Campbell Brown: Elizabeth Dole's

No more bull

I thought Campbell Brown did a stunning review of one of the most revolting political ad campaigns out there. We Americans, that stand for freedom from religious persecution, are appalled at the unabashed dirty fighting of the far-right religious fanatics that have captured the Republican Party. For many of us, the belief in God, and the right to believe in our OWN way, and not their fanatical witch-hunting, hate mongering fear-producing way, have had enough. Thank you, Campbell, and shame on you, Elizabeth Dole. Your type of politicking is on it's way out. There is a whole contingent of moderate folks in this country that are sick of your type of ad campaigns. You use lies and innuendos to incite fear and hatred. You are as much a dinosaur as John McCain.

Current state of affairs... my kitchen & fireplace

And so it begins...

Today was the first day of remodeling. The crew arrived bright and early to replace all our windows and sliders with wood ones. It was a tough battle as the condo was built in 1979, and it lives in a difficult climate. It is warm and very dry all summer, and winters can find 6 feet of snow on it's doorstep with 14 foot icicles hanging from the roof that are 2 feet around. So to say it has settled, is probably an understatement. At any rate, the three workers worked hard all day and were still caulking when the sun was behind the mountain. There was one guy that drove the other two crazy because he talked all day. I mean all day. One of the other guys kept rolling his eyes and muttering about how he wished that guy would shut up. He talked constantly. Or sang. But mostly talked. To me, to my husband, to himself. It was close to the time they were leaving that I thought I smelled something organic.  Hmmmm - maybe that was why he kept saying he needed to eat. He called his wife, and I overheard him say he was going to be late - yeah it was "Buddy" again, yeah he was tired, yeah he wanted dinner when he got home. His voice sounded tired and definitely changed when he talked to his wife. Sort of like how your child starts whining when he/she talks to you, but has a normal voice when talking with anyone else.  Anyway, we are looking forward to the next group of these incredibly hard working guys tomorrow. They will tear out the kitchen, bathroom, and numerous other big, dirty things. Hopefully the "honey pot" will arrive, or this next batch will shut the door while using the bathroom...

Are Americans Beginning to THINK?

Oh my Gob, are Americans actually beginning to think? Are we starting to pay attention to what the candidates are saying about the ISSUES? Can it be, instead of paying attention to trivia and incendiary verbiage, we are starting to really get nervous about the unbelievable financial issues facing our economy? Well a Nobel-Prize winning economist seems to think we may actually be getting serious about what is going on - check this out.

Lucy and Bedtime

Now that I am an empty-nester, one of the joys is going to bed when I feel like it. I watched my daughter struggle with putting her infant to bed when they visited last week. She wanted a few adult moments, before needing to head up herself, as he wakes early. I remember those years. Sleep was always something I just didn't get enough of. My youngest suffers from asthma, so she did not sleep all night for 10 years. The night was full of breath treatments and listening for coughing, not to mention she refused to sleep without ME. So after years of being tied to my children's schedules, from babies to teenagers out on Friday nights, my evenings are now my own. EXCEPT for my dog, Lucy. She believes bedtime is when it gets dark. She begins staring at me, then wagging her tail, then going upstairs to bed, only to return to start the process over again. She wants us to GO TO BED. She has replaced my children in her desire to have me where she wants me during bedtime. Amazing. She mostly gets her way. She is determined. She is following my husband's every step as I speak. It is 8:30 p.m.! (He just said, okay Luie, lets go.) See what I mean?

Color

I am never comfortable with picking color. I am struggling with new paint colors for our condo right now. This is what I wish I could do, but just lack the imagination. Make sure you (click on "more pictures") to view all fourteen incredible pics.

Getting Ready

We are gearing up for all-out remodel misery. So the contract came today, and not what we had agreed to regarding the payment schedule, not to mention back stepping from our "done by Christmas" target. That is a full two months, but he says it also includes "the holidays". But I say it only includes one holiday - Thanksgiving - and I need him to be DONE by the next holiday, which is Christmas. I told him I have my family coming for Christmas, including my grandson who spends most of his time on the floor.  (Hopefully this is true.) He was saying maybe they could have the kitchen done for cooking, but some of the "touch-ups" not completed.  (Like carpet & flooring?) That sounds to me like waffling - big time - on our two month agreement. And just when I was really starting to like him...

This weekend we will attend a funeral for my uncle, and then pick up our covered trailer (stored at a friend's house in Reno) to pack with all our belongings from the kitchen and living/dining room. Thank goodness we have that to store all the stuff we need to get out of the way of the workers. We will set up a coffee pot and microwave in our bedroom. I ordered three new wii games, and we will join the local health club for a few months, so we will at least have something to do for part of the day. Still have not heard anything on the Hawaii job search - neither has the headhunter - it seems to be on hold for now. In the meantime, another headhunter, with a job in Portland! Unfortunately, probably not one my husband will be interested in.... In the meantime, I am really happy we are here together during this process. Usually, he is working somewhere and I am wrestling with the workers/contractors by myself. (I will reserve the right to reverse this sentiment after a month or so trapped in the bedroom all day with him and Lucy...) A couple of good points - we came in BELOW the estimated amount for the granite counter tops, carpet, and hardwood flooring. Yay! Of course, it just helps with the stuff that is over-budget like the fireplace, and probably the tile. Oh well.

Words Come Back to Haunt

So I have spent my life espousing a certain philosophy that has come back to haunt me over the last few days. First of all, I have always said when you are down you need to go out and do something for someone else (thanks, Mae, for the reminder.) And I have always lectured that when you are depressed, you need to use cognitive behavior therapy, whereby literally replacing negative thoughts with positive ones. When you cannot come up with a positive thought, then start running through all the things you are grateful for, one by one. In this way, you trick your brain, and therefore your hormones and anatomic nervous system, to believe you are surrounded by good, not bad. Some depression (not all) can become a physical condition, caused by constantly dwelling on negative and fearful thoughts. Your body begins to respond in a like manner. Soon, it is very difficult to overcome depressive and obsessive thinking. Over the last few weeks, I have really got caught up in all the fear and anger having to do with this really negative and hurtful campaign run by McCain/Palin. They really are a drain on our very fragile national well being. On top of their hate, we have watched our economy literally tank. After immersing myself in this muck, I became a negative, neurotic, angry person. It took a conversation with my friend, Kay, today to remind me to use my power of positive thinking and spiritual awareness to get myself back on track and become the person my family needs me to be right now. When the Mom (or older sister) falters, no matter how old the children, it affects the well being of the family. We mothers need to set the example of what to do when the world tilts. How to keep a sense that everything is going to be okay, even when we are worried that it won't be. We teach this to our daughters, so that they can then do that for their families. Or we teach our sons, so that they can get up every day to do what they need to do to take care of their wives and children. I think our best legacy to our families is the ability to catch ourselves, and do what we need to do in times of crises, to keep our thinking healthy and productive. It does not help anyone to wallow in negativity for very long, least of all ourselves.

New Death, Old Wounds

So what is it about a death in the family that brings out all the old wounds that one usually keeps under wraps, and buried. My uncle died last week and with his death came all the stuff I thought I had dealt with when my father died. When my Dad died, my siblings were not much help. They are younger, with the next one being six years younger, eight years, and ten years. I have always felt that being the older sister, I was responsible. Period. But now they are grown adults. And my brother took on the responsibility for an ailing uncle. That uncle has passed away, and with it comes all the stuff families seem to put on each other. Why do we do that? And most of all, why does all the pain we bury come floating to the surface? I know why it happens, but that sure doesn't make me immune to it happening. And I just don't seem to have the reserves to handle these things very well. Is it because there is so much anger and angst in the world right now? Or is it because we are getting worn down with it? I know that I quit my blog last week because I felt I was adding to the negativity. But, I think our blogs are just a release. They are our way to sit down and share our fear. I don't know if that is good or bad. But I do feel that people, in general, are bombarded with bad stuff these days. The economy is going to bring even more bad stuff in the months ahead. Hopefully, I can find some channel for all this anger I'm feeling. I'll let you know how I do.

Okay, I'm Back!

You may have wondered where I went - at least a few of you have wondered evidently. Well, I felt I was adding to the negativity, with my anger, regarding the politics of hate, I had been spending way too much time watching. So I erased my blog, and began writing a journal, feeling pretty good about not adding to the rhetoric. But, I guess some people actually read my dribble and - gasp - missed it. So I'm back, hoping to be more positive, but no less worried about our world. I hope all of you that asked what happened to me will also blog and let me know where you are, so I can read yours also. Until then - off to the debate!