ALL LIVES MATTER....

It seems like everyone is screaming over the

words of BLACK LIVES MATTER... That there

are black people who are making it a real issue.

While I understand where they are coming from,

but in my humble opinion they are stirring up

the racial subject and making it worse.

Some have gotten in trouble for putting up

signs of ALL LIVES MATTER....

To me this is what it should be... but we shouldn't

have to say it..  In order for racism to go away

we have to stop pointing out differences.

By pointing out different groups, we are defeating

the purpose of it.  if you are of any of the groups,

you are going contrary to what message you are

trying to point out.

We should not have to point out that Black lives

matter.. police officers matters, or what ever the

yells are..  We shouldn't even have to say...

ALL LIVES MATTER.... we should ACT like

ALL LIVES MATTER... 

If you are a police officer, if you are a baby, if you

are black, if you are of the Asian ancestry, if

you are mentally challenged, all of you matter..

You are no more important than I am... I AM

no more important than you are...  We are equal.

And if the people are ever going to get it to this

point, we have to start ACTING like it.. Stop

pointing out differences..

Maybe if everyone stopped pointing out differences,

maybe, people won't look for differences.

But then again, I have been accused of looking at life 
thru rose colored glasses. 

Lionel Trains......

Did you know that Lionel Trains,  made engines that

came in the colors of pink, yellow, orange? That was

the owner's way of trying to get girls involved with trains

as well as boys.

This happen when people started traveling a lot and

boys were turning to cars to play with. Plus the owner

was very fond of his granddaughter and thought girls

should be able to have their own trains.

In the 1950's Lionel Train was loosing traction.

No pun intended.  His son took over the company,

and the owner sold his shares to a nephew who turn

out to be the Cohen who help Senator McCarthy in the

communism hunts thru the Senate investigations. 

He then in the 1960's sold out to another person who

was helped by Neil Young the singer.. who ended up

owning the whole company. 

Obliviously I was reading a magazine article about

Lionel trains..   My interest about the trains was due

to the fact at the age of 4, I owned one.. At least that

is the story.. I think it was closer to the fact my father

wanted one, so he bought one for his only child.. a girl.

Me.   I say that because the following year they had

a boy.. who all of sudden was the owner of the said

train.  But again, you got to remember what I said.

I think my father wanted the train and we were just

the vessel to fund that train.  As when my brother

got the ripe age of 8 or 10, he challenged Dad to

the ownership. As he was always told it was his

train...BUT... Dad would never let him run it with

out my father hovering over him.  But when

challenged, he had to admit it was my brother's

and he could run it... Which my brother had the

control for about 10 minutes, if that.. and ran it

at full speed.. much to my father's horror, as

he ran from the kitchen to the living room where the

Christmas tree and train where.. I said where as the

train was derailed big time... After 3 times, my

brother was banned from running the train until

"He grew up enough to know how to run a train

properly."

I don't know what ever happen to the train.. it sat

under the Christmas tree for years.. and my brother

was diverted to Erector sets and such..  

Dirty Tricks

It is getting harder and harder to follow the election

race.  The dirty tricks are getting worse all the time.

And it isn't the behind the scene types.. you know

where there is a slight mention of this or that.. This

is out there in your face type..  Videos and pictures

that are photoshopped.

Also all the angry pictures.. Trump with his mouth

wide open with an anger looks... same with

Clinton.  But we are use to Clinton's from last time

around.

I also get a kick about how Trump says he is

going to do this and that.. and is changing

Health care and etc..   I guess he forgot that

Congress is involved with all this..  And if

for some wild thing.. the Democrats win

enough in Congress to swing it back around,

he will be in the same position as Obama.

But one thing is for sure.. this election race

is scaring the hell out of me.. more than any

other year that I have been alive.

Unless there is some miracle that someone

will come out of the woodwork and run as

an Independent, as an honest, upfront

person.. (like that is going to happen) and

I vote my own... NONE OF ABOVE... which

will give me the satisfaction of not voting for

any of these ship of fools.. I know the

next President of the United States is going to

be someone I really don't like.. short of hate.

I don't usually hate (it poisons yourself),

but this is going to be a close one.    

THE PERFECT STORM...

I have not seen a written description of the

words, Perfect Storm... but my own would

be,  when several disasters are heading

in the same direction from different areas.

And it seems like we, here in Idaho, especially

in Bonner County, are heading towards a

Perfect Storm, helped by the federal government.

Those of us over the age of 65, who are on

Social Security, were told by the U.S. Government,

that we were NOT getting a raise, because the

cost of living was not raising.   # 1 of the area

of the storm heading our way.. on our budget. 

The # 2 area of the storm heading our way, is the

new bill that is being promised for the property tax

people.  They are going to take away what they

call homeowner’s exemption. Which is a deduction

we get for living in our own home..  In other words

those who rent their houses don't get it.  It has

been a life saver for those of us who are retired.

The Senate has it heading in for vote, in Boise.

And they think it will pass.  So instead of paying

taxes on 2/3rd of my property, I will be paying

100% on my property assessment.

The #3 area of the storm is the proposed

55 MILLION dollars  the school district

is going to throw a levy (they are hoping for 2017).

They are already calling for bids for plans to be

drawn up. That alone should hit the school district

for about $100,000 to 200,000 with out a piece of

dirt moved.

On top of that,  3 MILLION they are having this year,

for repairs and remodeling of several of the existing schools.

Yep, the Perfect Storm for the tax payers.. the low income

who are barely making the payments.. and the senior citizens

who are on such a strict budget as it is.. and then with the

non raise that the Congress decided we didn't need, yet

voted a raise for themselves.. Which is about 1000 per

cent more than any Social Security raise has ever been.  

Lies? No..not really...little bent of truth

Happy Birthday, George Washington.. and

for those who know about George, he said

he never tell a lie... had to do with his father

questioning about a tree that had been chopped

down.  And we were to learn the lesson of,

never tell a lie.

Well, that could be a fine line between parents and children.

See getting children to eat different foods over

their lives as a child.. can be a tug of war.

My children were not made to eat all foods

all the time...  But they did have to try it at

least once.. One bit.. then after that. if they

really and truly did not like the taste, they

never had to eat it again.

Unlike my mother who forced my brother and

I to eat such things like egg plant, peas and

the worse of all worse.. LIVER...  my memories

of LIVER... still stay with me.. I don't like peas,

but I will be polite and eat them at someone

else's house.. but I WILL NOT be polite and

eat LIVER.

See we could put mustard on it, ketchup or

what ever our choice was.  But there is no

way of disguising LIVER.  It was dry, it was

HORRIBLE TASTING..  But my mother didn't

stop there. Because I spent many hours of

my life at the table.. just me.. my plate and

LIVER... hoping to wear down my mother.

But that was not to be... because if she

finally gave up on me, then I would have

it looking back at me for BREAKFAST. If

she lost that war, then it was there for lunch

and then dinner if that didn't work.  I can

remember it being for 3 days..  to be honest

I can't remember who won and who lost, but

I am betting it was me on the losing end. And

she wouldn't let the dog into the dining room

during these battles...

But the horror of horrors came 30 years later!!

I am at her kitchen table having coffee, when

she mention my father was down at his farmer

friend's house... and probably was going to

bring home a calf LIVER... and then she added

the words that I could not believe that she said.

I thought I didn't hear her right so asked her to

repeat it... her words?  He will want me to cook

it for dinner tonight.. but gosh, I HATE LIVER, and

hate cooking it..   After I found my voice , I

said WHAT? WHAT? YOU HATE LIVER?

Then why the HELL did you make me eat it.

(I was in my 40's, so I could cuss at the table now) ..

ALL THOSE FLAMING YEARS OF FORCING ME

TO EAT IT... AND NOW YOU TELL ME .. YOU

HATE LIVER?!!!!

She looked at me with the most innocent of eyes and

said... well, it is good for you....   Guess you and

your brother never noticed, I didn't eat it.  It was

good for you.. iron, don't you know... With bug

eyes... GOOD FOR ME????  IRON???  I could

have eaten raisins.. that had iron ....  But you

would have had to eat so many of them, she replied.

Still in disbelief... I told her, I would have ate a

pound a day.. in place of LIVER... once a week.

DANG.. DANG..

Any way.. with my kids .. they ever had to go thru

that.  But before my youngest reads this and fills

you in with the rest of the story...  I did resort to

bending the truth a little... (she says .. I out and out

LIED to them)...   my standard reply to the kids when

they turn up their noses at some food was....

"what you don't want to eat it, but you had seconds

last time we had it, you thought it was so good". 

Then there is the chicken incident.. We would have

fried "chicken" ... until the youngest figured out

the so called wings looked a lot like rabbit legs.

Dang.. dang..   smart kid.. lol

And the survey said.....

Over the years I have been

ask to answer questions about my blog.

These are usually sent by students of

colleges who are either doing an essay

of their own..(the first one was..10 years

ago) or the school itself is running a project

about people.. (the second one was for

senior citizens writing blogs).

One always wonder if they are legit or not.

And what happens to that information. Does

it disappear into cyber space, papers or

a cd at the college? And do they use our

names?  Two said no.  

While the young man who contacted me

10 years ago.. we converse on by emails

at first.. me answering some questions he

had.. and then he followed it up with a

phone call, so he could talk to me about

a couple of my answers.  One of which was

of great humor to him, was my story about

how I got my kids to return to the house for

lunch. (for those who don't remember or

go back that far.. I use to shoot off the shot

gun, because our dog which was ALWAYS

with the kids, was scared of guns.. and he

would run for home, which the kids knew

if he headed for home.. they had to do the

same)...  We lived in the hills.

One of them wondered if I would change my

blogging habits if I knew they were watching

me and what I wrote.  And the answer is no.

I am what I am... as Popeye would say.

Have to wonder, what it was about my blog

that they thought it was interesting enough

to get ahold of me and find out what I was

thinking.  Interesting... say what?  

Early Yard Work

So it wasn't a perfect day.. at least it wasn't a

sunshine day.. but warm enough for a sweater

and vest.

I got my trusty pruning tool out, and ended

up getting the larger one too, so I could

cut some of the bigger branches off. 

After two hours I had a ball that was 5 feet

tall of clematis branches, and some from

another type of bush..  and dead leaves all

over the place.

I rounded up the ball the best I could,

lifted it up and walked to the back of the yard

with it.. looking like a walking bush with legs.

By the time I got done.. (I had 5 clematis

bushes, and two unknown named bushes done)

and I was sore.. All over.. my arms, my hands

from clipping and clipping... my back from all

the bending.. But it felt soooooo good to be

back outside, even in the gloomy but warm

day. This was so good for my cabin fever.

So much more to do..

But Aleve take me away.. along with a nice

hot shower..

now where did I put those seed catalogs again?

YOU JUST CAN'T MAKE THIS STUFF UP...

The headlines screamed.... Men must get

permission note from wives for Viagra.

 I have now discovered that not all the

political nut cases don't live in Idaho...

Kentucky men would have to visit a doctor twice and have signed permission from their wives before obtaining a prescription for Viagra or other such drugs for erectile dysfunction, according to a bill filed by a state legislator Thursday.

Rep. Mary Lou Marzian, a Louisville Democrat, the sponsor of House Bill 396, said it is merely an effort to protect men's health and ensure they are informed about a drug with potentially dangerous side effects.

"I want to protect these men from themselves," said Marzian, a nurse.

HB 396 also specifies that only married men may obtain the drug and requires "a man to make a sworn statement with his hand on a Bible that he will only use a prescription for a drug for erectile dysfunction when having sexual relations with his current spouse."

"This is about family values," Marzian said

But she acknowledged the bill is a pointed response to several anti-abortion measures in the current legislative session, including Senate Bill 4, which requires a woman seeking an abortion to get counseling 24 hours in advance of the procedure from a health professional. The counseling must be in person or via live telecommunications.

SB 4, called the "informed consent" bill, passed last week and was signed into law by Gov. Matt Bevin.

Marzian, an abortion-rights supporter, said HB 396 also is meant to protest intervention by a predominantly male General Assembly into women's health.

"Do we really want a bunch or legislators interfering in private, personal, medical decisions?" she asked.

Marzian said she doesn't expect her bill to get very far. But she's not done.

Marzian said she also plans to file a bill requiring potential gun buyers to obtain counseling 24 hours in advance from victims of gun violence before the purchase.

"I'm just making sure the government is taking care of your safety," she said.

For those with computers..check this out..

http://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/2016/02/12/want-viagra-not-without-note-wife/80294772/

I believe that Election Day should be June 2nd.

No, I don't mean primaries or caucus.

I am talking the main event... yes, that means

moving all the others back a few months.

But that is ok.

See, by having the election on June 1st. Then

we can vote for who we want.. but I also want

one more thing added to the ballot.  And that is

'NONE OF THE ABOVE' ...  and if None of

the Above wins.. then they have to scrap the

whole list of candidates and bring forward a

whole new bunch... The top 6 (3 on each side)

will be disqualified.  And then the rest have to get

their act together in time for a 2nd chance vote

of November second Tuesday's ballot.

Because this year.. all I see is NONE OF THE

ABOVE.  While I like some of Bernie things, I

don't think he is going to be the head runner.

And I am not understanding where he is going

to get the money for the free education and

health bill.   And there is no way.. no way...

I am voting for Hillary. Absolutely NOT..

There is no one on the Republican side that

either is sane enough or educated enough for

my vote. Rubio seems to be a nice guy, and

he can come back in 8 years and maybe he

has learn enough by that time... Cruz and

Trump are nut cases, totally. Scare the hell

out of me.  There really isn't any one on the

Ship of Fools... to pick from.

So it will be a vote for NONE OF THE ABOVE.

and if we can do it in June and scrap the

candidates and do it over in time for November,

well, that sounds reasonable to me.. 

3 Generation Valentine dinner....

Those who have read this blog over the years,

know that I am not a fan of Valentine traditional

gifts.. meaning candy and roses...  They know that

the King is forbidden to get either one of those for

me.

I really have it made as I get "for no reason roses"

thru the year... Or maybe I should refer to them as

" I thought you might like these today" roses. As

the King does that for no reason, or if I have come

thru a tough spot ... he will get me one to cheer me

up. These mean the world to me.

But I refuse to be party to the highway robbery

of the prices on roses.. The ads that guilt mostly

men into getting gifts for their loves.  Why pay

$20 and up for roses, when two days after

Valentines' Day .. they are $9.99 for a dozen?

Or $3.00 for one with baby breathes with it?

Some are guilt in to the price of diamonds.

Which I find outrageous. 

This year we decided to do a 3 generation Valentine

Day dinner at a local restaurant. It will be the King

and I, with our daughter and her husband...adding

our grandson with his girlfriend.. then we added in

a couple other people... to join us...  This is a lot

better than some roses that will die in a few days,

or candy that will add the pounds..  It should add

memories..

By the way, my kids use to come home from school,

and find hanging on their bed.. a sack with a dozen

chocolate chip cookies with a home made card.

These are the things that make Valentines Day

a memory. 

THAT FLAG BELONGS TO ME...IT BELONGS TO ALL OF US!!

I keep saying I am not going to watch the mad house

of politics.. but I keep looking.. like looking at a wreck

along side of the road.

The absurdity  of  it all.. the words, the actions.. even

the latest with how Hilary's crew left the building on

Tuesday night.... leaving the American flag in a heap

on the floor of the room.  What kind of person does

that?  I don't care who it is... or who they represent.

What kind of American lets the flag fall to the floor in

the first place and then what kind of people walk out

of the room leaving it in a heap.

THAT FLAG BELONGS TO ME... IT BELONGS TO

ALL OF US.. WHERE AND WHEN, did it lose its

dignity?

update.. read where this is where they put the flags BEFORE the rally

of Tuesday night.. Even worse..

http://theamericanmirror.com/photo-shows-american-flags-crumpled-up-on-hillary-hq-floor/

View image on Twitter

 Follow

Post Politics 

What happen to a "matter of principle"?

The new buzz word it Gentrification.

according to Wikipedia ...  it means...

Gentrification is a trend in urban neighborhoods, which results in increased property values and the displacing of lower-income families and small businesses.^[1] This is a common and controversial topic in urban planning.^[2] It refers to shifts in an urban community lifestyle and an increasing share of wealthier residents and/or businesses and increasing property values.^[3] Gentrification may be viewed as "correction" of blockbusting and urban flight ^[4] as many gentrified neighborhoods of the present were once affluent neighborhoods of the past. 

Recently used about Sesame Street move to HBO from PBS.. where it had

been for 40 some odd years..  It seems that all of the characters have

according the song of  The Jefferson's..... have all "moved on up"..

Elmo is now living in a brownstone, and Oscar lives no longer in the

garbage can of old but now in recycling cans in the garden area.

Those of us who watched this show with our now adult children in the

70's, are not crazy about it. They said it speaks of the times, and how

life has been upgraded.

While I find that to not to be so true, as there are still slums and slum

lords....but there is also the great move of the Gentrification people. We

all know of neighborhoods that have been sold out to the highest

bidder.. That now has townhouses, that those who lived in that area

could no way afford.  There are big box stores taking up the spaces

of what was mom and pop stores.  The Yippee generation has

taken over those of modest means.

We all have been living in a town that was just a great little town.

A town that was kind of like Cheers...where everyone knew your

name..  Which some would say, isn't a good thing.   The town

of Sandpoint, is a good example of this.  The trailer parks are

replaced by townhouses, or just a huge house.  This is where

big money bought out the low income property. Sold to the

highest bidder.

These buyers either come themselves or follow those who

move from the big cities to get away from all the crime and

what ever else they didn't like about the big cities.  Yet

within 5 years they are promoting... requesting.. working

with the city hall to get these very values the came here for,

changed over to the exact things that they were running from.

The land owners, trailer parks owners, see the big money

that they can get... more than the rental they are use to

getting.. more than what they paid for the property years

ago.... and they sell, sell , sell...  And can you blame them?

The ring on the carousel may not come by again.

After all it disappeared before... farms that were sold for

4 million dollars.. in the early 2000's... to put in condos

that sold for $400,000 each.. went awash during the drop

of the economy and hasn't return yet.

But what about not selling out... as a matter of Principal?

Instead of going for the big money.. to go for the smaller

changes and smaller money.. if the town really does have

to up date?  What about when there is the big buy, there

be a cause in there, about replacing the people who were

renting.. to a new place of equal values... God forbid,

we know they don't want those people renting their property

for the same amount the people were paying before.

Maybe for every huge condo, there be

a low income apts.. and they have to be built first??

Some how it shouldn't be big money wins out, the low

income pack up and finds a way to recoup their lives.

It should be a matter of principle...