Mission Accomplished!

Yes, this one really was! (unlike you-know-who's)

We planted our garden today, AND we planted a new tree. 4 lettuce plants, 4 yellow banana peppers and a packet of carrots. Some sweet cherry tomatoes now reside in containers and a new dogwood tree is proudly standing tall, all 5 feet of her. She has several different varieties of blooms; solid cream, white with pink tips, solid pink. I absolutely love her! She is also the anchor for a new flower bed that I'm putting in this year.

Maybe I'll post pics tomorrow. Hubby & I are going to his sister and bro-in-law's house to finally see Return of the King. Grandma and Grandpa are going to take Sunfish and her slightly older cousin for a few hours so the adults can watch the extended version on the wide screen tv. I'm bringing my infamous taco dip and my newest find, a cold asian chicken salad. I'll make them first thing in the morning.

Okay, watching the All Star Race and last weeks deparate housewives (on tape). I cannot deal with another form of media. Signing off...

Friday night...

Not much to do. Sunfish is watching a movie. Mr. Independent is at work. Hubby & GeWyPIE (formerly known as Girl-With-Phone-In-Ear) are at the high school Spring Concert. Next year we should be able to get Sunfish through 2 hours of chorus & band, but certainly not now.

I just got caught up on the news and now, I'm bored. Another night of blogrolling? I'm sure I'll get there, but the sun is still out and my pansies are in full bloom, so I'm going to stroll around the yard... maybe even rock on the back porch swing for a few minutes.

I'll catch up with you all later...

I repeat... Where's the retraction?

Well?

They got their's. But I'm still waiting for mine!

I feel so violated!

I've had a rough couple of days. If you've read any of my recent posts, you know. I'm just starting to get back to "normal" after being extremely exhausted; mentally, physically and emotionally. Today was the first day I functioned with anything close to clarity.

And then it happened... I opened the invite to the family reunion. I was informed that it was "something else" by my sister-in-law when I saw her over the weekend. She said that she thought it was a joke and that I had to read it. This did not prepare me for what I was about to read. This is the actual text:

[all names have been changed to protect the dead and the sane]

"Dear Expectant Relative,

A monumental, friendly, cataclysmic event is scheduled to take place on July 23, 2005. This event pales into insignificance in the light of the fast approaching rapture of His Church and the return of Christ for His Bride. A wedding will take preeminence over a reunion, (Even the long awaited Moron Reunion) any day. You are invited to BOTH events. However only the latter has a known, herein publicized date.

The first wedding invitations went out over 2000 years ago. They are still being issued. There is no expiration date on then, as the bride doesn't know exactly when the Groom will return. She has to be ready 24/7. Should the Groom return before the reunion, we will host the Moron Reunion in the Throne Room of the King. What a reunion that will be. It'll be like old times with Rudolph, Marie, Adolph, Robert and others we know who have gone on before and are cheering us on.

Should the Groom tarry and you can grace our humble abode, bring your 2 favorite dishes, meat and drive and tableware will be provided."

It went on to provide directions and there was a request to stay as long as you like. The closing was "Because of Him."

I believe my mouth was hanging open by the end of the second sentence. I just couldn't believe what I was reading. After a flash of memories of the people named in the second paragraph, I knew I had to respond. My recollections of those named individuals provide a completely different impression.

So I've drafted a letter. There are so many more things I can add and points I can make, but I'm worried that they'd just toss the letter aside with a flick without absorbing my most important point... tolerance and respect.

Here's what I've written. Go ahead and put in your two cents.

"Man and Wife:

Sadly, for many years I have been unable to attend the Moron family reunion. It is an event that I had always intended to get to.

Unfortunately, after reading your invite I am asking that you please remove our names and address from the mailing list for the Moron family reunion. My entire family is deeply offended by the opening paragraphs of the invite and your presumption that we share the theology you so readily espoused.

While I understand you find joy in your beliefs, I also expect that you would have realized and understood that not everyone holds those same beliefs, and then use that knowledge when creating and sending invitations for an event that could be attended by a wide range of individuals.

There are many branches on the Moron family tree. I certainly envisioned them to be more progressive and broad-minded than what your invite portrays.

With best wishes for you and your family,
Weenus"

Tributes

Richard King
(as written by his brother, my Uncle Dave)

Fellow friends,

As many of you may know, last Thursday my older brother Richard suffered an aortic aneurism. He went thru open heart surgery at St. Vincent's hospital on Thursday night/Friday morning. Since that time he suffered numerous strokes. On Tuesday afternoon, life support measures were removed due to the damage that the strokes had caused. He lost his battle with life at approximately 10:30 p.m. last night........

Dick was a very avid fisherman and had spent many years in Florida catching lunker bass and thousands of pan fish. Other than family, fishing was his love of life. My dad, George had a fishing tackle shop and made fishing rods in the 1950's. He too also died of heart problems in 1958 when I was 5 years old. I guess fishing doesn't cure all your heart aches... Dick really enjoyed to fish with "Brownie, Bill, George, and other friends" each week at Wawasee... the guys would then hang at Jim’s tackle shop and tell those infamous "caught the big one lies."

As I sit here teary-eyed, I guess I am sending out this e-mail as a tribute to my dad and brother for which I know are catching the really "big ones" together now. I know this is top-8 weekend... for which I know Dick would tell me to go to if he could. Mary, his wife said to go because if I didn't, Dick would be upset. I will be attending this week-end as a tribute to my dad and brother... so if I am quiet and reserved this week-end, please understand........



Barbara J. Graham
Born in Manhattan on Aug. 25, 1950, daughter of the late Richard and Marion Littauer Graham, she was a graduate of New York's High School of Music and Art and the State University of New York at Albany. She held a master of science degree from Columbia University Teachers College.

She moved to Scranton in 1975 to work as an audiologist at the Scranton State School for the Deaf, where she remained until her recent retirement. She was renowned throughout the area for her ability to test children, and was instrumental in writing a grant for laptop computers to be used in the Parent/Infant program, to enable families of newly diagnosed deaf infants to learn sign language.

Her many community activities included the board of the Scranton Council for Literacy Advance, Friends of the Weinberg Library, Hearing-Impaired United Public Supporters, Scranton State School for the Deaf PSO, SSSD Superintendent's Search Committee, PA Society for the Advancement of the Deaf, and various committees on audiology and deafness for the departments of Health and Education. She received the state Department of Education's 1987 Employee of the Year award.

She was also co-chairwoman of the Women's Campaign for the Jewish Federation, plus a member of its allocations and shalom committees and board of directors. She was a life member of Hadassah. As president of Temple Hesed, she served as the congregational representative at the Union for Reform Judaism's Pennsylvania Regional Council. At the Jewish Community Center, she chaired the Yom HaShoah program and served on the Sunday Simchat series committee, as well as lending her considerable artistic talents to many programs and events. On June 19, she will be posthumously honored as the 2005 recipient of the JCC's Woman of the Year Award.

She was noted for her quick wit and her willingness to help those in need. She was especially adept at befriending children of all ages and entertaining them with her artwork and paper roses.

She will be greatly missed by her many close friends, who were all a part of her extended family.

Sadness is the rule of the day

Within the past 36 hours my mother has lost both her brother and her best friend. The first was unexpected, the second was a culmination of a several month decline.

I'll be spending the next few days with her and offering whatever comfort I can.

Where's the headlines?

Media minions asleep at the wheel again. I've only seen this story online, and not at the "major news sites."
Soldier lifts lid on Camp Delta
For the first time, an army insider blows the whistle on human rights abuses at Guantánamo

Quite the contrary. CNN.com has a link to a Time.com story:
Can This Man Help Capture bin Laden?
The arrest of al-Qaeda's No. 3 raises hopes of a breakthrough in the fruitless hunt for his boss

I agree with the headline on Just a Bump in the Beltway:
OFF THE RADAR

So where's the retraction?

The administration and their media minions reported, nay, advertised that they got the #3 man, Abu Faraj al-Libbi . The facts show however, that he is just an agent among the flotsam and jetsam of Al-Qaeda network.

Worse yet, there's no correction, no retraction... just silence.

So much for truth in advertising... or government.

Never-ending...

Looky what I found at WWdN:

calendar/clock

This is just way cool.

Fucking funny...

mycroftdavis has posted a bit of fun....

The FCC is ruling that the "F-word" will be acceptable language on public television and radio as long as it does not refer to the actual sexual act. Therefore we must ask ourselves, When is fuck Acceptable? There are only eleven times in history where the "F" word has been considered acceptable for use. They are as follows:

11. "What the fuck do you mean we are sinking?" Capt. E.J. Smith of RMS Titanic, 1912

10. "What the fuck was that?" Mayor Of Hiroshima, 1945

9. "Where did all those fucking Indians come from?" General George Custer, 1877

8. "Any fucking idiot could understand that." Einstein, 1938

7. "It does so fucking look like her!" Picasso, 1926

6. "How the fuck did you work that out?" Pythagorus, 126 BC

5. "You want WHAT? On the fucking ceiling?" Michelangelo, 1566

4. "Where the fuck are we?" Amelia Earhart, 1937

3. "Scattered fucking showers, my ass!" Noah, 4314 BC

2. "Au c'mon. Who the fuck is going to find out?" Bill Clinton, 1999

and a drum roll ........... !!!!!!!!!! .......... !!!!!!!!

1. "Geez, I didn't think they'd get this fucking mad." Sadaam Hussein, 2003

-------------

Can you think of any others?

Unknown stories

While trolling through my blogroll I ran across Joz's To Late for Justice post. I had never heard the story of Vincent Chin and was thoroughly saddened by the extent of the injustice.

I had a conversation with my teenage son (aka Mr. Independent) yesterday about some trouble he got into at school on Thursday. He and several others were talking in class and when the teacher requested them to stop talking, they talked back that they were discussing missed assignments. Apparently since the subject of their sidebar conversation was school work, they felt it was okay to disrespect the teacher by talking while she was instructing the class. Mr. Independent ended up with a detention since he threw a little of his famous "attitude" at the teacher.

As typical with cornered children, at one point he resorted to "But I wasn't the only one doing it!"

To which I replied, "I never said life was fair. In fact, life if unfair. Get over it."

But with Chin's story I am slapped back into reality as there is unfairness that one cannot get over.

WMD error

I nearly pissed my pants with I jumped into this site (thanks to dr. jimmy). I'm sure many have seen it by now, but it's still funny even if it's a repeat.

dr. jimmy is new to the blog scene, and he's has many differing opinions compared to those on my blog roll, but he's a long time friend and a good guy (really, I'm not joking there). I'm sure you'll see a lot of debate between him and mycroftdavis. So stay tuned...

Don't break out the syrup yet

Yesterday Guy Andrew Hall posted (Makes Sense) about the back door politics occurring at the hands of the current administration, specifically "the desperate attack against the Judiciary and the push to make a specific law/constitutional amendment defining marriage."

I couldn't agree more. Hubby and I have discussed innumerable times how The Court and it's true purpose are in jeopardy. In fact, it was one of the three main points of our discussions with anyone who wanted to engage in conversations/debates during the past election.

The cohorts/advisors of the current presidency are attempting to flip The Court like a big fat pancake, in order to side-step the Bill of Rights. On a daily basis I question the logic of those who are sitting at the table, knife and fork in hand, napkin tucked neatly in their collar, waiting for the pancake to be turned and considered "done" so that they can start carving. How could they not see that their vehemence about same-sex marriage is in directly violation of the 1st amendment? What exactly does the presidential oath of office ["I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."] mean to W and can we try him for perjury?

It all makes me want to tilt my head back and scream "AAUGH!" like Schroeder when exasperated by another advance from Lucy. I can only hope that Guy is correct...that the bulb is about to burn out.
Someone, please tell me where I need to go and what I need to flick to get the filament to just break already!!

btw...for those interested...the other two points were Education & Environment.

4 - 0

WO-HOO!!

The final score was 4 - 0. The high school girls varsity soccer team, of which my teenage daughter (a.k.a. Girl-With-Phone-In-Ear) is the 2nd string goalie, has finally captured their first earned victory! Not just of the season, but of the entire history of the program. They're in their 3rd season and it's been a long 3 years.

They had a victory credited earlier this season which they gained through a forfeit created by the opposing team's coaches (who couldn't keep their tempers in check and were thrown out of the stadium). While it was a tick in the Win column, the players wanted to have one that they earned through their play.

It was all very exciting. These girls have worked so hard. More than 1/2 of the starting varsity are sophomores (as is G-W-P-I-E) who have been playing together, starting in the youth program, for 6 years. They play well, and are consistently improving, but they weren't able to bring it home until today.

It was joyous to watch their celebration.

31 days...

Thirty-one days to the big day...my surgery. I'm not nervous yet, but the implications are starting to occur to me more and more often. I won't be able to raise my arms, carry in the groceries, hug my Sunfish. I won't be able to sleep lying down for a few days. But the payoff will be great...no more neck and shoulder pain. Plus, I get 3 weeks off work to recover.

I will also be using the surgery as a kickoff to a change in lifestyle...better nutrition, more exercise... "Fit before I'm Forty" is my new slogan.

But still...at times all I can say is "eek."