State of the Union Speech

Tonight is the State of the
Union speech. Which is
throwing the regular tv
schedule to the wind.

All your Tuesday shows
are not there except for
American Idol. So the
King will be happy.

I don't like to watch the
State of the Union speeches.
To me they are the cheerleading
show for the President.

Yes, he will promise all kinds
of things. And rarely do they
come true. He also brings to
everyone the "Look what I
have done for you" show.

That is the different programs
and he backs it up with people
in the audience. If you can see
the audience before he starts
you can pretty well figure out
what it is going to be.

The wife of the President is usually
sitting by these people. And lots of
times the First Lady will be in red.
I think that is so the President can
find out where these people are.

I am joking. Some of the Ladies
wear different colors, but red does
seem to be the most popular.

There is an hour of words, most of
it is promises never met. If it is,
then it comes out of yours and mine
pocket. It is hardly ever good news
for us, to do with our daily lives.
Gas going to be reasonable? $1.25
is reasonable to us. Not $2.25 and
rising. Are they going to take the taxes
we pay now, and put it on real things,
like education, and not outrageous
programs to see what the sex life of
the tse tse fly is? Are we going to have
reasonable insurances for health?
These are the issues most American's
want to hear and see happen.

But we will have the usual war in Iraq,
yes, we should be spying on every one.
And we need more money from you to
pay for more ideas.

So I will pass, I will read about it
tomorrow in the SR. Or on line. I
will get to see the major issues,
with out all the hoopla. And I am
sure there will be some news that
will report the hoopla too.

This isn't just Bush, it is all the
President speeches over the years.

Coretta Scott King, Martin Luther
King Jr.'s Widow, died. Another
great person passes away in our
history. May their children carry
the torch on.

Morning Routine Interrupted

Most of us humans seem to be
creatures of habit. Especially in
the morning, when we wake.

My routine is fairly simple.
Get up, get a cup of coffee.
Then venture out to the
paper box and get the paper.
Sit and read and drink my
coffee, with a view out my
window near by.

This morning I ventured
out, in the soggy, rainy
darkness. Get to the paper
box, I put my arm down in
the box....NO PAPER.

Our person usually drops
off ours around 4:30am.
So now it is 2 hours late.
Do I call that person's
home? Do I wake their
family? What is the proper
time to call?

We have a fairly new person.
Last fall we were changed to
a person we never see. Never
hear from. (Old deliverer would
put a Christmas card in the paper
And a thank you note in January
when they got news of their
extra for the holidays.) Not this
one. Which is ok, about the
card. But thank you note
would have been nice. It
would also be nice if this
one would wrap the paper
when it rains. The old one
did. After all it is an hour
and half later before I go
out.

So there is my coffee which
doesn't taste as good with
out the paper. And I sit here
wondering did their new and
improved narrow paper get
stuck in the printer, like my
paper does in my printer?
Or did my person forget me?
Does he have a sub who forgot
me?

Guess I will go check again, and
then call.
Got to change my routine.

Checking it twice....looks like it might be melting

checking snow level in the yard 

Weekend with Rokon

Rokon loves the printer.
She will come from any
part of the house, when
she hears it start up.
Watches as the paper
goes in and then the
clicking of the machine
as it process, then spits
out the paper. She finds
this all fascinating. So
far she hasn't tried to
snag the paper. But she
has stuck her head in the
opening to get a closer
look.
Rokon hiding behind curtain,watching for the printer to start

Rokon making sure she doesn't miss the next page 

Yesterday's blog Revisted

Last night as I was heading to bed,
I was wondering what the heck was
I going to blog today. I had nothing.
Not a thought.

When I do an opinion type blog,
like yesterdays, I do it with the
idea, it is my idea of how I feel.
Knowing full well that a lot of
people may not agree with me.
And that is fine with me. I think
that is what makes life interesting.

Well, you can imagine how blown
away I was, when I open this morning's
paper. There I saw in huge headlines, my
thoughts of yesterday. Now don't get me
wrong. I don't think the writer saw my
blog and wrote the story. After talking
to an AP writer several months ago, I
know that their ideas are not off the
top of their head that evening. Then
run it in the paper the next morning,
like a blog is done most of the time.
They get an idea and have it well
researched and thought out. Being
able to quote people and etc. Unless
it is breaking news, of course.

So I took it as their views matched
mine. That I was not the only one
who thought that American Idol
is mean, bully, or what ever tag
you want to give it.

I had not read anywhere about my
views of yesterday. I had read about
how the Gay Organization was upset
over one of the programs. And of
course we have heard about Simon's
remarks being cutting. But being I
haven't watched the first 6 or 8 program
of each series, I didn't know about how
bad it gets, until Tuesday as I was
walking thru the living room several
times during the show.

The article didn't take the stand as
I did on how it effects the children.
Rather they took it on the general
public stand. They have the sources
for talking to people in the know. So
they found out the view is, this is to
keep it fresh. So common decency
goes out the window to keep a show
fresh. Sad.
Very sad, for our view of entertainment.

Teaching our Children What?

In this day and age, it was
my understanding that schools
are trying to get bullying out of
the schools.

That making fun of people
because of the way they dress,
the way they act, that is different
from the rest of the crowd, is not
acceptable.

But how can we convince the
students that bullying is not the
way to go, that making another
person miserable, is not right,
when they see it for 2 hours on
Tuesday nights and 1 hour on
Wednesday nights.

The very popular show that
they say is number #1. Has
the most viewers. And for those
hours you will see at least 2, some
times as many as 4 or 5 times,
1 to 2 of the judges make fun of
the contestants to the point of
bullying them. To me it is verbal
bullying them. Not about how they
perform, but how they look.

Would you stand by and watch
others say nasty things about
the character and physical shape
of another? Would you stand in
a school yard and not say anything,
if a student said these things to your
children? Would you let a teacher
belittle a student like they do on
that show?

How can we expect the impressible
students of the nation not to verbally
downgrade another, when people watch
this show and it is the #1 show that teens
as well as adults watch?

That show I would think you have guess,
is American Idol. My husband watches
this show. I have, when I walk thru the room,
I caught some of it. On Tuesday night, what
I saw was horrible verbal abuse that had
nothing to do with the singing of the person.
If they don't like the singing, say so, say
why. But to downgrade their appearance
or mannerisms, is rude and cruel.

And how can we expect the kids not to
do it when they go to school, when every
one thinks it is funny on television.

Have I watched this program? Yes, but
I usually join it about at the 12 level. I
haven't watched the beginning so was
really dismayed at the display. The one
judge does make rude remarks but at
least it has been about the performance.

Sad state of affairs when we downgrade
another in the name of humor. And yes,
Don Rickles, the few times I have watched
him, made me feel uncomfortable, so I
have changed the channel

SchoolBusilitis

While my brother and I were
growing up we got the
usual diseases. Mumps,
measles, chicken pox,
I forgot what they called
the flu in those days. I
don't think it had a real name.

But one disease we were not
allowed. SchoolBusilitis
And I did not allow my
kids to get it either.

For those of you who
don't know what it is.
It is the sickness that
hits kids the night before
or in the early morning.
Especially early morning.
The child has all the
complains of upset stomach
feeling like they are
going to throw up. (kids
language). But no fever.
Then at 9:30 a.m. the child
is cured. Amazing. It is too
late to run the child to school.

My mother's cure was work.
And I learn well, as I used
the same cure.

See, after a child has to
clean up their bedroom,
and help with housework
until at least 4 pm. The
child decides it isn't worth
staying home. No TV, no
games, no reading books.
Unless it is homework.

They could have more fun
at school than this. So they
never seem to catch it again.
And if years dull the mind, they
learn really well with a repeat
dosage of work.

Now this seems cruel to some.
But now that my kids are grown
I see, just as my mother could.
All of us have a good work record.
I was out 6 times in 17+ years at
my last job. 3 of them were due to the
roads being block by snow. 3
due to sickness. The same is
true of my children. If they call
in, they really are sick.

When we had a nephew stay with
us for 6 months, he stayed home,
told my daughter that he felt a cold
coming. She laughed. She told
him he better get dress for school.
As when MOM finds out, you will
be going. She told him, only a
death certificate would get him
out of school. He went to school.

Before you report me to the higher
ups, my kids will also tell you, if they
really were sick, I was the one there
with the soup, meds and stories that
I read to them. And most important
medicine of all.. HUGS.

Friday I came down with this part
cold. Sore throat off and on. Now
that is gone, I have the nose problem.
Yesterday, got lots done, in my
attempt to work this stuff out.

Men Logic...Women Logic

Men can watch TV thru their eyelids.
They are not asleep, just resting their
eyes.
Don't believe me.. change the channel

Women watch TV as they go thru
the living room doing the laundry,
or sitting reading a book, or any
other thing that needs to be done.

Men don't need directions. They
just go with how the sun is in the
sky. It is a weakness that man
doesn't know where he is going.
So he isn't about to ask.

Women will ask. But they also
remember what store, gas station
and etc. were on each corner they
turn, so they can find their way
back.


Men know they can get from A
to B in any kind of weather. If
they have a 4 wheel drive.

Women know if they turn up
the volume on their radio's
they won't slide off the radio
and can drive anywhere.

Single men logic is, if
you turn your underwear
inside out, you get an
extra 2 days out of them.

Women want her
family to change their
underwear everyday.
In case they end
up in the hospital.

Men give directions to
a man, by where there was
a special car in the yard.

Women give directions by
where there was a yard
sale and what they were
selling.

One of the most baffling
thing about men,to me is......
The King will fall asleep
in his chair while watching
TV, with the sound at it's
usual full bore. Sleep up to
an hour or two. Oh, I forgot
this is resting his eyes. See
above.
But when he goes to bed, he
will turn on the TV, set the off
button for 60 minutes. Falls
asleep. Sleep thru the volume
that is medium, that he set.
I come in 90 minutes later.
I turn on the TV and set the
volume half of what he had.
And then he wakes, and says...
Do you really need the TV on?
I can't sleep with it on.
One answer was the
light from the tv... but it is
the same light that he
fell asleep with..

Now, Guys, what is up
with that?

Watching Sunday TV

We have New York on our satellite
so we can get east and west coast.

We watched the Extreme Make
over at 5 pm, and Desperate
Housewives and I would walk in
and out of the bedroom, to see the
Seahawks win their game.


I hope that the Seahawks do
better than my home team. The
Patriots. See they made it to Super
Bowl, in the late 1990's, but lost.
They had not been to the Super
Bowl before also. It took them
about 5 more years before they
got to come back and win.
Let's hope the Seahawks do better.

The Extreme Makeover left me with
a lot of questions. First of all, I didn't
personally think the old house was
that bad. It was an Earth House.
Not a basement with a roof like they
said.
Which was big in the 80's and still
has merits. There is the heating
and cooling. Both are minimum with
an Earth House. As it stays cooler
in the summer than most houses do.
And the earth protects it, so it is
warmer than most houses in the
winter. Heating it is lower.

This 2 or 3 story (it looks 3)looks
like it is going to be a real heating
problem. Especially with gas
going up and it looked like one of
those gas fireplaces in his room.

The other is the taxes. And did
they pay off the original home
mortgage? How do they do that?
Do you still have to pay for your
place, just now you have this really
nice house? Or do they pay off
the mortgage? And then there
are taxes. This beautiful place
had to be running in the $300,000
ball park. Sure bigger taxes than
an Earth House.

Years ago in the 1960's there
was a show called Queen for a Day.
It was a wonderful show. They took
some poor person who really needed
help. They gave them all kinds of
things. But years later it came out,
the people had to sell off a lot of
the things given, because they
had to pay income tax on all
the "FREE" things. Does this
happen to these families?

Don't get me wrong. I think it
is wonderful what the show
does for the people.
But I wonder is there a down
side of this? I wonder how
many of the people who got
new houses, still live in them?
Someone said they thought the
show paid the first year, taxes.
But taxes don't stop at the
first year.
Just wondering.

And there was no mention
of the twin's brother, who
lives with his father.

I am happy for the family...
as I am for the Seahawks

OH, NO, NOT AGAIN!! 

Life is a Kick...

Yesterday, I got the mail
and had to laugh. Now I
know I am getting old.
The mail told me so.

See the first envelope
I open told me all about
how they wanted me to
join their club. It was a
book club. What is
unusual about that?
Their books were the
latest of books......
IN LARGE PRINT.

Then the next envelope
I open was from a magazine
that wanted me to buy two
of their books. It seems
they think I am from
THE WHIZ-BANG
YEARS. Yep, now
they have a name for us.

See I have slipped
thru the Baby Boomer,
which is called just
Boomers now. I am
too old for them.
And I am too young
to be a depression
kid. So I guess I am
a WHIZ-BANG KID.

Yep, life is a kick

Weighing In, on Swimming In

They are trying to get a Rec Center
of sorts down at the end of my road.
I have no problem with the idea.
What I have a problem with is,
how they are going to do it.

A few months ago, a young
man came to our house. A
friend sent him down to see
if we would sign a petition to
have a program voted on by
the public. The King sign it.

I asked a few questions, but
the young man really didn't
have much more than the
paper work showing a picture
of what it was going to be
and about what they thought it
would cost. That they had funding.

That the petition was so the
voters could decide if they wanted
it or not. That part I agreed with,
so I sign also. Figuring it should
be the voters who decide.

But since that day, I have read
just about all I can about this
wonderful plan for the kids. And
to be honest, the more I read the
more confused I am.

I think we all want a wonderful
thing for the kids, and even adults.
What one of us, doesn't remember
town YMCA/YWCA's that did so
much good around the nation. But
this is not that kind of deal.

What I understand of it, is they
want us voters/taxpayers to pay
for all of this. The amount that was
on the paper is just the very start
of the project. With more expense
coming. What I understood was
this was for the kids, and at no
expense to the kids. It would
be for the Lake Pend Oreille
school district area kids.

Well, the first thing I thought
about was, why would Clark
Fork and Hope want this?
They aren't going to come
to town to take the kids to
this. And they are in the
LPO school district. In fact
we are talking, Southside,
Sagle, Dover, to Elmira, and
the fore mention Clark Fork
areas.This is a lot of money for
how many people? I really don't
see the out laying areas using it.

Also the things I read recently,
they want this for a business, not
a YMCA type of deal. That is where
I got to say WHOA!! WHOA, BIG
TIME!!. I do not see this as a tax
payers project for a person's business.

We already have a very fine business
in town called Sandpoint West
Athletic Club. There is a man who owns
it that I think has done a fantastic job
for the kids. He has a very great project
he has ran for over 5 years for the kids
in the summer. He has a summer day
camp that he gets business men involved
among many, and it is the greatest project.
The kids get exercise by hiking. There is
many places they get to go.Many things
the kids get to do and learn. He has had
the most wonderful staff that has worked
with these children. Granted it is for the
10 to 12 kids.But he has accepted older
kids when there are vacancies. The ones
who are too old for day care. No one is
asking tax payers for his project. And
it is a proven one.

In this day and age, with all the things,
we voters have been asked to finance,
this project is low on the totem pole.

I had to vote against Northside Fire
District a year or more ago. I sure
hated to, as those men and women
deserved it. If their projected project
wasn't so high, we would have voted
for it.

Just around the corner is going to
be school building levies. It has to
come. We have over 230 homes
coming into the town of Kootenai
in the next 2 or 3 years. Sandpoint
has 500 in just one area, and then
add all the others.. Our schools
are not built for all these kids.
We are going to need more
class space. Tax payers are
going to be asked to ante up.
Here in Kootenai, we already
are using 3 module trailers.

As much as we would like a lot of
things, we need to pay for what we
need first, and want later.
Mr. Business man, you have a nice
idea..and I wish you well. But not with
my tax dollars.

Sorry, but my vote on Feb.7 is a
resounding NO!!!

Wasted Days and Wasted nights

I feel like Freddie Fender's song.
Or maybe a better thought would
be... I feel like I am on life's
treadmill... walking and walking
and going no where.

I don't do dormant well. Sitting
idle. Sitting and just reading.
That is ok for an hour or so.
But hours?

With natural gas up, and now
regular gas going up, and
everything else for that matter.
Funds are low at this time of
the year. So it isn't just
a matter of jumping in to the
car and go somewhere.
And the weather is crappy.

Boy, does this sound
like a poor me bit, or what?
But it isn't that I am not
doing things. I seem to
keep busy... just not
doing what I could be doing.
The seed catalogs are here.
I see plants I could plant,
and etc. So I just want to
say, let's get going... I am
ready. Maybe I am more
like the race horse at
the gate, ready to dash out.

You know, I am going to
go turn on some wild
music and dance. Maybe
I can find my old Village
People and play IN THE
NAVY..

Let Your Smile be Your Umbrella

I am a born and raised farm gal.
So I know how important it is
to have rain. Many of Spring
time I have smiled as it rain.
Others growling, but I enjoy
the rain. It freshens the air.
And I really love the warm
rain in the summer.

But I got to ask you. Are we
having fun yet? Because I am
just about smiled out.

I have been trying to get
my outside Christmas
lights down and put away.
But between the rainy
days and the sunny
freezing days, I haven't
got them down yet.

I started this last night
with the idea of fleshing
it out this morning. Well,
it is fleshed out alright..
to the tune of 2 inches of
SNOW. Guess that is
what I get for asking..
"what snow" when
another area close by
got snow on Saturday.

Keep warm and dry.
And try to remember
this in late July, when
it is hotter than Hades

Curious

I am curious to why people are
saying they are happy for Brad
Pitts and Jolie with the news of
their new baby. He is adopting
her other two children.

All the talk shows are saying it.
The only concern they have is for
Brad's ex. They are concern
of how she feels. That is the
only negative thing I have
heard said.

Am I missing something here?
Am I the only one who noticed
that there is no word about
marriage. The people are
screaming about gays marrying
and no one says anything about
these two, in their glee of parenting,
with no marriage.

Is gay marriage worse than no
marriage at all? Is that going to
be the new trend? I don't get it.
They seem more worried about
how Aniston is going to take this.
She has already said... I am so
over this... I am not a victim...
And the people only seem to care
about her feelings. Yet, have Ellen
or Rosie O. Elton John, talk about
getting married and everyone is in
a panic.

It isn't an issue of whether
gays marry, or even those who
chose not to marry, but do
we go ga ga over some one who
just skips over the marriage part?
Is marriage out now? We don't
mention it because they are famous?

When it involves small children, it makes
me sad, that marriage is not important.

But guess that just makes me old
fashion... not with the times.
which I am glad.

T. C. B. and other headaches

T.taking C. care of B business
and other headaches of this day.
This is the 3rd time I have tried
to blog. And if this time I get
dumped off, then I will wait
until tomorrow. My server
dumped me two times
when I hit publish.

Heck I don't know if I
can remember what I
blogged the last two
times. But at least it
was short.

As you can see I am
running late. Way late.
Just been one of those
days. When you wonder
what life will throw at
you. Lousey start is a
good ending they say.

I think I will just quit
today while I am ahead.
Go look at my Tomato
catalog. They have 100's
of different kinds. Yellow,
white, plum color. Now
if I can just get the little
seeds to grow. My average
was not good at all last year.
10%.

Maybe I will stay out of
trouble if I just sit and look
at the catalog.

40 days and 40 nights

Every year at this time of the year,
it seems like it rains 40 days and 40
nights. Use to be snow, but the past
couple years it has been rain.

Yesterday the King and I went to the
store. And then to the post office.
What an eye opener.

Now, the town of Kootenai is well
known for being wet ground. And
any rain leaves the ditches running.
But I was surprised to see the ditches
not only running. But running full blast.
Some of them overflowing.

Even on our street, the water was
boiling up in the ditches. We figured
it was a broken water pipe the way
it was going. So we called the sewer
dept. (it is in their ditch) and they
could tell if it was a broken water
main or just too much flow.

But they have their hands so full,
it went thru the night. Haven't
seen any one show up yet. But
they could have showed up during
the night.

Even the yards are about a foot or
more high. And there are lakes.
Near the car dealership on 200,
they had a large field full of water.

Water, water, everywhere.
Wonder when this will all
start going down.

Trying to Get Back on Track

I have been trying to get back on track.
Walking... gave it up in Nov. for the
long track, and gave up the post office
run in Dec.

Didn't think I would like a broken leg
at this stage of my life. And I did fall
one time on the way to the Post Office.
Only thing that got hurt was my pride.

Now we have a treadmill, and it is almost
like starting over again. I have the same
pace, but not the longivity of it. Best I
have been able to get out is 30 minutes.

So have decided to get my eating in
range again. And step up the minutes
per day by 5 until I can reach an hour.
I have been watching tv as I go, as it
is boring to just do the treadmill itself.

Maybe I could find the Village People
and play that, to get more into my
gait.

Well, it is time to get on the treadmill
of life. And for life.

They Say....

They say..No sense in complaining
about the weather. Nothing can
be done about it. Well, that takes
a lot out of this blog today then. ha

I know I am getting a bit of cabin fever.
I see things outside I could be doing. But
getting soaked is not one of them. Just
a run to the neighbor's house entitled me
to a pretty soaked shoulders of my
jacket.

Cabin fever, is something I do get
each year. I don't do well with
rain and etc. This is tea and
magazine reading time for me.
Feel like I am taking the
easy way out. Not doing much.
I love and soak in sunshine.
I live for sunshine. But not the
90 degree type. 65 to 80 is
just fine.

I like rain too. Warm rain,
what I call farmer's rain.
I think I love it more just after
the rain. The clean smell of
the air. Or maybe it isn't
the rain so much but the
clouds and fog that come
with it. I love walking
in the rain in the warm
summer time.

But this doom and gloom
doesn't do much for me.

Building a House

Building a house these days is
so wound up in permits and
regulations, it is unbelieveable.

In 1976, my deceased husband,
Marvin and I built, actually, on a
house in Ellensburg. We had
bought a 3 room cabin with no
water, or bathroom. Just the outhouse.
We added on 3 bedrooms and sewing
room (actually a catch all room) and a
bathroom. We brought water in from
the pump house. We did most of the
work ourselves. Those who help, traded
work for work. Marv was a mechanic.
So he did work on their cars, and they
help with times we had problems.

We did need a permit ($25) to add on.
We did have a house inspection for
wiring. And to check stucture. They
both came out one time, when we
were finished.

In 1982, we bought a mobile home
(ok, a 3 bedroom trailer with a pull
out in the living room.) and then set
it up on 10 acres in Vay. The
electric company came out and
installed a the meter stand. We
had a friend put in the septic tank
and field. The rest Marv did himself.
The electic inspector, health
dept. came out and checked their
sections. It cost $125 for permits.
Electric and building. We put in our
own road. No permits for that. No
inspections for that. We put in a well,
and I don't recall an inspection for that.
We might have had to take in a sample.

But last night I went to a town
council special meeting.
There are two contractors who are
putting in two nice areas just outside
of Kootenai (which they annexed
in to the town). The sewer people,
engineers, contractors, developers,
and the guy who keeps an eye on
water drainage for the town. The
meeting was to help the contractors.
To see if they were all on the same
page, as they get all the i's dotted
and t's crossed.

Through all the meetings I have
gone to watch, it amazes me how
many permits there are. How many
papers they have to have just be able to
get a permit. There are so many loops
and hoops to jump thru before they
even get to step across the ditch to
start digging a foundation. There are
culverts to place. Ditches to be leveled
and angled just right. Placement of the
utilites that are coming into the property.
And if you are putting in several houses,
well, you have to have LOTS of
patiences, time for paper work, money,
and did I mention patience.

Because you have to have sidewalks,
street lights, roads set just right, ditches
and the water drainage is a BIG thing.
After all this, hopefully you have all your
ducks in a row... and then you can start
building houses. And you know the
permits for that. Building, electric, sewer,
plumbing, and the list keeps going.
Money, Money money....

So when you see your contractor? Tell
him thank you... you have no idea what
the headaches he has, just to build you
new house. And no wonder they cost so
much anymore.

Not Quite What You Expect

Jo Monaghan….Cowboy Joe. Was a little
person thought to be a tenderfoot, when
first arriving in Ruby City, Idaho. Riding
a well-groomed mare. This boy, wearing
baggy clothes, not much more than 5 foot.
Earn the name of Little Joe, due his stature.

Little Joe, came during the gold rush. Digging
until his hand bled working his claim. But only
earn a small wage. So he took odd jobs, working
in a mill, breaking horse. A job that he earn a
reputation of being the best. But he was always
a loner. Sleeping out under the stars in a bed roll,
rather than in the bunkhouse. Was even in the
movies and Wild West shows, because of the
shooting and horsemanship ability. Then gave
it all up to run his own ranch near Rockville.

So what is so unusual about all of this, about
a little cowboy called Little Joe? Well, it seems
when Joe died and they went to dress him for
the funeral, they found out it wasn’t a Joe,
but a JO Managhan. A woman, who came
from the East.

Next is Angel of the Coeur d’ Alenes.
Louise Siuwheem. I would suppose that
the locals know who she is. She was a
young Indian woman from the Coeur
d’ Alenes. A strong woman, who was
so strong that she scared the Spokane
tribe away when they came to attack the
Coeur d’ Alenes, by holding a large cross up
in the air above her head. Who also
discouraged the Nez Perce Indian tribe
from coming across the lake to fight with
the Coeur d’ Alenes by telling them that
the Coeur d’ Alenes were Christians and
not warriors, but if they come across the
lake, the Coeur d’ Alenes will kill them, but
if they stay on their own side, they will
live.

Well, that is the way the legend
reads anyway. But the true fact is,
she was the granddaughter of Chief
Circling Raven who predicted the
Long black robes angels would come
and teach his tribe about the Great
Spirit. Which is when the Priest came
to the area shortly after and taught
the Indians about God and built two
Missions.

What you might not know is that Siuwheen
and later baptized to the name of Louise,
was the force behind the building of the
Mission we call Cataldo Mission.

These interesting facts come from a
book I was lucky enough to borrow
from a friend. The name of the book is.
More Than Petticoats
Remarkable Idaho Women
By L.E. Bragg

Very interesting book. I have met,
Sacajawea, Eliza Hart Spalding,
Jane Timothy Silcott, Polly Bemis,
Kitty C. Wilkins and May Arkwright
Hutton. And the two ladies above.
And I am only half way thru.
What I told you about the women
is only 10% of the story, so guess
you will have to find the book to
get what Paul Harvey says....the
rest of the stories.

Which reminds me of Laurel
Thatcher Ulrich saying..
"Well behaved women rarely make
History."

Auger of Life's Information Trail

I have been caught up in the auger of life’s
computer information.

We all know that someone can take a piece
of information about us and bring up all kinds
of information about us on the computer.

We know that insurance companies, can bring
up medical information on us. Insurance
companies can bring up our driving records.
What I didn’t know was that insurance
companies, at will, without informing us,
can bring up our credit report AND judge our
insurance rates on that.

I was naive enough to think that car insurance
rates would be judged on our driving record and if
we pay our premium on time. That their quotes
would go up or down because of how we drove,
and also if we insure more than one vehicle. Also,
if you insure your home, or even life insurance would
gain you cheaper rates.

Imagine my horror as when we got our renewal
and was informed that our rates were up because
of what was on our credit report. Credit Report?
Why would our car insurance have anything to do
with credit report? And of course I shot
off a letter to the reporting credit report. After
all, we hear of credit report mistakes, even
Id theft, that goes under the radar if we don’t
do a credit report check ourselves.

I got my report back. Had to ask for a separate
one for the King as they don’t do couples, even
though, all of my credit report is showing joint
accounts. After getting both of them, I
saw just what I thought I would see. All correct,
no arrears at all. No late payments. Clear and good
report. (no numeral rating because you have to
pay $$ for that). So asked my insurance company
why the marks against our insurance. Wait until
you hear this one…

There are 14 things you have to meet to have
perfect report. We met 10 of them. We passed
all the bad ones, we got the rating of Best in this
Category. So what did we fail?

Our failure was,
1. Our credit cards were only 5
years old, they require 12 years, to be best.
2. We are using 30 -39% of the available credit
of all of our cards. The fact that we chose to
have low ceilings, and 2 of the 4 of the cards are paid
monthly. Means nothing to them. As they want
to see 10%.
3. It has been almost a year since I made a
request of credit, they prefer 18 months or none.
4, in that request I made, one request, in 24
months and they prefer none in 24 months.
I don’t understand the difference of 3 and 4, but
it makes 2 marks against us.

So if you decide to be financially responsible.
To combine your cards, to get rid of high
percentage ones. That is a mark against you.
If you decided to get an extreme low ceiling
card to use on internet. That is a mark
against you.

I am not going to say we are pure in the
insurance world. We did file one claim.
The King backed out of a parking spot
and his bumper hitch scratched deeply
into another bumper this summer.
Costing the insurance company $430.
Our only claim with this company that
we have had for 12 years. I have never
(knock on wood) had to file a claim in
my 48 years of driving. The King has only
one, 25 years ago, in his 39 years of driving.

Had they said the rates went up for this
minor fraction, we would have understood,
not happy over such a minor incident, but
understood. But to check our credit report?
We had nothing to hide, it was the principal
of the thing.

Now I got to ask, what the heck does our
credit report have to do with insuring my car?
There is a few states that this isn’t allowed.
Idaho is not one of them.
update
for those who find this hard to believe
here is a link to read. From the state
insurance department.
http://www.doi.state.id.us/consumer/credit_questions.aspx

Resolutions

I don’t do resolutions. Learn years
ago, that they don’t work. I guess,
like most people, I am weak and
can’t keep the strong will to finish
up an idea that starts at the first
of each year.

I do try to have modest goals.
Simple ones, like to put more
time into my gardening. That
was last year's goal, and I did.

I do have a motto of sorts. Some
thing that guides me thru life,
that I try my best to do. That
would be a yearly goal…
To do no harm…

While that seems simple enough.
It actually can be hard some times.

To do no harm, by not gossiping
To do no harm, by not thinking
the worse about others.
To do no harm, by judging all sides
of things and people, before I make
up my mind how I feel about it or them.

Well, you get the idea. I guess it
is softer than my old motto which
still applies when needed…. And that
being …..
Illegitimi non carborudum .