I couldn't come up with a "fitting" word...

Today was a pretty nice day. A week of nearly steady cloud wringing came to an end. The spare sump pump was unplugged. The sun struggled and managed to pop out for a bit. (Near Lake Erie, we get a lot of gray skies this time of year.) I solved most of the New York Times crossword puzzle...Saturdays are toughies! Got a great book at a garage sale for 25 cents and found a nearly new keyboard to replace the one onto which I spilled water and had my desktop doing things Bill Gates never could imagine. In the past 11 years, very few events have had a continuing pull on my attention: The Twin Towers, 2 Tsunamis and Sandy Storm. So much damage and so many lives lost/affected in such a short amount of time. When mass tragedy strikes, Americans pull together...without any prompting whatsoever. They just do it! It's who we are. Income, political persuasion, ethnicity, team loyalty, schooling, etc., matter not. People merely grab anything that will help and take it to those who lost out. There are no introductions and no prejudices. There are no language barriers. The eyes tell the stories. The eyes display the loss. They eyes convey the need. In turmoil, there are the sufferers and the bringers. No borders. Just helpers. Life must go on. It will. It always does. I could quickly fill several pages, but don't need to. You know of what I speak. At one time in your lives, you needed and received, no matter how small or large. At one time in your lives, you gave, no matter how small or large. Possessions were/are not always exchanged. Times such as this tells us why God invented hugs.........yep, 'nuff said there, eh? All that in mind, I caught a portion of the ABC news on my local affiliate. That particular segment centered on the New York Marathon's cancellation. Mayor Bloomberg, in my opinion, made the correct call. Few, if any, residents were involved in the running. They were busy in their own races against shock of loss, wet, hunger, cold, missing family and all that accompanies tragedy. Yet, the camera happened to focus on what appeared to be a nice looking blond lady that I guessed might have been in her early thirties. Her words were very close to, "We're upset, we're extremely mad that the race was called off. We traveled many miles, brought families and reserved hotel rooms." She was upset and vehement in her delivery of those words. (Here's where I couldn't come up with a "fitting word" to describe her audacity). In lieu of that, I will stifle the urge to introduce her neck to my knuckles. One wonders what could be done to satisfy this obviously self-entitled ------, ------, ------, ------. Even if the race COULD have been, the entrants would all have to run over, around and through the rubble. Did she consider that? I have to stop here, as I could go on for pages, but don't need to. All I can suggest is that she sue God and may she hope to never experience what she was so put out by. God bless America.

Once A Leg Man..............

Once a "leg" man.....



I try to stay away from political commentary because it negates the chuckles I read in the daily comic section of my newspaper, but, some are SO "ignernt" that you have to stop and wonder.


WHUTT?!? 1.  Our local, (loco?), lawmakers just enacted the Teen Text Law.  I guess they figure texting drivers older than 18 don't get bigger boo-boos. Has anyone contacted the wacko gecko actuaries?
WHUTT?!? 2.  The since deposed Cuyahoga County sheriff was convicted for using election money to bolster his campaign via using his deputies. In short, he "retired" and there followed some of that good ole boy taking care of another and he then used campaign funds to pay the fine. A judge simply blew it off with words to the effect, "These things happen" and that was the end of that!  As an untrained CPA, I'd venture to say he'd have to claim that money as income, dontcha think.........IRS?
WHUTT? 3.  Last week marked the opening of a gambling casino in Cleveland. In an effort to empty wallets without delay, an extension to East 9th Street is being constructed. In the meantime, 2 local hospitals were closed, thereby increasing response times for EMS personnel.

Didja Know? Dept: While visiting some of my favorite Kentucky people earlier this month, I was told that some schools no longer teach cursive writing. AUGH!


As parents, we can oh so easily upset the kids with "put the foot down" directives. My 2 sons, not the old teevee show, grew to be close to self-inflicting eclipse makers. Well, not THAT huge, but big enough to scare some wash machines. When they asked to play football, I absolutely refused, reason being that the human body was not designed to run into each other, at a high rate of speed, from opposite directions. I suggested meteorology broadcasting, as they tend to earn a lot while being wrong more often than Homer Simpson. A recent news item is telling us that Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy is more pronounced than anyone had envisioned. In short, concussions are to be taken seriously, as shown in studies conducted on brains of former football stars. In fact, the possibilities exist in virtually ALL sports having body contact. (You're welcome, M & M)


Can't recall if I mentioned this in an earlier missive, but, since we're being schooled to sneeze or cough into our elbows, don't we then pass the germs when we put that same arm around our companion at the local cineplex?


Have you seen that commercial where a speed dater is caught for saying, "until I met you?" Closely watch the girl. Right after he hears that, her lower back snaps as if someone zapped her with a cattle prod.....Jussayin


Separated at birth 1: Los Angeles Angels pitcher, Irvin Santana and Detroit Tigers shortstop, Jhonny Peralta
Separated at birth 2: Most political candidates and nobody smart


Just for kicks: When you quickly move your index finger in an up-and-down motion on your lips as you hum, you'll hear a staccato sound. Go ahead...try it! Got it? Good! The sound you heard explains why your butt crack isn't horizontal when you scoot down the sliding board!


Given a choice, what music do you suppose a dog would choose?


If it totally passed you by, this month, Friday the 13th was on a Sunday.


Drum Roll Super News Dept: Son of a great lady I know just graduated from med school...a feat unto itself. I think he opted for pediatrics. May he someday soon find a cure for an illness or two.

Random Acts of Thought

Today's photo of Japanese Iris comes courtesy of Paula, from Louisville, Kentucky. She said I gave them to her eons ago, but I can't remember. According to Paula, they didn't bloom for several years and she considered tossing them. They must have read her mind and decided to make her happy last week. Ya see? Good things DO happen when you put your petals to the mettle!

The Big Guy in the sky was kind enough to provide a weather break for parts of the Midwest in March. There was a 10 day span of temps in the 70-some to 80-some...can you BELIEVE?!? A bit like Florida, without the cost of getting there! People were wearing shorts---and SMILING! My back yard is approximately 15 miles in a direct line south of Lake Erie and for those who've never been here, it's normally a cold, gray time of year. Flowers popped early...so pretty! It was fun to watch the confused robins. I could just imagine their thoughts of, "I know I should be building something and filling it with something, but I don't know what or why!" Speaking of wildlife, I'm still happy with getting to see the Cadbury Bunny commercials on teevee.

Separated at birth: "Pawn Stars" Rick Harrison and Billy Joel

Who allows this?!? Did you ever read the small print at the bottom of cell phone ads on the boob tube? (How long since you heard THAT description?) "$350 penalty for early cancellation, plus other fees." Isn't that a lot like the 9000% interest on those quickie loan places? And...what about being forced into a new 2 year contract just because you upgraded your phone?

While we're still in Wuddup Widdat land, who authorized all the fees at whitepages.com?

The face you save will be your own: I don't know where it came from, but, I see tons of drivers making turns that begin with an upside-down grip on the steering wheel, that is, a left turn beginning with the right hand palm facing upward. If you have to suddenly reverse direction, you can't! Most importantly, your arm is covering the inside part of the steering wheel...SO...if your car gets hit and the air bag opens at that high rate of speed, your forearm will smash into your face and break all those pretty, little bones. However, if you'd prefer the equivalent of being sucker-punched by a bowling ball dropped from a very high bridge, so be it. For the rest of you........you're welcome!

Electioneering: Why must voters declare a party affiliation before getting a ballot? Isn't that a bit prejudiced? Why can't a republican vote for a democrat if he/she feels one is more qualified than the other?

If you haven't heard, "Silent Stella" Kowalski, from Chuckalock, Oklahoma, went home to her maker on 2-30-12. In honor of her life, radio station KPASA will air previously recorded segments of her Saturday morning broadcasts of, "Mime Your Own Business."