By The Way,Where WereTheir Parents?

We have written about this before.....
But after watching this on our local news and reading about it,we have question.......

You really need to read this before reading any further with our post.We want to make sure you know all the details.....

Have you read it?

Shall we proceed?

What kind of parent raises a child to think it's just "goofing around" to stick a hockey stick up another boy's ass?
Pranks and teasing? Call me naive,but doesn't this go out side of the boundaries of pranks and teasing?I don't know,but I wouldn't call that teasing.Isn't it teasing,when you call someone a name,or make fun of their mother?Isn't a prank,tripping someone as they walk down the aisle?Stuffing them in a locker?Stealing their lunch?

I guess we're really out of touch,if sticking a broom stick and a hockey stick up another students ass is considered teasing,or just a silly middle school kinda prank. Silly me.I guess I really am out of touch with this generation.

I'm starting to think I may be have been a bad parent,because I would have kicked my kids' collective asses if I even thought that thought had crossed their minds.And if they had done something like that,I would not be writing this right now,as I would be serving a life sentence for their murder. Not that I would've murderd them.I just would've beaten them senseless.

What amazes me is that one of these "angel's" pastor wrote on his behalf what a good person he is.What kind of church preaches that?And what kind of pastor are you,if you are so out of touch with your congregation that you are not aware that this kid admitted he did it,but it was just "goofing off" ?
Sorry,but I ain't attending that church anytime soon.

And I really love this statement:
"Latoya Williams of Tampa wrote May 12 that she has known Price-Murray for more than 10 years and that he is respectful and an excellent student.
"I am fully confident that Raymond would never hurt anyone intentional or unintentionally, he has always exhibited a care and concern for other's personal well being, while offering assistance to anyone who needs his help," Williams wrote."

Yep-she really knew him well.....

Call me opinionated and a bitch and whatever comes to mind,but my kids don't need that kind of concern,or assistance.


I still want to ask the parents of these boys,and any other child that was aware of this,

"What did you teach your children.?"

Did you teach them that this was acceptable behavior?Or did you not teach them anything?

Did you turn it over to Sesame Street,Mr.Rogers(may he rest in peace),or Barney?

Or whoever was rapper of the day?Just because it was the easy way out.

Because you had worked all day,and were too tired to raise your child?

These are the grandchildren of the Peace and Love Generation.

Our grandchildren.

Make Love,Not War was our motto.

Now,we have a generation of children who think it's quite permissable to stick a broomstick or hockey stick up someone's ass just because that person pissed them off.And call it "goofing off."

Oh yeah---

this will be the generation that's gonna take care of us in the old folk's home.....

And don't you forget it.........

Kinda scarey,isn't it?

Just sayin'......................

Birds,Butterflies,Flowers,A Squirrel,But No Bees.....

Isn't it grand having a day off in the middle of the week?

...........together..............

to just enjoy the day?

to do absolutley

nothing,

but sit by,or in,the pool

To see who should pop by to visit?

Tto see what wonders of nature visit your garden?
And who should pop by to have a bite to eat?
Including the butterflies..................

and,speaking of butterflies,can you find the chrysallis's?

(Hint-there are two in this photo)

This one might make it easier.........

We have three we're babysitting.Why else would you take a day off?

In the middle of the week?

But in hopes of seeing a Swallowtail burst forth.....

And a few

(very few,as a matter of fact,in Florida gardens,at this time of year)

flowers are in bloom.......

and this bad boy was busted for raiding a bird feeder!
"But it wasn't me,Mom.He made me do it!"

Yeah,right........

and where ARE the bees?......................

Why Didn't I Think Of That?

Next to indoor plumbing and battery powered power tools(especially the reciprocating saw.Do you know how much fun it is to use one of those?But I digress....we can save the joys of power tools for another post),this may be the greatest thing to come along.

I give you..................


The battery powered vacuum sealer!!!!!!If you have ever been fond of vacuum sealing,as we are,you need one of these.We have owned other vacuum sealers(all electric-i.e.The Seal-A-Meal),and none of them compare to this one.

No,this isn't a shameless product endorsement,in hopes they'll send us another one,but if they want to,we would be more than happy to accept one.Dual vacuum sealers.How cool would that be?

You can buy food in season,as we do,and seal it.You can marinate food with this bad boy.Freeze leftovers. Take it on vacation with you,to seal up that catch-of-the-day.

The ingenuity of modern woman is incredible.A woman had to have said,"Why isn't my vacuum sealer smaller,more portable,and battery operated?"

I wonder what MacGyver would be able to do with this..................

My Kid Went To New York and I'll Got Was A T-Shirt ......

This past week,Erich,the Younger,put on his vagabond shoes and went on a little vacation to New York City.The Big Apple.The City.New Yawk.The city that doesn't sleep.........

One of their excursions was to Central Park,to see Strawberry Fields.

And he got me a t-shirt! They also went to the NBC Store,and.........

he got me a t-shirt!

(note-You have to be a fan of The Office,to get this shirt.)

Prior to their trip,they had applied on-line for tickets to The Letterman Show,in the hope they could tickets.(Turns our you can only get tickets by applying on-line.Sort of a lottery thing,I guess).They got the call the Saturday before they left,and they were offered tickets for Wednesday or Thursday.They took Wednesday,not knowing who the guests were going to be.

Turns out,it was ...........

Sir Paul!!!!

(That's how close they were!)

Because they had tickets to the show(eighth row center,I might add),they were ushered outside,and got to stand right under the marquee where Sir Paul performed!

Crap!

My kid leads a more exciting life than us!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I remember the first time the Beatles were on The Ed Sullivan Show!

Today I Am 59.

Tomorrow,I shall be 60.

To be exact, it was at 12:03AM,July 19.1949,I entered this world.
My mother almost didn't make it to the delivery table,I was in such a rush to enter this world.What was I in such a rush for?Did I know what was in store for me?Did I know the generation I was about to become a member of?Did I know how the world was going to change in my lifetime?
Today,I am 59.
Tomorrow,I shall be 60.
Would I change anything?Probably not.I figure I did everything the first time around,because I wanted to.Even if I could go back,I'd probably do everything the same,all over again.It was fun then;it would probably still be fun,again.

But,today,I am 59.

Tomorrow,I shall be 60.

Two years from collecting Social Security.Five years from Medicare.Will any of that still exist?

But,today,I am 59.

Tomorrow,I shall be 60.

I have seen Vietnam.I have protested against that war.I have seen Woodstock.I have seen man walk on the moon.I have seen John Kennedy,Robert Kennedy,and Martin Luther King assassinated.I have seen Elvis,rock 'roll,swivel his hips,and die,and,most recently,the death of Michael Jackson(God,I loved MoTown!!!).I remember the first time The Beatles were on the Ed Sullivan show.I remember when John Lennon died.I have seen the rise of,hopefully,women's rights.I have seen the birth of the computer generation.I have become computer literate.I even have a Facebook page,for crying out loud.I have a blog,too!I have seen the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win a Super Bowl(now,who would've ever believed they'd see that?).The Tampa Bay Rays in the World Series,too(even harder to believe,I know).Did my parents think a plane would crash into the World Trade Center?Did my parents foresee any of that,when I was in such a rush to enter this world?

Today I am 59.

Tomorrow,I shall be 60.

I have been married twice.(Note to whomever-never marry your best friend.They may be your bestest friend,ever,but you shouldn't marry that person.You can never have enough bestest friends,in this world.If you marry them,sad to say,they're not your best friends anymore.)Tthe second time around has been a learning experience.We have our ups and downs(more ups than downs,thankfully),and we have weathered many major storms.We are still here,today.

Today,I am 59.

Tomorrow,I shall be 60.

I have given birth to the two bestest men/cubs ever!I love them both to death,and they make me so proud.I would lay my life on the line for those two,even though they are,now,adults.I love them to death!

Today,I am 59.

Tomorrow,I shall be 60.

What will tomorrow bring?Will I feel old?Will I feel different?

God,I hope not.Right now,as I write this,I feel,maybe 35........ok,36.

Why should I feel any different tomorrow?I certainly don't plan on that.

I do have plans.......Things to do........

But for today,I am 59!

Tomorrow,I shall be 60.

Bring it on,baby!!!

Skywatch Friday No.53

Sunset

Pass-A-Grille,Pinellas County,Florida

For more Skywatch participants,click here............................

Some Mental Aerobics.......THE ANSWERS!!!!

Soooo,how many of you Googled the answers?Hmmmm?

Yesterday,while sitting around/in the pool,we came up with some mental aerobics.

Yes,one of us is gonna hit a landmark,but that's for another post.

And we thought we'd share with you......

No fair cheating,by Googling these.......
No prizes are to be handed out.

You just get the

pleasure

of seeing that you still have

"it."

All your mental senses,that is.Anything else you may,or may not,have is up to you.....(wink-wink)

Sooo,here we go............

1. Name the Seven Dwarfs

Bashful,Doc,Dopey,Grumpy,Happy,Sleepy,Sneezy

2.Name "The Brady Bunch Kids"

Marcia,Jan,Cindy,Greg,Peter,Bobby

3.Name "The A Team"

B A Baracus(Mr.T's character),Hanibal, Face(extra credit for his character's real name-

Lt.Templeton Peck),"Howling Mad" Murdock

4.Name the characters in "The Mod Squad."-just the three main characters.

Pete,Linc,Julie

5.Name "The Partridge Family"

Keith,Danny,Shirley,Laurie,Tracy,Chris

6.Name the eight tiny reindeer - nope,Rudolph doesn't count

Dasher,Dancer,Prancer,Vixen,comet,Cupid,donner(originally known as Dunder-we googled

that one!),Blitzen(originally known as Blixem-we Googled that one,too)

7.Name The Jackson 5 -nope,LaToya wasn't one of them.

Jackie,Tito,Jermaine,Marlon,Michael

Answers tomorrow,for those of you with part-timers disease.................

and that's only

if

we remember................

So,how'd ya do?

Ya'll still got

it?

Raindrops Keep Fallin' .......

House Hunting

"I have to find a new house for these kids.

"Wait!

That looks like the place!

It's perfect!

And it's brand new.

More than enough room for all of us to spread out.

We can move right in..

YES!!!!

I must call ReMax,right away."

The lady with the camera says,

"NOT!

That's a lantern,

so unless you want those eggs to be fried,

I suggest you move on."

For more of Camera Critters,click here..................

A Decision Has Been Made.........

As you can see,we have come to a mutual agreement on the new style of the blog.

-No blood was spilled.

-No calls to 911.

-No lawyers were contacted.

-We're still speaking,and we may even sleep in the same room tonight..............


Warning:the following portion is rated XXX...............if you offend easily,stop reading here.

So,in celebration of the new style blog,a new towel has been placed in the kitchen.I think it is the finishing touch to our kitchen!

If you desire one of these oh-so-very-tasteful reminders for those who you share your home with,you can buy one here.

Oh-go ahead.Order one.
You know you want to....................

Now,if,only,she would come up with one for "Clean The F***ing Bathroom" or "Put the F****ing Seat Down"................................

Bear With Us Here......

Yep-we're trying to

spice

things up.

But we can't come to a mutual agreement.

(read that as we're arguing about what layout looks best....)

Sooooo....................

the blog may be changing around for a few days...................

Change is good!

Feel free to chime in with any thoughts..................

Are We Missing Something?

Let me preface this with:

I think Michael Jackson was a

great

entertainer.

Anyone who knows me,knows I

truly

believe Motown is

God's gift to the world.

(is there a better song than "A-B-C" ?,

unless we're talking Smokey,

and that's a whole different post)

However,I'm having a problem with all of the news outlets interrupting their usual programming to focus on the supposed funeral service for Michael Jackson.

It's not like he was the head of state, of some world power..............

He wasn't the King of Rock n ' Roll............

That honor shall

always and forever

belong to Elvis.

Deal with it,people!!!MJ never was,or will be,the KING!

(good marketing ploy to MJ,for marrying the King's daughter.Hats off to him on that one----just not good enough to be crowned the King,tho.Sorry......)

I just don't get this whole media thing.Like it's the end of the world as we know it.The sun is not gonna come up tomorrow,because MJ died?

Did the sun not come up the day after Elvis died?

Isn't the sun still coming up,even though America's young men and women are dying in the Middle East?

We have to have national news coverage of his funeral?

Even CNN,fer Gawd's sake,is covering it!

Aren't the North Koreans threatening to spend a nuclear missile Hawaii's way?

What really matters to us,as Americans?

Where do our priorities lie?

Just askin'................

Oh,yeah---MJ's funeral is tomorrow......................

Magical Mystical Tour ?

(With apologies to the Beatles................)

While cleaning out the last of our vegetable garden,I found these.

Growing amongst the hot pepper plants.........

Guess they like a little spice in their magical,mystical lives....................

For more of Scenic Sunday,click here.................

Independence Day,2009

Happy 4th of July!!!As American as.........

Baseball,

Hot Dogs,

Apple Pie,

and Chevrolet!

Whoops!

(almost forgot ........)

and

NASCAR!!!!!!!

This is the South,after all.......

You Know Your Life Is Vanilla........

when you are out in the drizzling rain(more on that later),fixing your landscape lighting,and some guy walks up and tries to sell you a "deal."

(Does anybody sell a real deal,door-to-door? )

For the small price of $24.99 you get one half off a dinner on that you spend at least $50 on,at GrillSmith.

Let's see.....if we buy that coupon for $24.99 and get 1/2 off of a dinner that we spend $50 on,are we not spendng $50? Is that right? Haven't we already spent $25 on your coupon? And 1/2 off of $50 is $25,right?Isn't that still $50?

Wait!

I grew up in New York,so maybe that's New York math.

Maybe in Florida,the math is different?

Could that be?

I'll bet that's what it is.......

Yep.That's what it is.

How stupid of us not to have figured that out.....



So,people,get ready for this discourse...............

Are you ready?If you pee your pants,don't blame us........

Me-"Ummm,excuse me,but I'm not getting the math of your deal.And I'm friggin' wet here...."

Him-"Ma'am,this is an introductory type offer.We're trying to get people to visit our restaurant."

Me-"Ummmm....I'm still not getting your math.And I'm getting wetter,in this rain,trying to deal with YOU and these lights."

Him-"It has been raining alot,hasn't it?"

(WTF planet has he been on?We've had 4 1/2" of rain in 2 days!And it's still raining!!And it's muggier than Hell!" -No,I did not say that to him,Though,it did occur to me.)

Me-"How about this?You give me the $25 and I'll buy.How's that?"

Him-"Ma'am I can't do that."

Me-"Then I can't either."

.......................................................................................................

Sooo,yes,we've had all this rain,the past few days(and it's still coming down....).

No measureable rain(except for that freak hail storm last week) for months,

and,now,

Mother Nature is gonna give it all to us in

2 days........

Figures.

The front walkway has been dug up.And kinda/sorta been replanted.

Landscape lighting been rearranged (see above).

New plantings have been bought,but if we try to put them in,we'll drown!

So,this shall be dinner,tonite........ CHEERS!!!!