It depends on where you live

It depends on where you live.

In Georgia, right now there is a drought.
They are even trying prayers to help.

To add to their troubles is the Federal
government who gave away some of
their supply many years ago to Florida
and Alabama. For their clams at the
seaside, so the shore has enough water.
But also for the citizens. Now that they
have a drought, they have tried to get
that stopped, but been told by others
that they don't have the right to stop
giving water to others. Which makes
me wonder when Georgia finally has
none, will they help out and give some
to Georgia. And do other states have
the right to drain the host state dry?

There seems to be a few problems.
Like there is a restriction on water
use. That is the normal reaction for
towns and cities to do. And while
most people try to obey, there are
a few who don't. One of the towns
found out that a house that is gated,
is using over 440,000 gallons of water
per month. Being the average is 2,000
you got to wonder what the heck that
guy is doing.

There is fines for watering your lawn
and etc. Which brings to the title of
this post.

It seems that this July there was a
70 year old woman, that was about
to be given a ticket. She thought it
was bunk. So she refused to give
her name and turn around to go into
her home. The officer was upset by
this and handcuffed her and arrested
her. Her crime? What was the ticket
for? Having a brown lawn. Yes, indeed
she had a brown lawn. And I guess
there is an ordnance in her town against
brown lawns. She lives in Orem, Utah.

There was a fancy lawyer who took up
the case. Told the judge that being arrest
for having a brown lawn was unconstitutional.
The City Attorney said the arrest had nothing
to do with the brown lawn, it had to do with
her refusing to give her name and she walked
back across HER lawn and started into the
house. Trial is set for Feb. 11, 2008. I guess
the courts of Utah move slowly. Her charges
are failure to maintain her lawn and resisting
arrest. ??? He was giving her a ticket, not
arresting her at first.. so shouldn't it be
resisting a ticket?

Anyway, I guess it depends on where
you live.. got water? ticket for not watering
your lawn... No water? ticket for watering
your lawn.

Veteran's Day... monday

Yesterday was Veteran's Day. And because
of a President in the past, we celebrate on
Monday.

So where is the celebration? I haven't see
anything yet. Maybe in the paper tomorrow,
they will show the last of WWII vets who still
do the honor guard on Veteran's day.

But the school's are in session today. I surely
hope their teachers are talking about this day.
I know when I was in school they did.. but then
we had WWII vets who were teachers.

And why is it the stores feel they should gain
by this. With their big ads of VETERAN'S DAY
SALE... Excuse me?

It is the Veteran

This is an email, I got just in time for Veteran day...
says it very well

It is the VETERAN , not the preacher,
who has given us freedom of religion.

It is the VETERAN , not the reporter,
who has given us freedom of the press

It is the VETERAN , not the poet,
who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the VETERAN , not the campus organizer,
who has given us freedom to assemble.

It is the VETERAN , not the lawyer,
who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the VETERAN , not the politician,
Who has given us the right to vote.

It is the VETERAN ,who salutes the Flag,

God Bless all the Veterans from all wars...

Gas Prices and Traveling

Our local station has climbed
25 cents in two weeks.

Milk products have gone up
as well as produce. And I would
say that gas/diesel has a lot to
do with that.

Here we are heading to the holidays.
Thanksgiving is a big family holiday.
People travel by plane and car to get
to Grandma's house.

I wonder if most will stay home this year.
Between the fuel for the cars and trucks
and the plane's the cost are soaring.
I don't understand why diesel is even
more, as that is the left over product of
the refining of the oil. Doesn't make sense.

So are you having second thoughts of
traveling to family for Thanksgiving, or
are staying home and having with local
friends?

OH, NO....

Oh, NO, how could I do it?
I forgot to post a blog for
today. I usually work on
it the night before...

Now I know my mind was in
a fog yesterday. I was late for
exercising, I was late getting the
mail. I kept trying to catch up all
day.

And then as I checked my email..
oh, my gosh, did I post a blog
today?

I click on my blog and there it is
Wednesday!! No Thursday....
AND I HAVE NOTHING ...nothing
of value...

So instead of a bad hair day...
This is a foggy bad post day...
Hope you all are doing better
than I am...

The Faster We Go....

The faster we go with computers
in our lives, the more behind we
get in some areas..

Those of us who have computers
seem to think that we have most
of the world at our finger tips. As
it happens, we know shortly after.

Last night is an example of how
there is a lot of areas in our lives
we don't...

I tried until 11:30 p.m. to get the
results of the election here in
Bonner County. There was only
one, that I got to know the outcome
before I went to bed... got to know it
at about 10 p.m. And that is, who is the
Mayor of Dover. And that I found out
by reading the Spokesman Review
blog called Huckleberries blog. Which
is out of Coeur d' Alene. Sad..

What is even more sad, I went to the
City of Sandpoint site to get the info
for Sandpoint, only to get greeted by
the one line... Election results coming
soon. Kind of like the sign you see in
an empty field about a business coming
soon. For years.

I went to the Bee site, but of course they
put in their entry in at around 9am in the morning
and never update it thru the day. I guess
their own city mayor race and council person
was not important enough stay the gamut and
go on line and give the results.

And the paper in the morning... well they put the
paper to bed before the results were known. So
this morning, the headlines again were large of,
CURLESS IS THE MAYOR OF DOVER. Sad.
Not even a word about Kootenai. And they had
all of those unopposed, so they could have
said they won, and tell us numbers later.

I did try the Bonner County site, but they had
2006 results on there.

I did go on the city site this morning...
and got the results for Sandpoint. I don't
know what time they posted the results.
They did say they were going to tell those
running first.. but really... after 11:30 pm?
Maybe Sandpoint needs the machines.
Too many to count by hand in 3 hours.

Well, at least Coeur d' Alene knew by
11:00 p.m. who won all the seats.

But again, it is the more we get ahead, the
more we get behind. Or maybe I should say,
the more we get ahead, the more we expect
to be ahead.

Looking back...

A friend who I have had since
grade school, sent me a envelope
that I got Monday.

It is a pamphlet and picture of the
50th class reunion. Ours.
Boy, there were a lot of grey hairs
there. lol... I didn't go, as the cost
were so high for trip, and celebrations.

Also there was maybe 2 that I recognized
in the picture. There was one man who
was in the back row..(they always seem
to be in the back row), who drew my
attention. After all, with a black hat and
a red tie, you have to be noticed.

As I read the pamphlet I found out that
my old school has been hit with the
wrecking ball. It is 1/3 gone when the
picture was taken. The two Catholic
school are still there. And some of
the buildings that we all visited during
our high school time. The old Red & Black
is gone. That was the typical soda shop.
Hamburgers, sundaes, cherry coke at the
fountain and etc. just like you saw on
Happy Days.

Next was the ones who have left us thru
the years. Sad to read the names and so
many of them.

Then the addresses of the one's who
answered the questionnaire. It was fun
to read the address, and surprisingly to
see that a lot of them stayed close to
home. Many still in R. I. and Mass. Some
in Florida, which isn't surprising as that
is where the Northern go for the winter,
and some stay. Like the Northwest people
go to Arizona and New Mexico.

As I looked back, something that rang
so true today, as I was looking thru the
papers.

My grandson, who is working on his speakers
for the doors of his truck. Playing the ones he
already has... I hear the bass thru the walls of
the house, and hear my mother's voice in my
mind... in 1957.... TURN DOWN THAT MUSIC,
YOU WILL BE DEAF BEFORE YOU KNOW IT!!

My music was about 1% of my grandson's and
as I repeat my mother's words (don't you hate that)
it brings a smile to me... as I remember the pass and
the passing of the years.

National Health Insurance

National Health Insurance...
One of the reasons that Hilary
scares me.

Even though I believe a President
is only as powerful as the Congress
lets them be.. I still know that there
are arm twisting and I will scratch
your back, while you scratch mine.

What is scary is the idea of
National Health Insurance. And I
have to tell you in the past, I was
one of the ones voicing the approval
of such an idea.

Most of us have heard about the
wonderful Canadian national insurance.
Years and years of it. But what had
me looking closer, is some of the programs on
television. About the waits and even a lottery
for an appt.

Even the cynical part of me, had to wonder
how much is true, and how much is spin by
the media. That is, until I talked to some
people who live here, and where long time
Canadian residents in the past.

They concur with the reports. Which made
me think about our own system. Many
have complain for years, media stories,
for years about HMO programs.

And then you have the Veteran's hospitals,
(they don't have doctor offices) and those
families, who have gone thru the service
system of having children thru the hospitals
for dependents. I had my first child 47 years
ago at Balboa Naval Hospital. I remember the
waits in the waiting room. Up to at least 4 hours.
And never the same doctor. And when I went to
the hospital to have her? another different doctor.

One thing they all have had in common.. The
wait. My deceased husband was subject to
the Veteran's hospital. In Vancouver, Washington,
and in Spokane, Washington. The take a number and
wait. Wait maybe up to 6 hours to see a Dr. and
then ... a wait and see what they will do for you. It
might take weeks before you get in the hospital.
And if they decide right there and then, you need
to be put into the hospital... then you wait weeks,
before anything is done. My deceased husband
was taken into the Vet's hospital in Vancouver,
he was there for over a month. Most of it waiting.
Was finally operated on... 2 weeks after being there.
Was kept there another 2 weeks. His operation
was a bypass. Oh, to help him kill time, they
removed his teeth. Even though he never complain
about them. They had served him well for over 50
years as they were. Even in the Spokane hospital
he was there for 2 weeks, sent home, for 2 weeks,
while nothing was done... then taken back in and
removed his leg after doing 3 other bypass operations.
Then removed his other leg. He was there a total of
2 and half months. He died there. Is this the type
of health care you want?

And then those of you who have gone to your
county health places. I had to rely on them for
my children's shots when my husband was in
the hospital the first time, and we didn't have
an income. The wait. The overworked staff.
And that was just to get shots, thankfully none
of us were actually sick.

This is typical because of the overload. So wait
until you add all of the nation on this. And while
you are at it... call your doctor and ask him/her,
if the nation goes national health care...will
he/she take those patients? They do have a choice
you know. There are ones who will not take
Med-care now. So don't you wonder how others
will feel about National Health Care? Will they
hold out for those who will pay for their own?
Those are the Canadians who get the best care
in Canada... the private pay. Got a Canadian
friend??? Ask them. And ask them to tell you
the real truth.

In the News and of the News

If you came here for fun today,
I am sorry but I am going to
disappoint you. This is a statement
of sorts, posting.. So if you want
to read fun stuff..come back Monday.
Maybe I will be more in the mood.

As you know I have posted a couple
of stories about newspapers lately.
The lack of substance. That they are
getting to be more social papers.

That I wanted facts. Like the old days
with the reporter hanging out at the
police station or what ever. The
investigating reporter..

But that seems like a lack in newspapers
of today. At least in our local area. Meaning
my local paper and now it could be true for
the regional paper.

I want a newspaper owner who wants the
real reason why newspaper came about.
Get the real story. the facts, and get the
facts straight. I don't want to read 2 day
old stories.

With that said, it saddens me to hear
that the regional newspaper, the last
chance we had at real news, has cut
their staff drastically. Mainly in the
Cda area. Which was where all of the
North Idaho news came from. The closest
to facts that we have had in a few years.

The local paper, be it here or Cda. is
own by one man who owns all of the
local papers, for all the towns, in North
Idaho. The facts are late, and loose.
Any editor they have is under the thumb
of the owner. The news as he would like
to see it. What they think will sell the papers.
So the editors have a very small area to jump
out and do what they went to school to learn
of journalism.

We lost the Spokesman's Review, here in
Sandpoint, years ago. We ended up being
a very small part of a section called The
Handle in their Cda office.. And even that
title changed. Having our news deluded more.
Giving away to at least a third of that section,
to other areas. You know when you ask a reporter
why she didn't report on the results of a small
town called Kootenai, just 3 miles outside of
Sandpoint, and she replies they don't go up
as far as Bonner's Ferry, which is 45 miles
North of us. You know you are in trouble.
We lost again.

So here is the new, smaller office in Cda,
and we wait to see what will happen. We
wait to see if the coverage of the Duncan
murder case, the P.A. office scandels, the
other stories of great interest... will still be
around with 4 out of 6 reporters gone. Very
good investigating reporters and photographers.

Some where over the years, I have read a quote
about newspapers and countries. That when the
country quiets a newspaper, the government goes
array. Because there is no check, double check
point. Wonder if that is true when states, and
regional areas lose their importance?

As far as the other papers... the local...the
ones that are all own by one man? Do we have
respect for the paper? No. We feel for the reporters,
we don't know why they don't get it right. We don't
know why some stories are left to gossip and
rumors. We don't know why the news is 2 days
old. We try to respect the paper.. God, do we
try. Will the tiny paper called River Journal pick
it up?

And as much as I love blogging, I can not take
them serious. As blogs are not always truthful.
They are only as good as the headmaster of the
blog and his commenters. And commenters are
a loose cannon. Very opinionated. And as a
blogger.. and when I get serious, such as this
post... it is all "In My Humble Opinion"... nothing
more. Like other bloggers.

A difference in others lives.

Who made a difference in your life?
Have you made a difference in someone
else's life that you know of?

I give you 3 that made a difference in
my life. I will just use first names... to protect
the identity of these people. There are many
more who, by small acts have made a difference,
but these stand out.

First one, that I can think of.. is
Jo. She later married a good friend
of my parents. Making her an Aunt
of sorts. I call her Aunt Jo...
How did she make a difference?

When I was a teen, it was my job as
the only girl, to not only shine the silver,
(that is why I don't own any myself)..but
I also was the dishwasher. I washed them,
I dried them, and I put them away.
Jo came to Thanksgiving dinner with Herbie.
And when it came time to clear the table, Jo
offered, insisted and bucked my mother's denial
of services... and helped me with the dishes.
Teaching me, no matter how old you are.. you
can help a teen, even if the parent says you
don't need to. She is one of the kindness people
I know.

Next was a blood Aunt. Harriet....
She taught me unconditional love,
compassion, understanding that no
one is perfect. That you are never too
old to learn, even from a child or teen.
That everyone of your children are your
favorite child. In their own way.
All of this, not by telling me.. but by
example.

Next is a group of people. Cancer victims
that I have taken care of over the 17+ years
of being an aide.
They taught me courage, faith, hope, and
how to die with dignity.

Have I made a difference in other lives?
I have been told of 3, that I can remember.

Cindy, a sweet, smiling girl of about 9,
who was a joy to be around. I included
her with my kids when she was left with
me with her siblings by her parents to be
babysat. To have her grow up to be a strong
woman, a judge in Alaska, and sent me the
most heartfelt email, of how I made a difference
in her life. I cried.

Several aides who came up to me on my last
day of work, to tell me how I showed them in
our line of work, that you can take the extra
moment for the residents. How I showed by
example, you can find in the worse of days,
how to always treat the residents and staff
with dignity. I cried.

Angel, who told me as I was working out,
at the women's fitness place, that she
has kept going with her exercises because
she has seen me, with a smile on my face,
and still working out, never giving up.
I felt honored, and thought I was hanging in
there because of people like her, and her
infectious smile.

Who made a difference in your life?
How?
How did you make a difference in
someone's else life?

Your own children, don't count. That
is your job...with them.