Well Hello

Maybe you've noticed that I haven't been around much but probably not. I haven't felt like blogging; got some issues going on but all will be fine. I have to accept things as they are. That's life I guess. In other news...

The phone call I'd been waiting for came through at 5:40 this morning; SNOW DAY!

Yesterday I told my kindergartners that I'd see them on Monday.

I was able to go back to sleep then didn't get dressed until noon. Hubby had to snow blow the 14 inches of white stuff in the driveway while I lounged inside.

Cody enjoys the snow except he gets snowballs between the pads on his paws and on the feathers of his legs. I find them all over the house after he comes in.
The snow looks like sparkly frosting on our Japanese maple.

Same tree without the flash, do you see the moon?

Now it can all melt away. I can't wait for the new red leaves to bud out on this tree in the spring.

My son has a VIP in his hospital for a heart proceedure. If he wasn't who he is, he'd be in my son's unit and he could be his nurse.

He's Baaaaaaack...

to college that is.We returned our youngest to school today for his second semester of his sophomore year and it's always bittersweet for me. I always feel like a little piece of me has broken away and left an empty space. I love having him home and this last break I really saw a change in him. He's grown so much, not physically, he's actually lost weight and is down to a size 30 waist, but intellectually. He's matured and has his own thoughts and ideas. We've had several somewhat heated debates while he's been home the last five weeks.

From prison reform to should juveniles be given life in prison sentences to equality and discrimination in the United States. I see the joie de vevre in him. The activist in him. The youthful hopefulness for the future. I see that my influence has come to fuition. He is his own person, individual, responsible, an independant thinker and a leader. Some of our discussions have been heated at times. For the first time I saw myself as being the older generation. He's young and has the world before him. I'm older and have seen much over the years. I see things that have changed but not for the good. He's young and wants to save the world and thinks his generation can. Maybe they can, I thought mine would. He is so right about one thing, the root of most of America's trouble is the scourge of drugs. They're behind the downfall of so many things in our civilization from crime to over crowed prisons to the break up of families and so much more. Maybe this generation can be the one to over come so many social ills. I can only hope and if they can, my son will be part of it.

A Little Birdie

This small olive green colored little bird called a large-billed reed warbler and is one of the rarest in the world. It was first cataloged in India in 1868 and hadn't been seen since until 2002 in Thialand. Very little is known about it since they are so scarce.

In 2008 the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) discovered one of these birds. They returned in 2009 and banded 20 of these warblers. What is so amazing to me is not that they discovered this bird but where they found it. WCS found it in the Pamir Mountains of Afghanistan along the border of China. What I want to know is why a group of scientists can find one of the worlds most rare birds but the United States Armed Forces cannot find Bin Ladin. (Don't get me wrong, I know they're looking hard, people are losing their lives doing it. I just think he's a master at hiding). It's hoped that the find of this bird will boost tourism in Afghanistan. In 2007 the country made between 4 - 7 billion dollars in tourism. Who would go there for a vacation?

There are certain words in the English language that some use indicriminatly without really thinking about the exact meaning. Take asshole for instance. Some may bandy it around among friends, some may use it to be mean and spiteful. Which ever way you use it an asshole is nothing I'd want to be referred to as. If you want to get specific it's the orifice where human waste leaves the body. You can call me a bitch but don't call me an asshole.

That title is reserved for the biggest one of all.

I purposely didn't post this rant when it happened thinking maybe his comments were misconstrued but as time's gone by he stands by them so here goes... I cannot stomach this man for what he stands for and the statements he makes. His remarks regarding the earthquake in Haiti are truly over the top. In case you haven't heard them he stated that,

"Everything this president sees is a political opportunity, including Haiti and he will use it to burnish his credentials with minorities in this country and around the world and to accuse republicans of having no compassion."

and if that wasn't enough he says,

"This will play right into Obama's hands. He's humanitarian, compassionate. They'll use this to burnish their shall we say "credibility" with the black community-in both the light and dark-skinned black community. It's made to order for them."

Why in light of this disaster is Limbaugh trashing the United States' efforts to help and accusing Obama of using the crisis for political gain. How is this a political thing? I don't understand how a person can be so right wing, so closed minded as to criticize anyone whose views don't mimic his. The scary thing is millions follow this man and take his opinions as their own. Look at his home boy George W. Bush. He put his head in the sand with the Hurricane Katrina disaster. No criticism there but maybe that was because of the ethnicity of the people affected by that disaster. Is Limb a racist? I tend to think so.

Limbaugh's tirade continued when he insulted a caller to his show who dared to call him out on his poisonous assertions calling her a blockhead with tampons in her ears. He's denounced the president for helping the Haitians for his own agenda but let's turn the tables, isn't he doing the same thing here? Using this disaster to promote his own special brand of hate.

Jon Stewart got it right when he said "I think I know the cause of your heart trouble: you don't have one."

HELP

There's always something going on in the world that reminds me of how good I have it in my little slice of life. Both my husband and I have jobs that are secure, we have a warm house to live in, food on my table, some money for extras. We don't have hurricanes, tornadoes or earthquakes. There are unfortunate people all over the world that need help and right now it is the people of Haiti. The devastation from Tuesday's quake is horrendous. Hospitals, schools, prisons, homes, businesses are flattened with many people trapped.

I know that the blogging community is very generous and I ask that you please think of the suffering Haitian people and if you can make a donation to help them. I chose UNICEF but there are others to choose from. Click the links to check them out.

UNICEF USA

Doctors Without Borders

American Red Cross

I'm sure anything you can spare will help.

Someone to Love

Serving our country in the military must be the hardest job going. I have the utmost respect for anyone who wears or wore a uniform. I'm a little too young to have had any friends who served in Vietnam and now I know parents whose children are in Iraq or Afghanistan. My nephew was in Iraq and took part in the mission that captured the palace where Sadam's sons were living. In the military you're at the mercy of the Commander in Chief and today's soldiers will most likely be sent overseas to Iraq or Afghanistan. I personally believe we will never be out of there. Imagine day in and day out wondering if this will be the day that someone or something will kill you. Then there are the families that these men and women leave behind left to wonder the same thing every day. Add in the horror and suffering they must see everyday. I can't

fathom it.

Whether you agree or disagree with the two wars that we've been thrust into, the men and women serving are some one's son, daughter, husband, wife, brother, sister, grandchild, aunt, uncle and friend and I feel for them. As a mother, my children are my most precious possession and it would be torture for me to have them where human life is so easily disregarded. It makes my blood boil when I hear of another soldier killed in the line of duty in a place we have no business being. My heart hurts for the innocent citizens of Iraq and Afghanistan who are also being killed by both sides. I sometimes think that if mothers ruled the world there would be no wars. In case you were wondering what The Runaway Bunny has to do with war I'll tell you... U.S. Army SPC Jason M. Johnson of Albion, NY was killed December 26, 2009 by an IED (improvised explosive device) while serving in Operation Enduring Freedom in Arghandab, Afghanistan. Johnson was 24 years old and on his second deployment with the 82nd Airbourne Division out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina. At his funeral his mother Jenny requested that the book The Runaway Bunny be read aloud during the service. The book she explained was a favorite of Jason's as a young child and he would ask to have it read to him over and over again before bed.

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Jason M. Johnson was some one's son, grandson, brother, uncle and nephew.

Lights

The holidays are over and I'm relieved. My house is back to normal and I'm happy. When I was younger I'd be sad about that and it would take me some time to snap out of it but as I grow older the holidays become more and more work. I'm sure they always were but maybe I had more energy. My kids were young and it was so much fun. Maybe that's why I'd be bummed.

But now at this stage of my life the cleaning, decorating, shopping, wrapping, cooking and hype is just too much. Don't get me wrong, I still love this time of year, I'm all about the anticipation and enjoy the month leading up to Christmas but the work that goes along with it, I can do without. My tree was up for almost 10 days before I decorated it and next year I'm thinking something smaller. I think I need some little ones to rejuvenate the holidays. That won't happen for a few years at least.

Now the New Year is here and I don't know where you live but here in New York the days are snowy, cold and dreary. Perhaps people should keep their Christmas lights on at least through January. Just to cheer things up during the darkness of winter. We'll take ours down off of the house but keep the ones lit on our little Japanese maple for a while.

May 2010 bring you happiness, prosperity, health and peace.

Happy New Year :)

This is the ball dropped in Times Square at midnight.

This pic is from several years ago when it was on display in Macy's in NYC.

Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas to you and your family...

and my best wishes for a happy and healthy 2010!

WOW

For all of you Guitar Heroes out there;

Beat this!

I love the boy's smile at 49 seconds in.

His dad is a former imagineer for Disney and it took 21,268 lights and LEDs.

Watch til the end. I think it's awesome :)

click on the video to see it on a larger scale on Youtube

Is Bigger Better?

Forget about Texas, Christmas decorations in NYC are bigger.

Inside Trump Tower. Maybe it's made of real gold?

Giant snowflakes on the outside of Saks

76 foot Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center

Big balls

Big string of lights

Huge

Rock Center tree during the day

Candy cane hanging off an office building

This building is wrapped up in a big lighted red bow. Yes it is red, the camera didn't capture the true color.

Wreaths everywhere

All the trees are covered in white lights. How'd you like to put them all on. Even worse would be untangling them while removing.

On the outside of Macy's

Anniversary

Leaving town on our trip to NYC we were outrunning a snowstorm. The roads were a mess but the farther east we went the better the weather got.

Our 27th wedding anniversary was while we were in NYC and on that day we went to Tiffany's. Should we go in? Could we afford to go in? Oh hell, let's look around inside.



Welcome to Tiffany's said the handsome young man at the door wearing a Tiffany blue scarf.

Oh look, I got something!!!!

The little Tiffany blue box.

There it is, the heart on my charm bracelet. I've been collecting charms since high school and just love it. Starting with the four leaf clover and going clockwise I"ll bore you with each charm.

1. Four leaf clover ~from an Irish teacher I worked with.

2.Umbrella~means something to me, I also have an umbrella tattoo. Want to know, ask me

3.peanut~before my oldest was born, on an ultrasound he looked like Mr. Peanut and for 3 years we and his family called him that.

4.RN~he's now a registered nurse

5.pine cone~for many years we camped on Cape Cod in the scrub pine trees out in North Truro.

6.Cape Cod

7.Bee~I had a student that was petrified of bees and he would literally climb up me when one was near.

8.Seashell~I love them and the beach.

9.Ohio~I was born there

10.Tea cup~I have a large collection of them, many were my grandmother's.

11.Popcorn~I love it!

12.Twin Towers~Never forget

13.Flamingo~each year at our campsite we would make a mini golf course and have a tournament called the Flamingo Open with the other families that we went with.

14.Hershey Kiss~went to Hershey Park in 1977 and I love chocolate.

15.Baseball mitt~both my boys played little league and I loved it.

16.Dog bone~for all the dogs in my life.

17.Lobster~Cape Cod again

18.Book~I'm an avid reader

19.Senior~High school graduation

20.Adirondack chair~trips to the mountains

21.Maple leaf~I love Canada, got this when on I went on a class trip with my youngest to Ottawa.

22.Palm tree~Florida visits

23.Box of Chocolates~again I love chocolate and Forrest Gump is a fave movie of mine. The box hinges open and chocolate is inside.

24.Whale fluke~gone whale watching many times in Cape Cod, love whales.

25.Hockey player~was a rink rat as a kid, got this at the hockey hall of fame in Toronto

26.Pineapple~Code word for something.

27.Heart~just because

28.Eagle~both boys are Eagle Scouts

29.Crown~I am the queen

30.Tinkerbell~I had a student who was obsessed with Tink and he was very special to me

31.Tiffany heart~from my hubby for our wedding anniversary. The only thing reasonable in Tiffany's and it was overpriced at that. But I love it.

Anyone still reading??

I Love New York

I'm off for a few days in New York City to enjoy the sights and sounds of the holidays. Oh and to visit my son too :)

I guess it's so...

There seems to be two differing opinions on Tiger and his "transgressions". Some say leave him alone, this isn't any one's business, he's a great golfer etal. Then there's the other camp that has turned against him. I say move on with it, it's out there now so leave them alone to work this nightmare out. I feel bad for his family, this isn't going to be easy. He's come somewhat clean in a statement on his website and in case you missed it, here's a sampling of quotes. My thoughts are in green.

He offers a "profound apology" to his fans. You need to be publicly apologizing to the woman you committed yourself to in marriage.

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He's "not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves" Uh, you got that right because no matter how you feel Elin feels worse. Imagine the embarrassment, humiliation and disappointment she feels.

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"There is an important and deep principle at stake which is the right to some simple, human measure of privacy" That I agree with. To an extent. When you're the top athlete in your sport, the most well known face in sports you have to know you're going to lose some privacy. When you're a role model for young people, when you're as rich as you are you will be on the public radar. How did you earn all that money? Sure you're a spectacular golfer but it is the fans that pay the money to see you in tournaments and buy all the products you hawk. That's where the real money comes from. You put yourself out there and people will notice what you're doing.

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He is "dismayed to realize the full extent of what tabloid scrutiny really means". Say what?! He didn't know that the tabloids and gossip shows are rabid for stuff like this. I can't believe you kept this behavior under wraps this long. If you thought that these "transgressions" weren't of interest to anybody, that the tabloids would look the other way you must be dumber than dirt. You can't be serious to think that things wouldn't get out when you leave voice mail messages to your girlfriend. If you left me one you bet I'd be saving it. People wait for others who have a squeaky clean image to fall off their pedestal.

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He regrets "those transgressions with all my heart". Why is it that the remorse is only expressed when the cheater gets caught? I'll tell you what, a momentary lack of discression is a one night stand not an ongoing relationship. I can't help but feel that these very visible, public men are just sorry they got caught.

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It just goes to show that money can't buy happiness. If he was happy would he be out catting around? This mess he's got himself into won't change the fact that he's a great golfer but it shows his lack of integrity. I'll not think of him the same way.

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I'll leave you with the quote my oldest son used in his high school yearbook.

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"Character is much easier kept than recovered"

Thomas Paine

Say It Ain't So

Once again we see a celebrity receiving preferential treatment from the police. Case in point this time is Tiger Woods. He's involved in a motor vehicle accident in the wee hours of the morning, taken away in an ambulance, stitched up and returned home but will not talk to the police. Friday the police came to his home to speak with him about it and were told Tiger was unavailable, Saturday his agent told authorities to come back tomorrow. Hmmm, now it's too late for a breathalyzer test.

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According to reports and how much of this is true I don't know because Woods remains mum; he backed out of his driveway in his Cadillac SUV, proceeded to hit a fire hydrant and a neighbor's tree. The accident was bad enough that his wife had to break into the car with a golf club to get the unconscious golfer out. Sounds like to me he may have been going pretty fast to do that amount of damage being only "spitting distance" from his home. Something fishy is going on here. Why didn't the police follow him to the hospital? I was in an accident once and they questioned the other driver in the emergency room. BTW, not my fault, she pulled out in front of me after she stopped at a stop sign. I hit her in the front passenger fender going about 25 mph. Thank goodness I was driving a Dodge Caravan and not a Cadillac SUV because my only injuries were bruises and broken glasses from the air bag deployment. None of the 4 children with me were hurt but the van was totaled.

On Saturday I got my Star magazine in the mail. (Yes, I have a subscription, go ahead and roll your eyes, of course I don't believe half of what's in it but it's my cheap entertainment and I love the big crossword puzzle.) I happen to come across this little story:

Coincidence I wonder? The day the magazine hits newsstands Tiger gets in his fender bender. Here's my theory and of course it's just conjecture on my part.

His wife finds out about the article (maybe she subscribes too :) and is furious. Whether she believes the story or not it gives the couple negative, unwanted attention. They fight, he goes to leave and she smashes in the back window of the vehicle with one of his clubs. Not so far fetched now eh? Maybe this is why they are putting the cops off.

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All I can say is that IF this story is true Tiger is damn lucky she she only bashed in the window and not his head. We've seen it before, a powerful, rich man is done in because he thinks he's untouchable and can do what he pleases. Remember John Edwards, Bill Clinton, David Letterman, Jim Baker and the list goes on.

Oh Adam

Dear Adam,

Over the last year I've sung your praises, defended your sexuality and tried to convince people that you will sell records with your style and voice. Then you go and undo all my hard work with your antics on the American Music Awards.

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For me it was pure raunch. I didn't like the S&M aspect of it, the man on all fours with a leash, ugh. The kiss, I could have done without that but I hated the simulated oral sex. HATED IT. I watched your interview on CBS after Good Morning America blew you off and I just didn't buy your justifications.

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Obviously those escapades were not done in rehearsal because you knew as well as I do that you'd be told no way on live network TV. You say that there's a double standard because female singers a la Madonna and Brittany do it and get away with it. That may be true but that kiss happened on MTV, a cable channel which has a different viewing audience than ABC. FYI, growing up my sons weren't allowed to watch MTV because of the way many of the videos and music portrayed females. The disrespect, humiliation and violence against women was horrible. Maybe there is a double standard on female/female actions. For some reason, I've never met a man that didn't mind seeing girl on girl action but will freak out over guy/guy. And maybe there's been female performers who've simulated sex on stage but on a prime time music show?

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I didn't like how you managed to blame the parents who let their children watch. Based on what I've seen of you on American Idol if my young one loved your music, as a special treat I'd let them stay up to see you perform. This was a side of you that not many have been privy to. I don't think many expected the adult content. If your intent was to shock and awe you succeeded.

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Finally your assertion that you were discriminated against because you're gay is full of crap. There are many gay performers out there and some are pretty flamboyant, think Liberaci and Elton John in the 70's. In my humble opinion your conduct on stage didn't help the perception of gay people or advance gay rights at all. It may quite possibly have set them back a bit.

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I still love your voice but please don't turn into another Boy George or fall from grace like George Michael.

Love,

Summer

Awwwww

Look what my sister has!
He's a 14 week old Golden. After several suggestions for names such as Dexter (my fave), Jethro (yuk), Brody and Murray they named him Cooper.

He joins Maisie who's 2 1/2 years old.
I love the smell of a puppy.

Do you like to read?

I can never understand why some people don't like to read. I've always been a prolific reader. As a kid my mom took me to the public library every Wednesday where I eventually checked out and read every Nancy Drew mystery they had. To this day I don't go anywhere without a book in case I have a few minutes to read. When my own boys were young I took them to the public library and have instilled a love of books. Hubby, he never reads and I blame his dad. As a kid his father made him read for 30 minutes after dinner every night before he could go out and play with the neighborhood kids. He hated that and fast forward to today, he doesn't enjoy reading at all and does as little as possible. I think that's so sad.

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I'd gotten away from reading for awhile when I got into blogging and reading blogs as well as my addiction to Facebook and Farmville. I've decided I need to do more reading and have become a regular again at the library. What makes me look at a certain book? I don't judge a book by it's cover but I do by the title. The title has to pique my interest, then I read the inside front flap as well as the first page. I've got a bunch of favorite authors and one is Steven King although I like Dean Koontz a smidge better. S.K. has a new book out and was thrilled when I saw it on the new release shelf, as a matter of fact I was the first person to check it out. Thank goodness it wasn't a 7 day speed read book because this sucker is huge. And unusual.

For one thing there is nothing on the inside front or rear flap or back of the book to tell you anything about it. Ok, I like his books especially The Stand, Needful Things and the very scary It so I eagerly checked out the book.

Here's the thing; I gave up on this book. It has 1072 pages which doesn't intimidate me at all. I love long books but it was the weight. On the way to the library to return the book I stopped at the post office and weighed the tome on their digital scale. It weighed in at 3 lbs. 11.3 oz. Compared to a bag of sugar or flour at 5 lbs Under The Dome may seem light but for a book, that thing is heavy. I like to read in bed and holding it is awkward. Even sitting up it was a struggle to hold it. I hope King is successful with this endeavour but it's got a few strikes against it in my book. No pun intended :)

kindergarten Past and Present

Who knew that I would eventually end up back in kindergarten.

Kindergarten school picture 1963

Kindergarten school picture 2009