Backwards and in High Heels

American has lost one of it's
lively women. At 73,she passed
away from cancer.

I admired this lady since the 80's.
Because of her larger-than-life style. She was
lively. She got up in your face with
what she believed in.

Ann Richards was a Democratic
from Texas. And if the Democrat's
had people like Ann, they would be
a party to be reckoned with.

She lost to George Bush machine of
politics. And I am not even going to go
there.

Her white hair stacked tall, her personality
that was up in your face type of person,
who believed in the people.

Governor Richards did more for the people
than most President have done.
She brought in the first black men and women
of the Texas Rangers.
She appointed the first disabled person to
serve on the board of Human Services.
She appointed the first teacher to lead the
State Board of Education.
The first black to the University of Texas
regent.
The first crime victim to the state Criminal Justice
Board.
All of this information is from the article of 9-14-06 in
Spokesman Review. The Associated Press by Kelley Shannon.

Some of these I knew about, some I am not
really surprised about as she was just that
type of person.

We know because she is a woman, she wouldn't
follow G. Bush's steps. Politics doesn't allow that
quite yet. But if any woman could have, if the women
of American could look pass the showmanship,
and saw the force to be reckoned with...Maybe
just maybe she might have made it.

I admire woman who are forceful enough to get the
job done. This woman open the doors to blacks as well
as others. Which was no easy feat in Texas, as they still
had a lot of prejudices.

God Bless Ann Richards, may more come behind
you.

Oh, the title of this comes from Ann's remark about
women and their "can do" .....
"Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire
did, only backwards and in high heels."

Taxes...the ups and no downs.

I am still fussing about my taxes.
I don't understand.

First, they said they were going to
roll back the taxes to 2005 assesments.
Then at the last minute, the State says no.

And BAM, we have a new 2006 assessment.
I don't know what was wrong with the old 2006
assessment they sent out in August.

So here we sit. Same house. Nothing different
about it... and we have to pay on $10,000 more.
As my assessment went up $10,000+ and the
taxable went up the same. From $72,+ to now
$82,100. What the heck is with that?

How did my house increase in value in just
a month and half

Surround Sound

One of my frustrations is hearing.
I seem to have volume, but not
clarity. At least that is what I
feel anyway.

The King's has been going for
quite some time. But he has
a good excuse. He works with
engines. Big engines. Mostly
diesel.

I don't have that excuse. And there
are some my age who are getting
hard of hearing. And my kids accused
me of having selective hearing. At which
I smile, because I know that to be true.
Most mothers do. Your brain separates
the sound of children fighting from the
sound of the child being seriously hurt.

And the sharp sound of MOM, will bring
most mothers out of it. We get so intune
with it, that we, as elders, can still be
brought to attention by it in a store, by
a child's voice.

Just like your right arm comes up like a
bus signal arm, in front of the person next to
you, (even though they are not a child) when
you throw on the brakes in an emergency.

Because of our hearing is getting worse,
we opted for surround sound. Giving us a
speaker on the table beside us.

Now most get it for the effect. But to be honest
with you, we now can hear better, and people
coming into our house, won't winch at the
loudness of our TV.

Only down side we have found is, of course
the ads, which I swear is at least 24% higher
than the shows.

I know, I know... they told us we would go
deaf by 50, because of us listening to that
rock and roll music.

UPDATE ON YESTERDAY'S POST.
To quote Sally Fields....
"They love me, they really do love me..".
THANKS, to you all who commented.

Comments

Where have all the flowers gone,
long time ago...

Where have all the comments gone,
no one has the words to say.

I haven't gotten a comment for quite
some time. All of this month.. which
isn't that long yet, but also in August.
And my numbers are down too. 112,
for a week that use to be 140 to 170.
With an average of 14 to 16 a day.
Guess everyone was on vacation.

I thought I really get the dandier up,
with my snow pictures of last weekend.
I put them up because we were having
90's and muggy. Figured the pictures
would cool everything off...

It is still fun, even if I am not in the
best of moods, so I will trudge on,
with my 14 a day base. So hang
in there folks, the best is yet to come.

I just don't know when it will be.

Some Days are Roses, some are thorns.

Some days are roses, some days
are thorns...

I have found I can write up a champion
post if I have something of humor. Some
thing that tickles my fancy. Or something
that I can just find flat out, funny. And a lot
of them are where I have done something
dumb.

I have found I can post some pretty long
ones if I am upset about something. Or
the injustice of people or something.

But I find it hard to post when I am sad.
And when life is not fair.

Watching from the Wings.....

The voice on the other end was
unadulterated Joy..

I PASSED..Nana,. I PASSED.
I GOT MY LICENSE!!

My grandson yesterday,
got his driver's license.
It has been a long haul.

Months of classes and
driving with a teacher.
Then the permit to drive
with an adult over 25 for
4 months.

Then the Driver's license
written test. After the
second try there was a
slap of hands at the
office from the tester.

Then the driving test.
Nerves, and strange town,
led to a failed test. He was
harder on himself, more than
any of us adult could have been.
Which we weren't. We had all
failed at something, at one time
or another.

A day of practice. To calm the
nerves. As his mother knew he
could do it. She felt comfortable
with his driving. (that isn't easy).
A good day of visiting and driving.
Visiting old places for Mom. Great
time for the son to see where she lived.

Unbelieving of where, and how far out
of town she had lived. How far away her
friends that she rode bike or walked to
visit. (he hates living out of town)

Him telling her, she must have liked her
friends more than he did his, as he didn't
think he would walk that far. It was a good
day, especially in the days of mom's and teens.

But this was the day. One more
drive thru the town, to get comfortable
with the area. And then the test.

As time went by, Mom felt better.
It is a half an hour test. The longer
they were gone, the better chance of
passing. As the car drove back into
the office parking lot, the face told it
all. Got the license and back home,
with a call to me.

One more step and then it is time to
trust this boy and the Lord, that he, too,
will be a good driver, and live to tell his
child, how he did with his driving lessons.

Oh, the tester? Old school teacher. That
Mom use to have in high school. He is retired.
She told him, he found a new way to torture
kids... testing drivers. They both laughted.
And no, no special treatment. After all this
is the same tester, who fail the grandson
the first time.

He is growing up so fast. Hunts and fishes
with his grandfather, now a license, and
next is a job. He can hardly wait.

As his mother, grandfather and I sit in
the wings of his life and watch him grow.

I think I am Beginning to get it Now

Some one dear to me has lost a
friend. Immediate, no good byes.
Just here one day, gone the next.
And very tragically ...

As we talked about this, it brought
up memories of a friend of mine who
I lost several years ago. Talked one
minute... 30 minutes later a train takes
her life.

We talked about how to get thru it.
And part of our feelings of such depth
of grieving. Both of these people in
our lives were co workers. So we were
close but not really close close. Meaning
we didn't go shopping together, family
picnic and etc.

But there was a closeness in our other
world. Our jobs. Being we are at our jobs
almost half of our days or even more, deducting
sleep, you have a closeness like family.

So when a person is out of your life at a snap
of God's fingers, so to speak, it opens so many
doors.

Trying to understand why. Trying to adjust to
the emptiness. You have, your up in your face
grieving, unbelieving and then, accepting grieving.

But later comes the total emptiness. The hole
that person leaves in your life. At first we thought
it was the lack of saying good bye. The lack of
closure, that was getting us. But even that didn't
seem like it covered it. Her's of this week,
nor mine of about 5 years ago.

And as I was doing my weekend house work
and being alone in the house and in my thoughts,
it dawn on me... I think I might get it now... Maybe.

Maybe it is how fragile we are as humans on this
earth. How quickly we see, feel, lose, some one
close. No good byes, here.... gone... And how it
could happen to us.

All of us humans live life, taking for granted,
our immortality. We will do this tomorrow. Taking
for granted we will be here tomorrow. And when
we lose someone, here, ..... seconds, hours, or
a day later... without warning... gone. Our
subconscious breaks down, and we don't understand.
We are only left with this feeling. Unexplainable feeling.

My next thoughts are.... now maybe, just maybe
I can understand the surviving (?) arm services
personal, who go over to where ever we send them.
With buddies who have gone thru hell of boot camp,
training, go there, and is a flash of a bomb, or a
gun shot, their buddy is gone. A lot of times more
than one buddy. There is a feeling inside
that can't be explained, can't be shown, hardly talked
about.......... that only ...only.... a fellow soldier
understands. They can't explain it to their mothers,
fathers, brothers or sisters..... and only the people
who have been over there...understand the hurtful,
hollow feeling. And that is what my close-to-my
heart friend and I feel on a far smaller scale.

Time will soften it, but never erase it.

(Even with the lost of an icon, Steve Irwin.
The Crocodile man)
It is part of our lives gone, be it some one close
or an icon the hollowness is there.

Ladies and Gentlemen...Start Your Engines

Ladies and Gentlemen???
Start your engines, because
we start with the heavy elections
coming your way.

Today, we have the
school levy up here in Bonner
County.

But we also have the fall elections.
Which is starting to rev up the engines
of politics.

Democrats pounding their drums.
Come one, come all, let's beat the
war drums down. No more Iraq,
bring our troops home. Get rid
of the Republican warmongers.Our economy is in the toilet.

Republicans shouting to the high
lands, the Democrats don't know
what they are talking about. We have
to maintain the stead line. Don't let
the Democrats take you down the line
with lies and false ideas. Our ecomony
is doing great.

Come vote for us, we are the best,
says all the parties. Be it local, or
be it state or be it national. The
elections are heating up. The serious
election signs are coming up in droves.

My advice???...look ..listen.. and for
God sakes... vote. Vote with your mind
and your heart. I don't care who you
vote for.......But VOTE!!

Summer is going, going, and looks what is coming...

Labor Day Past

Labor Day has always meant the
end of the summer. Mostly in the
past as the kids headed back to school.

So we would go fishing for the last time
of the year. Camp out for the last of summer.
And of course, cookouts over the
last weekend.

Even in later years, after the kids left,
we still had the end of summer bar-b-que.
for friends and family. But now the family is
scattered and so are friends. So now we just
go fishing.

But I have fond memories of camping by the
river (which now is a resort) miles from every
where. Getting up to the sunlight and fishing.
Telling stories around the campfire at night.

It was nice to hear a few years ago, to hear
my now adult son, tell about how it was the
best of times.

Happy Labor Day Friends.... the wordtosser
is taking the 3 days off for the end of summer.
Enjoy the weekend. Be back Tuesday.