Peaceful without me blogging for a few days, huh (smile)? The last timeI wrote was last Friday, which has turned out to be the last day I've left the house. What's up with that? Well, turns out I pulled or wrenched a muscle in my leg. No, I haven't been to the doctor, I just know what hurts and where.
I stopped answerring the phone Friday afternoon when I realized that it took me much too long to get from the phone to the credit card machine and back to you. Plus, I hurt and who wants to listen to me whine, I don't even want to listen to me (smile). By Monday (yesterday), even though I was still hobbling around the house, I was moving good enoughto get back to work.
And then today, well, I was on my way in to the bathroom to braid myhair. I don't really know what happened except to say that I tripped over something, maybe my own feet? and the next thing I knew I was on the floor! Fortunately I landed on my other leg and so far I just have a big bruise to show for it.
As HSM pointed out to me when I told her what happened, it was ablessing. How so? Well, tripping and falling is never fun, never. But Ididn't really hurt myself. Okay, I have a skinned knee and my shoulder is a little sore. BUT. But I could have broken my leg or knocked myself out or......And I didn't. It was a blessing.
Which got me to thinking about something I'd been reading about in the latest issue of Sojourners: www.sojo.net
For the people of Iraq it is a monumental task to find family members who have been detained, killed, kidnapped or simply lost. It is a harsh reality of war that doesn't often make headlines.
In Iraq there are anywhere between 375,000 and 1 million Iraqis estimated missing as a result of armed conflict over the past 30 years.
There are an estimated 106,000 families internally displaced in Iraq since February, 2006. Two-thirds of that number are thought to be women and children.
Approximately 20,000 bodies have been brought to the Medical-Legal Institute in Baghdad between 2006 and June 2007. Almost 50% of them were unidentified.
There have been 32,000 detainees visited in 2006 by or through the International Committee of the Red Cross at 28 places of detention inIraq.
If people can keep keeping on when faced with things such as the above, what do I look like whining about how I fell on the bathroom floor and didn't even hurt myself. No doubt about it, I was blessed.
Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.
hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
Friday, February 22, 2008
Was yesterday's short entry a surprise (smile)? See, I'm not always long winded! When I ran across that site, and had so much fun playing around with it, I just knew you'd like it too.
So the other day when I was telling you about Bob and Sheilah, Wednesday's entry I think it was, I have an update. Bob was released from the hospital, that's a good thing. Physically he's okay. Mentally, well, he's still heart sick over the break up with Sheilah. But he says he didn't try to commit suicide. Nope, according to Bob he was in the hospital because he had to have a cat scan. All part of his yearly medical physical. Which is an interesting lie. Why? Because Bob has no health insurance whatsoever, not even the welfare insurance. And since when does the EMS Unit, with sirens blaring, lights flashing and speeds in excess of 70 mph, rush someone to get their yearly physical cat scan. Please. I think Bob never expected word to get out over what a stupid thing he did and now he's embarassed.
Embarassment is something else too, isn't it? It can make us say ( as in Bob's case) really stupid stuff and it can make us behave in odd and peculiar ways. Kind of like love, I suppose.
Sheilah, Bob's former woman, is peculiar, and not as a means to hide her embarassment over anything she's done. She's peculiar, or not as you may determine for yourself, because I truly believe she has a devil either inside of herself or one that overtakes and/or inhabits her from time to time. And I don't care if you don't believe in devils. Well, actually I do care, but I don't know what to say or do to make you realize they exsist in todays world. All devil stuff isn't like The Exorcist. Sheilah, to my knowledge, has never had her head swivel or spew green whatever out her mouth.
There was one instance when Sheilah found Bob standing in the parking lot of the building my uncle used to own in Detroit, talking with my uncle and several other guys he knew. My uncle said he saw Sheilah stride across the lot and he saw a demon in her face. Don't laugh, not funny. My uncle, the one that was in prison for a long time, while incarcerated, used to work for awhile in the mental health unit at one of the prisons. He said he (and everyone else who worked in the unit, guards too) could see the demons in the faces of those guys. He said he also used to see the demon--various demons, they all aren't the same-- on the prison yard in peoples faces. So anyway, he said he looked up and there it was right in Sheilah's face. She walked over to Bob and punched him so hard he fell to the ground, said a few nasty things to him, kicked him and then was on her way.
I'm saying all that to say that, no matter what or how you believe, it doesn't take away from the fact that there are demons (or jins, that's what the Muslims call them) walking around on the earth with us.
There's a man I know, we'll call him Sam (not his real name). A buddy of his saw him walking down the street and it scared him half to death. Why? Because he could see a violent demon in Sam's face. Two hours later Sam and his brother-in-law got in to a fight. They both had knives. Sam butchered his brother-in-law, to death. Sam is in the hospital, his leg chained to the bed, with a policeman guarding him. If he lives, he's going to prison for life for killing his brother-in-law.
I think I'm telling you all this so you can pray and ask God to keep you safe. Safe from demons who may inhabit you, if even for a moment. Safe from being the victim of a demon infested person.
That's it, got to go. Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.
hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
So the other day when I was telling you about Bob and Sheilah, Wednesday's entry I think it was, I have an update. Bob was released from the hospital, that's a good thing. Physically he's okay. Mentally, well, he's still heart sick over the break up with Sheilah. But he says he didn't try to commit suicide. Nope, according to Bob he was in the hospital because he had to have a cat scan. All part of his yearly medical physical. Which is an interesting lie. Why? Because Bob has no health insurance whatsoever, not even the welfare insurance. And since when does the EMS Unit, with sirens blaring, lights flashing and speeds in excess of 70 mph, rush someone to get their yearly physical cat scan. Please. I think Bob never expected word to get out over what a stupid thing he did and now he's embarassed.
Embarassment is something else too, isn't it? It can make us say ( as in Bob's case) really stupid stuff and it can make us behave in odd and peculiar ways. Kind of like love, I suppose.
Sheilah, Bob's former woman, is peculiar, and not as a means to hide her embarassment over anything she's done. She's peculiar, or not as you may determine for yourself, because I truly believe she has a devil either inside of herself or one that overtakes and/or inhabits her from time to time. And I don't care if you don't believe in devils. Well, actually I do care, but I don't know what to say or do to make you realize they exsist in todays world. All devil stuff isn't like The Exorcist. Sheilah, to my knowledge, has never had her head swivel or spew green whatever out her mouth.
There was one instance when Sheilah found Bob standing in the parking lot of the building my uncle used to own in Detroit, talking with my uncle and several other guys he knew. My uncle said he saw Sheilah stride across the lot and he saw a demon in her face. Don't laugh, not funny. My uncle, the one that was in prison for a long time, while incarcerated, used to work for awhile in the mental health unit at one of the prisons. He said he (and everyone else who worked in the unit, guards too) could see the demons in the faces of those guys. He said he also used to see the demon--various demons, they all aren't the same-- on the prison yard in peoples faces. So anyway, he said he looked up and there it was right in Sheilah's face. She walked over to Bob and punched him so hard he fell to the ground, said a few nasty things to him, kicked him and then was on her way.
I'm saying all that to say that, no matter what or how you believe, it doesn't take away from the fact that there are demons (or jins, that's what the Muslims call them) walking around on the earth with us.
There's a man I know, we'll call him Sam (not his real name). A buddy of his saw him walking down the street and it scared him half to death. Why? Because he could see a violent demon in Sam's face. Two hours later Sam and his brother-in-law got in to a fight. They both had knives. Sam butchered his brother-in-law, to death. Sam is in the hospital, his leg chained to the bed, with a policeman guarding him. If he lives, he's going to prison for life for killing his brother-in-law.
I think I'm telling you all this so you can pray and ask God to keep you safe. Safe from demons who may inhabit you, if even for a moment. Safe from being the victim of a demon infested person.
That's it, got to go. Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.
hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
Thursday, February 21, 2008
This is going to be a shocker for you, short and sweet! Here's a funwebsite for you to check out:
www.infoplease.com/yearbyyear.html
Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.
hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
www.infoplease.com/yearbyyear.html
Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.
hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Love is a funny thing, isn't it? Not funny like hahahha, but funny in the non comedic sense that it affects different people differently and makes them do all sorts of things.
I have a friend, okay, not a friend , but someone I know, we'll call him Bob to protect his anonymity. He's married to Sheilah, not her real name. When he married her she already had 8 kids from 8 different daddies. They had a child together so that brings the total to 9.
Sheilah is a different sort of a woman. She thinks nothing of beating, yes, I said beating, in the very physical sense of the word, Bob if he does something she doesn't like, or even if he just pisses her off. She's been known to fire her pistol at him too.
On the other hand, one day Bob was getting his ass kicked by some people down the block from their house. One of the kids ran and told Sheilah and she came with her pistol, shot two of the guys and pistol whipped the third one, all to save Bob.
Now this is the same woman who goes out on Bob. She hangs around the casinos in Detroit, picks up a guy, and, well, she satisfies her lustly urges with the guy.
So a few days ago Sheilah threw Bob out. Told him to take a hike, she wanted a divorce, she had a fiance (?). Bob took it hard. He begged her to take him back. When she changed the locks on the front door of what used to be their house and is now hers, Bob took the door down so he could go inside and plead with her some more. Sheilah pulled her pistol, fired two shots, told him they were warning shots and if he ever did a damn fool thing like that again it wouldn't be warning shots she'd be firing.
Bob went to his mother's house, called Sheilah from the basment on his cell phone and told her if she didn't take him back he was going to kill himself. Sheilah called Bob's mother, said you better go look in your basement, your son is fixing to kill himself. 911 was called and Bob is still among the living.
Now this is what I mean about love being funny. I thought Bob was extremely fortunate that Sheilah wanted a divorce. I thought this was his brass ring, so to speak, that he was finally going to be able to getaway fom her and her abuse. This was his opportunity to find a nice, gentle woman.
But no, Bob is devastated. If he can't have Sheilah he doesn't want to live.
Love is a funny, funny thing, I guess.
Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.
hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
tawnyford@webtv.net
I have a friend, okay, not a friend , but someone I know, we'll call him Bob to protect his anonymity. He's married to Sheilah, not her real name. When he married her she already had 8 kids from 8 different daddies. They had a child together so that brings the total to 9.
Sheilah is a different sort of a woman. She thinks nothing of beating, yes, I said beating, in the very physical sense of the word, Bob if he does something she doesn't like, or even if he just pisses her off. She's been known to fire her pistol at him too.
On the other hand, one day Bob was getting his ass kicked by some people down the block from their house. One of the kids ran and told Sheilah and she came with her pistol, shot two of the guys and pistol whipped the third one, all to save Bob.
Now this is the same woman who goes out on Bob. She hangs around the casinos in Detroit, picks up a guy, and, well, she satisfies her lustly urges with the guy.
So a few days ago Sheilah threw Bob out. Told him to take a hike, she wanted a divorce, she had a fiance (?). Bob took it hard. He begged her to take him back. When she changed the locks on the front door of what used to be their house and is now hers, Bob took the door down so he could go inside and plead with her some more. Sheilah pulled her pistol, fired two shots, told him they were warning shots and if he ever did a damn fool thing like that again it wouldn't be warning shots she'd be firing.
Bob went to his mother's house, called Sheilah from the basment on his cell phone and told her if she didn't take him back he was going to kill himself. Sheilah called Bob's mother, said you better go look in your basement, your son is fixing to kill himself. 911 was called and Bob is still among the living.
Now this is what I mean about love being funny. I thought Bob was extremely fortunate that Sheilah wanted a divorce. I thought this was his brass ring, so to speak, that he was finally going to be able to getaway fom her and her abuse. This was his opportunity to find a nice, gentle woman.
But no, Bob is devastated. If he can't have Sheilah he doesn't want to live.
Love is a funny, funny thing, I guess.
Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.
hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
tawnyford@webtv.net
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Well, here we are again! For a minute I didn't think I was going to be able to 'talk' with you, there were no parking spaces here at the library, and it was a major break when I spotted one a block down and in the neighborhood bordering the library. Yes, it's cold and blustery, and yes, I almost froze to death trekking from there to here, but you are so worth it (smile)!
Yes, it's cold here again. Over the weekend it got up to almost 50, but that brought a whole host of problems, not the wonderous excitement you may have imagined. It was a damp almost 50, and then it rained like crazy and everything started flooding because all of the snow and ice began a super quick melt down. And before it went to almost 50 there was freezing rain and ice showers. So there was even more to melt when the rains came. Then it got cold, below freezing, and everything that was wet froze up again. Such is life in Michigan in the winter (smile).
My friend Tallulah of the frozen tundra that is Marquette, Michigan, she says she is so sick and tired of the snow up there she could retch. The cold--and boy, does it ever get cold up there! it's a gazillion times colder up there off of Lake Superior--she doesn't mind the cold. She has special winter garb, yooper issue (smile) and it doesn't faze her. But the snow, she moves so much snow that it's getting to her. I think I told you she stopped using her front door because she needed the entire front lawn to dump snow on when she shovelled and blew her driveway and sidewalks. Tallulah says next year when the ground hog is supposed to pop out of his hole to predict when spring is coming, she's going to be waiting for him with a pistol! He's not going to get the opportunity to see his shadow and predict six more weeks of winter (smile)!
Did you have a nice President's Day (smile)? Catch any good sales? Isn't that something that that's what President's Day means to most people--a big day to go shopping and get 30% off?
What I miss the most when it's a federal day like that is mail delivery. Yes, I know, whatever mail I was supposed to get yesterday will show up today or tomorrow, but.......I like receiving mail and I miss it when it doesn't come. Sure, it's a nice day to escape a bill in the mail, who doesn't get tired of the damn bills? but there's good stuff in the mail too. Letters from friends, packages, to name but a few.
Are you watching The Wire on HBO? I've been sneaking ahead and catching the new episode On Demand (we have that feature on our cable system here in Farmington) a week before it plays regular. I'm not going to tell you what happened, just wow! I really like that show and am going to miss it when it goes off the air for good, I think in about two weeks.
Anything new and exciting where you are? Pretty much the same old same old here. Hmmmm do you read David Balducci (I probably misspelled his last name)? If so, his latest, Stone Cold, is a good read. That's a pleasantly satisfying thing to do in the winter---curl up somewhere warm and cozy and read. I've been slowly and surely working my way through a stack of books and magazines. Popular Mechanics? Don't you dare laugh! Ive been reading that lately too. The most recent issue has a big story on armored/remote control sort of things to use for war. No, I am not a fan of war, you guessed that right, but the issue is still interesting because a friend of mine spent most of a whole year working on a prototype vehicle similar to the ones in PM. He was working for a company that was attempting to get a contract with the government to produce the vehicles. I don't know whatever became of it, when my friend's work on the prototype was done he never heard anything from the people.
Have you ever seen the movie Dreamgirls? I have several times, and again this morning when I was getting ready to leave the house. Jennifer Hudson, the Idol winner (and not first place winner either, I don't think) was fantastic in the movie. Damn, that girl can sing! And Beyonce wasn't shabby either. Nor was Jaime Fox. If you haven't seen it, well, you should. The music is wonderful and the story line is a good one.
Okay, that's it for this morning. I've got half a dozen places to be before I need to be home to talk with you. Stay warm, okay? And be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.
hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
tawnyford@webtv.net
248-615-1300
Yes, it's cold here again. Over the weekend it got up to almost 50, but that brought a whole host of problems, not the wonderous excitement you may have imagined. It was a damp almost 50, and then it rained like crazy and everything started flooding because all of the snow and ice began a super quick melt down. And before it went to almost 50 there was freezing rain and ice showers. So there was even more to melt when the rains came. Then it got cold, below freezing, and everything that was wet froze up again. Such is life in Michigan in the winter (smile).
My friend Tallulah of the frozen tundra that is Marquette, Michigan, she says she is so sick and tired of the snow up there she could retch. The cold--and boy, does it ever get cold up there! it's a gazillion times colder up there off of Lake Superior--she doesn't mind the cold. She has special winter garb, yooper issue (smile) and it doesn't faze her. But the snow, she moves so much snow that it's getting to her. I think I told you she stopped using her front door because she needed the entire front lawn to dump snow on when she shovelled and blew her driveway and sidewalks. Tallulah says next year when the ground hog is supposed to pop out of his hole to predict when spring is coming, she's going to be waiting for him with a pistol! He's not going to get the opportunity to see his shadow and predict six more weeks of winter (smile)!
Did you have a nice President's Day (smile)? Catch any good sales? Isn't that something that that's what President's Day means to most people--a big day to go shopping and get 30% off?
What I miss the most when it's a federal day like that is mail delivery. Yes, I know, whatever mail I was supposed to get yesterday will show up today or tomorrow, but.......I like receiving mail and I miss it when it doesn't come. Sure, it's a nice day to escape a bill in the mail, who doesn't get tired of the damn bills? but there's good stuff in the mail too. Letters from friends, packages, to name but a few.
Are you watching The Wire on HBO? I've been sneaking ahead and catching the new episode On Demand (we have that feature on our cable system here in Farmington) a week before it plays regular. I'm not going to tell you what happened, just wow! I really like that show and am going to miss it when it goes off the air for good, I think in about two weeks.
Anything new and exciting where you are? Pretty much the same old same old here. Hmmmm do you read David Balducci (I probably misspelled his last name)? If so, his latest, Stone Cold, is a good read. That's a pleasantly satisfying thing to do in the winter---curl up somewhere warm and cozy and read. I've been slowly and surely working my way through a stack of books and magazines. Popular Mechanics? Don't you dare laugh! Ive been reading that lately too. The most recent issue has a big story on armored/remote control sort of things to use for war. No, I am not a fan of war, you guessed that right, but the issue is still interesting because a friend of mine spent most of a whole year working on a prototype vehicle similar to the ones in PM. He was working for a company that was attempting to get a contract with the government to produce the vehicles. I don't know whatever became of it, when my friend's work on the prototype was done he never heard anything from the people.
Have you ever seen the movie Dreamgirls? I have several times, and again this morning when I was getting ready to leave the house. Jennifer Hudson, the Idol winner (and not first place winner either, I don't think) was fantastic in the movie. Damn, that girl can sing! And Beyonce wasn't shabby either. Nor was Jaime Fox. If you haven't seen it, well, you should. The music is wonderful and the story line is a good one.
Okay, that's it for this morning. I've got half a dozen places to be before I need to be home to talk with you. Stay warm, okay? And be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.
hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
tawnyford@webtv.net
248-615-1300
Friday, February 15, 2008
I'll tell you what, it's been one of those weeks whatwith the website host 'migrating www.tawnyford.com. A lesser woman would have snow white hair by now for all of the trials and tribulations it's put me through (smile). As of yesterday, computer users are able to view/locate the site, but I can't get to it on my trusty webtv! Okay, if I had a choice between you seeing it and me seeing it, well of course I'd pick you, but it shouldn't come to that. Oh well.
On a brighter note, have you seen the movie Death Sentence? It stars Kevin Bacon and Kelly Preston. Now I've never been a Kevin Bacon fan, but in this movie the man can act. And if you'd asked me if I liked action movies I'd have said 'not particularly', but this is action packed, lots of killing (!), and I loved it. Check it out next time you get to Blockbuster.
You know the movie I really want to see and just haven't gotten around to renting yet? Why Did I Get Married, the latest Tyler Perry movie. My friend says Tyler Perry movies are sappy. Who cares, I like them a lot.
How's the weather in your corner of the world? They were talking that snowy, slippery road stuff for this morning but instead there's sunshine (!), blue skies and a little bit of that big white fluffy fairy snow coming down. It looks really pretty. Tonight they say it's going to get coooold again, lows in the 2 to 3 degree range. It's mid-February, spring is almost here (smile).
There's not too much of anything exciting to share with you today. My life is cruising along on slow, steady and boring right now. I think it's probably the winter blahs. Like, any more when I go to eat a meal, whether I cook it myself or I go to a restaurant, nothing excites me. It doesn't even taste all that great. It doesn't taste bad, it just doesn't bowl me over. You know what I mean? The only thing that still lights my fire is chocolate candy and even that doesn't ring the bells like it used to. This is all great for the waist line, but it doesn't do much for my morale. Oh well, I'm sure it'll pass.
In Detroit the Kwame scandal is still alive and well and in brilliant techinicolor. Right now it's a waiting game to see if he'll appeal the latest decision of the courts regarding making public some documents, etc. that he doesn't want any one to see. What makes this all so pathetic, besides the fact that he's the mayor of Detroit, is that he's using money, taxpayer money from a city that is struggling to stay out of state receivership to try and cover up his dirty scandalous mess.
www.freep.com and www.metrotimes.com should have some of the latest info if you're interested. www.clickondetroit.com for breaking news on it.
Well, I guess that's it for today. Yes, I still have plenty of time left on the library computer and no, there isn't anybody waiting to use it next, it's just that, I don't know, blabbermouth me doesn't have anything else to chatter on about. Oh well, consider it a blesing, I guess. Next time I write you'll probably wish I was quiet again because I'll be rattling on so much (smile).
Be good, be careful, take care, stay strong.
hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
tawnyford@webtv.net
On a brighter note, have you seen the movie Death Sentence? It stars Kevin Bacon and Kelly Preston. Now I've never been a Kevin Bacon fan, but in this movie the man can act. And if you'd asked me if I liked action movies I'd have said 'not particularly', but this is action packed, lots of killing (!), and I loved it. Check it out next time you get to Blockbuster.
You know the movie I really want to see and just haven't gotten around to renting yet? Why Did I Get Married, the latest Tyler Perry movie. My friend says Tyler Perry movies are sappy. Who cares, I like them a lot.
How's the weather in your corner of the world? They were talking that snowy, slippery road stuff for this morning but instead there's sunshine (!), blue skies and a little bit of that big white fluffy fairy snow coming down. It looks really pretty. Tonight they say it's going to get coooold again, lows in the 2 to 3 degree range. It's mid-February, spring is almost here (smile).
There's not too much of anything exciting to share with you today. My life is cruising along on slow, steady and boring right now. I think it's probably the winter blahs. Like, any more when I go to eat a meal, whether I cook it myself or I go to a restaurant, nothing excites me. It doesn't even taste all that great. It doesn't taste bad, it just doesn't bowl me over. You know what I mean? The only thing that still lights my fire is chocolate candy and even that doesn't ring the bells like it used to. This is all great for the waist line, but it doesn't do much for my morale. Oh well, I'm sure it'll pass.
In Detroit the Kwame scandal is still alive and well and in brilliant techinicolor. Right now it's a waiting game to see if he'll appeal the latest decision of the courts regarding making public some documents, etc. that he doesn't want any one to see. What makes this all so pathetic, besides the fact that he's the mayor of Detroit, is that he's using money, taxpayer money from a city that is struggling to stay out of state receivership to try and cover up his dirty scandalous mess.
www.freep.com and www.metrotimes.com should have some of the latest info if you're interested. www.clickondetroit.com for breaking news on it.
Well, I guess that's it for today. Yes, I still have plenty of time left on the library computer and no, there isn't anybody waiting to use it next, it's just that, I don't know, blabbermouth me doesn't have anything else to chatter on about. Oh well, consider it a blesing, I guess. Next time I write you'll probably wish I was quiet again because I'll be rattling on so much (smile).
Be good, be careful, take care, stay strong.
hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
tawnyford@webtv.net
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
If you live in the northern half of the U.S. you'll understand what I'm about to say, but if you live down south you'e going to think I've lost my mind.
Okay, today I was out running errands. The usual---post office, library,Dollar Tree, etc. There is snow all over the place. The main roads are clean as a whistle, but the side streets are snow and ice coverred. The parking lots have enormous mounds of plowed snow stacked up almost everywhere, at least one third of the parking spaces are gone, filled with piles of snow. The sun was dazzling, made even more so because it reflects off of the snow. The temperature was around 23 above zero.
And it was warm! So warm that most folks, me included, had shucked our winter coats!
Now normally 23 is cold, especially when it's damp to boot, but afterthe minus 25 windchill we'd been dealing with for days, this is summer! Where's my bottle of sunscreen (smile)!
Hope it's a beautiful day wherever you are.
Be good, be careful, take care, stay strong.
hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
Okay, today I was out running errands. The usual---post office, library,Dollar Tree, etc. There is snow all over the place. The main roads are clean as a whistle, but the side streets are snow and ice coverred. The parking lots have enormous mounds of plowed snow stacked up almost everywhere, at least one third of the parking spaces are gone, filled with piles of snow. The sun was dazzling, made even more so because it reflects off of the snow. The temperature was around 23 above zero.
And it was warm! So warm that most folks, me included, had shucked our winter coats!
Now normally 23 is cold, especially when it's damp to boot, but afterthe minus 25 windchill we'd been dealing with for days, this is summer! Where's my bottle of sunscreen (smile)!
Hope it's a beautiful day wherever you are.
Be good, be careful, take care, stay strong.
hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
First of all, I hope you didn't panic or get to worrying when you tried to access www.tawnyford.com earlier today. The site was disappeared for some hours. Why? Well, tech support told me they were 'migrating' the site. I can't explain it any better than that because, well, I didn'tunderstand what he was talking about. Migrate, to me, means heading south to a warmer climate (smile). Heck, maybe that's it! Maybe www.tawnyford.com is now lolling around on a sandy beach in the Caribean (smile)!
I'll tell you, things have been frigid around here since Friday evening. Real temperatures got way down there, and wind chills got even lower, like to -25. The winds were howling, the house was cold and I never ventured out until yesterday morning when I had to go to the bank. And then the temperature was at a whopping high of 3 (!) with who knows how - a wind chill. It kicked my butt so bad I ended up in bed under the covers for an hour after I got home. Winter is not for the faint of heart.
Today things were better, at least in the morning. It was 13 degrees! Wind chill was at 0! Almost balmy (smile). I went out just to get out. And then the snow started. I think we got around 4 inches. I was so thankful I didn't have to commute back and forth, working from home rocks. The tv people said the roads were treacherous. A normal 40 minute commute was taking 2 hours.
I hope you're holding up okay in your neck of the woods. I know we're not the only ones dealing with unpleasant weather.
Take care, be good, be careful, stay strong.
hugs, Tawny
I'll tell you, things have been frigid around here since Friday evening. Real temperatures got way down there, and wind chills got even lower, like to -25. The winds were howling, the house was cold and I never ventured out until yesterday morning when I had to go to the bank. And then the temperature was at a whopping high of 3 (!) with who knows how - a wind chill. It kicked my butt so bad I ended up in bed under the covers for an hour after I got home. Winter is not for the faint of heart.
Today things were better, at least in the morning. It was 13 degrees! Wind chill was at 0! Almost balmy (smile). I went out just to get out. And then the snow started. I think we got around 4 inches. I was so thankful I didn't have to commute back and forth, working from home rocks. The tv people said the roads were treacherous. A normal 40 minute commute was taking 2 hours.
I hope you're holding up okay in your neck of the woods. I know we're not the only ones dealing with unpleasant weather.
Take care, be good, be careful, stay strong.
hugs, Tawny
Friday, February 08, 2008
Ready for the latest in the mayor of Detroit, Kwame Kilpatrck, scandal? Maybe though, before I tell you the latest, you might want to read this www.metrotimes.com/editorial/story.asp?id=12450 It gives you the beginning of the mess.
Yesterday, the chief counsel for the city, Sharon McPhail, went on tv to say that the city was appealing the judge's decision of a few days back that said that the 'secret deal' that went down between the city and the lawyers for the former policemen who won the almost 9 million dollar judgement, along with the remaining text messages, were to be made public.
Initially, the city (Kwame Kilpatrick) insisted that there was no 'secret deal'. None whatsoever. Now the city says okay, there was a deal, but it wasn't secret (?). Seems the 'secret deal' which isn't secret any more now that the city wants to talk about it was that when the city paid up the 9 million dollars, then the transcripts of the text messages (all neatly placed in a large envelope) would be handed over to Kwame Kilpatrick who could then do as he pleased with them.
The attroneys for the Detroit newspapers, who went to court to get the judgement that the city is now appealing, have said that when these text messages and other information are made public--whether you live in the suburbs or are a long time Detroit resident, whether you are white orAfrican-American--you are going to be shocked and horrified.
Sharon McPhail said yesterday that the city will release some of the information---like the information about the 'secret deal'--but refuses to release the rest of it because 'medical procedures are a private matter'. Initially, everyone thought McPhail was referring to medical procedures as an abstract thought, like some things, medical stuff for example, were personal and private and everybody didn't need to know about them. Now, well, now they know different because there was a clarification.
Okay, so this is what I think. And remember, it's just what I'm thinking based on all of everything I've been hearing from the press, on tv, from Kwame, from Sharon McPhail, etc.:
I think that in those gazillion text messages where Kwame and his mistress, Christine Beatty, talked about everything and everybody, I'll betcha they also talked about her being pregnant by Kwame. I'll betcha they discussed an abortion. I'll betcha she had one. And I'll betcha the city of Detroit picked up the tab for it.
I think that's why they decided to talk about the 'secret deal', figuring if they gave something up then the judge would cut them some slack and let them keep the rest of the sordid mess quiet.
The city of Detroit, and some/many/most of it's residents, I'm reasonably certain, would say that those of us, like me, who live in the suburbs, none of this is any of our business and just shut up.
But they can't have it both ways. See, whenever Detroit is trying to do something, say lure suburbanites to the city to shop, see plays, help pay for improvements, etc. they make a really big thing about how we're all Detroiters at heart.
Well, if I'm a Detroiter when they want me for something, then I'm aDetroiter when something stinky and sordid is going on and when it's being coverred up.
Kwame Kilpatrick needs to step down, resign. And he needs to be tried for felony perjury.
Be good, be careful, take care, stay strong.
hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
Yesterday, the chief counsel for the city, Sharon McPhail, went on tv to say that the city was appealing the judge's decision of a few days back that said that the 'secret deal' that went down between the city and the lawyers for the former policemen who won the almost 9 million dollar judgement, along with the remaining text messages, were to be made public.
Initially, the city (Kwame Kilpatrick) insisted that there was no 'secret deal'. None whatsoever. Now the city says okay, there was a deal, but it wasn't secret (?). Seems the 'secret deal' which isn't secret any more now that the city wants to talk about it was that when the city paid up the 9 million dollars, then the transcripts of the text messages (all neatly placed in a large envelope) would be handed over to Kwame Kilpatrick who could then do as he pleased with them.
The attroneys for the Detroit newspapers, who went to court to get the judgement that the city is now appealing, have said that when these text messages and other information are made public--whether you live in the suburbs or are a long time Detroit resident, whether you are white orAfrican-American--you are going to be shocked and horrified.
Sharon McPhail said yesterday that the city will release some of the information---like the information about the 'secret deal'--but refuses to release the rest of it because 'medical procedures are a private matter'. Initially, everyone thought McPhail was referring to medical procedures as an abstract thought, like some things, medical stuff for example, were personal and private and everybody didn't need to know about them. Now, well, now they know different because there was a clarification.
Okay, so this is what I think. And remember, it's just what I'm thinking based on all of everything I've been hearing from the press, on tv, from Kwame, from Sharon McPhail, etc.:
I think that in those gazillion text messages where Kwame and his mistress, Christine Beatty, talked about everything and everybody, I'll betcha they also talked about her being pregnant by Kwame. I'll betcha they discussed an abortion. I'll betcha she had one. And I'll betcha the city of Detroit picked up the tab for it.
I think that's why they decided to talk about the 'secret deal', figuring if they gave something up then the judge would cut them some slack and let them keep the rest of the sordid mess quiet.
The city of Detroit, and some/many/most of it's residents, I'm reasonably certain, would say that those of us, like me, who live in the suburbs, none of this is any of our business and just shut up.
But they can't have it both ways. See, whenever Detroit is trying to do something, say lure suburbanites to the city to shop, see plays, help pay for improvements, etc. they make a really big thing about how we're all Detroiters at heart.
Well, if I'm a Detroiter when they want me for something, then I'm aDetroiter when something stinky and sordid is going on and when it's being coverred up.
Kwame Kilpatrick needs to step down, resign. And he needs to be tried for felony perjury.
Be good, be careful, take care, stay strong.
hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
Thursday, February 07, 2008
The other night when I was at HSM's for the birthday party, coming home it was so darn foggy I couldn't hardly see more than five or ten feet in front of me. It made the ride home kind of spooky. I kept waiting for Jack the Ripper to come running up to my truck at each stop light(smile).
While the fog was bad, it wasn't anywhere near as bad as the time I was driving to Alabama to visit an old friend of mine. I had stayed the night in Nashville and got up early to get a head start on the last leg of my journey. Got on the interstate and couldn't see a thing! Finally ended up behind a semi-truck and I tailed him as close as I could without running into his back end. Follwed him right in to a truck stop.
Trying to get my composure, I asked the waitress when she thought the fog might lift. 'Fog?' she said, 'honey this ain't fog, this here's dew!' 'Dew? Dew?' I replied, 'dew is that misty stuff on the grass in the morning. This is killer fog!' The waitress about laughed herself sick (smile).
While I'm not crazy about fog, I'm even less crazy about those awful storms that ripped through the country the other night. All those tornadoes, all those folks who lost loved ones, who lost their homes and their belongings.
There was snow in other parts of the country. A town in Wisconsin got 21 inches! Here in Michigan, Bridgeport (home to Freeway Fritz) got 16 inches of snow. Frankenmuth, famous for their family-style chicken dinners, got 17 inches of snow. Farmington Hills where I live, well, we only got about 3 inches and that's just fine with me.
They say the ground hog saw his shadow on Ground Hog Day, right? Shoot, we were in for more winter whether he saw it or not. It's only February!
Be good, be careful, stay strong, take care.
hugs, Tawny
http://www.tawnyford.com/
While the fog was bad, it wasn't anywhere near as bad as the time I was driving to Alabama to visit an old friend of mine. I had stayed the night in Nashville and got up early to get a head start on the last leg of my journey. Got on the interstate and couldn't see a thing! Finally ended up behind a semi-truck and I tailed him as close as I could without running into his back end. Follwed him right in to a truck stop.
Trying to get my composure, I asked the waitress when she thought the fog might lift. 'Fog?' she said, 'honey this ain't fog, this here's dew!' 'Dew? Dew?' I replied, 'dew is that misty stuff on the grass in the morning. This is killer fog!' The waitress about laughed herself sick (smile).
While I'm not crazy about fog, I'm even less crazy about those awful storms that ripped through the country the other night. All those tornadoes, all those folks who lost loved ones, who lost their homes and their belongings.
There was snow in other parts of the country. A town in Wisconsin got 21 inches! Here in Michigan, Bridgeport (home to Freeway Fritz) got 16 inches of snow. Frankenmuth, famous for their family-style chicken dinners, got 17 inches of snow. Farmington Hills where I live, well, we only got about 3 inches and that's just fine with me.
They say the ground hog saw his shadow on Ground Hog Day, right? Shoot, we were in for more winter whether he saw it or not. It's only February!
Be good, be careful, stay strong, take care.
hugs, Tawny
http://www.tawnyford.com/
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Did you ever have one of those days when you should have just stayed in bed? That was my life yesterday.
I was at the library bright and early so I could talk with you on my blog. And talk, wow, it flowed so easily! I had so many things to tell you and they went down effortlessly. Brilliant prose, if I do say so myself.
Someway, somehow, something went terribly wrong and all of my words up and disappeared! I clicked on everything I could find, desperately trying to make the computer give them back. Nothing worked.
Grabbing my cell phone, I headed for the ladies bathroom speed dialing HSM. 'You must have accidentally hit 'save draft'' she told me, 'don'tworry, relax, go home and finish writing your post and email it to me, I'll cut 'n paste it in for you'. Terrific! HSM will find the draft and make it all better!
So I'm sitting in my living room, the words are flowing, I'm explaining what happened earlier in the day to you. I hit send.
Then I find out that the computer, or maybe the website that hosts my blog, apparently had a brain fart (a technical term meaning they messed up! smile) and everything I wrote is disappeared, never to be seen again.
That was it for me. I put my nightgown on and curled up in the recliner in the family room and mindlessly watched tv in between phone calls.
But today is a new day! No doggone computer is going to get the best of me!
So, did you have a paczki (pronounced poonch-kee) yesterday? I did. Two, actually. A boston creme and a lemon-filled. Thank goodness they only make them once a year, they are enormous, maybe the size of a softball and they must have at least ten million calories in each one. But they are good. And decadent.
I guess they must be a metro Detroit thing because I never saw anything about them on CNN, but they were all over our local tv news. There were live shots of people making paczkis, shots of people lined up down the street and around the block to purchase them, and people discussing their favorite flavors. New Orleans has the Mardi Gras and Detroit has paczkis!
But as sweet as the paczkis are, they just aren't sweet enough to make the sourness of Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's actions disappear. Nope, the scandal and revelations continue. When you get a minute checkout www.metrotimes.com last week's online issue of the Metro Times. Jack Lessenberry and Larry Gabriel wrote two compelling articles about the scandalous mess. And look at www.freep.com for even more news about the mess.
Well, I guess that's it for today. You be good and be careful, take care, stay strong. And call me, I miss you!
hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
I was at the library bright and early so I could talk with you on my blog. And talk, wow, it flowed so easily! I had so many things to tell you and they went down effortlessly. Brilliant prose, if I do say so myself.
Someway, somehow, something went terribly wrong and all of my words up and disappeared! I clicked on everything I could find, desperately trying to make the computer give them back. Nothing worked.
Grabbing my cell phone, I headed for the ladies bathroom speed dialing HSM. 'You must have accidentally hit 'save draft'' she told me, 'don'tworry, relax, go home and finish writing your post and email it to me, I'll cut 'n paste it in for you'. Terrific! HSM will find the draft and make it all better!
So I'm sitting in my living room, the words are flowing, I'm explaining what happened earlier in the day to you. I hit send.
Then I find out that the computer, or maybe the website that hosts my blog, apparently had a brain fart (a technical term meaning they messed up! smile) and everything I wrote is disappeared, never to be seen again.
That was it for me. I put my nightgown on and curled up in the recliner in the family room and mindlessly watched tv in between phone calls.
But today is a new day! No doggone computer is going to get the best of me!
So, did you have a paczki (pronounced poonch-kee) yesterday? I did. Two, actually. A boston creme and a lemon-filled. Thank goodness they only make them once a year, they are enormous, maybe the size of a softball and they must have at least ten million calories in each one. But they are good. And decadent.
I guess they must be a metro Detroit thing because I never saw anything about them on CNN, but they were all over our local tv news. There were live shots of people making paczkis, shots of people lined up down the street and around the block to purchase them, and people discussing their favorite flavors. New Orleans has the Mardi Gras and Detroit has paczkis!
But as sweet as the paczkis are, they just aren't sweet enough to make the sourness of Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's actions disappear. Nope, the scandal and revelations continue. When you get a minute checkout www.metrotimes.com last week's online issue of the Metro Times. Jack Lessenberry and Larry Gabriel wrote two compelling articles about the scandalous mess. And look at www.freep.com for even more news about the mess.
Well, I guess that's it for today. You be good and be careful, take care, stay strong. And call me, I miss you!
hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
Monday, February 04, 2008
Long time no talk with you, huh? It sure is good to be back! How have you been (smile)? All sorts of things have happened to keep us apart---weather woes, the threat of weather woes--you name it, it's happened. But here we are, all systems go.
Okay, it's night time, almost 7:30 pm and no, I'm not at the library. I'm at HSM's house for a birthday party for her husband. We just had dinner--home made lasagne, salad, bakery rolls--and dessert---a gorgeous chococlate on chcolate on chocolate cake with ice cream---is yet to come! I figured inbetween dinner and dessert I could sneak off to catch up with you on her computer.
Did you watch the Super Bowl yesterday? Did your team win? What about the commercials? I don't give a hoot about the game, but I always watch for the commercials. My favorite? The one with the Bridgestone tires and the screaming squirrel. My second favorite was the Budweiser with the dog trainer. Can you imagine all that money for advertising? Wow, if I had that kind of money I'd just retire to a Carribean island and spend the rest of my days laying in the sun drinking virgin pina coladas (smile).
It's been warm here today, somewhere in the mid-30's, and all the snow, at least what's left anyway, is seriously melting. Tomorrow and the day after the local weather people are talking 50's (?). Okay.................But it's still only February and odds are good we'll be back to -something or other before winter is over. And get another big snowfall.
Tomorrow, Fat Tuesday, is packzi (proncounced poonch-keee) day around here in the metro Detroit area. There's a big Polish contingent in Hamtramck, MI, a small city adjacent to Detroit, and paczkis are a part of their pre-Lent tradition. A paczki is a big donut, sort of. Traditionally it was the cook's way to use up all of the sugar and butter before the harsh 40 days of Lent began. The paczkis are huge and are filled with just about any traditional donut filling you can think of. My favorite is the boston creme filled ones. I think there are a gazillion calories in one of these so it's a darn good thing they're only eaten once a year. Do they sell them in your area or is this just a Detroit area tradition? If the crowds aren't horrendous I'm going to buy a couple at the bakery.
Tallulah from the frozen tundra of Marquette, MI sent me a Yooper care package today. I love to crochet and she sent me an assortment of wonderful crochet hooks, some candy that looks like the pretty pebbles you find on the beach, and some Bear poop candy (no, not really bear poop, silly!)--chocolate candy with crushed pretzels, put together in such a way to make them appear as bear doodoo (smile).
One of the crochet hooks is made of wood, made in Vietnam, and it feels so silky. If you or your woman crochet, I heartily recommend this type of hook. I think they're pricey, but oh so worth it. You don't even hardly feel it when you're working with it.
One of the other crochet hooks she sent was plastic and oddly shaped, sort of curvey, and I'm thinking it'll be fun to work with it. And there was a box of steel crochet hooks with several handles to insert them in to. It's cool because you have a wide variety of hooks and they take up very little storage space. Plus, there's every size h0ok you could ever want or need.
Lastly, a plastic/rubber hook grabber so your hand doesn't get fatigued when you crochet. It slides on to the hook and you rest youf fingers on it. It's perfect for me, I always grip the hook too tight and then wonder why my hand is cramping (smile).
Okay, I have to go. The ice cream and cake are getting passed out and I don't want to miss out. I love cake and ice cream!
So be good, be careful, take care, stay strong.
hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
tawnyford@webtv.net
Okay, it's night time, almost 7:30 pm and no, I'm not at the library. I'm at HSM's house for a birthday party for her husband. We just had dinner--home made lasagne, salad, bakery rolls--and dessert---a gorgeous chococlate on chcolate on chocolate cake with ice cream---is yet to come! I figured inbetween dinner and dessert I could sneak off to catch up with you on her computer.
Did you watch the Super Bowl yesterday? Did your team win? What about the commercials? I don't give a hoot about the game, but I always watch for the commercials. My favorite? The one with the Bridgestone tires and the screaming squirrel. My second favorite was the Budweiser with the dog trainer. Can you imagine all that money for advertising? Wow, if I had that kind of money I'd just retire to a Carribean island and spend the rest of my days laying in the sun drinking virgin pina coladas (smile).
It's been warm here today, somewhere in the mid-30's, and all the snow, at least what's left anyway, is seriously melting. Tomorrow and the day after the local weather people are talking 50's (?). Okay.................But it's still only February and odds are good we'll be back to -something or other before winter is over. And get another big snowfall.
Tomorrow, Fat Tuesday, is packzi (proncounced poonch-keee) day around here in the metro Detroit area. There's a big Polish contingent in Hamtramck, MI, a small city adjacent to Detroit, and paczkis are a part of their pre-Lent tradition. A paczki is a big donut, sort of. Traditionally it was the cook's way to use up all of the sugar and butter before the harsh 40 days of Lent began. The paczkis are huge and are filled with just about any traditional donut filling you can think of. My favorite is the boston creme filled ones. I think there are a gazillion calories in one of these so it's a darn good thing they're only eaten once a year. Do they sell them in your area or is this just a Detroit area tradition? If the crowds aren't horrendous I'm going to buy a couple at the bakery.
Tallulah from the frozen tundra of Marquette, MI sent me a Yooper care package today. I love to crochet and she sent me an assortment of wonderful crochet hooks, some candy that looks like the pretty pebbles you find on the beach, and some Bear poop candy (no, not really bear poop, silly!)--chocolate candy with crushed pretzels, put together in such a way to make them appear as bear doodoo (smile).
One of the crochet hooks is made of wood, made in Vietnam, and it feels so silky. If you or your woman crochet, I heartily recommend this type of hook. I think they're pricey, but oh so worth it. You don't even hardly feel it when you're working with it.
One of the other crochet hooks she sent was plastic and oddly shaped, sort of curvey, and I'm thinking it'll be fun to work with it. And there was a box of steel crochet hooks with several handles to insert them in to. It's cool because you have a wide variety of hooks and they take up very little storage space. Plus, there's every size h0ok you could ever want or need.
Lastly, a plastic/rubber hook grabber so your hand doesn't get fatigued when you crochet. It slides on to the hook and you rest youf fingers on it. It's perfect for me, I always grip the hook too tight and then wonder why my hand is cramping (smile).
Okay, I have to go. The ice cream and cake are getting passed out and I don't want to miss out. I love cake and ice cream!
So be good, be careful, take care, stay strong.
hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
tawnyford@webtv.net
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