A FEW MORE BOOKS

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Before the end of the summer and the beginning of the holiday rush, indulge in one or more of these few books I've read recently that may hold an appeal for some of you.

Liberty and Tyranny by Mark Levin - A book with a very conservative viewpoint, which suits me. Levin has an interesting take on just about everything.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery - I was intrigued by this title, which turned out to be a good read with a particularly French feel.

Honolulu Hotel by Paul Theroux - Theroux's usual satire with great debauched characters. Fun.

The Witness by Sandra Brown - Absorbing page-turner from one of the masters.

Enjoy.

JULIE AND JULIA

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I donned my earplugs and hit the movie theater yesterday, venturing in to see "Julie and Julia." If you haven't heard about this film, let me tell you that it's a hoot. It's based on the true story of a young NY woman who is bored with her life and who undertakes to prepare all 527 of the recipes from Julia Child's best-selling cookbook within one year. Encouraged by her husband to create a blog to document her progress, the cooking and blogging soon consume her. The film's interspersed with flashbacks of Julia Child's early start in France as a student at Le Cordon Bleu, and Meryl Streep is a ringer for Julia. It's Streep's show.

For some reason this movie made me cry. It isn't supposed to. For the most part it's upbeat and inspirational, but I could identify totally with Julie's character. Loving to cook while also wanting to be a writer, I understood the passion she had for both. While not rocket science, being a creative chef and dedicated writer are talents which are under-appreciated. Everyone can't master French cooking or write a best seller. This woman did both.

Go see it.

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WHAT I L - O - V - E ABOUT THE SOUTH

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Life is so sweet in the south, and for those of you fortunate enough to have been raised there, the following will encourage you to "git along" and whip up some of these jewels in your kitchens.  Southern fried chicken (preferably with an egg and buttermilk batter then dipped in seasoned flour).

Chicken pie (in the south we do NOT call it chicken and dumplings!)

Country ham (you know, the kind that was smoked for ages in Smithfield, VA)

Ham biscuits

Tiny rounds of cucumber sandwiches

Red eye gravy

Fried catfish

Butterbeans

Corn field peas

Collard greens

Candied yams

Grits

Fried apples

Boiled peanuts (from Southampton County, VA)

Pork rinds

Hush puppies

Homemade macaroni and cheese (NOT the kind from a blue box!)

Potato salad (both hot and cold)

Banana pudding

Mile-high coconut cake

Ambrosia

Red velvet cake

Moon pies

Sweet tea (made with Luzianne tea bags)

Fresh-squeezed lemonade

(yum, yum)

THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE

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Several things floating through the grapevine recently made me either shake my head or laugh out loud. Check it out:

A teenager in NYC fell into a manhole while text messaging, resulting in a five-foot fall into the city's sewer system. She suffered only minor scrapes, but of course her family is suing for the trauma of her landing in such a place. Granted, the city should have taken precautions to cordon off the open manhole, but come on. Should she possibly have used a little common sense? She probably applies mascara while driving, too.

Also:

Some stores in the USA have already begun Christmas promotions. With the economy in a slump, they're predicting sluggish sales and are starting early so folks can layaway now for the holidays. Pull out that plastic, America!

And:

In Serbia a woman with a potentially fatal heart arrhythmia was cured when she was hit by lightning. Amazing.

And not least:

Pepper the gay penguin has lost his partner, Harry, to a female! Seems the "widowed" female began flirting with Harry and alas, he bade bye-bye to Pepper, his partner of six years. The two male penguins had been residing quite contentedly together in the San Francisco Zoo! WHERE ELSE!!!!!!

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MONOGAMY, SCHMAGAMY

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I no longer believe in marriage in the traditional sense, even though I was in one for 40 years. At the time, I DID believe in it, was committed to it, was happy in it. I'm not saying there weren't ups and downs, but I had great love and respect for the man to whom I said, "I do."

The marriage ended when he re-connected with an old girlfriend five years ago at a class reunion. Last weekend that same class had another reunion at which I'm certain my ex and his woman "celebrated" their "finding" one another five years before. Am I still bitter? You bet. This was a man who was kind, honest (I THOUGHT!), a pillar of the community. He was a wonderful father and grandfather, and I believed he was a wonderful husband. We now know that this man had another side to him that he carefully kept hidden for decades.

I'm not saying this negates all his good qualities, because it doesn't. But it's taken me a lifetime to realize that NO man is cut out for monogamy. In a lifetime of friends I've made, I know 6 couples who do not have at least one divorce between them, and those 6 couples are my age or older. God forbid the younger generations should survive unscathed. I read about the Mark Sanfords and John Edwardses of the world, and they make me sick. Both are married to extraordinary women, and yet it's not enough. It's never enough. Sex is powerful, for sure. Maybe we need more salt peter and less Viagra in the world.

I am enjoying the relationship I've been in for three years; but my divorce taught me not to give everything I have emotionally to it either. It's unfortunate, but I will never be able to be as open with anyone else as I was when I was married. Well, I SAY it's unfortunate, but maybe it's the place I should have been all along.

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BETWEEN NAPS

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Almost every morning my eyes pop open between 5:10 and 5:20 a.m., no matter what time I've gone to bed the night before. I truly am a morning person. I wasn't always.

Now, though, morning's the best time of day. I drink coffee -- sometimes iced, sometimes hot --and try to get some thoughts together for a blog post or two. I scan my email, check over my finances, read the paper. Most days, unless it's nasty outside, I take my second coffee and sit outside and enjoy the solitude with only the birds chirping now and then. Simple pleasures.

The older we get, the less it takes to make us happy......our health, people to love and inspire us, serenity.

And a good cupa joe.

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COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE

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Dumb. Dumber. Dumbest.

The above remind you of anything or anyone? How about a majority of the American voting public? Surely not, you say. Well, yes, I DO say.

Consider this. Barack Obama campaigned for -- and was cheered on daily by millions of people -- for his promises to resurrect the economy, pass universal health care, curb global warming (he WOULD have promised to save the world, but Michael Jackson beat him to it.) He promised to do all of these wonderful things by not raising taxes on the middle class, etc., etc., etc. Having now taken office and having his kahones stuffed down his liberal throat by Miss Reality, he and his minions have had to - OMG - compromise on a few issues.

But the thing that amazes me the most is how all of a sudden THE AMERICAN PEOPLE are enraged at the DEFICIT!!!!!!! All the stimulus money that no one seems to know how or when will be spent and the $1.4 trillion price tag for a yet-to-be-determined health care plan seems to have begun to upset those folks who voted for Mr. Obama. It has ALWAYS upset those of us who were horrified at his promises since it's impossible to spend the country into oblivion without increasing revenue (repeat after me: TAXES, TAXES, TAXES!) It seems folks don't like the prospect of all this spending now that it's obvious (finally!) to them that EVERYONE is going to have to pay, and pay big, to finance what they THOUGHT they wanted.

I personally know people (a few) who voted for this administration and they are intelligent, thinking human beings who truly believe that what Obama promised is what's needed for the country. What astounds me though is that it didn't seem to occur to them that we'd have to PAY for it somehow, and that there aren't enough rich folks left who can be taxed enough to cover it all.

As I said, dumb, dumber, and in this case, DUMBEST!

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THE DOWNSIDE OF SOCIAL CAPITAL

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The new buzz phrase these days is social capital, what was "face time" or "networking" in the past. There're lots of things to which "capital" may refer, for example:

venture capital - private equity given to companies, usually in exchange for stock OR a "trail"blazing trip to Argentina to visit one's "soulmate."

human capital - those assets which cannot be separated from an individual, such as training and education OR that which is used as excuse for trips to Argentina, i.e., "He's only human."

physical capital - non-human assets made by humans and used in production of goods OR that which follows venture capital in one's trips to Argentina

personal capital - one's ability to make a difference in an undertaking OR that which is provided to Argentine mistresses

gender capital - men's and women's gender-related assets and talents OR those endearing qualities of soulmates not your wife

working capital - operating liquidity available OR that which is used for trips to Argentina, unbeknownst to taxpayers

natural capital - sustainable environmental goods and services OR those assets which allow for "back to nature" trips along the Appalachian trail

intellectual capital - intelligence and psychological qualities of an individual OR that which is deficient from individuals making trips to Argentina

investment capital - money paid to purchase a fixed asset OR that which is paid to mistresses to remain silent

social capital - connections within social networks OR infections contracted during visits to Argentina

I'm not in search of ANY of these.

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MJ

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You either love him or you hate him. You either believe that his own childlike persona and naivete perpetuated his questionable behavior around children not his own or you believe he was a truly sick puppy. Either way, Michael Jackson's legacy will forever be a cloudy one.

There's no doubt he was an entertainer with no equal. You couldn't help but be mesmerized by his incredible moves and his stick-in-your-head tunes. But his "eccentricities" raised eyebrows, and the "where there's smoke there's fire" questions surrounding his acquittal on child molestation charges forever dogged him.

I watched some of the memorial service for him yesterday, and I was moved by some of it and disgusted by some. Al Sharpton's five-minute rant about Jackson's civil rights contributions had to have offended Martin Luther King, Jr.'s children, since Sharpton pretty much credited Jackson with everything King had done in the sixties. It was ridiculous. Sharpton's such a pimp anyway. He was over-the-top and downright distasteful.

"BAD."

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PALTRY PATRIOTISM

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There doesn't appear to be much patriotism in America these days. The Fourth of July should represent more to us as a people than just a fireworks display, but I bet most kids don't have much of a clue as to what the day stands for. Parents have dropped the ball here.

There are subtle ways for adults to instill patriotism in their kids, but parents don't seem to have the time now. My generation was taught by our parents AND OUR SCHOOLS to respect others, help those in need, honor the flag by knowing how to display it, know the Pledge of Allegiance at an early age, understand the concept of voting. We were excited if we were lucky enough to take a family vacation to a different part of the country ("See America First"); if the family couldn't afford a vacation (and even if we could), we devoured the National Geographic magazine and learned the states by putting our U. S. map puzzle together hundreds of times. We were taught to "Keep America Beautiful" and not throw trash out the car window ("Don't Be a Litterbug!"). Simple things, really, but effective. Parents don't have time these days to talk to their kids about our history -- there's just too much going on every day to set aside time to even have a meal together -- let alone do something silly like have a conversation. As I've said before, it makes me sad.

Patriotism isn't a kick-ass tattoo of Old Glory on a forearm; it's not a flag pin on a lapel. It's a feeling of pride in living in this great (but flawed) country and doing our damnedest to instill that pride in our kids. Let's not wait for another 9/11 to pull us all together.

Do something PATRIOTIC with your kids and grandkids today.

Happy Independence Day!

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NEWS ABSTRACTS

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I've been away from this blog for a bit because I've been overwhelmed with all the crap swirling around that has caused me concern. I could write pages on the stuff, but as I said -- I'm overwhelmed and won't bore you. But here are some snippets of thought about recent events:

South Carolina's governor, Mark Sanford - Beat a trail back to Argentina, stay there, and leave your wife and sons in peace, you lousy bastard.

North Korea - Hopefully SOMEONE in Washington has some sense and is paying attention. This situation is frightening.

Iran - Ditto, above. The Iranian people need to develop some kahones and overthrow that horrific regime.

Iraq - We're leaving and the violence there is going to escalate (it already has). My fingers are crossed that the Iraqis will step up to the plate and defend against it.

Universal health care - OMG.

Celebrity deaths - First Ed McMahon, then Farrah, Michael and bellower Billy Mays. Of them, Ed McMahon is the saddest because I believe he was truly a fine human being.

The FDA threat to remove Tylenol and Nyquil from the shelves - Give me a break. Every drug out there has the potential for harm. No matter what Obama thinks, Big Brother can't control EVERY aspect of our lives. He's trying though.

E Coli in Nestle cookie dough - A bad day in Black Rock when we can't keep our cookie dough safe. What's next? Haagen Daz?

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MORE CALIFORNIA CRAZINESS

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There's no need for me to reiterate how I feel about the State of California. I'll just mention the latest.

A couple in San Diego is being fined for holding Bible study in their own home. There evidently were 15 people in attendance and the city requires a permit (!!!) for "meetings" with 15 or more. Questions have since been raised as to whether the city finds poker or Tupperware parties in violation as well. The couple has said it will pursue a lawsuit based on their First Amendment religious freedom rights being challenged. I'm not usually in favor of lawsuits -- and I'm sure there's more to this than at first blush -- but it DOES sound like what I consider typical in California.

In one Los Angeles high school, the student body voted a gay guy as its prom QUEEN.

I saved the best for last.

With the entire state in fiscal turmoil and on the verge of bankruptcy, teachers, firefighters and law enforcement personnel are in jeopardy of losing their jobs. BUT the brilliant folks in Sacramento are planning to update its healthcare program for prison inmates to include AROMA THERAPY AND YOGA!!!!!!!!!!!!!

O M G !!!!!!

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WRAM

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OK. I'm going to put on my big girl pants and stand up to the younger generation of women which, I swear, suffers from the WRAM syndrome (World Revolves Around Me). More and more I see women who have bought into the "you can have it all" 70s mantra. They are oblivious to the fact that merely simultaneously HAVING a career and HAVING children doesn't make them particularly good at either. Everyone who has a family knows that children require an inordinate amount of time, attention, direction, love, guidance and FOLLOW-UP. By that I mean that a good mother doesn't just ask a child to clean his room, do his homework, take out the trash but FOLLOWS UP in seeing that he DOES. One doesn't need to nag, but one DOES need to ensure that tasks are completed and some sense of responsibility is achieved.

Mothers today are hopelessly involved with full-time positions outside the home which routinely are accompanied by long and stressful commutes. The workday is then lengthened moreso by their hair and nail appointments, the teeth whitening at the dentist, the Pampered Chef party for a co-worker (who also has kids but "needs" the extra income Pampered Chef/Nutrilite/Tupperware/Avon provides). It's endless. These women are totally immersed in their careers and personal extra curriculars to the extent that their offspring are latchkey kids and most likely nuke their frozen dinner to be eaten alone. God forbid a woman should COOK any more and sit down and enjoy a meal with the family.

WRAM is contributing to what's wrong with America today. There's no one home raising the kids, and the moral decay this country has undergone in the past five years alone is appalling. I'm very disturbed by all of this, but my opinion doesn't count. I'm outnumbered by two generations of tattooed, pierced "liberated" women who haven't a clue the damage they're inflicting on society. It's sad, and so am I.

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LEAVE US ALONE!

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I do NOT want the government to dictate the temperature at which I must maintain my home. Don't laugh. This is an administration proposal to produce a new energy grid which could regulate the amount of energy to individual homes in order to maintain a constant 72 degrees and to therefore save energy.

I do NOT want the government to determine the number of miles I may drive per year and tax me for all miles over that amount. Again, the administration wants to cut down on the amount of energy consumed by taxing us if it determines we are driving too many miles.

I do NOT want the government mandating those selling their foods at farmers' markets to be required to have individuals fill out forms stating where and from whom they bought the produce and indicate when it will be consumed.

I do NOT want the government to influence the size of the home in which I live based on a propsed "carbon tax" on dwellings larger than 3000 square feet. Congressman John Dingell is sponsoring this particular bill which encompasses a wide range of taxes leaving a large "carbon footprint." (Al Gore, you in your huge energy-guzzling estate, are you listening?)

I do NOT want government to provide universal healthcare for all Americans because socialized medicine is sub-par on all levels. Ask any dependent of military personnel.

I do NOT want the government to decide which automobiles the manufacturers will produce based on some arbitrary Rahm Emmanuel opinion on energy standards and what "America needs." What a pompous ass.

I do NOT want a Supreme Court Justice who is "empathetic" if it means a screwball, transgender, bleeding heart socialist. Look out, America, because there are many of these out there who are already in positions of authority. Hopefully none of the ones I'm thinking about have judicial experience. But even THAT may not stop Obama from making one of them his choice to fill David Souter's seat on the Court.

I do NOT think it's appropriate for the President to stick his thumb in the professional sports playoff pie. Who does he think he IS?

And these are the LITTLE things that are so disturbing about the current administration. I shall only start to stammer if I address the really big issues.

So I won't.

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WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE???????

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Honestly, I've decided that I should have lived a century ago rather than in this crazy time of "anything goes." I become more frustrated every day with how things are playing out in the good old USA, am increasingly appalled at the stupidity of the lawmakers and the general population.

In my local newspaper, there recently was an article about the health risks of tanning beds and how there are more than a dozen bills proposed in state legislatures around the country to deny teens access to them.

Excuse me, but we have states in this country that ALLOW BIRTH CONTROL PILLS TO BE DISPENSED TO GIRLS ELEVEN YEARS OLD, and many states PROVIDE BIRTH CONTROL SERVICES TO UNDERAGE GIRLS WHICH INCLUDES ACCESS TO ABORTIONS WITHOUT PARENTAL CONSENT!!!!! What's wrong with this picture, America??????????

Oh, I get it. Eleven-year-olds can get birth control pills, but if they forget to take them and get pregnant, they can head down to the local abortion clinic without the parents knowing, have the deed done and head home............bypassing the tanning salon since THAT'S gonna be prohibited!

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NUMBER ONE

Kudos, Heels!

THE ALL-ENCOMPASSING OBAMA POWER GRAB

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I didn't vote for Barack Obama. No surprise there for those who know me.

But I'd hoped that once in office he would realize that campaign promises are made to be broken; that once briefed on a myriad of issues he would temper his idealism with reality.

But this guy has taken off in a thousand different directions, pushing his liberal agenda ad nauseum. Reality has NOT set in. However, the following are my humble opinions, and I will give him credit whenever it's due -- whether it's today or next year.

WHAT HE'S DONE RIGHT

Announced an increase in troops to Afghanistan.

Holding the number of past lobbyists in his administration to a minimum.

Proposed a new energy grid to replace the sub-par one we have now.

WHAT HE'S DONE WRONG

Not increasing troops to Afghanistan to the level field generals requested.

Having NO lobbyists in his administration, as promised during his campaign.

Signing papers to close Gitmo. I, for one, am not looking forward to some of these terrorists sitting in jail in Alexandria, VA -- a mere 35 miles from me.

Signing stimulus packages with $900 M in EARMARKS, which he promised to do away with altogether.

Pushing for card check which would remove the secret ballot for union workers.

Contemplating re-instating the Fairness Doctrine, or "equal time" as it was once known. While this sounds fair, it's a ruse to shut up the conservative right.

Allowed Barney Frank to keep lisping his stupidity -- day after day after day.

Not realizing that a firm date for troop withdrawal in Iraq needs to be flexible and not written in stone.

The administration's food safety initiative. This is an over-the-top proposal that is impractical at best and ludicrous at worst. If you're not aware of it, check out what they want small farmers to do with their produce taken to farmers' markets.

THE MOST OUTRAGEOUS

Contemplating giving terrorists stipends when we release them from Gitmo. (The bleeding heart liberals are NUTS here!)

Appointing folks with "tax problems" to his administration. I don't buy the "honest mistake" theory for a minute.

His push for private insurance companies to pay for service-connected disabiities and injuries. This is another example of the low esteem this administration has for our military.

Appointing Yale law professor Harold Koh to the top legal job at Department of State. Check out this guy's philosophy on "international law." Scary, especially when the consensus is that he's on Obama's short list as a future Supreme Court nominee. (More on Koh in a few weeks).

I've purposely not mentioned the number one problem facing the U.S., which is the economy. I don't think anyone really knows how to fix it, so I'll give Obama a pass for now. The Clinton and Bush administrations certainly contributed to what's going on today, but Obama's spending is terrifying. I think Geithner is in over his head, and I actually feel some compassion for him. Some of the mistakes I think this administration has made is due to not really knnowing what will work. But the massive spending the Democratically-controlled Congress is trying to push through is egregious. Obama needs to rein in Pelosi and Reid, insist that Chris Dodd and Barney Frank be removed from their seats on the Senate Banking Committee and the House Financial Services Committee, respectively.

Gary Hart, the humiliated Democrat once caught with his pants down, actually said something astute once: "If you want government off your back, take your hand out of its pocket."

A nugget of wisdom there.

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TOO MUCH INFORMATION !!!!!

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You know, there are just some times when folks give you too much information about themselves, their lives, their families, their ailments. Over the years I've visited family and friends who were living out their lives in nursing homes or assisted living facilities; and for some reason, bless their hearts, they believe that old age gives them the freedom to mention everything bad, insulting, humiliating, embarrassing that has ever happened to them or those near them. The following quotes are FOR REAL -- no one could make this stuff up. I have had these things said to me, sometimes more than once, since their memories are often not up to snuff. And I INSIST that it is just TMI!!!!!

From a 90-something fellow in a nursing home: "I had me a '32 Cadillac and I could slip Mr. Peepers right up the gals' dresses in that thing!"

From the same fellow on another day: "My roommate can't wipe himself, so the nurse told him he couldn't poop until SHE was ready!"

From a feisty old bird in nursing care: "I had an awful cold and ran out of tissues. They didn't bring me any more so I had to blow my nose in the sheet!"

From an 80-something: "I loved my husband, but he couldn't perform worth a damn. You know how that IS, Missy?"

And another: "We had to use corn cobs in the outhouse to take care of business. We ate a helluva lot of corn to keep up supplies!"

These things have all been said to me over the years, but the one that absolutely doubled me over in laughter was:

From a sweet old lady in nursing care: "Those diapers they put on you aren't worth nothin.' If you mess'em too much they fall down to your knees when you stand up!"

TMI!!!!! TMI!!!!!!

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LAND OF ENCHANTMENT

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Back home after three weeks in New Mexico, I have to say I miss the desert. It's always wonderful to get back to one's own bed and familiar surroundings, but New Mexico's hold on me grows with every visit. From the quaint village of Corrales to the beautiful adobe homes tucked into niches in the mountains around Placitas to Albuquerque's coral and turquoise overpasses to Santa Fe's artsy (and quite quirky) population, New Mexico is a place of beauty.

Of course the horizons go on forever there, and sunsets are spectacular. Sitting outside one evening we witnessed a gorgeous dark blue and orange sunset with a full moon BLAZING above. Off in the distance there were trees with stark white blossoms in full bloom, and the moon downlit them so they looked almost phosphorescent. Picture that with the blue and orange colors on the horizon and you have a breath-taking display of nature. Another night descending from the mountains around Placitas a little after sunset, Albuquerque's city lights twinkled all around us. It's a beautiful place.

There are, of course, downsides to EVERY place, and New Mexico is no exception. There are water concerns, and the red dust which blows ferociously with gusty winds is something to be reckoned with. The low humidity and flying red dust sent me to bed with an upper respiratory infection for the last few days we were there. But I'm undeterred. New Mexico truly is a land of enchantment.

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IS HE NAIVE OR CUNNING?

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I'm not gonna start harping about Obama before he's had the sheets changed at least once in the private residence in the White House, but......

I AM beginning to wonder if he is most likely the cagiest pol in decades. He can't possibly be naive enough to think that the bad asses at Gitmo will fit right into prison society in the States, or worse yet, that we should ship them out to other countries where they can join up once again with al-Qaida. Campaigning hard for the shut-down of the terrorist prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Obama has made good on his promise to take steps to close it down -- within a year, he says. This after a report surfaced this week that Prisoner #372 who was released from Gitmo a year ago is now the #2 guy for al-Qaida in Yemen. And #372 was considered one of the LEAST dangerous prisoners at Gitmo, which was why we allowed his release.

The liberals and tree-huggers out there need a dose of reality, and quick. All of Obama's rhetoric and wild-ass promises during the campaign produced a following the likes of which we have never seen before. Most of us would like for all the things he promised to be reality if reality is what they were based on. But merely slapping the wrists of terrorists, ignoring our emergency energy situation by banning off-shore drilling, risking constipating our health-care system by socializing medicine -- all these things are wrong-headed and will put us on the path of no return. Some will say we were already headed down the wrong path with the past administration, but I say "no." Bill Clinton's push for housing loans to minorities, whether they could afford them or not, and Barney Frank's lisping squawks to further Clinton's directive, was the top domino in the credit crisis.

No, I think Obama is smart enough to know that a lot of what he proposed during his campaign will never come to pass, and I believe he's known it from the very beginning. But he's slick, and he knows his peeps will support him regardless. His eloquence will allow him to roll a change of heart right past most without their even knowing it.

But SOME of us will be watching.

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INAUGURATION

I didn't watch a minute of it.

I couldn't.

I just couldn't.

JANUARY BLUES

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January sucks.

There's something about this month that drives me nuts. All the hoopla of the holidays is in the distant past, the decorations are down, I'm pretty much in hibernation. It's too freaking cold, but there's not even any snow to "pristine" things up from browns and grays. There's no holiday worth celebrating since I'm not necessarily the right color for Martin Luther King day to be particularly meaningful (not that I'm not RESPECTFUL of it, mind you). I'm not that much of a TV watcher, so the "new" season of shows passes me by. And January 2009 is even worse than most since the economy is showing no signs of recovering, Congress is in its usual welfare- rallying mode, the Middle East has ramped up its attacks on one another, my grandson has just had his third traffic accident in less than a year, I've already read all the books I received for Christmas, my knees hurt, my roots need a touch-up. On top of all that, the inauguration of Mr. Obama is costing the taxpayers over ten million smackers.

I'll hold out for February with Valentine's Day and a late-month trip to visit friends in New Mexico. Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos are special places, and they always improve my state of mind. But until then.......

January sucks.

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NEW YEAR

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While I long ago stopped making New Year's resolutions, I nonetheless have decided that an attempt should be made to face the realities of my life. It has been gut-wrenching, but here're the results of my soul searching.

I'm facing the reality that

1) no matter how hard I try, I shall NEVER like Tom Cruise.

2) it's unlikely I will pass through 2009 without yet another speeding ticket.

3) coffee ice cream is, alas, NOT one of the five basic food groups.

4) it's not ladylike to smoke a cherry cigar with the fifth glass of wine, even if the wine IS Moet Chandon Nectar Imperial champagne.

5) my children will only recognize my wisdom after I'm gone.

6) my grandchildren will NEVER recognize said wisdom.

7) body piercings and tattoos are here to stay. (God help us.)

8) the Democrats are going to spend my champagne (and cherry cigar) money.

9) there's not a Wonder bra anywhere in the world to relocate my boobs where they belong.

I could go on and on, but I'm stopping at 9. I can't give you TOO much fodder for heckling me!

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2008

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After several flutes of Moet Chandon last night, 2008 didn't seem so bad.

What was I THINKING???

Hopefully 2009 will be better for this country.

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