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Showing posts from August, 2009

In passing........Teddy Kennedy

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I am being taken back to memories of being a little girl in the 1970's, a daughter so enamored with her father, and wanting to know everything he thought, while showing interest in all he did. My trip down memory lane is in the wake of the passing of Edward Kennedy. Perhaps it is because I remember sitting with my father on Sunday mornings and watching Meet the Press and Face the Nation - me, that little girl asking question after question in an attempt to understand what these men who seemed so far away from us were discussing - and there - my father, taking his time in between the gentle "shh's" and pauses to explain to me the world around us and the politics that either creates positive steps forward, or negative binds to being chained to the past. It was during those Sunday morning chats with my father that I learned about the Kennedy family - all their accomplishments, and all the tragedy that plagued a family of fellow Catholics. These conversations with my fath

Seven more years..........

Yes, seven more years of KYLE! I once was an extremely quiet, shy person.....children changed that. And last night was yet another example of why that change occurred. So there I was...doing a good deed. Helping a friend with her smoothie booth at Hustler Fest. A fundraising effort of hers for her church's youth group. A good cause, a good deed, and a good time. Once the music started, so did the action for the evening... Justin, my oldest, of course thought the music and singers were "lame." Kyle however saw the events unraveling as an opportunity to steal the spotlight.... Oldies and country hits were the choice of many of the singers.... Hee Haw! And then, as we were sitting there, the next thing I knew there was Kyle spinning around on the floor doing his version of break dancing.....around and around ...spinning in circles...and me dying of embarrassment. It was later that I found out from my friend who also was visibly embarrassed at the time when Kyle brought the s

Sweet 16

Ok , Justin is going to have a fit when he sees that I am calling his birthday on Sunday a "Sweet 16" - But that's the price he has to pay for me not having any girls! My first baby is turning 16!!!!!!!! It's so hard for me to believe...time has flown by. I know parents always say that, but it is so damn true... I am so proud of Justin. He's faced so many obstacles in his life and he is an incredible young man. I don't have worries about him hanging with the wrong crowd...smoking...drinking...etc. He's always been my "boy in the bubble" by his choosing - he never wanted to do anything that would cause him harm - sometimes I've had to push him to take a risk or two, but he has always made good...positive ....choices. Now if only I could get him off his butt a little more.... LOL ! He's always been laid back....even as a baby he rarely cried - always a smile on his little face. That has somewhat changed....but nothing we can't handle.

Beauty in poverty.....

For some reason those words, "Beauty in Poverty," flowed out of me this morning. I am not sure where they came from; what inside me needed to be heard, but there they are. I sit here looking at my screen as I am surrounded by my situation - a house falling apart, appliances that fail to work, a car on the verge of breaking down any day now, a bank account that never seems to have enough in it for the essentials of life and the ever present calculator that runs numbers in my head - the constant reminder of where I am - struggling. At times it's too much to take in - too much to swallow - too much to allow myself the moments where my body can relax and I can drift off to a pleasant healing slumber. But, yet still, those words needed to come out of me this morning. A morning where I just dropped of my son at school for his 6th grade orientation, him wearing hand me downs and garage sale finds and us in a car that made the trek on fumes...quite literally on fumes. Howeve

And now on to the second annual L.E.E.F.

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Wow!! What a day yesterday! We were all very nervous - it was like planning a birthday party and waiting to see if anyone would show up - WHEW! We may not have had the traffic jam I was hoping for downtown Mauston , but what we did accomplish was a HUGE first step..over hurdles....past skeptics...all to a brighter future! In a matter of 6 months from the first organizing committee meeting we put on an event like no other in our small rural county - I am very proud of what we did and all the work that went into it! The one little pimple we had to deal with was when the Moose Club nixed the beer tent the evening before the event...well, around 3:00 p.m. on Friday - there was nothing we could do to change it...to fix it. There was some swearing going on my end of the computer screen when I got that email....and I did think that we should set the kids up with a lemonade stand and call it "Moose Piss" (sorry, sarcasm flies when I am angered) - But all in all, that wasn't the

What a Week!!!!!! Health Care and Town Halls

Well, it's been about a week now since I last blogged. And, it's been one hell of a week! I survived that 2 year anniversary....for me action is healing. I've been very busy. Last week was four days out at the county fair, and this week has just been a whirlwind! Deadline day was spent attempting to meet with using a dial up connection as my DSL modem took a nose dive on me - Now that was TORTURE! Plus it happened on a week when I had an actual news story....something that had teeth behind it - one where I needed to research and talk on the phone all at the same time......Yes, it was comical. It was a front page story on two doctors here at our only hospital in the county, and how they had been disciplined for improperly performing a bone marrow biopsy on an elderly man....taking the sample from the sternum...making numerous unsuccessful attempts and each time digging a bit deeper until finally piercing through and hitting an artery which then of course caused his death....

Happy Anniversary?

Once again it's the week of the Juneau County Fair. Once again I am sitting at home procrastinating in getting ready and heading over to the fair grounds to take pictures for the paper, as well as volunteer to sit at the Dems booth, and promote next week's Local Energy Excellence Fair. Every year I am involved in the fair in one way or form...for the past three years it's been to report on it for the Messenger , prior to that it was for the Juneau County Democrats - which is always an interesting venture considering this is a HIGHLY conservative area.....I love a good debate! So yes, I am sitting here procrastinating in going over there and carrying on with my involvements. My body is aching. My neck is killing me. My shoulders feel as if they have been pounded on repeatedly. My legs ache - it hurts to walk. My body feels as if it has been beaten, battered and bruised. I am anxious... I feel sad... I am bitchy... I am experiencing the horrors of Post Traumatic Stress Diso

Surviving on the net ; don't become the prey

The internet is in fact a powerful tool - this there is no doubt. It is especially true for those who seek out others to connect with over an issue or common cause. One of the very reasons I share my story is because I not only use it as a tool towards my own healing, but also because I know that one day someone will read it an feel less alone in their road from victim to survivor. However, I will tell you that there has been some price by sharing my story, and that is it can in fact draw in the very same type of person in which I am on the road from healing from, and the crime they did to my body and soul. I knew this going in, but I have also prepared for when this does happen. I guess I am writing this today because I feel an urge to warn those who are so vulnerable on their path to healing, that they need to remember when we are at our most vulnerable states we can in fact let our guards down to the point we may allow the very same type of abusers in again. A double edged sword? I

"Who Needs A/C?? - When I was a kid...."

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My boys look at me with blank looks on their sweaty faces as I take a walk down memory lane recalling summers of my childhood and not having the luxury of air conditioning. Justin announces - "People died back then from heat stroke, MOM !" - "Only the stupid, weak, old or vulnerable" - I countered. As I am sure you can gather my a/c is still broke, and will remain that way until next summer - the economy, and my pathetic bank account has seen to that. Luckily, this summer here in Wisconsin has been cooler than normal. We had one week in July where it got rather warmer than normal, but since that time we've enjoyed a mild, "doable", summer - A summer with nice cool evening breezes- so much so there have been a few nights I had to close the windows..... Well...... That's over! Last night the boys and I camped out in our family room...me on the couch, and they laid out on blankets piled to cushion the floor. The three fans we have were positioned ar

Right Wing S**T Storm Tries to Stop Health Care Reform

The words of George W. Bush just last year.... http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/21/bush.international.aid/ President Bush said Tuesday that the United States has a responsibility to help "those less fortunate around the world." "We believe the power to save lives comes with the obligation to use it," he said at the White House Summit on International Development. "And I believe our nation is better when we help people fight hunger and disease and illiteracy." ----------­----------­-- Funny how soon Republicans forget.....unless of course those words weren't meant for our own citizens...here they are happy to let the uninsured or those with pre-existing conditions to suffer in silence Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Nevaeh Buchanan - Reward for Information

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MonroeNews.com - The Monroe Evening News, Monroe, MI (excerpt) The FBI is offering up to $20,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the abduction and murder of 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan. While he would not say that the investigation has stalled, Monroe County Sheriff Tilman Crutchfield did acknowledge that there have been fewer tips lately. "They’ve slowed down considerably," Sheriff Crutchfield said. "It’s one of the more difficult investigations law enforcement can get involved with. It’s a very difficult investigation Shared via AddThis

Scare tactics - Lying Bastards

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Ok , Usually I try not to push my own political opinions here in this blog, but I've seen enough, read enough, and quite frankly can't keep my mouth shut on this any longer - ENOUGH WITH THE LIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WE NEED HEALTHCARE REFORM IN THIS COUNTRY! That's something most of us can agree on, unless you're a CEO with the pharmaceutical and/or insurance companies........ But what does the far right do once again???? THEY LIE! They try to instill fear!!!! They use scare tactics rather than honest debate to sway opinions and do so to demonize the left side of the aisle. The one that really gets to me is the "grim reaper" one..... "They will plan your death with end of care mandatory consultations" The next thing they will do is tell you to pull out that duct tape and plastic again to wrap up your house in an effort to ward off illness and liberals..... (remember that one people?) They are using lines such as "the plan will p

I'm back -Testing Completed!

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First...damn I feel old! When I walked in and registered for the test, I asked if I needed to use a pencil or a pen to take it.......I was imagining those fill in the bubble tests of the past .....the woman looked at me sideways and said, "You don't need anything, it's taken on the computer." So then I wonder to myself if I would be allowed some scratch paper....I mean.."what the hell?" So there I sat ...waiting....waiting.... Why I was early I will never know because I am NEVER early! Stomach churning...twisting....palms sweaty.... First came the writing test.....we had to edit essays - Even though I am the "Queen of Typos" and my brain working faster than I can type....I felt confident but not too confident - Then came the reading....we had to read passages and then answer questions....BORING...but easy. Then.... Yes, then................................. THE DREADED MATH! Now...last night I did practice with their online sample test -->> C

Ugh!!!!!!!! I'm nervous

I am sitting here ...sipping my coffee...floating around the net...trying to divert my attention from the fact I have butterflies in my stomach, and I need to get ready to leave the house in about an hour. Today is the Compass test....that little exam that tallies up what you may know, and what you may not know.....a must for me to take if I want to continue on this venture of going to school. Last night I did some last minute studying and took the sample tests online. I didn't do bad at all in the reading and writing exams....scored around 90 percent for both ... It's the damn math test....that ALGEBRA... OMG ! Maybe I shouldn't have been drinking sangria when I gave it a try.... Brain on sangria equals "Who the hell cares what x is equaled to...and why is the y there?" Well, wish me luck.............................................

Here you go Steve! - Relationships

My good friend, Steve, has been on me about posting something he has written on my blog here. So...here you go sweetie! I'm going to do it! Now just some FYI's for people about who Steve is to me, and what he means to me. Steve lives about 2000 miles away in Oregon. Three years ago when I was in the middle of a nightmare, Steve talked me through many of a night - sometimes until the birds were chirping and the sun was coming up. He helped to keep me focused when things were bleak...when my ex was stalking me, and causing so many problems for the kids and I. Always a good friend, Steve and I do tend to get into debates...we talk about everything under the sun from politics, the antique pocket watches he repairs to the state of dating and relationships in today's society <------that one right there we've butted heads on many of a time! Steve has always been respectful and a good friend when I needed on most...so that's who Steve is.... Now Steve keeps telling me