March and The Promise!

Many are unaware or maybe just don't care, but I for one remember the legends. My parents were excellent at filling me and any other child who happened to hang around with the horror of what could happen if you stepped on a crack or where hair might grow if you did that. It took a lot of ridicule in my early adult life to get me beyond these myths, but the ones I still hold true are the ones about the weather. You see, my folks were like weather gurus. My dad could tell it was going to rain a full 24 hrs before it happened, and this was before the terror they call the weather channel. Mom n Dad knew when winter storms were coming... they were amazing. The one weather legend my Dad always cussed about and touted as completely wrong was March.... "In like a Lion, Out like a Lamb". He'd say, "Lamb my Ass". March never left us with anything other than below normal temperatures and an annual Nor-Easter. Of course now I know that phrase apparently has its origins with the constellations Leo, the Lion, and Aries, the ram or lamb, but still.... March is a unique month. We tend to hold our breath waiting.... watching for those first few drops of spring to touch our face and tease our taste buds. A flower here... a blossom there and then WHAM...... Winters back!! Worse than being snatched from our false spring is that now we've missed March and what it's really about. We've oohed and ahhd almost trance like at every morsel of a promise that winter is over, unable to realize how important a transition this is. March is for preparation. My Dad was never idle during this time of year, and neither am I. My childhood reasons for loving March are the same, only my location has changed. Daily temperatures, the sunrise, the sunset, the color of the moon.... its all different in March. I know, you say "but it's different every month"! "None of them offer the promise like March", I reply. Why are those last few days so harsh, so often? To shock us into recognition. We must all be reminded to appreciate what this covenant is about to bestow on us. When Steve and I moved to Harpers Ferry.... it was March 3rd 2001. That month I saw my first perfect moon..... I really saw it. I watched not just MY first sunrise, but what could have only been the FIRST sunrise ever. Its warmth I can still feel upon my face. I saw for the first time flowers bloom and trees blossom and with each passing day I grew more saddened because I knew that March would leave and I would forget. I would forget to appreciate all that was given. I'd take for granted that beautiful sunrise, the moon and how it made the rivers shimmer in the darkness. The dew on the cool grass and all the new smells that would awaken over the next few weeks. This fear forced us to lay at night promising to never let each other take such breathtaking beauty for granted. It came to me almost in a dream. I knew how to make every day in our new home, every sunrise, every full moon, every new bird to the feeder, just like the first one. We would share our home with anyone and everyone. We'd start by inviting the annual parade of thru-hikers to stay at night and camp in our back yard. I leveled off some nice tent sites and posted an ad for free hiker accommodations at the ATC. They started to trickle in 2 at a time. I can still remember our first guests... Harp and Spoon!! It had begun.... for two years we viewed March as the beginning. The start of another season of new friends and friendly faces. Another year of hearing how beautiful the sunrise was and how bright the moon was through the trees. We were never allowed to forget the promise. Our first year we had 162 hikers stay with us and we remember every one. Our second year we were shut down at 67 hikers because of some neighbors who felt dirty hikers would somehow lower their property value. I'm not quite sure how vinyl siding and asphalt shingles can depreciate any more than they do once you purchase them, but none-the-less.... we were closed. I'm reminded of the fun times through old pictures and a guest book I asked every visitor to sign. Memories that will last me a lifetime of March's. A few tents scattered along the hillside.... even a hiker in the shadows. The Cow and the anal one who live behind us, accused our hiker guests of defecating and urinating in the yard between us and them. This of course was not true.... the hikers used our bathroom. Town officials though, with their feeble egos hadn't been asked for permission by us to have guests on our property from time to time, so they demanded we attend a town meeting to discuss these accusations. In protest to my nosey neighbors attempt to discredit the hikers, we placed a toilet in clear view of their deck and used it to ice down drinks. When it wasn't being used as a cooler, it made a nice planter. Sadly we closed our door, and we closed our hearts to the town of Harpers Ferry. It took us several years to overcome the sadness, the anger, the frustration caused by two meddlesome, white picket fence entombed, transplants from Fredneck MD. We're indifferent to them now.... how I wish their two howling barking dogs would find a new home though. We still have guests, but they can't sleep in the yard.... and we still appreciate the promise. What will you bring me this year, March? I'm pretty sure these jewels of the forest were carried in on some unsuspecting hikers boot. Golden Morels..... what a delicious treat each spring and just another yearly reminder of March's Promise. I hope you can understand The Promise and embrace March in all its warmth and fury..... for if you don't..... It's not only the 1st of April that will be the fool.

One of THOSE families

Steve and I went to FL for his family reunion. Now I don't know anyone who says,"I'm going to my family reunion, YAY!!!" Usually that comment is accompanied with eye rolls, maybe sweaty palms and occassionally passing out, but rarely ever is it associated with a gleeful like demeanor. Now add FL as the location and it gets even scarier. On top of that.... add the fact that we're taking AMTRAK to get there. Not only might we NEVER make it, spending 17 hrs with a bunch of Seizure World Escapees in diapers and those forbidden to fly can only be described as terrifying. We left our Jeep at Shady Grove Metro which is our closest Metro stop to DC, and headed into town. Union Station is always busy, but get there at lunch.... Holy Hell!!!! WARNING!!! If you've never been to Union Station.... DON'T let your first time be lunchtime. We were both seasoned Washingtonians at one time, so we could sit back and laugh at all the madness. Our train was on time and we thought maybe this is a good sign.... until we got on the train. Our seat assignment which was given to us before we stepped aboard was already occupied and unfortunately for us, by the 15 yr old son of some trash mouth trailer park heiffer from Baltimore MD, who just happenned to be seated directly in front of him. Come to find out, after listening to her bitch out the conductor and throw a few choice comments to us, it was her son who couldn't read. He was in the wrong seat. Now the mood was set and all we could look forward to was her COW ass being loud and obnoxious. Fortunately, being gay comes with perks..... like sleeping pills and muscle relaxers. A few hours into this descent into hell we were in a comfortable coma. Somewhere near southern VA or North Carolina we had a vision. I'm not sure if it was the muscle relaxers, the sleeping pill or the double Jacks we were swigging, but there it was.... the hand of god. Just like in Leonardos Sistine Painting it loomed alongside our train. Everyone must have seen it because it wasn't long after the whole car fell asleep as if assured we were all safe for the night. It's funny how liquor and prescription drugs are said to be a bad combination, but I woke 8 hours later feeling all refreshed. Shortly after we started rubbing our sleepy eyes though we had another vision and realized we MUST be in florida, because the hand of god had changed into what looked like god reaching for a beer!! Startled by this transformation we called an attendant who informed us it was our own reflection and that the bar was closed. Huh!?!?! She couldn't however dismiss THIS bold advertisement by some local lesbian businesswomen!! We all know about scary movies and Murphys Law. DON'T EVER SAY ANYTHING to jinx your trip. Upon hearing some IDIOT in our car say, "We're making GREAT time", a car hit our train. Actually, a car was rear ended, and pushed into our train..... so there we sat until the police and the freakin news reporters got the hell out of our way. I'm often completely amazed at the ignorant shit that gets covered by reporters. (NEWS Reporter... here we have a car that was hit by another car and didn't quite hit a train but came very close and we're going to stop the train so we can get a better explanation of what really didn't happen here and then we're gonna embellish just a little to make it and our lives sound a little more important.) KILL THEM>>>>>> ALL!!!!! You have to understand... we had just one more stop and people were starting to wake up. I didn't want to be with them the night before and now they were gonna be awake and grumpy all over again. I just wanted OFF the train. Eventually we got to our stop...... PALATKA, FL. Now if you express to Palatka locals your fear of getting mugged or killed, they'll immediately tell you, "Oh no, you're thinking of someplace else." I then apologize and tell them I was unaware that all those people lying around the train station were actors. That they did a really good job of looking like drunks and drug addicts. Kudos to the Fl Tourism Office!! I also have to remember that throwing my luggage off the train really isn't a good thing especially if I'm gonna fall down the steps behind it. The "Oh Dear" expressions on Steve's Parents faces however were worth it!! We're staying with and being chauffeured by Rose Nylans relatives..... actually it's Steve's folks, and they rented a place in Palm Coast. The furniture at the apt. was that faded pepto bismal color and painted bamboo. I had also forgotten how Fl renamed everything..... Is it called a Great Room because of all the wasted space? It served the same purpose as my living room and truthfully it was a designers nightmare so why was it referred to as Great? I decided I'd rather hang out on the porch and said so only to be corrected like a catholic school boy... It's a lanai not a porch... get it right next time. Once we had freshened up we loaded up and headed for St Augustine which falls a close 2nd to Disney world for being a tourist trap. Although it's literally littered with history, you can't go 20ft without being greeted with a Yo Ho Ho by some Salty Pirate. Don't get me wrong, St Augustine has so much to see and do and what amazed me immensely was the awestruck manner in which many tourists viewed certain attractions. Granted, our country is only so old, but when you're in a city that was founded in 1565 you'd think there'd be enough attractions you wouldn't need to create any. Just Not True. In the 1920's there was this thing called the Old Spanish Trail ,which linked St Augustine FL to San Diego CA. I'm sure 3000 miles of roadway was an achievement in the early 1900s and something to remember, but to mark the Zero Mile with a giant stone marble???? There is one thing I Love about FL.... that would be Spanish Moss!!! I'm not quite sure why seeing it hanging from the big oaks is so romantic, but it is. It just sways in the breeze like transparent images of spirits too attached to say goodbye. Walking under one of these majestic trees dripping in moss, our footsteps were eerily silenced as if we hadn't earned the right to be here and therefore made invisible. Each breath granted to us was scented with centuries of ethereal beauty not for our eyes but our minds...... and we were at peace. One day Steve will return to the south and if for only this reason, it should be enough. The St Augustine Lighthouse. It's nice to find someplace like this still open to the public and on such a nice day!! Steve and I after climbing what seemed like the Everest of Cathedrals while in Italy, didn't blink at our decision to climb this lighthouse. It's only 141 ft to the observation platform compared to the 340-some feet to the top of the Florence Cathedral. Each level was halved so there was a place to rest had we gotten winded. This was a shot from the bottom looking up! I threw this in, because it was so nice to see spring everywhere!! Reunion day..... Saturday!! I guess I'm used to reunions being at some matriarchal home and therefore starting around breakfast and continuing for several days. I'm not sure why I think that's how it should be, because my family has never HAD a family reunion. Perhaps I've fantasized enough times about being from the kind of family where everyone gathers at grandmas dressed in summer whites and laughs and plays yard games only to rest for a cold glass of lemonade or some delicious food that just appears. I might make fun of family reunions but I know it takes a special kind of person to commit to such an event. Actually I'm kind of jealous of people who can visit their relatives every year on the same day..... jealous because in the name of reunion they get away with only having to do it once. I, on the other hand, must visit my own several times each year only to be reminded how I wish MY family was one of THOSE families. There never is enough time to form any kind of lasting alliance with any of my siblings, so with each visit I risk being labeled an intruder as I approach the family cave and thus killed. Steve's family plans ahead. They send out invitations that when waved in front of you act as some sort of surrender flag and ultimately gets you past the gunner. The Rossman Family has been holding this celebration for many years. Choosing Easter as their target date and hoping it would fall near their grandmas birthday of April 15th. This year however, Easter was in March. Now I could figure this out, but could the 93 yr old Grandma Rossman? She was happy to see everyone and I'm sure by the end of the day had a permanent smile from all the pictures she posed for!!! The Host/Chef/Happiest Laugh.... Steve's Aunt Laura. She's one of those contagiously funny people that can take your sour mood and turn into belly busting laughter in minutes. Every family should have one of her.... the world would be a better place. Steve with his Aunt Gail who's only 2 yrs older than him. Here they're trying to figure out how to assemble plastic eggs. Steve's convinced that the Chinese employee that made these is still laughing at the ignorant American consumer who bought them. Once they figured out how to snap the two halves together they headed off to hide them. It was funny watching the kids follow them around.... both of them oblivious to the fact the children were just picking them up as soon as they were put down. After watching the Egg hiders for awhile I turned my attention to an even more intriguing event taking place on the lawn behind me. Evidently, "Trick Kites" do more than tricky maneuvers, they can also bewilder even the most seasoned reunion participants. Here are Steve's dad Tom, Jim and Andy discussing the proper placement of the kite poles in order to get the Kite in flight. I do have one picture of the kite in the air, but I'm not sure if tossing it up counts!! Tom's holding the kite while Jim readies himself for the ultimate blast-off. I'm pretty sure the most repeated phrase of the day was, Run Jim, Run!! Family photos have never been one of my favorite things to do. I always get stuck standing next to someone who either annoys me or decided just that day to annoy me. When taking pictures of someone elses family, I'm quite content to have them change places from tallest to shortest.... oldest to youngest... however I see fit. Being the photographer means I'm not IN the picture!! Here are Steve's aunts, uncles and mom. Gail, Armond, Karl, Linda(mom), & Pat Here we have the In-Laws Tom(dad), Mildred, Jim, Laura & Grandma Don't even ask me if this is all the grand children. This IS a picture of the grand kids however. I took nearly 350 pictures in all and I'm sure I was photographing strangers as well, since we were in a State Park!! The reunion ended as the clouds rolled in.... Even though we didn't get any rain it was still good timing. Packed up.... everyone headed for somebodys home. We went back to Golden Girl Hell and slept. The next day we headed over to Gail n Jims. I'm now a believer in backyard mini-golf. What a cool way to sweat out your beer!!! Here you can actually see my ball in flight. The course is an intricate layout of small redbud trees with large carved out rings around them. The object is to hit your ball from one tree ring to the next in as few hits as possible. Here you see two bowls filled with water. Hit the ball in the larger bowl and you've won the game...... doesn't matter what your score was. I SUCK at this game!! We came, we visited, we grumbled, we ate, we slept, we even got some sun. Eventually though we had to head for home..... so back on the train we went. Tired and not as scared we settled in for a 20 hr return trip. So, for what it's worth.... Florida isn't really that bad! Maybe because it was where my marriage ended..... It was the place where my close relationship with my children was interrupted..... It was where I was outed to my family..... It was where I witnessed numerous deaths from AIDS..... I'm not sure really why I dislike Florida so. I do know this..... I'm glad I made this trip... because now I no longer have to wish to be one of THOSE Families...... I AM one of those families!!

Adjustment Disorders

This is one you don't hear about very often. We all know someone who's suffered from or is currently being treated for Depression. We've been bludgeoned nightly by screwballs like Nancy Grace trying to figure out WHY they did it? WHO FREAKIN CARES???? It's natural selection and eventually it takes cows like her. My subject... Adjustment Disorders. Have you ever know someone that you just couldn't figure out? Why do they tell the far fetched stories they do or why they might say things to you that are just downright mean. They steal from you and lie about it. Why they always have to drop names or worse... act as if they're Mr Superlative? (I'll go into that more, another time) I've blamed this type of bad social behavior on many things, and just like a doctor who treats the symptoms and not the cause, I'm also wrong. Apparently there's a psychological excuse for being a *##*ing Bastard or a god*##* Bitch. If they can just get all the "poor me" reasons together they have an official excuse for people not wanting them around. They would after awhile find themselves completely isolated if it weren't for the codependency of others. Every disorder has those who suffer their own issues to the point they can only befriend other disturbed people. Lets not forget the unsuspecting innocents who earnestly engage themselves in what appears to be a budding relationship, only to realize they're being used. So it's usually in hindsight that we discover the treacherous behavior wasn't imagined at all. Eventually we become jaded to socializing altogether. Even families suffer from our unwillingness to participate in weddings/birthdays/...... funerals. Does avoiding these people or the places they might be make us safe? Does this label us with our own disorder? Maybe!! Who knows for sure. I do know this.... If I can avoid the person or the place, and I can do so without regret or resentment, then I have overcome their negative aura. Having done so, I must without a doubt prepare myself for their inevitable emotional breakdown. I must be physically and mentally strong in order to help them understand WHY, when they're ready. I'm not really sure why I wrote about this today... There are of course a few obvious reasons.... some of them daily, but deeper than that I'm finally making some sense of my own life. I'll never fully understand the reasoning behind the decisions some people make, but I don't have to allow those decisions to impact me negatively. My daily reminder should be...... not what I don't want, but what I DO Want! I want to smile I want to laugh I want to hold only goodness in my soul I wholeheartedly assign myself these three tasks. Adjustment Disorder?????? Not for me.Obviously I was trained at an early age to fight back, or maybe I was simply establishing my place. Maybe I was already keenly aware of "Bad Apples". Good thing too, because bad apples exist a lot more places than Down County. It's a strange metaphor... especially since it's been a part of my life for so long, but we all know how one bad apple can spoil the bunch. What do you do? You throw that apple out. I WANT to be surrounded by GOOD APPLES!!

He's Returned!!

Some of you may not know this....

Two years ago Steves group at work

agreed to move into a sub-basement work space.

This was for two years and when that two years

was up, they were to be placed in a nice new

well lit with windows upper floor.

When they moved down into what has been

referred to as the dungeon.... Steve stopped

trimming his goatee.

For two years we've watched

him brush, condition, brush, condition, brush.....

you get it. Well, this morning he let me cut it off.

I have to tell you.... I was sad to see it go being

a beard lover and all around fan of facial hair.

However, after a fresh haircut and shave......

We ended up with this!!!! A Very handsome Boo!!

Spring is here and I've got a date!!!! WOOHOO!!

Ode to the Ides...

The Roman Colosseum We took this pic from the Palatino.

The Ides of March.... Not some special holiday just the day when Julius Caesar was killed in 44BC.

Before Caesars death the Ides simply marked the appearance of the full moon and chanting "Beware the Ides of March" was completely associated with Shakespeare, although Caesars Soothsayer most likely warned him of the date in a similar way.

So today we're going to a TOGA party. I'm baking a Roman Cake to take with us.

Here's the recipe....

225 gms spelt wheat flour 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp ground rosemary 100 gms almonds 1 tsp cinnamon 3 tbspns sweet sherry 4 tbspns dark red grape juice 1 tbspn honey Milk - enough to make a soft consistency Assemble ingredients. Heat the oven to 190ºC (375ºF). Mix the flour and baking powder together. You can sift the flour if you wish but it is not necessary and the more roughage in the cake, the better. Blend the rosemary, almonds and cinnamon. Add to the flour mixture. Combine sherry grape juice and honey. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and stir, adding the milk while stirring. Pour mixture into round or loaf tin lined with baking paper. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, less if browning too much.

We were just in Rome this past xmas, and I did promise to write about our trip, but for now I'll just post a few pics.

Ruins on Paletine Hill

More of Paletine Hill... I loved the trees!!

So there really isn't a connection with the Ides of March and my own life except maybe

the secret wish to see another TYRANT

taken out of office.

Inbred Uprising

Shelter, Wrong Turn, the MothMan..... I could go on and on..... What are West Virginians really afraid of? We've got a ton of freakish movies that were either filmed in WV or about WV.... what's one more?? Recently, poor schmuck Donna Belajac was fired from her job, because she sent out a casting call for extras with unusual features. This was for the horror/thriller Shelter to be released in 2009. The WV Governors "Office"called it insensitive. LOL!! Then the rest of the sheep lined up to give their opinions of hollywood and complain about stereotyping... blah blah blah. Of course the movie director claimed no knowledge of the casting call and apologized. Even the casting director claimed she meant no disrespect.... I'm sure that was BEFORE she was fired. My issue with this is.... How in the HELL are the backwoods, inbred folk of WV ever gonna get a break if we don't know Hollywood is looking for us. Somebody needs to tell them they don't have to look far for what they want. All they need to do is go to a 7-11 or any side-of-the-road convenience store anytime after school lets out, and take their pick. If unusual features means an entire family missing eyebrows, or having pointed ears, then you need look no further. Politicians just take themselves too seriously, and unfortunately want us to do the same. Try protecting our state from some serious damage like strip mining or deforestation or put a few more regulations on dumping sewage into our rivers and streams. In 2006 the Census recorded that nearly 1/5th of WVs population was handicapped. Now, either there's a lot of government scamming going on, or we've got a problem in WV. So, if the good folks from Hollywood had read those stats then they could only imagine there would be a plethora of freaky faces to choose from. Were the producers really intent on insulting West Virginians... I don't think so. Yes they may have been perpetuating a most often funny and not always untrue stereotype, but come on..... lets face reality. Humans have been making fun of one another since we stood on two legs for the first time. We've also used our differences to alienate, punish and kill. When we allow what anyone says to or about us to anger us, we're only empowering that person. I could be appalled at the gay community for their almost religious fervor when it comes to bad gay films. Usually the gay theme means there's drugs cheating, cross dressing and the always present, "fruit fly"! Worse, it might be anything like Will n Grace. Fortunately, by ignoring the gay stereotypes we see on TV, we're allowing a much greater thing to happen. While cunningly amusing the neandertals that stereotypically exist in places like "the south", we're secretly taking over the earth. The Truth??? We "gays" make fun of ourselves so you can't! Why can't we do that as West Virginians? Instead of getting all high and mighty and complaining about being cast as inbred and with physical abnormalities, just get over it. Only ignorant inbred apes still believe those things about WV anyhow. You want to be proud of where you're from West Virginia????? Try picking up some of the trash in your OWN back yard and I mean that symbolically. Go Hollywood..... keep that smoke screen going!!! I just wish my hump were bigger so I could be in your movie!! In case some of you aren't sure what symbolically means, then here's a more direct picture just for you. This is the typical scene at one of our local area recreation spots. Usually it's worse. Now you say anything about WV and they'll beat you down..... dump your crap on the side of the road and you're a good ole boy!

Clearing the cunfusion...

I guess from the e-mails I've received, I need to clear up an identity issue.

I'm proud to introduce to the internet world........ The Great Shaw P. Mills.... otherwise known by all us

folk from Down County as Shawpy.

He'll be using my blog once a week to share a lifetime

of experience with us all.

As soon as I can get him to agree I'll post his Pic! His latest and first post, "praise me sum jesus"

was just an introduction. I've know ole Shawpy my whole life and there's nobody who can tell stories

about my family and friends, better than him. Hell he's almost related as are most folk from down county.

I hope his words of wisdom carry through in a

bright light!

Here's a glimpse of the real Down County!! 1967

Praise me Sum Jesus

Good mawnin!! Dis here be da Great Shaw P. Mills. Dat would be P fo PRAISE Me Sum Jesus!!! Can I get a amen up in here???

I can't begin to tell you how exsited I was to get to speak to all you good folk! I promised I'd write tell ya all the stories of my friends and neighbors, but I feels the urgent need to share my feelin on this....

Now we's gots us an election comin up, and lets me tell you now, we in trouble people we in BIG trouble. We gots to decide who we wants to be leading this here God Given Country of ours.

So far we gots a black man, a white woman, and old geezer, and sumthin they call a Huckabee. I ain't sure what religion that is. He hasta be one of those paganists.

First of all we all know whats gonna happen if we elect the black man..... Yall think Bill Clinton had sum Hoes up in da white house.... Lordy Lordy Lordy! He's gonna have his own soul train of tail going up in there. He might be acting all straight n holy now, but ain't no black man ever showed his rightful color till after he got what he wanted. mmmm hmmmm...... ...... I no dat!!

Then yous gots the white woman. GAWD Hep us if she get in there. I gots one word for you... PMS..... ....... and if she ain't got that then its gonna be........ the menapaws. She already so angry she had to get her a surgery smile. Had you seen her ...... a lately? She be looking like the joker from that there batmens.

Now the old guy, he can't do da job. We already tried that with Ole Ronnie and we know how dat ended up! They might has well called Nancy the first woman president.

So I guess like gettin a suprise in a box of cracker jax.. ... HAHAHA I said cracker.... We just gonna have to see what this huckabee BE all about. So there ya gots it.

I hopes I was sum help to ya. Now lets bow our heads and pray to the awlmity gawd, that he direct us where we need to go. Hopefully sumplace wit liquor.... ...... hehehe! You good folk take care now and I be talking wit ya nex week!

Oh and tell yo momma, take da chain off the door. She be axsin me fo a password and crazy stuff!! Tell her I leave my shoes on next time.

Bye now.

What Really Matters?

We survived yesterday pretty well. Yesterday was two months since we lost Blaze. This is his memorial resting place. He's on the mantle in our bedroom. He loved this room because it was quiet and because here he got to spend the most time with us. Never big for being on the bed.... his spot was always on a rug next to it..... his choice. I took the opportunity yesterday to remember Blaze by removing the fence in our backyard. He always hated that fence and I hated the reason it was installed. Now he's free to run wherever the hell he wants. :) So here's to you Blaze! We miss you still.... our hearts remain heavy with sadness. This Eulogy is for you...... I'm certain you would approve.

Do not stand at my grave and weep. I am not there, I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow, I am the diamond glints on snow. I am the sunlight on ripened grain, I am the gentle autumn's rain. When you awaken in the morning's hush, I am the swift uplifting rush of quiet birds in circled flight. I am the stars that shine at night. Do not stand at my grave and cry, I am not there, I did not die...

PSYCHO BITCH (click it for the 411)

Remember how I told you by waiting too long to Blahg, too many things happen and I wouldn't remember them all or be able to properly SHARE my experience? Well, If you ever have a friend tell you she's getting divorced..... RUN. Run as fast as you freakin can, because if she starts confiding in you then you're in it for the long haul. I should know.... I tried to get out. Recently an old friend of mine told me her hubby confessed he wasn't happy in their current situation and that he'd been this way for a couple years. Now he hadn't cheated, he just wanted out. Of course I was concerned for my friend and I told her so, but I also told her I wasn't taking sides. I was once the victim of an evil oxygen sucking cow and was COMPLETELY aware that divorce is a two sided story. I heard how he had broken their vows... lost her trust... ruined her life and I admit... some of what she told me upset me, but I still was NOT taking sides. My problem here and the reason I HAD to stay involved was because I had some antique furniture stored in their basement. Their impending split meant I would have to retrieve it soon. Now she had told me several times how "dangerous" he had become and once even told me not to take my 3.5 yr old grandson by there, because she didn't feel it was a safe environment for him, that she was unsure what her future ex might do. WTF???? I might not know whats going on between them, but I can pretty much guarantee that a friend I've known for 7 yrs and who's known me, is NOT going to harm my grandson.... Unless of course he has a fucking death wish. So I call him.... we talk for over an hour and I'm feeling sorry for the guy. I'm concerned for his well being. I explain how I got roped into helping his future ex pack and move, but that I REALLY DON'T want to be in the middle or anywhere near their house on that particular day. Too much of a possibility for mayhem. So, we make arrangements for me to get my stuff the day before the move. Oh, I forgot this... he's not suppose to know she's coming.... that was a big secret I was suppose to keep. NOT........ I told him. That very evening she called him herself and told him, so I was off the hook. So I go friday, get my stuff and before I get home, she's called me. Apparently she has a bitchy bitter neighbor that felt it was her business to call when she saw us there. Being a seasoned MAN.... I know to NEVER return a call to an upset woman after the first call. Give her time to make the second call and see if her mood changes. Hers did...... 17 calls in 2.5 hours. The messages started with "call me" and ended with "YOU OWE ME AN EXPLANATION!!!" I never called her back and I never will. The one and only reason she'll never get a phone call from me....... I DON'T OWE ANY BITCH THAT YELLS AT ME..... AN EXPLANATION...... FOR ANYTHING!!!! Ahhhhhh.... I feel better. I probably should have gotten therapy for that issue years ago, but I guess as long as friends keep getting divorced I'll always have a place to vent. I have my furniture back. She did show up when she said she would...... Cleaned him THE FUCK OUT..... May she figure out a way to enjoy all the THINGS she took, because there is no joy in anything acquired the way she did it. Her bitterness will be the death of her. I wish her a calm understanding of what has happened to her life. Seven years as a friend and she put me in a situation that has caused me much grief. I'm done.

Now I know why most people blahg every day. Sorry for labeling it "blahg", but my rambling just doesn't rate up there with what so many people think of their blogs. Too often my daily writing would be about mundane things like how I felt this morning or what we ate for dinner, so I wait a few days in between. Well, Now my heads full of thoughts and emotions are pouring out of me and since Im NOT a writer.... it's all gonna fall to place a big jumble. This past week we had our grandson stay with us. He's almost 4 and thank the gods he's potty trained. He's also capable of emptying every bottle of liquid on the bathroom counter in less than 3 minutes. Secretly posing as a poster child for ADHD you can pretty much guess I'm beat dead tired now. I have to say though... he gives the best hugs!! He really got into our daily walks. A few days it was just too bitter cold for a nature walk so we'd just go to Mal-Wart or the grocery store and walk the aisles. Just outside on the patio! We made MANY road trips. Often we went for breakfast just as an excuse to get out of the house. Allowing a 4 yr old to decide where we would eat was always an adventure. Sheetz seems to be his favorite! Here we are eating in the Jeep across from the horse stables. The obligatory Jefferson Rock shot. If you've ever been to Harpers Ferry and missed Jefferson rock then you've got to come back. It's best early Early EARLY in the morning before the tourons show up. He's showing off for the camera in one of the many sets of stairs that seems to pop up out of nowhere and often lead to nowhere. I hope this pic isn't some sort of foreshadowing. Sitting on an ammo case in the John Brown Fort (The Engine House) Gathering up ANOTHER rock. I still have all the rocks he's ever collected. We parked ourselves on the JB Obelisk to watch a train go by. This obelisk sits where the engine house sat when John Brown was captured there in 1859. Well sort of where it sat..... Several feet down was the origianl street level. Much has changed in the name of preservation. Funny how that happens. Here in the toasty warm train station he discovered chimneys have an echo. All our walks involved stairs or steps or hills of some kind, but he loved the town steps the most. Maybe it was because they were wooden and he could really stop on them. So our week came to an end.... his mom n dad returned stayed a couple days and today the house fell silent once again. Poor Dash really misses his playmate. He's still moping around like he's lost his best friend..... same thing JR did his first couple days here. It's funny how puppies and little boys are so alike.