Friday, May 21, 2010

Those greedy bastards don't know what they have done to our Mother!













I borrowed a picture from, "PHOTO BY TED JACKSON / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE An oily mess inundates the Roseau Grasses that mark the coastline of Southeast Louisiana at Pass a Loutre at the mouth of the Mississippi River" I hope they don't mind.

I have tried to avoid looking, listening and thinking about this awful mess. Our sister Swamp feels the pain and this morning I cry and Mother Earth cries.


New life at the Swamp to contrast the death in some of our marshes.














These are my tomatoes and a bell pepper.







































































This is one of my cucumbers















145 comments:

Carol said...

There are a lot of people who are involved in this crime and they should be all held accountable.

Carol said...

The cost should also come out of the pockets of all involved. Very bad decisions have consequences!

jan said...

This is just horrible for the creatures that must live in and those that will die, and for those of you who live in it. We must come up with something to prevent this from happening again. I cry with you Carol.

Carol said...

When my sis comes down, we always take a road trip down south of here, to our coast. We take a pad of paper and count and list the different birds we see. We take the nature walk through the nature reserve in the marshland down south of here. So far, this hasn't come our way but it may be just a matter of time before many of us are affected, even you guys on the east coast. Well, you are all affected, no matter if it comes your way. Coreen, you love seafood. You know where most of it comes from??

Coreen said...

It is sad & frustrating that this disaster continues with little news that allows everyone to breath a sigh of relief. Trying to get any real answers has eluded everyone so far...

At this point one can only have hope that the
devestation to people, their livelihood, the
animals that inhabit the area, as well as those
who while not directly in the path of the oil,
will certainly be affected, is not as catastrophic as it appears....

Anonymous said...

A friend heard a truck driver, who was previously out of work, call into a talk show yesterday. He was hired by BP at $30 hour to help with the oil clean up. They told him he'd be busy for 3-10 years.

This mess is much worse than we'll ever hear about - and the reason for that is that, once again, big business, media, and even the government are all the same guys.

Oil giant BP concedes Gulf spill is bigger than estimated
"Oil giant BP conceded Thursday that the Gulf of Mexico oil leak is larger than it originally estimated, adding more worry as portions of the massive spill began trickling ashore for the first time.

Oil pushing into marshes ratchets up the urgency and marks the start of a complex cleanup effort, said Kurt Fromherz, a spokesman for Plaquemines Parish, who toured the oily marshes with parish leaders and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.

Pond-size sheets of oil, some of them coal-black, others bright orange or red, have wrapped around the roseau cane and other marsh features near the mouth of the Mississippi River, Fromherz said. Tar balls also washed ashore 25 miles to the west in Grand Isle." http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/2010-05-21-wetlands_N.htm?csp=34

Anonymous said...

"A deep, stagnant ooze sat in the middle of a particularly devastated marsh off the Louisiana coast where Emily Guidry Schatzel of the National Wildlife Federation was examining stained reeds.

"This is just heartbreaking," she said with a sigh. "I can't believe it."

"It's anger at the people who are supposed to be driving the ship don't have any idea what's going on," said E.J. Boles, 55, a musician from Big Pine Key, Fla. "Why wouldn't they have any contingency plan? I'm not a genius and even I would have thought of that." A month in, outrage over Gulf oil spill grows

Anonymous said...

Carol - Alert

Just got back from Krogers and they didn't have that brand of Peanut butter I said they all had - my other Kroger's has a health food section where they carry it (but this one didn't).

I must have gotten the jar I have at HEB though. Kroger's has the Laura Scudder's crunchy which is all peanuts and salt too (although WM also carries L.S.)

... hope I caught you - don't want to send you on a wild-goose chase.

Carol said...

Dylan just said that even though our politicians passed a financial reform package with some good things in it, it doesn't address what caused the recent financial meltdown, doesn't prevent another meltdown and doesn't stop the casino gambling backed by our tax dollars. But you can bet they will be patting themselves on the back for it anyway. Maybe we can offer them an shrimp oil cocktail with their celebration.

Hey Coreen, it ain't five o'clock yet. I can still bitch till then, huh?

Since many of us have cut our news down to a minimun or nada, the rest of us have to help keep us informed of just what we need to know. I think Coreen can give us the highlights from the NYTs and usually does. I try to cover Dylan. The rest of yous can pick your favorite poison.

Carol said...

And Chloe, I don't start chasing geese until tomorrow, I just waddle with the ducks during the week.

Coreen said...

Tick, tick, tick, you have 15 minutes to go Carol....then its the weekend & its looking pretty good here...went for some new guinea impatiens & begonias to put in planters this weekend....the pansies I planted last weekend under the weeping cherry are still there, no one dug them up yet....

Caught Dylan just at the tail end fo the wall street reform talk...I keep telling you, we
are doomed, you need to fend for you & yours,
the pols are not it it for us....

Coreen said...

Oh, but I had to put the ac on when I came home, since it was 80 upstairs....it is about
84 outside, low humidity with a little breeze...a little warmer then what I like which
is 72 tops, no humidity...but all in all, the
start of a pretty good weekend & remember
next week it is already Memorial Day!!!

Here comes summer.....

Carol said...

And Jan, I'm with John. It seems Blanche L.'s derivative reform legislation was all smoke and mirrors. Cantwell tried to beef it up. Blanche is off my good girl list. Tick, tick....

Carol said...

It was 91 on my way home and tomorrow it's suppose to be 92. Not bad out here under a tree if a breeze is blowing.

My AC has been on.

jan said...

Hi folks, our temp is about 89 today with humidity 7-10% depending on who is giving the info. We just turned on our ac - its 80 in the house which is pretty good.

jan said...

Coreen, your flowers will be pretty. John bought some tomato plants.

Carol said...

Tonight in my salad, I'm eating my organic home grown grape tomatoes. There are hundreds on my three plants and I have already picked a carton full. My cucumbers are growing but not ready for the salad yet. I can literally watch them get bigger. There are at least 5 cucs that will be ready within days. I grow the burpless variety. These are container plants.

Carol said...

Jan, are your night still cool? It's nice when you can cool off at night.

Carol said...

Our heat index for tomorrow predicted to be 101. It's definitely summer down here.

Carol said...

Did we used to know a lady named Ivy or did I just dream that?

Anonymous said...

Ha Carol, I miss Ivy too.

Glad to hear you were waddling instead of chasing today. Your container plants make me wish I had planted stuff for my salads too. Do you keep them on your deck in full sun? I've given up planting anything in the ground - something always eats it. I've never tried containers. (can you take a pic of yours for us to see?)

Glad to hear you're having such beautiful weather Jan. It's definitely summer down our way - day 'and' night.

I'm going to call it a day early again. Just linking the latest headline on our topic:

Month after oil spill, why is BP still in charge?
"Days after the Gulf Coast oil spill, the Obama administration pledged to keep its "boot on the throat" of BP to make sure the company did all it could to cap the gushing leak and clean up the spill.

But a month after the April 20 explosion, anger is growing about why BP PLC is still in charge of the response.

"I'm tired of being nice. I'm tired of working as a team," said Billy Nungesser, president of Plaquemines Parish in Louisiana.

"The government should have stepped in and not just taken BP's word," declared Wayne Stone of Marathon, Fla., an avid diver who worries about the spill's effect on the ecosystem."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100521/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gulf_oil_spill_bp_in_charge

Anonymous said...

... sure seems like Louisiana gets more than her share of grief.

Carol said...

Obama is all rhetoric and not much action. I think I saw where Oregon Dem said that we didn't have to have Obama as the Dem candidate in 2012. Is it possible that we can get another one, like maybe, Hillary? Is it even possible? Anyone know?

Carol said...

OK Chloe, I went out and took some pics with my Iphony. It's getting a little dark out but you can still see them. Yes, they are planted in containers.

Carol said...

My containers get morning sun and afternoon sun and are partially shaded during the really hot noon sun.

jan said...

Our low this morning was cool enough to wear 2 shirts and a light jacket on my walk -I took the jacket off about halfway through.

jan said...

Ivy, we all miss you.

Carol said...

Donde esta mi amigo Solar? If that doesn't make sense and is spelled wrong, don't blame Google translate, blame tu amiga Carol. I groping here.

jan said...

Carol, I spotted a porch-type swing in back of your cucumbers. I love swings.

Carol said...

"... sure seems like Louisiana gets more than her share of grief."

Yes Chloe, you're right. It also seems that when the Universe wants to test a President, like Bush with Katrina, it uses Louisiana. Get another sucker, Universe. We've done more than our share.

Carol said...

C-Bob linked this Op Ed. It's from the NYTs. Hey, Coreen, that's your paper. Slipping up or was it just too late to let us in on this one?

"The response of the Obama administration and the general public to this latest outrage at the hands of a giant, politically connected corporation has been embarrassingly tepid. We take our whippings in stride in this country. We behave as though there is nothing we can do about it.

The fact that 11 human beings were killed in the Deepwater Horizon explosion (their bodies never found) has become, at best, an afterthought. BP counts its profits in the billions, and, therefore, it’s important. The 11 men working on the rig were no more important in the current American scheme of things than the oystermen losing their livelihoods along the gulf, or the wildlife doomed to die in an environment fouled by BP’s oil, or the waters that will be left unfit for ordinary families to swim and boat in.

This is the bitter reality of the American present, a period in which big business has cemented an unholy alliance with big government against the interests of ordinary Americans, who, of course, are the great majority of Americans. The great majority of Americans no longer matter."


More Than Just an Oil Spill


This hit a nail with me. With all that we have been hit with lately we either need to take an antidepressant to make us apathetic or we need to stick our heads in the sand to avoid looking at it. It's just all too painful....and they are banking on that people!

I wondered a while back, on this blog, if we were becoming pod people. I think we have a pod president right now. Just what my intuition warned me of. I knew he was too good to be true. I knew he was a plant. I felt the same way about Bush. It's like the power elite find some guy and his attractive family to put up there in that job. They are just token leaders people!

Carol said...

Yes Jan. The metal thingy was there when I bought the camp. It was all rusty. and looked like too much trouble to get it out of there so I bought a swing, put it together and painted it. I spray painted the metal thingy and then hung the swing. If you have an eye sore, find a way to use it. I also use it to hang my hummer feeder. I grow the cucs up one end and the Morning Glorys grow up the other. It works.

Carol said...

And you know what? I might be able to let it go every now and again but when I totally stop bitching, you better come check my pulse, cuz I'm dead!

Anonymous said...

Carol, Thank you for posting those pics of your vegetables. I'm going to try - I'll start with tomatoes."

"This is the bitter reality of the American present, a period in which big business has cemented an unholy alliance with big government against the interests of ordinary Americans, who, of course, are the great majority of Americans. The great majority of Americans no longer matter."

Wow, ain't that the truth.

Anonymous said...

Carol, I always said during the primary that O' was just a front man - the 'face' of all that big money behind him (or as you say, a 'token leader'. He's still saying all the same pretty things that have nothing to do with actions.

The best predictor of future behavior, is past behavior.

jan said...

I have such a difficult time letting go of things - right now those things are "books" from my office. I have put out on the free shelf for students all the text books in my office. I no longer use text books for teaching. I use on line journals and other resources. There are still some classics or books that have special/sentimental meaning for me that are difficult to let go of. My big addiction to overcome is "hoarding" of things when I no longer need them. HELP!

Carol said...

Amen Chloe!

Carol said...

Jan, I'm getting ready to face the same thing when I go to tackle my house. There are things in there that have been there since I bought the house back in 1978, could even be a piece of paper with a number on it. My sister, the wanderer, will be in charge. We might be wrestling over some of my junk!

jan said...

"If you have an eye sore, find a way to use it. I also use it to hang my hummer feeder."

Carol, you have taken a "lemon" and made "lemonade." That is practical and creative. It looks great.

Coreen said...

Seems you do have a 'green thumb' Carol...those plants look pretty healthy, must be the southern hospitality.....

As far as Bob Herbert, frankly, I don't read him....having a long memory...he was & remains an Obama minion in the end, & the
few times he has challenged 'his guy's handling of things' only places minimal responsibility on his guy & he usually couples it with someone else being responsible...His first sentence is typical Herbert when criticizing Obama.... 'the Obama administration & the general public' has been embarrasingly tepid....

And what should the 'general public' be doing?

Obama, his guy, has been woefully lacking in
the single most important quality needed...that
is, leadership....over & over he has failed
to provide it....

As far as the on-going no-end in sight oil spill disaster...from the start the media, this
administration, together with BP, downplayed the potential severity...the first week you had every tv crew standing at shore's edge waiting (really hoping) to show the devastation, & when it did not happen then
& there, well they kind of have lost interest...& yes there was little mention of the 11 people that died, as a result of this disaster, nor that over 100 were rescued....

Many used this as an attempt to say...see that's what you get for wanting 'oil'...well like it or not, for the foreseeable future this country will be relying on oil...there is no real, workable 'alternative' fuel source...

As with each & every catastrophe, be it environmental or economic (the financial meltdown) no one, from our pols, on down through those that have caused the problems, has any of them actually accepted
responsibility, lots of hand-wringing but again
little leadership, & no taking responsibility....

So again, placing trust in any of these politicians to 'do the best' for we the people...well, misplaced at best, (dems, reps, or any others)& I will say it again...each of us needs to protect ourselves & ours as best we can, since we are not about to get the pols to do it...

Carol said...

Right again Coreen!

jan said...

Carol, one of the neatest families I have ever known was a retired couple I met in Montana while I worked as a nurse for the State Dept of Health there. She had been a public health nurse. They lived in a mountain community in a log house on a lake. They fished for most of their meat. They had almost no trash. They composted and had a garden for most of their produce. They used everything and threw away practically nothing. They used leftover cans to start little seedlngs. She even made little braided rugs out of old clothing. They went up in the mountains for wild berries and other goodies. In a way you remind me of them.

Carol said...

Coreen, last year I read on a Texas A&M agriculture site about growing container veggies.

Vegetable Gardening in Containers

I followed their advice and had great success. Watering and feeding is most important and don't depend on that potting soil that says it feeds for 3 or 6 months. That's a bunch of bull.

Carol said...

Jan, thanks but I can't hold a candle to those people.

jan said...

Carol, When your big sis is finished at your house, maybe you could send her my way. One thing I did get rid of a couple of years ago was a storage unit. I cleared that sucker out. I hate spending money on something like that. I am tackling our garage this weekend. I am going to try and be ruthless.

Carol said...

My big sis does better in that department Jan. When she comes down, she measures my carbon footprint and it seems I have a pretty big foot.

jan said...

Carol, Thanks for that link to site about gardening in containers. I could do that.

jan said...

I bet my carbon footprint is huge. We did start recycling last year.

jan said...

time to go for our walk this morning.

Coreen said...

I am considering getting some roses & putting them in containers...I love roses....& there were many, many beautiful ones at the garden center yesterday...

each time I have planted any in the garden, they do not make it past the first bloom, right now I have to dig out several dead attempts....& the ground is just to full of rocks for me to keep trying to dig....so
I just may give it a shot...we shall see next
week....

Carol said...

My area is not big for recycling. There are times that you can bring in something, one day a week per area and it used to be at Walmart and at a time I'm at work. I was storing up plastic and cans and just about everything so I wouldn't throw them in the garbage. When I couldn't find my way outta the house, I had to quit.

Coreen said...

Oh as for veggies in containers, here the growing season is pretty short, if I decided
to put any tomatoes in a container, if they
do well, it would be the end of August before
I would get any fruit...& since there are several farms close by that sell them, (& other fresh veggies as the season permits) decided against it....but seriously considering trying some roses.....

Carol said...

Coreen, if I had some reliable fruit or veggie stands around, with organic, I wouldn't bother either. I have to water these suckers at least three times a day. I come home from work for lunch and have to water. They would not make it 8 hours. When it gets really hot, they are drooping after 3-4 hours.

Coreen said...

Carol, there is no regular recycling there?

I thought that all states require recylcing in
some manner now.

Here they pick up newspapers, glass, certain
plastics (1s & 2s) weekly in all the towns in CT....

But see if your state & others in the country
don't also do it, then the entire 'save the
environment by recycling' may be meaningless
in the end...

Coreen said...

Oh & do you all have to pay a 5 cents deposit
for soda cans & now plastic water bottles, that are supposed to be returned to recycling machines at the grocery stores?

If all states are not doing this, then I wonder if it has any real effect in the end...

Carol said...

Me and George Noory have to go mow this morning. I listen to C2C while mowing and it makes mowing an entirely new experience. Mow and grow, so to speak. He has had some really good programs on as of late and I could even listen to some of them several times. When I wait until dark, I sleep thru much of them.

I can say that I have certainly gotten my $29.95/ 6 mos worth out of that subscription!

Carol said...

Nope, nope and nope, Coreen.

Coreen said...

Well, I'm going out to get the papers(that NYT & the CT Post) & feed the birds..

Nice, you guys don't have to recycle & here if
you don't put out your 'blue box' you look like
you are 'unamerican'!

Lawn mowing, Carol...that must be some good exercise?

Carol said...

My sister gets irrate when she comes here and sees our lack of recycling. Now she can find some places to go but it's an all day thing just to find and bring in stuff for recycling. I guess I could have waited for her visit and left everything in bags, piled up in mountains. She would have needed to rent an 18 wheeler to do it though.

Carol said...

Oh, no again Coreen. I use a Snapper zero turn mower for my obstacle course acre yard. It's like using a Hoverround. It has a little joystick that turns and drives it. I feel crimpled just sitting on it.

Carol said...

When I first bought my house, before putting in all the obstacles, I had a push mower. I was 28, healthy, hyperthyroid and still it took 7 days to do the entire yard. My grass is so thick that you can't even push the mower, I had to pull it. With as fast as the grass grows here, can you imagine what that yard looked like. I think I started that punk craze. It was in 7 different lengths.

Carol said...

Well, I'm off with George. I think I will test drive my new clean pool when I'm through. I hope I can find one of my, most likely, dry rotted bathing suits.

Carol said...

Oh, and Ivy, I still remember you!

Anonymous said...

" Jan, thanks but I can't hold a candle to those people."

Carol, Are you telling me you don't braid your own rugs from old clothing? :)

Coreen said...

Carol, please, please start making use of that beautiful pool you again have...especially since your lawn cutting doesn't provide 'exercise'... & aren't you guys already in the 90s.....I for one, would love to see a pic of that sparkling 're-newed' pool that I am hoping you get to use more now....

jan said...

Carol, If I remember your house (the one with the pool) was pretty distant from other houses. Are you sure you need a swimsuit???:))

jan said...

Recycling is a breeze here. I can put all the stuff together, papers, cans, plastic etc. - they pick it up and sort it out. I did put out a big glass jar the other day and they set it carefully back in my recycling box - it had the top on it. I am going to try and put it out again without the top.

jan said...

I would like to see a pic of your sparkling pool too Carol.

jan said...

"if you don't put out your 'blue box' you look like you are 'unamerican'!"

Same here Coreen.

jan said...

Chloe, I actually may start braiding rugs from old clothing. I like to do stuff like that. They teach a class on it at my fav quilt store. I think they teach it using new fabric however.

jan said...

As for the mowers, I think it makes good sense to use the most up to date equipment that saves our aging bodies.

Anonymous said...

Yes Jan, I remember that you took a machine quilting class there. Even if they us new fabric, I bet you can find yardage on close out that still makes it worth your while.

I forget the exact date you're going to be retired?

Carol said...

I'm finished my mowing and I added some pics of the pool and the Mimosa I was talking about Coreen. Just for you. On the right side of the pic with the Mimosa is that little hot tub house that I built. The door is missing right now. Needs the screen replaced. The house is still green so don't look close, but the pool isn't anymore.

Carol said...

I guess you can see the little tree problem I have out there.

Carol said...

I didn't get to swim because I couldn't find any of my dry rotted swimming suits. I also thought I had a new floaty there but didn't. I like to keep one in the pool when I swim alone, just in case. I guess I will put both on my Walmart list. That's my next adventure.

jan said...

Carol, your pool is beautiful. I just finished cleaning the garage - a dip would be wonderful - a shower first of course. Your sis is going to love it.

Chloe, I have one more week. Next Friday is my last day - the following monday would have been but lucky me - its a holiday.

I have made a decision. I am only going to allow myself 10 books to bring home from my office. While cleaning out the garage I have many books that are going to goodwill - should have gone there years ago. I am a changed woman.

jan said...

Carol, is there a hot tub in the hot tub house?

Carol said...

Oh, and the C2C program that I listened to. It was entralling. Someone here must get that subscription. There is so much to discuss there. The program has this John Van Auken:

"Director at Edgar Cayce's A.R.E. (Association for Research and Enlightenment) since 1969, John Van Auken discussed the "Sleeping Prophet's" visions for the future, as well as his insights into such topics as the Mayans, Egypt, Atlantis, dreaming, and health remedies. The Mayans were comparable to the Atlanteans in terms of their being attuned to "celestial consciousness," but both groups eventually devolved into more war-like states, Cayce said. Interestingly, Cayce's view of seven cycles or ages corresponds with the Mayans, Van Auken noted. Passageways in the Great Pyramid at Giza have prophecies carved in stone, which end in the year 2038, and Cayce concurred that these predictions were for the most part correct, said Van Auken.

Ya'll, little old me can't be responsible to have all this good info by myself. I have to share it with someone! It's too important. Chloe, I know you would certainly be interested. I think you all would.

Carol said...

Yes Jan but the heater is broken. My pool guy and semi roomie, is going to see about getting it fixed.

I built the deck, then had the hot tube moved in, and then built the little house over it. I did it by reading one of those Ortho books on how to do anything. I did it myself! Well I had a girlfriend of mine help me but I did all the planning but needed a little extra muscle. I was a little spindly at the time, not much meat on the bones. Now I've got the meat but it doesn't work well anymore.

Carol said...

And that was suppose to be enthralling, not entralling.

Anonymous said...

WOWEEEEEEE!
That is one beautiful pool - and big too!

It's easy to see why you don't want to part with that house Carol! And you've got the great big tall trees like we have on our property. You never saw land like that in Ca., unless you were rich.

Great set-up Carol. Woooeeee!

Anonymous said...

I'm leaving for a while, so will catch up on the comments when I get back.

Coreen said...

Carol, you have a wonderful home...your
pool is crystal clear & so inviting....

Hope you get to make use of it...maybe your
sister will get you in a routine to enjoy it
when she is there...

The mimosas...really like those feathery,wispy
pink blossoms....

Between your river house & inland home...I would have a hard time choosing just where to be....

Coreen said...

Oh, forgot, no cucumber appearing on my screen!

jan said...

Carol, like chloe said, you have a great set-up with your house and your home by the river. You have sure done a lot of work on both. I too hope you get some use out of it yourself.

Carol said...

Coreen, the cucumber is up there below the tomatoes/pepper. When I put in the pool pics it threw the cucumber text down and I wasn't going to try to get it back up by the cucumber. Too much trouble.

Carol said...

Thanks guys and what is nice is that they are so close that I could jog from one place to the other, that is, if I could jog.

Coreen said...

And here I thought you had picked a giant cuke
from your plant!....

As far as Edgar Cayce, a psychic from a long time ago...I have heard some of the Atlantis,
Egyptian connection...again when you listen
to these exotic topics...you start to wonder
is it possible....I am a skeptic, but I don't dismiss these out of the mainstream ideas...

There is a current psychic, John Edwards, who
claims to speak to the dead...I am stumped when
I have seen his shows...hard for me to accept
it as true, but it just may be...I have always
wanted to see one of his shows, but when he is
in CT, they are always sold out by the time I
hear about them....

Carol said...

And I got two cheap swim suits, two noodles, and a couple of floaties. I'm ready.

Carol said...

Coreen, you should have heard the medium James Van Praagh who was on the other night. He also communicates with the dead. Another enthralling program.

Carol said...

The program I heard today might sound weird until you listen to it. I had a lot of ah hah moments. I ah hahed all over my yard. I got that strong feeling...this guy knows what he is talking about! My big sis knows all about this guy. She's a member of the A R E and has heard him speak before. Can't wait until we can tackle this stuff together. I feel a very spiritual month coming.

Coreen said...

Great going girl...Now that you have the gear...'no excuses' & from what I'm told swimming is great exercise...boy I'm envious...

Carol, I did hear a tiny bit of Van Pragh, before I dozed off....if I'm not mistaken
he was involved in the tv show 'ghost whisperer', though can't honestly say I watched
that show...

Back to Atlantis, wouldn't it be a kick, if all
the space satellites some how came upon the
remnants of Atlantis...maybe even the Bermuda
Triangle....

Carol said...

Coreen, we don't get many enlightened speakers down here in good ole Louisiana, especially in my neck of the woods. Louisiana is kind of in the position of the asshole of the US, you know bottom, center. No disrespect intended there. But because of it, we are in line for a lot of poop.

Carol said...

Don't laugh Chloe, Texas is one of the butt cheeks.

Carol said...

And I am doing the pool today, if I can tolerate 85 degrees or maybe it got a little warmer.

Anonymous said...

"Texas is one of the butt cheeks."

Ha... well if Texas is the left side, then it must take about 4 or 5 states on the right (east), because that's about how many it would take to balance things out. This place is huge!

jan said...

Carol, you put me in the mood to go swimming. Went to the univ pool and they had a note posted that they are closed weekends until students come back in early June. At 2:30 I went to the YMCA and they had a note on the door "pool closed for annual cleaning 5/22 at 1:30 - reopen 5/29"
I will just look at your pool and do some imagery. Enjoy your pool!

Solar said...

Carol, just got home from work; that swimming pool sure looks great.! Only one thing left for U to do....enclose it in for the winter.....

jan said...

Carol, if Solar was around, he would be yellin "pics please" in regard to your new swimsuits. Isn't it interesting, I grew up calling them bathing suits (still do) and now all you younguns call them swimsuits. Funny, how our language changes over time.

Carol said...

Yep Chloe, I guess Miss and Ala. are the other butt cheek. I bet that's what a lot of people outside of the south think of us anyway. But everything must have a butt. I meant no disrespect to any of our states. I love them all, especially mine.

Carol said...

Just got back from swimming. I'm sorry I got you all worked up for a swim Jan. It was delightful. My new roomy, her boyfriend, the poolman and his 12 year old son joined me. It was nice. Didn't have to worry about becoming a floater out there and someone finding me later.

My skin did feel very good when I got out. The water felt so much softer and no itching or tingling when I got out. Chlorine eats me up. There is a mild salty taste.

I got plenty of good exercise today.

I see the Yanks and the Mets are on Fox tonight.

Carol said...

How big a rivalry is there between the Mets and the Yanks Coreen?

Solar said...

Jan,

I am around for a little bit...and don't want any pics of Carol, in her swimmies...I like the idear that u had:

jan said...

"Carol, If I remember your house (the one with the pool) was pretty distant from other houses. Are you sure you need a swimsuit???:))"

Now we talking....send me a few of these pics please.....and a cpl of frames so I can hang em......

Carol said...

When I got home, in high speed, I fried me up some of my favorite meat. Sorry guys but it has been two weeks and I got a lot of exercise today. Also a nice big salad to go with it.

Carol said...

Actually guys, I have a big yard and there are tall fences all around but the houses aren't that far away. I could do some skinny dipping if there was no company. Of course, planes do fly over but I don't think they would know who I was.

Solar said...

Chloe,

kids really do know politics !!!
A little boy goes to his
dad and asks, 'What is Politics?'

Dad says, 'Well son, let
me try to explain it this way:

I am the head of the
family, so call me The Prime Minister.

Your mother is the
administrator of the money, so we call her the Government.


We are here to take care
of your needs, so we will call you the People.

The nanny, we will
consider her the Working Class.

And your baby brother,
we will call him the Future.

Now think about that and
see if it makes sense.'

So the little boy goes
off to bed thinking about what Dad has said.

Later that night, he
hears his baby brother crying, so he gets up to check on him.


He finds that the baby
has severely soiled his nappy.

So the little boy goes
to his parent's room and finds his mother asleep.

Not wanting to wake her,
he goes to the nanny's room. Finding the door locked, he peeks in the keyhole and sees his father in bed with the nanny..

He gives up and goes back to bed.

The next morning, the
little boy say's to his father, 'Dad, I think I understand the concept of politics now. '

The father says, 'Good, son, tell me in your own words what you think politics is all
about.'

The little boy replies, 'The Prime Minister is screwing the Working Class while the
Government is sound asleep. The People are being ignored and
the Future is in deep $hit.'

Carol, I did like your joke a lot.!
__________________

Carol said...

Well Solar, I see that little kid understands our current situation also.

Solar said...

Ivy, Ivy.....IVY,

girls night out
Why females should avoid a girls night out after they are married....
If this does not make you laugh out loud, you have lost your sense of
humor.

The other night I was invited out for a night with the ' girls. ' I told my husband that I would be home by midnight, ' I promise! '

Well, the hours passed and the margaritas went down way too easily.
Around 3 a.m., a bit loaded, I headed for home.

Just as I got in the door, the cuckoo clock in the hallway started up and cuckoo ed 3 times.

Quickly, realizing my husband would probably wake up, I cuckooed another 9 times.

I was really proud of myself for coming up with such a quick-witted solution, in order to escape a possible conflict with him.

Even when totally smashed... 3 cuckoos plus 9 cuckoos totals = 12 Cuckoos (MIDNIGHT!)

The next morning my husband asked me what time I got in,
I told him ' MIDNIGHT ' ... he didn't ' t seem pissed off in the least.

Whew, I got away with that one!

Then he said ' We need a new cuckoo clock. '
When I asked him why, he said, ' Well, last night our clock cuckooed
three times, then said ' oh sh!t. ' Cuckooed 4 more times, cleared its
throat, cuckooed another three times, giggled, cuckooed twice more, and
then tripped over the coffee table and farted

Carol said...

Those are good ones Solar. I don't think I could handle having that clock either.

jan said...

Carol, It is great to hear you enjoyed your pool. It has been about 30 years since I last visited your house. I don't remember neighbors but again it has been a long time.

Solar, good to see you back again. I've missed your jokes :) I think I like the cuckoo clock one the best. I had a cuckoo clock once. You really don't get much sleep with those dang clocks. I wouldn't have another one.

jan said...

I usually sleep great after a swim.

G'nite all.

Carol said...

Well, I'm awake in the wee hours of the morn. I did sleep great for a while Jan. It was nice to enjoy my house yard again. I still feel very good about the peeps I'll be sharing my place with. It's kinda what I envisioned. People come together and share resources for the benefit of both. Me taking up two spaces was a waste.

Neither of my places are big. My house there is small with a big outdoor living space. I'm an outdoor kinda girl even though in the dead of summer, that outdoor space is prohibitive after 10a and before 5p or so. Just too hot. After dark, everywhere is not too good unless you slather on the mosquito spray.

There were more people out here on the water yesterday. Saturdays are usually quiet and
Sundays heat up. I guess most people are catching up on their chore on Saturday.

Carol said...

And Solar, some of the things that Rand Paul is saying sounds like he may already be in the pocket of big business. For instance...

"What I don't like from the president's administration is this sort of 'I'll put my boot heel on the throat of BP.' I think that sounds really un-American in his criticism of business," he said. "I've heard nothing from BP about not paying for the spill. And I think it's part of this sort of blame game society in the sense that it's always got to be someone's fault instead of the fact that sometimes accidents happen."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/21/rand-paul-obama-sounds-un_n_584661.html

Accidents happen? Yes they do, especially when you are doing things wrecklessly and on the cheap.

Carol said...

It's most likely that this guy got his campaign financed by big business and now it's time to pay the piper.

Carol said...

So Dodd will be leaving the Senate? For greener pastures? That sounds about right. I really can't see how these men or women can look the American people in the eye. They have sold their souls to the Devil and they aren't even ashamed. One day, they will get their Karma.

Who Will Your Senator Stand With Now?

That's something I heard in that interview with Van Praagh. After we pass we do have to experience the pain we have caused others. I do consider that. I know I have caused pain to others at times but usually it is a grief response, a response of the pain I'm experiencing by something someone else is doing to me, but I'm ready to suffer the consequences.

Carol said...

Coreen, sorry about your Yanks last night. I watched the game from about the 5th inning on. I kept thinking they would pull it out but they didn't.

I have a friend who is an avid sports fan. She likes all of them. I think the Braves and the Astros are her favorite baseball teams. We were talking one day and she mentioned she hated the Yanks. I said, I don't, that's my friend's favorite team. Then I thought, rut rho, she's my friend also. I was hoping she didn't catch it but she did and said, "what if they were playing the Braves or the Astros?" I changed the subject real quick like.

Coreen said...

Morning and its foggy here....supposed to rain
at some point....

Carol, you were up really early...hope you got
to go back to sleep for awhile...

Glad to see you enjoyed your pool Carol...& with a group of friends to share it with, sounds like a good plan...by the way, does Maggie go with you to the pool...I may have mentioned that one of my friend's dogs actually
goes in her pool, he has his own raft
& floats around when she's in the pool....

Nice to see you popped by for a bit, Solar...While glad you have some work, hope it is not to exhausting for you...

Too bad about the closed pools Jan...but hopefully your pools will be available soon...you do still get to use the
univ. pool after you retire, don't you?

Coreen said...

Not pleased with my Yankees play since about
10 days ago, Carol...they were so good until the Detroit series & with some injuries right now they are off track....but I expect things to get back on track in the end...

As far as rivalry between Yankees & Mets...yes,
there is, mostly Mets fans really hate the Yankees (more than Yankees fans dislike the Mets)since it is really difficult for the Mets to match up against the Yankees over the long term...but for Yankee fans, it is always the
Red Sox rivalry that matters....since the Yanks & Red Sox are in the same division
& play each other like 20x a year, competing
for a playoff slot....

Not to worry about a Braves or Astros matchup...since both are in the national league
& while this year the Yankees will play the Astros 3 games in June in the next interleague
play...these teams would only meet in the event
one of them managed to get to the World Series...not too likely for either the Braves or Astros at this time....

And tonight Yankees/Mets will again be on national tv on espn...with both teams #1 pitchers facing off...needless to say, my guys
better start hitting...leaving 14 guys on base
is not acceptable.....

jan said...

Good morning folks.
Carol, wish I had known you were up so early - so was I. I woke up here about 2 am and could not get back to sleep. Got up - had my tea and ironed a couple of things. I was really missing Lobie. She always got up with me and kept me company. I went back to sleep about 4:30 and just woke up. Its a little after 7:30 here.

Coreen, sorry your Yanks lost. Bummer.
I do get to use the pool and exercise facilities in retirement. The perks in retirement are great here.

jan said...

Wish we could get some rain here. This is not the time of year we see much rainfall. August is monsoon time - usually rains here late afternoons.

Anonymous said...

"And I wanted to tell Tony that my swimming pool is pristine clean, finally, after 2 + years. It cost over 2 grand and required a pool man but it's finally there. I converted it to a salt system. Haven't taken a swim yet but I think I will this weekend."

Hi All,
Wow,Carol the pool is beautiful!Thanks for letting me know.I had wondered this spring about your pool, but being busy failed to come for a visit.Salt systems are nice and easy to maintain..Yep,hope you can find the time to enjoy it.Your plants and veggies are very nice too..

Enjoyed all your views on the Politics of the day and of course the horrific oil spilling into the gulf is a tragedy!

Chloe,
I agree,this President seems incapable of much beyond pretty words.Very smart guy but to conciliatory and political..The President needs to take control of the Gulf spill and stop being so hands off.Obama's its BP's fault line is doing nothing to halt the oil spewing into the Gulf!Now another bi-partisan commission so the politicians can parade BP executives before them for the phony dog and pony show..

Solar said...

Carol,

I don't believe that Rand Paul will sell out to big biz...he is a rookie and will make some mistakes...here is the thing with the Tea party...they are not ideally what I would like as a third party. that said, if Rand Paul is like his father...he would be a thousand % improvement over what we have now....u just mentioned Dodd, he and B. Frank were celebrating the wall st reform bill....hell they were in large part to blame for the mess that we are in...

I can't stand it any longer..the way that the two partys just point at each other when something happens....the point, appoint some toothless ( no offense :-))) commission and we ( I ) feel stupid b/c they know that they can get away with it....

Jan, thats all the U get from me...thats all I am to U? just a little joke here and there..thought that u loved me for my.........hey did u get my message about Your Yahoo mail...once that u open up the window to it...just hit the m key on the keyboard ( short cut) and it takes u right into your in box...love it.!

Carol, install a sauna and im kicking those house sitters out.....the thing that I miss most about not belonging to a health club any more...is the swimming pool, and a nice sauna...

Coreen, little tired, but a good tired.....even tho I have been exercising and good shape...it is never the same as when the real work comes up, but I wouldn't have it any other way.....it is only for this one project, and things will slow down again....it has been great tho...the workers are very glad to work long hrs....

Solar said...

the point= they appoint

Anonymous said...

".here is the thing with the Tea party...they are not ideally what I would like as a third party."

Hi Solar,

I work with a tea party person everyday,Grace and she's just a disaffected Republican,still voted for McCain,against every government program unless she benefits,like her husbands job that is only in existence because of NAFTA..The Tea Party people to me are a bunch of hypocrites,why were there no parties when Bush was in office doing the real spending?It took a Black corporately owned Democrat as President to get these folks to rise up.I saw R.Paul in the Borat movie and he screams HOMOPHOBE,still your correct, could any of these folks be worse than the pricks that are in power now..

Unknown said...

Oops,NAFTA=NASA

Solar said...

Tony, I didn'tknow that...will get back to u...have to go to work now....see u around a little more at the swamp ....ok pal?

jan said...

Hi Solar, yes I did get the message about Yahoo e-mail. I passed it on to my hubby and he is happier now. Thanks so much. I did mention it some time ago - but maybe not specifically to you. You are my favorite guy on here. I miss you when you are gone.

Carol said...

Well, hi there Tony. I am very pleased with having the pool clean. It has bothered me and I pumped in the time and chemicals last summer but it wouldn't budge. One problem was that the sand filter was gross and clumped up. If I would have had that sand changed, It might have been clean last year. Live and learn.

I just got back from the house where I weed wacked but it wacked me more than I wacked it. It is a weed wacking nightmare there. It requires a Village to take take of it.

I did refresh, after wacking what I could, with a swim. Couldn't do much exercise because I was already at a point where I could barely move. I had hit the wall.

Carol said...

Jan, Mary said she was up also so we could have had a party.

Carol said...

I fell back to sleep around 5 and didn't wake up until the joint called around 8. That gave me a sleep hangover and made me late for my wacking date. Almost sounds like a pome. I guess I'm still missing Ivy.....

Carol said...

With this heat, it's much more tolerable out here at the camp than it is at the house. Lots more shade and a nice breeze coming off the river.

jan said...

We need to let people know on here when we are not sleeping - maybe have some company then. Night time is a lonely time when there is no one to talk to. Can't do much either. I don't like to make too much noise as I don't want to disturb John.

Carol said...

Hey Jan, can't blame me, I was squeaking over here. I usually listen to C2C so my computer will be up. If I wake up enough in the wee hours, I will usually check in.

jan said...

you are so right Carol. You were here. I should have checked in. I usually do just to see if anyone else is awake.

Carol said...

Interesting synchronicity. That "Talking to Heaven" a movie about the book by James Van Praagh was on this afternoon/evening. I heard him the other night on C2C. It was a 4 hour movie. It's good that I have that DVR where I can put it on pause because there is no way I can sit through a couple of hours much less 4. It was a Halmark movie. I think he said that the last part of the movie was Hollywood but it was good anyway.

I hope ya'll had a great Sunday. It was nice here but pretty warm. After that weed wacking this morning, I was pretty much shot for the rest of the day.

I noticed that I knocked off another pound so I must be doing something right. Maybe the swimming will knock off some of the blubber. I can still pinch way more than an inch.

jan said...

It was a good weekend here.

Carol said...

Well I fell asleep last night listening to an Elizabeth Joyce, named as one of the world's greatest psychics. I was not familiar with her.

One thing that many of these psychic people seem to suggest is that we have some really troubled times ahead but that they will be followed by some very spiritual times, where we all have more psychic like abilities, we all pull together, we are able to communicate without speaking, are less materialistic, etc. And maybe people that don't meet the criteria of being able to ring at that level may not be around. They seem to all suggest that we start learning some meditation. Solar's and Chloe, our little psychic bloggets, have also suggested that.

Good thing we'll be less materialistic cuz we won't have any materials left, except maybe Jan. I think she has a lot of material she's hoarded.

And speaking of materials Jan, if I haven't thrown away all those t-shirts from places, do you want them? I'm getting ready to be less materialistic very soon.

I do think that I have been trying to simplify my life.

Carol said...

And to quote old Janis J, freedom's just another word for nothing left to loose. Maybe those who feel that they have lost a lot are just in preparation for gaining that freedom and need to use the opportunity to become more spiritual. Maybe the Universe is doing you a favor, it just doesn't feel like it right now.

And the rich, greedy fat cats.....they may be in for a nasty surprise. Who knows?

jan said...

Yeah Carol, keep those T shirts. I will make you a quilt for old times sake. I will send you my home address (on e-mail)or maybe I will pay you a visit.

Solar said...

Im going to jump on the band wagon against Rand Paul, ( changed me mind)......but not for the reasons that the liberals like Rachel is doing it for...she simply got in her got-u-moment.!

When R. P. defended his stance, not very well, Maddow responded with “unless it’s illegal, there’s nothing to stop that—there’s nothing under your world view to stop the country from re-segregating like we were before the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”

We have a black president, what would happen if someone did not serve a blk person....they would be run out of buisness, this is the reality..we have come this far...they would be driven out of biz within hrs....

The reason the 1964 Civil Rights Act and its numerous successors haven’t made any real dent in the stubborn racial exclusiveness that persists in housing and employment is because the Act was never about the victims of racism: it was, instead, all about white liberals like Ms. Maddow (and her fan club) making themselves feel good – about themselves.

Aren’t we virtuous; Aren’t we righteous! Who cares if civil rights legislation has actually resulted in very little gains for blacks: we can fix that with affirmative action. Maybe we should ask why it hasn't worked.!!!

The reason is because human beings aren’t mind-readers. Unless someone puts up a sign saying “No blacks need apply,” it’s impossible to know when discrimination has occurred.......oh I know......mind readers can do this.

The problem I have with Rand Paul; is that he is not a libertarian; after thinking about him; he is a republican conservative, he doesn't have the guts, the back-bone that his father has...he is even for the wars that are going on....so he is not a libertarian...he is a bush/obama, obama/bush type of guy, he both of them....his father is a lot different...a real libertarian.!!

ps he is as ......Tony ......pointed out to me....a homophobic, and that aint good....he might be saying all of these thing just to get the vote, U know like Obama did with the Liberals, promise them anything...and then don't come thru with the promises. And I still believe that anything would be an improvement over what we have now.....the Greedy Corps government that we have now is killing us....and all we get is more gottcha moments......Maddow is just an msnbc dirty trickster......later

Solar said...

Coreen, Coreen, the dancing machine....

was a little hot yesterday...said that it reached 98 ...no like it...big chief like 65-70...will pick u up on the way to carols swimming pool, just have to tell the nice people to move over a little, and make room for us...that pool looks great.! Going to spring this on Pogo:

Tony,

The advantage of being ( and peace of mind) an independent; is have the ability of an open mind.! My last comment on Rand Paul for now:

Forgot where I heard that Seymour Hersh has an upcoming expose on US battlefield executions, civilian contractors providing intel for Af- Pak drone missile strikes, Christianity and just-war theory, and Rand Paul's disappointing stance of foreign policy.....he really lost me on this.!!

Also will keep an eye out for , international human rights lawyer, professor and contributing editor at Harper’s magazine, discusses the secret “second prison” at Bagram in Afghanistan, changes made to the Army Field Manual (Appendix M) that allow the abuse of prisoners, yep no diff Obama/Bush huh?

After catching up on all the past threads....seem like there has been no talk at all about the wars, the middle east etc, etc, unless it was brought up by Max......think that I will go back to watching our backs on that front.....less stressful than trying to defend the foot in mouth Rand P............

Pogo.......Foot in mouth...what kind of.....lunch....can I have,mmm lets see.....pickled pigs feet tacos? HAhahahaaaa, later.....

Solar said...

Jan,

......forgot, "so im yr favorite man here at the swamp" huh?......U funny.!....give me big Johns e-mail address....will forward.....

jan said...

Solar, since John isn't in or on the "swamp" he cannot be jealous :))

jan said...

Hi folks,
My granddaughter submitted a picture of my great granddaughter, Abigail, to parents magazine and she is a finalist. In case any of you might want to vote or just see the picture - here is the link.
http://photos.parents.com/category/vote/photo/300559

jan said...

abilgail is the 1st one that appears on the screen. She has just had her bath and is in a pink blanket - she is 3 months old in the picture. The other infants/kids are awfully cute too.