter a contest with it, because you have to submit the recipe which then becomes the property of the contest sponsors. So, No Way!

Here's the story that was passed down from my mother. When she was a little girl (b. 1912)--and remember that your parents and grandparents had to walk 5 miles in the mud or snow up to their chins, and in Mom's case, carrying a cello--her mother employed a German housekeeper. I no longer remember her name, although I think Mom did tell me. She was sort round, jolly, spoke with an accent and thought little children needed to be fed rich food to be happy (which my grandmother definitely didn't believe in), so she would have this pie, warm from the oven, waiting when they walked in the farm house from the one room country school.
*Pineview School, Lee County, Illinois
Mom watched how Mrs. --- made it and years later, when she was famous for her pie baking, I watched her and learned what to do. For my birthdays, I never asked for cake--just this pie. Even when Mom was in her 80s, no one could make a pie like she did. So I know the ingredients. You don't. And I'm not telling.

*In the above photo, my mother is 2nd from the left, front row. For those of you from Mt. Morris, Lucille Kinsley is 3rd from the right, front row. My mother's brother, who was killed in WWII, is 2nd from the right, back row.


Click here for the Monday Memories codeClick here for Kimmy's MM banners
Trackbacks, pings, and comment links are accepted and encouraged!
View More Monday Memories Participants

2427 DaVinci Code Hoax

Dan Brown has made a fortune out of fantasy and fiction (and his not-so-great writing), but there is a cottage industry also doing well debunking his book--lawyers making several years' income on lawsuits, reporters earning their keep juggling the perps, experts on this and that appearing on talk shows, and catering businesses, costume designers and make-up artists who also served in the movie, not just Tom Hanks. Think about it. All these people trying to deny Christ. Amazing. I thought I'd make a list of the debunkers, but of course, that's been done. Here's a website sponsored by Hollywood Jesus. You can sign up for a prayer ministry, so even if you can't make money off the book or film or supporting industries, you can improve your spiritual life, because that's what prayer does:

"Praying about The Da Vinci Code is less about the book’s brouhaha and the film’s frenzy, and more about those doing the praying. It’s about us. Through prayer, we gain wisdom, grace, strength and insight. We can understand the history of our religious tradition and the mystery of our faith. We can learn the right things to say to others, and the joy of hearing what others have to say to us. By signing up, you will receive a daily prayer via email. If you commit to pray, then you are inviting God to do miracles in your own heart and life." Prayer coordinator

DaVinci Code

2426 Gee, I wonder who's behind this?

Home grown terrorists.

2425 The ABC Meme

Seen at Peace of my Mind.

Accent – Midwest--east of the Mississippi
Booze of choice – Don't drink
Chore I hate – making phone calls
Dog or Cat – Cat, just one
Essential electronics – Computer, digital camera
Favorite underwater creature: don't know any
Gold or Silver? - Gold
Hometown: Mt. Morris, Illinois, but I've been here almost 40, so I think it has risen to the top
Insomnia? : Seldom
Job Title: Don't have one. Faculty Emeritus, retired librarian
Kids? Yes. Adults who can cook and invite me for dinner.
Living Arrangement: NORC. Husband and cat. Nice neighbors, pretty scenery.
Most Admired Traits: Wisdom, tenacity, kindness, generosity, honesty.
Number of bathrooms -- (I changed this)3.5
Orbiting Planets in the Solar System: Ours had 9 when I was in school, but I think a 10th has been found
Phobia: None that come to mind
Quote: "Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances."--Bible
Religion: Christian; Lutheran. Evangelical
Siblings: 3.
Time I wake up: 4:30ish.
Unusual talent/skill: I occasionally think before I act.
Vegetable I refuse to eat: Brussel sprouts. I like just about everything else in the cabbage family. And I wouldn't refuse to eat them, but I wouldn't buy them or order them in a restaurant.
X-ray Vision? no.
Yummy foods I make: Apple Sour cream pie
Zodiac Sign: I use to know that.

Consider yourself tagged.

2424 Eleven minutes a day

There are books and websites filled with stories and ideas for sermons. Jesus told parables to illustrate a point, and many preachers follow his example. I sort of liked this one found at Bible Study and Sermon Resource Articles, although my take is a bit different:

"The amazing potential of only eleven minutes

Years ago, there was a man who drove a street car in a big city. In the middle of the day each day, he would get to the end of his run, and stop and take a break, and then turn and begin his run back in the other direction. Before he started back on the evening run, he had an eleven minute break there at the end of the line. The streetcar stopped at an empty lot on the edge of town. It was an old deserted lot that nobody wanted. It was spoiled by trash and rubbish that had washed over it in rainy weather, and trash that people had dumped on it while nobody was looking. There were broken bottles and rusty cans and trash of all kinds laying everywhere.

One day, as the streetcar driver was standing around taking his eleven minute break, it occurred to him that he could make better use of his break by occupying his time cleaning up the lot. At first, he started picking up the paper that he saw. Then the cans, then the bottles and broken glass.

After several days, spending only eleven minutes at a time, the property began to look dramatically different. With a sickle, he cut the grass a little at a time. In the spring, he planted flower seeds, small shrubs, and cuttings from shrubs. Just using a little time each day, the streetcar operator converted the ugly vacant lot into a beautiful place that looked like a park. Everyone that saw it was impressed and delighted."

The above being a sermon resource and not a call for Earth Day, it then moves on to the spiritual disciplines, and what could a small amount of time each day do for the human spirit. If I tried that routine, I'd fail for sure. However, for me going out and cleaning up trash on my walk would turn into a spiritual discipline. I would feel better about the community I was creating, people might follow my example (maybe some dog walkers would remember to bring their little baggies with them), I could contemplate God's creation while doing it, and I could remember my mother who used to say while digging thistles instead of using chemicals, "I can't save the world but I can clean up four acres."

Trash in the creek
Pop on the rocks
Ubiquitous bags

I took these photos this morning walking along the creek that surrounds our complex. They could have been tossed from a car miles away.

Addendum: You've seen the ads that Google places on websites? Certain words in the text key the ads. This particular article has ads for waste management, haz-mat handling and used garbage trucks.

2423 The Marketing of Evil

When I read that an OSU (Mansfield branch) librarian had been charged with sexual harassment for recommending a book for a reading list, I just had to check it out. And although I didn't really expect any action from The American Library Association, an organization so far to the left, its eyes have rolled back in its head and its toe nails have dug into the concrete, it would have been nice if they spoke up for something (freedom to read, or debate issues, for instance) instead of just blathering against the Bush administration and the Patriot Act while they entice children to sit at unfiltered computers.

If I were gay (i.e., a homosexual, and he explains the terminology change in the chapter on gay rights), I would really find this book terribly offensive. At least chapter one. As offensive as I, a Christian, find The DaVinci Code which insults and belittles not just the millions of Christians living now, but those of the last 2000 years. And Kupelian doesn't insult or belittle homosexuals, but he does by inclusion call their movement to normalize their life style, evil. And after many years of never hearing that word, it has hit the big time since 2001, and is at risk of overuse.

He begins the chapter somewhat sympathetically with the story of Robert Bauman, a gay Republican who published his story in 1980. In this section Kupelian uses the phrases "his sexual problem," and "unnatural sexual compulsion." However, that's also what Bauman, who is gay, calls it. But that probably isn't what outrages gays about this book. It's Kupelian's conclusion, after he meticulously describes the 25 year "war plan" to get gay rights into the main stream (a very successful war, by the way, and it includes the media and a powerful gay journalist organization), that the success of the movement has denied them their conflict, or the seeds of redemption.

"Glorifying dysfunctionality and corruption, we have relieved homosexuals of the inner conflict they once felt over their condition--something they desperately need, indeed all of us need, if we're ever going to overcome our problems and find wholeness." p. 37 And then he heaps perhaps the biggest insult of all--he calls their victory a terrible failure, loss and sadness. "Sadly, we've failed Bauman and millions suffering with similar sexual problems by glorifying and pandering to their dysfuction and pretending it's normal."

Other chapters in the book concern The Myth of Church-State Separation; Selling sex and rebellion to your children; How Western Culture was turned upside down in one generation; the campaign to destroy marriage (feminism); fraudulent science (this one's about sex); hijacking America's education system; the media matrix (bias, mind control); how abortion was marketed; the fall and rise of American Christianity--the dumbed down, shallow, plastic banana Christianity isn't up to fighting the clever marketing of evil.

Whatever Michael Moore is to the left, Kupelian is to the right. ALA and college curriclua have warmly welcomed Moore to their inner circles; have invited him to their meetings and conferences. I don't expect them to be fair and balanced. Those days are gone on the college campuses of America--and Kupelian will tell you why.

2422 Keeping stress levels low

When I read the Thursday Thirteens, I'm aware that people, women particularly, use this list to let out their frustrations about parenting, work, in-laws, traffic, phobias or spouses. They say it's relieving the stress, but is it? I noticed a little blurb in the magazine Natural Health, April 2006. "A study published in Psychological Science suggests that contemplating personal values in the moments preceding a tense situation can keep stress levels low, physiologically as well as psychologically. Study subjects who affirmed their values before delivering a speech and then being harassed measured significantly lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol compared with a control group. Continuously elevated levels of cortisol have been linked to increased risk of heart attacks and strokes, autoimmune diseases, and depression."

Could you be making your stress level rise by giving legs to it in your blog? If you're going for a tough job review, or a family reunion with folks you don't like, try writing down the 10 simple pleasures meme first and carrying it with you.

Pew Research Center has studied happiness (and actually I know most of you really are happy, and are just listing 13 gripes because you want to fill a list and you did movies last week). Did you know 84% of Americans list themselves as "Very Happy" or "Pretty Happy?" So here's what the folks at Pew found: "Married people are happier than unmarrieds. People who worship frequently are happier than those who don't. Republicans are happier than Democrats. Rich people are happier than poor people. Whites and Hispanics are happier than blacks. Sunbelt residents are happier than those who live in the rest of the country. We also found some interesting non-correlations. People who have children are no happier than those who don't, after controlling for marital status. Retirees are no happier than workers. Pet owners are no happier than those without pets."

But before you get carried away on the "rich vs. poor" question, consider this. Pew has been doing this happiness survey since 1972--more than 30 years--and it doesn't change. But adjusted for inflation, Americans have more than doubled their per capita income. Americans have more money now than they did 30 years ago, but we're no happier. (Although if it went much higher than 84% you'd have to wonder what's in the brownies, wouldn't you?)

The Illegal Alien problem

Obviously, all the Congress is beholden to special interests, so they're stuck and can't solve this problem, so those of us with common sense and human compassion will need to step up to the plate.

There's already a small solution in place in McAllen, Texas. It's called legal shopping. The Wall Street Journal did a story on it earlier this year by Amy Chozick.

"Mexican shoppers, both rich and poor, are pouring into the area, making it the equivalent of Madison Avenue for northern Mexico's consumer class. Border agencies tally nearly 40 million legal visits a year by Mexicans coming to Texas for leisure activities. The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas figures they spent $3 billion on merchandise in Texas border counties in 2004, the latest data available, up from around $1.6 billion a decade earlier. In the past 10 years, retail sales in McAllen have risen more than 75%, nearly double the nationwide pace of 40%. Per-capita sales here are twice the national average, according to the census." Full story

40 million legal visits for shopping. Why couldn't we have say, 10 million legal workers, approved ahead of time, with IDs, with priority going to those who have some skills and some English, matched with employers in the US who need them? If they come north and keep their noses clean then employers won't hire illegals because someone better is available, then illegals will dry up as a labor source. If they want to become citizens, great. Let them pay taxes and pay for the social services. Give them some priority points for working hard and not getting into trouble and put them on a waiting list. Send the other guys home and shut down the employers who are keeping this illegal thing going. And it's time for Congress and the President to start encouraging Mexico to come up with some solutions for their poverty on the other side of the border and stop depending on their poorest to send home money.

Stop whining about how much we need them. It's a myth. We're spending more on social services than what their low wages are contributing to cheap labor. Clean your own bathroom. There are plenty of Americans who will work construction and landscaping and restaurant kitchens, which are the jobs they presently fill in Columbus. But Americans are kept out of the jobs by unscrupulous businesses undercutting salaries.

In the 1960s, the federal government patterned the Peace Corps on the small programs developed after WWII by the Mennonites and the Brethren. Often it takes a non-government entity to figure things out. McAllen, TX has the key. Now it's up to Congress to find the door it fits.

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen things about Norma's cat
April morning in the kitchen window

1. We got her at Cat Welfare (a no kill shelter).

2. She had already been spayed and front declawed before being turned in so we knew she'd been a pet. And she knew it too.

3. So she knew she was supposed to sleep in our bed, on my legs. For sleeping in front of the TV, she sleeps on my husband's legs.

4. The shelter staff thought she was about 2 years old.

5. We think she was under a year.

6. She is black, white, gold, and gray calico. Only females are calico patterned.

7. She has a kink in her tail, like she was caught in a door at a young age.

8. She's the only flat footed cat I've ever seen--waddles like a duck.

9. Her former state of homelessness has left her with issues--even after 6 years.

10. She fears starvation and abandonment and believes we will never return from our Friday night date to feed her. But she would never wear her food.

11. She has kept her girlish figure--weighs less than 7 lbs and her tummy doesn’t sag. She gets 1/3 of a can of cat food, twice a day. Most adult cats (my son's for instance) look like fat sausages on toothpicks because their owners overfeed them.

12. Although she always uses the litter box, she's never figured out the proper feline technique, so it needs to have 12" sides to prevent drop outs.

13. Each week she chooses a new spot for naps so that her hair gets evenly distributed throughout the house. Cat meme.


1. Titanium 2. Joan 3. ames 4. Friday's Child 5. feedscott 6. Chaotic Mom 7. Elle 8. Wystful1 9. Lazy Daisy 10. TreasureofJewels 11. Susan 12. carmen 13. Amanda 14. EmilyRoseJewel 15. Courtney
16. Melli 17. Gabrielle 18. mar 19. Renee 20. Trinity13 21. Stacey 22. Francesca23. susan 24. tnchick 25. Lisa 26. Becky 27. reverberate58 28. Cindi 29. chana 30. Moogie
31. Kontan 32. Jane 33. Joe 34. Rosei 35. nat 36. Chi 37. Tanya 38. Louise 39. Lifecruiser 40. Tricia 41. eph2810 42. Leesa

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things.

Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

2418 Thought I'd share this

After writing about time in no. 2416, I came across this poem I wrote in 2004 after the death of a friend from church. I don't think I've posted it before--not sure I was finished with it. But obviously I was thinking about the differences in my work life and my life now--not that all these are my specific interests or even hers, but I see them in people I admire who quietly live out Matthew 25:31-46.

At the funeral
by Norma Bruce
June 24, 2004

You rest now, dearest friend,
It is my turn--and I‘m rich with time.

I’ll take the casserole to the family
instead of preparing a report.

I’ll teach Sunday School
instead of pondering software instructions.

I’ll stand in the booth to sell tickets
instead of taking a business trip.

I’ll visit the stroke patient
instead of interviewing candidates.

I’ll mentor inner city kids
instead of marketing my skills.

I’ll weed the flowers in the park
instead of reviewing the budget.

You rest, sweet soul,
and may God welcome your servant’s heart.

2417 Today's writing prompt

Our writing group rotates the responsibility for snacks and prompts. Two weeks ago we received the prompt that we read today, and it is on reunions. The prompt writer suggested 14 possible topics, each broken into even more narrow options.

I've written a lot about reunions, so I've really been scratching for something new to say. I've written an oral history that I gave to relatives at a 1993 reunion and I've expanded on the story about how that oral history came about; I've written about a cookbook for a family reunion and about a recipe in that reunion cookbook. I've written about our 40th class reunions; I've written about my husband's club (the Slobs) reunion; I've written about other people's reunions. If I dig around in my files, I'll find a poem I wrote about reunions. I've written about reunions of books and reunion of furniture, long separated. One of the first pieces I had published was about books long separated that had a reunion of sorts in a computer database, Bruce, Norma J. "A Bibliographic Field of Dreams," AB Bookman's Weekly for the Specialist Book World, 94, no.14 (1994): 1290-1302.

Yesterday I was waiting for the washing machine to finish a cycle and pulled a small album of extra photos off the shelves. There were photographs in it apparently that had not been included in our regular album. But like an answer to prompt-prayer, there were photos of the SLOBS (my husband's high school social fraternity) at a mini-reunion at our house. As I recall, we first met downtown at a hotel for lunch. One couple had come from Kentucky, one from Indianapolis, one from Akron, and we of course, live in Columbus. How this was decided, I don't remember, but probably Columbus was central and the nearest for everyone. Then after lunch, we came to our house. This photo of Danny, Duke, Bob and Dick, may not represent everyone who was at the hotel. We all had grown children, some had grandchildren.

SLOBS Reunion at our house
Because these photos are extras, I don't have the dates recorded so I had to narrow it down by hair styles and clothing. Dating photographs is something genealogist do all the time. So using my incredible powers of discernment, I notice that the shelving behind us went into my husband's office in the family room about 1995. I have on a snazzy sweats outfit--the bright colors indicate it had probably not yet been washed. We bought our cottage in the fall of 1988, so this outfit was probably purchased during the summer of 1989. Duke (the tall guy) still has dark hair; he now has white hair. My husband, shorter red head, actually has hair in this photo, which also places the photo in the late 1980s or early 90s. I have a curly perm, which puts it after the summer of 1989. We all seem to have on warm clothing, so I'm placing this as maybe January or February 1990. Later, I'll go look through our albums and see if I can find a date.

My husband was the only one thin enough to get into his letter sweater

2416 Ten simple pleasures

Amy at Sparrow's Flight has tagged me for 10 Simple Pleasures Meme. I don't think I can find 10 who haven't done this, so considered yourself tagged.

"Name ten of life's simple pleasures that you like most, then pick ten people to do the same. Try to be original and creative and not to use things that someone else has already used."

When it comes to life's simple pleasures, there will obviously be repeats--after all, the key is "simple." Mine are the 5 tangibles and the 5 intangibles.

1. Family. As you start losing them, or live far away, they become more important. Did anyone else discover how smart your parents became when you went away to college or you left home for that first apartment? That feeling snowballs as you age. You go through your kids' teen years and wonder if your Mom felt what you do--or were you ever like that? Then humbly you realize, yup, Mom was a saint to put up with me, and you Thank God for the simple pleasure of a family--past, present and future. The social, emotional and spiritual safety net that no government program can replace. Roots and wings. It's so simple.

2. Church. Simple perhaps isn't the word that usually comes to mind--at least not if you are a Protestant. I even grew up among Christians who believed in the simple life that would please God. They've had so many squabbles on how to be simple--head coverings, hair, buttons, zippers, media, polity, government--that except for genealogy meetings, they don't often pray under the same roof and keep reforming and renaming themselves. And Lutherans, my adopted denomination, aren't any different. Synod this and consortium that. But the concept is simple. Love one another. Both the local church and the church triumphant. And we'll simply laugh when we see who's in heaven, won't we?

3. Education. Again, it wasn't so simple to get one, but the concept is. Educate a child to the best of her ability and she'll have something you can never take away. And I'm public education all the way through, from kindergarten in Alameda, CA to Master's at the University of Illinois. I simply thank all those tax payers who gave up and put out for me. I hope I'll always live up to this simple concept.

4. Friendships. It's so simple, really. Love isn't love until you give it away. You get back more than you give. There's always room for one more, but three or four really good close friends in a lifetime is probably a good total.

5. Time. I've said it many, many times on this blog. All the verbs we use with money we use with time. I'm a millionaire in the sense of time and yet I have exactly the same amount of time as you do. Being busy is a fetish. It's a hobby. Occasionally it's a necessity, but we've all been given the same storehouse of time.

6. Beauty. I looked out over the grounds today at the creek and trees and greening springtime growth and just could hardly take in the beauty. A robin came within 5 ft. and perched on the deck railing. His eyes were looking out for danger and something to consume. I wonder if he saw the beauty?

7. Imagination. What would we do without this simple pleasure? This is a pleasure that really grows as I look through all the wonderful hobby and craft projects in blogland.

8. Individuality. How did God think all this up? Each snowflake. Each bird feather. Each baby in the womb waiting to be welcomed, and not a fingerprint the same as anyone else born since the beginning of creation.

9. Faith. Simple--for me, but not everyone. It's a gift. Just open your hand and receive. If you demand or earn it, chances are it's not the simple gift you've desired.

10. Hope. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13.

2415 Dear President Bush

I'm headed to Mexico. . . this is going around via e-mail without any attribution, so I checked Google, and came up with David M. Bresnahan on April 1 as the author. It's a list of 13 things a traveler from the U.S. into Mexico without a visa or passport wants--like classes for his kids in English, all government forms printed in English, police officers who speak English. Pretty cute. He closes with, " know this is an easy request because you already do all these things for all the people who come to the U.S. from Mexico. I am sure that Pres. Fox won't mind returning the favor if you ask him nicely. However, if he gives you any trouble, just invite him to go quail hunting with your V.P."

So many leaks, so little time

CIA Leak Primer here, and
Patterico
Jeff Goldstein,
Ace,
Michelle Malkin,
Flopping Aces,
Tom Maguire,
Andrew McCarthy,
and Rick Moran
Byron York,
and her friend says this and
Captain Ed says" "Juan Williams attempted to defend her on Fox News yesterday evening as a principled dissenter, but that's hogwash. A principled dissenter would have gone through available channels, such as to the FBI, to Congress, or to the White House, to express her discontent on an issue. Failing that, she would have resigned and spoken openly about what she knew. McCarthy took none of those actions. Instead, she violated her confidentiality agreements, broke the law, and attempted to leak what she knew -- and only what suited her -- to the media. She wanted to keep her job rather than her honor."


In from the cold writes: "You'll note that many media accounts describe the leaker as an "analyst," suggesting that she was, at best, a mid-level staffer. That was hardly the case; few analysts make the jump from a regional desk at Langley to the White House. A "National Intelligence Officer" is the equivalent of a four-star general in the military, or a cardinal in the Catholic Church. There are only a handful of NIOs in the intelligence community; they are in charge of intelligence community efforts in a particular area. As a senior officer for Warning, Ms. McCarthy was tasked, essentially, with preventing future Pearl Harbors. Observers will note that McCarthy's tenure in that role coincided with early strikes by Islamofacists against the United States, including the first World Trade Center bombing, and the Khobar Towers attack. It could be argued that Ms. McCarthy's performance in the warning directorate was mediocre, at best--but it clearly didn't affect her rise in a Democratic Administration.

Equally interesting is her meteoric rise within the intelligence community. According to her bio, she joined the CIA as an analyst in 1984. Within seven years, she had rise to a Deputy NIO position, and reached full NIO status by 1994. To reach that level, she literally catapulted over dozens of more senior officers--and I'm guessing that her political connections didn't hurt. By comparison, I know a current NIO, with a resume and academic credentials more impressive than Ms. McCarthy's, who reached the position after more than 20 years of extraordinarily distinguished service. McCarthy's rapid advancement speaks volumes about how the Clinton Administration did business, and sheds new light on the intelligence failures that set the stage for 9-11. We can only wonder how many other political hacks climbed the intel food chain under Clinton--and remain in place to this day." And then follows this up with other interesting posts.

Whatever. Americans will only be worrying about the price of gasoline.

Update: Here's the problem: "McCarthy has a B.A. and M.A. in history from Michigan State University, an M.A. in library science from the University of Minnesota, and a Ph.D. in history from the University of Minnesota. . ." her bio at CSIS (no longer listed)

2413 Sad news

You may recall our excitement in December when little Abby joined the family--a Chihuahua puppy. A month ago her lab tests in preparation for being spayed showed a liver problem, so surgery was postponed. The tests were rerun and today the vet called and said he is quite sure it is canine portal liver shunt disease. Our daughter and husband are devastated. She manages a medical practice and lab work that would mean nothing to me is quite clear to her. It had taken well over a year for them to even consider another dog after the death of their other dog. Like many their age who have no children, the pet is the child. And their other dog had almost a decade of expensive medical problems (heart). The prognosis for this kind of surgery is good, and the death is horrible if nothing is done. So if you have room on your prayer list tonight, whisper one for a broken hearted family and healing for a teeny tiny liver.

2412 Are you spoiled?

This meme is a little different. If you score more than 40, you are. I think this was planned for someone much younger. If you don't have a walk-in closet or good credit or a stock portfolio by the time you're my age, you may not be spoiled--but you just might be a poor planner. Tollef fog Heen

Even so, I scored 24.

Monday Memories

Did I ever tell you about the end of my childhood?

My 11th birthday was in the fall of 1950. During the summer of 1950 the curtain was slowly coming down on my childhood, but I didn't know it until much later. In fact, I was reminded of it last week when our writing group prompt was the comic strip Agnes who is supposed to be about 11 years old, lives with her grandmother and is always pondering life's difficult questions.

It was my last summer to ride a bike with my brother on the country roads and catch tadpoles to take home; the last summer to swing from vines in the dense woods on the road west of town; the last summer to visit our friends who had moved to Baileyville where you could still get a nickel ice cream cone; it was the summer I rode in the livestock truck with Charlie and Raymond; it was the last summer I would walk to the town baseball field in the evenings, sit up on the score board and run around being silly; it was the last fall I would build leaf castles in our front yard with my friends JoElla and Nancy; the last time I would play with dolls.

I started 6th grade in Miss Michael's fifth/sixth grade class in Forreston, IL in September in a building with grades one through twelve. On Sundays we worshipped at a small Lutheran Church in Forreston, although we weren't members, and my sisters attended their confirmation classes. We all sang in the choirs and my oldest sister took organ lessons there. On Sunday afternoons we would all get in the 1950 Chevrolet sedan and drive either to Mt. Morris to see my father's parents, or to a farm near Franklin Grove to visit my mother's parents. My parents would visit with my aunts and uncles and grandparents while we cousins would either walk to the Lamb Theater in Mt. Morris to see a B cowboy movie, or down the country lane into Franklin Grove.

In March 1951 my family moved back to Mt. Morris from which we had moved in 1946, and I finished 6th grade in a different school with a new teacher, new friends and a different church (where I had been baptized). I learned new slang, how to cope with cliques, and discovered the girls were gossiping about things I’d never heard of.

I'm in the front row right in this sixth grade class photo. I have a rather grown-up hair style and two piece dress and was probably close to my adult height and weight. There would still be time for child-like activities, but those times would be less and less Looking back, I think childhood was over during my 12th year, and like Agnes, I did start seeing things differently.

If you have enjoyed my Monday Memory, please lease a comment and I'll link back to you.

Renee, Jen, Emma, Barbara, Libra, Amy, Bec, Joan, Purple Kangaroo,

Click here for the Monday Memories codeClick here for Kimmy's MM banners
Trackbacks, pings, and comment links are accepted and encouraged!
View More Monday Memories Participants

Mount Morris, Illinois
Forreston, Illinois
childhood

2410 Gas Prices

Friday night we went out for dinner--we always have a date night, and since I've been married over 45 years, you might want to tuck that away as a suggestion. The van was rolling on fumes, so I checked the web site to see where gas was cheapest, and at our corner it was $2.89 and across the river $2.69. For 15 gallons it looked like it might be worth it. After our $30.00 evening out at the pub and $5 at Cheryl's Cookies for dessert, we started for Mill Run. But it was barely after 6 p.m. and we hit all the traffic returning to the far out suburbs. Believe me, Columbus has nothing like Chicago, LA or DC, but we're spoiled. We pout if we sit a bit in traffic. So after sitting for 5 minutes through 3 stop lights, he pulled into a Speedway and got gas for $2.79.

So we saved $1.50 by not buying it on the way to the restaurant, and spent $1.50 more than if we'd added 10 minutes to our evening, sat on the bridge for awhile watching the ducks and got it for $2.69. Isn't that silly?

Last October on our trip to Illinois we were thrilled to find $2.89. Want money for gas? Buy one less carton of cigarettes a week--that'll fill up my tank. Stop at Speedway for your coffee instead of Starbucks. In a week, you'll more than make up the gas increase. Buy a medium pizza instead of a large, and eats some carrot sticks. Buy one six pack of beer instead of three--we'll all be safer if you plan to drive. Don't down load any tunes (.99 each) for a month and listen to the thousand you already have. Don't go to any first run movies for a month--hit the dollar theaters for what you missed 6 weeks ago. Or go to the library and get some free DVDs and make the popcorn at home. That'll be $15 for the tank right there.

Invite a neighbor on your next shopping trip or drive to work. Drive the speed limit and inflate your tires. Don't hop scotch around on the freeway--pretend you're fifty instead of 25, because you all end up at the light at the same time.

And if you are a Greenie, accept the credit and take a bow for these prices. You've kept the oil refineries from being built. You've stopped the drilling for oil on American soil. You've halted a lot of industry in the USA so we could have cleaner air, chasing people out of the cities where they had public transportation. People are reducing their driving because of you, especially poor people driving older, less fuel efficient cars. Be proud and puffed up when you hear your co-workers bitching. Smile. It's all your fault.

2409 For Family Only

The rest of you won't care about this photo, but I'm just thrilled to have it. So just move along--if you don't like sappy and sentimental.


When I opened the envelope tears came to my eyes. I had seen this photo flash by in a DVD made by my second cousin (we have the same great-grand parents). I contacted her aunt to find out who they were. She wasn't sure, but said she'd find out. And then the photo arrived with a note from my cousin. This is the wedding photo of my grandmother's grandparents of Jefferson County, TN, James and Mary Ann Elizabeth Williford. It looks like it's been through some hard times--that it had been folded, and chipped, and maybe a cup or something placed on it. I don't know its provenance. Only one granddaughter of this couple is still living, the sister of my grandmother--she's 91 and I visited her last year. She probably has a copy of this, or this is a copy of hers. There are so many things I don't know about this couple that I'd like to ask.

So I go into my genealogy software and look them up. I found out quite a bit about this family on the internet some years ago because in Tennessee during the Depression there was an attempt to record family information from old Bibles, and that has since been put on the internet by county. James and Mary Ann Elizabeth had nine children. Leanor, my great-grandmother, was only 10 years old when her father, the handsome young bridegroom of this photo, died. I knew her. Used to run down the street and sit on her front porch swing and listen to her soft Southern drawl and gentle laugh. By then she'd probably buried those hurts of 60 years before. Why would she have even mentioned such a sadness to a little five year old whose own daddy was off in a war? How did such a large family survive with only a woman to head the household? James' father was over 50 years old when he was born, so how much help could they have been if still alive? Even my grandmother, Bessie, born in 1895, didn't know this couple. They had both died before she was born. For many years Grandma Bessie was our family archive--her phenomenal memory could retrieve the stories with ease. After her death, we'd ask my father. When he died it was like the library had been burned, and my paltry software is no match for the stories he heard from his parents and grandparents and at the Tennessee Reunions that were held in northern Illinois for many years.

However, we don't know what we don't know do we? So we don't ask.

2408 An Easter Walk

Cathy invited me along on an Easter Walk, 50 miles in 50 days. I don't have a pedometer, so I'm just clocking along at a mile for every 30 minutes. The park was really busy today--not only have the spring sports started, but Ohioans are so anxious for nice weather (probably less than 40% sunshine all year), that they tend to all rush outdoors at once.

Front row for Grandparents

Game's over; going home for lunch

He's just walking his dog

11 miles since Easter Sunday.

2407 Saving on blogger gas

To save you guys some gas, I'm going to combine several themes or thoughts into one blog entry instead of making them separate. OK? It will improve your mileage and save you money here. I've moved the gasoline prices to Sunday--just because I could.

Church stuff

We're having our SALT group here tomorrow evening. SALT is an acronym that someone with 70s angst thought up: Sharing and Living Together. I much prefer Serving and Learning Together because that's what we do. We have 3 campuses and 12 services (or is it eleven?), so if you don't participate in a small group you can become just a pew sitter. I think someone told me there are 144 ministries. Anyway. Back to SALT (no one took my suggestion, and at this point, staff has changed so often, I wouldn't even know to whom to re-suggest it, since no one but me is bothered by an inaccurate acronym). I've asked everyone to bring a favorite poem, verse, rhyme or limerick since April is National Poetry Month. I don't like to lead Bible studies, so my husband will do that part--I'll just do the warm up.

Dessert

I have a strawberry rhubarb pie in the oven, and the other one will be the peanut butter chocolate one I wrote about a few months back. My husband thinks I'm also making an apple pie (his favorite), but I sliced my thumb a little bit on the rhubarb, so I think I'll quit while I'm ahead. When he walked in while I was preparing the first one (never made it before), he asked why I would make something I never tried for company. Guys just don't get it, do they ladies? We all know that if you make something new, and there's just 2 of you to eat it, and one of you doesn't like it and pushes it around on the plate like it was brussel sprouts, then the other of you has to finish the whole thing! Right? But the second reason here is that even my bad pies are better than 90% of the good pies of everyone else. So there.

Update on my Exercise 13

I'm doing pretty good. I never set goals--hate goals, but promises aren't so bad. So I promised myself 30 minutes a day of exercise. I'm up to 50-60 minutes, but I'm not changing my promise because I'd rather go over than under. The weather has cooperated, so I'm getting about 30 minutes at the park, then later in the day, another 20-30 on the grounds. I'm walking in the grass and on hills when I can so my shins don't ache. I am consciously taking the stairs more often and parking further from stores. The sit-up plan, well, that didn't go so well. I'm finding more excuses not to do that.

New neighbors

New neighbors moved in this week. They just moved from across the ravine, but they are terrifically nice folks, so we're thrilled to have them. They are also Lakesiders, and my husband did their cottage for them. I saw their dog (with its owner) meeting another neighbor's dog this morning. Sniffing. Deciding who was going to be boss. If a dog has a blue ribbon in its hair is it a boy dog?

Another condo for sale just recently has also sold, I hear, to a single person. It has a dance studio in the lower level because the former owners were ballroom dancers. Our newish neighbors who moved in last year have added a hot tub. I guess they use it late at night, but so far I haven't heard anything.

Everyone says it's so hard to find a place here, but we've been here 4 years, and I think there have been 6 turnovers since we arrived. Out of 30 units, I'd say that's higher than our old neighborhood.

Mozart's Birthday

Our choir will be performing Mozart's Requiem, but since it was planned for Memorial Day week-end, I hadn't been practicing with them. Now the director might change the date because it conflicts with a wedding. As a result, I have a huge dilemma. I'm a really weak singer anyway, so do I try to catch up or mumble something that might pass as a lie? Actually, I don't like to perform in front of people--never have. I came down with Scarlet Fever just so I wouldn't have to be in a piano recital. I was in the junior class play in high school and hated being on stage and didn't try out for senior class play the next year. Our choir sings in a loft behind the congregation, so I've only been in front once, but it really increased my errors.

Check your mileage

See how many blog entries you can read here with only one stop for gas? And if you check my profile, you'll see that I have five more. Now Six, because I joined some Walkers.

2406 Leaving children unattended

Don't. Not for a minute. Even $5 million isn't worth it.

I really hope Chrysler wins on appeal. The child is left in the van, keys in the ignition so the guy washing the car could hear the radio, parked on a hill, emergency brake not set, mother not close by, and the child does what any kid would do who wants to "play driving" and puts it in gear. A device, not required in models of that year, might have been able to keep the van from rolling, but how do you protect children from adults who don't think?