In the aftermath of Tucson

Warning - political commentary ahead!

The most powerful weapon we have as American citizens, and the ONLY one that can effect change in our government:



As a responsible adult, I am ashamed of those on both sides of the aisle, and on both sides of the airways, for the state of our political "discussion."  I am as tired of indignation and righteousness as I am of slime and fear-mongering.  The art of political debate is dead.  Compromise is now a 4-letter word.  When I see a beacon of hope, they disappoint.

Henceforth, I will be searching for moderates, regardless of their political party, who are willing to discuss, debate, compromise and who value decency, kindness, and respect.  Where are you?  Please, please, please .... step up to the plate.  We need you.

It's a comfort food kinda night ....

I've been wrestling with what I want to say about the events in Tucson.  I've gone from shock, to anger, to reflection, to political commentary, to sadness, and back to anger.  I realize that I'm not yet ready to translate my thoughts and feelings into words.  So tonight, I made "comfort" food for me and my DH.  This is the simplest of recipes, a characteristic that most comfort foods enjoy.  Tonight, I served it with bacon and steamed green beans.  It was perfect!

MACARONI AND CHEESE


2 cups dry macaroni -- cooked and drained
3/4 stick butter
1 pound Velveeta
1 cup whole milk

Cook macaroni as directed. Drain and set aside.  Melt butter in small pan. Add Velveeta and milk and cook until cheese is melted.  Mix into cooked macaroni and serve immediately.
 
Of course, it was also a martini night.

Hang up and govern!

Have you noticed the seasons changing in the last few days?  Yup.  We are officially in the 5th season of the year - the political season!  Tuesday was election day in a handful of states and June 8th is the primary election in California.  Time to stop answering the phone, toss the daily flyers in the trash, and hit the mute button during tv commercials.

Robocalls - sounds like a 4-letter-word to me.  The first time Arnold S. left a voice message on my phone during his campaign eight years ago, I thought it was really cool.  I also loved hearing Bill Clinton's voice - then Hillary's.  The glamour has worn off, however, and I now dread answering the phone during the days leading up to next month's primary election.

I've had calls from Steve Poizner, Meg Whitman, Carly Fiorina, Dick Cheney, and countless lesser known politicians hoping to garner my vote.  Then there are the local school board members, judges, firefighters, policemen.  Now, I am very interested in how local school board members, judges, firefighters, and policemen do their jobs.  I am not, however, interested in their politics.

I am also not interested in voting for someone who could not take the time to vote during the last few decades, i.e., both Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina.  You can vote by mail, ladies.  It doesn't take a lot of time.  I'm pretty sure these corporate giants had a handful of personal assistants during their years at Ebay and Hewlett-Packard respectively.  I'm also pretty confident that these PAs prepared issue papers for the boss.  How about an issue paper on elections?  Then the boss would only have to read the paper, reach for the mail-in ballot, fill it in over the daily cup of Starbucks, and give it back to the PA to mail.  This process, of course, assumes interest in the political system and the future of our state and country.

Apparently, Ms. Whitman and Ms. Fiorina believe voters will overlook their voting "history" because of their corporate "history."  Not this voter.

Steve Poizner has reportedly spent $22 million of his own money on the campaign - so far.  Meg Whitman's total is reported to be $68 million.  That is not a typo - $68 million.  That is an obscene amount of money to spend on robocalls!

There are countless more worthwhile ways that money such as that could be spent.

Here's a scenario for you.  Imagine gathering 6 petroleum engineers and telling them they have 6 months to design a failsafe mechanism for off-shore drilling platforms that would eliminate the possibility of a disaster such as we are seeing today in the Gulf of Mexico.  We give them $10 million for expenses during the 6 months, probably more than they would need.  Then we tell them that we will pay them each $13.33 million dollars at the end of the 6 months if they are successful.  I think we have a winning proposition here!

Don't insult me by running for office just because you can afford to run.  Don't ask for my vote in your re-election campaign unless you have earned my respect by actually doing your job, doing it well, and have only been in the headlines for your accomplishments, not your misdeeds.

Don't call me.  I really don't want to listen to you.  I want you to do your job.  I'll read about your successes and failures in the newspaper, online, or hear about it on NPR.

Hang up and govern!

Can it really be 2010?

I've been mulling over that number all day.  It just sounds so "futuristic" to me; not like a real year at all.  More like a movie or song title.

Anyway, Happy New Year to all!  I hope that you take time to celebrate today with friends or loved ones, say goodbye to 2009, and raise a glass of bubbly to the hope that a new year always brings.

My family is fortunate that 2009 did not bring us the economic hardships that many endured and continue to endure.  No one lost their job or their house, thankfully.  The 30-somethings still have time for their 401Ks to grow, the 50-somethings may have to rethink retirement age, and the 60-somethings (that would be us) are grateful for the conservative approach we've always taken on investing.

No one is directly involved with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Everyone is healthy - even me!  Yup, that blessed pain seems to have disappeared for no apparent reason.  A little like the way it showed up for no apparent reason!  My doc refers to me as the "mystery woman."  Friends encouraged me to go through with the physical therapy that the doc ordered, which I will do.  I'll just have to explain where it "used to hurt" instead of where it hurts!

We celebrated the election of the first Afro-American as President of the United States.  Regardless of your political leanings, this was certainly something to celebrate.  Now, if we could only get around to electing a woman .... not just any woman, either.  A woman who is strong, decisive, confident, as well as qualified, experienced, and competent.  I think that pretty much rules out Ms. Palin.  Sorry, I just couldn't resist!

By far the best part of our year was the birth of our third grandchild, Natasha Jade.  She is turning out to be quite a beauty with striking blue eyes and ash blond hair that can't be matched by the salons of Beverly Hills.  She has the cutest way of furrowing her eyebrows from time to time.  My guess is that she's trying to figure out how the heck she's going to deal with all these grownups.

2009 also brought me:

• new friends in The Oasis Quilt Guild
• into the world of blogging
• a trip through the Panama Canal
• hiking in 5 National Parks
• attempts to expand my sewing and quilting skills

I thought about doing a resolution a day for the past week, but life always seems to get in the way of my plans.  I do have a few resolutions to share with you over the next few days not necessarily in rank order of importance - just in the order that they pop into my head.

Since this blog actually started out as a quilting blog, Resolution #1 is to practice free motion quilting every day until I either learn how to do it or give up!

The world as we know it did not come to an end!

I've been blogging for awhile now and only my husband and daughter were aware of it. I gave the web address to my daughter several months ago just to get feedback on the blog. Being the kindhearted kid that she is, she offered some constructive criticism about the "look" of the blog but seemed to think I was going in the right direction.

It took a "martini day" like last Tuesday to get me off the bench and onto the playing field. So I let my immediate family and one very close friend know about the blog. My husband was positive, my sister's response was "you've gone insane," but I've made it to my friend's list of favorites! All in all, not too bad for a newbie in the blogosphere.

The combination of the new recommendations for mammograms and learning that my last test was perfectly normal just sent me over the edge and into the very public world of blogging on the Internet. Now I'll look for more ways to let people know about my blog. Let's see .... I can use Facebook, my yahoo chat groups, e-mail addresses, sign up for blogrolls like Quilting Bloggers, etc.

I was half expecting to see lots of comments once I "came out of the closet" but nary a one has been posted. Glad I'm not particularly sensitive about things like this! I blog because I enjoy it. I also think it's a healthy exercise in keeping my writing skills and aging brain cells active.

By the way, a "martini day" in our household is one that is a little more stressful than normal. This concept started about 5 years ago when my mother-in-law first because ill. Several times a week, I would make the 1 hour trip from Menifee to Carlsbad to visit with her, take care of her, shuffle her back and forth to various doctors, etc. I'd call Doug from the front gate of our community to tell him it was time to mix the martinis!

A Remembrance

I spent most of today watching the funeral of Senator Edward M. Kennedy. Senator Kennedy was not my favorite Kennedy. His older brother, John, inspired me many years ago to join the Peace Corps. Serving in the Peace Corps in 1967-69 in the Republic of Niger changed my life forever. I was always a bit of a closet liberal, but living in a 3rd world country amidst poverty, poor educational opportunities, lack of health care, lack of the basic necessities of life, made me a 60s liberal forever. The day Bobby was assassinated was the day that I grew up. My youth was over; the hopes I had for a perfect world inspired by the days of Camelot were unrealistic and never to be.

I thought of Teddy as the brother who never quite grew up. While John and Bobby lived during a time when frailties and indiscretions were routinely ignored by the media, Teddy's failures made front-page news. Chappaquidick, drinking, a divorce in a family that abhored divorce, womanizing .... Teddy's foibles inevitably made front-page news. As the years went on, I saw him grow into a talented politician, orator, negotiator, a man who knew that a bill compromised was far better than a bill scrapped. During campaign years or especially tough congressional negotiations, his booming voice rang out over the tv waves. There was no mistaking his voice. This was a Kennedy speaking.

Today, I saw a more human side of Teddy Kennedy. I listened to his family, his friends, his Senate colleagues from both sides of the aisle speak about the man. They spoke of his warmth, his loving spirit, his devotion to friends and family, his love of country, his dedication to public service - a dedication shared by all the Kennedys.

I liked Senator Kennedy's politics. I think I also would have liked the man.

Can't you just go away, Sarah P?

Alert: Political Commentary

Okay, I haven't posted many political comments (remember, I am new at this blogging stuff and the learning curve for those of us in the post-60 age group is a bit steep). But - aren't you all a bit tired of Sarah P? I am. I was really hoping that she would just fade away. Alaska is a HUGE state ... numerous places for Sarah to hunker down with her family and enjoy life fishing, hunting, making nice-nice with Todd, and sorting through her makeup drawer.

I am a feminist at heart, and I thoroughly support women who strive to achieve. Kudos to Sarah P. for becoming governor of Alaska and a candidate for vice president of the United States! Quite an accomplishment for someone who has NO INTELLECT!

Sorry - had to be said. I cringe whenever a news bite announces that a Sarah P. story is about to be aired. I really struggle to follow her train of thought. Perhaps she is going into seclusion for several years so that her handlers can waltz her through total immersion training - 200 years of American social, economic, and political history prior to the next election cycle. And you have to understand it well enough to converse about the subject, have an intellectual debate, and perhaps answer a question or two? Not easy ...

Maybe she just wants to be a talk-show host. I can live with that. I have the power to turn off the television, radio, internet. I can't turn off those in national office. That's scary.

It was 40 years ago today ....

Can you believe that it has been 40 years since Neil Armstrong walked on the moon? I had just returned from 2 years in the Republic of Niger serving in the U. S. Peace Corps. Niger was, and still is, one of the poorest countries in the world. Surviving and have your children survive is a daily struggle. Coming back to the United States, to a developed world, was shock enough. But walking on the moon? Pure fantasy.

I don't remember watching the launch, but I do remember seeing the television broadcast of the landing several days later. One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind ....

To our children and our children's children, this all seems rather routine. We no longer hold our breath as each rocket or space ship or shuttle is fired off into space. We accept the fact that man can do this - we can venture forth into space, do the impossible, and return. But 40 years ago today, it was a grand adventure, a heartstopping exploration into the unknown, an exhilarating voyage where man had never been. It was pure fantasy come to life.

I miss the awe. I miss the adventure. I miss the challenge.

Back to Reality

We arrived home from our trip yesterday afternoon. I've spent the whole day washing, food shopping, paying bills - the usual crap that you have to do when you return from vacation. Always takes a little of the enjoyment out of vacations, doesn't it?

We had a nice time visiting with our friends in Twin Lakes. It was pretty windy during our visit which annoyed the fishermen in the group. Our son, Matt, caught one fish before our arrival. At least he didn't get skunked like last year! Everyone seemed to enjoy the beef stroganoff dinner and the brownies.

On Thursday, we left Twin Lakes and drove the Tioga Pass through Yosemite National Park. What a gorgeous drive! We've been to the park several times and travelled the Sonora Pass route a few years ago. There was little traffic on the northern route, so we were able to enjoy the magnificent scenery at a nice pace. We arrived at the bed and breakfast in Three Rivers (Sequoia River Dance) around 6 p.m. The B&B is lovely on the inside and the backyard is spectacular - right up against a beautiful little stream. Doug and I enjoyed cocktail hour on the patio each night just listening to the sounds of the stream and the birds. Three Rivers reminded both of us of Nevada City -- the pros and the cons. Idyllic scenery, peaceful living, eclectic housing!

After our yummy breakfast Friday, we drove into Sequoia National Park along the Generals Highway - a road with switchbacks unlike any you have ever seen! No speeding here. We decided to hike the Tokopah Falls trail and take lunch along with us. Several hikers told us about a momma bear and cub along the way, but we did not see them. Maybe that's for the best since they might have been tempted by our sandwiches!

So many of the visitors to the park were from outside the country - we heard many visitors speaking French, Hebrew, German, Asian languages - quite a variety of nationalities. Nice to see so many enjoying the beauty that the U.S. has to offer. Political comment here: maybe this makes amends for some of our shortcomings on the world stage during the past administration.

We returned to the park on Saturday and hiked Crescent Meadows, a less strenuous hike. Doug was walking in front of me when I heard something in the underbrush. A mid-sized bear sprinted across our trail right in front of us! It was really exciting ... and a little scary, too. The bear ran behind a felled tree, so we didn't know where he was going. We stayed still for a minute or two until we could see the bear about 15 feet away from us in the meadow chomping away on something. The bear did not seem to care about us at all; Doug took pictures and we watched the bear just being a bear for about 5 minutes. How cool is that?

Good trip. Nice to be home. Wish the damn wash was done!