Well now I have seen it all.

My husband Mike has been working from home over the holidays, since his job is short handed this week, so he has been checking his e-mail every hour or so, so we can't really go anywhere. Anyway, he decided yesterday to go up in the attic to check the measurements for something. My son left the house with the door banging as he went out and then I heard a loud crash coming from the kitchen. All of a sudden my husband starts screaming for help. My son says he heard the noise, looked into the kitchen window and saw Mike's feet dangling from the ceiling!

Thank God for my son, he was able to run up the stairs in the attic, hook on to Mike's belt and with both hands pull Mike out of the hole! If it weren't for Mike's one foot having a brace on it, he probably would have gone through the hole into the kitchen and suffered a lot of damage to his body. But, the brace stopped him from going through the ceiling, and his legs hurt today, but they aren't even purple. (Afterwards my husband said that he was sitting with a joist between his legs! Yuck!)

But, I think it was Mike putting his foot in ICE WATER that amazed me! Yesterday it was 20 degrees when Mike got hurt, my son went to the store and bought a 5 lb bag of ice while Mike kept his foot in as cold of water as we could get it. He then put his foot in ICE! He says that because of his injuries, we had to freeze the broken blood vessels so that they could not bleed and cause his leg to swell or discolor and it must of worked, because today there is very little swelling or discoloration.

But, Mike is now not able to go back up in the attic, one reason being because his legs hurt, but also my sons had to put a temporary covering on the rather large hole and Mike doesn't want them to worry about it being damaged by him again! They just have to worry about themselves, but hey, they're younger than Mike and lets hope a bit wiser now. We think Mike's foot hit an electrical line that then caused him to loose his balance and fall on the floor that was just insulated only, away from the partical flooring that is in the attic!

After cleaning up the insulation in the kitchen and all the cans that the insulation had fallen on, I was finally glad to just have to deal with Mike. Long day to say the least.

Anyway, thats what I was doing yesterday, how about you?

Healh Care Reform Part 3

Well I guess there must be more people than just me that feel that Dr Howard Dean should convince others to scrap it and let someone else start over again, someone with experience in HEALTH CARE! I just got an e-mail saying a lot of what I am feeling. I know that we can do better than what we have done, how can I get my message out to DC? Call them, who? Any suggestions?

What's up?

When something is bothering you wouldn't it be nice if when someone said ,'what's up' you could REALLY tell them 'what's up?' Would they look at you differently, feel differently about you if you told them what REALLY was up? Do we all say it just to SAY IT or do we really mean it?

When I say 'what's up' I REALLY mean it, I want to know how your family is doing, how your job is, how your life has been since the last time we spoke. I wonder if there are others out there who care just like I do, or do they just say 'what's up' because it's the in thing to do. I hope not, I hope more people care about others than what the world seems to say.

Promise me today, if someone says 'what's up' just tell them a little about yourself. Or better yet, when on the phone ask the other person 'what's up' and tell them that you REALLY want to know about their day, after all isn't that why you called in the first place?

I ask each one of you 'what's up' and hope that you get the chance to tell me, someday!

Best Friends for Ever

When I was a teenager I had some close friends, the type that I could tell anything and they would DIE before they told ANYONE else! Then I got married, but I still kept my friends, they were the people that I could call (locally only) and talk for hours. They were there when I had each of my children, there when my ex-husband cheated on me, there when I went back to him, there for just about ANYTHING. But somehow, maybe because of moving 3000 miles away, I lost contact with each and every one of them. I got new friends, but they just weren't THERE, I suffered a lot alone, medically, physically and emotionally, but the bond had been broken because of the distances separating us.

When I moved back to the eastern coast I tried to pick up where we left off, but time had changed everyone, and with family now, somehow my friends weren't all that important anymore. But now sometimes I miss being able to just sit down and call and talk to a friend who falls into the same category as my friends of old, my BFFE who would never tell ANYONE ANYTHING.

I wonder if Congressmen or Senators have a BFFE that they can talk to today? It seems that no one does anymore, that EVERYONE has to be afraid of telling someone something that may turn around someday and stab them in the back. I wonder if this has always been the case, or is this something new?

I miss my BFFE, how 'bout you?

Healh Care Reform Part 2

Have you looked at what the Senator's have passed in regards to health care now? Let see, Senator Ben Nelson, a Nebraska Democrat has put in that Nebraska will get 100% of a reimbursement for Medicaid if the bill is signed as is by the President. Then there is Senator Chris Dodd, a Connecticut Democrat who wants a $100 million dollars to go to a children's hospital. This was the bill which was to ONLY be about ways to give EVERYONE health insurance, right?

It's not that I don't want a children's hospital, I think everyone does, but..and I may sound mean, until we get federal funding for MY disease which 1 out of 5,000 people have (or about 70,000 in the USA only) nothing more should pass till we get some federal funding! We have NEVER gotten federal funding, however Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia which affects 4,600 people has received to date $22 MILLION! Or Tuberous Sclerosis which has 25,000 - 50,000 people, they have $13.5 MILLION to date.

With my disease, 600 have it in CT alone, and it has cost us $68.3 MILLION in PREVENTABLE Health care just in our state. And that does not include long term disability health costs. So, you can see why I WANT health care for EVERYONE with NOTHING attached, just that...to start off with.

Because the Senator's have attached so much, the House will have no idea of what they are looking at now. If they don't pass it, will they have hell to pay? If they do, will they have hell to pay too? As I said before, scrap the health plan and let doctors who know what they need, like Dr. Howard Dean or Dr. John Barrasso, Republican from Wyoming.

Maybe I'm being wrong about this bill, but I don't think so.

Ohio St Ext.

A neighborhood recovers after blast levels house; 24 homes without heat">

I was devastated to learn about the fire, but so relieved to learn that the family is ok. Believe it or not, I got the word from the Deputy Director of Emergency Management for our city. Since my husband and I are certified volunteers to be used in case of an emergency (like a fire, a tornado, a hurrican, the flu .. just to name a few) we will be called for duty, someday. And since we are on the notification list, we both got notified about the same time today.

The Red Cross always comes through for people in need, but with today's economy, will the Red Cross some day NOT be able to help? That thought kinda scares me.

Oil Man's problem is..

Yesterday we had to leave at 6 am for an appointment at 8 am, so when we left and the house felt cold, I though it was because of the time. After the appointment, which turned out to have a good outcome, we went shopping and didn't get home till almost noon. As we walk in we notice that the house was COLD! I looked on the thermometer and it was 58 degrees! We listened and the furnace wasn't running. I turned up the heat and the furnace never turned on! So, I called the oil man and he showed up in about an hour. He worked for two hours, put in a new filter, as somehow we never had a filter and when he left everything was fine, hot water again, as the furnace also heats the water.

We went to bed as usual but when I woke up at night I was a bit worried as it felt COLD AGAIN. But I went back to sleep and slept till 7:30 pm. As I went by the thermometer to check the temperature it was 58 degrees again! And it was now 8 am! I called the fuel company and they promised to send the repair man again in the am, but he never got here till noon time.
When he got here he said that it must be a ghost in the pipes as everything was ok! A GHOST!

He spent the next two hours trying to find out what was wrong and he finally replaced something on the furnace, but since it is a brand new furnace, only 6 years old, I'm kinda worried that it might just be a ghost! But why would a ghost bother MY furnace? Anyone have any idea what it could be?

Unbelievable...

Ok, I spent the first part of the morning on the road dealing with the traffic, but since then I have come up with a brand new FELONY crime that is being done by roadsters of all ages, and that is DRIVING A CAR or TRUCK THAT HAS NOT BEEN PROPERLY CLEANED OFF WHEN IT SNOWS! OMG I can not believe what I saw. Tractor trailers getting on the Interstate and then driving 60 mph or faster leaving a snow storm for anyone who follows them, causing accidents right and left. Or, following a person driving a car that has only a hole to see out of and a hole to see behind them! Nothing else is cleared off, and then they try to pull on the highway, but since they can't see, they get a load of traffic behind them beeping their horns till someone gets pissed and drives on the wrong side of the road to get around them! And of course they NEVER clean off their car's license plate, so no one can call and report them to the police, no that might be too easy!

Maybe it was just too early in the day for me to get so upset, but man, people really need to re-evaluate their needs when the weather makes it more of a chore to go to the store or go someplace that they have to go, thats all.

New Jersey Man vs Brazil

My heart goes out to David Goldman, from NJ, who has been working with the Brazilian government to get his son back since 2004. The boy's mother went back to Brazil where she divorced Goldman, remarried and then unexpedly died last year in childbirth. Goldman tried to get his son and his son's step-father filed paperwork stating that he must stay.

I agree with Senator Lautenberg of New Jersey who wants to place a hold on a trade bill that would benefit Brazil. Congressman Chris Smith has even gone to Brazil with Goldman trying to make a difference.

A lot of people want to boycott Brazil in the 2016 Olympics because of what their Supreme Court is doing and based on its kidnapping policies and lack of respect for the Hague Convention.

What do you think? How I feel is on facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=73460149761

How 'bout this..

Until we make the Senators and Congressmen come up with a health care program that EVERONE likes, they can just forgo their health insurance, just like most of us. Let them worry about going to the doctor or feeding their family this week, I bet there would be a good health plan on the board within 2 days! Even though they make more money than most of us will ever see, if any one of them had MAJOR health problems (and that is including all past Legislator's too) they would be the first ones to ratify a new more extensive program.

I think until it is the SAME program that they (the big shots) have or will get, we the citizens should not settle for anything less!

Healh Care Reform

I'm sorry but if somehow my vote mattered in Congress or the Senate I would tell them to NOT vote for the proposal as it stands now, scrap it and start from scratch again. When Dr Howard Dean says vote 'NO' then you have to figure hat he knows a lot more than most of them about what is the best for people when it comes to health aid and they have to vote 'NO' with him!

Dr Dean was Governor of VT for six terms, ran unsuccessfully for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination. He was chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2005 to 2009, so he kind of knows what he is talking about! Vermont has "Dr. Dynasaur" program, which ensures universal health care for children and pregnant women. With today's economy it covers about 95% of ALL the people in VT. Why o why can't we have something like that? Please get rid of the health care reform as it stands now, and let someone who knows what they are talking about re-write the blasted thing!

Our water is better than your water!

We have a fabulous water treatment plant that provides water to ¼ of the city. The good news is that the water is so pure by the time that it comes out of the water plant it is the cleanest in the USA! That’s right; it is the best in the USA and maybe even the world! The water goes through fibers with microscopic openings, coming out so clear that its turbidity can not be measured! (That means the measurement of water is so clear that it can’t be measured)! We give tours of the plant to water professionals from around the United States and from around the world! If you would have been reading the magazine that deals with water plants you would have seen our plant when it was finalized in 2008! This means that people don’t have to buy bottled water anymore! Our water is more pure and tastes better too!

Something as simple as bottled water is something that we, who live in our part of the city, can do without in today’s economy! And we don’t have to suffer; in fact people from around the world are jealous of us! For a change!

Farmer's Almanac

I like the Farmer's Almanac! I have used the weather part several times and it has always been right! It is really scary that something that is written 2 years ago (I think it takes that long as I know that it is so long to put it to press and they usually have the next years out by October, but maybe I am wrong!) I have check the Farmer's Almanac when I was planning a spring event and we could not have it inside if it rained, the almanac told me that it would be good weather and son of a gun if it weren't! Even if the next 2 months we had rain every weekend, the almanac was right for me!

Wouldn't it be nice if the Almanac could foresee OUR future and we had time to make a change for the better? I know I would if someone that I knew who wasn't lying to me told me that I should or shouldn't do something, I would probably take their advise, how about you? Would you listen to someone you trusted or do you think that only you know what is the best for your family? Really?

http://www.farmersalmanac.com/weather/long-range-weather-forecast

Christmas shopping

I might be addicted! I LOVE shopping on the internet! I just go to shopzilla.com and search for something that is needed and up pops 25 of them! All different prices too! If I were looking for a large red bow that goes on a tree, I would probably find even that! And since I have seven grandchildren to shop for, it makes it so much easier then before! I have never been the type of person who could just window shop, no not me. I like to know what I want, get it and get out as quickly as I can. (Which sometimes isn't always very quickly per my husband!) But with there being a thing called a computer I can just sit there and let my fingers do the walking and before I know it my shopping days are done! Now if only they could gift wrap them when they get here, my shopping problems would be solved!

Wouldn't it be nice if all our problems could be solved with one click of the mouse!

The Politician's Wife

There have been a few comments that my husband is no longer a politician, since he no longer holds an elected office. Well I’m here to set the record straight; my husband will ALWAYS be a politician no matter what he does with his life.

From Wikipedia

A politician or political leader (from Greek "polis") is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making. This includes people who hold decision-making positions in government, and people who seek those positions, whether by means of election, coup d'état, appointment, electoral fraud, conquest, right of inheritance (see also: divine right) or other means. Politics are not limited to governance through public office. Political offices may also be held in corporations, and other entities that are governed by self-defined political processes.

So, since my husband has almost been a politician his whole life, I will always be a 'politician's wife' Just to set the record straight.

Court today

We had to go to court today. Seems that an officer thought he could get a quick $130 fine for giving us a ticket for something that we always do, we use our handicapped permit when we park! See, this officer was on patrol in another state, in a parking lot area at the mall where all kinds of cars park from all different states. Well, we went there to visit with our daughter at her new job at Macy’s. We took her out to lunch and came out to the parking lot and found a parking ticket for $130 for NOT SIGNING OUR HANDICAPPED PARKING PERMIT! In our state it is not required, and I truthfully don’t know if it is in the state we were visiting, but to fine us for not signing our permit is just plain DUMB! It’s not like we were in a no parking space, not like the handicapped permit wasn’t right were it was suppose to be, it is almost as if the officer saw our car, thought he would get a ‘quota’ ticket, started to write the ticket and then realized that we DID have a handicap permit in the car, hanging where it was suppose to, so he had to write it for SOMETHING as he would get in trouble if he tried to cancel it.

My husband worked from home today, started working at 4:30 AM so that he could leave our house at 1:30 PM after a full day of work and then drive the 85 miles to get to court at 4 PM. We got there around 3:30 PM; saw a clerk who was a bit surprised by our ticket after looking at both of us. She made a copy of the handicapped parking permit and took the ticket and told us to appear at court which started at 4 PM. Once we got inside, we had to sit while they (the court officials) went through all the criminals that were there today (about 40 people, some of them really scary, one of them was arrested for something that he had been arrested for before, he was appearing in court for the 64th time!) then they started reading off everyone who was there for a parking/motor vehicle tickets. The first one was someone who had been arrested for drunk driving; they get to come back and appear next week. The next one was us! Well we got up there and the judge asks how do we plead? When we said not guilty he looked up at us and my husband started to talk. Since the ticket was for not signing the permit and since we are not required to do so in our state, the judge said ‘case dismissed’.We got there at 3:30 PM and got out at 5:30 PM and still had 85 miles to go. By the time I got home I was exhausted! But, my husband plans to write letters to the state, city, the mall, even to the store that we were in and file complaints. He may even file a complaint with the federal government; I think we will be in for a lot of ‘fun’. I have a feeling that the officer who tried to get a quick $130 might live to regret it. More to come about the saga of the parking ticket!

Same Sex Marriages

I just can’t understand it, why is there such a big deal about same sex marriages? Do you feel that you have the right to sit there and say that there should NOT be a marriage between a man and woman, two women, or two men? Where does it say that ANYONE has that right? After all, why should a man and woman have all the fun? Why can’t males or females have just as much fun as say Tiger Woods?

If you stop and think, back in the ‘good old days’ it was illegal for interracial marriages, if a male and a woman lived together and were biracial they could be arrested! It’s only been since the 60’s that US citizens NOW approve of their marriages. Two of my five children are in biracial relationships now; if we hadn’t changed my children could be in JAIL? And what, we have to treat their children differently since they are the product of a crime? What about those who are gay or lesbians, even though it is not their fault, are we to arrest them? Put them in jail? What about the children that they have, are we to shun them? Wake up America! Give us a few more decades and we will FINALLY realize that we should just MIND OUR OWN BUSINESS when it comes to people marrying each other! I’m just glad that I’m a justice of the peace and get to marry ANYONE and EVERYONE that wants to get married. I just love my job!

Mike Huckabee

Watching 'The View' the other day, Mike Huckabee talked about what his role as Governor of Arkansas had been in regards to Maurice Clemmons, the man who killed 4 police officers in Washington State before he himself died at the hands of a police officer a few days later. Listening to him and not knowing much about Clemmons, I was drawn to Huckabee with what he says he went through before he decided to commuted the 108 year sentence for burglary and robbery. He displayed honesty and integrity for his conduct and explanation of his decision to award clemency. As a leader you are charged with making decisions that as some point might cause an adverse effect on others. A good leader owns up to all the decisions that he or she makes and does not provide excuses for the reasons they give when making a decision. He layed out his reasons for making the decision and we have to accept it. Will what he has done hurt or help his chances of running for president in 2012?

It was strange that a man, convicted of 2 felonies, both being non-violent, could get such a severe sentence. Was it because of his color, his sex, his socioeconomic background, what made it such a bad crime? Maybe if he hadn't spent so much time in prison he might have been able to changed what he turned into?

God protect each and every police officer each day when they go out on the road to 'Serve and Protect'. Amen

The president spoke last night

With the president speaking last night I got to wonder just how many people REALLY listened to him? And didn't judge him until he was done? Most television stations seemed to have a different version to the same speech. How do you feel, did the president do a good job presenting what he wants to do, or was it a bad job? Should he have really talked about a troop withdrawal already? What do you think?