Somewhere In Heaven

He was born in 1949 and died in 2001. He died from Evil. He did not ask for it, his military days were in the past. He had flown transport planes for the Air Force, sometimes carrying bodies of our soldiers back home from Viet Nam. He did come home -- to Dracut -- became a farmer and American Airlines pilot.

He was born on December 7, 1981, and died in 2003. He died from Evil. He did not ask for it, but he was ready for the risk. He worked on Army Black Hawk helicopters, loved it, but wanted to come home one day, also to Dracut, most likely to become a police officer.

Somewhere in Heaven, Army Specialist Mathew Boule has been met with open arms by Captain John Ogonowski.

"...Early morning, April 4
Shot rings out in the Memphis sky
Free at last, they took your life
They could not take your pride..."
(Pride in the Name of Love. 1984, by U2, from The Unforgettable Fire)

Well, it wasn't early morning, it was about 6:00pm, but 35 years ago today, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was killed on the balcony of his Memphis hotel room. The shooter was later identified as James Earl Ray. Let's take time to think of Dr. King's non violent approach to difficult situations, even while we still support our President, and the path he follows in this Most Difficult Situation in Iraq.

FYI: For those of you who are emailing me, and not getting responses, it's because I'm having a temporary email glitch. When you rely on email more and more, you don't need glitches, but in the light of world events, it dosn't seem like such a problem. *sigh*. So, on that note, please keep positive thoughts, prayers, and energy going for all, especially our Allied Forces, and those awaiting liberation in Iraq.

REMINDER
Tonight starts the Dracut High School Scholarship Telethon!

Shame on Michael Newdow. He may be a peach of a guy, but I have to say I’m disappointed in him, and people like him. If you don’t know, last year Michael Newdow brought a suit against the United States, the United States Congress, the State of California, two school districts; and their officials. And what was the reason? What was the injury? His daughter had to be exposed to the Pledge of Allegiance. Yeah, that 15 second little thing we say at the start of school.

So, what is it about the Pledge that was so grievous to Mr. Newdow? Yeah, the “under God” part. Mr. Newdow is an atheist. And that is his God given right. No pun intended. Seriously, he has the right to not believe, to not recite. He has the right to teach his children his beliefs as well. So, this is why he has brought suit. In an interview a CNN correspondent, he said that he “has the right to bring up my daughter without God being imposed into her life by her school teachers”. Imposed? God is now an imposition? OK, OK, it’s the Christian in me to sneak that in. But even if I were to be all totally politically correct, and keep my personal beliefs out of it, I’m still astounded.

I’m trying to put myself in his place. Trying to think of something offensive that my children might be exposed to on a daily basis. Something that they can block out if possible. Or something they can say by rote, and not even understand. Get the point? Children are taught the Pledge of Allegiance, and they barely know what they are pledging to. Same way they are taught prayers, that they might not comprehend yet. As they mature, they’ll decide if they truly will want to pledge allegiance to their country and their God.

And what of Mr. Newdow’s daughter? Ah, here’s the thing. She’s not an atheist. She is being brought up by her mother, as a Christian. Evidently, her dad, Michael Newdow, is challenging the custody of her mother, Sandy Banning. They are not married. You can draw your own conclusions here.

Mr. Newdow also wants to change our currency too. No more, “In God We Trust”. With the exception of Native American beliefs, this country was founded on Christian principles. The idea of God is not new, not by a long shot. Should God and State be mixed? I don’t know if I even care any more, but I guess the law says no. OK, if you want to get technical, perhaps the Pledge of Allegiance does the unthinkable. But for almost 60 years, we’ve been saying “…One Nation, under God…”. Why is this now such a problem? Especially now. We need God more than ever, and by God, we need Allah and Buddha too. We need Mother Earth, Elijah, and Moses. We need Gandhi and Mother Theresa. Anything, anyone - that will inspire all the peoples of all the nations to watch out for one another, care for each other instead of tying up the judicial system with lawsuits about a 15 second pledge that doesn’t hurt anyone.

Attention Readers:

Of course I know you're out there. All 4 of you. I'm dying to say, "I Know Who You Are" -(And I Saw What You Did - good movie) But I can't claim that! So, let me get to know you. See that small notation down there, under the archives list? it says, email me. Please do!

Farewell Mr. Rogers, thanks for everything. May you rest in Peace. (1928 - 2003)

One of My Idols You'll notice he's using Blogger, just like me!

Something to try when you're bored

As I write, it's 2 degrees! I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to complain to someone. I'm so weary of this cold. If it's not cold, it's freezing rain. If it's not freezing rain, it's a foot of snow coming down. *sigh*. Getting damn tired of this.

Oh well, enough whining, time to wake up a 2nd grader for school. Good day!

What fun, shopping is. I could write page after page on the wonders of shopping. I suppose it might be a bit estrogen-fueled, but I know plenty of men that enjoy a good shopping fix as much as women. And I know women that hate shopping too. Anyway, I digress.

One of the distracters of the whole experience, is those damn retailers. Well, not just any retailer. I guess I’m thinking more of the grocery store, drugstore type of set up. What bugs me is the rush. No, not the mental rush you get when you find a bargain, more the rushing of the ‘seasons’. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry when I see shelves crammed with red and pink heart adorned items - the week after Christmas!

The business of retail, is that. A business. I guess if they sell seasonal items, they have to have a seasonal section, and that section must be filled at all times with something, appropriate or not. It’s good to think ahead. I get that. But it reaches a point where it is all so silly. For example, the local grocery store is now festooned with shiny green garland, and emerald shamrocks. Don’t get me wrong, I’m mostly Irish, and I love St. Patrick’s Day, but it seems a little forced to me. How much can you build up this holiday, in a grocery store? Sure, you’ll want your brisket, some carrots, cabbage, and of course, potatoes. Beer and Jameson’s, are more Irish staples, and available 3 stores away. But that’s about it, and why the fuss? The owners of this grocery chain, are Greek to boot. So, if we’re going to get all snazzy for holidays, I wouldn’t mind seeing blue and white decorations on Greek Independence Day. For that matter, why not blue, white and red, on Bastille Day. That is, when the French are no longer on the merde list. Or some jammin’ reggae in the P.A. on Bob Marley’s Birthday. Now that’s shopping! Yah mon!

I was reading the insert that came with my new wrist brace, and came across an interesting medical condition, “Gamekeepers’ Thumb”. Uh huh, that’s right. Evidently, there must be some sort of occupational hazard relating to the keeping of game, and not what one would ordinarily consider. At first guess, I’d imagine being bitten by a wild ostrich or butted in the head by an angry ewe to be the normal injuries of game keeping. Well dear reader, I’m about to enlighten you.

According to an article written by Dr. Matthew Hannibal, MD; and Dr. Daniel Roger, MD; Gamekeeper’s thumb harks back to the 50’s. The article, published on the eMedicine web site states the following: “ as the gamekeepers sacrificed the rabbits by breaking their necks between the ground and their thumbs and index fingers. The thumb would be injured as a result of the valgus force on an abducted metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint. The ulnar collateral injury would result in instability accompanied by pain and weakness of the pinch grasp.”

Amazing. Wondering if I too, was a sufferer of Gamekeeper’s Thumb, I mulled over my activity of the last few months. First, I started with the way I killed rabbits. Had I been following in the tradition of those great Scotsmen of yore?, or did I just slit their little throats with those newfangled knife thingies. AH HA! Caught you! Trick question! I never killed a rabbit in my life! Ever! How could I look into those sweet little eyes and cap them? I don’t kill much of anything, not counting a few brain cells now and then. Yes, I’ve killed my share of bugs, usually out of the sight of my youngest son, who takes the stance that, “we’ve got to help him find his family”.

So, as I come back to reality, I do wonder how my wrist came to be so tender and sore. I’ve been told that sleeping the wrong way can produce tendonitis type issues. OK there’s the connection. We all count sheep, right? I bet, as I fall asleep, I’m counting sheep, goats, llamas, and… wabbits. Pesky one’s at that. AND, I bet I’m using my THUMB to count. I’m sure if I set up a video cam at night, it’ll film me jabbing the air with my left thumb, as I count. Mystery solved.

I guess I should mention that the article continues on to say that skiers sometimes suffer from the same injury. So - there I was in Valdez, Alaska, at the World Extreme Skiing Championship, waiting my turn …well, that’s a story for another day.

Soon, it will be February, and another Sweeps month is upon us. Ah, fresh episodes of our favorite shows. My husband and I are getting quite hooked on "24". Marie a killer? Who knew? Now, this is good TV. Very visceral stuff. That bathroom turned abattoir--shiver.

I have mentioned before, that I'm not fond of reality TV. Or, to put it more accurately, when I see a promo ad for a new show of that genre, I gag. Actually it's more of a full-body-dry-heave to quote Seinfeld. And the inevitable comments, OhmyGod that's so stupid! Or - Do they have absolutely NO pride? The premise's for these shows seem to get more and more bizarre. But no one seems to notice! So, this is why - when I was catching up on my Important Reading in TV Guide, I came across the article on the new Survivor season set in the Amazon. Since the start of this show, they have tried to at least be demographically correct. More than one gender, age group, sexual preference, race. So, when I see a mention of someone my age or older in these episodes, I take heart that all is not lost to the hard body/soft brain types running rampant in most reality TV. Course, I don't think someone older has won the big purse yet. Sigh.

But if I did that, joined one of those crews - it wouldn't be to win a gazillion dollars. Monetary compensation, of course, would be awesome, but I am not competitive enough to try for the big prize. Frankly, who needs the aggravation. I'd like to do it, just to see if I could keep up. Unfortunately I'm too vain to want the world to see me in that hot weather attire. If they set Survivor in a shopping mall, I'm there. I'd be a good team mate too, remember - I don't care about winning. So, I'd save my team-mates places in the check out lines or I'd advice them on the right accessories for a new dress or suit. An immunity challenge would be to find the best and legal parking spots closest to the main entrance. No problem. Get a delicious AND nutritious meal in the Food Court for under $5.00. Yes, I can do that. As I think about this, I realize I could probably do Amazing Race too. I don't think I've watched much of the show, but I get the gist of it. It's like a huge scavenger hunt around the world. Cool! No worries about getting alligator blood out of my sports bra. I'd just have to be able to read a subway map in another language. Easy! —eˆÕ ! Facile! Einfach!

And what makes things real anyway. In my way of thinking, once you add a camera and/or mic to the mix, it ceases to be real. I do believe that in some of those situations the contestants might begin to forget that they are being observed, and might get a little more honest and open than they initially intended. But real? If you think about it, it all starts to get a little... "if a tree falls in the woods" type rhetoric. You can even extend it to all those nature shows. Those gazelles running for their lives from the lion, would they really look so ...urgent, yet elegant, if the cams weren't running? I don't bloody think so.

-- Keeping it real in Dracut

Is it safe? (quick, what line is that from?) Anyway, the question still remains. Is it safe? Do I dare sneak back and post some more stuff after the prophecy of my last entry of Dec 7th? If you havn't read that one, go ahead, I'll wait. Ok, you back? Good, here we go.

After the threat of angry readers' retribution dies down, I'm thinking about this whole thing. Wondering what awesome power I must yield. I ask for a White Christmas, and what do we get... A VERY WHITE Christmas. A good 12" of White. [Disclaimer - the author realizes that she's not the only one who wished for snow, but for now, play along] So, what else could I wish for. Well, I was hankering for a new library and police station and...voila! Ok so I'm joking around, but isn't it fun to imagine something like that? To be able to wish for things, and have them come true? And not just stop at 3 wishes, that's for hacks. This should have to go on for quite a while. But as Cliff Robertson says in his role as Spiderman's Uncle Ben, "With great power, comes great reponsibility"

So, the fantasy wishing is almost the same as "What would I do if I won the Lottery?". I would like to hear what other's think. Let's cook up some good wishes for the new year.

Good Morning One and All:
I can't believe it's almost that time. 18 more days. And all this snow! We better have a White Christmas this year! Of course, the wise, sage part of me thinks... ssshhhhh, becareful what you wish for. We could end up with the hugest blizzard on record. I can hear the immortal voice of the narrator from "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"... "And then..... It Hit!" It would be huge. No present deliveries. No family coming for the holiday. All that food waiting.... which brings me to a thought.

We have SO much! The holiday's tend to bring out the need to overdo. Spend too much, eat too much, drink too much. And you all know this, but the wealth (and I use this word loosely) in our land is spread very inequitably. I'm not arguing against capitalism, just over-consumption. That's a fancy term for greed. I hate to see such differences of comfort in families, not just at this time of year, but always. In addition to a Sun Santa fund, maybe a SunYankeeDoodle Fund. Or a SunBunny(Easter) fund.
Enough of the soap box thing. I'm done. Just trying to give some food for thought. (no pun intended).

Stuff on My Mind


I plain just don’t get this one. The significance of sneakers looped over a power line. I don’t see any connection with a major holiday, such as egging a house for Halloween, or toilet papering someone’s tree’s for… well for whatever reason. I wonder if we research footwear, maybe there’ll be some strange historical trivia that’ll explain it all. Maybe someone thought a pair of Air Jordan’s were literally meant to fly through the air, and land on a phone line? But if they were Keds? What about Sketchers? I’ll need help on this one.

How about lead. Anyone who’s rented, purchased, sold, or lived in a dwelling has faced the ‘lead paint question’. I’m pretty sure I didn’t eat paint chips as a child, but evidently enough children did to make this an important issue in real estate. And rightly so, it’s been proven to cause some nasty things. Enough said. More recently, pediatricians are warning of candles made with lead wicks. Who knew? So, now I’ve gone through all my candles to ensure that they aren’t emitting lead into the air my family breathes. OK.
But in crystal, lead’s a good thing? Don’t get me wrong…if it’s pretty, I want it. But why is lead ok in stuff we drink out of, but not paint and wicks. No, I’m not asking for a chemist to answer this, it’s more of a rhetorical thing.

This one is just dumb. “All employees are required to wash hands before returning to work” Can you say “No Brainer”? But what keeps running through my mind is the unwritten part of this familiar sign. “But it’s cool for all you patrons/customers/clients to run willy-nilly through this place of business with germs aplenty on your person - Go for it!”

And this, just makes me mad. Some smart-a** parks their pretty new vehicle on a diagonal - taking up two (or more) parking spaces. Yes, we all know the pain of that first scratch or ding in a brand new car. One of those moments, less than stellar, that make up our lives: A cavity found during a dental check up, the dental check ups themselves, doing taxes, cleaning gutters, and - the first scratch. Everyone has to go through it. You try to avoid it, of course, but it’s like those taxes, it’s inevitable. So grow up already, and stop being so freakin’ selfish!

I’m wondering if this looks like I have too much time on my hands. No, just too much Stuff on My Mind. Till next time.

I have to post something that I received in Email. So, at the outset, let me say that I did not write this. But it is an example of how stupid and greedy people are. And that's just something I can't take.

"Unbelievable! These people deserved nada. Only the pain they sustained.

The Stella Awards

The "Stella" awards rank up there with the Darwin awards. Stella
Liebeck is the 81 year old lady who spilled coffee on herself and sued McDonalds.
This case inspired an annual award - The "Stella" Award - for the most
frivolous lawsuit in the U.S. The following are this year's candidates:

1. January 2000: Kathleen Robertson of Austin Texas was awarded
$780,000 by a jury of her peers after breaking her ankle tripping over a toddler who was running inside a furniture store. The owners of the store were understandably surprised at the verdict, considering the misbehaving child was Ms.Robertson's son.

2. June 1998: A 19 year old Carl Truman of Los Angeles won $74,000 and medical expenses when his neighbor ran over his hand with a Honda
Accord. Mr. Truman apparently didn't notice there was someone at the wheel of the car, when He was trying to steal his neighbor's hubcaps.

3. October 1998: A Terrence Dickson of Bristol, Pennsylvania was
leaving a house he had just finished robbing by way of the garage. He was not able to get the garage door to go up since the automatic door opener was malfunctioning. He couldn't re-enter the house because the door connecting the house and garage locked when he pulled it shut. The family was on vacation. Mr. Dickson found himself locked in the garage for eight days. He subsisted on a case of Pepsi he found, and a large bag of dry dog food. He sued the homeowner's insurance claiming the situation caused him undue mental anguish. The jury agreed to the tune of half a million dollars.

4. October 1999: Jerry Williams of Little Rock, Arkansas was awarded
$14,500 and medical expenses after being bitten on the buttocks by his
next door neighbor's beagle. The beagle was on a chain in it's owner's
fenced-in yard. The award was less than sought because the jury felt the dog might have been just a little provoked at the time by Mr. Williams who was shooting it repeatedly with a pellet gun.

5. May 2000: A Philadelphia restaurant was ordered to pay Amber Carson of Lancaster, Pennsylvania $113,500 after she slipped on a soft drink and broke her coccyx. The beverage was on the floor because Ms. Carson threw it at her boyfriend 30 seconds earlier during an argument.

6. December 1997: Kara Walton of Claymont, Delaware successfully sued the owner of a night club in a neighboring city when she fell from the bathroom window to the floor and knocked out her two front teeth. This occurred while Ms Walton was trying to sneak through the window in the ladies room to avoid paying the $3.50 cover charge. She was awarded $12,000 and dental expenses.

And the winner is:

Mr. Merv Grazinski of Oklahoma City.

In November 2000 Mr. Grazinski purchased a brand new 32 foot Winnebago motor home. On his first trip home, having joined the freeway, he set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly left the drivers seat to go into the back and make himself a cup of coffee. Not surprisingly the Winnie left the freeway, crashed and overturned. Mr. Grazinski sued Winnebago for not advising him in the handbook that he couldn't actually do this. He was awarded $1,750,000 plus a new Winnie. (Winniebago actually changed their handbooks on the basis of this court case, just in case there are any other complete morons buying their vehicles)"
Author Unknown

Signs of the Times

Driving through town, the signs are everywhere. You know what time of year it is not only by a calendar, or the weather, but by the signs.
“Dracut High School Craft Fair” This always promises a great shopping trip to find unique and reasonably priced items, plus catching up with friends you haven’t seen in a while.
“Hay Rides and Free Fudge” - The yells of “We want fudge!” drift over the fields as Pete drives the hay wagon of enthusiastic visitors at The Broken Wheel Farm.
“Fresh Holiday Eggnog” - You know you better get to Shaw Dairy Farm before the eggnog is gone, and don’t forget a quart of the best chocolate milk ever.
Some signs are as abundant and varied as masses of flowers. “Vote for Garry”, “Kerry in ‘02”, “Tucker for Senate”, “Tim for Treasurer”. There’s a stretch of Route 38 in Pelham, NH, that had dozens of campaign signs posted like merry wildflowers. And they were gone as quickly as they came.
Other signs are not as obvious, but are there if you know where to look. Driving past the Elm Turkey Farm last Saturday morning, I saw the row of pick-up trucks in the field next to the barn. On the other side of the building, the men were gearing up in aprons and large rubber boots. I know what time it is for the turkeys.
Too soon, there will be a line of cars on Broadway Road, waiting to get into the Post Office parking lot. A longer line still, will be streaming into the Pheasant Lane Mall parking lot. Not many will find parking spots easily.
The signs are there, it’s that time again. It all goes so quickly though, from soccer games, to homecoming dances, to Christmas caroling. When it’s over, and a long January is ahead, what do we look for then? Signs for “White Sales”, and "Tax Preparer"!

The Glory of Fall



Look up at the sky. Have you ever seen anything so beautiful? See that blue. Such an intense shade. It's so blue it hurts. Over there, that birch tree, white framed stark against sapphire. It's never looked so white before, has it?

Feel that carpet of leaves under your feet. The most colorful and abundant pattern set out for your walking pleasure. Some leaves are so bright, you wonder if they’re anticipating what they’ll become during a late afternoon bonfire. You can hear the fire in your mind. You can smell the smoke from three streets away.

You remember this morning? You thought you heard the angels giggling. You stepped out into a frosty glitter party. The grass was covered with sugar. You picked up a leaf, noticing how it sparkles in the sun. You realized people pay a lot of money for a bowl of fruit, with just this kind of look. Frosted fruit. And here, a whole lawn full of frosted leaves. Free.

A happy riot of sensations has infused our day, much like swarms of children on a chilly Halloween night. Fall begs for us to notice her beauty the way trick or treater’s beg for our candy.

Notice it all and enjoy the blessings and glory of Fall.

Check it out. I couldnt have said it better myself. *Smile*
Think About It