Cleanse my soul and wash away the pain..baptized by the song you're singing

Being lost ..is worth the coming home...

November 12, 2012

I Belong to Me

"You Don't Own Me" PSA from You Don't Own Me on Vimeo.

Thinking of fall, notwithstanding our ongoing heat....

Pumpkin Cupcake

Believe in yourself; trust your gut, ask for help..the problem contains the solution...think about the possibilities...F*&%, yeah!!

Nice to know the flower children are not all gone...I so welcome a bit of frivolity in each day!

I just love that, in our society, we are protecting the butterflies...

'Tis true, the sun is setting...still in all:  joy and so much gratitude in each day.

“Let the body say no because sometimes the first twenty or thirty no’s are just not enough“.

 Sheer panic that people with this kind of thinking...this lack of intelligence...both intellectually and socially...have the power to make laws...!!

http://tbogg.firedoglake.com/2012/08/19/the-mysteries-of-the-female-organism/

"I know that this has nothing to do with hunting. I’ve eaten meat most of my life. I don’t, personally, have a problem with someone who hunts, for example, a deer or a rabbit or a squirrel, in order to feed hir family. I can’t find a definitive difference between hunting a deer in the woods and killing a cow in a slaughterhouse, at least, no difference that doesn’t favor the hunter. But we need to understand that the Second Amendment has NOTHING to do with hunters. It protects the right of citizens to bear arms in order to allow those citizens to be drafted into a “well regulated militia.” ~ http://hecatedemeter.wordpress.com/2012/07/23/what-i-learned-in-law-school/

A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. 

"When those men wrote the Second Amendment to our Constitution, America didn’t have a standing Army, Navy, Air Force (they could never have imagined!), Marines, National Guard, and Coast Guard. We didn’t have a police force in every town equipped with tasers, drones, heat sensors, electronic spies, and the ability to nab your cell phone and entrap your friends. We can argue, as an esoteric exercise, about whether or not all of those abilities are good things, but they are, right now, facts. We, the people, have turned over to the government our need for a “well-regulated militia.”

Here’s what I do know. 

I do know that no matter how many guns any one person or group may purchase, if the United States government decides to take you out, they are going to take you out. They will, literally, out-gun you."

http://hecatedemeter.wordpress.com/2012/07/23/what-i-learned-in-law-school/

Plans for a full-size replica of the Western Wall in Jerusalem are being drawn up in Wichita, Kan. But women who have had abortions — rather than Jews — are the target audience.

The “Wailing Wall,” as the activists refer to it, and the accompanying center, will be fronted by 60 crosses, each one representing 1 million aborted fetuses.
Because nothing says Judaism like a bunch of crosses.

(Good gawd!  You've really got to read this...)

http://mikethemadbiologist.com/2012/07/19/dear-anti-abortionists-thank-you-for-misappropriating-my-religious-heritage-and-being-ignorant-of-archaeology/

"...middle class is now toast" according to new trend in wealth management industry

April Rudin, CEO of The Rudin Group, has advised her industry the middle class is now toast...that they should now only focus on the extremely wealthy.  
        ~ Rich Benjamin, Dems.org appearing on Up With Chris Hayes, June 21, 2012

Speculation is there will be only two classes: The Super Wealthy and the Service Industry (those serving the Super Wealthy).

What They're Really Saying: The Bobblespeak Translations: http://moonshinepatriot.blogspot.com/

http://moonshinepatriot.blogspot.com/

 Gregory: he had tear gas cannisters
two Glocks a shotgun and
an assault rifle

Hickenlooper: as is his right Constitutional right
    
                         ***

Gregory: his gun jammed

Chertoff: see - it could have been
much worse - stop whining America

Gregory: how should America
react to this attack

Chertoff: ignore the gun issue and
praise the cops and ordinary people
who risked their lives to stop the
guy with that firing doohicky


                         ***

Gregory: Congressman Gohmert wonders
why those cowards in the movie
theater didn’t shoot back

McCarthy: indeed 50 people all shooting
at each in a dark smoke-filled theater
- sounds ideal 


                         ***

Bratton: and idiot politicians will call for
more and more guns

Gregory: but these guns were purchased
legally so we don’t need more laws 


                         ***

Stephanopoulos: Mayor Bloomberg
called for less guns while others have
said we need more guns

Hickenlooper: if he didn’t buy guns
he would have gone into that movie
theatre and punched or stabbed people 

                         ***

Stephanopoulos: how are the victims doing

Hogan: they are recovering from
being shot with a military grade
machine gun - so not so good 

“the belief that we have a divine right to resources, land, and power, and a right to displace and kill others to obtain personal and national wealth, has left in its wake a trail of ravaged landscapes and incalculable human suffering.”

"Barring some seismic realignment in this country, the gun control debate is all but settled--and your side won. The occasional horrific civilian massacre is just the price the rest of us have to pay."

~ Courtesy http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1lJ4..

                                                                           And, yesterday:  Aurora, CO. 

Wow! June Storm Clouds Over Nebraska

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/07/lovely-sky-monsters/100336/

“There are at least five good reasons why the wealthiest Americans need government as much as the rest of us, and probably more.”

http://www.nationofchange.org/five-reasons-super-rich-need-government-more-rest-us-1342445298

Old Glory

Last year on the 4th of July I spent an hour and a half  traveling less than one mile in a bottleneck of traffic trying to return home after fireworks.  I vowed not to do that this year, and spent a quiet day at home.  There has been a heavy marine layer all day which seemed to reverberate the explosions tonight right back to earth rather than releasing them into the heavens.  After the public displays and the neighborhood bangs, hissing and booms...after all was relatively quiet, Ace and I went out for a walk. Headlights of cars were slipping down the streets, leading the vehicle around the corners.  People were returning home.  My neighbor was parallel parking and called out to me for directive assistance.  "Back, back," I indicated, standing in her headlights, motioning by flexing my fingers.  "More.."  Then, flat open palm, followed by a "thumbs up" and an overhead wave, Ace and I continued our walk, Ace sniffing his way around the corner.

The neighborhood was pretty quiet.  Usually, patrons of a local bar would be standing outside, smoking and chatting, but tonight the sidewalk was empty. We only saw a couple people cross the street and enter the bar. A young lass rode up on her bicycle and secured it before going into the bar.  Ace was heading toward the deli, his favorite watering hole.  It was after hours at the deli.  It would be closed and there would be no water dish outside which would be a great disappointment to Ace, but we would have to make the walk, anyway.  It isn't enough that I tell him it's "after water hours"...he always has to see for himself.  And so, we passed the deli, Ace searching around the flower pots and over his shoulder to be sure we hadn't missed that water dish somewhere.  Again, we turned a corner, headed down a little darker street, one we know well.  The air was so fresh, a bit chilly.  A good sea breeze kicked through the treetops. swishing the palm fronds.  I heard metal clanging, reminiscent of a marine bell.  It was the halyard of a flag pole posted in the yard of one of the homes we were passing.  Old Glory, sans illumination, was rippling in the night air, very quietly furling and unfurling, as if she knew the whole country had celebrated her today.  I stood in quietude, looked upward and watched her ripple against the night sky before Ace and I moved on.

Fire ~ Centennial, Wyo

Sucking air just to see it; strikes fear in your gizzard...!!

President Obama Celebrating Supreme Court's Upholding of ACA :)

The Truth About Fast and Furious...

Just days ago I was crying out for courageous journalists.  Well, here you go:

http://features.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2012/06/27/fast-and-furious-truth/

Katherine Eban:  Thank you!!  May we clone you??

This article should be required reading if you are following Fast and Furious and/or the contempt vote on Attorney General Eric Holder. Shame on you, Darrell Issa!  Shame on the Republicans! (Ohio Rep. Steven LaTourette did not support the contempt vote. Neither did Rep. Scott Rigell of Va., although Rigell is of the opinion Holder should resign.)  Shame on the 17 Blue Dog Democrats who also voted for contempt!

Ladybug on Sage

Photo ~ Courtesy Tosh

Did you know ladybugs come in many colors, including pink?  That, faced with danger, they do reflex bleeding (actually releasing of a little blood which is yellow and smells bad)?  That the ladybug is really a beetle, not a bug..and legend is it was named after a time in the Middle Ages when Catholic farmers were faced with a great bug infestation which was ruining their crops and they believed the beetle arrived in response to their prayers to the Blessed Virgin.

More interesting notes, all info courtesy http://www.ladybuglady.com/LadybugsFAQ.htm:

• Because Ladybugs eat lots of aphids and other pest insects, many gardeners and farmers use them for pest control instead of chemicals.
• A Ladybug can lay up to 1000 eggs in its lifetime.
• Not all Ladybugs have spots.
• Ladybugs will clean themselves after a meal.
• Ladybugs come in many colors like pink, yellow, white, orange and black.
• Over 300 types of Ladybugs live in North America.
• Ladybugs make a chemical that smells and tastes bad so predators won’t eat them. 
• Ladybugs hibernate in large groups in cold weather.
• Many countries consider a ladybug to be a sign of good luck.
• Ladybugs are actually beetles, so sometimes are called LadyBeetles.
• The bright colors of Ladybugs warn birds that they don’t taste good.
• The spots on a Ladybug fade as they get older.

Peaching

The Importance of Old Men

Today is Father's Day.

 Shy as a young child, I remember hiding behind a chair of a Great Uncle and observing diamond patterned creases on the back of his neck. I didn't know the Great Uncle. I think he was home for the funeral of my grandmother who passed in an auto accident. He would be, as years passed, the image I conjured up of an old man, although, in truth, at that time he was probably shy of sixty years. I don't really remember many old men in my life. My maternal grandfather, in his 70's, lived with us for a spell before going to live with my aunt, where he spent the rest of his life. He was a quiet man who had lived a long, hard life. Shot a man in self-defense on a train in his youth, he once told me. My step-father's dad had a presence in my life. An affable, short, mustached fellow who usually had a stash of chew in his cheek and walked around looking for his glasses which were perched atop his balding head, beloved by the community, dropped dead of a heart attack while at the post office. He was in his fifties.

 I never had a good relationship with my step-father, who was, pretty much, as good as gone to me when I left home at 17. His passing many years later basically had no affect on my life. My children's father slipped the bonds of this earth unexpectedly in a tragic accident some thirty years ago. I never remarried. Every Father's Day I seem to have a keen awareness of the absence of 'family men.'   On some level, I think I've missed my Father since my parents divorced when I was three years old, nearly all the days of my life. I have no conscious memory of him. But, one day when my daughter was about a year old...when her dad was lying on the floor holding her above him, both of them laughing, I was suddenly overcome with wretched sobbing. Somewhere from deep within, cellular memories of my father surfaced in emotional waves and the profound grief of that relationship being ripped from my life welled up and out of me, momentarily spilling  so unexpectedly like an ocean of despair into my exceptionally happy "real time" life.

 I watched a program on HBO today about President George H.W. Bush and found it poignant. While I had serious political disagreements with his policies, I find him generally appealing on a personal level. My heart felt tender to see him less agile, a bit frail and a bit physically dependent. Yet, his mind and his spirit seem keen. I looked at my Olde Dawg lying on his cushions. His mobility has become so compromised. He still demands to go on walks, difficult as it is for him most days. His back end lags, swaying with each step. Sometimes, it drops to the ground. I bend over, wrap my arms around his hips and gently assist him back up onto his feet, and he continues. Occasionally, he will trip over his front feet; slamming his jaw to the ground. We have two steps to maneuver entering our front door which can be two steps too many some days. Taking care of business requires a certain posture which can now be challenging for him, so it has happened, while lapping from his favorite public watering holes, he takes care of business at the same time. It's awkward, most inopportune, and can be embarrassing; I think for him, as well as for me. While I make no fuss at the time of such occurrences,  it rips at my heart to see him like this:  such a noble canine who has been the epitome of a magnificent Akita all his years. I have walked him three times daily nearly all his life and dare say nary a single walk without people expressing great appreciation and admiration of this noble beast. There is such beauty in his dignity and his slow, stiff movements which were once the well-oiled grace and poise of the most gifted ballet dancer. His determination to yet make it up the steps by himself--to go for walk--grips my profound respect. Someone in the neighborhood once commented to me, when Ace was stumbling, "You walk that dog too much!" He didn't understand, I know, that it's Ace who "walks me." If Ace were to quit walking, he'd quit altogether. I, too, am no spring chicken anymore. I am not as agile and physically able as once I was. I am learning from Ace how to maneuver the process.

Today, I realized Ace is the Old Man in my life. He has given me new vision. Because of him, I now "see" old men, some staving off the inevitable, daily runners,  and others no longer so agile.  I see  beauty and grace in their slowed movements, readers atop their heads and gnarled fingers holding  hands with a grandchild as they walk slowly along, each mesmerized by the magic of life. There is a poetry in the stiff movements and quick grimaces of old men, eased by gentle smiles and (still) can-do attitudes. One can't help feeling deep respect for those old men, rich in wisdom, who clearly smile with Old Knowledge, withholding advise unless asked.  Perhaps, most people have grown up with this appreciation of the Male Elders of our families/society. My deep love for Ace, who has grown old, has offered me access to emotions about the men of our lives. Necessarily, I have gotten on in life without much musing about absent men.  But, Ace, aging Ace, has given me pause and  new reflection. Because of him,  I shall not pass without tapping into my own deep appreciation of the importance of old men .. of the fathers and grandfathers...in our lives: the importance of their presence, and the impact of their absence.

Happy Father's Day.

(Ok, Ace.  I'm ready for that walk. Let's go...)

Stargazers in Michigan

Where are the journalists who listen to answers and challenge responses; esp. the clear and obvious untruths? How can our society at large make informed choices without the bridge of competent journalists who have the courage to ask probing, challenging questions? Our democracy demands it.

Eschaton: If You Ignore Them No One Will Notice: I'm so old I can remember when there was no effective pushback against right wing media, and the "liberal media" would make it 4 versus 1 on...

The Intelligent Life of Crows

Watch A Murder of Crows on PBS. See more from Nature.

White Linen

Vino Going to the Beach

Aloe in Bloom

Ace and Sunlight

We've had so many consecutive gray days, I began to think the only place we'd find sunshine was in the dictionary. Welcome, bright light!

Red Geraniums

Glads

Cezanne

Life

Obama-Biden

Pink Spike

Watercolors

Pupcakes

No idea, the source of this; but, my thanks to them, and to my daughter who forwarded it to me, for putting a smile on my face.

Sienna Jug

Cups in the Cupboard

Cupboard Latch

Glassware from Scotland

Rooster at Morning Light

Morning Slipping in Under the Door

Yoda Wisdom

Blue Skies

Still Companions at the End of Day

Neon Church

Corner by Streetlamp

After Dark

Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.

~ photo & quote from www.marcandangel.com

So, Ace and I are dancing through this part of his life. Sometimes, I have two left feet.

Acey's Birthday Peanut Butter/Bacon Treats

We passed out treats to all our human and canine friends along his walks on his birthday. It was fun. It was reminiscent of grade school, of taking treats on your birthday.

Akita Cookies for Acey's 15th Birthday

Nightime Walk With Ace

Ace at the Deli

Geemo and Ace

"Never let anyone define what you are capable of..."