Fall sunshine is still good sunshine

Yep..it's finally fall here. The sun now rides low in the sky, and the clocks have been adjusted. While I don't appreciate winter any more and somewhat dread it's approach, it's inevitable so I'm already making plans on 'getting through it'. I have a few Marines in the sand to take care of. Boxes of goodies and some just crazy stuff will be packed and mailed. I have a ton of fleece I need to 'tie' into blankets. Now, all I need is someone to give them to. Last year it was a box of them sent to Fisher House in Texas. I think I'll do the same again.
Anyway...there will be less time spent outdoors and most likely more time to type to myself on this forum.

Took the doggies to a wooded area today for a walk. It was a pretty day even if it was a bit windy. Cooper had never been in the woods before, so he was on sensory overload the entire time. The big dog loves any kind of outing and had an equally good time. I enjoyed it too! The Halloween decor is down and will be tucked away for another year. Plans are being made on what will be made and taken to the relatives houses for Thanksgiving. I'm making an offer to do it here. We'll see if there are any takers. I was the sole dinner provider for about 13 years. Now, I miss it. With all the kids in different places, we just don't have enough mouths to feed around here. I hope I don't forget how to cook some of the old favorites.

Why is it I have to be surrounded by them??

Get Funny Pictures at pYzam.com

See what happens when you turn your back on your horse...ungrateful I tell ya. Haha. Had the pleasure a couple of weeks ago to attend a 'horsey event' with my friend. While she was busy readying her steed to compete in different things, I was busy hanging out in the barn and taking pictures here, there, and everywhere. This horse was quite the character and I believe he stuck his tongue out as his owner/rider left him..on purpose.
The day was fun, even if a bit on the warm side. I keep asking the camera lens fairy to hear my wishes for a decent lens capable of reaching out and touching the riders at a couple of hundred feet away.
I look forward to her going back over there for some jumping lessons and letting me tag along. I need to figure out the best place to position myself on the cross country course to get the most/best shots of them jumping.

That sucks!

Found a way cool countdown meter thing I wanted to put on this page, that will count down the days/hours/mins/secs until the Marine becomes a nasty ass civilian again. Blogger won't accept it. It's supposed to. Damn.

So...it's now on the page, but cut off because it's on the side bar. I didn't want it smack dab in the middle of the page, so I'll see if I can tinker with it at all and 'fix it' a bit. Kinda cool though huh? :-)

It's Official!

The kid is now a 'college freshman' and new dorm dweller! We got him moved in on Friday, and we boogied home rather quickly after the unpacking. Yes, we needed to get back to deal with the critters who did not understand being fed breakfast at O-Dark-Thirty in the a.m. Also, I've learned by dealing with the Marine, that hanging around too long makes the 'see ya later' part tough. Besides, he still had his dad and step mom there so there was no problem getting back on the road to home. He's looking forward to it all, and I'm very glad. We have both envisioned the day he went to college, and I'm proud of him in a big way! It's all good. He's not too far away, we talk quite often and we'll go down to see how things are rolling along in a couple of weeks and take him shopping for sundry type items. In the meantime, life at home goes on.

The temps have been very nice the last two days. They say it will come to an end once again, and by mid week we'll be back to the pit dripping heat and humidity that we all love to hate. We had a bit of rain today which is helpful..things are a tad dry. The garden needs attention and I hope to get all the peppers picked and dealt with this week. Then, it's adios! to the plants. I don't want to mess with them into September waiting for them to hopefully change color. I can't get red and yellow and orange bells to change. The growing season here is just too fickle. I've tried starting them indoors as early as mid February only to get leggy seedlings that can't survive long enough to make it to the great outdoors. Since i dehydrate my sweet peppers, it doesn't really matter anyway. The rest get made into a pepper/onion relish for brats and dogs and then I keep some chopped and frozen to add to pizza or chili or whatever floats my boat.

So...one more day before the work week starts. Hopefully the weather will be good and we can get more yard work done, and some basics around the house. I have a list a mile long in my head of things I want to accomplish now that the kid is off doing his thing. Problem is, my ideas are larger than my energy quota right now!

Carry on!

HELL yes!!

Marine's Charges Dropped in Iraq Deaths

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8QTJTGG0&show_article=1&catnum=0

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A general dropped all charges Thursday against a Marine who had been accused of killing three Iraqi brothers in response to a roadside bomb attack in Haditha in 2005.
"The evidence does not support a referral to a court-martial," Lt. Gen. James Mattis wrote in his written decision.
Lance Cpl. Justin L. Sharratt, 22, had been charged with the murder in the deaths of three of those killed after the bomb attack Nov. 19, 2005.
The decision to drop the charges followed an earlier recommendation from a hearing officer who listened to evidence in the case. Under military law, a commanding general has total jurisdiction over a case.
In his recommendation, Lt. Col. Paul Ware said murder charges brought against Sharratt were based on unreliable witness accounts, poor forensic evidence and questionable legal theories.
"The government version is unsupported by independent evidence," Ware wrote in an 18-page report. "To believe the government version of facts is to disregard clear and convincing evidence to the contrary."


This young Marine's career is ruined. And it's all because of a bunch of BS charges, which they now...after all this time, have said are not sufficient to even hold him, much less charge him. I'm learning more and more about the Corps as time goes on. Yeah, there are still good eggs in the bunch, but it sure seems that the Peter Principal is running the show. If you aren't familiar with it, that is when those who are not worthy or qualified, get continually upgraded just to move them on down the line. In this case, 9 Marines have been accused of war time atrocities that did not happen. Families have mortgaged houses two and sometimes three times to pay attorney's bills. Some have lost their homes altogether and their careers are in the crapper.

This is an absolute outrage. I can introduce you to any number of active duty Marines who are still over there who tell you it is common practice for Iraqi's to lie like stinking dogs in hopes of being given some settlement money. This is a perfect example of the fallout.

Hang in there Lcpl. I know from hearing from your parents and the parents of others how this has crushed your spirit. The brotherhood has hung you all out to dry like so many scapegoats and it's hella wrong.

I hope and pray the others are cleared soon. And, I hope there is one decent Marine out there who will follow this cluster*uck back down the line and bring to trial those who instigated this farce.

Carry on!

A must read for those against the war

I am blown away. I have been humbled. I am in awe. This should be required reading in classrooms and board rooms across the US. Please visit this site, and read what a Marine in Iraq wrote home to his family. It was written some time ago, but you can just as easily change a name of a politician or two and it will be just as relevant today as it was the moment it was written.

If anyone ever says we need to pull out of Iraq now...you need to send them here:
http://devildog6771.wordpress.com/2007/08/05/support-the-troops-but-not-the-war-what-an-american-soldier-would-like-to-say-about-it-all/#comment-11766

OOHRAAH!
God bless our Devil dogs!!

For the accidental visitor

Perhaps by some stroke of luck, be it bad or good..someone may stumble upon this blog and see my shameless request for a vote on a photo I took. Or, the sole visitor (heheh) can vote again. And again...and again..and again! ;-)

This is the link in which to do me this cyber favor. I will of course reciprocate if needed at some time in the future...perhaps to push someones visit counter over the edge!

http://www.picture.com/voteforme/photovote1.asp?PID=2224411

Life goes on...work, home, bills, shopping, scooping dog poop. The fun never stops here! Along with the heat wave the Midwest is currently 'experiencing', I just don't think I can handle any more excitement at this point.

News flash!! Marines need mail! Go here to help. http://thinking-right.com/
Uncle Sam and I would be proud of you!! :-)


Carry on!

Because I can

I am so glad to be in the digital age of photography. No more waiting for the processing to get done and shelling out hard earned cash for half assed photos, of which I own a LOT! Almost anyone can take a good pic with a digital camera, and of course, being able to just erase the ones that didn't work is priceless! So, because I can, I'm going to post some recent pics taken. I like them. That's all that matters. Why I can't get them to post below my text is beyond me at this point in time. Oh well...

Enjoy the day!

A quarterly update?

I figured I would have a hard time dealing with a blog..but since I'm the only one reading what I have previously typed...except for Susan..what the heck!? The more things change, the more they stay the same.

The pup is back in action and I'm glad to say you can't tell he was ever hurt to begin with. The kid is no longer in high school..he's officially a graduate and within a month plus a few days of starting college. I on the other hand don't know if I have enough tupperware to sell at a garage sale to keep him in Mac-N-cheese or not! The meal program alone for a year will wipe out what little I can throw at the bill..so I'm thinking there is a student loan in the very near future.

In other news..Jehrico is back on! YEAH! Enough of us griped at the morons at CBS to get it revived. Their threat though is that it may only be a temporary thing. Seems there are more idiots who would rather watch a faux reality show than something a bit more dramatic. There is just no accounting for taste I guess.

The Marine finally got to come home for a short visit. It had been 638 days plus or minus a day since we had last seen him. Waaay too long to go inbetween! He looked so good. He's filled out and grown up and a part of me is sad that I missed it. But, it is a lot like when they are little and someone else sees their first tooth before you do, or gets to see them ride the bike for the first time without training wheels. There is always something we won't be privy too, and that's just the way it goes. I'm thankful for every day we do have together, even if it means just a phone call or a message on the chat line. Without the technology we have today, I and many other military moms would be total basket cases. How our grandparents and great grandparents made it through those months and years with nothing but an occasional letter in the US mail..I'll never know. Those were indeed some very tough times.

The bees are back and I'm out there snapping pics again this year. Just can't help myself..it's amazing to watch them. :-) We've had a pair of barn swallows nesting on our porch. I thought it was quite big of me to 'allow' them to build here and looked forward to seeing the chicks hatch etc. What I did NOT know was that these nifty little birds are VERY aggressive and I am fed up with being dive bombed every time I get out of my vehicle or go check the mail. They are big enough now to be receiving 'flight lessons' and I am giving them two more days to get the kids kicked out of the nest. My version of the HUD program is coming through and this nest is 'going down'! The garden is doing well except there seems to be a fungus amongus and the tomatoes are not doing well. It's a shame too because they had been going like gang busters up until the excess rain we've had.

That's it in a nutshell for now! :-) Enjoy the heat and sun!