Middle of the Week

Oh my gosh, did you see the debate last night on TV? I've never seen so many men go after a woman the way Edwards, Obama, Richardson, Biden, Dodd, etc. went after Hillary last night. You know the sad thing is that she really looked very pretty last night. The black and the brown were an interesting color choice and it looked quite good on her. But boy did they attack her on her stance (or opposite stances) on drivers licenses for illegal aliens and what the governor of New York (Elliot Spitzer) is trying to get passed. She seemed to lose her cool a couple of times....swapping barbs with Tim Russert. Why in heavens name does she want to be President?

I don't know who I'm for right now. The only man that I would want to protect my country as President right now would be John McCain. But the election is not until next year and A LOT of things can happen between now and then.

And Rush and Sean Hannity are having a ball making fun of all of it on the radio today. They are my other two co-workers besides Moon Griffon (if you read my earlier blog.) Some days they are funny, other days they yak too much and then there are a few days that they totally bore me. Or make me angry. Much like co-workers that everyone has.

My cousin Jean is a super cook. I have to qualify that. Everytime she comes to my house (she lives two doors down) for a football game or family gathering, she ALWAYS brings something totally unique and scrumptious. She brings basil pesto or garbanzo bean dip or bread from the Baton Rouge health food store. I have her recipe for cole slaw which is to die for and takes up a front page in my recipe diary (the bible of my lifehood recipes.) And now I am going to share with you her potato soup recipe that is sooooo good. By the way, her mother, Marjorie (*), who has passed, had a killer bread pudding recipe that I also have and may possibly share this holiday season.

Potato Soup

6 cups peeled and cubed red potatoes, 2 cups water or chicken broth, 1 cup chopped celery, 1 cup chopped carrots, 1/2 cup chopped onions, 2 tsp dried parsley, 2 chicken boullion cubes, 1 tsp salt, pepper to taste, 3 cups milk-divided, 1/4 cup flour, 3/4 lb. lite Velveeta (cubed).

Put first 9 ingredients in large pot. Bring to boil, cover and reduce heat. Simmer until veggies are tender. Put 1/4 cup milk with flour to make paste. Stir into soup. Add remaining milk and cheese. Cook on medium heat until thick and cheese melts.

It is sooooo good. I wish I had more time to cook. At one time in my life I was a chefette extraordinaire! But I love that Jean passes on her great recipes to me. She also got me growing basil on my patio this summer. The only problem is, I just watched it grow....I will work on actually picking it next summer and doing something with it. By the way she also introduced me to long leaf begonias which I totally intend to grow next spring.

I'm not very old but am feeling my age. I grew up Methodist and am very grateful for Westbury United Methodist Church in Houston, Texas. But when my Father died when I was fifteen, we joined the Presbyterian Church, which I am forever grateful for. And that church is Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church (where Jim and I were married) in Houston, Texas, and was one of the great saving graces in my life. Bob Ball and James Wharton helped me tremendously in my faith journey. They gave some of the most thought provoking sermons that I have ever been privileged to listen to. I miss that. I have not found anything close to that since I left Houston. Jim and I attended bible study weekly on Thursday nights with our study leader, Keith (along with 50 to 75 other people back in 1986-89), who was an inspiration. I remember many of his bible study classes but two that touched me the most were: (1) The night he described Christ's bones being separated on the cross (a close proximation of what I thought was the actual pain Christ went through on the Cross - it made me cry), and (2) the fear of making his brother stumble (he was on a flight home from California and ordered a drink next to a stranger who was an alcoholic.) This is the church now....

I so miss that but in MDPC's stead I have recently invented my own church service that I'm sure many of you also participate in one way or another every day. I hold church in the shower every morning, complete with prayer, the Lord's Prayer, the Doxology, the Apostle's Creed, the Gloria Patria, and a few other Protestant rituals.

Tonight I would like to give a prayer of love out to Nannette, Linda, Sarah, Elaine and Doris. Friends are hard to come by, lifelong friends are even harder to keep. Please be well, all of you.

Ruffinism for the day: What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies. -- Aristotle

Tuesday Afternoon

Well, Joye and I had JRG's birthday party at the office today. He's my boss and she's his wife. He and Joye got married last August and life has been just wonderful since then. She has a quick wit and can outwit him most days. They were made for each other. Here is a picture of them when they got married.

A jolly good time was had by all at the party as you can see.

This seems to be the year of the singing birthday card and JRG got tons. He also got some toys and books.....and perhaps a few x-rated emails. I won't give his age but he can go see the social security man tomorrow if he wanted to. He could also get a M-e-d-i-c-a-r-e card too. We have a lavish office. When it rains heavily, I have to wear my galoshes to go to the back. The bathroom fixtures date back to 1950. If you open the panel to the breaker box, there are squirels in there running on treadmills. And you could land the trauma helicopter on our roof. But don't let that give you a false impression of Mr. G's wealth. J. Paul Getty has nothing on Big Jack.

The phone call I always feared came this morning. Clif had an accident on the way back to Baton Rouge. He pulled over on a lady that was in his blind spot on I-49 in Alexandria. No one was hurt and there was not much damage done either way but it shook Clif up pretty good. And of course I wish I could be there for him. But he handled it just fine. The Alexandria police did not give him a ticket and I called State Farm and I guess the rest will go from there. Being that his age is 19, my insurance bill will now be equal to the national debt. His pride and joy before he scratched it.

When I was his age I had already been involved in two major accidents, one that almost killed me. And the sad thing was I was skipping school (juvenile delinquent) when the more serious of the two occurred. But actually the other one was kind of funny. My sister, the boy next door and I were out for a ride one night in my dad's baby blue Impala when we were in our teens. We were all in the front seat, my sister was driving and we were just riding around in our neighborhood. My sister stopped at a four way stop sign. No one else was there. She just turned the corner and plowed into a parked car WHAP! The parked car was in neutral and it started rolling down the street and hit another car. The front of our car was like an accordian, the hood was standing up in an upside down v, smoke going everywhere. I jump out of the car and start beating on the grass of someone's lawn screaming, "Daddy's going to kill us!" over and over again. Tim, our next door neighbor, was screaming at my sister, "Come on, come on, come on, let's get out of here before the police catch us." (Like the car would have even started.) My sister jumps out of the car and starts running down the street like she was going to actually escape the scene....and who should drive up but my Mom and Dad in my Mom's car coming back from a party. Well, it's some 35 years later and quite funny now, but I don't think my sister and I could sit for a week or go anywhere the rest of the year.

Ruffinism for the day: I told my doctor I broke my leg in two places. He said stop going to those places - Henny Youngman

Grifters

There is absolutely nothing worse in the world than a grifter. People who prey on anyone else, especially the elderly, should be drawn and quartered. Anyone who attains the age of eighty or older should belong to a club (The Over Eighty Club) that all of us should respect and revere. If you are an Octagenarian or older there should be rewards. Extra points, traveling, people to sit at your feet and listen to your stories, cheek pinches, tut-tuts, head pats, and extra long hugs. But there are some evil people out there that lie in wait for a weakness in character, a loss in memory, a lonely heart longing for comfort.....and BAM!

And on another note: Rest in peace Mr. Powell and Tracy. You were loved and thought of and will be prayed for by many.

I am the driving maniac. Get this: I grew up in Houston, Texas. I learned to drive in Houston, Texas. I cut my teeth on the Gulf Freeway (I-45 South) that has been "under construction" since 1955, yes 1955,
>

and on the Eastex Freeway (I-59 North) that was two-lane when we went to my Grandmother's house in Arkansas every summer from 1957 to 1968. My driver education class was on the 610 Loop back in 1970. SO WHY can I not drive the Oxford Road in Mansfield to my office (approximately three (3) miles) and/or five minutes...without swearing once. Don't get me wrong, I ask for absolution every morning in church (*) and a strong will to control my temper. But inevitably, someone will stop in the middle of the road (a Highway, no less) to pick up someone who needs a ride, or stop to say hi to someone, or drive 15 mph in a 30 mph zone. It's a small town, and it's infuriating. I could sit in GRIDLOCK Houston traffic for an hour when I was twenty going to and from the Galleria on the Southwest Freeway at 10 mph, listen to music and chill. But it absolutely kills me to drive to town on the Oxford Road at 10 mph because the man's only form of transportation is a TRACTOR!

So naturally, if you see a blue GMC Sierra plowing down the road at 8:30 in the morning, get out of my way, I'm late for work and I have a boss that times me!!!

Ruffinism for the day: Every man is a damn fool for five minutes every day, wisdom consists of not exceeding the limit - P.T. Barnum

Everybody's Working for the Weekend

Saturday could not come soon enough. Much needed rest. I LOVE when he is and Clif is in town. We went to Shreveport Friday afternoon to get him a new Northface coat to take back to Baton Rouge with him. He lives at his fraternity house, Phi Kappa Psi. And naturally Phi Psi is all about expensive clothing, Polo shirts, Polo jeans, Polo shorts, or Brooks Brothers is acceptable, Sperry Flip Flops, Red Wing Boots and now The Northface or Patagonia Outerwear. Maybe I should work at the mall outlet instead of for a lawyer. I might not be as broke. Meanwhile Jim is wearing Aramark work shirts and Dickies pants and I wear "The Avenue" (5 blouses for $100.00.) Who would have thought when we were just married that we would both give up fashion for the crumb cruncher we had - still even after he is in college!

Phi Psi has the honored distinction of having the lowest gradepoint average of all the frats on campus. Clif rushed in his freshman year and this year we thought it would be a good idea for him to live with other folks (since he is an only child) that are as clean and tidy as he is. Jim stayed with him one night at the fraternity house for an LSU game. Clif has a nice bed and a futon and Jim slept on the futon. The next morning, Jim was going to one of the communal bathrooms (of course no one in the house gets up before noon.) He slipped back to Clif's bedroom and shook Clif awake asking, "Clif do you know if y'all have any extra toilet paper?" Whereupon Clif rolled over and snapped, "God, Dad, what do you think this is....a hotel?"

The fraternity is on probation since Clif's freshman year. There was an incident involving homecoming, a flag and a flag platform in the middle of the LSU lake, and another fraternity and a board to the head of an adversary, and no names, and an investigation, and then probation for both fraternities. But most of the fraternity brothers seem fairly well behaved young guys. They have a house mother that they all swear is pocketing their food money. She fired the cook. And then set about feeding them fast food. Supposedly the food bill works out to $5.75 per meal that they are supposed to spend on each frat brother living in the house. She will go get them 2 cheeseburgers each ($1.00 a piece) at MacDonalds and they're all complaining, "Mom, where is the rest of the meal?" She just laughs and tells them that it all works out in the end. Obviously, there are no math majors here.

The house mom has a way of getting them back if they complain too much. One time, Clif cleverly thought that setting his voice mail to full on his cell phone would fend me off for a couple of days from finding out his first round of grades. These students are soooooo clever. I just called the Phi Psi house, Mom Williams is the only one who answers the phone or listens to messages. I heard she paged Clif all over the house hollering that he needed to call his Mother in Mansfield. He was horrified....he asked me NEVER to call him at the frat house again. I said, "Empty your voice mailbox Cowboy on your cell and it's done. By the way, what are your first round of grades?".......Like I've never been 20 in my life!!!!

Ruffinism for the day: I have never let schooling interfere with my education.- Mark Twain

My Leg Hurts

I'm obsessing over my leg...it hurts whereas my shoulder took the surgery so much better. (NO I'M NOT GOING TO SHOW YOU A PICTURE OF MY LEG) Doctor Haynie says part of the reason is because my leg is so much farther from my heart. I believe her, it makes sense. She also said I move my leg more, and that makes sense. But it still hurts.....I was late for work today because of it. I feel like the whole day is lost if I don't get to work on time. I am a morning person, meaning all my positive energy is in the morning and by midday it starts to wane. Guess they won't be asking me to dock the shuttle with the space station any time soon (they did that today and I think maybe there's a ding in one of the doors - here we go again). This is a picture of the shuttle crew this time,








the commander is a woman. Guess they're hoping this will begin a trend. Woman commander, woman president....well, i'm all for womens' rights and everything, but there are just some jobs in this world that should be for men only. Shuttle commander and President of the United States are two of those. Also, police officer, fireman....wait, ok, say you're walking down the street and are mugged and the guy wants to cut your throat....now who do you want to try to keep this nut from killing you, her?

or him?

I vote for him....

Clif is coming home for the weekend and am determined to get a picture of my little one for my blog because he truly is the light of my life. We had a wonderful love affair when was 2 years old, and 3 and 4 and 5. You know they just give such unconditional love at that age. We used to go for walks and kick leaves down the street in the fall, play at the park in the spring, swim in the ridiculously small kiddie pool in the summer, and even play outside in the backyard in the winter. Gosh, enjoy it, they get so old so quickly. Wait! I have an old picture of him on my computer....don't know why I haven't thought of it before....


he'll kill me if he ever reads this blog...that was when he was about four or five at First Methodist in Mansfield in Mrs. V's class 3 days a week. And those were his friends Sam Apperson and Will Adams. I forget why they were dressing up like that.

And with cell phones now, he and I talk more than ever but they just don't let you hug them like you used to. And they know you're not a god now. And they even tease you about your weaknesses!

Ruffinism for the day: There are only two things a child will share willingly -- communicable diseases and his mother's age. -- Benjamin Spock

Fall.....Out....and Overbooked

I am so excited now that we've gotten a taste of fall. It is such a welcome change to walk outside. The word "crisp" comes to mind. The words "pine needles" also come to mind as my yard and its 40 something pine trees are a pine needle wonderland. Now if I could only find a market for pine needles, I would be one rich woman. Let's see...pine needle wreaths, pine needle clothes, pine needle baskets...Nah, how about mulch? If I could just get Hodges Gardens to come get all of my pine straw...Actually there is the East Texas Pine Needle Co-op. It's a bunch of tree farmers that "harvest" their pine straw for mulch and make a fortune off of it. OK, I'm on it. But in the mean time if anyone needs some mulch or wants to build a pine straw basket, bring your rake.


I had my other surgery yesterday, the other basal cell carcinoma was removed from my leg. This time it hurts, as a matter of fact the pressure bandage was so tight last night that I had to loosen it and was afraid that I popped a stitch bending my leg getting into bed. Jim says I'm a walking medical miracle, with all my ailments. This is a picture of my carcinoma...

OH I'M JUST KIDDING, I GOT THAT OFF WEB MD. I would not show my carcinoma, much less the stitches. It's just stunned me how stupid I was not to put sunblock on, even in the last few years. I'm such an idiot.

Ok, Readers Advisory. I consult Overbooked.org or library journal before I actually order any book. At the bottom of my blog, I recommend Overbooked.org as one of my favorites. Take my word for it, this is a great websight. Click on Hotlists and Fiction and 2007 (or the year - she keeps changing the sight) and it will give you a list of books with all kinds of information - you may have to click back and forth between amazon and this sight to read about the book. The column you need to look for is Stars/Notes. Just take my word for this...Library Journal is the ultimate recommendation, along with Booklist and Kirkus. Publisher's Weekly is more like a recommendation from Sears. They recommend everyone. And I'm not familiar with Booksense. But if a particular book is on a prize list (such as Man Booker) and has recommendations from all of the above, you can bet it's worth your time reading. Now to the Khaled Hosseini books. I kept watching "Kite Runner" on the bestsellers list (and was lavished with praise on Overbooked) yet I never did buy the book. But when "A Thousand Splendid Suns" went on the bestsellers list and was praised by Overbooked, I decided I needed to give this author a try...THEY ARE BOTH SUPER BOOKS, go get them, check them out at the library, buy them, I have given away my copy of the second book and have promised the first book out. Jean will tell you, I have passed on some super books to her.

Ruffinism for the day: "The statistics on sanity is that one out of every four Americans are suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of your three best friends. If they're ok, then it's you. Rita Mae Brown

Rainy Days and Mondays

Oh, that headline reminds me of the Carpenters, and the Carpenters remind me of being at the lakehouse in the summer when I was a kid.






Well it wasn't really a lakehouse as you can see but we used to have tons of fun. It is where I learned to ski and ski very well at that. I could slalom and hold the rope with the other foot. Of course nowdays, the kids ski board and do flips and all kinds of stuff that I would not dream of back then, but I could hold my own with the best...back then. I listened mostly to rock but I loved Karen Carpenter and I loved her song "Close to You".



When I was about 14, I had a crush on my second cousin's boyfriend, who was quite a bit older than I was and I used to pretend to kiss him on one of the pine trees behind the lakehouse while everyone else was out skiing or on the pier. He was a tall tree but his lips were rough.....just kidding.



One of my best memories is when my sister, Becke, and I used to go up to the lakehouse in the 70's by ourselves and tow and watch each other ski.



The last time I "tried" to ski was when Clif was 4 years old. I had mouthed off to him about my skiing expertise, even taught him some of the signals you use when you're water skiing, thumbs up for "go faster", thumbs down for "go slower", etc. Jim was driving the boat and Clif was at the back watching me. I must have spent an hour trying to get up on one ski, beating the water, using a few curse words under my breath (sounding like a sailor) when out of the mouths of babes, Clif hollers from the back of the boat, "Is it time for the signals yet Mom?" Jim and I both fell out laughing, I got back in the boat and thought that would be an appropriate end to my skiing career.





OK, I have to tell you about the argument that Jim and I had the other day. Well, we don't fight anymore, we have one-upsmanships. Next month we will celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary and I do love this man and he loves me. We deserve each other in life. Anyway, Jim is under a lot of stress at work (he is the Public Works Director for the city where we live) and let's just say he does the work of more than one. He is known to be very vocal (at home and at work) when he is stressed out and that's just about all of the time now. Well, one morning last week I was leaving for work, in a hurry, late as usual, sweating from a hot shower. I have to take a ton of pills every morning and he's in the utility room vocalizing about what was to be accomplished for the day and I was too hot and in a hurry to listen to his vocalizations. So I made the plastic glasses in the cabinet clatter so I wouldn't have to listen to it. He came in the kitchen, grabbed one of the many blue plastic glasses out of the cabinet and said, "Here's some clatter for you..." and he promptly threw it on the floor where it shattered into a few pieces. I said, "Good shot", took my pills in a new plastic glass and left for work. Here is a twin of the dead glass (along with a lovely picture of my mustard formica that I know you are envious of...)





Jim cleaned it up. But when I came home for lunch, he did not. So I took the twin, drove to city hall and put it on top of the hood of his city truck. I then called city hall on my cell phone and told him if he was thirsty, he could go out to his truck to get a drink. Touche!





It's going to be cold!



Ruffinism for the day: A rich man is nothing more than a poor man with money....W.C. Fields

Election Saturday

I must give an update on our wine party after work Thursday evening. We started it last month at Sara's house and continued again this month at Jerry's. We just socialize and trade books around if we have them and drink wine. Topics range from politics to family to local news and I have enjoyed it very much. Jerry is hilarious. She's a retired Social Psychologist and has written a novel: ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS (by Jerry Beck). It is a super novel and I recommend checking it out at your local library or purchase it from a bookstore near you. She's had me in stitches numerous times. And Sara, well I just adore her. We met when I first dated Jim back in 1982, she was one of his Mother's best friends. And we got to know each other better when I worked at the library in '96-'02. She writes a weekly article for the local newspaper and researches her columns at the library. This is Sara and Jerry at JRG's wedding.

And Jean is family. She's Jim's cousin (and mine now). She has the quickest wit of anyone I have ever met. She's one of those people that has the perfect retort at the perfect time (something we all wish we had - but usually don't think of it until two days later). She works for one of our local Judge's. She has a close-knit family that I'm forever envious of. And she has saved my rear a couple of times in the last few years. This is a picture of her and her No. 1 hobby-entertaining her grandchildren (she has five now.)


Anyway, I enjoy our meetings. Next month it is at Jean's. And I will have to have it after that but since my house is so outdated..... I have the mustard yellow kitchen from the 70's that all of you would die for, I know...we may have to meet on the patio. Bring your coats. No, I'm kidding. Maybe I can decorate for Christmas and they won't even notice! AS IF....

Today is election day and I hope Bobby Jindal wins the governor's race outright. I voted early because my precinct is way out on the South side of town. Besides, I like voting downtown at the Registrar of Voters office, they always have the latest voting machines. When one votes on election day, one gets one of those "modern" metal, curtain pulling, lever turning machines. Jean is working the polls today in Grand Cane. I did it once but it is torture. Get this.....for a mere $100 we had to be at the poll at 5:30 a.m. on election day, and we did not get off until around 8:30 p.m. that night. I think if you do the math, it works out to less than minimum wage and the day is torturous. All of the newspapers, books, playing cards, and crossword puzzles cannot fill 15, yes 15 hours of sitting in a concrete building on a hard metal chair checking off names or explaining those 1950's voting machines to people who have never voted before or even have voted their whole lives and still can't remember how to use the machine. They have since doubled the salary but I'm sorry, that's two work days pressed into one. Jean is one brave woman.

The LSU vs. Auburn game was unbelievable. I watched it on our 42" lcd hdtv. Yes I chose creature comforts over redoing the mustard yellow kitchen. Maybe mustard yellow will come back in one day. I know Jim and Clif were crazy at the stadium. We have had season tickets for 7 years and I have not sat in the seats once. They're like eight rows from the top of Death Valley and I do not do heights. Like I said HDTV is fine with me, plus I get a little time to myself. Don't usually do anything constructive but by God, I get to read or polish silver, or fix the hutch light, or clean out the utensil drawer, without any distractions. Or perhaps have a nap without being woken up! It leaves me without a vehicle for the weekend but I shop before Jim leaves to go to Baton Rouge and as I have told him a million times: I love my home.

Ruffinism for the day: (Actually I typed this over two or three days, I know now that Bobby Jindal won a MANDATE!) - "There are always too many Democratic congressmen, too many Republican congressmen, and never enough U.S. congressmen." - Anonymous

Hooray for Friday

I'm off at noon today for a doctor's appt. I get my stitches out from my surgery. I was diagnosed with a basal cell carcinoma on my shoulder that I've had for over a year, just never went away. It finally dawned on me that it might be something more significant than a sore that kept coming up and sure enough Dr. Haynie (my dermatologist that I have not seen since 1999) said we were now going to be lifetime friends. I also have another one on my leg that has to come out next week. Who would have known back in 1967 that putting baby oil on and going out to cook in your bathing suit wasn't such a good idea. Jean mentioned last night when we were discussing it at our little wine party that she even waited until high noon to go out to tan so she could get the best effect.

And up until this last summer, when Jim and I went out on the boat, he would lather up (to the point of my laughing because he never rubbed the lotion all the way in) in SP45, and I would get him to throw me the Coppertone 4. So now I will be using SP45 and wearing a hat.




I want to give an update on my new keyboard. It's been a week and I absolutely love it! Get this, I type faster, am more accurate and for some reason I don't lose my place now. (That sounds like a miracle cure, doesn't it?) I type a lot of property descriptions: you know, the SW/4 of the SW/4 of the N/2 beginning at an iron pin for a point of beginning at 99 degrees, 07 minutes, 06 seconds East of the........Course I could just be having a good week but I really think it helps. Trish at Strategic Technologies swears by them. Actually, last night I typed on my computer at home and I felt like a man in a pair of high heels (how would I know what that feels like?) Cancel that, I was all over the "regular" keyboard sliding off the side of keys. By the way, that big deck at the bottom is where I rest my hands when I'm being lazy. I couldn't recommend this more - just takes getting used to.

Election day is tomorrow. I hope everyone goes out and votes for whichever candidate that will move Louisiana forward. I was born and raised in Houston, Texas, so this is not my home state and I do make that distinction. Louisiana just seems not to be able to control the corruption in its political realm. I watched Bill Mahr on HBO tonight at 10:00 CDT and he seems to be content to be a passivist when it comes to terrorism and U.S. defense (Can't we all just get along?) I'm sorry, I want the U.S. at my border (not in my house) keeping the bad guys out, defending our borders by being proactive. I can educate my son, or send him to an institution of "better learning." Donations to the poor, help the infirm and elderly. Lower taxes, let me defend my property and my family and I'll pay for everything I can afford including my health care. I'm middle class, I have worked since I was 16 years old and had a job at Joske's in Houston for $2.15 an hour. I've worked my butt off all of my life, I've had no special favors. I'm not angry, I'm tired of the sorry people, and there are many in Mansfield, who are content to live off of the rest of us, cheat the system, and flaunt it. I pray for us and now I stop ranting.

Joke for the day:

This hottest selling political bumper sticker comes from New York State:

"RUN HILARY RUN'

Democrats put it on the rear bumper.

Republicans put it on the front bumper.

Ruffinism for the day:

Crime does not pay...as well as politics...Alfred E. Newman

Man in the Moon Griffon

It's just my boss and me at the office so Moon Griffon, along with a few others during the day, are my co-workers. Moon is my favorite. He's from Plaquemines Parish and I listen to him on 710 KEEL radio out of Shreveport. His website is moongriffon.com. I love his Cajun accent and he has truly turned around the world of politics in Louisiana. This election should be his crowning glory. He has singlehandedly gotten most of Louisiana (I hope) to throw out the good 'ol boys (incumbents) and bring a new wave of politicians in. Louisiana is at the bottom of the list of everything except crime. There's no where to go but up. And if they screw up we'll vote them out next time.

He sounds like an old man but look at him.

He and C.V. Forgotston (forgotston.com) keep all of the politicians honest and inform listeners of each politicians' voting record and also what's going on in Louisiana and what needs attention. He is a great supporter of Bobby Jindal. Go to his website sometime and check it out.

My desk is a disaster area today. Still trying to get over the challenging predicament yesterday that had us waste half a day.

I wish I could expound because some days it's so hilarious and/or frightening and/or maddening that it's hard to believe. I have never had my eyes OPENED WIDE like I have since I started working for JRG over five (5) years ago.



I'm fixing to head over to Jerry's for for wine with Sara and Jean so I'll leave with this self portrait and a deep thought: When everything’s coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane.

Ruffinism: "One of us is crazy, and it ain't you!" - Larry Fine

Rainy Wednesday

Well I'm determined to start blogging for real now......spurred on by a mom blogger that I read religiously. She has a very cute daughter. Of course I'm a mom blogger too, but my little one is in his third year at LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and it will probably be very hard to get a picture of him to share very often.


The full day of rain was such a surprise. It has been so dry in Mansfield, LA that I gave up on my patio plants around the first of September this year.



But I had planted 10 bushes of bridal wreath on the north side property line last spring to block the neighbor's tanning episodes (hoping of course they would grow 10 feet tall and 10 feet wide by the end of the summer-not the neighbors) so lately I have been scrambling to hand water them because of the drought.



Around August I finally dragged the faded yellow sprinkler out of the shed out back and set it high and wide so the swath would catch all 10 bushes at the same time giving you an idea of how big they have grown. And two weeks ago I finally shelled out money for a soaker hose so naturally it would make sense that God would send the rain now.

Anyway I'm thankful for the rain.....My view from work....








Tomorrow, Moon Griffon and my desk.

Ruffinism for today: Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. It's not a day when you lounge around doing nothing; it's when you've had everything to do, and you've done it...Lord Acton - He sure does not know me.

TGIF

Well, I'm trying to start again. I just got a new computer at work, 22" lcd screen, with all the bells and whistles, and I have this new ergonomic keyboard. My computer guy said to give it a week but it is soooo weird. I feel like I'm playing an instrument and not very well at all. The computer is a cadillac and I'm taking the used one home because my home computer crashed in August.....and it is terrible not having access to the internet at the house unless Clif comes home with his laptop.

Am looking forward to the LSU game this weekend.