I’m at work catching up on what I didn’t do while going to firefighting school. Only for a few hours though and then it’s outside to enjoy the sun!

Hope YOU are just relaxing and having fun.

When is summer? :^)
We are very cool here in NC — we won’t make 80 today.
The prices of EVERYTHING are really starting to strangle us.
I doubt we will be vacationing this year.

(Mid-month bookwork and working)…

I dont get any vacation until we close…When that happens I have plans to go to GA for a week (have family member down there and we got our plane tickets before things got crazy a few weeks ago…Managed to get the same airfare for this year as we had for last year….

Things at work have slowed down quite a bit…For this time of the season we have alot of product left…..So I may be sneaking some book reading in soon…Have a summer reading book group that I belong too and right now we are voting on what book to read…

The weather has been nice though (makes me a bit uncomfortable to even admit that looking at picks of the flooded mid-west)

Life is GREAT here in CT…

My own flower beds look mostly …”eh” this year…Not sure why but things are just “ok” and not glorious….Hmmmm

Let see what else?….

Hi gang,

Janice, I hope you’re taking it easy this weekend. I know you’ve been really busy so I hope you’ll have a chance to get a good rest. I just came in from spending about an hour and a half outside in my garden. It looked pretty sad since I was out of commission for a few weeks. The weeds don’t care if you’re sick. I pulled one out that was about 3 feet tall. I found a dead bird in my pond, which totally thrilled me. It’s a good thing I’m not too squeamish because it was pretty disgusting. I’m hoping to get my waterfall going this weekend. I bailed all the gross water out of it and I’m going to let it dry out a little before I clean the rest of the dirt out. I’ll take some pictures when I get it up and running so I can show the gang my work of art. My lilies are opening up and they look so pretty.

Weather is an interesting thing. It’s nice and warm today, but not hot. I think it’s about 83 with a nice breeze. The sky was about 70% clear with just a few pretty clouds around. While I was out working, a little darker gray cloud came from over the mountain and, while the sun shined in another part of the sky, a nice gentle rain fell over my backyard for a few minutes. It felt good! I could see the rain up in sky because the sun was reflecting it. It was pretty crazy. It’s nice that it’s actually warm again. Yesterday was the first day we reached 80 in quite some time. I turned the heat off in my house yesterday because I think we’re finally past the time when I’ll need it.

My vacation plans are for early October if I can afford to drive to North Carolina. Hopefully gas prices won’t get too crazy. They’ve actually come down a few cents in recent days. We shall see…

Hey Dawn, at least you have some flower beds. Since I got sick at about the time I was going to plant my annuals, I never got around to getting any! I do have roses and a bunch of perennials that have been giving my garden some color, but it’s not as colorful as usual. I’ll see what I can do once I get it all weeded and cleaned out. I’m almost done with that.

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Margie

Wenchie

I have a copy of the Sept 1948 Esso Farm News. There is an article about my family who had 16 greenhouses 40′ x 350′ since 1892. Asw the article states, “Perhaps the “busiest” five crop acres on any far anywhere” Goes on to say how he grew 2, 3, or 4 crops a year. Some other stats, 40.000 gallons of water a day, 800 to 1,000 tons of coal in winter. Goes on to explain how the soil is prepared before seeding. The soil is disinfected either with bromide, tear gas or in the house he grows beet green he uses formaldehyde at the rate of 100 pounds per house. The approximate cost of disinfecting each house is $75.00. Can you believe that cost for back then.

He made his big money by being the first person to put apples in cold storage and sell out of season. There were 99 acres of apples.

My mon use to tell me of the still he had making apple jack.

He used horse manure to supply humus to the soil and is quoted, Mr Becker laments the increase in cost- it now cost $10 to $12 per ton. It goes on. Would love to be able to send you a copy.

Don…

Would love to read a copy…How interesting is that…Not sure if I am allowed to post the addy for the farm since its a business but if I can I will do so…I expect my step-father and even my mom would get a kick out of it

Margie….

Well when I look at my flower beds now I wont be so dispirited considering you couldnt do yours this year….I will just enjoy what they are for what they are

Janice..I hope you are getting some much needed rest and enjoying your weekend.

I am just hanging around home today since my Dollywood trip has been put on hold. Weatherwise the temp is a little warm..78 and the humidity is up today. The sun keeps popping in and out..and it was drizzling rain a little bit ago..but has stopped now. But we need lots more!!

My flowers are doing okay this year..but they have done better in years past.. I have to water them every evening or they would be goners by now. I think some good rain would give them the boost they need. Looks like I am going to have to do a Rain Dance..or something??

Margie..good to hear you are feeling well enough to work in your garden..looking foward to the pics.

Dawn..your book group sounds like fun..I am not much of a reader anymore..but I do like hearing about a good book.

Hello to the Don’s and everyone else..Have a great weekend.

Deb

Hi Deb!

I’m sorry you haven’t been getting rain. Too much rain was the first of my problems in not getting flowers planted this year. Spring was so wet and then I got sick and that didn’t make for getting things done.

I got my energy back a little over a week ago, which was a good thing. I did some cleaning at my parents’ place last weekend and that involved cleaning under beds and other furniture. My two bad knees didn’t like that very much but at least I had the energy to do it. That was Saturday and then on Sunday we went up to my brother’s place for Father’s Day. I found out that although 2 year olds aren’t very big, they can cause a lot of pain! My brother taught his son how to body slam. (Definitely a guy thing!) I was wrestling with him a little and on one occasion, instead of doing his version of a body slam on my body, he landed on my left knee and got me from the side. He’s only 2 so I can’t get very mad at him. I’ve just had more pain in it than usual for the past week. Working out in my garden today didn’t help, but I refuse to let pain keep me from doing things I enjoy. I took an Aleve a little while ago and hopefully that will help. I may be young at heart but my body doesn’t feel too young right now! I’ll try to go out tomorrow to get my waterfall going.

I hope you get some rain down there in Tennessee, but not as much as they got in the Midwest! No one needs that much rain.

Take care,
Margie

Hey JD and Gang.

The first full day of summer ushered in a beautiful day so I took off for an easy walk in the woods. I ended up at a pretty little place along Tennant Creek called Tennant Creek Falls. It was warm enough that the water looked inviting enough for a swim. The pool at the bottom of these 15 foot falls is knee high so a nice walk through the water and a long sitting to watch the water made for a nice and peaceful afternoon.

I uploaded a picture of the falls to U-Report.

It doesn’t look like Mother Nature will cooperate on Sunday, but today was perfect.

Hey Margie..

We had a wet early spring..but these past 2-3 weeks nothing. I wish Mother Nature could have evened things out and spread the rain around, instead of dumping it all on the midwest.

I know too well about the guy thing and wrestling, my son is a wrestler and he has all the kids doing moves and body slams, it makes me so nervous. When my son goes off to his events, I just wait for that dreaded call that he has broke his neck or worse. But he loves it, and maybe eventually he will grow tried of it.(But I doubt it).

I have my share of aches and pains too..it takes me a week to do what I used to do in a day!!

Why do we have to get old? It sucks!!

Don’t get me wrong I am very thankful for my health and life, it just goes so quick. It seems like just yesterday I was a teenager, and now I am a grandmother of 3.

Great talking to you Margie..I hope you use some of those MaGyver skills and get that waterfall running.

Deb

Bill..
You are an obvious outdoormans man..and that sounded like a wonderful afternoon.

I love waterfalls, and the sound is so relaxing. I bet the pic is beautiful. (yours always are).

Have a great weekend.
Deb

Thank you Deb.

Hey Deb,

What used to take me a couple hours to recover from physically, now seems to take a couple weeks! That’s a slight exaggeration, but sometimes it feels that way! I have some stuff I want to do this evening but I’m just too tired. I woke up early and couldn’t fall back to sleep so I have that kind of tired along with the tiredness from working outside this afternoon. One thing that keeps me going is my faith. I know there’s something better coming. One of my favorite Bible passages talks about our bodies as being jars of clay, which I can really relate to sometimes! It goes on to say, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” So when my knees are aching I just keep in mind that one day I’ll have a new and improved model!

On a totally different subject–I just looked at the weather radar and there’s a nasty line of storms heading this way. They’re calling for a chance of rain tonight and tomorrow. I wish I could send some of it down your way! Hopefully it won’t keep me from working on my waterfall. I will take pictures whenever I get it done. I want to take pictures of my beautiful orange and yellow lilies that are popping open in the last couple days but it was too breezy today. I’m sure they would have come out like one big blur. I’ll try again tomorrow.

I will try my McGyver skills on my waterfall! The thing is that it does run fine as far as the pump is concerned, but the water is somehow leaking behind the rocks and not all going back into the pond. This causes the water level to go down and I have to keep an eye on it. The pond is only about 24 inches in diameter, so there’s not much water that I can afford to lose. Add to that the fact I have to pay for all the water I use, it can get a little expensive to keep filling it up. The city just voted to raise water rates (so what else is new) so I have to be careful. One of these days it will be a choice between gas and water!

On that cheerful note I’ll say farewell for now.

Take care,
Margie

I didnt even realize today was the first day of summer until you mentioned it

I live in the west coast, and the temperatures down here are in the triple digits. Luckilly the heat wave will subside by tomorrow. Thank goodness. I spent most of my time indoors at the library doing some reading. And tonight i saw The Incredible Hulk for the first time. Let me tell you, the remake wasnt as good as the original one.

I recall someone here mentioning something about MacGyver. That is another one of my all time favorite classic shows. They used to show it on TVLand.

Janice- i hope you are taking care of yourself, and at the same time having an enjoyable and relaxing weekend.

Take Care.

Hey Gang,

As I mentioned yesterday Mother Nature wasn’t going to cooperate and gives us two nice days this weekend in Upstate NY. Must be the front showed up sooner than expected because the storms are training right over us here Scotia traveling from the southwest to the northeast. That is one way the storm travel through here, but not typically.

Well the thunder and lightning are becoming intense so I’d better shut down the computer.

Hope you all are having nicer weather.

Good morning everyone from Denver………

It is a beautiful weekend here, Highs around 90 with lots of sunshine. Low humidity as well.
I’m working at the TV station this weekend. I am also a TV meteorologist like Janice, but she is much better to look at than me.

Don in Richmond…..that was a very interesting story about your family. Thanks for sharing.

Here’s the thought for today……

IF YOU HAVE A CARBON FOOTPRINT, CAN YOU GET TOE JAM ?????????

Gore and the enviros are such a bunch of idiots!

Have a great day everyone.

Sunny

Hey Sunny,

Gee I don’t know about toe jam. When I get out of huge gas guzzling SUV and unloing my two chain saws that I use for cutting down virgin growth, my ATV and oil burning portable generator I’ll let you know.

Oh did I also mention the ATV has a plow for filling in wetlands.:-)

Oh I almost forgot Sunny most large diesel operated water pump which I use to pump out vernal pools.:-)

As you see I know all of the hot button issues with our tree hugging environmental wacko friends and it’s always amusing to push their buttons and watch them go into instant rage.

One other thought Sunny……….

I hope you don’t express your opinions on air there in Colorado as your area is full of hard core environmentalists. You may find yourself out of a job.

Last night I went to a function and several hard core environmentalists that I know, and have done battle with over the years, were there. One of these people takes himself so seriously because he has placed himself on a pedestal. I know each and every issue that raises his fur and I can never resist the opportunity to push his buttons because it does throw him into instant rage mainly because I do not recognize him as the self proclaimed savior that he thinks he is.

The other reason why I do this is because that rage throws him off his game and he cannot function at 100%. This is a good tactic to use against him when he is attempting to push one of his wacko proposals on a group of state legislator.

Sunny

Have you ever seen this web site? http://surfacestations.org/ They have photos of weather stations all around the states and the pictures show what was built by the stations which cause it to show higher temps. Reminds me of when I lite my grill. I have 4 sensors which transmit the temp to 4 units in my house. Problem is I have one near the grill. Might show 125 outside…. when in fact it’s the grill

Hey Bill, you’re bad! Funny, but bad! I wish I could be there when you torment those people. I have a number of cousins who are pretty far out there, but I just try to avoid any of those discussions. They can get pretty nasty sometimes so I leave the room when the discussion turns to politics and/or the environment.

Hey gang; I have a poll for you. I want to know what your favorite classic commercial is. This is inspired by my Sunday school lesson this morning, which was about the power of words. They used the example of Clara Peller’s infamous question, “Where’s the beef?” I still remember those commercials. I love the line, “I don’t think there’s anybody back there.” One commercial I still remember was the Life cereal commercial with Mikey. I think that’s because I had a brother named Mike and my older brother and I used to tease him because he used to be a fussy eater. I still remember that whole commercial for some reason. I’m sure most of you remember–”He won’t eat it, he hates everything.” Then after Mikey gobbled down the cereal, they said, “He likes it, hey Mikey!” Another one of my favorites that I still sing from time to time is “My bologna has a first name; it’s O-S-C-A-R…” I don’t know why I remember all these silly commercials but I do know that they don’t make commercials like these anymore. They seem to be getting dumber and dumber. I usually wind up muting them!

So let me know what your favorites are…

Have a great day everyone.

Margie

Margie,

I’m bad, whatever do you mean?

I’ve been thinking about you’re poll and I’m drawing blanks. I do remember the “Where’s the beef?” commercials, but I know there were others equally as funny. Must be in my ripe old age I can’t think of any.

Margie…..

How about the old Pepto Bismol commercial……”I can’t believe I ate the whole thing.”
How about the old Alka Seltzer commercial…….”Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is.”

Bill,,,,,I have seen that web site and have actually used it on the air. I love nothing better than getting the enviros all riled up over nothing. As you said, it doesn’t take much. Do you happen to
listen to Michael Savage….he has a great saying….”Liberalism is a mental disorder.”

My favorite way to rile up the viewers and it works every time, is when it is real cold, I like to say that “we could use a little of Al Gore’s Global Warming right about now.” That usually rates me a couple of nasty emails and calls from viewers. The good thing is the TV station backs me 100%.
Yes there are a lot of enviro wackos here in Colorado, which makes it even more fun to tick them off.

Bill, I love the rolling eyes on the emoticon! You are bad!

Sunny, I just recently used the line “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing.” Back in April when Sara Renner sang in my church we had a pizza party before the concert. We invited the boys from New Dominion Boys Camp to come because they attend our services regularly. One of the boys ate a whole large pizza by himself–all 12 pieces! When I heard about that, that famous line came to mind. He must have a stomach of steel! I remember the “Plop, plop, fizz, fizz” commercials, too! I’ll probably be singing that for the rest of the day! Thanks for sharing.

Margie

Yes Sunny our radio market is controlled by Clear Channel and it stinks so I usually listen to CDs, but I do catch Michael Savage once in a while and as with Hannity and Rush all three are zeroed in on the tree hugging environmental wackos and what they stand for.

Notice how the Congressional Dems won’t jump on the off shore drilling proposal? They are also part of this year’s election and they do not want the enviro-machine attacking them this November. Which is just one more reason why I say term limits must be enacted on Congress and each of the state’s legislatures…..2 terms of 3 years each and then they are finished?

It’s not enough time for them to get established on the under the table payroll of all the lobbyists and they won’t have to worry about how a vote on a certain bill will affect their re-election. If they won’t do it then make it a public referendum and let the people who employ them decide.

If a term limit is good enough for the President it’s good enough for them too!

…and one more good thing about term limits, Massachusetts will eventually run out of Kennedy’s to elect.

Hello Gang..

Just checking in to say Hey! so HEY!!!

I love all those commercials you were talking about..when my neice was little she used to walk around the house singing the plop..plop..fizz..fizz..one ..she was so cute.

I love the Captain D’s commercials that are out now..the ones where the fish tail comes out and slaps the crap out of the burger lovers. I laugh out loud every time I see one. I know they are corny..but so am I.

It is hot here in Tn today..88 and humid..Bill send me some of your rain..I need it.(and so does my yard).

Hope you all are having a great weekend..it’s winding down.

Be good..
Deb

I guess the floodwaters really did some major damage, and a ton of crops were lost. Its really discouraging. I guess we are about to see corn and soybean prices start to soar. And that means we are going to get more grief at the grocery store. Plus not to mention all of these tainted bacteria that is affecting a lot of our food supply nowadays. You dont even know what its safe to eat these days.

Hey Bill…..

I second that thought on the Kennedy’s. Time, the Kennedy curse and their own foolish behavoir all are in our favor.

Sunny

Does anyone here have any thoughts on that pregnancy pact made by those high school girls?

I think its disgusting what they did. It shows you how our world and society is changing, where old fashioned traditions are being lost, and liberal open mindeness is taking over. But more importantly, the parents of these girls need to be held accountable for what their children do. Plus the media is also partly to blame, with the sensationalism of movies like Juno, and celebs like Jamie Lynn. What are teenagers being exposed to nowadays? Not to mention all these social networking sites.

Take Care.

Hey Brad,

I agree with everything you said about all those girls getting pregnant. It used to be shameful to get pregnant out of wedlock, but nowadays, no one gives it a second thought–they actually flaunt it. Greta interviewed a couple young girls from the same school a few days ago on her program. They had their babies within the past couple years. I must admit, I was very impressed with them. For being so young, they sounded very mature. They realized that they made a mistake, but they are also taking the responsibility of raising a child very seriously. They cautioned young girls not to do what they did. It was a hard way to grow up, but it sounds like they are serious about motherhood. I don’t know what all those girls were thinking, but I think if their parents were more involved in their lives, this would not have happened. You can’t protect your children from everything, but the more involved you are in their lives, the better chance they have to avoid these kinds of mistakes. (This of course is coming from someone with no kids, but if I did have kids, I would be involved in their lives!)

Speaking of parents, this reminds me of the story of the group of girls who filmed themselves beating up their supposed friend. There was more than one of these kinds of stories so I would like to know where the parents are.

To close on a more cheerful note–I didn’t get a chance to respond to your question on the other thread about Hawaii Five-O. I don’t have any stations airing that program at the moment. I haven’t seen that show around in a long time. One show that I do love to watch that’s the total opposite of Hawaii Five-O is Family Matters. That show cracks me up and we all need a good laugh. While we’re on the topic of parents–that’s one thing I like about Family Matters. The parents are great role models for their kids and they had a good relationship with them. Carl and Harriet were involved in their kids’ lives and there was some great interaction. The writers of that show weren’t afraid to tackle some tough issues. I think we need more shows like that instead of the garbage that’s on now.

Just my two cents…

Margie

Hi all…

Been a long day and dont have the energy to read every post closely so I skimmed…

With that I caught the question about the high school girls with the pregnancy pact…

Makes me feel…once again….that there are things going on in our culture that are spinning out of control….

I think its symptomatic of many dimensional problems and concerns…

With that said…there are alot of great kids out there too with their heads on their shoulders….and they dont get enough credit for trying their best amongst a culture that has got to be extremely challenging to grow up in….

But yea…I think a great deal of influence is due to the media and the media images and young people not being taught or just not having the maturity yet to be able to make wiser choices…

What is it that science has discovered?….That the human brain is not usually fully formed until its 25 y/o generally speaking??…and that last part to “fuse and kick in” is the place where executive decisions are made?…..

If many of us think back to being 15-25 I bet some of us can related to just doing S.T.U.P.I.D!! things reguardless of how we were raised…with no thought to long term impact on our lives…..

But yea…there is a permissive element in our culture that does not serve any of us well….and not just our young people….

Alot of us so-called “mature grown-ups” arent always so mature….ya know???

One thing that really REALLY concerns me is the use and abuse of both alcohol and drugs on the human brain….and in our young people ….their under-developed brains…

That should be of concern to all when we so quickly go…”Oh its part of being a teen…everyone does it”….etc etc…

That concerns me on a medical impact level….and its long term risks….

Great information Don on your family. I like that kind of information and always interested in hearing about greenhouses and etc.

Saturday was nice, early Sunday morning it stormed, and again this afternoon! Come on enough of this rain, I’m as sick of the rain as I was with the snow. Got out to bike a few minutes after the rain. From the forecast expected here, looks mostly like rain for the week.

Hey Margie and others-

Its still not clear why those girls choose to beat up their friend. I heard its because the victim was supposedly “trash talking” the others on one of those social networking sites. But there are reports that the victim isnt really shying away from all the media attention either, because she did an interview for People magazine.

Plus the mother of the supposed “ringleader”, was on Greta and some other talk shows defending her daughter for her actions. Its like she was in denial of what happened, and how serious the situtation was.

If this happened 20 years ago, they probably would have gotten away with it. If it happened at school, it would probably be classified as another bullying incident, nothing more. But i guess with the internet comes more creative and devious ways to carry out violent acts.

It makes you wonder if those girls involved should be charged as adults for what they did. I have mixed thoughts about this, a part of me thinks they should be punished for the crime, but on the other hand, they are still kids, and their life will be permanantly tarished.

I sure hope the authorities are handling this case with care, because i think it was a total irresponsibility on the judge’s part for putting a gag order, then releasing it.

Plus just last week they released the 2 boys who acted as lookouts, and one of the girls, because there wasnt sufficiant evidence against them.

I know when i visited Hawaii a while back, they were showing Hawaii Five-0 there, on a Religious station called Kwhe14.

On the Hallmark Channel, they used to show it on Sundays, but that was back in 2004.

Other than FoxNews, i really like to watch the Hallmark Channel. They really have good family oriented shows, especially during the holidays.

Walker Texas Ranger is another one of my all time favorites, Chuck Norris has always been a positive influence in my life.

I have seen Family Matters a while back, they are going to start showing it next week on Nick at Nite. Its really sad, i remember hearing about the youngest girl who played Judy on that show, recently did adult films. She talked about on Oprah a while back. That is yet another example of former child stars who ruin their lives big time, simply because they dont know what to do when the phones and tv roles stop coming in.

Another great family sitcom is Growing Pains, it also dealt was really family issues, filled with comedy.

A lot of tv shows on the air right now are full of garbage, especially those tv reality shows. I guess people nowadays dont care about morals and Those are so staged and scripted by screenwriters.

A good example is Miley Cyrus. So many teens adored this girl, it looked like she is going to have a clean image, just like Hilary Duff and others that came before her. But look at all the racy pics that came out, but some others that are floating around the internet. There a rumors that Billy Ray left when those pics were taken. I wonder if its because he was embarassed, and was only thinking of himself, and how many money he was going to rake up for this? That is sure taking responsibility for your daughter, exploiting her image like that. Those kind of pics are going to be on the internet forever, and its going to haunt her for the rest of her life.

While we’re on the topic of pregnancy and the things that are wrong with society these days–I heard a story on the Fox Report earlier this evening that had me shaking my head. Apparently, Provincetown on Cape Cod has a problem with people having sex on the public beaches. One interesting looking character even commented that people come to Provincetown just for the sex on the beach. That’s pretty pathetic. Not only are heterosexual couples engaging in those public displays, but it’s also popular with gay men. All I can say is that nothing is sacred anymore. Pretty sad…

Margie

Hello everyone!
I tried to blog yesterday, but my crazy computer wouldn’t send. I forgot what all I was telling you, but I’m sure it was all very important and earth shattering. Oh, well! So much for those thoughts.

It’s been a lovely weekend, but hot! Oh yeah! It’s Summer in Mississippi—it’s supposed to be hot. I just sat and watched an absolutely breathtaking sunset over the horizon. I’ve taken pictures that I’m going to try to send. My digital pictures weren’t too good, so I’m now trying my hubby’s 35mm camera. If anything good develops, I’ll share.

Two dear ones have passed away in the last few days–one a retired fireman from Meridian, MS, whose wife ran the daycare where my twin sons stayed. He was a wonderful person who did so much good work with the children at the daycare. The other was a cousin who was a retired policeman from Meridian. He was only 61. That used to sound old, but the older I get–the younger it sounds. Both men died from cancer–one leukemia, the other from brain cancer. So sad–but both are in much better Hands now.

I do hope everyone has a good week, and I do hope JD has gotten some much deserved rest.

Take care,
Gwen

Gwen..

I am sorry for the loss of your friend and your cousin.

Deb

Hi All!
Reading all your posts helped me catch up on everything!

Gwen; My deepest sympathy to you and yours on the loss. Both sound like they were fine men who not only served their families but also their communities. The world was a better place for them having been here.

Gwen,

I want to join in extending my sympathy to you and yours for your two losses. Cancer is such an ugly disease. I have a lot of respect and admiration for firefighters and police officers and I agree with Don in Alexandria that the world is a better place because of people like your friend and cousin. I’m sure everyone in Meridian will miss them greatly.

Take care,
Margie

Hi everyone - We worked long hours today, so just now getting to the blog.

Gwen: So sorry to hear about the two dear gentlemen. My sympathies and prayers are with you and their families. Thank God for people like those dear hearts - We couldn’t live without them.

Margie: We visited Provincetown a year or so ago. My husband and I were definitely a minority walking down the street, holding hands. To say uncomfortable and appalling is to say the least, and unfortunately ruined what could have been a nice overnight visit to a place we both wanted to see - because we couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

Brad: Those girls are very local to me in FL, and they have been on the news quite a bit since the whole ordeal started. The victim’s Mother drives me a bit crazy, but the Mother’s/Father’s/Grandparents of the other kids would blow your mind with their attitude about all of it. All of a sudden, their kids are “just babies” and don’t deserve whats happening and what is the big deal, etc, etc … uuuuugh. The last I heard, the two boys and one girl was dismissed from the case (we figure to roll over on the others), or however they put it … And the rest will be tried as adults as far as I know. As for a commercial - I’m sure there’s a couple, none of which I can think of right now.

Wenchie: “If many of us think back to being 15-25 I bet some of us can relate to just doing S.T.U.P.I.D!! things regardless of how we were raised…with no thought to long term impact on our lives…..” How correct you are!!! Isn’t it amazing? About the time all of us get used to “life”, it won’t matter anymore.

JD: Hope you had a fabulous weekend with lots of rest!! As for vacationing, my husband is wanting to make it to his class reunion in Syracuse this October - which is a nice vacation, stopping along I95 and “Memories” in ??? (I don’t remember the city name, and he is sleeping). Apples, Bread, and Mustard are a few favorites to get up there, and then drive down the Blue Ridge Parkway to (hopefully) see the leaves in peak season on the way home. Of course, this is if we can save a million dollars by then, but thats beside the point.

It was rainy here all weekend, which I love - Everything is so nice and green now. I can’t wait for the daily afternoon 45-minute rain showers that we enjoy down here during summer. I also feel bad for the people in the Midwest. Its so easy to watch the news and react to news stories, but then go on with our everyday lives. What else are we to do, but still…

Now its time to go to bed and listen to my kittens, who (just today) found out how to climb the baby gate and run as fast as they can from room to room. Not minding the stuff they bump into along the way, of course . . . Goodnight guys - You all are a blessing! Michelle

I also saw the report tonight on Geraldo At Large, about how nudists are just baring at all on public beaches. It just goes to show you how warped our society is becoming. Its the same with what happened in CA, legalizing homosexual marriages. I am all for equal rights, but i still dont think this is a good idea. Its going to open a whole new can of worms that i dont even want to think about.

Makes me wonder, what is our next generation going to think about this? They probably dont even know the defination of what a traditional marriage is, between a man and a women. They are constantly being shown people of the same sex kissing each other on MTV and various other programs, like its no big deal. The next thing we are going to hear about is our Constitution getting amended to accomodate this kind of stuff. Let me just say, the Constitution was founded by our forefathers, therefore its a sacred thing. It should never be changed, ever.

This just my thoughts and opinions.

Gwen-

I am sorry for the loss of your friend and cousin. You have my deepest condolences and sympathies. You are also in my Prayers. I hope you get through this rough time. I am always here if you ever need any advice or someone to turn to.

Even since the 9/11 attacks, i have always seen firemen as one of the brave men, always ready to help those in need. I am very proud of all of them. They were courageous people, one of the brave men and women who risked their lives. They are both American heroes in their own right.

http://www.photoshow.com/watch/XK3ce2eD
First in a series Goddess

This picture show is from our first day in San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico.

More to come. My little guy Raul spent the day chasing lizards before we ventured out to check out the local sports complex. Going to Luquillo Beach today

Ciao

I also wanted to extend my deepest sympathies to you Gwen.

JD, more rain was here today, and some short power outages. Grrrr. Is there such a thing as a reverse rain dance? Let’s have some of those please for my end of the OV.