Butterfly Exhibit at the Botanical Garden

Butterfly Exhibit at the Garden

A path at the Garden

Cactus Flower bloom at the Garden

Sunflower along the Roadside

Botanical Garden Butterfly Exhibit

If there is light in the soul,There will be beauty in the person.

If there is beauty in the person,There will be harmony in the house.

If there is harmony in the house,There will be order in the nation.

If there is order in the nation,There will be PEACE in the world.

~Chinese Proverb

Thirteen Things about Mary1. My favorite color is GREEN! 2. My middle name has been passed down in my family for 200 plus years 3. I am currently recovering from the Flu. 4. I have liked & belived in Angels since I was a VERY small child. 5. I have seen ghosts on more than one occasion. 6. I am a Stay At Home Mom. 7. I am an avid Postcrosser. 8. This is my first edition of Thriteen Things. 9. I am BEYOND proud of my "Baby" Sister. 10. I have been a slave to the laundry this week with 3 of us having the Flu. 11. I have seen the hand of God & am no longer worried about what others think when they hear it. 12. I have an unshakeable faith in the Lord. 13. I am in the process of changing my eating habits & reintroducing exercise into my life. Links to other Thursday Thirteens!1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

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Yard of a Thousand Lakes

Yes, you read it correctly. It seems that I may have as many as 1000 mini-lakes in my yard. Okay, so it's a bit of an exaggeration but there is at least one that is about 1100 square feet. I only know this because it is about 1/2 the size of my house! Not to mention there are at least 20 OTHER smaller but still sizeable mini-lakes on our acre of land. We got a rare early June rain/wind/dust storm that blew through about 2 hours ago. First came the sudden dramatic drop in temperature, next howling winds & TONS of dust. It got to the point that it was literally ZERO visibility! Next came rain that was being blown by the wind with such force, it sounded like hail hitting the windows. I was seeing cloud to ground lightening & it was close enough I could feel the electricity in the air. I placed both the girls in the doorway between the bathroom & master bedroom, away from all windows & electrical outlets, unplugged the phones & electronic devices & had candles & matches close at hand. The dust was so thick that at 5pm...it was black as pitch outside. That is of course when we lost power. Char was fussy the whole time while Liz was pretty good, but asking if daddy was inside when she saw the dust. Once we lost power all bets on calm little ones were lost. I kept them both in the playpen & sat next to it, talking to them & telling them a story. The power was only out about 10 minutes, but with my voice fading fast due to my coughing...it was 10 minutes too long. I was much relieved when I saw my hubby pull up outside in front of the house, knowing he was safe. He works outside & on top of roofs every day so when I see lightening & dust storms, I have a very real concern for his safety. Now we are housebound for the next few days (not that I was going anywhere anyway being sick) & the work truck is parked on the street until the ground solidifies again.

I called my mom & told her to get her a$$ straight home as the storm was headed her way & fast. She called a little later telling me my Grandmother is in the hospital due to MAJOR swelling in her legs from being immobile. Until they get this mess with her back figured out, this could be an ongoing problem. They admitted her to reduce the swelling & to make sure no blood clots have formed. Say a prayer for her. She could use all of them she can get.

BTW, I am still feeling like I got run over by a truck but Phlegm Dam broke wide open last night about bedtime & has been flowing strong ever since. I'm not kidding, I've filled TWO bathroom trash cans with Kleenex since 7 am this morning! Yes, my head & sinuses are pounding but it's a good thing. It IS a GOOD thing...right?

Update from the House of Flu

This won't be long either. We are still coughing & hacking up our lungs. Liz & I are at least. Bob seems to be "okay" still. That's a good thing since he is the one with the paycheck. Charlotte I'm happy to report is doing MUCH, MUCH better.

Last night Char slept in her room while Liz & I shared the bed. Bob slept on the couch so he wasn't sleeping in sheets & pillows tainted with our Flu germs. The plan is for me to wash all our our bedding, including pillows & such so he can sleep in our bed tonight. I will be on the couch, propped up so I can breath. I think Liz may end up in her Daddys chair for the same reason.

I did manage to something other than just nap for the first time since Thursday I think. I took some Nyquill & Liz some Triaminic so we both ended up getting some decent sleep. I heard Bob come in & give Liz Triaminic. He said that the way the two of us were hacking it was keeping him from sleeping....in the other room! I would have given Liz meds but I was so dizzy from coughing & sheer exhaustion I couldn't get out of bed. Since I had no voice, I couldn't call out to Bob either. I am not very dizzy this morning.

I talked to my sister this weekend, as well as my Grandparents & Grandma. Nobody even told my sister that Grandma had back surgery! That really pissed me off. HELLO! It's back surgery! Actually NECK surgery! It's stuff like that my family DOESN'T say that gets to me. I'm used to the gossip & bad mouthing. When something IMPORTANT comes up that family members NEED to know about? It's amazing how fast the gossips mouths shut! It becomes family business only if it is about them they want sympathy! GRRR!

Oay, I need to head back to bed. I am getting dizzy again & don't want to crawl across the house to get there.

This won't be long

I just wanted to do a quick update.

We left for Garland, Texas (around Dallas) on Friday night. We drove straight through & it took us about 16 hours. We had a room at the Gaylord Texan & it was beautiful. Sunday we spent the day with his Grandma, 2 Uncles, an Aunt-in-Law & his neice & nephew. Monday we headed back home & returned Tuesday morning. In all, we had a good time.

Yesterday both the kids & I began to get sick. The three of us were running fevers all day. The smallest was vomiting up formula & pedialite, but feeling better by bedtime. The oldest was feeling okay at bedtime but woke me up by vomiting all over her bedroom at 1am. That is why I am awake right now. Then there is me. I have been running a low grade fever, sweating like a pig or freezing, spewing vomit & feces like crazy & am lightheaded. I can't forget that I have developed a sharp pain in my left ear...usually the sign of an ear infection for me. Gee? Wanna come over so you can get sick too? Let's just hope my hubby doesn't catch any of it.

I know it will all pass. I know this could have happened at any point over the holiday weekend (thank goodness it didn't) Unfortunately, it doesn't make me feel any better right now.

With that, I am off to bed.

How the lime gets in the Pepsi

Courtesy of an e-mail my Aunt Lora sent to me.

!Step AWAY from the blog! :-)

I will be away from my blogs for the long weekend.

Please take a minute to stop & remember those soliders that have died for, fought for or are currently serving our country.

I will post again later in the week.

Have fun & stay safe!

Creeping Deserts

Deserts May Be Creeping Closer to Cities
By ANDREW BRIDGES (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated PressMay 26, 2006 8:06 AM EDT

WASHINGTON - Deserts in the American Southwest and around the globe are creeping toward heavily populated areas as the jet streams shift, researchers reported Thursday.

The result: Areas already stressed by drought may get even drier.
Satellite measurements made from 1979 to 2005 show that the atmosphere in the subtropical regions both north and south of the equator is heating up. As the atmosphere warms, it bulges out at the altitudes where the northern and southern jet streams slip past like swift and massive rivers of air. That bulging has pushed both jet streams about 70 miles closer to the Earth's poles.

Since the jet streams mark the edge of the tropics, in essence framing the hot zone that hugs the equator, their outward movement has allowed the tropics to grow wider by about 140 miles. That means the relatively drier subtropics move as well, pushing closer to places like Salt Lake City, where Thomas Reichler, co-author of the new study, teaches meteorology.

"One of the immediate consequences one can think of is those deserts and dry areas are moving poleward," said Reichler, of the University of Utah. Details appear in Friday in the journal Science.

The movement has allowed the subtropics to edge toward populated areas, including the American Southwest, southern Australia and the Mediterranean basin. In those places, the lack of precipitation already is a worry.

Additional creep could move Africa's Sahara Desert farther north, worsening drought conditions that are already a serious problem on that continent and bringing drier weather to the countries that ring the Mediterranean Sea.

"The Mediterranean is one region that models consistently show drying in the future. That could be very much related to this pattern that we are seeing in the atmosphere," said Isaac Held, a senior research scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He was not connected with the research.

A shift in where subtropical dry zones lie could make climate change locally noticeable for more people, said Karen Rosenlof, a NOAA research meteorologist also unconnected to the study.

"It is a plausible thing that could be happening, and the people who are going to see its effects earliest are the ones who live closer to the tropics, like southern Australia," said Rosenlof. Her own work suggests the tropics have actually compressed since 2000, after growing wider over the previous 20 years.

Reichler suspects global warming is the root cause of the shift, but said he can't be certain. Other possibilities include variability and destruction of the ozone layer. However, he and his colleagues have noted similar behavior in climate models that suggest global warming plays a role.

Moving the jet streams farther from the equator could disrupt storm patterns, as well as intensify individual storms on the poleward side of the jet streams, said lead author Qiang Fu, a University of Washington atmospheric scientist.

In Europe, for example, that shift could mean less snow falling on the Alps in winter. That would be bad news for skiers, as well as for farmers and others who rely on rivers fed by snowmelt.

"This definitely favors or enhances the frequency of droughts," Fu said of such a shift.

Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Is this a true solution?

Congress May Expand Border Fences

By JACQUES BILLEAUD (Associated Press Writer)

From Associated PressMay 11, 2006 11:24 PM EDT

DOUGLAS, Ariz. - Much of this dusty city along the border is separated from Mexico by a fence consisting of 12-foot vertical metal bars, spaced inches apart to prevent illegal immigrants from squeezing through.
Surveillance cameras are mounted on towers nearby, and Border Patrol agents posted hundreds of feet away in the desert scrub and flowering ocotillo watch for anyone who might try to scale, cut through, slip under or sneak around the fence.
Though these fences are criticized for shifting would-be border-crossers to more dangerous and remote spots, they do make it harder for illegal immigrants to reach urban areas where they can slip into a car and head for the nation's interior to find work.
Now, as Washington seeks to overhaul America's broken immigration policies, Congress is considering putting many more such barriers along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border, which already has 83 miles of fences.
A bill that cleared the House in December would put fences at immigrant- and drug-smuggling corridors in all four southern border states. At an estimated cost of $2.5 billion, the fences would cover 850 miles of border - roughly one-fifth the length of the Great Wall of China - though it would not be one continuous wall.
The gaps would be policed the way many remote areas of the border are already guarded now: with motion sensors, cameras, unmanned drone aircraft and Border Patrol agents.
Among other things, House legislation calls for a mostly continuous 392-mile fence from Calexico, Calif., to Douglas. The second-largest piece would be a largely uninterrupted 305-mile segment in the Texas brush country from Laredo to Brownsville, a corridor used by cocaine smugglers.
Immigrant rights groups say fences waste taxpayer money because would-be border-crossers who are desperate to earn a better living in America will always find a way around or through barriers, as evidenced by the lower sections of the fence in Douglas, where rods have had to be welded into place to patch up breaches.
Even some proponents say erecting fences, without using other border enforcement efforts, will not stop illegal immigrants.
"All by itself, it's not a magic solution," said Ira Mehlman, spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which favors limiting immigration.
But the Border Patrol says fences slow down immigrants so authorities can have enough time to respond to those who try to come across. That, in turn, frees up other agents to focus on remote areas, where they already use aircraft and ground sensors.
"Fencing by itself is not effective, but not having a fence is not effective either," added Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz.
Advocates for beefing up border security said a 14-mile fence near San Diego, once the country's most prolific smuggling center, shows that barriers work. The fence there is made of corrugated metal sheets previously used as landing surfaces for military aircraft. Behind it is a second fence, made of tightly woven mesh.
Within that area, the barrier is credited with dramatically reducing the flow of illegal immigrants.
Rep. Duncan Hunter, a California Republican who is the leading voice in Congress for more fences, said the costs of building fences are much lower than the government expenses associated with illegal immigration, including huge sums spent on incarcerating immigrants convicted of crimes in the United States.
Opponents say there are some costly consequences as well. Immigrant rights advocates say fences prompt migrants to cross in remote areas where they face dangerous obstacles, such as rivers where some drown, deserts where some succumb to the heat, and mountains where some are injured or die.
Also, a large-scale fence could force immigrants to remain in the country longer, while in the past they came to earn money and then returned home, said Angela Kelley, deputy director of the pro-immigrant National Immigration Forum.
"If it's riskier and harder, people don't leave," said Kelley, who believes a guest worker program will reduce illegal crossings.
In Douglas, Louis Hahn, a retiree who tends horses on his ranch, said the fence reduces traffic through the city. But he said it is simplistic to think that a huge physical barrier will trump the economic forces that prompt fathers to leave their families and risk their lives for a chance at a better life.
"You have got to put yourself in the position of the man crossing the border and what he's willing to take," Hahn said.
---
On the Net:
Customs and Border Protection: http://www.cbp.gov
Sen. Jon Kyl: http://kyl.senate.gov
Rep. Duncan Hunter: http://www.house.gov/hunter
National Immigration Forum: http://www.immigrationforum.org
Federation for American Immigration Reform: http://www.fairus.org

WTC Staircase

WTC Staircase Leads Endangered Sites List

By DEVLIN BARRETT (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated PressMay 11, 2006 8:27 AM EDT

WASHINGTON - Anyplace else, the scarred concrete steps would be an eyesore. At ground zero on Sept. 11, 2001, they were a last chance for escape. Now they stand as the last surviving above-ground piece of the World Trade Center.

The "Survivors Staircase" was named one of the nation's most endangered historic places Wednesday, along with whole swaths of New Orleans and Mississippi damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

By singling out the staircase and sections of the South, the National Trust for Historic Preservation is seeking to preserve areas hit by the two biggest American disasters of recent memory. Katrina, noted Trust president Richard Moe, "damaged more historic homes than any event in the history of the country."

The Trust is a private nonprofit group founded in 1949.
In New York, the rumbling of construction around ground zero has weakened the staircase, and it is not included in plans for a new tower.
To Sept. 11 survivor Patty Clark, the Trade Center staircase is "symbolic of all of us who were witnesses to that day. It's still strong, somewhat damaged, but that's kind of like we all are."

Clark and other employees of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey used the staircase to escape Tower 1 after the terror attacks in New York.

She had already walked down 65 flights of stairs when she got to the World Trade Center plaza. Debris from Tower 2, which had just collapsed, filled the plaza, leaving the open-air staircase as the only way out. She and other employees followed the stairs down to ground level at Vesey Street and raced north, escaping just minutes before their own tower collapsed.

"For people who got out of the building, it was by steps, so steps are very important to the people who lived," she said.
Supporters say they could live with seeing the staircase moved in order to preserve it, as long as it isn't placed far from its original site.

Moe said most people don't know the staircase remains, since it is closed to the public. "It's an enormously important artifact," he said.
In the South, historic Mississippi towns and New Orleans neighborhoods face wholesale demolition after the 2005 hurricane.

Moe said development pressures may lead towns and property owners to relax building codes and replace historic homes rather than repair them.
"They need the assurance that the rush to rebuild won't destroy the historic character that the wind and the water didn't sweep away," he said.

Also cited on the Trust's new list of endangered historic places are the retirement home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis and Pascagoula's La-Point-Krebs House.

"Katrina represents the greatest cultural disaster in the history of the country, in addition to being a great human disaster," said Moe.
Also named by the group were whole sections of New Orleans, including the lower Ninth Ward, Mid-City, Holy Cross and South Lakeview.

"We're not talking about the expensive homes, we're talking about the low and moderate income homes, the shotgun cottages, the Creole homes. This is the heart and soul of New Orleans," Moe said.

Also named to the most endangered list were:
- The Smithsonian Arts & Industries Building in Washington.
- Blair Mountain Battlefield in Logan County, W.Va.
- Doo Wop Motels in Wildwood, N.J.
- Fort Snelling Upper Post in Hennepin County, Minn.
- Kenilworth, Ill.
- Kootenai Lodge in Bigfork, Mont.
- Mission San Miguel Arcangel in San Miguel, Calif.
- Over-the-Rhine Neighborhood in Cincinnati.

Kenilworth, a northern suburb of Chicago, was chosen as an example of the intense development pressure to tear down early 20th century homes and replace them with what the group decries as hulking mansions.

"It's a phenomenon we're seeing everywhere I go, and it's probably the most pervasive threat to historic communities," said Moe.
---

On the Net:
National Trust for Historic Preservation: http://www.nationaltrust.org

My Beloved Friend

My Beloved Friend

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At eight weeks of age

more than just a ball of fluff

our bond was instant

***

I fell in love with

sparkeling brown puppy eyes

and a sweet smile

***

Wet from a flea dip

I opened my heart to him

and adopted him

***

My beloved friend

saw me through good times and bad

Sensitive like me

***

Silly, playful, fun

teasing his feline brother

bonding within days

***

Protective, loyal

spirited, smart, handsome, kind

a family member

***

Great with the children

being patient while little

hands tugged on his tail

***

Somehow he just knew

the little ones were learning

not to pull on him

***

It happened one day

The day I was long dreading

Time to let him go

***

I called my sister

She confirmed that it was time

Time to say Good-Bye

***

I cried my eyes out

We took pictures with the kids

then went to the vet

***

They called out his name

I had Liz tell him Good-bye

turning for the door

***

I began to cry

He had been in pain all night

soon to be pain free

***

Petting and kissing

I placed him on the table

Sadness filled the room

***

I think that he knew

He passed hearing my voice

looking at my face

***

I told him to go

join OJ, Trudy, Slider

Penny and Rascal

***

The wound is still fresh

My heart is still aching for

My Beloved Friend

***

In Memory of Scooter

June 1994 ~ November 2005

***

The best pet I've ever had.

I needed to vent on my previous post. Sometimes I think I live too close to the border. I just wish SOMEONE would come up with a humane, responsible solution to our immigration problems.

Onto other things....

I found a quote I like....

Do, or do not. There is no try.- Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back

I took the girls to the Zoo this week. We became members because my oldest is ALWAYS asking me to take her to the zoo. As a member, now I can take her more than once per year. Her first choice was to go see the snakes. It's a good thing her Grandma's (any of them) weren't there because they all can't stand snakes. If her Great-Great Grandmother Miller were alive, snakes wouldn't have bothered her one bit. She used to go into her garden & chop the heads off Bull snakes (?) with her garden hoe. She was a true old fashioned Grandma. She was a vanishing breed when I was young. I was very fortunate to have memories of such a kind & gentle woman.

ANYWAY, we saw the snakes, fish & prairie dogs then it was off to the Giraffes. In the same exhibit with Giraffes they have Gazelle, Emu, Crowned Cranes & some others. I can't remember what right now though. After that were the Elephants, Monkey Island & the orangutan. Finally came the water Playground, the gift shop & home. Lunch was in there somewhere too. We saw a small part of the zoo & were inside the zoo for 4 hours. It didn't matter to me, especially being members. She had fun. That was the main thing.

Today we went to Tombstone, Arizona. I hadn't been since I took my friend Shannon since forever ago. Now the main street has been covered in gravel instead of pavement. Much more authentic. We saw a wild west show, had some lunch & saw Boothill Graveyard. Of course we looked in many shops, buying MAINLY postcards for my Postcrossing activities but we had fun doing it. Elizabeth did get to pet a trick horse & posed for pictures with it & it's owner "Dallas Kate". I can't remember the horses name ( I think it was Shiloh) has been voted the top trick horse in the nation for the past 10 years. All of the animals in her shows have been rescued from shelters, horse sales & agencies place abused &/or neglected animals. Her animals will be in an upcoming episode of Animal Stars on Animal Planet. In the show we attended she used two horses, 3 Boston Terriers & a Donkey. It was a lighthearted & entertaining show. Both of the girls seemed to have a ball watching it.

That is about all for now. I am tired & sleepy cause it was a LONG day for me. I am headed to bed.

Goodnight all!

National Anthems should be sang in the language in which they were written!

Excuse me, but WHEN will this $*!# end!!!!!!

First Immigration laws, next marches in several cities, followed by planned nationwide Boycotts! Now you want OUR National Anthem too?!?! Excuse me but WTF!!!! If you don't like the way things are here then go back to your own country! We aren't immigrating to Mexico & then trying to CHANGE your country! UGH!

I am NOT prejudice & I have no problem with people who come here legally & at least TRY to speak English. Even very broken English makes me happy. People from other countries manage to come here through proper channels (& illegally as well I am sure) I don't see OTHER countries immigrants trying to CHANGE the USA. Maybe because I live where I do I am more over-sensitive to these issues. I am getting sick of this crap. I vote. My family pays taxes. My husband works his A$$ off to provide for us. DO WE get any breaks from OUR government. HE!! NO! Did we get FREE medical care when my husband was out of work & I was due with our baby any day? HE!! NO! Did we have to pay through the nose for COBRA insurance & have no idea how were going to pay for it? HE!! YES! We should not have to learn a different language to function in our own country in the future. That is what we will soon be faced with if things don't change. We are in AMERICA people! We speak ENGLISH in AMERICA people! If you don't like it then get the HELL out!

Ahhhhh! I feel a little bit better now. I hope I didn't offend anyone. Don't get in a debate with me because you won't change my mind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here is the article.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spanish 'Star-Spangled Banner' Draws Ire
By LAURA WIDES-MUNOZ (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated PressApril 28, 2006 7:04 AM EDT
MIAMI - British music producer Adam Kidron says that when he came up with the idea of a Spanish-language version of the U.S. national anthem, he saw it as an ode to the millions of immigrants seeking a better life.
But in the week since Kidron announced the song - which features artists such as Wyclef Jean, hip-hop star Pitbull and Puerto Rican singers Carlos Ponce and Olga Tanon - it has been the target of a fierce backlash.
Some Internet bloggers and others are infuriated by the thought of "The Star-Spangled Banner" sung in a language other than English.
"Would the French accept people singing the La Marseillaise in English as a sign of French patriotism? Of course not," said Mark Krikorian, head of the Washington-based Center for Immigration Studies, a think tank that supports tighter immigration controls.
The initial version of "Nuestro Himno," or "Our Anthem," comes out Friday and uses lyrics based closely on the English-language original, said Kidron, who heads the record label Urban Box Office.
Pro-immigration protests are planned around the country for Monday, and the record label is urging Hispanic radio stations nationwide to play the cut at 7 p.m. EDT Friday in a sign of solidarity.
A remix to be released in June will contain several lines in English that condemn U.S. immigration laws. Among them: "These kids have no parents, cause all of these mean laws ... let's not start a war with all these hard workers, they can't help where they were born."
Bryanna Bevens of Hanford, Calif., who writes for the immigration-focused Web magazine Vdare.com, said the remix particularly upset her.
"It's very whiny. If you want to say all those things, by all means, put them on your poster board, but don't put them on the national anthem," she said.
Kidron, a U.S. resident for 16 years, maintains the changes are fitting. After all, he notes, American immigrants borrowed the melody of the "Star Spangled Banner" from an English drinking song.
"There's no attempt to usurp anything. The intent is to communicate," Kidron said. "I wanted to show my thanks to these people who buy my records and listen to the music we release and do the jobs I don't want to do."
Kidron said the song also will be featured on the album "Somos Americanos," which will sell for $10, with $1 going to the National Capital Immigration Coalition, a Washington group.
James Gardner, an associate director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, said Americans have long enjoyed different interpretations of the Star Spangled Banner, including country or gospel arrangements.
"There are a number of renditions that people aren't happy with, but that's part of it - that it means enough for people to try to sing," he said.
Pitbull, whose real name is Armando Perez, said this country was built by immigrants, and "the meaning of the American dream is in that record: struggle, freedom, opportunity, everything they are trying to shut down on us."
---
Associated Press writer Suzette Laboy in Miami contributed to this report.
---
On the Net:
Song history by National Museum of American History:
http://americanhistory.si.edu/ssb/6_thestory/6b_osay/fs6b.html

Senate Panel Recommends Abolishing FEMA

By LARA JAKES JORDAN (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated PressApril 27, 2006 9:46 AM EDT
WASHINGTON - Hurricane Katrina's latest fatality should be FEMA, the nation's disaster response agency, a Senate inquiry concluded in calling for a government overhaul to avoid future failures like those the devastating storm exposed.
Eighty-six recommendations by the bipartisan panel indicate the United States is still woefully unprepared for a storm of Katrina's scope with the start of the hurricane season little more than a month away.
The recommendations conclude that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is crippled beyond repair by years of poor leadership and inadequate funding. They call for a new agency - the National Preparedness and Response Authority - to plan and carry out relief missions for domestic disasters.
Although the proposed changes do not place blame on any official or government agency, Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., will offer "additional views" to the panel's findings in a statement accusing President Bush of failing "to provide critical leadership when it was most needed."
"The United States was, and is, ill-prepared to respond to a catastrophic event of the magnitude of Hurricane Katrina," said the recommendations. "Catastrophic events are, by their nature, difficult to imagine and to adequately plan for, and the existing plans and training proved inadequate in Katrina."
The recommendations are to be released Thursday and will be included in the Senate panel's full report to be issued next week.
The recommendations, obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press, are the product of a seven-month Senate investigation. The probe follows similar inquiries by the House and White House and comes in an election year in which Democrats have seized on Katrina to attack the Bush administration.
President Bush is to visit Louisiana and Mississippi - which bore the brunt of Katrina's wrath - on Thursday.
Katrina, which struck on Aug. 29, was one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history. The storm killed more than 1,300 people in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, left hundreds of thousands of homeless and caused tens of billions of dollars in damage.
The new authority would communicate directly with the president during major crises, and any dramatic cuts to budget or staffing levels would have to be approved by Congress. But it would remain within the Homeland Security Department and would continue receiving resources from the department.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who led the inquiry by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said the new authority would be "better equipped with the tools to prepare for and respond to a disaster."
She described FEMA as a "shambles" and said the change "will help ensure that we do not have a repeat of the failures following Hurricane Katrina."
But the proposal drew disdain from Homeland Security and its critics, both sides questioning the need for another bureaucratic shuffling that they said wouldn't accomplish much.
"It's time to stop playing around with the organizational charts and to start focusing on government, at all levels, that are preparing for this storm season," Homeland Security spokesman Russ Knocke said.
Former FEMA Director Michael Brown, who resigned under fire after Katrina, said the new agency would basically have the same mission FEMA had a year ago before its disaster planning responsibilities were taken away to focus solely on responding to calls for help.
"It sounds like they're just re-creating the wheel and making it look like they're calling for change," Brown said. "If indeed that's all they're doing, they owe more than that to the American public."
The House report, issued in February, similarly criticized Bush, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Brown for moving too slowly to trigger federal relief. The White House report, which came a week later, took a softer tone and singled out Homeland Security for most of the breakdowns.
Many of the rest of the Senate recommendations were far less dramatic, ranging from creating a Homeland Security Academy to encouraging plans to evacuate and shelter pets during a disaster.
They also called for more funding for disaster planning and response at all levels of government, clarifying levee maintenance responsibilities, and suggested better contracting procedures to avoid waste or fraud in the rush to get aid to disaster victims.
---
On the Net:
Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee: http://hsgac.senate.gov/

DDR, Z-Coils & other stuff

DDR = Dance Dance Revolution....

If you are under the age of 25 & have been to a video arcade in the past 2 years then you have probably played this game. I FINALLY got to play it at Amazing Jake's Pizza Friday night & it can become addiciting. It was SO much fun that my hubby went out & bought the home version for me today. I played on beginner & made it through every round...working up a sweat & burning muscles the entire time. People were porbably thinking "GEEZ! WHat is this fat old cow doing!?!?! WHEN is she going to be DONE already!" I didn't care I was having a blast. I only played one complete game. It's not as if I was pumping more tokens into the game to keep playing. Lizzy was on the pad next to me "playing" too. She was having fun & this way she stayed right next to me. This game is fun, sweaty cardio at it's gaming best.

A couple of weeks ago we went to a home & patio show. I tried on these strage looking shoes with an exposed coil in place of a regular heel. My husband had been trying to get me to try them since I was diagnosed with a heel spur back in 2004. I refused saying they were too expensive, etc, etc, etc. Yes they are costly but I put a couple of pair on & wasn't sold. Yesterday we went to the closest store called Spring Chicks. ALl they sell are Z-Coils. I tried on a pair of the hiking boots & I fell in LOVE with these shoes. It feels like they are molded to my feet. I have no problem with my balance & normally when I am on my feet....within a couple of hours tops my back is aching & I usually will have to sit down. We went to the county fair, walking & standing around for SIX hours & I had no pain. My back, that I've had problems with since my first pregnancy was no problem. My feet were a little sore but not anything that prevented me from walkign around today. That is normally NOT the case. These shoes are heaven for my feet. My husband bought a pair of the work boots & has deceided to return them. When the coils wear out, all I have to replace are the coils....not the entire shoe. I am looking forward to being able to walk & be active again. For me, this was money well spent.

Thank you income tax return!

!Mine are just like these only in brown!

I got to talk to my sister yesterday. We didn't say whole lot but I miss hearing her voice. It was so nice to chat, even if it was pretty much about nothing.

That is about all for now. Until next time, have a great day!

The Little Girl & the Firefighter

*DISCLAIMER* I received this in an e-mail from an Aunt of mine. I in no way would EVER let my children do this to an animal. I must put this here because some people have NO sense of humor.

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A firefighter was working on the engine outside the station when he noticed a little girl nearby in a little red wagon with little ladders hung off the sides and a garden hose tightly coiled in the middle.

The girl was wearing a fire fighter's helmet.

The wagon was being pulled by her dog and her cat.

The fire fighter walked over to take a closer look.

"That sure is a nice fire truck," the fire fighter said with admiratiration.

"Thanks," the girl replied.

The firefighter looked a little closer and noticed the girl had tied the wagon to her dog's collar and to the cat's testicles.

"Little Partner," the fire fighter said, "I don't want to tell you howto run your rig, but if you were to tie that rope around the cat's collar, I think it could go faster."

The little girl replied thoughtfully, " You're probably right, but then I wouldn't have a siren."

I hope you all had a great Easter.

This year Easter Sunday fell on my Husbands birthday. He REALLY didn't want to eat my mom's cooking so he suggested we all go to Rawhide Steakhouse for lunch. He treated us all & Bill to lunch & then we went to a carnival being held at Rawhide as well. It has moved from Scottsdale to the Gila River Indian Reservation. Personally, I liked it BETTER in Scottsdale. The girls sat with the Easter Bunny. My DAD rode a carnival ride with Elizabeth. He wasn't going to until she walked up to him, grabbed his hand & said "Pa Pa, will you ride the Dumbos with me?" He went ahead & rode them with her. I rode Dizzy Dragons (similar to the Tilt-a-whirl) & my hubby rode the Ferris Wheel with her. That left just enough for her to ride one ride alone. We played three games & we were finished. Charlotte even played her first carnival game...the ones that you pick three ducks from the water, turn them over & see what size prize you won. It was nice to spend a holiday NOT at my parents house for a change.

On Satuday, they took the girls to Wildlife World Zoo in Litchfield Park to see the White Alligator. At their house they "painted" (dyed) Easter eggs & drew pictures. The they kept BOTH girls all night long so we could celebrate Bob's birthday. When I asked my Dad how they were for him he replied "They were both little dolls".

It was nice for us because we got to watch a movie in a theatre, do a little shopping & eat TWO meals at restaurants without our little ones. We love them to pieces but it's nice to have a break occasionally. The time alone helped in the Romance department as well. THAT of course makes my DH very happy. I can't complain either.

Charlotte is just a few steps away from walking on her own. She LOVES to push toy her Daddy brought home recently & can't play with it enough. Now when the cats see her comming....they run! LOL!

Elizabeth is learning to write her letters. Next I will work on SPELLING her name & writing it. She has to be able to write her first & last name, know her address & phone number, know her shapes & her colors before she starts Kindergarten! Gone are the days when you could go to school knowing nothing. Oh well, it is just a sign of the times I guess.

I am still getting into Postcrossing & I am enjoying it SO MUCH. I have sent cards to several different states within the US, England, Portugal, Poland, Canada, South Africa, Australia, Germany, France, Iran, Spain, Malayasia, Estonia, Russia, Finland & The Netherlands. I have received cards from nearly all of those same places. It is really cool to open your mailbox & receive a card from someplace else in the world.

Honoring my creative side

In honoring my creative side, I have been making some cards.

Mainly for the handmade Postcard Tags.

This is supposed to represent 3 types of cacti found on the mountain close to my home & the Jackrabbits that run through my yard. It was also made with washable fingerpaints & was for the Handmade Postcard Round Robin tag.

This was for the Love Tag. It was my first stab at using my Scrapbooking supplies in a long time. I wasn't all that happy with it.

I LOVE this card. I made it with washable fingerpaints & permanent marker. It was for the Handmade Postcard Round Robin tag. It reminds me of an old Twilight Zone episode.

This was for the Son of List tag. She wanted to know 5 things I did wrong as a kid & that my parent s never found out about. You can't see it well, but between the exclamations it says !SSSHHH! I wasn't happy with this card, but the recipient actually liked it.

I actually have sent another & forgot to scan it to the computer. I took a picture with the camera phone before I mailed it. As soon as I get it to the computer I will post it here because I like it.