Cabin fever conquered! OOOPS

This is the actual link you should be looking for. Everyone's way too polite to point up my error... Sometimes I hate getting old.

Go here for our visits to the frozen Chemung.

Also, time for a minor update: we are now using our newly-wiped Compaq Presario almost exclusively. Because of the unpaid furloughs, the PC's and Macs at work are closely monitored. What's more, I don't feel like posting or even just composing at work. During my breaks I play video games.

My first "Out of Office" day, a.k.a. unpaid furlough, is Wednesday. We will be visiting with Golfer Girl, who is now to be called Golfer Lady, since her man is now Joe Sindelar, Sr. Most appropriately, they live next to a golf course north of here.

My book came to a crashing halt with our hard drive. Only chapters that were uploaded to Blogger survived. My favorite chapter still exists, but my second favorite had been committed to paper and gifted to its starring character. We'll see if it turns up, ever. In the meantime, it will take a long time to revisit my little world.

Boy, did the latest episode of the Simpsons ever hit home!

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Little Pond

Gaza

Their situation is dire. Israel is being excoriated as a huge bully attacking the defenseless. It is horrible how the civilians suffer. So many dead, so many wounded, so many homeless.

Hamas hides behind human shields. Always has, always will.

Israel will defend itself, an island of civilization amid the barbarians. It would not surprise me if Palestinians begin to filter into Israel. Again. After all, they will be safe there.

The Israelis take care of their own, training them to avoid the missiles and keeping a standing army to protect its nation.

Hamas recruits the hopeless from mosques, and pumps them up to kill themselves and others.

Their human shields are their parents and families. Their parents and families stand solidly behind them, taking incoming Israeli attacks full in the face. Ergo every Palestinian is in fact a solder.

Hamas soldiers duck out of harm's way to save themselves, and their families die, creating the most starkly horrifying situation, designed to inflame the world.

The absolute antithesis of how a nation's army is supposed to operate. The barbarians are willing to sacrifice their nation to lessen Israel in the eyes of the world.

Pure genius.

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Little Pond

Go for walk, Ellie?

Well, no.

I heard the sound of toenails headed up the stairs.

HuggaMutt is now hiding under the bed.

It is -17C (2F) outside.

No walk this morning.

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Little Pond

Look what we found while the computer was down!

Little Husband RJ at age four. He can't decide whether he wants to be a "dude" or a cowboy.

His little cap was a common sight when we were small. My Irish Twin Tommy wore one, too. It made his eyes look huge.

The neighborhood in the background doesn't look much different these days.

Get a load of the flannel lined pants!

Guess Moms always loved to dress up their kids. Wonder how they could afford cowboy boots back then? Maybe they were those cheap vinyl ones that children wore with costumes.

Husband RJ remembers the boots, but not the rest of the getup.

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Little Pond

HuggaMutt's new site...

Same old, same old, just a permanent home for the RiverDog. Very simple for now, but linkage will follow.

BTW, just found this photo while trying to recover all my lost files. We were both younger then.

Sigh.

But that was before we grew up on the Chemung River.

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Little Pond

So very saddened

My dearest, ever-loving BlogMother has suffered a terrible loss, and our world is bereft of half our daily kitty-fix.

Please visit and offer condolences.

Lord, we love our little pets too much.

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Little Pond

(BTW, we are on hiatus, due to a crashed computer that took away all our photography and much of our future book.)

Well, well!

Shoe thrower beaten in custody.

I hope he still feels it was worth it. After all, the fellow knows only too well what would have happened if he had thrown a shoe at the "President" of Iran, at whom he was also angry.

Let's not even think what would have happened if he'd thrown it at Saddam Hussein.

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Little Pond

Waiting for Fix Rite

Looks like a Christmas card, but actually it's just Little Pond waiting for the repairman. We're thinking that he is likely still just shoveling out, and we haven't the heart to call and nag.

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Little Pond

Night of the Long Knives, Part 2.

I'm superstitious about these things, but...

since MammaDog has already announced it, meet "Peanut." VeggiGirl calls it Cletus the Fetus.

Peanut danced for us last week at the first ultrasound.

We are expecting our little visitor the first week of July.

Expectant mother is sick every day, eating and exercising only for the baby.

Maybe I will be a grandmother, after all.

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Little Pond

Magic Jack?

Anybody out there know anything about it?

Sounds too good to be true.

All the paperwork looks to be on the up and up.

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Little Pond

So proud.

Patience finally won. I have my first really clear shot of an eagle. They don't usually pose for me.

Found some other stuff, too, but not so nice.

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Little Pond

We also got a lovely shot from MammaDog's first ultrasound scan of the baby, but my scanner is stubbornly resisting all attempts to make it function. The HP Photosmart C4250 All-in-One clearly is not.

One final shot

If you can stand the cuteness.Bubba watches in frustration as our boldest squirrel pointedly ignores him.

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Little Pond

Soggy Walk; Hunting at Home

Boy, if we don't get more sun than I've seen in the past few weeks, I'm going to experience dry rot.

Accordingly, I grabbed the HuggaMutt and stuffed her into a rain slicker, and out we went.Once we get past the initial disgust at the confining overcoat, we managed to slog around a good hour. My little buddy hunted as best she could, but we never saw much fauna until we went home.

More on that later, I hope.

Bingo! What a mess! Click here to go to RJ's Garden.

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Little Pond

Armistice - And Irony

I can see them yet, as they marched away,
So debonair, so brave, so gay!
I can see them yet, as they turned to wave,
The smiles erased from their faces grave.
And as I stood there, turned to stone,
The sun's last glint from their rifles shone.

I can still see my Mother, with face so white
And my Father, standing so still,
Trying to think that all was right,
Trying to feel like it was God's will.
Yes, we all tried to be as brave as they,
As my husband and brother marched away.

After many a weary month and long
Came the news, more cheering than the happiest song.
The whistles were blowing, the bells were ringing.
Everywhere people were shouting and singing.
"The War is over at last" cried they,
And the sad old World became hysteric'ly gay.
We looked at each other through tears of joy
And Mother murmered softly, "My boy, my boy!".

Happy plans for their return we made.
I tremble even now, as these mem'ries fade.
"Killed in action", the telegram bore.
"Killed in action"; weary brain repeated o'er and o'er.
Yes, the bells were ringing,
They should have tolled!
The sound of bells will turn me faint and cold
Forevermore.
My brother had died the day before.

Josephine Abby Lamb Baker

My great-uncle "Harry" Lamb never came home. He was my grandfather's best friend.

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Little Pond