Just Off Senter

Apple Family

2012-01-13T21:37:00.001-06:00

I have grown into a techno junkie. With a Dell laptop in one room, an Acer Netbook ever close at hand, and the crowning jewel, my MacBookPro.

Love you Siri!

For over three years I had been a devoted iPhone 3GS user and when the new iPhone 4S was released this Fall I admit I just had to have it.

Love all the features of the phone. Great sound and very easy to use. Yes, I even love Siri. She has really become a great friend and is always there when I need her.

My iPhone has also brought a great friend into my life. Thank you Leslie for taking me under you wing, sharing many "secrets" about the iPhone, and mostly for becoming a daily part of my life. I am so grateful that we even live so close. You are like a daughter.

The camera in the phone is state of the art. Pictures are crisp, clean, sharp and true color. Between the iPhone camera and built in programs on the Mac I have found it extremely easy to take and/or fix any photo I want.

Here is just a sample of one where our Ginger was playing on our bed when I shot a photo of her. As you can see clearly she had "demon" eyes in the original but after a few minor clicks in iPhoto we manage to salvage the shot and exorcise those "demon" eyes.

Ginger with "demon"eyes.

Ginger without "demon" eyes.

Every day I seem to discover a new feature on the Mac that makes it so easy and simple to make documents, photos, charts and presentations all with just a few clicks.

My daughter, Lynn, has also become an Apple "junkie" and we share our love for our Mac's and iPhones. We are surly becoming an Apple Family. Tom is even now considering an iPad for himself. WootToot! He is coming into the light!

I still love my Dell and my Acer and use them as well. But I will not deny that high, very high on my wish list is my next techno gadget an iPad. Somehow I will try to wait for the iPad3 and just know it will live up to every expectation I could have for it.

Now I wish to thank all the designers, engineers, programers and un-named specialists at Apple for building the bridge from today into the future of tomorrow and beyond. At 68 years, I would never thought I would be saying how grateful I am to be alive today and have the ability to reach around the world with such ease. I cannot imagine a day without my links to the world.

Steve Jobs
1955 ~ 2011

Steve Jobs, you will always be remembered as the Michelangelo for 21st Century and beyond. If you have also been touched by the genius of Steve Jobs and wish to share your thoughts you can do so by simply sending your thoughts to rememberingsteve@apple.com.

Advent ~ A Season of Preperation

2011-12-19T17:40:00.000-06:00

It is Monday, December 19, 2011, seven days before Christmas.

Are we really prepared?

And she brought forth her firstborn Son,

and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths,

and laid Him in a manger,

because there was no room

for them in the inn. Luke 2:7 NKJ

Have we prepared room for Him in our holiday plans?

Like Riding A Bicycle - Like Writing A Blogg

2011-01-08T17:19:00.011-06:00

The question needs to be asked. Is returning to blogging like riding a bike? You truly never forget how to do it.

Next question on my growing list is: What if you were never a great (good or even mediocre) bicycle rider to begin with or for that matter that great (good or mediocre) writer/blogger, how much worse could you be upon returning for yet another attempt? Right. Who really knows and for that matter who really cares?

Not all blogs are of that important a nature or their writer's that concerned with who is reading it or even why. Maybe the reader just can not sleep and doing something is better than tossing and turning. It is said that reading can put one to sleep. (Little known fact, sometimes writing has the same effect.)

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Sorry about that. Where was I? Oh, yes. Bicycles and Blogging.

I really loved my bike as a child. Was never a good bike rider but loved the bike anyway. It did give me a small feeling of freedom, but when you are only allowed to ride around two small city blocks, what is there to love. I was also known to have extremely skinned up knees, elbows and what ever else met hard sidewalks and/or stony alleyways.

I really love my blog. Granted it is just a bit off center (yes the pun is intentional) as well as all over the place, which is just like my thoughts. (Could be caused by the fact that I am a Gemini or at my advanced age a suffer of undiagnosed ADD) Which ever it proves to be, I do find some solace in seeing my thoughts written out before me.

I do not intend to impart offence to anyone by blogging these random thoughts, so please accept this apology now, in case you are offended. I would highly suggest that you search (Google) for a blogg or bloggs that will more mirror your personality and "ditto" your thoughts. This is not a blogg for that.

Been many years since I have attempted to ride a bicycle and it will be like never again in the future that I will attempt to ride one. As I tell my Honey-bun (husband), I am not completely stupid here.

Seeing that it has been a year since my last post and now here I am attempting this once again - well, not being completely stupid, there are times I have been known to be a complete nut-job. This may just be one of them.... Anyway, here is to a return of Thoughts that are Just a Bit Off Senter.

New Year ~ New Life ~ New Hope

2010-01-01T12:45:00.003-06:00

The mother deer brought her doe as a sure sign of new life and hope. The picture was taken a few days after Christmas from our front yard. Not so unusual for those living outside the city. We who live in the heart of the city and just feet from a busy commuter train track, find these visits an affirmation that all is right with the world and our Sister Deer will allow us to live with her and her offspring.

It is a sign of new life, new hope and a positive blessing for the New Year.

We continue to ask the Lord to bless each of you as you have blessed us.

Happy New Year!

Talented Friends Forever Memories

2009-12-10T17:46:00.001-06:00

Portraits of AJ and Jelli Bean, The Hoosier Hug Pugs and our furkids.

What an amazing gift from The House of Pawz and the talented brush strokes of Michelle Rouse. We were really blessed by the draw (pardon the pun) in the first ever Dogster Dolls Ornament Exchange.

As a so called artist, I know the difficulty in capturing the essence of a subject in a portrait and animals can be especially hard to convey their personalities. Michelle has a way to quickly and very precisely do just that.

From AJ’s (on the right) overly dramatic brooding of the thinker, to Jelli’s mischievous innocent guile, Michelle captured the soul of our loves.

Thank you so very much and as long as there is breath within me, I will sing of the talents of my dear friend and her House of Pawz.

Michelle’s personal muses

Gus, Brody, Boo, Raven, Cousin McGoo, & Wheezer

The House of Pawz

Heaps of FUN!

2009-11-24T08:18:00.001-06:00

When the wind blows the leaves will fall….

AJ HoosierHugPug has had four Fall seasons under his belt and only gets excited for the leave blanket on the first day. After that he is only concerned with remembering which are his friends and which are not… He seems to have forgotten his attempts to bring his favorite leafs in the house where they would be safe and he could play with them longer….

Ms Jelli Bean finds it almost impossible to contain herself after discovering the carpet of brown, yellow and gold. She even pleaded innocent to having anything to do with the state of her yard. “I just came out and it was here. Honest!”, she barked at each leaf.

She also discovered that when she ran through the deep cover there was a crunching sound. She would pause to see where it was coming from but then she did not hear it… We enjoyed her attempts to bring her favorite one in with her for more play.

AJ convinced his sister that if she left them outside they would be well taken care of and there for her to play with the next time she is out. He is not to sure she will understand when there is all the cold white stuff on top of them just where they have gone… But he will take care of that when it happens…. now he has a sister to avoid and chicken strips to hide….

Good by dear heaps of leafs… See you all later… Like next November…

Seasons ~ Fall

2009-10-24T17:58:00.001-05:00

Acrylic 11x14

An artist can only attempt to capture the beauty and essence of what the Creator has given.

Ms. Bean

2009-10-12T18:42:00.001-05:00

Here is the lady as she awaits her check in at Dr. Larry’s. Today was the BIG Day…. Jelli the Bean was spayed.

Wanting to be responsible owners, we know this is what we needed to do… but oh how sad it was to have to leave our baby girl for even 24 hours.

It has taken almost three months for this tiny lady to make her mark on her brother, AJ. Now he would deny this but all day he has roamed the house as if looking for something or someone…. could it be The Bean?

Three calls to Dr. Larry’s office has given some comfort that Jelli is doing great and will be ready to come home shortly after noon tomorrow….

Wonder if we all go to bed now, at 6:30 p.m. if noon tomorrow will get here faster? This is like waiting for Christmas… I miss my whirlwind dashing around and pulling everything she can wrap her teeth around…. including our hearts….

We love you Bean… counting the minutes until we can hug you and bring you home!

Sunday in the City, Deer

2009-08-30T16:42:00.001-05:00

As I walked into my living room Sunday morning I was blessed by this lone deer in our front yard.

So gracefully she sipped the morning rain water that had gathered in pools along our parkway.

As an added gift she turned toward our bay window as if to say, “I know your there. Take your best shot now.”

Like paparazzi after a celebrity, I attempted to follow as she headed back to the woods.

She slowed as if looking for a hidden door.

Pausing, she turned and looked directly at me before walking through her magic door and back into the safety of the woods.

These photographs were taken Sunday, August 30, 2009, at 10;15 a.m., in the 300 block of North Porter Street, Michigan City, Indiana. The woods is in front of our home and is surrounded by houses on three sides and the South Shore train tracks on the fourth side. This is not the first deer to be sighted here in the middle of the city and we often have herds during the winter wander through our yard. We are so blessed to have this patch of seemingly untouched nature within our daily few.

2009 ~ 1969

2009-08-17T23:43:00.001-05:00

The more things change the more they stay the same.

In 1969 if you were younger than 30 years old and over 10 years old you were considered part of the Woodstock Generation.

It was the generation of Peace, Love, Understanding, Enlightenment. Celebrating the diversity of Mother Earth.

Out of the turmoil of assassinations, the Kennedys and Dr. King, along with an unpopular war causing unrest on college campuses and in many communities across the nation, the unrest of civil rights and a not so great economic climate, Woodstock was an almost inevitable happening. As was the Democratic Convention in Chicago just a few years earlier.

The decade of the 60s saw the birth of some of today’s greatest movements and achievements. We sent men to the moon and discovered that we could save the earth by hugging a tree.

Yet 40 years later we can not guarantee equal rights to all, either by races, gender and/or personal sexual preference. We are yet again in the midst of wars that grow more un-popular by the hour, a world-wide economy posed for fatal collapse and more willing to hug a tree to save it then to embrace our fellow citizen who may need medical insurance in fear of “socialism”.

What has become of the Woodstock generation? Sadly it seems we have grown into those very adults we rebelled against so long ago.

We find those peace loving, tree hugging, celebitorians of diversity now as over paid CEOs lobbying for more bail-out dollars for corporate America (Government involvement please) while rallying cries of less government for those in need of medical (health) insurance.

Guess we haven’t changed that much after all… we still want it all and believe we deserve it….

Balancing Siblings

2009-08-13T15:15:00.001-05:00

I daily give thanks that I am not the Octomom. Not that I do not love children, as I do and had three of my own.

Tom and I are now very proud and happy parents of two Pugs.

“Okay,” you say, “These are dogs for crying out loud. How can you begin to compare them to human children.”

Well, let me tell you. Siblings are siblings, in skin and in fur. Were there are two or more, be assured there will always be jockeying for your undivided attention.

As the senior ranking Pug in Residence, AJ (he is my Puggy-man) is feeling that his space and time has been invaded by an alien being. He is ready to join the Boarder Patrol and send Jelli Bean back to what ever land she may have come from.

At the great age of three years in is moving into young adulthood and has left some of his puppy ways behind in childhood. While Bean is a bundle of hyper energy and wanting to play the way puppies play… a nip here and a yap there. AJ even refers to his sister as Ms. Wigglebutt Yappybaby when she is tormenting him. He will also go to great extremes to be as far from her as possible

Without growls or snaps he just gives a look of, “Why me? What did I ever do to you?”

These tormented looks have brought on guilt and tears from me. I knew he would have to adjust but I did not really think he would make me feel hurt and that I had betrayed him. Yet let her cry or let him think we are hurting her and he is right there to investigate. I think he is just waiting for her to get bigger and not be so nippy and yappy, since he has forgotten what he was like as a pup.

Meanwhile our little 1 pound 5 ounce Jelli Bean is growing into a great personality of her own. As of August 6, 2009, she is tilting the scales at a whopping 3 pounds 12 ounces. She is catching up to where she should be at 10 weeks of age so I guess we are doing something right.

Bean has also learned there is no need to gobble her food as there is no one else she needs to share it with. AJ will not eat “dog food”.

We are delighted and amused as our two youngest children, AJ Hoosier Hug Pug and his sister Jelli Bean, grow in love and trust.

As you can see, AJ is falling under his sister’s spell. Although she is sightless in her left eye having suffered an injury at four weeks of age, the girl is personality plus and full of determination. She has no fear and tries to climb everything, not giving up until she has succeeded.

She will steal your heart with a single glance. As she seems to have done with her AJ and to us as well.

Tom and I are doing our best to give equal quality time to each of their needs. We have Mommy and Daddy time for each separately and jointly, which seems to make sense to the kids.

Dear Ms Anniebelly Bossybritches

2009-07-23T17:09:00.001-05:00

Hi, I am Jelli Bean, but you may call me Jelli or Bean. I have heard a lot about how you just seem to know how to handle your misbehaving brothers, Howie Pee and Java Cheesybritches and I need help.

As the sister of AJ HoosierHugPug ;o], who seems to have the reputation of being a tough Grilla-Guy and does not want any of his buddies, like Howie, Java, Louie or CurlieMoe know he may just have a soft spot for his new sissyfur… ME!

Now, look at this face! I ask you, how could he not just love me? My problem is I want to play and he just keeps running from me. Now I chase him and want him to chase me but he just won’t. I love to play and so does he but right he won’t play with me. What can I do….

Oh, AJ has a special name for me, Wigglebutt Barkiebaby, I think that means he really loves me but just don’t want to let it show. I know I love him and my forever moms & daddy.

Moms said I should ask you for advice on how to help AJ realize how much he really loves me too. I will watch for you advise and remain AJ’s, cute, cuddly baby sissyfur,

Jelli The Bean

Well, Moms Done It Now…

2009-07-23T12:01:00.001-05:00

Hey Howie, know what is going on at my house?

Well, I will tell you.

Moms has been praying for another pug. I am not sure why when she says I am a pug full, but she was. Then last week she packs up a bag and some stuff… leaves the daddy and me and off she goes.

“I am going to see Auntie Sandy,” she says. She is my BBs (Best Buddy) CurlieMoe’s mommy, as well as his sisters, Ms. Oprah and Princess Leia. They live in a far away land called Virginia. I wanted to go with her but the moms said I had to stay and keep an eye on the daddy.

Well, long story short, she was gone a long time. Two whole night sleeps and many naps later the moms came home. But, she was not alone.

“Look, AJ, I brought you a baby sister,” says the moms. I know almost right away this means trouble. I remembers when your “baby sister”, Annabelle came to live with you and Java. I thought I would have a puggy stroke. (Howie, please do not let those innocent eye fool you… she is smart and plotting something, I can just tell! She may be tiny but she is mighty…. at one pound 8 ounces… all trouble!)

Well, the moms and daddy is calling her, Jelli Bean. Or Bean, or Jelli, or Princess Baby… ugh… almost choke on that one. I call her, Wigglebutt Barkiebaby, cause she wiggles all over and gives me this yappy toy bark like I am really going to listen to her.

Bean has her own bed, food and toys. Know what she does… eats all her food likes we is gonna take it away and then wants to eat mine. She just hops over to my dish and starts eating. This is very rude, right? She really needs to learn some puggy manners… like ask and wait while I decide if I wants to share.

I know you is locked up and down while your knee gets better but if you could find a way to let me know how to handle a Wigglebutt Barkiebaby I will be forever in you debt.

Your Pal in Indiana

AJ HoosierHugPug ;o]

Princess Jelli Bean

2009-07-15T17:41:00.001-05:00

Oh, I've seen her in person, she's as delicate as a feather, small as a thimble, pretty as a rose bud and faster than supersonic pug speed, even speed demon AJ will have his paws full.... she is also an extremely charismatic little thing, and yes she would have fit in my pocket! Auntie Aveline

After asking, begging and giving final ultimatums, Tom has agreed that we can venture into the land of multiple Pugs.

There is a very true saying that Pugs are like potato chips. You can’t have just one.

Princess Jelli Bean, aka Jelly Belly, The Bean, Lil Sprout, Princess, PJB, or Darling, is the daughter of Leia and CurlieMoe Ashby of Grundy, VA., and the niece of Oprah Ashby, Grundy. The union of Leia and CurlieMoe brought a total of 28 puggy paws into a world of Love! Five of Jelli’s siblings have found forever homes near Grundy.

Jelli and her brother, The Goblin, have had to travel many miles to their forever homes. Goblin is living near Baltimore with Auntie Avie, while Jelli will be arriving at her Hoosier Home this weekend.

Hold on AJ, just a few more days and your sisfur will be home.

Oh, Tom, AJ and I want you to know we are very thankful for this gift of Jelli. We know you will love her as much as we do and as much as you love AJ.

It’s Not What You Say …

2009-06-06T22:19:00.001-05:00

My mother’s words blared in my head as I read this posted sign at a local Middle School Saturday morning.

How often she would warn me it was not so much what I said but how I said it that got me into trouble.So it would seem with the administration and staff of this school.

The words, “Students Released at 12:15” made me think that inmates of this institution were being let loose into a world not prepared for this action. With a State Penitentiary located just across town from this school, it was not such a leap to connect the final day of school to the release of an inmate after serving his/her time in paying for his/her crime against society.

How much more civilized would the statement on this sign had sounded if they had chosen to use, “Students Dismissed at 12:15.”

Once again proving Mom was right… It is not what you say, but how you say it, that matters.

Hey Moms ~ I Love Wet Weeds

2009-06-03T20:10:00.001-05:00

Need any more be said. Little Pug-man AJ HoosierHugPug just loves walking, crawling and rolling in wet weeds.

Waiting for Summer 2009

2009-06-03T19:46:00.001-05:00

Sand and surf at the ready for the arrival of Summer 2009

On a gray, cool overcast June 2nd, the Lighthouse at the Harbor into Michigan City stands tall and silent as it awaits the riotous days of boaters, water skiers and swimmers.

Pleasure craft moored in the Washington Park Marina are also waiting to the days of Summer while a lone Seagull seems to be looking for the direction to the nearest food supply.

The air temperature on this cool June day never reached 65 degrees. With only 12 weeks for a ‘Summer Tourist Season’, warmer temps need to arrive soon and stay a spell.

For us locals, this is still one of the most beautiful sights God has blessed us with. This quiet time allows us to enjoy this blessing to it’s fullest.

Good Intentions

2009-05-30T14:11:00.001-05:00

Every day I awake with the resolve that today I will write an entry in this blog.

With drink and food near by, (I am actually working now from the kitchen table, how convenient can we get?), I open and fire up my new techno toy, the Acer Aspire One Netbook. Oh, had I not mentioned this new addition. Of course not that was a blog I meant to write three or four days ago….

Pictured here is the exact likeness of this wonderful new toy. Only to my great surprise and enjoyment, this is no toy. And it is my intention to use this to not only blog regularly but to respond more efficiently to emails and other net needs, what ever those may be…

But as you can see, my problem is that I get distracted very easily. Once again, my good intentions have been led astray.

I am not sure if I suffer from ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) since at 66 years of age, can one suddenly be a victim of this disorder. Or could I have been suffering for all these years and just not known what to call it? I always blamed my ease to become board and distracted to the fact I am a Gemini and have dual personalities…

See this is just what I was trying to say. I intended to blog on one thing and have gone spinning in two or more other directions.

Well I did have good intentions. Maybe tomorrow I will be able to concentrate more and give full devotion to this bog… Or maybe not.

My Daddy Is Only A Picture

2009-05-25T00:00:00.000-05:00

This is the only way I have ever known my Dad. As a picture Mom had hung on a wall, and in stories she shared with me.

There were not too many of the stories as Mom and Dad had married during World War II, just before he was to ship out for foreign lands.

Dad was a Chief Petty Officer in the United States Navy and a gunnery expert. He had been stationed in Michigan City, Indiana where there was a gunnery school as an instructor. Mom told how they had met at a local dance held for the men stationed here.

With his orders to ship-out the young lovers wed at Great Lakes Naval Station in Great Lakes, Ill., north of Chicago. It was not long before Mom’s was “with child”.

In January 1943, Dad, who was now stationed at the San Diego Naval Base preparing to ship out had been called to defuse a large gun on a battle ship during training maneuvers. According to articles in the newspapers, the gun had misfired and when Dad had reached to release the safety on the gun, the live shell had already began to spiral backwards and exploded. He suffered massive internal damage.

Mom traveled to be at his side and on February 2, 1943, George R. Novak, U.S. Navy, weighed anchor for his journey home. Dad had wished to be buried at sea and respecting this, he remains lay off the coast of San Diego at the U.S. Naval Station.

I made my debut on May 25, 1943. Three months and 23 days after his death. According to legend, Dad had told my Mom that if I was a boy not to name me after him. But if I was go be a daughter, to be named Georgette. (She was upset that I would be named after some “stinky material.” Wish she could see just how expensive this material is today!)

Though I never met my Dad and only know him through my Mother’s memories, I was and am proud to call myself a Navy Brat.

I still recite at sunsets, “Red at night, sailor’s delight. (A sign of fair weather to come) Red in the morning, sailor’s take warning. (Not so smooth sailing ahead.)

As a toddler I was given the honor to lay a wreath on the waters of Trial Creek on Memorial Day to honor our Naval Heroes. Today, 66 years and 23 days after offering his life that I may live in a country of Freedoms, I stand to salute you, Dad, and all the men and women who have sacrificed so much for we, the few.

Mom’s stories were far too few and over the years her memories grew even more painful to recall. Dad is a hero but I salute my Mom for the courage she had to continue with their dream.

They are together at last and I pray they look and see a daughter they can be proud of today as we Honor all our Heroes.

Pre-Memorial Day

2009-05-24T19:46:00.001-05:00

Forever Remembered

Forever Loved

Simple Saturday

2009-05-23T21:57:00.001-05:00

Remember when we looked at Saturday almost like Christmas. This magical day when we could sleep in pass the alarm. A day we knew there would be no classes, no homework and we could stay up so late… way pass the late news.

It was also the day for clean sheets on the beds and the fresh smell of Pine-sol on the floors.

Sounds of a pinging bell from the Texaco Station across the street would float through the open window along with the intoxicating fumes of freshly pumped gasoline. There would several young boys with their rides (cars) parked near the work bays with the hoods up, standing look deep within the innards of the auto. Mack, the “auto guy”, would help these boys with changing spark plugs or tightening belts. Sometimes, we would see one of the younger boys run to a pump to help pump the gas for Mack, while he worked his magic under the hood so the boys could “cruise” later that evening along the “drag.”

Oh yes, these were the Simple Saturdays! Yes there are times I really long for those Simple days again.

Blessings

2009-05-22T17:44:00.001-05:00

Signs that the long Sleep of Winter is over.

Life returns to a slumbering earth.

Those in love begin to think of wedding bells

The first signs that the warmth of Summer is just around the bend.

From the first glimpse of Poppy buds, my heart seems to pump just a little faster. I know that soon the Rice Paper like petals will soon blaze their Orange glow across the edge of our lawn.

For weeks I have not allowed anyone near the tender shoots with weed choppers or mowers for fear of losing the beauty about to be born here and having to wait another 365 days.

Oddly there are no imperfect blooms. Just the glowing orange red with the deep purple eyes greeting the warm Sun of Spring. Sadly it seems I am not the only one who waits for this Heavenly display each Spring. As I try to daily chronicle the progress of each bud to bloom, with hopes that they will form seed pods to insure next year field of splendor, I notice large holes where entire plant has either been ripped or dug from their home.

To whom ever is in such dire need of this Gift from God, they have a surprise as these flowers can not be transplanted and grow only from the sowing of their seeds. I doubt that they , whom ever they are, will even read this much less any thing to learn about Poppies.

So I will try yet again, as God will allow, to wait until next Spring to count His blessings in my field of Orange.

Two Wrongs Do Not Make One Right

2009-05-18T18:50:00.002-05:00

Do not hide your wrong doings behind our children. Imagine where they could be today had you not done away with these programs in the first place.

For as long as I can remember my home town, Michigan City, Indiana, offered career courses at our high school.

I grew up with Isaac C. Elston High School and St. Mary’s Roman Catholic High School as the only available institutions of higher learning before either college or entrance into the work-world.

At Elston (City) there were “Shop” courses offered in Automotive as well as Machines. While not wanted to stoop to the “Back in my day…”, but in the late 1950s and early 1960s a young man or woman could graduate high school and be equipped to enter a job in a factory, office or even begin a family having taken Home Economics, typing, shorthand and bookkeeping, as well as be ready to head to college.

The A.K. Smith Center, was home to a complete auto shop where students as well as residents could take their cars to be worked on, from oil changes to complete transmissions replaced.

It was in the early 1990s that teachers as school administrators decided that these types of courses were not pertinent for our young people as to preparing them for life after school. Not everyone is potential college material. Not everyone wants to be college material. But in not preparing our young to take a place in society unless they go to college, we have built generations of seemingly hopeless and helpless citizens. We have equated their value to a piece of paper that in many cases is not even worth the ink it is printed with.

Michigan City Area Schools (MCAS) has a history, recent history, of not really providing a well rounded education for the children of the school district. More worried about appearance then content.

Now, unable to admit they, (Administrators and teachers) rushed to eliminate programs that helped equip young people to enter into a work-world, they added to the fry many students that are presented a diploma that may not have the skills needed to read said diploma or even understand what that parcel of paper signifies beyond “party time.”

Shame on all of you who now hide behind the banner of wanting to help the “children”, when you have been far more involved with – class size, number of “teacher days” or what ever has preoccupied your thoughts while children have sat in classes un-taught and learning that no one really cares.

You also want the Taxpayers in the MCAS to give you the go-ahead to spend nearly $40 million dollars to rectify your screw-ups.

We all love these children and know that are not just our future, they are our NOW! But two wrongs will not make this or anything else right.

Vote NO on Tuesday, May 19!

Made the Cut

2009-05-12T14:35:00.002-05:00

A few weeks back I was asked to submit several paintings, along with other members of the Michigan City Art League, for possible inclusion in the groups new brochure.

I offered two watercolor pencil works, the one above and my latest attempt of catching the spirit of my pug, AJ. Never in my wildest imaginings did I think either would have a chance.

First, I am not a watercolorist in any shape or form. Second, I am just overjoyed when anyone looking at one of my endeavors can even begin to recognize what it is I had tried to draw and paint.

Well, just today, May 12, I got a call from Rose Petersen, president of MCAL to inform me that my Spring Dune was picked to be in the new brochure.

Pinch me… I think I am still dreaming. This has given me a resolve to keep trying to expand my inner artist. It is so easy to become discouraged, when we look at our work through our own eyes. So often we are our own worse critics.

Thank you Rose and MCAL for this honor and from the bottom of my heart I will never be able to tell you or show just how much this has meant to me. It came just when needed the most.

Rambling On …

2009-05-04T12:38:00.003-05:00

OMG! I have crossed into the Twilight Zone for real.

As I checked my morning paper The News-Dispatch I was some what surprised that they are actually attempting to get into the 21st Century by Tweeting.

You heard this right. The News-Dispatch is on Twitter.

Now I think this is a good move that they are making. Only hope they are more responsible in learning how to make it work for them and not against them.

As a former part of the print media as well as the Online world, it really pains me to hear of newspaper closing. Even the Boston Globe is having its problems.

It is very easy to most writers, editors and publishers to cast the stones at the Internet and say all their woes began with the World Wide Web. (Blame Al Gore for this as well, as the “Father” of the www.)

Several news outlets have caught on that it is better to let the world wide web work for you then to spend endless and meaningless efforts to thwart what is here.

CNN has a great relationship with the internet as well as Twitter. All hosts of CNN shows have Twitter sites as well as CNN itself.

The BBC as well at the New York Times. It is far past the time that regional and “small town” news media get with the 21st Century.

I am truly hopeful that with this step my own community will realize we are part of a much bigger picture.

We are a global people very hungry to know what is happening in every corner of the world. There is no “small news”, just something that someone somewhere is seeking to know. It is the media’s responsibility to bring it to the world’s attention, by every means that has been and will be made possible by the world of technology.

Welcome to the 21st Century! It is here and not leaving for another 91 years.

Wanderings Of An Aging Mind

2009-04-17T16:35:00.002-05:00

Also Known As ~ Life Is A Crap Shoot

As many already have guessed, I am not among the clearest of thinkers and confess openly to being of the Senior Generation.

Most of this week after Easter has been a blur. Do in part to my battle with a Spring Flu-Bug. Add into this mix an aging (rapidly) mind and other, “out side influences”, it is often a surprise that I am thinking at all. But then my wanderings here could be proof positive that I am not and should be or could be helped by being placed in a, “home.”

As you may have guessed by the name of my blog, I do have a tendency not to always hit the bulls-eye in my ramblings. I am literally “just off center.”

Even AJ HoosierHugPug seems to have rolled a “snake-eye”, in his attempt to beat the house odds. Perhaps he needs to hang out with some one graced with more luck than I?

Now, where was I again? Right, Spring Flu and wanderings of my fevered aged mind.

Easter Sunday was a bright, sun filled day, with just a slight chilly hint that Winter wanted to linger a bit longer. Monday and Tuesday. found Winter’s bad boy, chilly rain, drenching any post holiday plans. It was during a fitful rainy-day nap on Tuesday that this Spring Bug caught me in his grip and is refusing to let go.

Wednesday & most of Thursday were total losses to wild bouts of stomach-tossing and fevered sleep. The haze of days where dotted with futile attempts from Tom, the hubby, trying to force Pepto Bismo, Alka-Seltzer and food into me.

Like most animals, excluding human males, I just wanted to die alone, with hopes anyone coming upon my remains would respect my last wishes.

Not only to my surprise but those of the hubs, I seem to have survived the worse of this bugs attack and will recover to pre-Spring-flu condition.

Not right on center, just off Senter a bit. But then, like most of us, this could be your “normal” too.

Spring Returns Home

2009-04-05T18:44:00.003-05:00

Spring is known as the time of re-birth. Renewal of the promise of life.

It is also a reminder of home, family and hope.

Some families keep close and seemingly tight ties from one unit to the next. Daily contact and weekly gatherings are their norm.

Some families have a looser bond. A monthly phone call or even the once a year card for the big holiday or maybe if lucky a birthday.

Which ever the situation there is the ties to a firm corner stone called family that in times of need, trouble, doubt and hopeful expectation we turn to for the strokes and hugs of the familiar.

More important is knowing, no matter what, no matter how far, no matter how long since one has left there is always a road home.

There will always be a hug to greet and a warm plate of food. A bed to rest and a shoulder to snuggle into for comfort.

Home may not have the answers to your questions or woes, but home hold no judgment and allows you to grow. Home is where we seek refreshing time and to know that the roots are still supporting us when we feel alone.

A personal rule I strive to live by is this; There are no strangers here, only family we have yet to meet.

As long as there is a Sun, Moon and the heavenly stars, there will be a Spring. A reminder of life, past, present, and the promise of what is to be.

Yes, thankfully, like the Seasons, we all can find our way home. Again and again and again.

Lining the Bird Cage

2009-03-24T13:31:00.006-05:00

Personally, I am not a technophobe.
Over the weekend I even graduated to an iPhone.
So I could feel connected to my virtual community of the ehterworld no matter where I presently am at, with FaceBook, Twitter, MySpace and every form of instant messaging, for fear my noisy want to be informed life will miss out on something BIG.

I am also one who feels totally lost with out my newspaper. On the days my Trib is not in the yard I am disoriented and lament how I will ever be able to fall asleep with out the late night reading of my paper. When customer service tells me our account will be credited for the missed paper, through gritting teeth I explain, "I just want my paper, now!"

Sadly, rough times and "economic instability" hits everywhere and everyone. It was announced today, March 24, 2009, that another newspaper will abandon it's print edition and be an online only news source. http://tinyurl.com/chuwrx

I love my online news and as stated am not afraid of entering, living and functioning in the new age of technology. I rejoice daily that we no longer have to rub two sticks together in order to cook our food or warm our dwellings.

I love our Rain Forests and lose my breath at the grandeur of a Giant Redwood. I cry for the Polar bears and the disappearing of any species of life. That is why it is so sad to see even one aspect of the news media being tossed to the wind so to speak.

Where and with what will be fashion our paper airplanes or those tiny sailing ships that float in the basin in Central Park?

What will those who are or will be sleeping under bridges use to cover and warm themselves with? I personally can not envision them wrapping a laptop or iPod around their feet to keep warm.

Rover will soon need to be "laptop" trained in the quest of being "housebroken", and Tweetie's bird cage will be lined with an Apple Nano!

And Civilization as we know it will never be again!

Brushing Up The Brush Strokes

2009-03-18T10:30:00.012-05:00

A humble attempt to capture the character and personality of my pug~love, AJ. Besides being my second best buddy, he is my muse and true confidant.

Wisdom of the Dynasties

At last the brushes seem to be willing to follow my commands. This is not usual for me and watercolors. I have found that most of the time I end up with a "gray like" blob that I try to explain was to have been either a country escape landscape or reflections of a vase of Summer flowers.

Here is my attempt at "loose" use of watercolors that I have called Spring Gold.

Thank goodness as I was working on this my husband at least knew he was looking at "yellow flowers."

It has been too long since I had even looked at my paint box much less picked up a brush, but that goodness the paints were not dried out and the brushes still we soft.

The Michigan City Art League and a great friend, Mary Bolinger has given me hope that I may still be able to enjoy brushing up my brush strokes! Thank you so much for being just who you are!

This photo was my inspiration
for AJ's portrait.

I still want to do this in oils/acrylics

When I Am Old

2009-02-28T17:32:00.003-06:00

How many times during the procession from "childhood" to "adulthood" did I declare in bold voice, "Well, when I grow up...", ending as often with what I would not do as with what I would do.

Not so oddly there is a poem about "When I Am Old I Will Wear Purple" by Jenny Joseph.

Never at any stage have I feared wearing purple. I even had a bright orange leather coat along with a bright yellow one for Spring-wear. As I have grown older my color range has broaden to include wacky patterns and Zebra glamor galore. From jewelry, shoes, purses, wraps, dresses and yes pant suites. Breaking with the expected and the norm is just my way.

So Purple smurple.... who knows what I will wear when I grow old. Like Ms. Joseph, I still have a rebel soul that is unwilling to bend to conventional forms just because someone says this is what should be.

As I face what some would say are the later years in this procession of life, I continue to explore just what it is I really want to do when I grow up. Which is my way of saying growing up and/or older is one in the same.

To never loose the wonderment of a child at a new discovery is something to hold on to dearly. To have dreams for a tomorrow that can fill your todays is something to strive for. Keep a rebel spirit and you can not go wrong.

Ask questions. Do not be satisfied with "pat answers". Continue to seek your truth!

Follow you gut! Go with what you know in your heart is right. Don't look back... keep a forward stance and know that somewhere someone will look and say, "There is someone who is living life their way!"

When I am old I will not only wear purple and zebra prints but I will be young enough to wonder who it is that determines who is old.

Hard Work + Love = Special Treats

2009-02-23T12:53:00.012-06:00

AJ HoosierHugPug enjoys the Snow Patrol

He dreams of the special treats he earns for doing the job of keeping cats out of his yard.

It is a long and never ending job as those cats can be hiding behind the next snow mound!

Thoughts of the Chicken Livers sautéing on Moms stove fortifies the working pug to push on!

The aroma greets AJ, sending tantalizing sensations through out this excited pup!
"Oh boy! I am all set for this!," thinks the salivating Pug.

After being told that the livers need to cool, dad suggest they take a ride.
"Oh Boy! This is really my lucky day!," AJ barks.

There is nothing like Puggie Love as AJ snuggles with moms on his ride.
"This is the life! Hugs from moms and chicken livers to eat when we get home!"

"Ah! Now I can just relax and dream of what I will do when I catch that cat! Wonder if moms will give me a whole chicken when that happens!"

Snow and More Snow

2009-02-04T16:48:00.003-06:00

Images from the latest Lake Effect Snow that has been hitting us for 24 hours now. It is still falling. Even if we wanted to surrender no one would see the waving of a white flag. Think about it!

A Gift of Love

2009-02-04T00:00:00.002-06:00

On Loan From Heaven

The Creator in his wisdom allowed you to enter this world through us and to give us 12 and a half years to know your love, kindness, laugh and joy.

Too soon we had to return you to your home with the Master of All. We find it hard to believe it has been 33 years since we heard your laugh or felt your hug. So often we seem to hear a faint whisper or feel a gentle warmth that can not be explained and we know you are here with us to let us know everything will be all right.

We love you even more today and know you and your brother wait together for us to reclaim our place in our circle of LOVE!

Until then, "Good night sweet prince." We slept, with hopes of pleasant dreams!

Snow Birds (aka Wintering in the South)

2009-02-03T22:56:00.010-06:00

Canadian geese march through Washington Park as if on a holiday picnic. Hundreds of geese and "wild" ducks have come to reside year round on the Southern Shores of Lake Michigan as locals have fallen into what could be a bad habit of feeding the flocks of once migratory birds.

Here three geese head for the parkinglot as vistors drive through the park and despense bread and corn to the hundreds of geese that gather to block the road ways. The birds have become to acoustomed to human contact that many will approach your car, eat from you hand and always try to imped your forward movement.

In the frozen waters of the boat basin two geese stroll across the ice as they head for the roadway and scraps of bread and corn.

Flocks of geese and ducks huddle on the ice and under the now winter abandoned piers to protect themselfs from the cold fridged North wind that whipps across the frozen Great Lake Michigan during the long winters in Northern Indiana.

As a way to provide fresh water for these water fowl the port authority has allowed a "bubbler" pipe to run in a small area for the birds to have the ability to drink, and continue to eat the plankten and fish that come into the basin.

Late Tuesday afternoon (4:30 p.m. CST) a Winter Storm sent Lake Effect snow back into the area. This is a photo of our side yard that has been white since early December. By 11 p.m. CST there had been an additional seven inches of snow added, with predictions of at least another seven to ten before dawn on Wednesday.
The frozen fingers of winter seem to not want to release their grip on our homes gutters, as snow continues to fall and temperature again plunge below zero wind chills.

Frozen Crimson Beauty

2009-01-26T10:48:00.006-06:00

During a recent snow storm it seemed like nothing living could or would be caught out in the depths of the wind, snow and sub-zero climate. But somehow these Crimson beauties still sang their song of praise from the Bittersweet bushes that grow wild in the woods.

On the same day the birds sang we watch from the warmth of our home as a "tailless" cat may have been stalking his dinner. All though he really did not appear to have missed too many dinners at all!

There is a family of "Feral" Cats living in the woods, but we are not sure if he/she is a part of this most secretive clan.

Seems like just yesterday

2009-01-22T21:13:00.001-06:00

Who could these two young dreamers be?

You got me! Yup, it is Tom and I, and it just seems like yesterday.

On February 28, 1970, we had our first date, (Which ladies, I asked him on.) and we have not been apart for longer then a few days since.

Thanks Mom for bringing this joy and happiness into my life.

What a journey we have had. What a journey we have. Thank you Tom, for traveling with me and allowing me to travel with you!

Are You Ready? Well Come And Get It!

2009-01-12T22:43:00.004-06:00

It is almost February and we will all be going High Def Digital or go dark. Really... now what is with that?

Is this about the biggest hoax that is going to or has been played on unsuspected citizens of this planet or what?

We fuss and baulk at any talk or thought of a government run medical program. "Oh, I don't want to live in a country that has socialized medicine."

Okay, fair statement, but we all, like lemmings, seem to find it acceptble to live in a country, on a planet that will give us (at a price that is) socialized entertainment that we beg to have in nearly every room of our homes.

Every time I hear the phrase, "Are you ready?", I truly want to scream, "Hell No! And I never will be."

And if we are really honest here, can anyone of you really tell the difference in a High Def Digital Program as to a None-High Def Digital one.... Now be honest!

Hell No! And God only knows what the "signal" is picking up and sending back to "Big Brother." Remember George Orwell's', 1984?

It was P.T. Barnum who said, "You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time."

Bet he is doing the 360 in his grave right now....

Don't Faint! It Is Really Me!

2009-01-12T11:26:00.007-06:00

Coffee and Ideas ... Maybe this will wake me up and get me motivated.... they say an Arctic Blast is heading this way. Ummm, maybe a pot of chili is in order.

Now this should take the chill off the bones and add some gusto to the day!

Happy

2009-01-01T11:48:00.000-06:00

Happy

Michigan City Santa Parade 2008

2008-12-11T18:34:00.002-06:00

Baby it was cold outside. But the brave of heart and spirit would not give in. Maybe we should try having Christmas in July...

Traditions and Memories

2008-11-23T12:29:00.000-06:00

Most, if not all of our fondest memories relate in someway to food.Food, that is essential to life, is what life is built on and around.As many prepare for the Annual Thanksgiving Day food orgy we remember not only family and friends from past feasts but the dishes set before us.Aunt Bea's braised beans, Dad's Deviled Eggs, or even Busha's Lime Jell-O molded salad...

Recently my cousin Patty, reminded my of this holiday tradition and wondered if I had the recipe. Not wanting to seem ungrateful to our Grandmother and our shared memories I assured her I did... Well, I didn't but I hoped I could find one close to Busha's that it would pass.A search for Lime Jell-O recipes led me to a very unlikely source and to the exact recipe...

Google led me to www.ashtry.com I know the name almost turned me off as well and I am a smoker.To my surprise I found the exact recipe I was looking for and more. The site supposedly belongs to a Léon Brocard, aka Acme. But all of these links just seem to deepen the mystery of this site and the person or persons responsible for all the wonderful and delightful food and memories to be found here.How Léon managed not find and collect the links to all this wonderful food and then give us a way to search for our memories not only by name but by ingredient is amazing and awesome. Like me, so often we only know what was in a dish and then more often then not, just one or two items. You can not even do that at the Food Network. So if you are searching for that one dish that mean the entire holiday to you or your family but can not recall how to make it... check out the recipes at Léon's, who knows you may just find Aunt Bea's Braised Beans there as well.From where I sit, Just Off Senter, it is true what old Will Shakespeare said, "A rose by any other name will smell as sweet." Remember not to judge a site by it's first page.

Oh and while you at it....

Autumn in Indiana and New Adventures

2008-11-14T10:57:00.002-06:00

There are songs about Autumn in New England, but from where I sit, this Mid-western scene is none too shabby.

The golds and reds are as vibrent in the Hoosier Sunshine as they could be anywhere.

As awesome the view may be it is sadly a reminder that all too soon we will have vistas of white to stare at for what will seem an eternity.

Take care not to go snow blind... it can and has happened.

As from where I sit... new adventures are on the horizion... I have retired from the hectic world of punching a clock and now am reconnecting with home and years of "I'm too tired this weekend" housework.

This should all prove very interesting as we, husband, pug and I adjust to this new or shall I say returning role as Domestic Goddess... Rosanne was not the first you know....

See you all soon, now that I will have more time to spend exploring and expressing my just off Senter views.

One = YOU!

2008-11-02T10:00:00.005-06:00

Vote!

Be Heard!

Be Counted!

From the coal miner in West Virgina to the CEO of a Fortune 500 on Wall Street, male or female there is one moment in a true Democracy that all the members of that society are equal and worth more than any monetary amount.

It is in the seclusion and solitude of a voting booth, where all differences of real or imagined social status disappears and the real importance of One is revealed.

That ONE is YOU!

There will be no one here asking YOU to reveal if you are Blue or Red. We will not pry into you heart and minds to ascertain how you feel at this "historic" point in the life of our country. We just ask that you take the time to VOTE on November 4th, 2008!

Then on November 5th, 2008, whether Blue or Red, that we all join together to work on the healing and renewal of our American Dreams.

By Wednesday, November 5th, 2008, you will realize how important One can truly be. You will know how important YOU have always been!

That is how we see it from here, just off Senter

The Ends Insigth ... Hold On Just A Bit Longer....

2008-10-26T12:24:00.006-05:00

Hold on just a bit longer (for 8 days from now, to be exact)!!!

What seems to me to have been several lifetimes ago this political nonsense started and for all this time we (the people of this dear land) have been bombarded with, "Pick me!" "No, pick me!"

Both, Obama/Biden and McCain/Palin claim they know what is ailing the country and they have the cure!!!

Know what it is????

CHANGE! CHANGE NOW!

All four of the aboved named are college grads, or they have attended institutes of higher learning. Well ,I am here to tell you and them, a high school drop out knows that much (and in many cases, more).

Blue State or Red State, America is a land of hurt.

The "band-aids" that have been tossed out across the land have not even begun to dress the gapping wounds of two wars, an economy that is non-existent, and families feeling near hopelessness.

Look around you. Just down your street, how many have or are about to lose jobs because the company has, or is "downsizing". Which is PC for, "Hey Buddy, your fired!"

How many are standing to lose their homes? Their cars? Their families?

Whom ever does "win" on Nov. 4, 2008, will not have an easy road to travel.

We American's have grown accustomed to quick fixes. Just pop a pill and all will be better in a hour or two. Or at least the pain will be dulled.

Sadly there will not be easy fixes for the ills we have all contributed to. Many caused because of our addiction to quick fixes.

Do get up and vote. It is the single most important thing you can do in you life. Don't just think your voting by wearing an American Flag Pin. Be brave and show what your heart is wearing. Get into the Polling Booth on Nov. 4, 2008 and VOTE!

Then, even if your not so incline to pray, this may be a good time to grasp this habit and begin to pray.

Pray for and with whom ever the mantel of leadership falls on. Their desire to stand at the helm of this great and mighty ship will be answered. As I see it, there will be no quick fixes or easy answers. We will all need to roll up our sleeves, and prepare to work together as never before to put this country back on course.

Hold on tight America, this could be a very bumpy ride.

Anyway, that is how I see it from here, just a bit off Senter.

Tough Love for Another Fine Mess....

2008-10-12T14:53:00.006-05:00

Parents have been told by many "experts" that when a child proves to be headstrong, will-full and hell bent for self destruction to use tough love.

Perhaps that is what we need to do with our "children" in DC and those spoiled rotten kids on Wall Street. Take a stance and just say NO!

Hold your breath, stomp your feet, and make your threats... NO MORE FROM US.

Sometimes one has to fall, and fall hard before they can get back up and act right.

Well, any way that is how I see this here fine mess we are in, from here... just off senter....

Bonnie and Clyde - A Tribute To LOVE!

2008-09-07T13:00:00.007-05:00

It is a given that to love means having heart aches and pain.

Does this fact mean it is wrong to love or that we should never love? It is only by allowing love, with all its pain, in to our lives and hearts that we can grow to understand what a great gift life is.

Love and loving is never wrong… never! Neither is the pain we feel when suddenly the ones we love are taken from us.

Clyde and Bonnie, siblings that could only meet as they did at The Rainbows Bridge, were taken all too soon from their family, who loved them both and struggle to understand how and why in less than two months, two very young and loving pups where called from this earthly realm to one where we pray someday to reunite.

FLOP had chosen “Little” Bonnie as their September FLOPStar and her Mommy, Angie, was so happy and proud. Which made it all the more painful that she had to inform us of how sweet Bonnie had gotten ill on Wednesday, Sept. 3, and quickly what seemed to have been a reaction to some puppy shots or that she had been exposed to something at the veterinarian’s office had made her very ill. By early Friday morning, Sept. 5, Bonnie could fight no more and went to meet her brother Clyde at The Bridge.

Clyde fought very bravely the effects of diabetes during his short life but the battle proved too much for his fragile body and he journeyed to The Bridge just weeks before Bonnie arrived with her forever family.

It is with a very heavy heart but with the knowledge that for all who love and have loved, we do so not in vain but because that is what life is about… LOVE. Without Love we have no life and nothing to live for. We choose to love even when it hurts.

Clyde and Bonnie’s mother even felt that it was Clyde who led her to Bonnie. Knowing that they are together now may or may not always be of comfort, but we hope they now await the arrival of those they love.

It is because of this love that FLOP has chosen to honor both Clyde and Bonnie as our special September FLOPStar Angels.

We hope you will join us as we celebrate these two young pups and the Love they have given and taught us to have for all.

I'm Almost PO'd

2008-08-25T21:53:00.001-05:00

This really isn't like "almost being pregnant," and you can get your dirty minds out of all the gutters.... this is not the PO'd your thinking. We have finally ended 18 days of Olympic portions of the Beijing Olympics and 18 days of China Propaganda and politics.

Nothing was seen of real life in the worlds most populated country where one third of all humanity is subjugated to military rule in the guise of a liberated free-trade based economy.

How many billions to put on a show for 18 days? No matter what the number it was too much and showed where we humans have put our priorities. This is almost enough to make me PO'd!

The smoke from the Beijing fireworks has barely cleared when we Citizens of the "leader of the free world" have turned our attention to the Big Show in Denver. The DNC Convention.

One after another stands before the cameras and speaks of CHANGE! Not do not misunderstand me here. I am all for change and not at all for what we have had, thanks to the Supreme Courts appointment of George W. Bush nearly 8 years ago. My problem with this uproar for change is were was the uproar 8 years ago? We coward and crawled into our turtle shells and did not want to hear about chads, dangling or not. We allowed this to happen. We may have even allowed the devastating tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001 by not crying out at the injustice that had occurred just months before. This is almost enough to make me PO'd

Denver seems to have chosen to be the overture for the debacle in Minneapolis the following week, when the Republican National Convention with continue with their version of the Good News Express. They too will stand before us ensconced with red, white and blue, bands and balloons, lulling us into a state that they know better they the other side what is best of each of us.

I will admit that right now I do not even know what would be best for me to wear to work in the morning but I do know I want to be the one picking out what is best for me to wear and best for how to live my life. This is almost enough to make me PO'd

Warning: A politician is a politician. It does not matter what banner they march under or what platform the profess, they are a politician. Like you and me, they come in the male and female variety, they can be big or small from the North, South, East or West. They all will have more money they us and each have a way of wanting us to believe they really do understand what we are going through. Remember they are first and foremost, POLITICIANS! This is almost enough to make me PO'd

My grandmother had a saying for almost every situation in life. Two that come to mind today are:

"Be careful of what you ask for, you just may get it."

"The more things change, the more they stay the same."

Now I will tell you what is meant by being almost enough to make me PO'd...

I am propagandized and policticalzied out and off! That does not mean I do not care, for I truly do. I love my country and my rights, our rights. And I ask now that you join me in November by registering to vote if you have never voted and get yourself to the Voting Place by any means possible. Then, and only then, will we have the change we long for, if you and I care enough to get involved and raise our voices by voting. If not, that will almost be enough to get me PO'd one more time!

August in Indiana

2008-08-15T13:31:00.001-05:00

August in Indiana somehow signals the ending of our Summer! The sun sadly is just a bit lower on the horizon and perhaps not as warm as some of us would like.

County Fairs are winding down and State Champions are being chosen. Armies of Yellow School Buses can been seen winding around country roads as drivers relearn routes. Since July 5th stores have been stocked with School boxes, backpacks, reams of paper and Number 2 yellow pencils.

You can see despairing moms trying to convince a head-strong child that they will not need a wool sweater for the first day of school. For as sure a there are green apples the week school begins the heat of summer will return, full force.

August in Indiana has hit local beaches as well. Beginning the week of August 18th, the Life-guards will only be on duty on weekends through Labor Day... The time of the long shadows has even reached the shoreline... Signaling the all too soon returning time of Winter......

Pause and Refresh

2008-08-10T17:26:00.001-05:00

Tequila Mojitos

What you will need: A tall glass, sugar, mint leaves, limes, a lemon/lime soda and TEQUILA......

2 teaspoons sugar
juice of one small lime
several mint leaves
Muddle in glass until sugar is dissolved. . Add tons of ice
Shot or two of Tequila... your favorite
Add lemon/lime soda to fill glass...

Pause & Refresh.....

Job Reviews Part 2

2008-08-02T20:13:00.002-05:00

Since we agree that job reviews can be a bit demeaning I was thinking that perhaps it is time we united and gave meaningful and real reviews of our jobs!

Questions that should (must) be addressed are as follows:

General work conditions.
Break times and Break room conditions. (This question could be broken in to two separate and equal components if so desired.)
Bathroom facilities (Are they cleaned daily, weekly, monthly or never? Is bath tissue provided ? Is there soap for washing of hands? Is there a means to dry wet hands? Does the bathrooms smell? Good/Bad)
Is there ample parking for employees and is it in close proximity to employee entrance.
How soon does the insurance kick in?
Paid holidays.
Paid Sick Days.
Paid Personal Days.
Wellness/Wholeness Days.
Short and Long term leave.
If doing computer work, are you given a break from gazing at the screen and typing every hour as suggested by OSHA. As a working in a desk job you are also more likely to have the possibility to form blood clots. Does your employer provide ample leg room and time for you to move way from your desk and walk around to keep the blood flowing.)
Are you allowed to have fun during the work day?
Is there a possibility of "out sourcing" the position you are now employed to do or to be "down sized" in the very near future?

Now these may not seem all that important to someone who needs a job, but when given some thought these are very pertinent questions to one's working conditions and peace of mind. Personally I believe it is the workers right to know the answers to these and what ever other questions you may have before accepting a position or agreeing to sign you latest job review.

Disclaimer: It is not suggested that you implement this review without much thought and perhaps know before hand this is just for your personal files. In no way should you ever send a Job Review of your company to any member of the company's board or executive officers. The order of the above questions are not necessarily the order of importance. They are just the random musings of a nearly senile old woman.

Job Reviews

2008-07-20T12:45:00.004-05:00

Job reviews are unlike any reviews known to human kind, as all workers will attest to... fess up, you know what I am saying is the truth.

Movie Reviews are rated on the star system. Four Stars = hit. One Star = 'da bomb. Restaurant Reviews are rated on the knife, spoon, fork system. Four of any one knife, spoon or fork = lines around the block and reservations well into the next millennium. One knife, spoon or fork = site of new parking lot....

The worse type of job review is the "Self-Appraisal". It is a lot like Russian Roulette... wonder if this dish will run away with a knife, spoon or fork????

As I prepare to fill in the blanks I am trying to find just the right words to convey that I am very much a team player without seeming to be the whole team. Hopefully if done correctly I could be awarded anywhere from 1% to 3% more money or as much as 6 cents an hour more.... Oh be still my heart... at this rate I will make the "high rollers" league in another 100 years!

You are handed these pages and asked to evaluate yourself. Too glowing and you chance being looked at as braggart with a bag of hot air going for you. Too modest and you chance being looked at as filled with false modesty and fishing for complements. It is a total No Win situation!

Wish me luck... if you don't see or hear from me you'll know one of two things... I didn't get any % and could no longer afford the luxury of Internet access, or, I got the 3% and am out celebrating... Anyone know where you can get a 6 cent beer?

Life of a Pug's Social Secretary

2008-07-13T15:39:00.000-05:00

This just may be a statement of the times, but one of the most important jobs I have is to keep AJ HoosierHugPug's Social Calender in pristine order and see that he is not late nor forgets an appointment or commitment to his many social events. It is also part of my responsibilities to see that he is properly attired for the events which he attends.

AJ, who is a Pugminstrator at FLOP, on Dogster, tries to daily connect with the many active members of FLOP's Grilla Guys Club, where they are known for their good deeds to the community and a place where the guys can just chill, have a few Pugwisers or "Ice Teas", enjoy a card game or two, talk about the latest sport standings, smoke their prized cigars, the Grills have an endless supply of their favorite food and well in general just be boys. From time to time they will tolerate invasions from their FLOP sisters, The Monkey Girls, only to have to chase them from their piece of the Pugdom "jungle" when the girls start wanting to "frill up" the club room.

AJ also finds that he is called to join in the active adventures of his furiends at Spoiled Pugs (SP), where he is a member of the House of the Blue Swift Warriors and The United Pug Foundation (UPF), as he is a skilled swords man and has a keen aim with a water gun.

As you can see by AJ HHP's latest picture he is dressed in full battle armor as he prepares to join in UPF's dragon hunt. It seems this tiny pugdom has been plagued of late with fire breathing dragons and all able bodied pugs and pups have been called upon to fight off these hordes and restore peace to all the realm. Oh, and if by chance the warrior's capture the dragon's golden eggs, that would be a bonus for the pugdom.

Since the battle will rage this very evening, I do believe it is time for a short but powerful Pug-nap so AJ and his wearied social secretary will be able to fight the good fight...

Oddly, I find his calendar is far more full then mine. Wonder if he would give me tips on my Social Skills?

FLOP

2008-07-11T09:26:00.007-05:00

When AJ and I first stumbled on to Dogster, similar to My Space, but for dogs (there is also Catster, and your right it is for cats), little did we know what a life changing and enhancing day that would be.

At Dogster you have every bred of dog God has created and some extras, but unlike most humans, the furkids there just seem to get along so well.

Being a pug, we went looking for pug people and found some really great new friends. The first group that I wandered into was For The Love Of Pugs. FLOP!!!!

Everyone there made us feel so welcome and at home! It wasn't long before AJ was wanting to play with his new friends everyday. He soon discovered he was making friends around the world and they all had one thing in common... how to get more treats from their humans! They, the pugs and pups, would share their secret plots and coy maneuvers of twisting we humans to do their bidding.

Mean while the humans share, through their furkids, tips on how not to be maneuvered by the coy brown eyed "child" begging at your feet. If we are honest, the begging works 99% of the time.

We share the good times, when house-training works and the sad times when one of ours has made their final journey to Rainbow Bridge.

We bow heads and fold paws if one of our loved furkids is ill, we also share our experiences with illnesses, special diets and rescuing pups who have extreme needs.

AJ & I just want to salute the founders of Dogster and acknowledge the vision they brought to us and so many others. We also want to thank our FLOP family, for that is what we are, a family... for all the love and care and FUN we have every day.

God's Sanctuary

2008-07-06T07:14:00.006-05:00

I love Summer Sundays! Well, early mornings of Summer Sundays.

That time just after sunrise and before the city awakes. When there is still the quiet, broken only by birds in praise of the day. No car horns, cell phones or human voices to distract from the cathedral like grandeur of my surroundings.

I love sharing this time with my pug, AJ, on the first walk of the day. As he stops to inspect his territory for assurance no breach had been made, I can converse with my Creator as I thank Him and His angels for safely bringing me and all those that I love safe through the night, only to present me with this gift of creation, a new day.

As AJ wanders from patch to patch, I can see the bees collecting their early morning pollen and a caterpillar softly nibble at a succulent leave, storing up energy for the soon transforming process to butterfly.

Here there is only my thoughts melding with my Creator's as I affirm that this is all good. I can take time to enjoy the hosts of choirs singing praises to the Lord.

Yes, there is something so special about Summer Sunday mornings when you can feel the true greatness of God, in the sanctuary He has made.

July 5th, 2008

2008-07-05T00:19:00.003-05:00

From the Front:

As this is being written, it is just about 12:30 a.m. on July 5th. While there could have been a Peace accord signed in some warring part of our world, one would not know it from the sounds of rockets and exploding missiles streaking for the nearest tree line.... When will this insanity stop?

Taking cover in bed, perhaps by dawn the crazies will have run out of fire power and also retreated to recoup supplies and replenish their armaments for tonight's attack upon the city.

Happy 5th of July.... the day on which our Forefathers should have made firework illegal!

Sounding a Wake Up Call!

2008-07-04T13:38:00.008-05:00

Refusing to listen, does not make it not so!

Once again we gather and drape ourselves in Red,White and Blue, as if this is the true sign of Patriotic Pride.

We question our newly selected presidential candidates about their Patriotism and judge by what they wear in their lapels.

Unless the meaning of those colors and the fibers of the material is woven into our hearts, it is all in vain. For a man is judge not by what he wraps himself in but by what he embraces and holds dear.

As we gather to celebrate the 232nd anniversary of the day we declared our Independence from Great Britain,and reflect on what so many have given that we may be here at this time, we need to ask, what are we willing to give to insure that 232 years from today, the torch of liberty, freedom and justice still burns strong. Beckoning to all who refuse to follow blindly into the abyss of fear.

One can only wonder when will we regain the spirit and courage of our forefathers? When will we stand up and say," No More."? It is prayed that today be that day. Together, united, we can defend our Independence.

"And you shall know the truth and the truth will make you FREE." John 8:32

For we live by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7

Meltdown: The Economy & Oil

In a special program looking at issues surrounding oil & the economy, trends analyst Gerald Celente appeared for the full show. He was joined by investment adviser Catherine Austin Fitts & Matt Savinar in the last hour.

The dollar has lost 41% of its value during the Bush administration, and we're going to see company failures so big they won't be able to be bailed out, like Bear Stearns, said Celente. He cited the Federal Reserve, which functions as a private company with no congressional oversight, as one of the major problems. Predicting food & gas riots, as well as tax revolts, Celente suggested diversifying your savings among a number of banks, if you have more than $100,000.

Catherine Austin Fitts commented that the demise of Bear Stearns may have been a hit job, "cannibalized" for the good of other finance companies. There is an effort underway to centralize the economy and shift assets away from local communities, she warned. Fitts described these efforts as "economic warfare" being conducted on a global scale, that is fostered by technology and "invisible weaponry," such as satellites. The US economy is being purposely "pumped and dumped," she noted.

Matt Savinar said global oil supplies have plateaued, and with lessening oil reserves it becomes increasingly expensive to bring up the remaining oil. Prices will continue to skyrocket upwards, he suggested, as we enter the down side of "peak oil." Tapping unused reserves in the United States and Canada will only postpone the problem for a short time, and the theory of abiotic oil is a kind of misinformation, Savinar argued. The oil crisis is an "economic 9-11," and we're going to see a crash worse than the Great Depression, Celente added. in the third hour, and oil expert

From July 3, 2008, Radio Show Coast to Coast AM . If you have never listen before, now is the time.

Independence Day!

2008-07-04T02:22:00.006-05:00

This image of the Declaration is taken from the engraving made by printer William J. Stone in 1823.

Do Dummies Blogg

2008-07-03T19:37:00.005-05:00

Go on say it. You know you want to. It is nothing I haven't already said a thousand times.

There is a book, website, and a know-it-all for every situation and condition known to mankind. After a few weeks of "blogging", which by the way is not a word accepted by a computer's dictionary, (ummm, wonder what that's about?), reading different blogs and those of my friends, I began to think, "Why am I doing this?"

I never wrote a diary when I was young. I took some "journaling" seminars a few years ago, which when I look back or re-read seem really dumb. So why would I even try to put my thoughts, my opinions, my words out for the entire world to see and read.

In an effort to show support, my husband bought me my on copy of Blogging for Dummies 2nd Edition. Now I am not too sure he meant that I was being dumb or that this entire Blogging is dumb, but the authors of the book seem to be the really smart folks, as they are making dollars trying to tell us how not to be dumb about blogging.

In just 384 pages you too can learn that possibly only Dummies Blog and Smarties write books about Blogging for Dummies that the Dummies pay to read.

Fireworks and Holidays

2008-07-02T16:30:00.004-05:00

I love to celebrate! Birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, all kinds of special times. What I do not understand is those who think we need to "practice" our celebrations!

We all know what I mean. Where I live certain elements have been "practicing" celebrating the up-coming 4th of July since January. You heard me, JANUARY!

Bang, pow, rip-pity rip... over and over. I keep hoping against hope with the next round set to explode at any time of the day and/or night, they will have found the magical combinations of booms and bangs for the great day and give it a rest.

Please, give us some rest!

I love the 4th of July, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Veterans Day, D-Day, V-J Day, Election Day, well actually I love all 365 days (plus one every four years). I just do not feel that the boom-bang-boom needs to be rehearsed for months in advance of the actual celebration.... and I do not think I am being a Grinch.

So, on Friday, July 4th, I will be safe inside my home, remote in hand, watching the Boston Pops shot from cannons, and New York Harbor aglow with pride... maybe a cool glass of bubbly, my husband and my pug... now this is Celebrating BIG CITY Style...

Oh Canada

2008-07-01T12:10:00.007-05:00

HAPPY CANADA DAY!

To all our family , Debbie, and friends who live to the North... May you know how much we here in the Middle love and appreciate all of you.

Pleas visit Debbie's tribute to her adoptive country, Canada!

We love and celebrate with all of our Canadian brothers and sisters!

Canada
The True North Strong And Free

Counting Days To Give Us Patience

2008-06-29T03:30:00.002-05:00

As children we learn, or attempt to learn the lessons of patience very early as we count the days to Christmas, Hanukkah, Birthdays and once in school the time of Summer Vacation.

As we seem to mature we continue the lessons of learning patience, counting the months until we can get our drivers license, legally drink something stronger then Coke-Cola or Pepsi, the days until graduation and Summer Vacation.

We enter the work world, thinking we have arrived at adulthood, what we have been so patiently waiting to achieve, so we can continue the lesson of counting the days until the weekends, holidays falling for a long weekend, and the time left until Summer Vacation.

While being schooled in the lessons of patience, we manage to accumulate stacks of calendar pages littering the roads we have chosen to travel as we learn the most important lessons of patience. Living for tomorrow on some happy and not so happy memories of yesterday.

Oblivious to today, except to be eager to have it gone, for we will be just that much closer to our objective day and perhaps even our Summer Vacations.

While still Christmas we can catch ourselves even speaking out loud,"Next Christmas (insert holiday or event) I am going to ask for, plan for, or have..." Seeming not to notice that what we had aimed for was now here. We even have been known to spend our Summer Vacations planning for our next extended period away from work, school, our so call routine life.

Somehow I have formed the image of humans, seeking patience while planning to learn, never learning a thing as we count the days until we can count the days.

Is that way the more things change, the more they stay the same? Could the lessons of patience really be about learning to be in the now... to see the world, enjoy the world, embrace the world given us today?

Learning to live Today as our Christmas, our Hanukkah, our extended holiday weekend. Taking time to live our Summer Vacation! How else will we know that, that time, day, place we long to be, has come unless we do?

As long as we are so busy counting, everything will stay the same, just beyond our reach, as we continue to count the days.

Morning Coffee

2008-06-26T21:35:00.003-05:00

Morning Coffee

Being greeted by the soft aroma of a fresh brewed pot of coffee, while still feeling the tender embrace of Downy scented sheets can only mean it is going to be a great day!

Here's to Morning Coffee....

What Time Is It? Check the Pug Clock!

2008-06-26T17:16:00.007-05:00

My husband and I have been toying with the idea of tossing out all our clocks. Not such a big thing to some people, but Tom seems to have collected a stash of time pieces over the nearly 4 decades we have been together.

There is at least one clock in every room of our home and possibly as many as three or four. Twice a year I have to hear his litany of the "Changing of Time," Spring Forward, Fall Back, but that is not a reason to rid ourselves of a mean of measuring the passage of the day.

For the past 20 months our lives have been blessed by AJ our Pug. He is the Pug Extraordinair, who has tried to teach his humans some form of table etiquette with a certain amount of success. He has also been laboring to teach us how to properly tell time.

In case you did not realize, as we had not, there is our time (human time) and there is Pug Time... and Pug Time is always the right time. Somewhere inside his trim, muscular physic, perhaps stuck tightly within the curls of his tail beats his "puggy clock."

With just seconds to spare, each morning he is ready to announce that our alarms will soon begin to spill early morning news and traffic reports into our sleep filled ears. With the patience of Buddha, he allows a time for us to do our personal morning things, before his puggy clock sounds the alarm that it is now his turn to greet and do his morning rounds of the neighborhood.

He also gives us the, "Do Not Disturb the Pug"look when it is puggy nap time. Allowing the proper amount of rest between activities such as dining, walking neighborhood patrol, and naps, he does manage to squeeze in "play ball time", along with "Hey, it's treat time!"

Precisely at 9 p.m. Central Time, (Daylight Saving Time as well) he begins to announce it is time to prepare to retire for the day. His Pug Clock has never been off or wrong. He knows that we will scowl and beg that "it is too early yet," but he continues his prodding none the less.

On evenings when he is somewhat more tolerant of our behavior, or sensing the baseball game has not yet ended, he has allowed us another ninety minutes of "play/snack time."

We have come to accept that without fail, this Pug Clock is far more accurate and attuned to not only his needs but ours.

Pugs seem to need a great amount of restorative time. I was even told that Pugs sleep nearly 18 hours a day. I can not prove that true, but I know if I were to follow closely my personal Pug Clock I would more likely feel far more rested and ready to meet life's challenges.

We can tell you this, we would save a ton of cash on batteries along with the frustration twice a year of setting or resetting each timepiece we have if we just would learn to rely on the self winding Pug Clock, who keeps waggin', lickin' & waggin'.

Which by the way the perfect way to begin and end each day is with ... Pug Hugs and Kisses ....

It's You Day --- Celebrate

2008-06-25T00:00:00.003-05:00

Surprise!

Happy Birthday!

Today is our "baby's" birthday.

Happy Birthday dear Daughter. May this year bring you the contentment you deserve, the security you need, and more love, love, love!

We love you and are ever proud of you! (Yes, Christmas is just 6 months from today!)

Mom, Dad & AJ.... & ( your baby) Zero

Summer Sounds Remembered

2008-06-22T20:15:00.000-05:00

I love the sounds of summer. From the quite pre-dawn calls of the woodland birds to the mid-day clamor of youngsters at play. There is just something different about Summer Sounds.

Weekends that begin with the swoosh and swash of a push lawn mower, or the zroooming of a power mower that continue with the spit -spat of the sprinkler set to encourage the next weeks growth, lend to the ear a different meaning of life.

Time seems to hang, almost suspended and surreal, as you hear the clink and clank of swings and the giggles of youngsters as they spray themselves and each other with the cold relief of a garden hose.

As evening approaches there come the tingling sound of bells, mixed with calliope music that grows ever louder and then the gleeful shrill, "The Ice Cream Man," resounding a call of attack from every yard for blocks.

There is that quite time just as the stars of Summer begin to dot a darkening sky, then the soft coo of a dove calling to her mate to return home for the night. Silence that is broken by the distant song of a far off train carrying people and produce to far away dreamed of destinations.

These are the Summer Sounds memory has held for dreams.

Etiquette 101: Fine Dinning (It Pays To Have Manners)

2008-06-21T10:59:00.000-05:00

Hi, this is AJ HoosierHugPug ;o]

As the Pug of the Realm, I know how to present myself in public. It is always best to have impeccable table manners. A lot can be learned about your character by how you conduct yourself in public and around food. And with more restaurants adding Out-Door Dinning, the chance of being invited to one of these finer establishments have increased greatly. It is our hope that all Pugs and pups can learn a valued lesson and be included in the family's night out.

"Thank you, this table is perfect."

When taking you seat at table try to make eye contact with the person
who is responsible for seating you. It is also wise to look around so you will know exactly where your table is located in case you have need to leave and then return. You do not want to seat yourself at the wrong table. After placing your order, you may continue to examine you surroundings and your table.

When being served, thank the person who brought the food you ordered and remember

Give Thanks for you Blessings!

Choose a portion of food, trying not to look as if you are playing at the table, enjoy you meal.This means no scarfing of your food. Remember you're not at home, no food fights.

It is proper to end you meal with a relaxing tummy rub and even to catch a few "ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ".

Now we hope you will not only be invited to enjoy an
evening of fine food and company, but that you will be known as a Pug Extrodinaire!

***Disclaimer for ASPCA:
No Pug was harmed in the process of making this instructional and informational seminar.
No food or treats were wasted in the making of this instructional and informational seminar.
See Slide Show at right for full detail pictures of a AJ's dinning tips.
Thank you and we hope you will watch for future instruction and information on Pug & Pup manners!

It's Summer

2008-06-20T20:59:00.000-05:00

Summer Dunes

At last the time most of us dream of nearly nine months of the year!!!

It's Summer!!!!

The Big Surprise! Thank You Tom!

2008-06-20T16:06:00.000-05:00

It has been several days since I found time to make an entry... I attempted to write some yesterday but as I logged in there was a knock on our front door.
There greeted me a young man wanting to know if we would be interested in getting our parking area black topped...
Okay... where is the hidden camera... what's the joke... Would we be interested...

How much?
When?
How much?
Are you joking?

He was not joking... and the "How much" was something we could afford. Maybe not such a big thing, but it was to us as we have wanted to do this for a very long time...

Before

After

No more weeds, mud and rocks... and it only took two hours and no hidden cameras...

Sometimes it pays to answer the knock at the door....

See the full pictorial at http://picasaweb.google.com/GSSenter/ParkingPaved

And some video at http://youtube.com/gssenter

I Did Do It! & Tom Owes Me BIG TIME!!!!

2008-06-18T10:10:00.000-05:00

Dear Mr. Jarvis,

Thank you for saving a 38-year marriage.... We had not because we asked not... You are the GREATEST.... Your fan forever, Gee

John Barlow Jarvis' latest release

View from a Southern Porch

Enlighten Truth

2008-06-16T12:21:00.001-05:00

Oh seekers of truth, let my introduce you to the Enlighten Ayatollah Mugsy.

If you have not heard his teachings or read them you are in for the most enlightening time on the Internet.

Mugsy has a point of view and a understanding of the world far beyond the normal intelligence of any living soul on this or any other planet.

Please do not just take my word, or anyone's word for this as fact until you have visited with this Holy and Devote Teacher of the Truth.

You can also visit Ayatollah Mugsy at his home on Dogster at http://www.dogster.com/dogs/409463
On My Space at http://www.myspace.com/ayatollahmugsy
And purchase Ayatollah Mugsy items at Pug Life Ministries
The Supreme Leader of the Nation of Pugistan, Ayatollah Mugsy does enjoy a humble abode in the large state of Texas, near the Dallas/Fort Worth area, and works closely with many Pug Rescue Groups around the State.

Great Dad's Day

2008-06-15T20:13:00.000-05:00

Hail to the Chief and Reigning King!

King Tom & Princess Lynn

As Dad's Day's go this was a very good one.

A quite morning and then out to dine with daughter at Bridges... Tom's new favorite place to relax and have good food and maybe a cold one. It was fun watching the boats and then taking a drive to the lake front. You could see the storm clouds starting to form so it was home for us. Just in time to see the Cubs beat the Toronto Blue Jays... this made Tom's day complete.

You can see a slide show of the days pictures to the right of this posting.

We hope all Dad's had a great day and spent good time with all their loved ones!

Buddy Day aka Father's Day

2008-06-14T20:40:00.000-05:00

It's Buddy Day

Right from the first I knew Daddy was a push over. I didn't even have to use my puggy look, he just grabbed me from Mommy's arms and began to fuss... I had him forever in my grip.

Now I was meant to be Moms pup, but even on the very first day, it was Dad who insisted that he would take me out in the mornings. He would come home for lunch, so we could eat together and make sure I got sometime in the grass. Dinner time was the same... soon my Buddy and I were inseparable...

I learned how to hook up DVD players and install all kinds of electrical gadgets. My Buddy aka Dad, loves gadgets. Even though Moms will cook my food, I will not eat unless my Buddy is here to eat with me... this kind of upsets the Moms... but hey... we Buds stick together...

I just want to tell my Big Daddy that I loves him and am so glad we are buddies. I love having him chase me as I run with his sock or try to fit into his shoes. He know what treats I like the best and makes sure every day they are all laid out so Moms won't get confused and give me something I won't like... like dog food....blah...uckkkk...

So Dad, I hope you enjoy this Father's day... and know that I will be eager to do all the
Buddy things we do... like long early morning walks, sharing your lunch, and grabbing your socks... And I will even see that you get to rest and protect you while you nap...

Thanks Dad... I think you know... I love you... I am so thankful Moms brought me home to YOU!

As told by AJ HoosierHugPug to his Moms

The Wonders of Nature and New Discoveries

2008-06-14T12:49:00.000-05:00

Life is one of those things that just seem to happen best when we are not really looking.

Nature always amazes me! With all the chaos in the world, nature manages to retain it's order and continue the ebb and flow of what is at the core of being.

I had seen the mother and father of this family for several mornings on my way to work. Finally I just has to try to capture how well they had managed to keep their young one in tow while leading them into their new world.

From the safety of a hidden nest, each morning the parents led their brood across a well traveled road to reach the banks of Trail Creek. There I am sure the young received lessons in how to manage the water way filled with pleasure seeking boaters and thrill seeking fishermen.

After a full day of lessons, well taught and dutifully learned, the parents would gather the young once again on the banks of the creek and begin to retrace the morning journey to the safety of their hidden home across the busy road.

I am so thankful they allowed me a few glimpses of this remarkable journey into their new world.

Oddly they even seemed to enjoy the radio program I had been listening to while filming this remarkable family unit.

If only we humans would take as much time and care to prepare our young for their world discoveries.

Friday the 13th

2008-06-13T22:02:00.000-05:00

Knock Wood, I am not a total superstition freak. In less then two hours I will be able to say I survived the one and only Friday the 13th of 2008.

No black cats or need to walk under ladders. It has been a very decent and somewhat uneventful 24 hours. The rain held off so we did not have to open an umbrella in the house nor did we have hats on the bed.... see I said I wasn't a total superstition freak...

Now if only we can all survive until January 21, 2009... That is the challenge now set before all of us... Crossing fingers, toes and eyes... hanging strings of garlic and gathering bottles of Holy Water in attempt to stave off the Conservative blood suckers... GWB aka John McCain the count is on.....

Random Thoughts of an Aging Sort

2008-06-13T19:42:00.000-05:00

Watercolor pencil drawing of a Sunset on the Southern Shores of Lake Michigan
Lighthouse at Washington Park, Michigan City, IN.

Fine aged French wine. Aged sharp blue cheese. Aged Japanese Kobe Beef.

Just three items that makes one salivate with delight over the aging process.

Now add to this mix our own aging and quickly faces grimace, bodies shake and voices rise in denial.

How well we accept the age of what goes into us but find unacceptable the age we have achieved.

While it is popular to say 50 is the new 40 and 60 the new 50, in actuality for the majority of mankind (and this includes womankind as well) that is just not the case. We seem to adopt this way of counting as yet another mode of denial of the reality of life. (If your allowed to survive this long, this will happen to you... face it.)

Now at 65 years of life, I personally have no desire to say, "I am at the new 55." No I am 65. Glad and somewhat relieved and proud to have reached this mile marker of life. Still putting in 40 hours a week, enjoying life with my husband of 38 years, still worrying over a mature 30 something daughter, and learning to look at life through the mystical eyes of our Pug, AJ.

I have no desire to turn back time to a long gone decade. I am thankful to have survived to tell about it not relive it.

There are days I may wish I had a lighter spring in my steps or less character lines greeting me each morning, but as my body, who speaks to me in the most intimate fashion says, "Been there, done that, I don't think so!"

Age and maturity has nothing to do with growing old or growing up. I will never be old as long as I remain in the NOW. Growing up is for those who choose not to dream. I will never give up dreaming.

From where I was to where I am, I may have come a long way. But I still have far too many things I want to try, places to explore and friends yet to meet. This journey has just managed to shift into second gear and I am ready to roll.

I'll be looking for you just around the bend in the road... I will greet you with a smile and a big Hoosier Hug!