Thars a Cold Wind Ablowin'......

This Summer E converted an old bird bath to a mister. The birds have loved it, especially the hummers, but I guess it's time to turn it off!

Yesterday, one of my oldest and dearest friends stopped by for a game of scrabble and the inevitable "catching up" on each other's lives.

I lit the first fire of the season in our little living room fireplace, and we settled down to the game. There were no seven letter words. I won, but that's because I'm a fierce player who always goes for the score while my friend loves words for their beauty and meaning and will lay down a word like limpa or hobbit for very little score just because she likes it. We've known one another for thirty-five years and this is the first time we've ever gotten into politics.

I of course, was the one who chattered on obsessively.. bringing up my fears regarding the future of America, my initial dissatisfaction at McCain's nomination and my increasing respect for Senator McCain and now my confidence in the McCain/ Palin ticket.

Mostly, I ranted on about an initial mistrust of Barack Obama that has grown into an absolute conviction that he would be the worst President who could ever happen to our Nation in these uncertain times.

I ran through my talking points, ticking them off on my fingers, emphasizing the times that Obama has just shrugged off documented relationships and even recorded statements, looked into the camera and lied, and that those lies were being swallowed whole by millions of people because the mainstream media doesn't call him on anything. I finished my speech by saying that while all the financial advisers I'd read or listened to said that raising taxes in a failing economy is the worst thing anyone can do, Obama has shown no intent of even postponing any of his "share the wealth" programs. (Oh, I was looking for sources to verify this and found that Senator Obama has now acknowledged that he knows raising taxes would further endanger out fragile economy. But wasn't this a bit late in the game? And why is he, six weeks later, still making all those promises about spreading the wealth around?)

http://hotair.com/archives/2008/09/08/obama-you-know-tax-hikes-in-a-recession-may-be-a-bad-idea

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4191/is_20080920/ai_n29494974

Finally, as I paused for breath and my friend narrowing her eyes a bit, queried, "You do know that Colin Powell has endorsed Obama, don't you?"

"Yes, I know that former Secretary of State, Colin Powell who argued the case for the war in Iraq before the United Nations and then had some falling out with the Bush administration has endorsed Senator Obama. Are you aware that at least four former Secretaries of State including George Schultz, Henry Kissinger, and James Baker III have all endorsed Senator McCain?"

No, she admit ed, she didn't She really doesn't have time to think much about what's in store for the country. She just watches the TV news and goes about her busy life. Did anything I said change her mind about anything? Of course not.

Will that stop me from spurring my trusty computer forward, swinging my feeble little lamp against the darkness and shouting. "The Socialists are coming! The Socialists are coming!" I think not! But I feel a cold wind nipping at my bones.........

Burrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Voter Fraud and Campaign Promises

Okay, I'll admit it! I'm obsessed with this election. I think it's the most important election ever to confront the American people, and I'm a little embarrassed that I never saw it coming.
We've all taken it for granted that there was graft and corruption in politics , but coming face to face with the extent of the ACORN intervention in voter registration is mind boggling.

Jan's addressed this issue in her usual thorough, thoughtful, and well documented way.
I'm urging everyone to read her post.

I'll offer these:




Watch this Albany news video

Then there's this:







With that verbal promise of power over any other citizen or group in the United States, it's easy to see why ACORN is willing to go to any lengths to see that Obama wins this election.

By now I guess everyone in the country knows that it's the activities of community organizers working with and for ACORN that led greedy banks into the financial morass and that it is us, our children and Great Grandchildren who will pay, but I have to point it out one more time. Think about this group dictating Presidential policy...............

Thoughts on our Future......

Everyone should read the letter sent to Jan at Vinegar and Honey by an old friend, a member of the Board of Regents at a university. The last paragraph describes exactly the way I feel much more articulately than I could ever do.

Government by the people.......

When all the objectives of government include the achievement of equality - other than equality before the law - that government poses a threat to liberty."
Margaret Tatcher

What happened? Well, four children, work, school or all of us, life....over the years we paid less and less attention....then retirement..and who wants to think about politics when they have seven grandchildren and one and a half great grandchildren to play with? We have places to go and things to do. But wait!

Who's responsible for the financial mess we're in? Yes, the Government, that huge entity where we can certainly point the finger of blame for a failing economy. But wasn't it We The People who voted these people into office and then allowed them cart blanche with our welfare? They were supposedly working for us, yet we paid little to no attention to what our elected officials were doing with our tax dollars. We kept re-electing the same people to represent us in Congress over and over again without bothering to review any legislation they'd introduced or the way they voted on other's legislative bills.

We stood by as our elected representatives awarded themselves higher and higher salaries and larger and larger retirement benefits. After serving two terms, a Congress person can retire with a lifetime benefit package that anyone could envy.

We faithfully watched the evening news and allow the excitable talking heads to influence us because we clung to the outmoded belief that there is some integrity left in journalism. Sometimes we do get upset with some Congressional shenanigans, but by election day, we've forgotten about that and vote for same old familiar name , or along partisan lines, or for somebody new without bothering to questions their qualifications.

Now we find ourselves between the proverbial rock and hard place. This election, like no past election, will determine the future of our Nation.
The Half-baked Sourdough points out this election determines whether we choose to try to dig ourselve out of this financial crater or pick the slippery slide into socialism.
If it were just E. and me, I don't think I'd bother taking the time and energy to express my thoughts on where this election is taking us. But I feel I must speak out. I am the one in our family who says, "better wear a sweater...are you taking your vitamins?.....wouldn't you rather eat this nice veggie casserole than some old fast food burger?.. you are planning to vote aren't you?"
E. and I have enjoyed the best economic and safest years in our country's history, and we have a reason to care about the future. Well, eight and a half reasons, really!

Did this financial crisis originate yesterday? Last week? While we were asleep at the switch, government was legislating equality..

Saga of a Discontented Peacock

Unless something amazing happens this will be my final peacock post. Raja, the perennially dissatisfied peacock left us for what he hoped would be greener pastures. One fine spring day, I sent Roo out with the camera giving her instructions to try to take his picture with tail fanned out. I could never seem to get one with the sun illuminating his brilliant colors. He soon grew nervous at being closely followed by a girl with a camera and decided to hide under the silver lace vine. Still denuded from winter, the vine covered Raja well enough , except......oh, the trials of having a long, glowing-green tail!

He slept here on the roof of the tiny guest-house rental. Often he would gaze up into the nearby pine tree with longing, and crouch ready to spring upward........ then his courage would fail him. He would settle down for another long night completely open to the elements. As you may remember, we felt terrible for him when we woke on winter mornings to find him encased in ice or snow or both.

Then one spring evening I looked up and saw that he'd made it into the tree! We were all excited for and proud of him! Go Raja!

A few days later, he'd worked himself to a better place, higher on the tree and with much better protection from the elements. Of course, by this time, spring had sprung....

By now, radiating with the full flush of success, and more than a touch of spring fever , he's decided to call for a mate. His plaintive cry echos for miles, but no female appears. Higher in the tree he ventures, and each day or two finds him roosting a bit higher up. He seldom comes down to feed until ten o'clock in the morning. He has started to call all night, every night, even in the dark of the moon. That may explain the late mornings! Here, he spreads his tail as much as possible as he luxuriates in the morning sunlight

If you look closely, that sunlit picture was zoomed at the same time this was taken and you can barely make him out as a light spot against a dark spot on the right side of the tree fairly close to the trunk and beneath the furriest topmost branches.

By now, Tigger and her roommate, who love Raja as much as we do, have admitted that his nocturnal wails fall through their roof and into their sleep. They must rise early for long days of work and school, and can't luxuriate in bed as Raja does. We started thinking of ways to catch him and return him to his owner where he would have a supposedly joyful reunion with his mate.

Then Raja took matters into his own hands..well wings. From the tip-top of his pine tree, he'd located some birds-of -a-feather. He may have known they were there for some time and had been trying to call them in here. When that didn't work, he adopted the Mohamed to the Mountain philosophy and took off to make the acquaintance of two pairs of peacocks who live, as the peacock flies, about a mile and a half from us.

It happened suddenly. There was a knock on the door and a woman stood there telling us our peacock was at her house. I explained that the peacock residing with us was in the back. I'd seen him there about an hour ago. But, of course, it was him.

For a few weeks, his cry penetrated the dusky evenings plaintively floating in from her direction. Eventually, she caught him and returned him to his owner. I knew exactly when that happened because the lonely sounding cry now came floating down the street from his owner's location. Didn't he like his mate? Was there something inherent in her nature that offended him? Something that caused him to flee the coop in the first place? Was he simply rebelling against the concept of prearranged marriage?

I never hear him anymore. I hope that means he's settled in to wedded bliss and found contentment as last.

Meditations on Truthfulness

When my cousin, Stephen was about three, his father was on his way to the kitchen to make the morning coffee when he encountered his little son coming down the hall. Stephen thrusting both hands behind his back, met his Daddy's eyes head on. his cheeks were bulging and as he spoke, chocolate dribbled down his chin.

"I'm not eating the candy, Daddy," he said. Well, my uncle didn't quite know what to say to that chubby, endearing, jammy clad little fellow who was lying through his chocolate covered teeth. He must have gotten on it, because Stephen turned out just fine. But it raises some questions about how we deal with someone who looks us straight in the eye and lies to us. In this oh, so politically correct and sophisticated society, we have a hard time calling people on those lies.

OK, I'm going to get political here, because I believe that the President of the United States, the Commander in Chief of our Military Services, must, above all else, have a loyalty and commitment to The United States of America. And frankly, I have serious doubts as to Senator Obama's commitment to our Country, and especially as to his knowledge of and concern for the Men and Women in uniform who stand between us and those who would harm us.
Here are a couple of videos. I hope you'll watch them.
#1.


I'm a little worried about that one. Do all those yellow letters mean I shouldn't have copied or posted it? Let me know. I can take it of and just reference it on youTube.

#2.


I listen to Obama and have these questions. If the Senator feels his long term association with Ayers is truly not worth considering, why gloss it over? Why not welcome getting it out into the open? Is he lying? Are those sweets dripping down his chin or is he truly, despite his obviously high IQ, so disingenuous he didn't recognize Ayers unrepentant terrorist mentality? Should the American people consider this relationship unimportant in their President? Most importantly, one has to ask ones's self would he recognize another terrorist if he encountered one?
I will welcome any comments on these points as long as they're serious and have meaning.

Back Again...

.........if you'll have me!
I want to apologize to those who expressed concern for my well being. I didn't mean to let my loyal blog friends down I just didn't go ablogging for most of this time. When I did, I read your wonderful comments and then vowed to blog and to visit other blogs immediately. Then I felt a little..well .... stage fright..,but I'm taking the plunge here and now.
I quit blogging cold turkey in order to accomplish some things I wanted to do and couldn't seem to find time to do what with all the reading and writing. I knew the minute I logged on, I'd be hooked again and sit around in my Pooh slippers and pj's as time slipped enjoyably through my fingers.

I turned seventy this year and for some reason, became acutely aware of time's swift passage. Until now, I had never experienced that bit of depression and portent that others I've known have felt when confronted by a milestone birthday. There is so much left to do and to enjoy in this life!

Eeyore's sunflowers bade a lovely farewell to summer...

I'm going to take some time to read and comment on other blogs and to update my links. I'll be bringing you up to date on the most notable happenings here at the One Acre wood over the next few posts.