Sunday, May 24th : Happy Memorial Day

Tonight I want to wish a Happy Memorial Day to everyone. We have been having rain here so the campers may have mixed feelings, but I have enjoyed it.

My husband, Bobby, is on the road in Indianapolis and his kids are camping. Which leaves me in a rare position of being alone for several days. I have been reading a new book by Douglas Preston / Lincoln Child called The Cemetary Dance. If you've never read any of their books, they are amazing. I have all of the Agent Pendergast series, and I would be happy to lend them to you!

So, earlier this afternoon I was sprucing up the back deck and as I was standing on the step ladder, hanging these really cool japanese lanterns I found on clearance at the World Market I realized that I have a serious addiction.

Hello, my name is Tracy and I am addicted to Flowers. Real or silk, doesn't matter. Annuals, perinneals, grasses, trees, doesn't matter. Flower beds, vases, window boxes, pottery urns, you name and I will plant something in it. I love them. I have always been awed by how much beauty God gave us through these creations. But still, I may have a little bit of a problem. I'll post pictures some time and you guys can decide for your self..

This being Memorial Day, I wanted to list a few of my favorite memories of the veterans in my life:

My Grandpa Curtis:
Papa was larger than life to me. He was my daddy's dad and that was part of what made him so awesome, I think. He also was incredibly playful. He would get down on the floor and play and he never got tired of playing puzzles with us. I remember that he took naps a lot, and I only recently found out that it was because he was suffering from a bout of cancer when I was young. I know that he quit smoking then, and took up sucking on coffee candy. He always had them, always. He also always had on his blue maintenence shirt with his name sewed on to an oval patch.
Maybe because of his fights with illness, Papa felt a special empathy with me. I was born with a joint dysplysia that had me in casts, then braces on my legs. One of my earliest memories at about 3 or 4 was of him putting his hand on my head and looking me in the eyes and telling me not to worry that I would be riding bikes and running the fields too, he promised. At the time, it felt like God Himself was promising.

My Grandpa Smith:
Poppy was my example of what a spiritual leader of a family was. Not because he was dominant or held the power. Because he loved my Grammy more than I have ever seen any man love any woman before. He loved her the way Christ loves us - with wild abandon, with no regard for his own needs, with a true and complete sacrificial love. His greatest acheivements in life, the things he was proudest of, were his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
I remember him playing Saxaphone records for me on Saturday night and I would dance around the living room. And watching Hee Haw and Love Boat and Fantasy Island. Another big memory is of him when we would go camping. He was always piddling around and fixing something.
Another thing about Poppy was that he had such a soft heart for kids and animals. Poppy had such a soft spot for the neighborhood cats. If there was a cat in the neighborhood, he would feed it and invite it in for 'visits'.

I was so blessed to have both of these men in my life, I thank God that they lived through WWII so that I could meet them. Papa Curtis was in the Army, and received a Purple Heart. Poppy Smith was in the Navy in the South Pacific.

Before I sign off, I want to acknowledge the other men in my life that have served in combat:
My Dad - Rex Curtis - the Army - Vietnam War
My step-brother - James Robinson - Army National Guard - Iraq Gulf War
My Father-in-law - Bob King

Thank you to these men, and to any of you (and your loved ones) out there that have served. It takes extraordinary bravery and sacrifice to commit to serve in a way that may claim your life. 90% of our population will never ever understand what that's about and won't come close to truly appreciating it, but you do it anyway. I thank God for you.

Peace, Love, and GOD,
Tracy

Thursday, May 21st : Nancy Pelosi is a big fat LOSER

Well, I'm back after a long hiatus. Doctor's orders, he said if I didn't lay off the politics I was going to stroke out, but I think with the pills he gave me I should be okay now... :)

I'm actually thinking about making this blog dedicated to a daily watch of what STUPID thing the Pelosi-led Congress is going to do. But, I guess that would leave out the antics of Biden and Obama. I swear, the word Moron has never been used so much!

So, before I start the rant on Nancy, I want to point out a new blog I'm following. It's my friend Alan's and it's called 'Wanna hear something funny?' and TRUST me you will be in stitches... The link is over there to the right.

I am furious over Nancy Pelosi's absurd accusation and denigration of the CIA. She gave a press conference in which it was so obvious that she was reading a statement that someone else wrote for her. She couldn't even answer the freakin questions and was caught in two different lies (oh, excuse me, mis-statements - you can only be accused of lying if you work in a job where you might have to die in service of the country).

Then she outright accused the CIA of lying to the Congress!!! Says it happens all the time. Throws that stink bomb out there then walks off. No details, nothing to back the statement up - AND THERE NEVER WILL BE. That's the part that just chaps my butt. These people in Washington are so corrupted by their own sense of power that they don't think the rules apply to them any more. She truly thinks she is above the law. She can stand up there and say any freaking thing she wants and no one can do anything about it.

And know we have Senators Graham and Spector coming out and piling on. Saying 'Yeah, CIA? Lying bunch of bastards over there!" Shoot, Graham even went on that most revered Democrat news organization The Comedy Channel to talk badly about our government agency. Again, did either of them offer any evidence? Nope. Nothing, Nada, Zilch. Morons. I hope all those people who voted Democrat in 06 and 08 are suffering an EPIC case of heartburn about now. Seriously. Bunch of morons.

Now, the bottom line of why this CIA bashing pisses me off so badly. First of all, nearly all of the CIA operatives are lifetime military servicemen or women. These are people who have chosen to live their lives in the service of their country protecting the rest of us. They don't do it to get rich and they certainly don't do it for the perks. Can't imagine the typical CIA agent gets to spend a lot of time at home with the family. They don't do it for fame, because they have to do their jobs anonymously for the most part. So, now they have to hear Congress going around calling them liars and discrediting the one thing they had going for them - their super badass reputation. What's left?

We need those people, folks. We need them infiltrating the terrorist organizations overseas and finding all the secrets they do and whatever it is that they do. I personally don't care how they do their jobs, but if it keeps me and my family safe then more power to them. It would be pretty dang hypocritical for me to cry and mourn for the people who lost their lives in the Twin Towers, or OKC, or any of the Wars, but say that I disagreed with the tactics it takes to keep innocents safe.

I would love to ask Ms. Pelosi who she thinks will protect her when the National Guard, the Military, and the CIA, are all gone? When she has successfully alienated all of those folks and her little city of San Fran or DC gets invaded, who's gonna protect her?

Maybe Joe Biden will invite her down in his top secret bunker where no one will be able to find them. Oh wait... never mind. They're screwed.

Peace, Love, and GOD,
Tracy