The local Detroit NBC affiliate is doing a two-part story beginning tomorrow morning on 'Gas or God'. Churches are reporting, apparently, that Sunday donations are down about a third due to the messed-up economy and high gas and high food prices, to name but two things which have skyrocketed recently.

Other news programs, plus articles in the local newspapers, have mentioned that donations of money and food are way down at charitable places like Salvation Army, etc. while there has been a sizeable increase in the number of folks seeking assistance from such places.

In one of the webtv-only newsgroups there has been a very recent discussion concerning how, since times are so tough, only welfare recipients who can pass a piss test and US citizens should be entitled to food, clothing, medical help, etc.

As was pointed out in the webtv-only newsgroup by a poster, how in the world can you feed Mabel's (the US citizen) children and, at the sametime, watch Susie's (the welfare recipient who can't pass a piss test) and Maria's (the undocumented 'illegal alien') starve to death?

The US is waging two wars simultaneously, one in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. If our country has enough money to fight two wars then it has enough money to make certain that everyone--citizens, welfare recipients, undocumented guests--eat, stay warm and receive medical attention, no matter how crappy the economy gets.

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.

hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com

Saved by the bell! Okay, not the bell but saved by the incredibly
talented fellow who built the new website for me! I sent him one of
Tallulah's photos and he found a way to put it in the blog!

Okay, now isn't that a wonderful photo? I knew you'd like it! Lake
Superior is beautifull.

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.

hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com

I am so disappointed! I really thought I had something for you yesterday and then it fell through. And you would have liked it, too.

What was it?

Well, you know my friend Tallulah, the one who lives in Marquette, Michigan? I've been telling you about her all winter. Like, how this was her first winter in the frozen tundra of the Upper Peninsula, as well as the longest, coldest, hardest winter up there in some years.

Okay, well, Tallulah has a digital camera. And to keep herself busy, and also because it's fun, she gets up at the crack of dawn and takes wonderful photos of the sun rising on Lake Superior. And incredible photos of deer, moose, all sorts of wild life.

She sent me one of her beautiful photos and I wanted to insert it in the blog so you could see it, too. Unfortunately, HSM (who does all of the computer stuff for the blog for me) couldn't do it. She can put jpegs(?) in, but not attached photos. Doggone it.

Be good and be careeful, take care, stay strong.

hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com

A gentleman caller on Friday asked me what, if any, of my personal items I sold. He didn't have internet access so he was unaware that there's a section on my website www.tawnyford.com listing each and every item I have to offer.

For those of you reading this, you are so lucky because you obviously have internet access and therefore you are able to check the page out for yourself!

Everything in my 'store' is mine. I bought it, or made it, and I would be thrilled to wear it just for you, then quickly seal it in a storagebag and mail it to you.

As you scroll through the offerings, some items are things you would expect--my panties, my bras, my stockings, my socks, my shoes, my garterbelts, etc. And some things are unique, I do believe, to me. The handmade wash cloths that I shower with, for example.

There is also somethig else that's a bit unique, or at least different. I'm not going to talk about it here but you'll know it when you run across it (smile). If you have any questions regarding this particular item, just email me at tawnyford@webtv.net and I'll be glad to explain it.

And if there's an item you're interested in but you don't see it listed, email me. Maybe I have one, you never can tell (smile).

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.

hugs,Tawny
www.tawnyford.com

I'm not much of a sports fan. I never played sports and I don't enjoy watching them on tv. But I did see some of the US Open this week.

I got a kick out of watching Tiger Woods at the end of Sunday's game, when he tied it up with Rocco Mediate on that last hole. Tiger was thrilled and it was fun to see him react that way with the double arm pump. And it was cute to see Rocco's reaction. He was like 'okay, I thought I had it won but you know how Tiger is, he can do anything' (smile).

I watched Monday's 19 holes, too. I wanted to see how it would all turn out. I mean, there was the number one golfer in the world, Tiger Woods, playing against what? number 156? Who'd have ever thunk it?

When the first 18 were finished and Tiger and Rocco were still tied up, I had to laugh because I figured Phil Mickelson and the rest of the usual contenders were scratching their heads and wondering 'how in the hell did this happen" and 'how come it's not me playing one on one with Woods'?

That last hole, the sudden death one, I truly think Tiger tried to let Rocco even up with him so they could play at least one more hole. Tiger, who I truly believe can hit the ball at will to wherever he wants, looked to be maybe 2 or 3 inches away from the hole. Tiger even fell to his knees like 'damn! I missed it' which is something I have never seen Tiger do. Not miss it, but fall to his knees. And with a bad knee, too.

But Rocco, well, he missed the hole. And that's not a bad thing, although I'm sure he would have loved to have won.

Rocco made history. He was number 156 in the world and he got to go an extra 18, plus sudden death, up against the best player in the world. He got to go where Phil Mickelson would have given an arm and a leg to go. Rocco got the biggest payout of his life, and he went up at least a hundred points in his ranking.

I think there's a lesson to be learned from all this.

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.

hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com

How has the exorbitant price of gasoline affected your life? Are you cancelling that trip to the Grand Canyon and instead visiting the zoo in your home town? Are you limiting the amount of errands you run? Are you car pooling or using public transportation?

Me, I never have used much gasoline, not even when it was less exspensive. I tend to never wander really any farther than about a 10 mile radius from my house. All of the places I frequent, most of them are right here in town.

But I will say that it used to run me about $15 for a quarter of a tank of gas, and now it runs me almost $30. I tend to use maybe a quarter of a tank a week, not always but sometimes, so that's about $120 a month.

Last weekend there was supposed to be a family gathering in Michigan City, Indiana. I haven't been back to Michigan City since 2004 when Uncle Mac was murdered, and then Uncle Gunk passed away. I toyed with the idea of going and then I realized what the gasoline costs would be. A full tank for the round trip, plus probably a quarter of a tank whileI was there. $150 just for fuel. Plus a motel for 2 days and with MC being a summer destination because of its being on the shores of LakeMichigan that meant top rate for the room, plus food, etc. Well, I just didn't feel like shelling out around $500 for the weekend trip.

Now I always, well almost always, take off work for a week in late summer and go to the beach. Again, rising gasoline costs that they predict will be even higher come August, that just may keep me home this summer.

What about you?

Take care, be good and be careful, stay strong.

hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com

Can anyone answer this for me? Whatever happened to homeland terrorism?

I mean, okay, back not too many years ago there were organized militias in many of the states, right? Here in Michigan I think we had one of the largest which, if I remember correctly, splintered off in to several.

There was the bombing of the federal building and McVeigh was executed for his involvement, and at least one other man, maybe two, were imprisoned.

There were outlaw motorcycle gangs, the Ku Klux Klan, street gangs, etc. all operating in the USA.

Did all of these people just one day decide they weren't on the 'right' page anymore and dissolve and integrate themselves into regular society?

It would seem to me, and I don't have anything to back me up on this, it's just another one of my ramblings, but I would think that the above mentioned folks just might be far more of a threat to us here in the USA than Al Qaeda.

But that's just me and since all I am is a phone sex operator, what do I know.

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.

hugs, Tawny

There's a thread in rec.food.cooking that I've been following for a few days--OT Very Scary Experience--with some amusement.

If you don't regularly read rec.food.cooking, here's the short version of the thread: A woman who lives in California and works as a paralegal for a big law firm, while on her way to the courthouse, was being followed by a man with a cellphone who was telling whomever he was talking to on the phone the direction she was headed and what she was wearing.

Granted, that's scary. The woman ducked in to a Subways, or maybe it was Quiznos, who remembers, and waited it out until her boss could come rescue her.

The amusing thing to me, and a few other readers, was the fact that she detailed in her post what she was wearing. I'm not remembering the brand names, sorry, but they were all very high end (expensive). Some thought that she was bragging that she could afford to spend so much money on clothes, shoes, purses.

How do you dress when you go out in public? Do you dress like your income? By that I mean if you make a lot of money, does your clothing reflect it?

Me, I always dress down. Always have. No matter how well I'm rolling, I look like I'm not.

I've learned over the years that there are people who judge you by your wardrobe. Like when I've gone to buy a new vehicle, for example. Some sales people have flat out ignored me because, while I'm clean and dressed neatly, I guess I didn't look like how they thought someone who could afford the vehicle should look. That's always been the too bad for them because I have sterling credit, I'm a 'brick', and they missed out on the commission.

Same way in stores. At the big mall in the high end stores, which I rarely go to unless I'm purchasing perfume, the clerks can at times be snooty. If you don't have that designer label on, well, often times you're the last one waited on.

My feeling is if you have the means to buy big ticket name brand clothes and that's what you like, swell, go for it. And if you don't have the means but you want to dress like you do, hit the resale shops because you can find amazing bargains on very gently worn clothing.

But if you're like me and lots of other folks who could care less about that sort of stuff, let's remember that old adage--Don't judge a book by it's cover.

Just because we aren't sporting Jimmy Choo shoes it doesn't mean we don't have money.

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.

hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com

Okay, the Democratic presidential primary that took place for so very many, many months---What do you think about Obama winning it?

Remember back when Gore ran against Bush for president? and Gore won the popular vote (the 1 vote, 1 person thingie-do) but Bush got the most electoral votes and so Bush became president?

From what I've heard on tv, Hillary won the popular vote (the 1 vote, 1person thingie-do) but Obama got the most delegates and super delegates and so Obama gets the nomination.

Now I know you're going to think that I've been infected with a super dooper case of paranoia here, but----I think 'they' (whoever 'they' are, perhaps 'they' are the behind the scenes people who really wield all the power in this country, perhaps even in the world) wanted Bush to be president because they knew Gore would not be in agreement with 'their'plans (the war in Iraq, for example).

Now I think 'they' crammed Obama down our throats during the primary. Every time I turned around some Democrat was hollering for Hillary to throw in the towel, concede to Obama, stop ripping the Party a part.

Now I'm thinking that maybe 'they' want Obama to run against McCain because they know McCain can beat him. Hillary, I don't think McCain could have beat her, but he can beat Obama I think even with one gnarled old hand tied behind his back, all the while spouting how troops will bein Iraq for the next hundred years.

So why would 'they' want McCain to be president? Maybe they have more wars they want to start. Bush has been salivating trying to find a way to declare war against Iran. Maybe that'll be McCain's mission once he becomes president.

And all that stuff about how historic this primary was because a Black man and a woman were running for the nomination? Blah blah blah.

While Obama is most defintely a Black man (remember, even one drop of Black blood makes a person Black, says America), despite having a White mother, he is not an American Black man. What do I mean?

Okay, Obama's father is from Kenya, right? No one in the USA can stand up and say their family owned the Obama's, not ever. Obama is not adescendant of slavery. In American terms, Obama is not a n-----.

If Obama was a descendant of slavery, if his forefathers had toiled on a plantation in Mississippi for generations, if his great great grandmama had had whip scars on her back---his running for the presidential nomination would have been historic.

And if Obama had been a good old American n----- he never would have gotten as far as he did, he never would have won the primary because America, I think, is still too prejudiced to ever let a descendant of slaves even think he may have a shot at the White House.

So I think they let Obama run because they knew all the liberals and all the White people would feel like they were striking a blow against racial injustice if they voted for him in the primary. They could tell everyone 'not only do I have Black friends, but I voted for Obama!'.

But 'they' know he won't be able to beat McCain so why not throw a chicken bone to Obama. Hillary could beat McCain, Obama can't.

Be good, be careful, take care, stay strong.

hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com

A number of people have asked me 'how come there's no new blog entriesto read on your site?'. Thing is, I told myself that come June 1st I was going to start writing daily, promised myself actually. But you know what? I've been trying to stay with the old 'if you can't say something nice, don't say anything' and as of late I haven't had too very much nice to say.

Okay, the wars are still raging in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our sons and daughters, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters--- our famiies---are dying. Either dying on the battlefront, or dying months/years later back at home from their physical wounds or emotional wounds.

The price of gas is out of control and the people on tv keep saying how it's going to get higher and higher and higher. The price of food, and everything else, has skyrocketed because the price of gasoline is out of contol.

More and more people are losing their jobs---either because companies aren't making enough money in this recession economy of ours and they're folding up, or the companies want to make more money so they're taking the jobs out of the country, or any number of other reasons.

People are losing their homes through foreclosure and being tossed out onto the streets, along with all of their belongings, by the police.

And what am I hearing and seeing on tv?

Those stupid-assed hearings about steroid use by baseball players.

Now between you and me, has your life been seriosly impacted by the possible use of steroids by baseball players? Has it? Mine hasn't. Whie I hate to think about anyone using drugs, fact is, it's none of my business. I hope they stop, I hope they save their health, but it doesn't affect me.

Now those stupid-assed hearings with the oil executives? That could impact my life IF the hearings committee would quit sucking the genitalia of the execs and call a spade a spade and say 'lookit, damnit! quit gouging the American people! it's a crime, you're going to do time!'. But they don't.

Truth isn't always nice, truth isn't always pretty. Truth is just truth.

Be good and be careful, stay strong, take care.

hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com