Cape Karen
It's getting nasty out there... all this political crap. But, let's face it, we're embarking upon what could become one of the most important elections in our history. I might even decide to vote again for this one. I haven't voted in years, because I've not seen a candidate I felt I could vote for in good conscience - and I'm not sure that's changed.
I think my last vote was for John Kennedy... and when George W. Bush decided to run, I literally shuddered at the thought. When he was elected... not once, but twice... I knew we were in real serious trouble. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know that he would be one of the worst Presidents in history. (But did anyone listen to me? Nooooo...)
So, here we are today with every kind of trouble known to man... from the miriad threats of global warming, to middle America's financial ruin and a National Debt that staggers the mind, to the Mideast wars for oil interests ("war on terror," my foot!) to the continual onslaught of millions of illegal aliens pouring over the Mexican border and the frightening increase of anti-American sentiment worldwide. What a royal mess! Can anyone fix this? Not likely. It will take more than a few miracles to pull us out of these quagmires. In the meantime, we'll have to endure the political jousting for first place all over the airwaves... or not.
I don't see a candidate at the podium that has the balls to even start to correct the mistakes of these last eight years. Well, maybe one... just maybe... but he hasn't got a chance in hell of being elected. He's tall and handsome and has gray hair. He has a great sense of humor and he's smart. He has plenty of experience... and his name rhymes with "blow." (I'll let you figure out who I'm talking about.) As an Independant, I can vote for anyone. And ,even though there isn't a snowball's chance in hell of my one vote making a difference... given the chance, I'd vote for him.
I think it's going to be Hillary who 'snags' her way in, and so we'll see the dynasty of Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton come to fruition. What I'd rather see is the people in this country, especially our college students, get off their duffs and away from their computer games, and start protesting in the streets... loudly! (The 'good old days' of the turbulent 60's are but a sweet memory now....) I think the only hope of real change for better in this country is for 'we the people' to get noticeably vocal. If we choose to remain silent then all kinds of evil can, and will, just continue to succeed.
Regardless, I doubt that any one of the candidates running for office now could possibly be a worse President than who we've had to put up with for the last eight years.
For the sake of our children, and our precious grandchildren... I sure as hell hope not!
Okay - I know - it's a subject that engenders much ridicule, and tons of skepticism, but when photographs like this start to show up, of unidentified objects floating overhead, you have to ask what the hell is going on? Is this some new form of helicopter? A new form of crop duster? Or is it just a really good Photoshop or digital creation?
If I saw this strange machine hovering silently over my house, and then watched it zoom off into infinity in a flash, (so says the author in an article at a UFO website ) I'd sure want an answer. I mean, really - give me a break - don't we at least deserve to know what the hell that thing is in these photos ~ even if it is a hoax? Some folks in Capitola, CA sure would like to know....
It's probably something man-made (or was created by a 'savvy' computer geek) and has nothing to do with "aliens," but come on... just let the rest of us in on the prank. Leaving us hanging like this is just plain unfair.
Even if this one is a fake, more and more authentic photos of strange objects in the sky are showing up all around the world, especially now that so many people have cell phones and digital cameras. Are they 'signs' that we'd better get our act together - and that there is intelligent alien life observing us - or do Dubya and his D.C. cronies have more secrets to reveal? Maybe they're U.S. military drones? Low-flying satellites? Whatever that one is, I want one! My grandkids would love it~ then they could just fly over all the traffic in Minneapolis, instead of having to drive in it....)
Unfortunately, in the past, the UFO subject brought out all the "crazies" - people who held meetings out in the desert wearing funny clothes ~ people who claimed that they'd gone for a ride in a spacecraft and talked with aliens from Zeta Riticuli. The military and the government must have loved them! If they are hiding a 'deeper truth' about alien life from us, what better way to have it easily dismissed than to have a bunch of "loonies" come out in public saying things like that?
But, these days, highly credible people are coming forth with sincere tales of strange sightings of UFO's. In March 1997, thousands of everyday folks in Phoenix, AZ - including the governor - saw an incredibly large triangular craft looming overhead in the night sky, and witnessed the big 'light show' it put on for hours. Airline pilots, police officers, military brass and the like, are also now admitting to having seen unknown aerial craft in our airspace for years. What will the world governments do when more and more credible witnesses come forth? What kind of "cover stories" about weather balloons and flares will they be able to concoct next? (Not to worry, folks - they're just holograms?)
Perhaps, instead of being so concerned about the illegal aliens in our midst, we need to be more concerned about a different kind of alien ~ one that can fly around in weird-looking metallic machines. I think it's time that we all insist that our fearless leaders tell us the truth about what they know about these "unknown" flying craft.
If you go to Google/Images and type-in "strange craft" you'll see additional photos of this same 'contraption,' and you can read the discussion about the 'strange markings' on it. Or, you might want to copy and paste this web address into your browser and read more about this "UFO report"... it sure is intriguing. ("da-da-da-da....")
http://www.ufocasebook.com/strangecraft3.html
"David Bradshaw has endured countless stings during his life as a beekeeper, but he got the shock of his career when he opened his boxes last month and found half of his 100 million bees missing.
In 24 states throughout the country, beekeepers have gone through similar shocks as their bees have been disappearing inexplicably at an alarming rate, threatening not only their livelihoods but also the production of numerous crops, including California almonds, one of the nation’s most profitable.
“I have never seen anything like it,” Mr. Bradshaw, 50, said from an almond orchard here beginning to bloom. “Box after box after box are just empty. There’s nobody home.”
The sudden mysterious losses are highlighting the critical link that honeybees play in the long chain that gets fruit and vegetables to supermarkets and dinner tables across the country.
Beekeepers have fought regional bee crises before, but this is the first national affliction.
Now, in a mystery worthy of Agatha Christie, bees are flying off in search of pollen and nectar and simply never returning to their colonies. No dead bees have ever been found... and nobody knows why they're disappearing." (NY Times, February 2007)
I've always loved a mystery - ever since reading all those Nancy Drew novels as a kid - but this one is mind-boggling in its implications for our future as consumers. Since that article was written at the beginning of this year, it's become an international crises with bees disappearing in Africa, China and other European countries. Think about it. . . no honey bees to pollenate our flowers, fruits, nuts and vegetables? Good grief, that's really frightening. Are those damn aliens taking our bees now, instead of just dissecting our cattle for their organs? Where are all the millions of bees that have disappeared? Why are there no little bee bodies found anywhere?
I'm going to have to keep my eye on this mystery, that's for sure - I love my flowers, fruits, veggies and nuts and I can't imagine life without them! (Interesting, too, that Jerry Seinfield has just made "Bee Movie," that opens this week in theaters everywhere... I sure hope that won't be the last we see of the bees!)
Gee, it's been a while since I've blogged. I got home from the seashore at the beginning of October, and here it is November already... where did the month go?
(I guess it went the way of the bees... more on that later, in another blog...)
As always, my visit to Cape Cod was delightful... great weather and great friends. The quiet and serenity of being near the ocean is always a big part of why I enjoy the visit. Getting away from the noises here - being able to actually sleep through the night, without the neighborhood parade of loud, honking horns and thumping subwoofers to awaken me, was such a profound relief. I didn't know how tired I was until I finally got some sleep. Boundless energy emerged!
My childhood friend, Karen, was her usual active and adventurous self. We spent the weekends going to all sorts of Fall activities: A Harbor Fest in Hyannis, the Seaside Festival in South Yarmouth, cranberry picking, digging our own sweet potatoes, going out to lunch for fried clams and lobster rolls at Baxter's Boathouse and the Hyannis Yacht Club, and just driving all over the Cape enjoying each other's company. It's funny how friends from childhood are never hard to pick up with again - it's like we just met yesterday after class and went for a hot fudge sundae with the gang... time stands still in such friendships... enduring friendships of the heart.
Speaking of which, I was able to companion my dear friend, Susan, as she begins to adjust to being widowed after 40+ years of marriage. We've been on many journeys together over the years, but this one is a tough one. She's doing real well, considering - but I did see some signs of confusion and bewilderment that are a natural part of such a profound loss and big change in one's life; sleeplessness - especially when alone at night; going out car shopping when she really doesn't need a new car... and just a frantic kind of "busyness" that reveals her inner feelings of panic... things that a friendship can't touch and that only time will help to heal.
I was able to help her a little, in the limited time I had, by completely redoing her master bathroom. It was a room that held many upsetting memories from her husband's long and difficult illness, so a new coat of paint, a new window treatment, some new towels, bath rugs and shower curtain transformed it into a pretty 'new room' for her. She was thrilled with the results... thank goodness!
One day, when Susan was at her daughter's house in R.I., I visited, and left some pretty mums, by Andy's gravesite. She found them there later when she went to visit, and it brought forth such big tears of gratitude. (I guess I was the first one to visit his grave, besides her.) That she was so grateful for my presence, and my meager attempts to offer her some comfort, made me feel valued and cherished. It was a win-win situation for both of us.
And, it's true ~ the road to a friend's house is never long ~ not even when 1,200 miles separate us.