Good Morning America , What a Great American Morning

Is this a great country or what? Where else can we have George Bush taking a trip and Britney Spears on GMA! As I nearly spewed my coffee,there's the shot of Britney visiting a group of young girls. While I'm not a fan, the pre-teen girls enjoyed her visit. Most of what I've seen Ms Spears do, I think, could be done around a pole in a strip club. Just think, young girls learning moves the late "Candy Bar" did. Frightening! Think I'll see what's on Fox News. Hey, Tiki Barber is co hosting the early Fox News show. I think he has a future in broadcasting, really. He holds his own very well, and appears interested in what is being discussed.

Everybody remembers that NBC cancelled "The Book of Daniel" after only a few episodes. Does anyone remember the highly hyped show that ABC pulled after one episode or why they pulled it?

How do you measure the intelligence of a quarterback. Funny, how fast the story about Vince Young got around. Some people are saying that his new agents and advisors did not prepare him for the Wonderlic intelligence test. Apparently the NFL, at the combine, used this test on the future players in addition to all the physical tests. Wildfires erupted when it was said that Young only scored a 6 on the 50 question test. Most of the guys scored 14-16 and quarterbacks in the past have usually scored near 20. Charley Casserly, Texans GM was quick to say the score was erroneous. Wonder what his score would be. Of course most of these NFL hopefuls take the test more than once. Too bad somebody didnt tell Young.

Roger Clemens again warmed up by pitching to the Astros' minor league, including his son, Koby. Koby took Roger for a homer on the first pitch, so Roger repaid him by buzzing the younger Clemens high and inside next time up. Sounds like such fun.

So as the morning erupts, I escort Daisy and Lady on their rounds. The birds are glaringly loud, demanding to be fed. Hey, you guys need to chase that squirrel off your feeder, not me! Yipee, I see that the weed and feed stuff is begining to work. Some of the weeds are already dying off.

The musical "Oklahoma" had a song "Oh, what a beautiful morning" in it. Just think about today...Britney Spears on Good Morning America and later the President gears up to visit the Middle East. Oh, and don't forget the Supreme Court of the United States will hear the ex-playmate Anna Nicole Smith's case against her late husband's estate. Wonder what she'll wear? A day with two blonds and a boob can't be all bad, can it? You figure out which one is the boob. Maybe they all are?

Can I Go Back to Bed, Now, Maybe I Shouldn't have Gotten Up!

Sometimes I gotta wonder how some people manage to always have a positive life. Actually, I'd like to smack them! I'm "so glad" my neighbor finally took the time out of his busy day to stand at the back of his yard and nail 2 boards up to fix the hole in the fence. Wow, it took all of five minutes. Of course he now has re-chained his dog to the tree...This fence wont last too much longer. That's one thing I can't really do anything about. We discovered that the bee family has grown even bigger inside the house siding. I'll be sending a letter with the rent to my landlord.

We are a little bummed out these days. Tax time is fast approaching. I hate to give money to Uncle Sam, he always mis-uses it. I'm still trying to figure out how Mr. Bush's programs are helping the self employed. Even with deductions we still have to pay that wonderfull "Self-Employment" tax.

We have just about decided to see if we can find someplace else to live. We left a second floor apt in a fourplex with no garage and no yard because they were raising the rent. We figured why pay that much on an apt when we could rent a house for the same. Well we made some mistakes. Havent we all. We rented this house on the assumption we would clean out at least on storage building and downsize the other since we could put stuff here. Things kept getting put off and for one reason or another we always seemed to have to spend more money than we have. Imagine that! And we dont use credit cards! After discussing all the problems we have discovered since being here, we dont have much choice. There are just too many problems. Some small, some large, but we can't do it all. When we moved here we thought it would be good because of the yard and extra room when all the family is here. Seemed that when we were living on the second floor, people were always visiting. Now they rarely do. Too busy, too far, too whatever. So, we are looking to downsize both in price and size. Sorry kids, you don't come round enough to merit staying here, it costs too much. So now we have to go house hunting again. Part of me is excited, part of me dreads it. Sleeplessness abounds. Every waking moment brings more questions.

Too bad I can't just wiggle my nose and change things. Where is Samantha when you need her? Can I go back to bed now? Nope, gotta finish the laundry, walk at least one dog, sweep the floors. How does so much from outside endup inside? What's for supper? Is it time to go to bed yet? Some days it just doesn't pay...

Method Acting 101

Let's see, what part will I play today? Going with my feelings, hum. I could be a hamster on a wheel going round and round and round to nowhere. After all, someone once said blessed are those who go in circles, for they shall be called wheels. That's kind of the way I'm feeling. How like an acting class. Walking the dog around the back yard. Around and around...I've heard some obsessive people have certain habits they do over and over. Lady McBeth kept washing her hands. I keep walking in circles waiting for Daisy to do something. Not exactly like "Waiting for Godot" here just waiting for a little poop and pee. Sigh, and I had so much more to say. But, I must get back on the wheel just like the hamster. If I go around enough times, maybe I'll get a reward. Right. Or I could play the "Mash" character Cpl Klinger doing sentry duty in a dress and high heels
around and around. What is the password again? I just dont plan on sentry duty in a dress and high heels in my back yard. Just thinking about that picture is more than I can handle. On the other hand an Emmy would be nice. What do you mean this isn't going to be on TV. But, I've already written my acceptance speech. I was going to thank all the dogs who went before me. Well, at least Daisy. Are you done yet, Daisy? Round and round we go...all the world is a stage, there are no small parts, just small actors. I gotta get a better agent. Walking the dog around like this is not helping me. And just who was that idiot who said Brando was a method actor? Is he playing the part of the tree? Hurry up, Daisy, I'm getting dizzy. Guard duty anyone?

The Long and Short of a Dog's Eye View

Daisy has found a whole new playground since the yard was mowed. She now doesn't have to walk under the weeds. When it's wet outside, she doesn't have water dripping on to her back. Crane flies are now one of her favorite targets. They had been hiding in the high vegetation. Now they are flying around free, looking for places to hide. Daisy thinks this is great fun. But, another one of her targets, bees, have moved to higer areas. Daisy never caught one, what a surprise that would have been. After weed-eating around the fenceline, she has discovered new places to stick her nose. She also, for some unknown reason has discovered that birds sit in the trees and sing. She seemed amazed at the Cardinal's song. Even though some trees are still leafless, others are budding, and this,too, fascinates her. Every sound seems amplified as she cocks her ears at each different one. Being so low to the ground, everything from ants to ginkos catch her interest. Just imagine how you would look at the world if you were less than a foot tall. I'd hate to have to tell her, though, that she'll never catch the planes or helicopters that fly overhead. I don't want to burst her bubble! But really Daisy, how many times must you smell the ground? Sure, you are close to it, but that stuff you keep sniffing will be there tommorrow. She hasn't discovered the squirrels, yet. She is still looking for her pal who disappeared. Whenever we go outside the first place she looks is next door. Can't have everything.

Holy Cow, There's Grass Back There!

Wow, we finally got our yard mowed! With weather and work never seeming to cooperate it's been nearly impossible to mow the yard. Yesterday my son came over to get it started. Must be nice to have muscle. Our back yard had turned into a jungle. When the grass is in peak growing mode it gets so thick it's hard to mow. With the clover, dandelions and other weeds as tall as they had grown, the dogs walked under or around them. Now they can walk the back yard with renewed zeal. It does seem to improve my mood, now that I have a yard again, instead of the jungle.It was getting a little hard for Lady and Daisy to find a good spot for their business. Next step is to start treating the yard with fertilizer/weed killer. Now, if the landlord would just fix the fence.

On another note, my neighbor took his dog off the chain. However, I don't think this was a result of the advice of the animal protection people. Haven't seen the dog, but another neighbor said he saw the dog running loose in the neighborhood. So much for trying to help the animal. Hopefully somebody will find and take care of him.

On yet another note, green grass reminds me... Spring Training is here! Go 'Stros!

Just Try To Buy American

America is being sold down the river and nobody cares. With the controversy about the UAE deal to take over the ports what else is new? I can remember years ago Goodyear ran a commercial touting the pride they had in their product. The tagline spoken was something like "we are so proud of our product that we sign our name to it". Let's see that now. I remember when WalMart proudly said that they saved America money by selling quality products made in America. Seen anything made in Amaerica in WalMart lately? It wasn't that long ago we were astonished to hear that the Japanese were buying prime real estate in the good old USA. We got all huffy over this. Our country has changed a lot in less than 50 years. What happened to the steel industry? Maybe the team should not be called the Steelers anymore. The texile industry has disappeared. Try calling Customer Service with almost any company and you will probably be routed to some place in India. Here in Houston most of the motels being built these days are owned by Indians. Convenience stores are frequently owned and run by Pakistani or Viet or Chinese. Make no mistake these are all American citizens. A lot of construction work in the area is done by Hispanic (many legal residents, others not). Funny how people in New Orleans gripe about "Mexicans" are taking all the work of the rebuilding. Go to a car dealership and look at the sticker on the window of any vehicle. Don't just look at the price or the milage. Look at where the parts were made and where things were assembled.

All of the things mentioned, should make us think a little harder about what our country has become. We really are a melting pot of various people, cultures and businesses. The future control of some of our largest ports just brings into question, why we have let this happen.How come there is no American company willing to take on the task of port management of American ports? Is it too expensive? Are we incapable of managing our own business?

Then of course Radio Shack is reeling under the news that their CEO lied about his qualifications. This is nothing new. The numbers of people padding resumes is growing and there are not enough people to check these facts. It did not stop the company from giving him a $1,000,000 (small by some standards) severance package.

We have become lazy. We are more interested in arguing which political party is right and who hand is in whose pocket. We pound our collective chests with pride during sports events, but we don't seem to care that our country is being bought, and run not by us but by outsiders. We need to pay attention. Now, this is just my opinion, but having dealt many of these "different" people,the "good old American" way is about to be a thing of the past. Now, let me go make some coffee in my not made in America coffee pot,find a clean un-American made shirt, turn on my made in China printer, and watch my Korean made TV. Later, I'll run an errand in my car which was assembled in places like Canada, Korea, and Mexico.

Tony Parker, Your Young Fans Need the Truth

All-Star Basketball week-end is here. The celebs are here to party and to be seen. It's good for Houston, but it is good for everybody? I dont care one way or the other but children idolize the players and stars that come for all the fun and so on. I was disappointed though in one of the players . Tony Parker (and Eva Longoria) are here. When "stars" commit to something involving kids they need to really try to keep their promises. Now I realize sometimes things dont work out, but sometimes things are a little shaky. Tony Parker kept a group of about 200 kids waiting for him. He was apparently supposed to do the meet/greet and shoot a few hoops with the kids. But he was, according to his spokesman, "too tired" and skipped out on them. These kids waited patiently for a couple of hours to see him. He was not "too tired" to go to a press conference. I can only assume , if he was so tired, after the presser, he went to his hotel and got some sleep. Cough, Cough, what was Eva doing? Kids are impressionable. Maybe they dont care about kids in France. I just think this was rude. But, then again what else is new. No wonder the image of the NBA is not the greatest. Come on, Tony, were you so tired you couldnt stop by and at least say hello to your fans?

Ho-Hum

This is the time of year I find a little boring. Football is over and baseball spring training hasn't really begun yet. I don't follow basketball, although when I am occasionally given a pair of tickets to the Rockets I go. Right now, it's kind of limbo. Jeff Van Gundy is still trying to find a working combination. Gary Kubiak introduced his coaching staff yesterday. Mick Sherman has been named assistant Head Coach. I thought he wanted to be a head coach. No-one will say how or what changes they expect to make to the Texans. The Astros really are still sleeping. Nothing is being said about Clemens or Bagwell. Of course sports writers who are now making their predictions don't include the Astros as a winner of anything. The Olympics bore me. The other networks aren't really showing much, trying to save the ratings games I guess. The weather can't even make up it's mind. Today 80 tomorrow 50. One day winter, one day spring.

Ho-hum, even the laundry is boring. Maybe I'll go outside and watch the weeds grow. Or maybe I'll just go take a nap. After all Daisy and Lady are snoozing on the couch. And naturally, the minute I get up the fight will start. Even Astro is quiet.

I Saw What You Did

I am watching you. I heard the yelping yesterday. I looked out my window and I saw what you did to your dog. You made me angry. You have your dog chained up and yet you punished him at 7:30 in the morning by hitting him in the head with a stick that was longer than a bat (more like four to five feet long). Why? He doesn't deserve that. The reason he gets in trouble is you. First you let him wander the neighborhood until people complained. So then you chained him to the tree next to my fence. He is tearing up your back yard (and my fence) because he is bored. You pay no attention to him. Sure to take him some food and water twice a day. What else do you do for him? Do you play with him? Do you exercise him? No. I don't understand you. He just wants your love. Why don't you have him neutered? Better yet, why don't you give him to someone who would appreciate him? It's not his fault. Sure, he has made me mad because he tears up the fence and wants to get with all the female dogs in heat. Pay attention. I know you left him chained to that tree during Rita. I told my husband, if things got really bad, I was going to go through the fence and free him myself. Please don't hit him again. I am watching. Keep it up and you will be getting a call from the Animal Cops Houston. I have a camera and I have a cell phone with a camera. I don't want any trouble from you. Please don't hurt your dog again. I will protect your dog. Someone had to because you don't care about him. I'm on to you now, I will be paying attention to every noise and every movement.

And He's How Old?

Fathers beware of daughters who say "I'll come by to visit". We had a nice visit with Jimmy's daughter this week-end. We went to lunch at a Mexican food place. So, in the middle of the conversation Amanda says, "well, Daddy, I'm seeing someone." Her tone of voice caught her father off-guard. "He's 38". Sucked the cheeze right off the enchilada with that statement. Not to mention the air out of the room. Even though Amanda has been living on her own for a couple of years now, it was still a shock to learn your 22 year old daughter is dating a 38 year old man. After a lot of ums, ahs, and cigarette drags, the questions began. Divorced, eight year old son, works in the same store with her but not in same department. Makes good money and has good credit. So... as I said "Well, Amanda, you've always had an old soul". What's a father supposed to say? After all he's 47. Keeping it light he started with the "older man" jokes. In the back of his mind, the wheels are turning. Well, this was un-expected to say the least. How old is he, again? I say something about taking her time with this and dont make any quick decisions. I'm wondering if we have enough tums at the house for this. Might have a little heart-burn. Remembered the old movie line something close to "fasten your seat-belts, it's gonna be a bumpy ride". And he's HOW old?

Need a Joke?

The polls are down, the wife is out of town. George can relax. Oops, breaking news, Cheney shoots Quail, not wait it's a lawyer. Now there is a week's worth of jokes for Letterman and Leno etc. Thank goodness he is ok. It could have been much worse. Hunter safety courses will be in demand now. What would have happened had his friend been killed? Happens a lot. When I was in high school the town mayor lived behind us. His younger son accidently shot his friend while hunting. The result was tragic.

But all seriousness aside, this is going to be good...right now we could all use a laugh. But why did it have to be in Texas?

Then, of course, why did they wait 24 hours to say anything? So the hospital and the Armstrong Ranch could get their stories ready? I can just see some of the questions. How many pellets are in the face? Any in the butt? Are these standard size? The hunters were wearing orange vests, right? Why couldn't Cheney shot himself in the foot? After all he is SO good at shooting off his mouth. Sorry, couldnt help myself. It's gonna be a long week.

Let's Be Positive Out There

Husband put the new battery in the car. So, yesterday I had to run an errand. With trepidation I start up and go. Make it back home ok. But, I guess now wehave to get a new alternator cause I notice the battery gauge kept going down. Nuts! Alternators for Trans Ams aren't cheap. At least it would be easy to change out since it sits right on top. Ever looked at how they cram stuff around the engine? I guess it could be worse. Could be hidden under stuff.

My neighbor got a couple of boards out to fix the hole his dog created in the fence. Wonder what he is waiting on, inspiration? He's got them leaning up against the fence. Guess he has to find his hammer and nails. My 10 year old granddaughter could get it done faster, and she doesnt live in Houston!

Now that my dianthus are happily blooming along, we are expecting a hard freeze this week-end. Naturally. I even have a couple of tomato plants that came up in a pot from last year's left overs. There is even a pot of Texas Blue Bonnets growing nicely. At least we wont have snow or ice.

I positively hate those Sonic commercials...positively love Dancing with the Stars.

It is supposed to start pouring down rain any minute now. Such fun. Don't look forward to taking Daisy out in the rain to do her business. She is getting better at walking on a leash, tho.

I'm looking forward to the week-end. Probably wont get done anything that needs to be done. We need to clean out one of the storage buildings. Not much left in it, but we are still paying $100/month for it. And we need to mow the grass, no make that the weeds. They are getting thick and the rain today will just make them worse. Maybe we can at least get those two things done. Now that's really positive thinking!

I keep saying to myself, "it's going to get better, it's going to get better". Am I convinced,yet? Uh... Think positive thoughts...

Let's be positive out there. Tinkerbell needs our help.

Man, Why Didn't I go There?

Well, somebody in Houston is waking up rich. Unfortunately not me. What would I do with 60 million dollars? What would I do with a million?. Sigh. Back to the grind, since we didnt win husband had to go to work... Maybe I live in the wrong neighborhood. Course if I moved someone from this neighborhood would win. My husband's cousin won $12,000,000 a few years ago. That was before you could choose cash option or 20 year pay out. Apparently the payout isn't always the best option. They have to plan ahead and decide what they can live on for the entire year. Apparently the tax issues create a lot of problems. I'd take cash option. But it is a moot point. I gotta win first, right!

Well, so much for getting rich. I need to get the hamburger meat out for supper. Husband put a new battery in the car. Keeping my fingers crossed. Gotta go out in a little while. No point in going to the store where the winning ticket was sold. I don't need to go there, I'm rich in spirit! Now which one do I pick Vodka, gin...

Out of Perfection and Down to Earth

I've been thinking (now that's scary) about the "raising a bastard" child statement made by the mother to her pregnant daughter. I just can't get it out of my head. My first reaction was to feel a little vindicated and evil. After all Amy (the mother) is, in my opinion, a holier than thou, I'm going to Heaven and you're not type. She is a Creationist hard-line Bible thumper type. The times I have spent around her I always felt I had to be watchful of what I said or did. Not wanting to insult or demean her I tried to watch my language, didnt drink and because I dont agree with her religious attitudes I avoided certain topics. We even didnt watch some tv topics cause she disagreed with the content. Couldn't even discuss a National Geographic "missing link" evolution show because she disagreed with it. So naturally my first thought was a little smug. After all, the entire time I have known the daughter I felt she would be the one to break the ties and do her own thing. She always went to the beat of a different drummer. But, I realized spiteful, I should not feel. I was reminded of my own daughter who did not have the courage to tell me she was pregnant. It wasn't hard to figure out, duh. My daughter was 19 when she was railroaded out of college and into marriage and motherhood by a family who did not want the "disgrace" of an out of wedlock child.

I can only hope that Amy will realize that shaming her daughter into something she does not want will ultimately fail. I actually fee proud that the girl wants to raise the child herself. Shame and bitterness is not the Christian way. Now is the time Amy needs to call upon her religion to aid and comfort her and her daughter. Back off Amy, compassion is the key here. No body is perfect. Mother/daughter ties break too easily. Pushing issues can and frequently do backfire. Trust me, I know.

Funny how I wanted to shake my finger and say "serves you right", Amy. I realize I cannot take any perverse joy in this (Oh, how I want to). I'm going to take the high road and hope for the best for all of them.

In Other News

The El Paso kids are no more, having moved to Brownwood this weekend. With excitment in her voice Annie called to tell me they found a 2 bedroom house to rent in Brownwood. They moved over the week-end. Jason started his job yesterday. I hope he will get along with his co-workers since he tends to be a know-it-all. I have not heard so much relief and happiness in Annie's voice in a long time. I know she's glad to be away from her MIL. Now they will truly be on their own. Their future is truly theirs without interference from inlaws. I wish them the best.

Annie told me that Jason's younger sister who is in her early 2o's is pregnant, but doesn't intend to marry the father. Her mother in true fashion(you just have to know this woman to understand)asked her if she was going to raise the child as a bastard or would she get married. So much for the Christian in Christian Conservative... I've always been on the girl's side. I wish her the best.

Lastly, the worst kept secret of the family has been finally exposed for all to see. The Aransas Pass family have moved to Waco. Though Bobby spoke of the possibity during the Thanksgiving visit in Cameron, Traci kept it a deep, dark secret from those of us unimportant people. Seemed as if her "Lep" and blog buddies knew more than her family. Oh well. Funny they also moved over the week-end. Wonder when she'll let us know her new phone number and address. After all I still have Christmas presents waiting here since she was supposed to "visit" the day after Christmas. I've already gotten Annie's new info. This should be yet another interesting saga...

Now, I'm off for another cup of coffee. That is if Daisy will leave me alone long enough to go to the kitchen.

I'm Officially Irritated Now.

The funniest thing about this weekend was the fact that ABC used the 5 second delay to change the sexually explicit lyrics out of the Stones... Could not make out what they were singing anyway but they did.

So I let Daisy out Friday morning. She does her usual thing run around bark.. Then I dont hear her. For some reason,something told me to go downstairs and check on her. Go out to the back yard, cant find her! Well, the little brat has escaped into the next door neighbor's yard. This is the same yard with the tree that drops all it's leaves in my yard and has the big "lover" male dog that they have chained to that tree next to my fence. I have spent a lot of time trying to block the holes created by that dog. So I spy little Daisy running to her heart's content in that yard. I wonder what my blood pressure was at that point. As I slithered through the fence in an effort to capture my wayward dog, she runs into the yard behind. This has holes in it thanks to guess who, the big dog! Naturally, as I look like a fool, chasing my dog through two yards Daisy stays just out of my reach. The more she runs the madder I get. I was waiting for some one to run outside with a gun and start shooting at me.

Finally, I capture the little brat dog. Spanked her butt. Like that really did any good! Furious does not describe what I was feeling. Why my neighbor had to chain his dog up to the tree that is so close to the fence. They do not do anything with that dog except feed and water it. I guess the dog gets bored and chews on the fence for something to do. You'd think they'd see the holes and broken slats their dog has created. Of course, after chasing Daisy through the yard, I could not help but notice how full of junk and trash their yard is.

The neighbor on the other side had 2 pit bulls. He apparently breeds them. And of nosey Daisy has to bark at them too.

So,now I am forced to walk Daisy on a leash in my own back yard! Since she is still puppyish, she wants to go out about every 2 hours! The rest of the time she spends circling the den, over and over because she wants to go out and be nosey. I also have to go out with the Grand Dame,Lady, but she is old and doesn't move fast any more. But, I can't take the chance that Lady might get loose too. That probably wont happen cause Lady is lazy. But I am really ticked that I have to do this now. I didn't create this problem. I'm not going to pay to fix the fence either. The land lord is supposed to replace it. But, like everything else, nothing has been done.

I'm officially irritated now. Actually I am running rapidly out of patience. I could move from pleasant to bitch in less time than it takes for a gnat to blink!


P.S. I only thought I was irritated. I'm REALLY irritated now. Just went to WalMart do get an errand done only to discover my battery dead when I get back in my car! Got it jumped so I could get home. With all this lousy luck, God must have something REALLY good for me soon. Please, God...

Let's See Game or Commercials or Mick?

Question of the weekend- do I watch the Superbowl or the commercials? Do I watch the Rollings Stones? I like both teams so I really don't know who I would want to win. I like the Seahawks. I think it's time they got some respect, but the Steelers seem to be the favorites. I do hope Jerome Bettis does well. If this is his last game, it would be a Super end for a great career and a Good Guy. It's a toss up for me. At this point, I just hope it will be a game worth watching. Some many of the games were snoozers. Then maybe I'll pay more attention to the commercials. Sometimes they are more intertaining than the game. Too bad some TV shows aren't as good. Then of course there are the endless pre-game activities. I know that it is an "honor" to do the pre-game, half-time and National Anthem but sometimes I wish there was a little less of some parts. We all remember Houston's Superbowl Show with Janet and Justin. I know people look forward to seeing their favorites singing and dancing. Do real people really move like that? My husband likes the Stones so I guess he'll be playing air guitar... Not me. I am probably the only person on the planet who doesn't like the Stones. Never did, don't now, never will. I think the OB should have slapped Mick's mother when he was born. I know beauty is subjective, but come on how can anyone say Mick Jagger is good looking? How come beautiful women are attracted to him? Maybe I'll pick that time to go to the bathroom.After all, don't want to miss the game or the commercials.

Phil Isn't Phooling Me

So Phil saw his shadow. Well, with all those cameras and lights I guess he would. Six more weeks of winter he says. Where? Houston? Uh, don't think so. I've got the best crop of clover and weeds I've ever had. It's going to be close to 80 degrees today. My little friend Woody the red bellied woodpecker is back drinking from the hummingbird feeder. The azalea trail tour isn't scheduled until March yet some of them are beginning to bloom. In order to stall the blooming the azalea tour people are putting ice around the base of these plants in hopes of slowing them down. Won't be much of a tour if they bloom too early. Gardening stores are hoping for brisk sales since the weather has been so warm.

So, Phil, six more weeks of winter? Please don't tell me we are going to have a Big Surprise of a deep freeze in three to four weeks. You sly dog, I mean groundhog. Maybe Phil needs a vacation. After all it did snow in Hawaii.

I remember the TV show "Alice" in which the character of Flo frequently said that something would or wouldn't happen "when pigs fly". Dare I look up?

Ok, I'll Bite

Well I watched most of the Speech in between the Flight 93 movie. I guess some people liked it. I noticed the obvious partisan applause. For me though, I didnt see any thing to get excited about. And to think this speech was rewritten 30 times. To me it just seemed like a rehash of old speeches including some that President Clinton gave. Who wouldnt want to fix things like dependence on oil, social security and get better math and science teachers? These are good ideas but how do we achieve them. One of our biggest problems is how do we do good things responsibly? Even Sen McCain said that. We really need to figure out how to pay for things without all the pork. I just paid my rent, now I'm broke till payday. What do I do? Dont buy anything! Cant buy if I dont have money. What does the government do? Keep borrowing. Now that is what I call setting a "good" example for us to follow in our own money matters. But on the whole the speech left me blah. So what do we do now?