And On Another Note... Happy and Sad..

Mrs. S passed away Wednesday from lung cancer. Thank you all for sending happy thoughts her way. I am certain it was for the best, because the disease was advanced and there wasn't much hope. But I would never tell her family that. And the world is a darker place without her in it.

Last week's family vacation went fairly well. DSD's daughter dotes on Grandson #1 (GS1) and he is precious. I see issues with the way she doesn't dote on Granddaughter #1 (GD1) or Granddaughter #2 (GD2) and I (as well as my mom and DSD's mom) all remarked on it. They are her stepdaughters, but their mother is gone (car accident in 2007) so she is all they have. And they are delightful girls.

Still, the water park, and snorkeling in the Gulf, and swimming in the pool went well. We ate like Kings and Queens, and we were able to visit more than we have before. I do have pictures.. and videos.. as soon as I figure out how to get them off of my phone.

Hug those you love and let them know it, no one is promised tomorrow.

Am I the Voice of Doom?

As I sit here in my lovely ranch style home, Lola eating dinner behind me, tomatoes roasting in the oven in preparation for homemade marina, I feel an overwhelming sense of panic. Of dread. Of fear. Serious sick to my stomach terror.

What the hell is happening in this country? What the hell has happened to those whom we have elected to lead us? In less than two weeks this country is going to run out of money, default on our credit and cause who knows what kind of mayhem, but no one seems to be taking this seriously. Certainly not crazy Michelle Bachman. Certainly not most of the Congressional Republicans. Is our President? Will he swoop in at the last minute, invoking the 14th amendment and saving the day? Will that save the day?  Everything I have read says that without spending cuts and increased revenue the S&P (I think) may still take our credit down from AAA to AA. And the plan by the "Gang of 6" has only promised increased revenue in the future. Why not now?

My tax burden is not large.  A lot of that has to do with tuition, of course, because that is all tax deductible, but I would be willing to pay more, why aren't others?

Let's look at how a default will affect ME, personally, as the Average Jane on the street.
#1. DSD is retired Navy with a military retirement that kept us afloat while he was unemployed. What happens without that?
#2. I am a contract employee with the Federal government. Now my contract has just been extended (again) for another 4 months, which means the contract is paid until Thanksgiving, but if there are no active duty or civilians, will I still be able to go in and get paid?
#3. My parents are retired and living off social security. They paid cash for their house and have savings, 401Ks, etc, but they depend on those monthly checks. What will happen to them?

What will happen to us all?

I firmly believe that if the elderly, military, military retirees, etc do not get paid, we may be in for a revolution. I have a really bad feeling about this... luckily my bad feelings are normally just indigestion, but I've never had indigestion that lasts this long.

Why are those in Washington screwing around with our future?

The End of an Era

I've never been all that fascinated with the idea of space travel. It just grabs the imagination of some and not others and I am one of the others.  I was only about 15 months old when Armstrong took that small step for man, so it was already history by the time I was aware of my surroundings.  I do remember being called to watch a slashdown.. Apollo 13 maybe? I remember my dad was super excited about and I was mildly annoyed with him.

I also remember being summoned from my room to watch the first shuttle land in California. I was 14 by then and was daily mildly annoyed with my father, so this probably produced a serious huff. (And probably some eye-rolling because he pulled me away from the phone or a book.)

The Challenger was my first experience with adult disaster and the thoughts of it can still bring a sick feeling to my stomach and a lump in my throat.

But space never grabbed my imagination.

Today though with the last shuttle launch complete, I'm sad. Not because I never made it to the moon or the space station or orbited Earth (I'd rather go to to Ireland), but because it feels like one more area in which the U.S. is no longer a leader. Space was ours. The moon was ours. And now it's not. Now we are dependent on other nations to get supplies to the space station.  Those four who blasted off a couple of hours ago will be dependent on Russia if the shuttle becomes inoperable.

And that makes me sad.

Comment that I was not allowed to Post on Republic of Giliad

You do us a service by providing this information. I just unfriended someone on FB because I was SICK of everything being about HER beliefs, HER God. Bye bye Boo Boo (as another FB friend nicknamed her).

Sorry, my God loves everyone and appreciates my compassion and understanding towards those whose beliefs and lifestyles are different from mine.

Sign In - Sign Out.. What is Going On?

Blogger seems to be a pain in my backside and has been for the past week or more. I would like to comment on all of your posts, but if I click on your link I am suddenly signed out. I've never had this happen, and I am working around it, but it is rather a pain!

Step-daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren will be here on Saturday afternoon. I have food in the freezer (stuffed shells, beef enchiladas, chicken pot pie) so we shall eat well. Other than that there is a beach, a pool, and a water park to keep us busy!

Hopefully I will have pictures posted soon!

Happy Independence Day!

This is me standing outside the National Archives last October. No pictures may be taken inside, of course, because the flash is not a good idea for the precious documents stored there. It was a pretty thrilling day for me, seeing the Delcaration of Independence, the Magna Carta, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights... handwritten by those who are long gone, but who did so much for this country, and who have inspired me for years!

It's going to be a quiet day here in the LeftLeaning house since both DSD and BabyBoy have to work. I am going to work on my book review and continue to prepare for the company due in next weekend.

I hope your day is wonderful and blessed with laughter, love, and some great food!