Sunday, June 9, 2013

That Old Cape Magic

203 comments:

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RebelliousRenee said...

1: view from our room
2: Chatham lighthouse
3: Chatham beach
4: typical Cape houses
5: Cape dunes
6: Arriving on Martha's Vineyard
7: Osprey on nest
8: wild roses... smells heavenly!

Coreen said...

Nice going Renee...looks like you spent a good week, blue skies, calm seas, not too much traffic/people yet...

I sometimes forget the beauty that exists along New England;s coastal towns...good to be reminded how special it is...

jan said...

Beautiful pictures Renee. We will all enjoy your vacation. Thank you!

jan said...

Carol, fingers crossed that your plumber makes it to your house today.

jan said...

Renee, all the pictures are spectacular. The last one is my favorite. I may put that up as my computer wallpaper.

Carol said...

Great pics Renee. I agree Jan, all of the pics are great but my fav is also the last pic.

I just got to the house and the plumber is here. Hope everything goes well with the job. I have a large load of clothes that need to be washed. If I have to, I can go to the wash and dry place. There's a decent one not far from here and I have lots of quarters.

Carol said...

Renee, did you get your chowda and stuffed clams? Were they as good as you imagined? How about lobster? Did you have any? I like lobster but I do like Dungeness crab, shrimp and crawfish better only because it's not as chewy. All have to be drowned in lemon and butter and
Tony's seasoning. I think I could eat my fingers if I had lemon and butter on them. I think I have tried before, accidentally.

RebelliousRenee said...

Those wild roses grow all over the beaches of New England. When they are in full bloom (as they were in that picture) you can smell them just by walking by...

Carol... the food at the Cape is always great. I had lots of chowder and several stuffed quahogs. I don't buy lobster. My brother is a lobster fisherman in Beverly Massachusetts. He brings lots of lobsters whenever he visits.

And I'm with you... if it's seasoned with lemon and butter... I can eat it.... YUM!

Carol said...

Have any of you ever tried boiled crawfish? I developed that intolerance to them even though I now can eat some in a bisque. I never ate them growing up. Wasn't exposed to them until after college. SF held up a pond of water to use for irrigation and it attracted lots of crawfish. My neighbors at this apartment complex where I was living learned about our pond and we all went out and caught some. That was my first exposure and I learned to love them. Years later I talked SF into making our own crawfish pond. Back then I could almost eat my body weight in them. That's probably why I developed an intolerance.

Mom, being a Yankee, didn't cook some of the typical southern dishes. We never ate red beans and rice. Never even heard of it until later either. Don't eat it now because I don't tolerate beans very well. Mom's excuse for that was because she said when they were first married and pretty poor they ate too many of them. She did cook white beans and ham.

I do like crawfish much better than lobster. They are not as rubbery. They are more trouble to eat but that never bothered me.

RebelliousRenee said...

Carol.... yes... I tried crawfish when I was in New Orleans about 12 yrs ago. I much prefer lobster. I think our preferences in foodstuff isn't just about how something tastes.... I think it's cultural... it's about what we grew up eating.

I bet you'd be hard pressed to find a native New Englander that liked crawfish over lobster.... and I bet natives of Louisiana do prefer those little critters.

Cultural differences are fun to learn and experiment with. We were in Jan's neck of the woods 17 yrs ago and came to absolutely love green chili salsa. We still buy it and put it on our hamburgers.

jan said...

Renee, I completely agree. I think the foods we grow up eating are often our favorites. I have lived in many different states and in one foreign land (Argentina). In Oklahoma, all kinds of meats and a fish called "crappie" are popular. Fried chicken and crappie, biscuits and white gravy and beans and cornbread are popular. It is no wonder that one of the major health problems in OK is obesity.

I lived in Louisiana for 9 years and the main foods I remember in that part of the country were boudin (rice and spicy sausage), crawfish (which we called crawdads in OK), gumbo and so many dishes I cannot spell.

Here in NM, the big question is "red or green" meaning do you want red or green chilis or chili sauce. I much prefer green. Every food is flavored with red or green chilis. Almost everyone here eats chilis. The good thing is that chilis have lots of Vit C. I bet one would be hard-pressed to find scurvy in NM.

In Argentina, beef was the main dish. When one shopped at open air meat markets, they all hung from the ceiling. They wasted no part of the cow. The stomach lining is used for stews. When I first lived there, we went to a party and there was a dish (cannot remember the name of it). I had a bite and it was so delicious. I later found out it was the pancreas of the cow, grilled with lemon juice. I would never have eaten it if I first knew what it was.

jan said...

The foods in TX and Ark are not much different than in OK.

Montana is a big beef state.

Carol said...

With your living in so many places Jan, what was your favorite state for food?

On the trips that I took, my fav place for eating out was Chicago. One thing I liked was that they had outstanding salad bars that had everything you could possibly imagine on them.

Carol said...

Last night I woke up at midnight. I fell asleep with the OWN network on. When I feel asleep, Oprah was interviewing the coaches from the Voice. Love those coaches. When I woke up at midnight, Susan Sarandon was on. She's a really interesting person. Some of what she was talking about had me pondering about my retirement.

I knew retirement was going to be a significant stressor. The drop in income was significant but I thought that I could handle that if I'm careful. It's tough to lose my identity as a nurse 40 years being one.

Retirement is something you really need to prepare for, not only financially but emotionally. I had been pondering it for a while before I did it but didn't really make the decision on my own, I had a choice but the choice was either retire or put up with more abuse than I already had. I think that the Universe kinda made the decision for me.

Our identities, especially mine, are so wrapped up in our careers. For some people, they also have mother or father, son or daughter, wife or husband as a significant part of their identity. I have none of those. I'm struggling now to find an identity. Housekeeper definitely isn't something that I want to adopt. So far, lazy is the only identity I have found and I'm not at all crazy about that one.

jan said...

Carol, You are so funny. I love your last comment. I read it to John cuz I though he could identify with your identity crisis. He has had about the same problem.

You do have some other identities that you do not mention, such as
Friend
Sister
Blogger
By the way, are you going to keep up your Nurs license? In NM one has to work so many hours and keep up the 15 CEUs annually to keep the license. Just curious.

You could do some consulting. I used to get all these advertisements to do legal consulting on different cases. Have you thought about any of that?

jan said...

BTW, John had a big belly laugh about your comment.

jan said...

I think Louisiana had the best regional food of all the places I have lived. You just cannot get it anywhere else. I like NM dishes, but many are too "spicy-hot" for my taste. I eat sour cream on everything with chilis in it.

jan said...

I never liked crawfish however. I loved shrimp and crab and all the dishes made with them.

RebelliousRenee said...

Retirement.... hmmmm.... that's a good subject.

Rick retired last Sept. He took a buyout package from HP. We've saved plenty of money... and live simply. Though it does change the way one looks at money . We'd both rather spend on travel and experiences than on "stuff" at this point in our lives.

Rick had several hobbies he has now plunged into doing more aggressively. He gardens... and he likes to do trail maintenance work. He's been taking all kinds of workshops on animal tracks and tree identification. He will become president of his hiking and trail club in Oct.

I think Rick has done retirement right in knowing what he wanted to do and is doing it. I, on the other hand, am wrapped up in my identity as a weaver. I'm not ready to retire yet. I think I would like to semi- retire in a few years. Stop doing the big fair in August and maybe just do gallery work. I can't imagine myself not weaving.

jan said...

Renee, Sounds like Rick has worked out retiring not only for his benefit but for the environment also. Kudos to Rick. I am working with Early Head Start families 20 hrs/wk. I do enjoy the work and enjoy the people I work with. Don't know when I will fully retire.

Carol said...

My three compression fractures and my ortho fragility has pretty much stopped most of the things I looked forward to retiring to do. I loved gardening and it's a real chore just to buy a bag of potting soil and get it home. I can mow on my riding mower but it even hurts riding over the parts of my yard that are a little rough. It's kinda hard to find something I enjoy doing sitting in a chair. Even fishing requires more physical activity than I'm capable of unless I sit on my wharf or find someone to do the work involved.

Jan, I think that I've decided to give up my licenses. Still pondering that.

Carol said...

I'm still not over some phobias I developed over the first five months of this years when I injured myself with little or no significant activity.

Coreen said...

Just had a conversation today with another attorney about is it time to retire...neither of us are ready to just stop being what we are, doing what we do just yet, but we have cut back on what type of matters we work on...& have cut back on the hours spent at the office...

Not quite ready to just close the office, I would miss the daily structure/routines/socialization established over the years...but am enjoying the flexibility I have to be selective...

I look around the office & say oh so many files, so much to go through to close the office, I wind up saying well maybe just one more year...at this point I maintain my office so I have soemwhere to go & something to do daily...

If I did not have my office to go to, I suspect I would be bored pretty fast, can only hang around the house so long...so for now I guess I'm 'semi-retired'...but I can see that changing in the not to distant future...




Carol said...

I can see you all recognize what I'm dealing with. The fears you all have are real. I am bored to tears. I'm pretty lost. Retiring almost killed me and I'm not sure it's through trying.

I loved the work I was doing and it was the perfect fit but it was taking a toll on me. I established much of what was wrong with that job. I wasn't required to take all that call but once I did, I was pretty much stuck doing it. I allowed myself to miss most of my vacations because I worried who would take care of my peeps if I left. I created that monster and then didn't know how to kill it. I should have learned my lessons a long time ago. I made many of those same mistakes in most of my other jobs.

Carol said...

I really believe that not having kids or a spouse is responsible for my trying to get some of those needs met at my jobs.

Carol said...

There are many things that need to be done around here but the sad thing is...I don't want to do them. With no one but Maggie looking, I can't find the motivation to do those things. I'm still looking for it.

jan said...

Coreen, about retiring - you say much of how I feel about not retiring completely yet.

Carol said...

TV bores me even when it's something I really want to see. I need to be doing something while I watch and for a while that was eating. Now I have my little Nintendo DS and a game I'm addicted...Blejeweled.

jan said...

Anyone watching the Voice tonight. My favorite girl, Michelle, did a rock current song and I did not like it so much. Sasha sang, I will always love you. It was good but not great. So, I am rootin for the Swon Brothers and Danielle Bradbury tonight. I loved the Swon Brothers going back to their home town, Muskogee OK. Took me back home for a few minutes too. I am not from Muskogee, but I almost moved there in 1990.

jan said...

I suspect either Danielle or The Swon Bros will win. Sorry Coreen, but that is my prediction.

Carol said...

This George Zimmerman trial is going to be interesting and distressing. There will be a lot of race issues come up.

Carol said...

I enjoyed the Voice tonight. You may be right about who will win. I like them all. Michelle is pretty popular. She could do it also. It's rare for a duo to even make it this far.

Coreen said...

And would you believe it is pouring again...rained most of the day, but now it is coming down like crazy...

Carol, would you consider teaching a course at a local college or community college, or even for adult education classes if they offer them around you... maybe something in the 'health field, if not part of nursing studies...some attorneys I know teach a class in the evenings part time at local colleges, maybe that would give you the umpf to be out & about, & interact with others, but not really working full time...

As for TV, I think I told you that
for me, its like having a radio on,
don't sit & watch it, more like listen, glance at it...while doing something else...like reading, knitting (most in the fall/winter)...

Maybe if you got a kindle or a nook
you would use that more than going to the store to buy a book...

Carol said...

I couldn't sit on that Zimmerman jury. I've already made up my mind that Zimmerman is guilty of at least manslaughter. He stalked the kid without cause except that he felt he looked out of place. He was told not to by the 911 operator. He killed the kid.

Coreen said...

The Voice, not watching it, likely wouldn't change my initial assessment...Judith, Sasha & Danielle...since they eliminated Judith...I would still think either of the 2 could win, but would suspect Danielle more likely...even though I really don't like country...because like it or not, its all about the look not just the voice & she has it...but if young women are voting it could be the country boys...they would be the dark horse...so no Jan, no problem for me with your picks...

Carol said...

I have lots to do and I hope that I will eventually get around to doing it. I hope I'm just in an adjustment period.

jan said...

I loved Sasha's 2nd song, Bad Girls. She has an amazing voice and great stage presence.

jan said...

Carol, just keep on talking here about how you are feeling and doing with all you are doing. I do think this is an adjustment period.

jan said...

Went to the therapy pool tonight at the Univ. The hours had changed and I only got 15 min in the water. I could have gotten in the regular pool but was not ready for the cold, cold water with my knee. At least I know I have to get there by 6 pm to get at least 20 min.

Carol said...

Actually, I was doing pretty well early post retirement. That five month episode of one insult after another is what screwed things up.

RebelliousRenee said...

Carol...
sorry you're going through a tough period with retirement. I think Coreen has the right idea... sounds like you need to get involved with people. If you have a library nearby that has a book club, join it. You do seem to like to read.

The only person who can pull you out of this funk is you... I wish you the best.

RebelliousRenee said...

And I agree with you about George Zimmerman... I too think he's guilty of at least manslaughter. Guess that means I couldn't sit on that jury either.

RebelliousRenee said...

Coreen...
I don't know if you heard it yet.... but the Patriots have signed Tim Tebow. Of course, that's just for being at training camp for a shot at making the team... he could be cut before the final 53.

Some say that Belichick is doing this just to stick it to the Jets. I think that's nonsense. Bill wouldn't have anyone on the team... or even at training camp... if he didn't think the player had a chance to help the team.

I know the Patriots will do everything they can to not make it the circus in was in NY... but the media will try... god bless their little hearts.

Carol said...

I just heard that your team is giving Tebow a chance Renee?? That will be interesting.

Carol said...

I also saw where Chad Ochocinco got 30 days for slapping his attorney on the butt. I saw the video and didn't get the impression that he was trying to be disrespectful to the court. If he got the time for his DV probation violation I could understand but I think that the judge went a little overboard.

Carol said...

I did miss your post this morning Renee. Just read it.

Carol said...

Renee, I hope Tebow does well.

Carol said...

I forgot the mention the other day that I have a thing for lighthouses.

Carol said...

I think that having these high profile trials on TV makes it almost impossible to have a really fair trial. I think jurors are more likely to lie through their teeth to get on those juries. They are trying to find jurors that know nothing about the case. Anyone who says they know nothing about this case...is either lying or totally out of touch with what's going on in the world.

Even though I have made up my mind about Zimmerman, I have to admit that I have started watching a trial feeling one way and changed my mind after hearing all the evidence. One problem with this case is that I think that most of the evidence is already out there.

They are trying to determine who was doing the screaming heard on that 911 call someone made. From what has been reported, they can't really determine that. I have difficulty thinking that a man with a gun would be screaming like that person was screaming. I think that Zimmerman may have said that he forgot he had the gun. That also doesn't pass the smell test.

Coreen said...

Yes Renee heard the Tebow news...never understood the fascination with him for the Jets...why Belichick asked him, have no idea...

RebelliousRenee said...

Carol...
I was listening to a Boston sports radio station while eating breakfast this morning. They said that Tebow was signed as the 3rd quarterback and for minimum... which I think is a little over $600,000 a year for someone with his experience.

I wish Tebow well also... but I want him on the team ONLY if he can contribute. I trust Belichick to field the best team possible to give the Patriots the best chance of winning.

jan said...

finalists for the Voice are Michelle Shamuele, Danielle Bradbury and the Swon Brothers. So happy that Michelle made it. She has been one of my favorites from the beginning.

Carol said...

Jan, I was sorry to see Sasha and Amber go. They had their own unique abilities. They were versatile. I hope they both work to pursue a career. Maybe Shakira and Adam can take them under their wings.

Last night Michelle was the first saved. I wonder if that was because she had the most votes.
Seems she was the first saved last week also. Maybe she will win this thing. There's no doubt that Danielle and the Swon Brothers can have a career if they want one. Daneille will need more nurturing due to her age. The Swon Brothers were already out performing locally.

Two previous season non-winners have songs out, Terry McDermot and Nicholas David.

jan said...

I wonder too if they are calling the 1st saves who have the most votes. Interesting. I don't think there is any doubt that Danielle and Swon bros will do well. Michelle's voice is not powerful like Sasha's but it has a lovely quality and she has a unique style.

Carol said...

Michelle has a certain charisma.

With all this talk about NSA and everyone watching us, today they were discussing some of the juror voir dire for the Zimmerman trial. After asking questions of one juror, they went and checked out her Facebook page to check to see if she had discussed the case and expressed an opinion. She had. I didn't think that just anyone could look at a person's Facebook page unless they were listed as a friend?

I don't really communicate on Facebook but with the Swamp, I could never get away with saying I didn't have an opinion about something. If I've heard of it, it's likely that I have expressed an opinion on the subject here. That should keep me off any juries.

Carol said...

I started a program for cleaning and organizing around here. I started on my most dreaded room, my bedroom. When I moved everything out of the bathroom and kitchen to redo them, everything was stuffed into my bedroom or in my big room. Since I spend most of my time in the big room, I've pretty much moved or gotten rid of the stuff in here. Not quite through. I felt sick just looking in my bedroom. That's one of the reasons I'm still sleeping in my recliner in the big room. Well today, I finally started tackling my bedroom. I did put a dent in it. I know I will feel so much better when I get that done. Then I need to paint in there and touch up other places where the paint was messed up during the remodeling.

Carol said...

I ponder..how many of those zeta bites in that facility, that I assume taxpayers paid for, does TM and the Swamp occupy? Someone made some bucks building it, I wonder who? That's probably the real motive, someone important/powerful is making some big bucks and wasting our tax dollars. That's what pisses me off the most.

The gov can't even successfully monitor things like the oil companies or anything else to protect our interests so who do you think is going to go through all the BS we discuss on our phones, in our emails or online? Sometimes they are too busy downloading or watching porn or participating in it to get any work done. Probably if we don't provide any porn, we're safe.

Carol said...

Sorry about the outcome of the first hockey finals game last night Renee. I tried to watch a little of it but I don't have a clue about any of the rules of that game except that they have to get that little discus in the net. I assume there are some rules involved.

Carol said...

It's already getting dreadfully hot here. Humidity is also a killer. I couldn't even talk myself in taking our second walk yesterday afternoon. I could have done it but I didn't want to drag Maggie down that hot asphalt road. She might burn her little paws. If we're going to continue to do our second walk in the evenings, we're going to have to make it later and that would interfere with our dinner time.

jan said...

I do remember summers of heat and humidity in LA Carol. We are not getting temps in hi 90's. We moved here 10 years ago and have rarely hit 100 degrees. This year, I thin we are busted.

Coreen said...

Humidity...one of the prime reasons I could not live below the tri-state area...that & the consistent temps pushing 80 & the
wind/breeze (hot not cool) that
is almost always part of FL weather...

Florida a prime example...around here dreamers always wanted to move to FL to find 'paradise'...well maybe in Jan & Feb when the cold, snow is generally the worst here, but beyond that FL is more often than
not hot & humid...need ac everywhere...

Friends in South FL have been complaining for weeks that it already hit 90 & has been humid...drains all your energy...

Many who can afford to, come back
'home' in July & August when it id usually the worst in FL...

without dobut I could never have been a southern belle...

Coreen said...

From a couple of days ago...

a study that says 95% of those using public bathrooms don't wash their hands properly...some don't use soap, some not at all...& while women did somewhat better than guys...disappointing at best,
& that the CDC has to set 'guidelines' to tell people how to properly wash hands, well jus t another thing that makes me shake my head & roll my eyes...
Poor handwashing habits all around

Carol said...

Coreen, you need to save a paper towel to get out of the bathroom. If you have to touch the handle of the door getting out, you've wasted your time washing your hands. Use it to turn off the water also.

Coreen said...

Here's another thing heard on the radio & in this morning's newspaper...

A real no-brainer...using hands free devices while driving pose a great risk...

Hey, How about this for advice...

Just Shut up & Drive....
use of hands free devices pose great risk when driving

Coreen said...

Carol, way ahead of you... my office wastebasket is filled with crumpled paper towels because of just that...

Coreen said...

Oh & its raining & pouring right now...

Coreen said...

And before I make my way out into this rainy day...

Heard PSA on the radio telling
people to be sure to not leave
leftovers on the counter, to cover
& refrig quickly or you get stomach
problems...

Hello, this ranks up there with the CDC 'educating' about bathroom
etiquette & the lack of common sense in use of cellphones while driving...& unfortunately only reinforces the idea of the 'dumbing
down' of the american public...

If it is generational...we are doomed...

Carol said...

They have to have something to talk about.

I don't think talking on a hands free device is as bad as putting on lipstick or checking your hair. We need to learn to respect the killing power of a vehicle. Maybe they should show pics everyday of what can happen when we're distracted.

Carol said...

Coreen, I also don't think those waterless alcohol based hand cleaners are very good. One of the best parts of washing your hands is the water rinsing the germs away. I think the other is just a good way to dry out your skin.

RebelliousRenee said...

Carol... I ain't worried about my Bruins... it's just game one. And yes, there are rules... it might be hard to watch a hockey game without knowing what's going on... it's a very fast moving game.

And good for you for tackling some of your clutter. I need to do that someday too.

Coreen.... I'm with you... I'm a northern babe... we actually sometimes discuss moving northward when Rick's parents aren't around any longer.

Carol said...

Renee, I'm not close to being able to brag about my clutter clearing accomplishments. I'm just glad I've started working at it. Seems like a long time ago that I quit buying anything new except food and I either eat it or throw it out. I think my crap is has found a way to reproduce. I do have a problem throwing something I spent money on away.

Carol said...

One serious flaw I have, among many, is I lack self discipline.

Carol said...

Coreen, you still have more rain coming. We are getting a shower every day but not much quantity. Just enough to make the grass grow too fast. I'm already over mowing.

Carol said...

Oh Jesus...

very strange

RebelliousRenee said...

Carol....
OMG... toooooo funny!

but I have to admit... it does look like Jesus.

Carol said...

I guess we can see Jesus in some of the most assinine places. Of all the things where I've seen what people describe as images of Jesus, that one tops the charts.

Years ago, before Maggie, when I was pondering the unconditional love given by dogs, I had that revelation that spelling dog backwards, spelled God. I thought that was kinda cool.

Carol said...

This morning I dragged Maggie on our walk and doubled the distance just in case it's too hot to do another one this afternoon. We have even moved our morning walk to earlier.

I'm trying to psych myself up to go mow the grass at my house. It's not so bad after I get started.

Carol said...

Hope the rain has stopped up in the northeast. You guys need a little dry time. Do you guys have grass that needs to be mowed?

jan said...

The dog butt that looks like Jesus is too funny Carol. John firmly believes that dogs and cats and all animals are a gift from God for us to enjoy. For us, Ryley and Lobie are gifts to us. When I am hurting (knee) and am so tired of the pain and when am feeling down for other reasons too, Ryley will get on the couch with me and cuddle up against my leg or lick my hand and it makes everything easier to manage or cope with.

jan said...

Carol, almost all of us lack self-discipline sometimes or all of the time.

jan said...

People who are disciplined all of the time are no fun to be around.

jan said...

Still have lots of pain with knee. I broke down and took ibuprofen yesterday and last night. Could not believe how much it helped. So am taking it and my high dose aspirin and my prilosec and drinking lots of water and eating high protein yoghurt. This regimen seems to be the best. I stopped the prednisone.

RebelliousRenee said...

Carol...
it's not raining right now.... and it's not supposedly going to rain tomorrow. But it comes back on Sunday.
We've had cold rainy Junes before.... they suck. Our garden is in danger of rotting and we are still using our pellet stove on some nights (we did last night). Oh well... the weather is gonna be what it's gonna be.

Jan... yup... I agree... people who are disciplined all of the time are not only not fun to be around... they are anal retentive.

Carol said...

Jan, not a good idea to take both the ibuprofen and the high dose aspirin. Less dangerous to take one or the other. Both are NAIDs. I'm sorry that your still having so much pain. Need to see your doctor.

Carol said...

Sorry about all the rain Renee. I just finished mowing the yard. Glad that chore is done for a week or so. I hope even our smaller rains slow down so the grass will quit growing.

RebelliousRenee said...

Well... I don't mean to be complaining too much. A rotted garden is nothing compared to a tornado ripped up house, or one that's a smoldering heap of ashes because of wild fires.

Luckily we live on high ground.... so flooding is also not a concern for us. And yes... our lawn is growing out of control... but that too is a small problem.

jan said...

Renee, hope your garden survives.

Carol, I am taking low doses of both. The ibuprofen does reduce the pain. I will switch to a baby ASA a day. I am very afraid of a blood clot. How does that sound?

I have an appt with my primary on 6/27. Hard to get in to see him. I do have an appt with my GI doc on Mon at 3:30. I am going to ask her about my regiman and I am going to ask her if she will order me a MRI then the results will be ready when I see my primary on 27th.

Carol said...

I'm wondering why you don't just do the ibuprofen? Do separate the time for taking the baby ASA from the ibuprofen. I've read that taking the other NSAISs will reduce the effectiveness of the baby ASA for protecting from blood clots.

I just worry about your GI issues.

Carol said...

Renee, it seems like the Universe is telling us not to get too attached to our stuff because it can be taken away any moment. Those tornadoes and fires are the worst. They take it all in a hurry.

Carol said...

Here's some interesting stuff that I have read before Jan.

Taking low-dose aspirin and NSAIDs can be a challenge

This is some of the info from that article:

" COX-1 NSAIDs can interfere with aspirin’s antiplatelet effects if they bind to platelets first. Aspirin irreversibly inhibits platelets, so its effects are more consistent and longer-lasting.

If an NSAID is needed, lean towards naproxen (Aleve) … it seems to have the lowest cardiovascular risk. Use the lowest effective dose for the shortest time possible.

Advise patients to take PLAIN aspirin about one hour BEFORE naproxen or ibuprofen … so aspirin can bind to platelets first."

Carol said...

Didn't know that about Aleve. It does also have a longer duration of action.

Carol said...

97 degrees with a heat index of 112 degrees here right now. Yuk. I don't like summer here!

jan said...

Thanks Carol. That helps.

Carol said...

There are a lot of people who take one ASA a day to prevent heart attacks and take NSAIDs for aches and pains. I heard about the problem with combining the two a good while back and asked a pharmacist and she wasn't even aware of it. I bet there are lots of docs who don't know that either.

Carol said...

I used to love Court TV. I enjoy following some of the interesting trials. Court TV did that in a professional way. Then they changed their name to Tru TV and cater to the jobless who sit around drinking beer all day. HLN took over what Court TV did and they started with more professional coverage for a while but then slowly turned into Court Circus TV. Seems like it started with the Casey Anthony trial and just got worse.

I'm afraid HLN is inciting many crazy people who are angry and looking for somewhere to place that anger. There's not a chance that that will change because they've received such a rating hike doing what they are doing. I think they are making it almost impossible to find jurors for high profile trials and because of how they stir up emotions, they are going to get jurors and witnesses hurt. Witnesses for the unpopular side and jurors who don't go along with how the angry crowds feel are getting death threats.

Carol said...

There were some interesting stories on Rock Center last night. There often are but I heard that show is on the cutting block.

One story was about how surgery is using robotics for some surgeries. That's very scary. I would definitely prefer that my surgeon use his/her hands rather than a robot. There's often very little training that goes on with new technology but hospitals like new technology whether it's good or not. They want to be seen as being on the cutting edge. I would recommend that if your surgeon is going to use robotics, be afraid, be very afraid.

Carol said...

We had another thunder bumper last night. My grass here at the camp was really tall but my neighbor was having to wait until almost dark thirty to cut it. It was just too hot and humid. When it got a little cooler, a huge storm moved in. The sky looked as scary as those pre-tornado Oklahoma skies. I ran out and made my neighbor stop cutting the grass and go in. I can't afford to let him get struck by lightning just to get my grass cut.

RebelliousRenee said...

It's a beautiful day up here in the northeast!

Carol... good neighbors can be hard to find... good move getting him to get his butt inside.

Just because something gets good ratings or something sells well doesn't mean it's the greatest. If that were the only criteria to judge anything, then I guess we could say that McDonalds and/or Kentucky Fried Chicken are the world's best restaurants.

Carol said...

Renee, I think your area wins the best weather day for the day.

Carol said...

That is...if Weather Underground is right. They often aren't.

jan said...

Carol, this pain is awful. I have never had pain this bad except when I was in labor. And at least there was an end to it. I have to have something for pain. The ibuprofen is the only thing -other than the narcotics- that relieves the pain. I don't want to take the narcotics. The ibuprofen lasts about 4-5 hours and then the pain hits again with a vengeance. I think I will try the Aleve. At this time, my stomach is not a priority. I do see GI doc on Mon. I am not going to urgent care again unless I start throwing up blood.

jan said...

Renee, happy for you having good weather. Actually our weather here is good today, predicted to get to 94. We had a little rain last night. It was lovely, but too short. It did cool the evening off. We are running our ac all day and turning it off at night. Our basement bedrooms are 70 degrees with no ac. That is why we moved our bedrooms downstairs.

jan said...

I am going to the therapy pool at Univ every day now for 30-40 min. I don't use the leg that hurts, just drag it along. At least I am getting some exercise. I have made a decision to lose the extra wt (about 25 lbs). I have talked and thought about this before, but I think that will help prevent future occurrences of this. I started this past week and have lost 5 lbs. I have simply cut out all junk foods.

Another reason for diet is my doc has been after me to lose some as my a1c occasionally gets up to borderline. I have been looking at this leg and I have some veins in my ankle and one under my knee that are bulging so I am concerned that my circulation is not good in this leg.

Carol said...

It concerns me that your pain is that bad. Is that when you're not trying to walk? I wouldn't think that an arthritic process would be that painful unless you were trying to walk. I hope it's not some infectious process. I'll feel better when you see your doc. If it's still that bad I recommend you call your doc and move up that appointment. Seems like they could squeeze you in.

Carol said...

Another consideration is a vascular clot? If you think that could be the case go back to the best doc in the box you have around there and tell him/her what's going on.

Carol said...

Stop even the swimming if you are having that much pain.

jan said...

Carol, it hurts at night when I am not moving. It is intense. The ibuprofen does relive it for the most part. It is centered in the knee area. I have worried that it is a clot or maybe terrible circulation. However, It came on suddenly, not gradually. I can feel the source of the pain. It is a small area just under the knee and toward the inside of the knee. And maybe I just don't handle pain.

I got some Aleve. Going to try it when the ibuprofen wears off.

jan said...

When I say under the knee, I mean at the bottom of the knee. I have looked at an anatomy of the knee and I am sure it is a ligament.

jan said...

I don't think getting into the pool hurts it. I am using a cane or walker to walk. The water in the therapy pool is lukewarm and it feels good. I am not using the leg in any exercise. I am doing a side swim and back swim stroke but dragging the right leg.

Carol said...

How's the knee today Jan. Sorry we both missed each other on the phone yesterday. I met a friend out for dinner yesterday. Had Mexican. Enjoyed that.

Been watching golf. That golf course at Marian is a bitch. Tiger is or was 11 over. Too bad. I'm pulling for Mickelson. He's never won and he's such a nice guy, unlike Tiger. He's got the best score at -1.

jan said...

Carol, knee is about the same. The Aleve is working pretty well. It does not hold the pain for as long as I thought. I took one at 5 pm yesterday and at 11 pm last night I was in h***. I took one and it held pain until 10 am this morning. The packaging says no more than 3 in 24 hours. So have to wait until 5 this afternoon for next one. It is good to have something that relieves the pain. How can one knee cause so much misery?

jan said...

Good you had dinner with friend last night. What exactly did you eat? Would love to introduce you to NEW Mexican food. I think you would like it.

Carol said...

I hate it that you're having so much knee pain. You really need a work up on that knee. I'll feel better after you've had that.

Carol said...

Jan, after I ate the chips and salsa, it was pretty much over for me. I had no room left for food but I did order chicken and beef nachos that I picked at. It was nice getting out and visiting with my friend.

Carol said...

Tiger finished that golf game at 13 over. The leader is even par. I don't know who would want to play that course. I'd probably feel good if I had 13 over on one hole.

jan said...

That happens to me when we go out for New Mexican food. I always get a takee outee and enjoy the dinner the next night or two. That is the thing about Mexican food, it is good for a couple of days

jan said...

I am getting the knee worked up as soon as I can get in to see a doc that will do an MRI.

RebelliousRenee said...

Jan...
I hope something can be done for your knee... so sorry about the pain.

New Mexican food is excellent! I remember the first thing Rick and I did after getting our luggage and car was to park it and walk around Old Town Albuquerque.
When we hit a restaurant, we told the waitress it was our first day in New Mexico and could she recommend anything we should taste. She pointed to something called a sopapilla. It's a fried dough type of thing that you drizzle honey on.... it was to die for! The chills... the corn dishes... the pork, the chicken dishes.... YUM!

jan said...

Renee, If one comes to NM, they have to try the sopapillas. We have a neighborhood restaurant here called Padillas. Their sopapillas are the best in town. John and I both like green chili, chicken, blue corn enchaladas. Blue corn tortillas are too dense to roll. I don't care for red chili sauce, but most old-timers here prefer red to green sauce. Most people from Alb eat red sauce like gravy. It is popular all holidays. My DIL's mother always brings a big pot of red sauce to Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. She is Hispanic and DIL's dad has both Hispanic and Apache heritage.

jan said...

Thanks for the kind words Renee. I am anxious to get a work-up on the knee/leg.

jan said...

Carol, check your e-mail. I have forwarded an article from Wall Street Journal on nurse practitioners.

BTW, my DIL that had breast cancer is having spotting from the vagina. She had her last period about 2 years ago. She is going to her Ca specialist who is referring her to another CA doc. She is the mother of my granson who has seizures. Her mother just died from CA last year. She is my favorite DIL. I just hope if it is CA that they have caught it early.

Carol said...

I love salsa and chips but I'm not sure if I'd like New Mexican food. I don't do any beans. I'm not crazy about soft tortillas of any kind. I do like the crispy corn tortillas. I do like to use the soft onre to make roll ups for parties where I spread a mixture on them and cut them up for hors d'oeuvres.

Carol said...

Your DIL sure has more than she should have to endure which may be a big part of her problem.

Carol said...

Do some people have a destiny to be martyrs?? I've been pondering that leaker guy. Can't see how he could have thought that there would be anything but misery for him when he decided to expose what he knew. But then again, we all knew that we had no privacy and I don't think that our loss of privacy has anything to do with improving our security. Many of the serious incidence in the past had enough out there to stop them but it wasn't done. I've assumed, from the time I got my first email account, that anything I wrote could at sometime become public. It helps to be paranoid.

RebelliousRenee said...

Carol.... All email companies and phone companies keep records of who, where and what time you use their services... the government is asking for those records. The government is not reading individual emails and they are not listening to individual phone calls. They are tracking who we send emails to... and to whom we make calls. If you are regularly sending emails and/or making phone calls to countries such as Iran, Yemen, Afghanistan or Pakistan you'll have something to worry about.

As for Snowden... I think it's more like delusional narcissism.

Carol said...

I agree with the delusional part but I don't think a narcissist would do anything that put himself at risk unless there was something big in it for him.

Carol said...

Well, I've decided that I want Michelle Chamuel to win the Voice. I think that Danielle probably will.

jan said...

I want Michelle to win too. John is for the Swon Bros.

jan said...

I just saw Michelle do her 1st song. She has a unique style and voice. She is humble too. Great personality as well as the talent.

jan said...

Danielle has such stage presence and an amazing voice and such control when she sings.

Adam just said he is going out on a limb and say Danielle will win this thing.

I think Danielle is better than Carrie Underwood.

I think she will win awards at the Country awards next year.

jan said...

The only problem for Danielle is that if she makes it big at her young age, it is awfully difficult for these young kids to stay grounded with all the fame.

Carol said...

There's no doubt that Danielle will be a star and so will the Swon Brothers. Country music is also easier to break into, IMO. One doesn't even have to have a great voice to make it big in country music. Look at Taylor Swift. She's a pretty and a musically talented girl, writes great songs, but great voice, not, IMO. Country music also has lots of fans. Danielle is very pretty. She wins hands down in that department and that does make a difference with some. I've been pleasantly surprised that it doesn't seem to count as much in the Voice.

That love song done by Blake and Danielle felt a little icky. The duet done by Usher and Michelle was fantastic. And I don't think it was fair for Adam to call it for Danielle.

I'd never heard that song that Usher and Michelle did but I did love it. It was my fav of the night.

I found a review that I totally agreed with. In their opinion, Michelle should win but Danielle probably will.

The Voice Season 4 'Live Finals' Recap: Who Should (and Will) Win It All?

Carol said...

Well one good thing, if Michelle doesn't win, she does have Usher to help her. He's a star maker.

Coreen said...

This morning, Imus played the Swon Bro. Eagles cover and mentioned more than once the Voice finals...

praised all the finalists..
thought both the women had strong voices, mentioned how much he liked Miranda Lambert's voice ('that girl can really sing')...

also said he liked Blake Shelton, mentioned it was Shelton's birthday today 37 & hoped he was the real deal & wouldn't turn out to be some schumuck (my word, not Imus)...in the end Imus didn't predict a winner...got the impression that he thought all three of them deserved to win...

Imus is a big country music fan, plays & pushes many country artists
so interesting that he chose to play the swon brothers today...

hopefully regardless of which one of them wins the voice, all three
acts will go on to have successful careers...

jan said...

When Blake and Danielle sang the duet, I was uncomfortable. It is good to hear more people thought it was creepy. That could hurt Danielle in the voting, I think.

I do like all three, but I do believe that Michelle is the best of them.

jan said...

I think Blake goes a little overboard in his comments about Danielle. I think she is a good beginning vocalist but I don't think any of them have reached the level of "artist." I am annoyed with the judges on both AI and Voice for elevating amateurs to "artist" status.

I liked Carrie Underwood when she was a contestant on AI but I don't like her voice as much as I did in the beginning. I like it that she is from OK but she seems screechy to me recently.

Carol said...

Jan, I think that Michelle may need that recording contract more than the the country peeps. I'm hoping that having two in the country genre might split the vote. Also, didn't Michelle get chosen safe first the last two weeks??

jan said...

Carol, the GI doc said she does not think I have a DVT. She said my leg is not swollen. She just said keep up with anti-inflammatories and putting heat on it. I sat in the warm bath last night and it helps the pain.

jan said...

I think Michelle was chosen 1st for past 3 weeks.

Carol said...

I feel better that your GI doc was OK with the NAIDs.

jan said...

Danielle won. Not surprised and really not disappointed.

Carol said...

I kinda hoped for Michelle but I couldn't be disappointed with any of them winning. Even those who came back to visit. It was a good show. I'm so impressed with how they can learn those routines and songs from week to week. I could enjoy a show about how they put that entire show together from week to week. I really do think that the Voice is one of the best shows on TV and to tell ya the truth, I'm not even crazy about musical shows. Never have been. If they can draw me in...they have a winner.

I will really miss the show and will especially miss Usher and Shakira. The can keep those they replaced. I heard that Usher and Shakira will be back for the show after next. They might need to have a little break to do other things.

I saw Adam on some show the other day and he indicated that the Voice does really give the judge's career's a boost. I can see that since I knew nothing about some of them and very little about the others..before the show. Actually, Blake may have been the only one who I might have heard of.

Carol said...

I almost didn't watch the show last night. I was going to wait until this morning to watch it online. TBS has Big Bang reruns on Tuesday night and there aren't many that I haven't seen. I noticed that they were airing some that I haven't seen and I could always watch the Voice today. Not many places to get a real belly laugh like on the Big Bang, now that Modern Family is on vacation. I can see each episode a couple of times and still chuckle pretty hard.

I did finally switch over to the Voice at half time. I still have to catch up with the rest of the show.

Carol said...

Renee, when is the last hockey game on? I think that I saw where your team is leading. It's not over yet, is it.

Hockey must not be too popular because I was listening to one of the guys on Yahoo Sport's radio yesterday and he was talking about how he forgot the game was on the other night. He said when he remembered, because there was nothing else on, he started looking for the channel, ran across an old movie he liked and never got back to see the game. I was just thinking, if a guy who eats, sleeps and breathes sports forgets about an important hockey game, that has to say something about the popularity of the sport.

Renee, what is your fav sport? Did you tell us that it was football?

Carol said...

Well, night before last was the first time I slept in a bed since right before Christmas. Yep, I know that might sound weird but the first serious back pain I had way back then started after getting out of bed. I told y'all that I do aerobic sleeping. I toss and turn all night and I thought that maybe I injured myself making the wrong turn.

My bed at my house is brick firm also. Don't know why I got that but years ago it was recommended for back problems. I would prefer sleeping on a cloud of softness. I bet I would like one of those old feather mattresses they had in the old days. Anyone ever sleep on one of those? I did put several mattress toppers to reduce the hardness but it didn't help.



Carol said...

I have to say that I do hurt more in the morning now that I'm back in my bed. I was surprised that I could be comfortable in a recliner but it's soft and it does limit my movement except for raising my head. Raising my head is a good thing since I often do have something to eat or drink before going to bed.

Also, I listen to the TV to fall asleep. Since I moved my sat system back to my house, I don't have a TV in my bedroom here anymore. I did bring one of the extra receivers here that I watch in my big room. Now, I just bring my laptop in my bedroom and tune into Netflix.

Carol said...

Maggie is glad that I'm back in my bed. Bedtime was/is one of her fav bonding times. It was one of her only bonding times. Except when I take her out, feed her, or protect her from a thunder storm, she's hiding somewhere most of the time. She's a very strange dog.

RebelliousRenee said...

Carol...
yes... football is my favorite sport.

The Bruins play game #4 tonight. They lost the first game and then won the next 2. The first team to win 4 games wins the Stanley Cup.

Hockey is definitely one of the least loved sports in America. There are very few Americans playing in the NHL... it's mostly Canadians and Europeans. For instance... our goalie's first name is Tuukka... he's from Finland.

This series with my beloved Boston Bruins vs The Chicago Blackhawks is getting the highest ratings ever for a hockey finale. They are two of the original 6 teams. And with both cities being close to the Canadian border, they have very avid hockey fans.

I grew up watching hockey because of my Canadian parents... I think hockey might be bigger than Jesus there.

RebelliousRenee said...

Carol....
last year we bought one of those memory foam beds. It's not the soft kind you sink into. It's harder... it's meant for people like me who always get hot while sleeping. It's like sleeping in heaven! I used to wake up with a sore hip or a sore back. Now... no pain and I awake feeling refreshed. I highly recommend trying one out if you're in the market for a new bed.

jan said...

We got a foam mattress topper several years ago and it works well too. Its about 2 inches thick and fits over the regular mattress. It was about $165. Much less than a full foam mattress.

jan said...

I too like the Voice. I like the judges much better than AI. I will probably watch AI again next season but they need to get some good judges or they will lose all their audience.

We are watching America's got talent now. I like the judges on it too. The 2 men are pretty funny and they all get along well. I don't know why I like the talent shows, but I do.

I have been taping Dr. Phil and watching him in the evening. I don't agree with the way he talks with his guests sometimes. He is pretty harsh. But I do like the fact that he does give them some help. The issues are always interesting.

jan said...

Renee, I will remember that about the memory foam beds when we decide to get a new mattress. That day is probably not far off.

RebelliousRenee said...

Jan...
we also bought a couple of memory foam pillows... we paid for one pillow what you paid for your foam mattress topper. That's the biggest downfall with the beds.... they are not cheap. But being pain free is worth the price,IMO.

Coreen....
saw the weather on tv last night... I almost fell over... the weatherman said he didn't see any rain in the forcast for at least a week! One of the news anchors asked him to repeat it.

Carol said...

We've been having rain pretty frequently also. Rained last night and this morning. I don't mind it because it does cool things off but it also makes the grass grow. I do mind that. I just looked and the rain gauge, that I haven't emptied, shows 2 1/2 inches total.

Carol said...

I also have one of those two inch memory foam covers on my bed here. This bed is not too hard, it's just that when I'm in bed I toss and turn a lot. I can't do that in my recliner.

Carol said...

If we only have a 30% chance of rain, there's a good chance it will rain. We have that almost every day.

Carol said...

Coreen, did your weather guy Geoff ever find a job?

Coreen said...

Yes, it wound up a beautiful day after all the rain, a winner... blue sky, breeze, low humidity, mid 70s, pretty close to perfect...and another one on tap fof tomorrow...then summer starts with a warm up next week pushing towards 90...

Carol, Geoff Fox sold his house & is on his way to So California, where they bought a home...he has kept all his FB friends updated as he, his wife & Doppler make the move...& now on the road...he was in PA last night, heading towards Chicago...

Coreen said...

Well this makes me sad...

James Gandolfini who played Tony Soprano died today while in Rome...he was 51...suspected heart attack the cause...

You guys probably weren't fans of the Sopranos but around here we all were...

jan said...

Coreen, happy for you that you are having some lovely weather.

jan said...

Never watched the Sopranos. I think it was on HBO and we don't subscribe. Sorry to hear about the actor. He was much too young to die.

Carol said...

I did like the Sopranos. He was young. Doesn't surprise me that it was one of your favs Coreen.

RebelliousRenee said...

Coreen...
sorry to hear about one of your favorites... I've never watched the Sopranos either.... but I agree... much too young to go.

Carol said...

I lost my passion about politics a while back. I'm not sure where it went. It seems that I really don't give a shit anymore about most of that stuff. I try to stir up some interest from time to time. I do feel a sense of loss over my political passion deficit.


There are a few areas that still stir some passion in me. One is the gun situation. Another is the war on drugs. I read an article on Huff Post this morning that was interesting.

The Most Important Movie of the Summer (Hint: It's Not Man of Steel)

That looks like it would be an interesting movie but I'm sure it won't come here and if it did, it might come with surveillance of anyone who went to see it.

I don't know what the answer is for the drug problem. I don't agree with legalizing all drugs. I do agree with decriminalizing the possession of small quantities of pot and stopping the harassment of poor people walking through their neighborhoods with a piece of a joint behind their ears. There's tons of money wasted on that.

I also agree with finding better ways to deal with people who find drugs the best way to make a living. Use the money to educate and train those people for more productive careers. The money would be better if invested in higher education rather than incarceration.

RebelliousRenee said...

Carol....
I still like politics... but because of the disappointment in Obama, politics has recently taken on a very angry and bitter tone, IMO. It's just not me.

IMO, people had waaaaay toooooo high expectations of Obama when he was first elected in 2008. I never believe a quarter of anyone's campaign promises... and that includes Hillary.

The area that most stirs my passion is climate change. Unfortunately, I think the money interest will deny it's happening until they draw their last polluted breath.

RebelliousRenee said...

I share your sentiments on the "war on drugs". It's stupid, IMO. But the private prisons are now making tons of money off of it... or as Coreen would say...
follow the money!

I too care about the gun issue. However, I'm not fond of the discussion of it. Both sides just keep repeating the same stuff over and over again. But I'm glad that some are keeping up the fight.

Coreen said...

As far as I'm concerned, Politics started to descend into the angry partisan rantings that are on display today the day Bill Clinton was elected...

Repubs at that time resented that an 'outsider' was able to take out
an 'insider'(& only with the assist of a 3rd party who they claimed took votes from their guy) & proceeded to try to undermine him in every way they could...since then, both sides practice the same tactics to get the other side...

Honestly have little interest in the so-called war on drugs...can't stop drugs from getting here, can't stop those that want it..

Gun control, overhyped partisanship
with both sides yelling at & over the other...they each have an agenda, they really don't care about solving a problem, any problem & that is truly the disgrace of current state of politics...in short they are all phony and self-serving...


Carol said...

Renee, I never had any expectations of Obama, it was a choice of bad or worse. Last election I would have voted Repub if my man Romer would have been in the running. I did vote for him in a primary. Most Repubs seem to go way out of their way to look really awful..indicating to me that you're a fool if you vote for them. I swear that I really don't think they want to win. What would the conservative talking heads do if they didn't have a Dem to complain about??

I'm not naive enough to think that Hillary would be too much better but since she is such an advocate for women, I do think she would want to prove women can do it better. It didn't work for Obama and the AA. I thought that he might have something to prove also.

Carol said...

And another thing...I avoid anger like the plague whether it is someone else's or something that incites mine. Anger used to invigorate me but I can no longer cope with that emotion.

jan said...

Great discussion you all. I don't have much to add. I don't know why anyone would want to be president in this age. I think it brings out the best and worst in people. How does one go about preparing for the job? I look back at some of the statements of our early presidents and they were pretty good guys. I strongly believe in separation of church and state. I have some friends on fb who are athiests. They are a group who are strongly discriminated against. A lot of people are frightened of them. Why, for goodness sake.

I am married to a clergy and I believe religious groups should be taxed. They are businesses.

I am for legalization of MJ. At one time I was not, but have in recent years changed my mind.

jan said...

I don't know how history will look at Obama. He has been vilified by so many. I think he has done some positive things. I do believe also that people had too many expectations of him.

Presidents are human beings. We elect them and so it is as much our fault if we elect a dud. I do believe Bush Jr. will go down as one of our worst ones.

jan said...

Carol, Great to know that you are avoiding anger. Anger can only hurt us. I have had to use mindfulness to avoid all those stress inducing emotions myself. I have learned to self-talk myself into doing that.

jan said...

I have good news. John's daughter, Jennifer Barton Boysco, won the primary for her district's delegate (state) in Virginia. I hope she wins in the gen'l election in Nov. She is a democrat and an advocate for women's issues. She is also very environmentally conscious and for gun control. We are very proud of her for her accomplishments. If you want to see her platform, you can find her online.

RebelliousRenee said...

Coreen...
I'm gonna take off my "snark driven I hate everything Republican" hat that I wear over on TM and speak seriously. Kudos for your analysis on what is happening in politics today.... and yes... I agree, it started with the election of Clinton.

IMO, every political argument is now being fought out by the extremes from both sides. It means that compromise has become a dirty word. The Republicans won't give an inch toward what they perceive to be an Obama win. The Democrats won't give an inch to what they perceive to be an Obama cave-in. The result is that very little can get done.

RebelliousRenee said...

Carol...
I do lean left and vote Democratic. But I do concede that the Republicans have a point about government inefficiency.... and the fact that once a program is formed it's almost impossible to get rid of ... even if it's not working.

I have Republican friends and I can see that they think differently than I do.... I love them just the same. What a boring world this would be if we all thought alike.

RebelliousRenee said...

Jan...
the issue of separation of church and state is important to me too. And I agree with your sentiment about taxing religious groups.... I think they're akin to corporations.... they have something to sell and are always on the lookout for customers.

Carol said...

I'm no big fan of Paula Dean but I thinks it's terrible how she's being crucified by the media. She admitted in some deposition that she used a racial slur, years ago, in the privacy of her own home. If we are honest with ourselves, we have all used some nasty term to describe other people at some time in our lives. It could be calling someone fat or ugly or something else mean. As long as it was not in public, I think it's terrible to ruin someone for it. I respect her for being honest about it. She could have lied. I heard Wendy Williams going after her. I would bet big money that Wendy has said something equally mean about someone and she probably did it on air.

Carol said...

Paula described the circumstances of the incident as coming after a man robbed a bank where she was working and held a gun to her head.

Carol said...

Happy first day of summer. I can't really think of anything about summer to be happy about.

Coreen said...

No surprise at the media coverage of Paula Deen's comments...
unfortunately that is the legacy of the oh so politically correct world that has been created...

And yes if everyone was honest, they would shut their mouths & stop wringing their hands when others (who they don't politically/socially agree with) say or do something that they don't approve...

And yes, it defies reasonableness to suggest that those that are pointing at Paua Deen have never
uttered an offensive derogatory comment about someone they don't agree/like...& honestly if you pointed out to such a person that their comments are just as offensive they always fail to see it...because you know they are 'right thinking' progressive
in their views...and trust me in CT you get to see the fake, phony libs who preach to others but in the end retreat to their private
protected environments...

further confirmation of the polarization of today's world...no end in sight to the 'taking sides' for or against what you agree with whatever that is...

But hey, here comes summer...one more beautiful day here, then the humids start to creep in...but as long as it doesn't get to 90 & stay there, I enjoy summer...

RebelliousRenee said...

Carol...
at the moment I can barely read let alone post on TM because of the negativity and constant complaining.... hope it doesn't here.

Coreen... I was gonna post something along the same lines about Paula Deen's attackers.... but I figured I'd said enough about politics yesterday.

As for the first day of summer.... I'm having a happy summer solstice party with some women friends at my house tonight. We're gonna order Chinese take-out (so everyone has the night off from cooking)... and I'm gonna make a big punch bowl full of my infamous homemade sangria.

Yup.... first day of summer.... party time!

Carol said...

Now Coreen we do have to be careful what we say in the privacy of our own homes because we might not have any.

Carol said...

Coreen, I can understand holding someone who says something mean in public accountable if they are public figures. Paula would probably not have admitted what she said but she was under oath and she told the truth. So now we punish her for that??

Coreen said...

Carol, can't get to worked up about the invasion of privacy by the rise of the internet(the premise is discxoncerting but)...hey, I hated when I found out that the car you drive has gadgets that log
your driving habits...but still bought a car with all the bells & whistles..
and hate that more & more ads are
popping up whenever you buy or research an item...

and we all use google & didn't we look up where we live on the google
search tool that showed me where your river is & your homes & mine...in the end its a balance...pretty sure that none of us have much to be concerned with as to the internet scanning our daily lives...

but if you want to...think about the premise of the old movie series the terminator(yes the ones with Arnold S)...& the rise of the machines...now that is more creepy than the thought of who is listening/watching us today...

Renee glad you are the one mentioning the mostly angry whining that continues virtually nonstop at tm...as one of the in crowd your opinion is valid & not attacked, but if another voiced that thought...look out the concentrated attacks would begin in a nano second...

Glad we have managed to survive here at Carol's place...and with that thought Carol...thanks girl for keeping us together...

Enjoy your summer solstice celebration Renee, we are going to
lunch somewhere near the water today...not sure where but sitting by the dock of the bay at one of the local restaruants...

RebelliousRenee said...

Coreen...
I have no doubt that if I said what I said here about TM over there.... I'd be attacked. Enjoy your lunch!

Carol... I think "privacy" is an illusion. The only place one might find it is deep in the woods as long as one doesn't bring a cell phone along. And if the NSA wants to track me... well.... they can have at it. If they find my pedestrian life interesting, I hope they let me know.

Carol said...

Missed your first comment Renee. I guess we were both writing at the same time. When I saw Coreen's response, I went back and found it. Agree with you. Sounds like a fun party tonight.

Carol said...

Coreen, I heard them on TV talking the other day about how those fancy smancy vehicles, like the one you have, can track just about everything you do.

I think that I'm pretty safe. Maggie is almost the only one who can track me or who hears me anymore except for you guys. If I write anything here, I know it's out there and I have chosen to put it there.

I heard that about Paula on HLN yesterday. They were coming down on her. From what they were saying, I thought she said something horrible on her cooking show. When I heard what actually happened, I was pissed at them. HLN seems to piss me off every time I tune in. They seem to try and stir up crap every day. I have to quit stopping by that network.

Carol said...

HLN has become totally irresponsible and dangerous in how they often cover the news. I can see how they could incite a lot of crazy people who function on the edge. I see it all the time with their trial coverage.

Carol said...

It's sad that the news media cannot cover the news without trying to create it.

Carol said...

The sad thing about the Paula story is that no one will want to come to her defense because of fear of being labeled a racist. I pondered long before even mentioning it here but I think that you guys know I'm not a racist.

Even though I've never been a big Paula Deen fan, I do respect how hard she worked to get where she is today. I heard today that the Food Network is pulling away from her.

RebelliousRenee said...

Carol.... I agree... anyone defending Deen will be labeled a racist... especially if they live in the south like you. And unfortunately for Deen, the Food Network didn't really have much of a choice.

It's the same thing that happened between Craig and Helen Thomas. Once she made those remarks about Jewish people, he had no choice if he wanted to keep his career but to throw her under the bus.

Carol said...

Renee, what I had heard, and that may be wrong, was that she admitted to using a racial slur decades ago, with her husband and in the privacy of her own home. I heard it was way before she had any businesses. That's what I was excusing. Decades ago there was a slur for every ethnic group. No, it wasn't OK then but it was reality. Now, it's just OK to use slurs against women.

I certainly wouldn't even think of excusing Paula if this was a public or recent activity. I was thinking that it would be kinda difficult to change a behavior from decades ago and should it follow you for the rest of your life?

Helen Thomas's incident was recent, at the time, and public. Now if what Paula did was recent and/or public, that would be a different matter.

And, that kind of behavior was not just limited to the south. I did get out of my nest occasionally as a child and travel north. I heard that kind of stuff up north also. The hatred I heard up north was directed toward many more ethnic groups, ie Jews and Italians etc. My grandfather, who lived up north, was Italian. Grandma was Chech/Polish.

Our cajuns got a fair share of picking on but it was usually done with love. We love our cajuns.

Carol said...

A couple of days ago, when I went to walk Maggie in the morning, I found the top of my metal garbage can, where I store my bird seed, sitting next to it. It didn't have any cracked sunflower seeds in it yet so it couldn't have been off for long. It couldn't have been a squirrel that did it because it was hard for me to even get that top off. I made sure that I pushed the top down harder. Yesterday, the top was still on but the entire can was upside down. Still don't think it could have been a squirrel unless they got a group together to do it. Maybe it was a raccoon. We don't have bears here, I don't think.

RebelliousRenee said...

Carol... IMO, all people everywhere on this planet have some type of prejudice... it seems to be hardwired into human behavior.

Deen may have said something in the past.... but the controversy is right now. She's being labeled a racist now. Whether that's true or not isn't the point of The Food Network's decision to cancel her show. TFN is trying to protect it's own interest.... and although it may not be fair, it is understandable, IMO.

jan said...

Renee, so true that we each have our prejudices. The important thing is awareness of our own. Yes Carol, I agree that there are jokes made about women. I think a prejudice that many people have now are toward people who are obese and even toward the elderly. I am feeling that sometimes. I have a son and a granddaughter who are obese. My mother was obese. I think we all feel it is their fault that they are obese. I think we are especially hard on poor people who are obese. Just pondering here.

Carol said...

I do understand the Food Network's decision. They have no choice. What's interesting is the amount of meanness I see against some who may have been mean in the past.

I see the same thing with the people who are following the Jodi Arias stuff. There are so many people who are chanting to kill her for what she did. Not only to kill her but they are threatening to kill any witness, juror or lawyer who dares to think that the death penalty is unnecessary. Are they really any better than she is?

Those who are the first and the loudest to complain about hate are those who seem to be the biggest haters. It's ironic.

jan said...

I am on fb with a woman who has been my friend since childhood. She seldom posted anything until a couple of months ago. Now, it is a constant barrage of extreme right wing political stuff. I just zip right past it but getting tired of it. I don't make comments. I have stopped posting political stuff. I only like fb because I like to hear what friends and family are doing on a personal level. Some of my family post pics that I love to see. So I don't want to leave fb. I don't want to lose my friend. Any suggestions?

jan said...

we need a new post. sorry folks, I don't have anything except family pics and no one but me likes to see those.

I would love to see more pics from any of you guys.

Coreen said...

As if you don't already know, my view...food network walking away from deen...bottom line...$$$...
food network has no stomach to buck the tide & the onslaught of
attacks that would be brought down on it if they didn't dump her...

As far as the tag racist/bigot whatever...no matter who or where they live, anyone attempting to back deen, they would be branded racist...mainly because she is not one of the liberal media darlings...if it was one of their own,(at least one of those they currently hug & kiss) they would jump through hoops to justify her past actions...

the double standard is beyond obvious these days...

I have no idea what, when, if deen
has personal negative views of others...if she does so what, that is human nature, & those that
pretend they are above having prejudice against others are again i'm being repetitious...hypocrites, frauds, fake, phony liars...



Carol said...

Amen Coreen.

Jan, my suggestion re: FB is just continue to enjoy what you enjoy and zip past what you don't.

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