Grandma's House

I have a favor to ask my reader(s). My baby boy, Wolf, from Howling in the Wind (who hasn't been able to post for a while because he is currently without computer) apparently has a staph infection. He went to the hospital two days ago, and they sent him home with some antibiotics (which I thought was stupid, but I'm not a doctor). My daughter in law, Mrs. Wolf, called me this morning, and told me they wanted him to go back to the hospital, but now he's saying he won't go. He wants to give the antibiotics more time to work. Maybe I'm just being a worrying mommy, but I don't think he should be messing around with this. Staph infections can kill people. I told him to get his butt to the hospital, but you know how grown men can be. If you are a pray-er, please pray for him and his family. If you are not a pray-er, keep good thoughts for them. Mrs. Wolf can't work right now because of her ruptured disk in her back, and now he's laid up, and they have three young boys. I can't help them out, because they live in another state. All I can do is worry and pray.

Last post for the morning, so I thought I'd recap the new shows I've seen so far this week. Monday night...Prison Break. It seems to be going pretty well, but there are a lot of new faces to learn. K-Ville. I've gotta admit I am not a big fan. It seemed a little jumpy, bouncing from scene to scene like they had too much stuff they had to get into that one hour. I'll give it another week, but that's it for me.

Tuesday night... Nothing new on Tuesday for us.

Wednesday night... Back to You. I think it has promise. Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton work well together, and Fred Willard is always a joy to watch.

Thursday night... Survivor!!! Finally, and this time we're in China. I had some bones to pick with this episode. After all these years these people still don't know how to dress? Come on, people! Goth boots, gaudy jewelry to tangle, no underwear, evening dresses and high heels? Every one of those people should have been shot. The men are already running around with their pants hanging down off their pelvises. What's it going to be like when they lose weight? Pull them up now! And for the waitress from New York -- go home. You are too big a baby to play with the grownups. Oh,yeah. What was with all the luggage they brought? They weren't exactly on a cruise. Great immunity challenge though. And that opening ceremony prepared by the Buddhist monks was lovely. A non-religious ceremony to welcome the castaways to the competition. It would have been nice if everyone had taken it seriously.

That's it for the new stuff from me so far. I don't watch NBC because our antenna can't pick it up, so we mostly was CBS and Fox with an occasional ABC or PBS on the weekends.

Feel free to comment or leave your thoughts on these shows or any other reviews you might have.

People, this has got to stop. Nip it in the bud, so to speak. This is the United States of America, not Mexico North. Our Founding Fathers wrote all of our legal documents, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, etc., in English, not Spanish. Why are this nation's ideals and principles being stripped away with nothing to slow them down? Why are we seeing things like this happening in Oregon right now:

Some Oregon high schools are adopting Mexico's public school curriculum to help educate Spanish-speaking students with textbooks, an online Web site, DVDs and CDs provided free by Mexico to teach math, science and even U.S. history.

The Oregon Department of Education and Mexico's Secretariat of Public Education are discussing aligning their curricula so courses will be valid in both countries.

I suppose we are supposed to be grateful that Mexico is sending this teaching material up her so the students can learn properly? How is this going to teach these children to assimilate into the great melting pot that is our nation? It won't. But wait! I thought their resources in Mexico for education were total crap. What does the story say about that?

"The availability of resources is astounding," said Burk, who flew to Mexico with Oregon curriculum officials in August to discuss making equivalency standards official. "We're able to serve the students so much better if we're working together."

Oh, yeah? Then send them home to get the excellent education that these materials will deliver. Then come and talk to us about working in our country legally. Believe me, you'd get a much better reception that way.

Remember yesterday when I told you about that idiot in Nebraska, Ernie Chambers, who has filed a lawsuit against God? Well, apparently today, "God" responded. OOOHH

Oh, those wacky guys up in Iowa. A man in Des Moines was arguing with his new wifey, and threw an onion at her. Yes, a regular old onion. She had him arrested. I hope it wasn't just a green onion. I hope it was one of those big honkin' red ones. Now they could put on a good hurtin'!

I'm halfway through my first week in my two new classes and my brain is going to explode. The first week we are reviewing basic arithmetic, next week beginning algebra. I've been staring at this stuff and my brain is fried already. My biggest problem is they changed some of the terminology and it takes a while to figure out what they want. But I'm finally catching on, as long as they don't hit us with a lot of geometry, cause I didn't take that in high school. I was up all night last night just getting registered to use the net tutor, eprofessor and equation editor resources.

My intro to biology is turning more into an intro to evolution and ecology. They are not going to like me very well at all. I was up all last night getting the stuff together as I have a 1,400 word paper due on Sunday. In APA format (nazis designed these rules for publishing, I just know it). So I know what I'll be doing this weekend while I'm doing laundry.

I have definite plans to see if there are any alternatives to algebra II in my next course load. I want something that's not gonna stress me out to where I can't enjoy my class on world religions. Those are the next classes I have scheduled to begin in November. Looks like they will take me into the new year. woo hoo!

It seems the Iranian Dorktator Mahmoud Ahmadinnerjacket wants to visit Ground Zero while he's in New York City on Monday. So far he's gotten a unanimous NNNNNOOOOOOO!!! from the powers that be. So, latest word is.. he's gonna do it anyway. Gotta get that photo-op to show all the insurgents back home as a little morale booster. Says he plans to go down there and lay a wreath about 10 am. If you're in the neighborhood, give him a rousing raspberry chorus for me, okay?

Dan the Man Rather is back, folks, and is as looney as ever. He has filed a 70 million dollar lawsuit against CBS for breach of contract.

Mr. Rather, 75, asserts that the network violated his contract by giving him insufficient airtime on “60 Minutes” after forcing him to step down as anchor of the “CBS Evening News” in March 2005. He also contends that the network committed fraud by commissioning a “biased” and incomplete investigation of the flawed Guard broadcast and, in the process, “seriously damaged his reputation.” As plaintiffs, the suit names CBS and its chief executive, Leslie Moonves; Viacom and its chief executive, Sumner Redstone; and Andrew Heyward, the former president of CBS News.

In the suit, filed this afternoon in State Supreme Court in Manhattan, Mr. Rather charges that CBS and its executives made him “a scapegoat” in an attempt “to pacify the White House,” though the formal complaint presents virtually no direct evidence to that effect. To buttress this claim, Mr. Rather quotes the executive who oversaw his regular segment on CBS Radio, telling Mr. Rather in November 2004 that he was losing that slot, effective immediately, because of “pressure from ‘the right wing.’ ”

Don't you know there are bloggers (and I could name them) who are sitting on the edges of their seats to see if this actually goes to court. They have all the documents used in the case and statements that were made at the time. The defense lawyers won't have anything to do but laugh. We'll see where it goes from here.

I'd like to know what idiot at PBS got a brain-fart and decided to schedule a presidential candidate debate at the same time as the season premiere of "Survivor"? Whoever it was, I hope they aren't really expecting anyone to watch!

I found this photo on the internet and thought the young ladies in the audience might enjoy it.

He certainly has matured nicely. If I were only 30 years younger...

Nebraska state senator Ernie Chambers has filed a lawsuit against God.

Chambers says in his lawsuit that God has made terroristic threats against the senator and his constituents, inspired fear and caused "widespread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth's inhabitants."

The Omaha senator, who skips morning prayers during the legislative session and often criticizes Christians, also says God has caused "fearsome floods ... horrendous hurricanes, terrifying tornadoes."

He's seeking a permanent injunction against the Almighty.

Somehow I don't think God is going to find this moron very amusing. But you never know. After all, God did create the platypus.

Well, well. Some people never seem to learn, do they? O.J. Simpson has been charged with multiple felonies, including kidnapping, over the incident in Las Vegas. He could, if convicted, be sent to prison for the rest of his miserable life. What can I say? Goodie goodie! After hearing the evidence in the murder trials, I almost wrecked my car when they announced the verdict on the radio. If the evidence is accurate, if the others charged turn on him, this monster may finally be getting his just desserts. We shall see.

Well, it's Monday now. I'm back in school. Nine weeks and I'm free again. What's the matter with me???

Seriously, the feud is over with the daughter. However, it may start up again if I get the slightest inclination that the young man they are letting board with them takes one sleazy step toward my granddaughter. Are you listening, child? He may be a great guy. Time will tell. Make sure he knows that I know how to use a gun, and I wouldn't have a problem providing ventilation for him if the need should arise.
I love you, baby girl.

I can always count on Denny to provide a great pun every week.

A lion was roaming an African jungle. He was terribly hungry. Soon, he came across two men sitting under a tree. One was pounding away on a typewriter. The other was reading a book. The lion devoured the man reading the book. He avoided the writer. Even lions know...

...that readers digest and writers cramp.

I love puns.

Aren't these the ugliest timepieces you've ever seen? Naturally, with that amount of ugg they are bound to be expensive.

Stories like this one really get on my nerves. This sentence is the capper for me:

Health officials long have expressed concern that schools contributed to rising obesity rates because campus vending machines sold high-calorie and high-sugar snacks and drinks.

What a load! Obesity rates in schools are rising because kids can't do anything anymore except sit on their butts and take in the teachings of a liberal school system. If they would let the kids get out and play, run, jump, and burn off a few of those calories, there wouldn't be a problem. It took us old folks a long time to get those machines installed in schools. Back then, all we could get from the machines was a paper cup of flat soda, but that was a victory to us. Leave it to the next generation to screw it up!

Well, gang. My next classes start tomorrow. Algebra 1 (yay!) and Introduction to Biology, which is a joke because it's really an ecology class in disguise. I have to come up with some stupid project for UNESCO as my final in this class. They really aren't gonna like me in this class. I believe global warming is a joke, we should drill in the Arctic, and if Brazil wants to cut down every tree they have in their country, it's none of our business. We wouldn't want them to tell us what to do, now would we? Anyway, I guess I'll survive nine weeks of garbage. I made it through the Cultural Diversity class. I'm hanging in there with a 3.88 GPA. A minuses really screw things up. I'll try to blog every now and then during the term, but I don't want to promise anything.

On the home front, I missed my family reunion Saturday. I had everything planned out, oxygen tanks ready, clothes ready, alarm clock... oops. Forgot to reset the clock, and woke up way too late to go. It's probably just as well, as my back was really hurting today from doing laundry on Friday. That's two family get-togethers I've missed this year. I hear my daughter didn't go, either. She still isn't speaking to me; she does send me the occasional forwarded email, but nothing personal. Someday she'll realize I didn't do anything to her. Then maybe she'll apologize. But I can't go on and on letting her treat me like crap then pretending it never happened. I'm her mother, not her doormat. I love her, but right now I'm not liking her too much.

Will someone please tell me where it will end?

Here's a little quiz I thought you might enjoy:

Is your second toe longer than your first?
No, can’t say that it is.
2. Do you have a favorite type of pen?
Not counting pig or play, I’d go with the stick pens with gel ink.
3. Look at your planner for March 14, what are you doing?
That’s cute.
4. What color are your toenails usually?
Depends on if I’ve been out in the mud. Usually toenail colored. I’m too low-maintenance for doing my toenails.
5. What was the last thing you highlighted?
References for a school paper.
6. What color are your bedroom curtains?
Hideous gold color, but I’d like to change that. Of course, I’d also like to change the rest of the room.
7. What color are the seats in your car?
Blue
8. Have you ever had a black and white cat?
No. The cat I had when Sir Mugley and I got married was a blue/grey color, medium long haired cat that I’d raised from birth. Had to get rid of her when we had our little girl because she got jealous.
9. What is the last thing you put a stamp on?
Our cell phone bill.
10. Do you know anyone who lives in Wyoming?
I think Harrison Ford has a place out there, but I don’t know him personally (sob).
11. Why did you withdraw cash from the ATM the last time?
To buy Chinese food.
12. Whose is the last baby that you held?
my youngest grandchild.
13. Unlucky #?
Seems like 51.
14. Do you like Cinnamon toothpaste?
I’ve never tried it, but I like cinnamon gum.
15. What kind of car were you driving 2 years ago?
Same one I drive now: 1991 Ford Taurus.
16. Pick one: Miami Hurricanes or Florida Gators?
I’d have to go with the Gators. Their mascot is so cute.
17. Last time you went to Six Flags?
Never been there. Used to live at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City when I was much younger, though.
18. Do you have any wallpaper in your house?
no. Most of the walls are paneled.
19. Closest thing to you that is yellow?
Right now it would be a paperback book, or a t-shirt. I’m not sure which is closer.
20. Last person to give you a business card?
A candidate for local office.
21. Who is the last person you wrote a check to?
I haven’t written a check in about a year. Even had my name taken off the account. But before that, I’d have to say the bank since they hold the mortgage on this hovel.
22. Closest framed picture to you?
That would be me, when I was about 9 months old, while I was still cute.
23. Last time you had someone cook for you?
Yesterday we ate out.
24. Have you ever applied for welfare?
Other than food stamps and energy assistance, no.
25. How many emails do you have?
Three email accounts, but I only use two.
26. Last time you received flowers?
That would be last Valentine’s Day. I got two beautiful roses.
27. Do you think the sanctity of marriage is meant for only a man & woman?
Yes
28. Do you play air guitar?
No
29. Has anyone ever proposed to you?
Two times. I don’t really count the first, though. He was more in love with his father.
30. Do you take anything in your coffee?
A little cream plus quite a bit of sugar, although I can drink it just about any way.
31. Do you have any Willow Tree figurines?
Never heard of them
32. What is/was your high school’s rival mascot?
My husband and I went to rival high schools, oddly enough. His mascot was a Viking, mine was a bear, although the school I attended for junior high was also the Viking. Anyway, I’m pretty sure a bear could take a Viking. At least that was the only team we could beat back then.
33. Last person you spoke to from high school?
My sister.
34. Last time you used hand sanitizer?
I just use soap.
35. Would you like to learn to play the drums?
I would love that. I’m always keeping time on something.
36. What color are the blinds in your living room?
No blinds. Just ugly avocado green drapes.
38. Last thing you read in the newspaper?
That would be the obituaries.
39. What was the last pageant you attended?
I don’t think I’ve ever attended one. I’m not sure.
40. What is the last place you bought pizza from?
Handi Hut down the road from us. It’s very good and we can get two for 16 bucks.
41. Have you ever worn a crown?
Not a chance.
42. What is the last thing you stapled?
I stapled a hem once when I didn’t have time to sew it. But I’d have to say a book report.
43. Did you ever drink clear Pepsi?
Sacrilege. I only drink Coke.
44. Are you ticklish?
Only in one place, and I’m not saying where. Only Sir Mugley knows for sure.
45. Last time you saw fireworks?
Last week. Leftovers from the fourth of July.
46. Last time you had a Krispy Kreme doughnut?
Never
47. Who is the last person that left you a message & you actually returned it?
I don’t have an answering machine for that very reason.
48. Last time you parked under a carport?
never
49. Do you have a black dog?
Partially. The rest is brown and white, like a regular beagle.
50. Have you had your mid life crisis yet?
Oh, yeah. I’ll let you know when it ends.
51. Are you an aunt or uncle?
I am an aunt many, many times over.
52. Who has the prettiest eyes that you know of?
I do. Almost black, unless I’m angry, then they’re blacker than black.
53. What kind of soap or body wash do you use?
I make my own.
54. Do you remember Ugly Kid Joe?
Can’t say as I do.
55. Do you have a little black dress?
I don’t have any dresses. No reason for them.

Again this year, I draw your attention to the tribute done last year in honor of James Patrick White, one of the many victims lost who worked for Cantor-Fitzgerald in the World Trade Center. Please take a moment and reacquaint yourself with this young man and the ways he touched so many lives. This was a great loss for his family, friends and loved ones, and for his country. We need more young men like James today. So go and read the tribute. It will mean a lot to his family.

Speaking of dogs, and with thanks to Rachel Lucas, I hereby bring you the most humiliating thing I have ever seen done to a dog, and that includes dogs wearing bikinis... the doggie disguise. Look at the picture at the bottom of the page. I just know that dog is thinking, "Just five minutes...you and me...you'll be kibble in just five minutes." And I wouldn't blame him a bit. He'll never be able to show his little doggie face in public again.

Have you seen that great new Dairy Queen commercial where the guy is eating chicken strips or something and the dog is asking (not begging) for some? I love it when the guy gives the dog a piece of chicken, and the dog waits until he can use the dipping sauce before he eats it! Dogs are so great!!

This really makes me feel better:

This grandmother is so cool. She's the kind of grandma I want to be for my grandchildren.

A 76-year-old woman was found alive in the mountains Thursday, nearly two weeks after she disappeared while on a hunting trip with her husband, authorities said.

Ora Doris Anderson had suffered a hip injury and was dehydrated, but she was conscious and alert, the Baker County Sheriff's Office said.

Anderson, who goes by Doris, had last been seen Aug. 24 in the Eagle Creek area, where she had gone bow hunting with her 74-year-old husband, Harold.

She managed to stay alive even though she wasn't properly dressed for the cold night temperatures and didn't have enough food or water to survive. I like this lady. How many 76 year old women go bow hunting these days? Probably not many.

People are over-reacting to everything these days, don't you think? Last week I read a story about a father who wanted his son arrested for chasing his sisters with a frog. That's right, a frog. And now, a man had his 22 year old son arrested on a charge of domestic abuse. The two men had been arguing, and the son picked up a bag of Cheetos and threw them at his dad. These "deadly" Cheetos popped the guy in the nose and put a little scratch there from his glasses. (where did I put that teeny tiny violin now?) This is so out of hand. The first father should have handled it himself. It's amazing how far a frog will fly if properly propelled. I'm sure it would have landed in someone's yard and been free forever. The second dad needs to be a man. If you don't want your son in the house, throw him out. He's 22 and needs to take care of himself now. People, quit using the police department to discipline your children. That is your job.

Here are some recent deaths that really should not go unnoticed, so I'm noticing them:
* D. James Kennedy - One of my favorite television ministers. A conservative man who believed strongly in morals and family values. One of the founding members of the Moral Majority, but he preferred working behind the scenes. You can read about all the great work he was into by clicking here.

* Miyoshi Umeki - Oscar winning actress for her role in Sayonara with Red Buttons. She was probably better known to the average kid as Mrs. Livingston, the housekeeper/substitute mom on Courtship of Eddie's Father on television. On reading her obituary, I found out she lived out her last years about 100 miles from my home. Her obituary can be found here.

* Bandit - Five year old Belgian Malinois died after his supposedly caring police officer partner left him in the car from 9 am to after 10 pm. Sgt. Lovejoy (?) has been booked on a misdemeanor charge of animal cruelty. Bandit's sad story is here.

* Luciano Pavarotti - One of the best tenors ever to grace a stage. Pavarotti died of pancreatic cancer which was diagnosed last year. I love to listen to opera, although that doesn't happen very often when you're married to a trog who thinks opera sounds like animals being mutilated. But when I can, I really enjoy it, and Pavarotti was one of my favorites. He really gave the singing life. His obituary is here.

Maybe I'm just too old-fashioned, but it seems to me that if you're going to sell pot out of your dorm room in college, you should never announce it out the window so the local police can hear you. They tend to frown on that sort of thing.

Hey, it could be worse!

How will I die? Your Result: You will die in your sleep.   A peaceful departure into the next life. You are blessed with the good fortune of passing from sleep into eternity. Do not fear sleep. To dream into the next life is a rare gift.
You will die while saving someone's life.
You will die of boredom.
You will die in a car accident.
You will die while having sex.
You will be murdered.
You will die in a nuclear holocaust.
You will die from a terminal illness.
How will I die? Create a Quiz

Is there anything sweeter than Karma? Piers Morgan, the British blowhard from "America's Got Talent", spent a bit of time ragging on President Bush when he fell off the Segway. Remember? You know what they say about paybacks, right? Seems Morgan recently tried riding one himself. At least when Bush fell off, he didn't break three ribs. What a jerk.

C'mon, really. Rock Snot???

First off, let me say I've never been one to watch The View. Mostly because I'm not up at 10 in the morning, but also because I'd rather watch anything else. I'm not a girly-girl and never have been. I'd rather watch football than Lifetime channel. But I can't say I'm surprised at the kerfuffle over Whoopi Goldberg's statement on Michael Vick. She was brought in to boost viewership, and tell me people won't be watching to see if she takes it back, or sticks to her guns. Frankly, I think it was a stupid thing to say and insulting to the majority of people in the South, black and white. But that's just me.

Ok, boys and girls,it's time again for the Soldier's Angels Christmas Project to begin. Check out the post on Cassy Fiano's blog for more information, and give till it hurts. They deserve it!

I have the next two weeks off from school and believe me, I need it. Since this last set of classes started, I have had to deal with the following:

One child losing his job
One child getting a divorce
Child with no job needs eye surgery
Same child's wife needs back surgery, probably next week
14 year old child of fur passing away
Torrential storm dropping 10 inches of rain and flooding my living room
Same rain causing bedroom ceiling to partially collapse
Divorcing child reuniting with spouse and taking frustration out on me (?)
Car trouble
51st Birthday
Trip to doctor to get meds renewed
Funds for school getting messed up so I can't replace my computer (having to share with Sir Mugley who is also taking online classes)

Will somebody explain to me why I don't have snow white hair and an ulcer yet? Anyway, I am gonna spend the next two weeks not worrying about school, going to a family reunion, making a minimal effort to clean this dump (we're giving serious thought to moving to senior housing and letting the bank have this piece of stuff back). I might dye my hair. It's naturally off-black, and I have some but not much gray sprinkled in there. I've always wanted to try a lighter brown color, so I might do that next week.

My next classes are going to be much better: intro to biology and algebra 1. Those are classes I could enjoy. At least I did in high school (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth).

I'll try to post more before classes start. I know I've been awful, but it's kinda obvious I've had other things on my mind. Missed y'all, though.

This has been my worst set of classes yet, but I'm done! I have never in my life had so many things working against me, distracting me from doing homework in classes I really didn't care anything about.

Tonight I posted my final assignments in my English Comp class (working with business forms, resumes, PowerPoint presentations, etc), and my Cultural Diversity (yeah, right) class. For my finals, in Comp I had to make a PowerPoint presentation to go with the paper due in the other class. Pathetic. The Cultural Diversity final was a 1,500 word paper (In APA Format NEVER FORGET THAT NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO THEY CAN'T READ IT OTHERWISE) on the cultural diversity in my area. What a laugh.

How do you write a paper on cultural diversity in an area where there is none? I haven't got a racist bone in my body. We did not choose this area for the color of the neighbors. We didn't know anything about the neighbors when we moved here. We chose this area because it was nearly crime-free. Coming from Kansas City that was a big seller for us. It still is. There hasn't been a murder here in over ten years. No bank robberies in the time we've been here (21 years). There are four races in this county: Caucasian (98.2%), African-American (.4%), Hispanic (1.2%)and Asian .2%. Interestingly enough, income-wise they are ranked Asian, African-American, Caucasian and Hispanic from highest to lowest.

So how do you turn that into a paper on diversity? I asked my instructor, and was told to write about how to change it. Yeah, right. Nobody here wants to change it. Everyone is happy. It's like a trip back in time. There are a lot of people who don't even bother to lock their doors. If they did, the neighbors would break their noses trying to get in.

Anyway, I was writing about this term. More in a minute.

I MADE IT!!!!!