Online games and memories of Berry

I am addicted to the online games. I have been bitten by the "Scrabble Rack Attack" game. I have for a short time left the "Holiday Express" game. The desire to beat the level of competition is so overwhelming. I don't like to lose. Here is a picture of Howard and his dog Blackberry. Blackberry is no longer alive. She had ailments in which eventually she wouldn't eat or drink water. This was the time Howard had to let her go. She gave up the will to live. Blackberry was nicknamed Berry and mom and I used to take care of her, when Howard went on vacation. Berry did not like to see Howard leave. She would cry and sulk and wait by the front door in hopes Howard would come back and rescue her. One of the last pictures which I did not get on the camera was Berry hugging Howard around the neck. You knew she belong to Howard and Howard belonged to her. Howard said "Berry ruled the roost at home." No other dog was allowed to play with Berry's toys. Now that Berry is gone, the other dogs feel more free to extend their territory. Mom and I will be watching Holly, one of Howard's other dogs. She will be in charge here and I think she will like it. I will miss getting Berry to say "ma ma." This was what she would do when Howard was gone and my mom took Howard's place for a short time.

What is on your dinner menu?

It seems like a nice day along the beach. I didn't have my train of thought earlier , but it is sort of happening now. Mom and I got on the subject matter of cakes. I know Lew likes red velvet cake. I think of Lew, when I go to Golden Corral and see their big fancy red velvet cake. Mom wants to make a carrot cake for my sister's birthday. My sister always kind of like carrot cake. Both mom and I love chocolate cakes or brownies or ice cream. I like pies like key lime and pecan. Mom cooked scallops in garlic butter last night that was so good and tasty. We were talking about what to have this evening for dinner. Mom said" we have cauliflower." I guess that would be good with some cheese on top. We also talked about a chef salad with hard boiled eggs and cut up pieces of turkey.

Looking at old pictures

This is a graduation picture of my Grandmother, who was named Glendora. She died at a very early age ,so I never got to meet her. My mom says she was a book reader. She also had a German background. I don't have great extended histories about people from my family tree. It is very sketchy. However, I do like looking at old pictures. I also think scanning old pictures is a great way to preserve the memories. I did scan one which had worn kind of bad. It was me as a small child at Disney with my then best friend Karen. She had short snow white blond curls. I was envious because my hair was so straight. However, her hair turned yellow with age. She married and is living in Georgia with three grown kids. Do you see in the picture any resemblance to my mom?

What to do with an evening?

Music often sets the mood on how we view our times. I went to listen to a church concert which was a bit more than just a plain organ recital. The church had two organs pretty close together. These were the electronic organs and not just the plain church going organs. The difference is the electronic organs have a lot of special features to give a more update and less traditional form of music. I was fascinated by the little square baby blue light on one of the organs. I had no idea of what the concert would be like until it actually started. The tunes were popular in the late 1960's and early 1970's. Most of the songs I was familiar with except for one. " My Romantic Love." I never heard of this song before. However, my two neighbors. Pauline and Carole, knew the song real good. Pauline was kind of singing along with the melody real softly. The only one song I remember now is " Secret Love" sung by Doris Day. The organ team jazzed the song up a bit. What I expected and what I got in music were two different things. The leader of the group was named Seth Rye and his organ buddy was Tommy Johnson. However, in most of the songs Tommy took the lead. The music which he played sounded like it came from a baby grand piano. Seth was kind of a backup. Seth was more the melody man and Tommy, the Concert Pianist, whose bragging rights included working with Liberace. I never got to learn about Tommy's musical background. I would like to have known where he took his piano lessons and what got him to stick to his training for so long. I expected more out of Seth and seemed to get less. What I would have liked to known is does he do any classical music on the organ? I would like to have heard some "Phantom of the Opera." I would have settled for some Bach and Mozart. Mom wanted some more of today's type of music which includes some rock and roll. I liked Seth's glittery vest and I think they both tried to give more concert for the buck. I wish them the best on future concerts.

Starting a new adventure

Mom and I discovered La Quinta Inn Aka: Holiday House. There were other people like Harlan and Luz who also discovered where it was located. Mom and I seem to arrive early, so we were able to locate where the bathrooms were in the hotel. Mom talked with the waitress once the place opened to find out where our tables for Lillian's farewell party were located. I know there were at least 26 people there. They allowed for 28 , but two people were not there due to illness. This is a picture of Lillian in her print sunflower shirt along with Phaedra Harden, a co-worker. Lillian got a engraved business card holder for her 25 years of service. She was extremely gracious on receiving gifts from Joe, her boss, and from other people. She gave a short little" I was glad to work here speech" which I don't think got much attention from the audience. Most people were visiting with each other and enjoying the food. Mom had the lamb which she liked. She also liked the instant mashed potatoes. She didn't get the mint jelly, because I did. I got the turkey with the dressing. The server gave me two slices of white meat which I thought were a little dry. I had plenty of gravy on the instant potatoes. I am just spoiled by the real potatoes. I was good about not touching the sugar desserts. I asked the waitress if they had sugar free desserts, but the waitress said" they did not have it. " I didn't even have a bit of Lillian's farewell cake. I did take a picture which I can drool over, when I have a desire for a rich sinful cake.

Lillian's final work day

I can only hope Lillian has her desk clean and free of anything on it. It will be this way when she makes the big move to Delaware. The page of her wedding life is still to be written. I hope Lillian and Aaron, her intended groom, will be very successful at the marriage. The coffee turned out weak again for the second day. It seems like an unsolved mystery. I don't know if it is the coffee grounds. I don't think it is the coffee pot because when I first started this new Folgers the coffee had body. Now it is thin flavored with no body. The house across the street looks dark and scary with no one living inside. There have been several drive by lookers. I hope one is interested to fill the empty house. It seems much better with people there. I am starting another pot of coffee. I hope this one turns out well.

Passing Events

I have so enjoyed my crushed ice from the front door of my refrigerator. My sister doesn't have crushed ice on her refrigerator door. Her ice box doesn't even make ice cubes anymore. She uses ice trays to make the ice she wants. Do you remember the days when to get crushed ice you had to use a metal device that looked like an over sized nut cracker? This kind of reminds me of how to get a sugar free Slurpee. One, you use Diet Pepsi or two regular water with crushed ice. I use the water with the crushed ice every night before going to bed. The only problem is when I accidentally knock the glass over and cause a big mess. It is sad to here when someone you knew passes away. Mark Parker was a classmate of mine from High School. He was a year younger and we shared the same High School Choir director. I remember Mark from the State Choir Competition. He was a pretty good Bass singer and seemed like a pretty nice guy for someone who was pretty big looking. He looked like a football player. He later turned out to be a Orange County Corrections Officer who was paralyzed in the line of duty. Mark's death seems too soon. He seemed to live life to the fullest no mater what his situation was. Last night for dinner, mom got us a steak sub from subway. I enjoyed it very much. Today will be a chicken dish done in the crock pot.

Name that movie?

Yesterday I watched an old Joan Crawford movie, which I unfortunately didn't catch the title. I had actually seen it once before. This was the movie where the daughter of Joan in the movie turns out to be an ax murderer. Sweet little framed Carol whom looked like the perfect devoted daughter secretly had a sweltering hate for her mom Lucille who was taken away to the crazy house when Carol was just a child. Carol secretly never forgot that tragic moment. She relived her childhood every time she drove the ax into her unsuspecting victims. Carol's victims were men who were trying to do her mom harm. One was the doctor who was going to take her mom back to the crazy house. One was trying to blackmail Carol. The third was Carol's future father in law. The high point of the movie was the fight or wrestling match which took place between Carol and her mom Lucille. Joan Crawford rips the fake mask of herself off of her stage daughter's face. Carol was revealed to the movie audience as the true insane killer. Her motive was to clear the way so she and her future husband could get married. Instead, she heads to the crazy house where her mom spent the last twenty years. The end of the movie Joan is trying to explain this sorted plot to her friend. She tells him her daughter needs her, so she will be visiting the crazy house to be a friend to her daughter. What an ending to a twisted movie. This was on Turner Classic Movies and I didn't even make popcorn to go with the movie. I just saw the rocket launch in the early morning starry sky. There was a small layer of fog and the glow of the yellow light got brighter across the street. It was like a little mini sun coming up and then fading to another piece of space junk floating away in the sky. No, this wasn't the space shuttle, but our future space program in about five to six years . I tried to take some pictures, but I doubt I captured it on film. At least, I captured the view in my mind.

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Counting the days

The neighbor's across the street are just about gone. All that is left is their car. The last load of furniture was taken out in their open flatbed trailer. The house looked so dark and empty last night. It was kind of spooky. At least when mom and I go off in the evening, we leave some lights on so the place looks friendly when we return home. This picture was taken last night when the weather looked stormy. Some rain did cut loose and the clothes on the clothes line did get wet. The clothes stayed out overnight . I hope they will dry today. I hope to bring them in dry and hang more wet clothes that need to be washed. This is also Lillian's last week of work. Thursday is her last day on the job. She also has her Holiday House party. Wow, it seems too soon. Next Wednesday will be April 1 , Aaron will arrive. Sunday April 5 will be the wedding. Are we ready?

Sunday at the coast

Along with the churning wind, the cooler temperature has returned. I actually got cool inside our house. The temperature dropped to 70 and I was cool. I was used to 75 degrees inside. Mom said close the windows and the air will warm up. It did get warmer inside the house, but I longed for the cooler air outside. However, I know I would not crawl out from under the covers if the air turned cool inside the house. I didn't have my camera with me to take pictures of the waves in the ocean. I did see other people with their cameras ready to take pictures.

I thought they were also brave to stick their toes into the ice cold frigid water of Lake Atlantic. I figured if the air is cool on the outside the water must be like ice to the touch. As late as mom and I saw the ocean, I did not see a single boat out on the water. The seagulls were gone and so were the pelicans. I bet they were tucked away on bird island in the middle of the Intracoastal Waterway. Today, I am hoping for bacon and eggs for breakfast.

What is going on at your neighbor's house?

Mom and I have been watching our neighbors across the street slowly moving out. They had an open trailer hitched to the back of their SUV. However, it looks like a party there tonight. I don't hear anything like music, but there are maybe five to six cars parked over there. Today, the family on the street in back of us have had their roof replaced. The awful stench smell of burning tar hung around our house most of the day. I asked my neighbor Pauline if she smelled it, but she reminded me she had lost her ability to smell. Bummer! The odor died off this evening. I hope they are done and don't come back. There is a cool wind over at the beach. I did feel it coming from the ocean. I saw a lot of beach goers laying out in the sun. Some were playing in the water. I didn't test how warm the water was, but I figured it must still be cool for now. I saw pelicans fly overhead in formation. There must have been five or six pelicans at one time.

Spending the afternoon at the movies

I saw a pelican sailing on the breeze crossing the road and coasting in a small circle deciding on where to land. I decided to spend the afternoon going to a movie matinee. It was a science fiction movie which wasn't very deep in meaning as far as a story plot. Everything turns good at the end. The alien children go home in their alien spacecraft and the main character finds love with the PHD lady scientist. The movie was called "Race To Witch Mountain" which was a remake of the movie "Escape to Witch Mountain." Disney made both movies so all family members could view it. There was no intimate scenes or foul language. It was like getting on one of Disney's park rides and enjoying the view until the ride was over.

Nice weather we are enjoying

I don't see the hummingbird in the backyard . I am figuring the weather has turned too warm for the hummingbird's comfort. Yesterday, there were roofers placing a new roof on the house behind ours. I could see them working while I was hanging out a load of clothes on the clothes line. The most dominate bird at the beach seems to be the Cardinal. I can see the male chirping a happy song. I do miss the tweeddle, tweeddle sound of the little hummingbird which seemed to be my shadow. I like the blue sky and seeing the hibiscus in bloom. We have the hibiscus in yellow, red and orange colors. I decided on this bird because he looks like a classy bird. I hope mom and I will go out on more evening adventures to get more picture shots to add to the collection.

Settling in for the evening

Last night for dinner mom and I had a little flounder and five scallops. Tonight will be eating center cut round steak Mom says" this will include some mashed potatoes." Last night, we watched the show "American Idol" over the show "Dancing with the Stars." I had to look on the Internet to see who was kicked off of " Dancing with the Stars." Tonight I will find out who gets eliminated from "American Idol." I hope Lew's cat turns out OK after her operation. Mom got new glasses which change color from light to dark depending on the light outdoors. I think these glasses look real cool.

Back home

In honor of ST. Patrick's day, I felt it appropriate to take a picture of a green lawn. I am very happy to be back at the beach. Both mom and I were very tired after our trip home from Glendon's place in Williston. I had seemed to use up my energy raking leaves. Glendon took mom into town where a book sale was taking place at the local library. Glendon got a book on Emily Post's views on good manners. Glendon fixed us some lunch before we left. The turkey greeted us at the car heading home. She left us calling for her baby chicks which she doesn't have. She went to sit on her nest and lay her one a day egg which is pretty big compared to a chicken egg. I guess the next time we see Glendon it will be for the Lillian wedding. I hope Lillian will be ready.

Some cats live in luxury

This is a picture of her cat Mink. She looks like she is in a luxury hotel. She mostly stays outside now, but still talks up a storm. She is very vocal about eating and getting stroked on the head and tail. Alley is her other privilege cat who sleeps in the closet of her bedroom during the day. Alley tells us when he wants to come in and go out of the house. Alley likes sleeping on Glendon's lap. He also crawls up on the keyboard when Glendon is trying to type on the computer. Alley is Glendon's shadow because he follows her most everywhere. Glendon's cat Alley use to run the third cat Midnight off until Midnight just disappeared.

Heading back to New Smyrna Beach

The dog pictured here is named Soldier. He is the dog in charge. He is very sensitive to the heat. He howls late at night because Glendon believes he is part wolf. He stays pretty friendly towards mom and I. Soldier is just one of the many animals we will be leaving behind on our journey back to New Smyrna Beach. Mom and Glendon may go to the library at University of Florida before we head on our trip back to the beach. Glendon wanted to make sure mom views some of the papers that Marjorie Kinnon Rawlings wrote kept at the University of Florida library. I want to play a few of Glendon's computer games before head back to the beach. The shuttle launch was successful last night and Glendon saw the shuttle, separation of the solid rocket boosters, and the beautiful stream of smoke it left behind.

Discovering a hidden treasure

This is the neighbor of famous writer Marjorie Kinnon Rawlings. Marjorie wrote "The Yearling" many years ago. This neighbor's name is J. T. (Jake) Glisson. He is seated here with his wife Pat. J. T. wrote "The Creek," a book about his adventures living in Cross Creek as a boy whose family came from Georgia. The title is similar to Marjorie's book "Cross Creek." JT is an established writer, illustrator, story teller and an adventurer. He has been to Japan. He has seen "The Yearling" done in the Japanese language. He did not understand a word, but when the bullet was fired from the gun Bang! he knew Jodie shot the deer. He would freely enter into Marjorie Kinnon Rawling's house as a kid and take food from the frig. He can still hear in his mind the typewriter on which Marjorie wrote her stories. JT talked about what good friends Charles Rawlings was with his dad and the contributions Charles made to improve Marjorie's place in Cross Creek. He talked about how quietly the breakup of the marriage took place when Charles asked his dad to look after Marjorie. JT stated that Charles went on to write sports articles for the "New York Post" in Tarpon Springs. Charles did not return North as expected. He went South and wrote about the sponge divers. JT talked about Marjorie's second husband, Norman Baskins. who buried Marjorie not where she truly wanted to be buried. Marjorie was buried near Zelma, a local Cross Creek resident who brought a lawsuit against Marjorie for remarks Marjorie made about Zelma in her book "Cross Creek." The remarks were colorfully true, but the lawsuit was settled for a dollar. JT said that on the grave stone was written "Here lies Marjorie Kinnon Rawlings. wife of Norman Baskins." JT also claims that Marjorie JT also said that Norman Baskins was buried next to Marjorie. The information which JT shared with my Mom, my sister, Glendon. and I was so great in over a four hour span. I was sorry for each bathroom break I had to take. It couldn't be helped, but I do think every word was rich with information. Mom was amazed at his ability to recall information. I felt this was more like a coach of a football team recalling every blow by blow detail about the game. Filling you in with all the small details and plays which would win the game. I wished we were able to bring Glendon's old video recorder. This way we could have watched it over and over again. We could catch the small parts which we may have overlooked. Even the small parts turned out to be vital. They fit into a larger picture which completed the history puzzle. JT stated "Cross Creek was a fresh water fishing commercial town." The local lake which was called Orange Lake was divided into pie shaped sections and different people were given a section to fish in. JT said his dad arranged for the drivers of other fishing companies to come by at night and purchase fish like speckled perch to take back and sell in the Northern states. JT also mentions a connection to competing with the fishermen of Lake and Orange Counties. He also made the citrus connection of growing and processing oranges from the orange trees. He stated that Lake and Orange County have to use more fertilizer than they did there. He also stated that when processing plants send pickers out to get oranges for frozen concentrate, they wait until the fruit falls on the ground. However, by this time the fruit could be molding and have a slightly turned flavor. My sister said "I have tasted this in concentrated orange juice." JT's porch reminded me of my former next door neighbor Ruth Browder's porch in the city of Oakland, Florida. Ruth's porch had similar soft yellowish white wood but JT's housed his drawings and bird sculpture in his porch. My sister Glendon said, "JT believed in working at your gift in life. Talent wasn't something just sprinkled on certain people." JT's home now, four miles across the lake from Cross Creek, has a huge tree with hanging Spanish moss and a swing which his kids enjoyed. Presently, he and his wife Pat have five grown children. One is a priest who lives in California. The others live in New York and one close by in Florida. They are proud of their children and grandkids. JT and my mom have the same birthday. JT signed a copy "The Guardian Angel 911" book for my mom and a copy of "The Creek" book for my sister's boss, Jay. JT stated that the residents of Cross Creek settled their disputes on the bridge. I guess this brought out a lot of locals to find out what the problem was. Mom also ask JT how he felt about being the model Marjorie used as the boy Jodie in the book "The Yearling." It didn't seem he talked much about the character, Jodie, but he did talk about his experience as a boy spent in the hospital to get his feet corrected. I guess this would remind me more of the character Fodder-wing, Jodie's best friend, who was crippled. Marjorie is gone and Norman Baskin is gone, but JT is a treasure of information which no one can place a price on.

We have arrived

The Riders are never early and with just cause. Both mom and I are detail people who like to make sure everything is done and ok. We try to leave under the best of conditions, so we can go back home to the best of conditions. We arrived at my sister's place while Glendon was picking up hay at the local feed store. Her dogs were in the garage. They stayed there until she arrived home to let them out. Neither mom and I knew why they were in the garage until Glendon told mom they were there just to keep cool during the heat of the day. Glendon's new turkey which she named Hillary is very sensitive to the heat. She seems to pant a lot with her beak open and her throat moving at a constant rate of regular air inhaling time. In other words, she was breathing through her mouth. It has been kind of tough with the well water on and off. The pressure in the well would drop and then the water would be gone. However, in an hour a guy is coming to fix the problem and we will be normal again. In other news, I get to hear regular rooster crows before dawn. I got my morning cup of coffee so the day is starting out steady. Hopefully, the pit falls will just go away.

Nice evening

The shape of the moon has finally changed from a soccer ball to an oblong shaped flashlight in the darkened sky. I was deeply involved in the beginning of the Christa McCauliffe book where she is giving her acceptance speech where she says she will be taking the ten finalist souls with her into space when she blast off. However, my train of thought was interrupted by my mom who told me about a big giant moon rising in the East. I had to take a look outside to see if what I imagined was true. I envisioned a moon the size of a big giant spaceship hugging the earth in the night sky like a close friend whom you haven't seen in a long time. When I finally peered outside the moon was a soccer size and was emitting a soft whitish yellow glow onto the tips of the palms tingling in the cool late Southern winter wind. The night crickets were chirping their happy tune to an orchestra of other crickets all around the area. This was the kind of night you would wish to be enjoying, if you werer on a tropical island. Today will be filled with packing for our trip to see my sister at her place in Williston. Lots of small packing details which I can not think of this early in the morning.

Would you rather talk to a machine or a human?

Where do you draw the line between automation and the human factor? The answer I choose is when automation takes over the human factor and doesn't serve the needs of the human. Bright House Cable Vision is the prime example of automation gone haywire. My encounter went beyond " Please hold for the next available customer representative." The machine starts asking me questions of what I want. It also ask" Did I hear a yes?" " I did not understand the answer let's try it a different way." " If the answer is yes, say yes or press one." " If the answer is no, say no or press two." This was a part of the process just to talk to a human to get some repair service. We had a repairman come out yesterday and switch out an old switch box to give us better service. He was a hard worker and knew exactly what he was doing. After he left, I got another automated call trying to grade the performance level of the repairman. Imagine this, a computer voice deciding the fate of a human on how well he does his job. At least for this phone call, I was allowed to press one for good job and the computer understood it. I dare not speak to the machine. It might not understand me. Never mind the guy in India who can work for a third of the price of the Americans. What is the cost of a machine? Some oil and an occasional repair bill? At the stores like Home Depot or Wal-Mart, I try to get in the checkout line where there is a human cashier. I have tried the automated ones at Winn-Dixie, but you still have to pay the cashier before heading out the door. Machines were suppose to serve the needs of man. I think the bridge has been crossed with the elimination of jobs and a machine is making decisions where a human should be the choice factor.

Why is the moonlight so pretty?

Our neighbors across the street have their" For Rent" sign posted in the front yard. They are renters who are still there. They have not moved out . They are most active coming and going before daylight. The husband leaves for work and the mom takes the kid to school. I guess it will be a small adjustment to see the place empty or to see someone new replace the current residents. I thought the picture of the moon was appropriate for the shuttle launch schedule to take off at 9:20 tonight. There still may be some moonlight, but I don't think it will be a full moon. I would venture to say the moonlight will add to the beauty of the night launch of the shuttle Discovery with it's fiery flames reflecting over the calm ocean water. I talked with Lillian who still has to make her wedding dress before April 5 th., correct her taxes to send to the IRS, line up some music for the wedding, line up some movers and start the packing. Mom and I had a pretty successful trip to Daytona yesterday. Today, it is getting the cable cleared up of snow and talking with my health insurance agent to find out why they won't cover the cost of a medical bill. The next few days ahead are a mystery on whether or not, mom and I go visit my sister in Williston. She is having some plumbing problems, which I had hoped would be cleared up. I will pass on the good word when I learn the results.

Tuesday is moving faster

I got a late start today. I felt so good staying under the covers until the sun started coming up. Mom's car is going to be checked out by the local mechanic. We are also going to Daytona this afternoon. Later this week, mom and I will be visiting my sister at her place in Williston. There is lots of food planning for meals and packing for a stay. My sister also has to deal with a backed up drain in the kitchen. She may have to call the septic tank people. She has a smaller tank to cover the kitchen area. It is going to be a pretty day. The sun is getting brighter and is giving a soft white glow on the morning palm and oak trees. This is a picture of a couple of boats taken from the Flagler entrance to the ocean.

What 's next?

March is progressing too fast. This morning is garbage day followed by take the truck to the auto mechanic to be looked over. There are other things for mom and I to do all during the week, but for me it is coming too fast. It is starting to look like one big blur. I know when things get tuff, I can remember at least I am not in Lillian's shoes. Lillian, the very soon bride to be has so much preparation in such a short time frame. It is going to be a miracle to see how she pulls it all together. All the details associated with the wedding plans, plus packing and moving her Uncle, Parents and herself to Delaware. Plus, closing down her job and processing all the paperwork dealing with retirement. My former co-worker Dick who has this little saying when someone has more on their plate of woes than you "Better thee than me." I would say applies to Lillian. She is a strong person on the inside and she can handle a lot of stuff. I just wonder how she will feel six months from now when this is all over? Yesterday, mom and I visited the beach on the North end. I fed the seagulls and pigeons some old bread and cookies. It is fun to see the seagulls pick up the cookie and take it away followed by a bunch of other seagulls in pursuit.

Money Woes

I have just started in on my book about the life of Christa McAuliffe. She was designated the First Teacher in Space. However, due to the explosion of the Challenger shuttle, Christa never arrived in space.Before Christa died, she mustard a lot of support from her High School where she taught Social Studies class. They were sitting in the auditorium glued to the giant screen watching and cheering on their teacher as the engines started and the shuttle took off. Their moment of happiness was turned into shear terror as they saw the shuttle explode in front of them. The look of what happen and are the astronauts ok followed by cries of how could this happen? The hope and concept of the First Teacher in Space died on that cold January day. It took the runner up Barbara Morgan many years later and a label change to First Instructor in Space to get the job done. Barbara Morgan was brought aboard with less publicity than what Christa had. Her lesson plans were distribute to a select few and not given to the general public. Barbara came back queasy after years of trying to get on a flight into space. In our lack of budget funds, the school system in Florida has reduced the value of what a teacher can offer to a student. I was sadden to hear about an Elementary School in Apopka, Florida which doesn't have the funds to pay for toilet paper and paper towels. They rely on the local high school for help. They also limit the students to one sheet of paper towel per visit. Is this a school or is this a prison camp? The teacher already has to fund supplies for the kids out of their salaries. Plus, a lot of times it takes a fundraiser from a local radio station to supply the kids with everyday needed items to use for school. The district is looking at cutting teacher jobs just to save money from a budget that was mishandled for lack of funds. Can the Government bail the school system out with the stimulus plan? I hope so. What would Christa think about the school system now, if the Challenger accident never occurred?

Watching the Watchmen

My one free day at the movies was to go see the new DC thriller "Watchmen." I thought it would be a science fiction thriller, but I didn't know exactly what to expect. The movie was a Superhero society that believed sex was good, loyalty was bad as far as relationships between men and women in the Superhero realm. Plus, murder was OK as long as it protects the peace of the world. The movie reminds me of Britney Spears new show of a circus and her as the ringmaster. One of the characters Dr. Manhattan is the ringmaster who has maintain control over the nuclear weapons which the President wants to release. The President in the movie is Nixon who has been elected for a third term. The President lookalike doesn't do the trademark peace symbols or state" I am not a crook" to the public. He is like a shallow shell without depth. Dr. Manhattan is cold, logical and becomes detached from his young girlfriend Silk Spectre II ( Laurie Juspeczyk). She is the daughter of the first Silk Spectre which was part of another band of Superheroes that looked more like a Circus troop. The first Silk Spectre realizes her life is going downhill with old age. She was taken advantage of by another Superhero called "The Comedian." The product of the encounter was her daughter Laurie Juspeczyk. What was kept secret from Laurie was "The Comedian" was actually her dad. She never got to speak with him about this discover brought forth by her first love Dr. Manhattan. Dr. Manhattan had realized what a good find Laurie was when he stated " she was a miracle." He brought her back from the planet Mars where this was his escape from human life. He build his own time clock to live in. The watch was a symbol when he was left inside a room which torn apart his molecules. The clock stopped and so did his life. When Dr. Manhattan started living again, he was on the side to save the world. The bad guy Ozymandias who was considered the smartest guy turned into a Supervillian. Ozymandias killed "The Comedian" in a battle of weak verses Superhuman strength. It was sad to see The Comedian fall to his death. However, The Comedian wasn't a lovable character. He was a harden Superhero in Vietnam and brought the war back home to where he lives. Somehow symbols played a role in the movie. "The Comedian" had a pin with a smiley face which was tainted with his blood after he fell to his death at the hands of Ozymandias. Ozymandias ended up bringing world peace because he united America with Russia to get rid of Dr. Manhattan. Dr. Manhattan realized what Ozymandias had done and kind of caved into Ozymandias ideas. This was not accepted by another Superhero who slithers in and out of scenes with deep inside views of the world events. This character was named Rorschach. He has a slip over mask which changes shape. He felt invisible with the mask. However, without the mask he was a Jeffrey Dahmer type of character which killed without a conscious. In the movie, Rorschach ends up getting killed for what he believed in. He thought the human spirit should not compromised his believes. Rorschach explodes in the snow due to Dr. Manhattan. Night owl another superhero witness this event and ends up tearing off his mask. I didn't stay for the ending. I was filled full of popcorn and diet coke. Nature called and I had to answer. However, from what I did see I thought the acting was very powerful. If they had an academy award for Science Fiction this movie would ace the award. Meryl Streep would be apart of the troop if she was into Science Fiction. However, this is an escape from reality. She is not a Sci-Fi Fan and this movie will hit the DVDs before too long. Beware of the steamy sex scenes and enjoy the rest of the show. The smiley face symbol which shows up later in the movie thanks to Dr. Manhattan may not be what you leave with at the end of the movie. Dr. Manhattan was pretty strange looking in his blue outfit. I probably will go if they have a part 2 and part 3 , but I do admit 2 hrs. and 40 minutes seem like a lifetime. Drinking lots of diet coke and eating greasy popcorn didn't help either.

Friday morning

The night crickets were chirping like little violins. The stars were out shining brightly in the darkened sky. The crescent moon hung overhead like a misplaced item in some one's closet. Off in the distance, were the soft hums of the bike's exhaust system. The bikers were riding around well past midnight. I talked with my sister this morning and she is ready to put in a half a day of work. She has a rubber watering tank that is in need of repair. It sprung a leak. Yesterday, mom and I went to the library and got replacement books for our last visit. I got the latest" Bill Shatner" book and "Christa McCauliffe" book. Mom got the " Accidental Tourist" and the "Alan Alda" book. Plus, an early childhood of "Jimmy Carter" book. This should make for some good reading.

Everyday stuff

The weather was nice yesterday, but still kind of cool. I did go to CVS pharmacy and got involved looking at Birthday cards. I also saw sugar free Russel Stover chocolates on sale for $5.99, Before Christmas, CVS was running a special $8.99 buy one and get one for free. I considered buying, but I thought one would have to be frozen and it might not taste as good at a later time. Last night's dinner was chicken and biscuits. The chicken broth was soaked up by the biscuits, Mom did use some Swanson's chicken broth to help add some flavor. The meal was very good. The evening shows were Becker and American Idol the results. Today, hopefully mom and I will be going to the library to take our books back and get some other new books. The roads have turned more crowded with the bikers. I notice this when I made the short trip to CVS pharmacy. Biker week is blooming with a lot of bikers. I hope this brings in some good money for the merchants here. My neighbor Pauline's daughter Susan took off yesterday morning around 7:30 for South Carolina. She had her little white RAV from Toyota pulling a little small open trailer behind her. My mom said Pauline was keeping in touch with Susan by phone and she was having a good trip there. I think the boating accident off of the Gulf Coast was a sad ending. One survived and the others gave up their life jackets to meet their doom. I wonder if the coolness of the water shorted out their thinking process? I guess there will never be an answer to this question.

Flip Flop

How does time pass by so quickly? I just get involved in one little thing and poof. There goes the time. I had my one cup of coffee and was mentally involved in the Bachelor flip flop deal. Jason the single dad, sure gave ABC one of the highest ratings. The way he dumped his engagement to Melissa was a tragic mess. The way Melissa handled it was one of a spoiled brat. She wasn't open to him pouring his true feelings out when she was not the object of his affections. Melissa answered with phrases of " An ha" over and over as if to mask the pain and shut out the Jason the heart crusher. She wanted the Happy Ever After ending for herself and she wasn't going to settle on second best. Something happened before the "After the final rose show" which Melissa was shutting down her feelings towards Jason. When she first came on the show Jason only kissed her on the cheek. Melissa knew things were going sour. I read where Melissa will make an appearance on the Ellen show. I will want to hear what she has to say.

Bird pictures

It doesn't seem I am fast enough for the elusive hummingbird. I tried, but it does seem I tried hard enough to get the picture. I took several shots where I could spot the bird with my own eyes, but could not focus in with the camera. I was hoping the camera would capture the shot. However, when I downloaded the pictures of the orange honeysuckle plant I couldn't find the hummingbird. The bird must have blended so well with the green in the foliage. It was like the bird was never there. The hard drive captured nothing worth saving. I dumped the pictures. I guess you have to have a willing subject like this seagull who doesn't seem to mind having his picture taken. This bird seems pretty carefree in the picture. My neighbor's daughter Susan is trying to go back to her home in South Carolina. She doesn't want to leave the beach, until she knows the conditions are safe to drive on the roads. The latest stories on the news are stating a snow storm is trapping motorist on the roads. I am sure in time the road conditions will improve for Susan to make it home to South Carolina.

Easy and relaxing Sunday

I was expecting bad weather yesterday. The weathermen kept saying tornado watches for other counties like Levy and Flagler. I thought for sure we would be next in line. The morning sun was really struggling to give us a morning sunrise. Mom had made a nice breakfast of pancakes and bacon with cut up strawberries and blueberries defrosted from a bag. Blueberries are so expensive to buy. Mom still buys them because they are good for the eyesight and other things. After the nice breakfast, I caught a nice little nap thinking the weather was getting worse and we would be here all morning. Low and behold mom woke me up to tell me it was time for church. I had to rush to get my church clothes on. The dark clouds were rolling in when we took off for the Catholic church "Sacred Heart" on US 1 in New Smyrna Beach. I made a rush to get in from the car where we parked to the inside of the church. I had my jacket in my arms so I could put it on later. When I got inside the church with my mom we found a seat where I did not want to move. I limited my standing up and sitting down time that goes with the ritual of the church service. I participated in the singing, but the songs were not the kind I knew the words. I listen to the sermon with an open mind. My body language was one of openness and ready to receive during the sermon. However, when it came time for communion where people went up to the alter to receive the body which was a bread host, I did not want to move. Quietly I waited for my mom to return and an usher asked if I would like to receive communion from my bench. I told him "no thanks" with a respectful tone. I did notice a guy who was carrying an oxygen tank going back to his seat after going to communion. As the singing of the final song took place, I felt like I had a full church service and things would be OK. The last song I didn't know the words either. It was like something I haven't heard much before. When mom and I left, the storm had broken up. The streets were wet and the dark clouds were a faded grey color off towards the ocean. When we got home the television set got turned on. I changed my nice pants into some long shorts and bare feet. Television was Turner Classic Movies "Rear Window" with Jimmy Stewart, Grace Kelly and Raymond Burr. I ate leftover green pea soup for lunch. I saw a couple of episodes of Bonanza and had a pork roast with a small sweet potato and small white potato for dinner. I forgot the green vegetable we had for dinner. I just know everything was good and perfect. Today, will be talk to my sister and take out the garbage. I will get to see how cold it is outside. I hope it won't be bone chilling cold.

Who is in the commercials ?

This is the first day of March and weather is kind of drab looking outside. The sky is filled with gray clouds with a little line of lightened sky. Some sign to put out a hope of a sunrise.Now, whether this happens or not will be told over time. When I called my sister this morning, she told me she was under a tornado watch. She didn't know exactly the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning. I told her if it had been a warning usually a tornado has been spotted. She wasn't too happy to hear the news. I look more towards the East and it does look like the light is getting brighter. Maybe we will have a little bit of a sunrise.There is bacon cooking in the iron skillet. The television is full of commercials. The one topping the list this morning is "Bob Dance Dodge." Scott Dance with his daughter Grace line the air waves. Grace is still as pretty as when she first started with her Grandpa Bob Dance. Her Grandpa died, but she and her dad carry on the name and the advertisement. When Grace started she was known as Gracie and she was a ballerina in her first commercial. She was a darling of the airwaves. Now her voice competes with the wife of the Asian guy who sells "Appliance Direct." The one person I miss seeing on the airwaves is Jolene who always wore her skirts too short. I always wanted to give her a clothing makeover turning her into a more a business dresser. Mandy who sells trucks for Ford of Clermont sound like she is saying" Ford of Fairmont." She is a real cheerleader looking cute blond. I would like to see her continue, but to pronounce her words better. I see mom's second favorite commercial lady is on. This is Holly who sells Lexus from Orlando. The first one was named Michelle. I guess she gave up the commercial spokeman business to pursue other jobs. Do you remember Art Grindle? No one will ever match his exuberance in making car commercials.