Joe Biden's gaff

What's wrong with this picture? Two things... FDR was NOT president when the Stock Market crashed in 1929 and there was NO television yet! We don't hear about these gaffs from the mainstream media... but if it had been John McCain, Sarah Palin or any other Republican, it would have been all over the place. Thanks Richard for the tip!!!!

A Simple Woman's Daybook

I have seen this wonderful idea on other blogs, and have finally gotten around it it! This neat idea was started by a woman named Peggy. You can see her page, as well as others by clicking this link: The Original Simple Woman's Daybook.

Here is the first of what I hope to be several entries in my "The Simple Woman's Daybook":

FOR TODAY September 29, 2008...
Outside My Window... Students walking by on their way to class,

I am thinking... Of all the things I must accomplish this week and of my Uncle’s upcoming visit

I am thankful for... the wonderful day I had yesterday with my husband and his family

From the kitchen... Sadly, the smell of my husband’s late night snack, fried Spam… shuddering as I type this

I am wearing... Black dress pants, and a black turtleneck with brightly colored autumn leaves

I am creating... Beaded Jewelry to sell… proceeds going to Catholic Charities

I am going... to send my friend Caroline a birthday card

I am reading... Debbie Macomber’s “8 Sandpiper Way”

I am hoping... for rain… it is so dry

I am hearing... the chapel's bell ringing the hour... it's 10AM

Around the house... 4 newfies snoozing peacefully

One of my favorite things... laying in bed listening to the rain, and far off thunder

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: dinner on Tuesday, a new round of Puppy Classes on Wednesday and a homecoming football game on Friday

Here is picture thought I am sharing (which is a view from my office taken two years ago in early autumn!):

Raccoon Erradication!!!

About a year and a half ago, in early April... Easter Eve to be exact, we discovered that raccoons had created a "den" in our fireplace. Horror of all horrors. Of course, Mama Raccoon was with babies. And that presented a problem. After doing much research, we decided to let nature take it's course, and to let them say. Everything they read, indicated that the raccoons would vacate sometime in mid June, and sure enough, they did. End of story. Well, not exactly!!!

Fast forward to this past Spring. Mother Nature is pretty punctual about some things, and sure enough, in early April, our "guests" had returned. Of course, we were feeling chagrined because we hadn't closed off the chimney. DUH!!! We accepted their presence with little concern because we were confident that they would leave in June. And they did... I even saw one of the babies one June morning as it crawled it's way off our roof.. crying loudly wanting Mommy. Apparently, Mama raccoons leave the nest, and don't come back... forcing the babies to come out looking for them. Babies stay with there Mother's for quite a long time, so that they can learn to hunt and survive in the wild.

Weeks passed. And then sometime in late August, we heard familiar noises coming from the fireplace, and upon investigation, we realized that they were back. Russell even saw them "breeding" which alarmed us to no end. Our dogs were very aware of their presence, and were quite determined to get inside the fireplace to see what was there. We of course had it barricaded... such a charming look for a living room. We were perplexed on what to do. We didn't' want to call in critter control, and we didn't want to let them stay either.

We remembered reading that ammonia is a good deterrent, so on Friday evening, just after dark, Russell opened everything up, and sprayed ammonia all over the inside of the fireplace. He also left a bowl of ammonia on the grate, and then closed everything up. He waited until after dark, because being nocturnal, they would always "leave" after dark, and return around dawn. I had to work late on Friday and all day yesterday, so I was completely unaware that he had done this. He told me that he had a surprise for me when I got home, and we went and looked into the fireplace. They were not there, and have not been back. We pray they are gone for good, and are now considering various options in keeping them out in the future!!!

So Dissapointed....

I am so upset and stunned. I was in the work room just now, running copies, and one of the other secretaries came in from across the hall, and looked at me, and said "I heard something very disappointing about you just now". I thought she was kidding around, and I said "You did??? What was that?". She said, I heard you had a McCain button on yesterday. I told her I did.. and asked who was talking about me. Another secretary had told her. Then she went on to say... and I thought I liked you!!! OMG. I didn't say anything at first, and then I turned and said... "well why wouldn't you?". I didn't get into a debate, or anything, I just looked at her. She finally smiled and said that she still did, but it was very awkward. Talk about being disappointed. I am the one who is disappointed! At least I kept cool and was dignified... I did act surprised. In the end she seemed to be embarassed... and rightly so! {No pun intended....}

I have my beliefs. I post about them quietly and in my own way. I have colleagues and friends who agree, and who disagree. I respect everyone's right to "their own opinion". Apparently, not everyone does. That is a sad commentary on the mindset of so many. So for those of you who know me, and are on the opposite side of the fence politically, you will always have my respect. I won't stop "liking" you just because you choose to vote differently than me. So please, allow me the same courtesy. We should all just agree to disagree.

A visit from Ike

From this graphic, it didn't look like we would suffer any of Ike's vengeance. However, this turned out not to be true, as Ike came through here as well! We didn't get any rain, but we did get hurricane force winds... ranging from 69-84 mph. Sunday started out nicely. It was warm, the sun was peeking through. It had been breezy all day on Saturday, and we knew that Sunday was supposed to be blustery as well. Blustery is a vast understatement! Because there was no rain, and it was so warm and sunny... the winds grew from blustery to terrifying.

Russell had to go into work, and I was at home, getting ready to do my typical Sunday errands. I could hear the wind outside, but I started hearing things hitting the roof, and cracking sounds. At one point, our neighbor from across the street walked through our yard, looking up. We have HUGE trees in our back yard, which is really a hill. I was really worried that one had come down. So I went outside and looked…. Nothing was amiss at that point. I went inside, and got my things and decided to head out. I noticed a cable truck parked across the street as I backed out our drive, so I realized that the neighbors must have been without power. Driving out of our neighborhood, I saw more power trucks, and I suddenly became aware that the conditions were a lot worse than what I had originally thought. Russell called to find out if everything was ok. His servers at work had rebooted twice, making things difficult for him. He was in “crunch time” on a major project that was due to go live first thing Monday morning, and needless to say, a little agitated.

The first item on my agenda was to get dog food… we were completely out, and the dogs had had a rather skimpy breakfast. Three stores and a trip to an ATM later, I had a bag of food in my car. My hair had gotten stuck in the car window and the car door twice, and dealing with a shopping cart in major winds was not an easy task. At this point, I was really un-nerved. My sister called, and reported that my Mother’s nursing home was without power and there were trees down everywhere. So I decided not to go there. I tried to stay on major roadways because driving around was like driving in a warzone. Trees and limbs were falling… and there were power lines dangling dangerously putting all traffic in harm’s way. What stunned me the most was the number of kids riding around on their bikes… without helmets on? I realize that many parents don’t keep tabs on where their kids are, but it was too dangerous for me to be out, and I was in an SUV, so it was outrageous that any parent would let their child ride around outside. Bicycle helmets would have been prudent, but I didn’t see any of those either.

I realized that I had about an hour until Mass started at Immaculate Conception, so I began looking for a drive through. Every place I went had lines wrapped around the building and extended out on to the street. At first, I couldn’t understand why they were all so crowded. I finally came to a McDonald’s and decided to go inside. It was very busy and took a few minutes to get my meal. At this point, I realized that people were without power, and looking for an early dinner. I chatted with Russell while I ate, and waited for him to decide what he was going to do. He still had a lot of work to do, so he decided to stay and persevere, and I would call him after Mass.

I drove to church and discovered that it was on limited power. The Priest asked that everyone sit in one section. There were 4 over head lights working, and they had candles everywhere. It was simply beautiful. The readings were read from the ambo, and then the Priest read the Gospel and gave his Homily standing amongst the congregation. And then, he gathered everyone together and asked us to come up onto the Altar for the next part of Mass. I can’t tell you how special and how moving it was. It was incredibly intimate, and despite the lack of electrical power, it was lighter in that church than any electrical power could give. We could hear sirens wailing as the sped by, and it was apparent that the winds were still raging. Yet we were safe inside, blanketed in God’s Light.

After Mass, I went to my car, and realized that the winds had calmed significantly. I began to wonder how things were at home. Traffic lights were out all over. It was just after 7pm and beginning to get dark. I called Russell to let him know I was on my way. Trees were down all over, blocking traffic at times. It was alarming and I grew more anxious. He came out to get in the car, and I told him of my concerns. We decided that it would be best for me to head home before it was completely dark. I wanted to feed and walk the dogs, and get candles and flashlights organized if needed. And so I began the trip home. Some places had power, some didn’t. The Taco Bell was swamped. The closer I got to home, the more concerned I was. Yet the message from Church stayed with me. I knew that it would all be ok. Pulling in to our neighborhood, I could see that some places had light. I pulled in our driveway which was strewn with branches, acorns and walnuts. There were some large limbs down, but everything else looked ok. I carried the food into the house and held my breath as I flipped the light switch.

By the grace of God, we had power. I hurried to get the dogs out… fed them and called Russell to report. He was relieved to hear that we were all ok. He had had a horrible time getting dinner. He went to three eateries on Brown Street, which is close to campus. They were running out of bread and other things. He ended up with “the worst burger every” from Burger King. He ended up driving home around midnight. He tried to find some restaurants that were open. The ones that were open were busy or out of food. He came on home, and we both slept like logs.
Monday morning brought daylight. Driving in to work gave evidence to how lucky we were. And phone calls later in the day proved this even more.

Along with my Mother, Russell's Mother was also without power. She needs oxygen, and was running out, so we went out at lunch and got her several bottles of oxygen and took them to her after work. It’s now two days later, and she is still without power. She ended up going to my brother in-law’s yesterday because it’s just better for her not to be alone.

I have cousins whose cars have been crunched, and some people have major damage to their homes caused by falling limbs and trees. We lost a couple of big limbs but no big trees, thank God. It's been a challenge, that's for sure. We know now what it feels like to be in a hurricane.... sort of. You can't find ice anywhere. Batteries and flashlights are hard to come by, and gas stations are running out of gas. A lot of businesses have been closed. Some people who are on wells also have no plumbing. On campus, the academic buildings have power, as do the dorms. The student neighborhood however has been without, and students are getting a little grumpy! I don't blame them one bit!!!

All in the all, entire “storm" lasted for almost 5-6 hours. Yet, it’s still affecting so many, two days later.

The Bell's are tolling....

The Chapel bells are tolling. I work at the University of Dayton, and there are a series of events to commemorate the 7th anniversary of September 11, 2001, when our country was viciously attacked by terroists. Events include

8:46 a.m.: Tolling of the Immaculate Conception Chapel bells for one minute to coincide with American Airlines Flight 11 hitting 1 World Trade Center.

9:03 a.m.: Tolling of the Immaculate Conception Chapel bells for one minute to coincide with United Airlines Flight 175 hitting 2 World Trade Center.

9:37 a.m.: Tolling of the Immaculate Conception Chapel bells for one minute to coincide with American Airlines Flight 77 hitting the Pentagon.

10:03 a.m.: Tolling of the Immaculate Conception Chapel bells for one minute to coincide with United Airlines Flight 93 crashing in Pennsylvania.

As I was walking across campus, I heard the 8:46 bell... and chills ran down my spine. I was taken back to that horrible day 7 years ago.. memories flooding my mind, and chills shooting down my spine. I feel raw... I feel sad... I think of the the amazing bravery exhibited on all the flights. I remember hearing tapes of the calls made on cell phones. I remember looking at video clips of the family members.. and not even being able to comprehend how they felt.. how they could even continue on.

The 9:37 bell tolled a few minutes ago. Again, I had more chills, and more tears. I remember that day, sitting at my desk. By now we all knew that something so horrible, so heinous was happening to our great country. I remember finding a tv, and watching it with my co-workers, feeling sick.. terrified.. so unsure of everything. I remember calling my husband, just to tell him I loved him. My Mother called... my sister too. We all just needed to connect... to touch each other with our voices.

The 10:03 bell just tolled. People are talking quietly... commenting. I remember how we were all sent home that day. Like most people, Russell & I watched the news all day.. horror and disbelief filling our hearts and minds. Finally it got to be too much, and we went to lay down. With the exception of military flights, all air travel had been cancelled. We were dozing in and out, when suddenly there was a sonic boom. I shot out of bed... terrified. Never, ever have I felt more vulnerable that I did at that moment. The sonic boom was caused by air force flights escorting Air Force One back to Washington.



After all this time... and I realize that as time continues, 7 years really isn't that long... I do know one thing. This country, our country, the United States of America is safer today than it was then. And that is because of the amazing leadership of our President, George W. Bush. He is ridiculed, and slurred on a daily basis. He is hated and reviled, and for what reason? I can't figure it out. Yes, our country has problems, it always will. Yet I feel strongly we were and are far better off under the leadership of George W. Bush. He is a good man, a caring man. I am certain, that as time continues to "go by", his Presidency will be held in higher regard than it is now. I can't imagine what it would have been like if Al Gore had been at the helm. I shudder to think....

God Bless The USA

Dear Mr. O'Bama...

O'Bama is scared!!!!!

The numbers are changing drastically, and the race is now being declared as "a dead heat" by the media. Personally, I think that McCain/Palin are out in front, but I can't back that up. Senator O'Bama seems to be in a panic, and is getting nasty... or perhaps I should say "nastier".

My friend Pauline sent me this link from Tammy Bruce's website. It illustrates this perfectly:

Tammy Bruce Blog: O'Bama Panics...

It seems to me, that the media, and television talk show comedians just don't know what to do. Last week they were hateful and cruel. I've heard that NBC has demoted a couple of it's lead Campaign anchors because of their over zealous viciousness. Of course, this didn't happen until polls came out showing that the public believed that the media was been too harsh. "Too Harsh" is an understatement.

Normally, I am a fan of David Letterman, but his monologues have been really hitting a nerve with me. Last night he seemed to be back-peddling again, yet he still managed to get his barbs in. And then there is Oprah! She refused to have Sarah Palin on her show until after the election. She claims that she doesn't want to get involved in Politics!!! I about fell out of my seat!!! For crying out loud! Who does she think she is kidding.... she has been campaigning for O'Bama from the beginning. And she has been very involved in raising funds for his campaign! How can she say she doesn't want to get involved!!!! I found this blog about Oprah shunning Palin. Check it out!

In response to Oprah's "shunning of Palin", I heard on the news last night that republican women in Florida are boycotting Oprah. Not a bad idea! Click here: to check out the scoop on the Oprah boycott

And now I need to get back to work. I could probably post stuff all day long and there would still be more!

Have a good day everyone... and remember to Count your blessings AND to give Thanks!

From other parts of the cyber globe....

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Meet Todd Palin

This is Todd Palin, Governor Sarah Palin's husband.

St. Dwynwen's Keep

I have started a new and separate blog to showcase my jewelry. It is called Saint Dwynwen's Keep, in honor of my patron Saint, Saint Dwynwen. Click here to visit!

Who Knew??? The Media is sexist!

I am thoroughly disgusted by the media's attack on Sarah Palin. I understand that they are afraid, very afraid. I understand that the majority of the media are Liberal, and O'Bama supporters. I regret their inability to set aside their own views and agendas and report just the facts. I abhor the fact that they feel they "KNOW" what the American people think, feel and want. I believe that the Media thinks that most people in America are stupid, and need to be told what and how to think.

I've felt this way for a long time. Yet, in this weeks attack on Governor Sarah Palin, they have outdone themselves. And yes, I am angry. However, I am a bit hopeful... hopeful because they've gone overboard- their overzealous "rabid-ness" is showing! Perhaps they are afraid that they "are looking bad" because after Governor Palin's fantastic speech last night, they are back peddling some. They have shown their true colors! Yes!!! For being "Liberals" they seem to be incredibly sexist. Their actions have set women back 50 years!

Bottom line: I understand and agree that "We", the American public are not always going to agree. I respect that. I respect each person's right to his/her own opinion. And I believe that each voter can make up their own mind with out the "MEDIA" cramming slanted facts down our throats.

I found this clip on Yahoo News. Diane Sawyer is interviewing Cindy McCain, about her views on the media. Enjoy!

Cindy McCain on the Media

Newt Rocks! See him on the Tavis Smiley Show

I saw Newt Gingrich on the Tavis Smiley show on Monday evening... he was awesome, and really did a great job of cutting Tavis Smiley off!!! Here is a link which includes a transcript of the entire interview, plus links for audio and video.

Newt's Interview with Tavis Smiley