Those words come often to my ears from others–particular others–others who wish I didn’t speak my mind, others who wish I didn’t post my honest thoughts about life, humans, and the world. These “others” are, to a body, very adept at not speaking their minds, not posting their thoughts, and at hiding their feelings on any given matter under palliative grunts and meaningless obfuscating verbiage…except around me. In a word, when it comes to speaking their true thoughts on something to someone who might not agree or like what they have to say, they’re wimps, one and all, preferring to let everyone think them in agreement.

Well, that’s not me, not my way–never has been, never will be. I’m the fresh air girl. I’m the “expose the mildew to the sunshine” person. I’m a believer that, when it comes to honesty about things I find to be important, say it straight and right out loud.

Now, that doesn’t mean that I think that some troglodyte with an I.Q. down in the 30’s needs to hear that they’re dumber than a fence post. However, when someone has the capacity to understand and comprehend, then, yes, they should be told the truth. It doesn’t have to be done cruelly, not unless they themselves deserve such treatment (Can you say ‘Palin’?). It does need to be said, though, especially when not saying something will result in further destructive behavior. To do less is a disservice to them, oneself, and to the world, in my opinion.

So, we don’t see eye to eye on this subject. But then we don’t see eye to eye on my hanging out undergarments to dry on the line, either. They think it’s embarrassing. I think it’s perfectly fine, not in the front yard, perhaps, but certainly in one’s own backyard. I mean, gee, everybody (of the right sex) wears bras, and absolutely everybody does wear underwear…or at least most do, right? I’m sure we’ve all seen these items before…in the stores, at least, true? So what’s so embarrassing?

Oddly enough, these same folks, and there are truly several I deal with regularly, don’t have a problem with me hanging out sexy lingerie, go figure. It’s the brassieres and underwear they have a problem with. It’s the honest opinions and sometimes controversial, even antagonizing, thoughts I speak they want muted.

Well, tomorrow is today, and today was like this vague daze.  I walked around unable to even contemplate doing anything productive.  Oh, I tried, all right, but every time I sat down to approach a project, my brain just went on standby.  I couldn’t even line out a decent priority to-do list of what remains on my plate to get finished by the end of the month.

Just not like me.

My mother calls it taking a breath.  Or is this limbo? Whatever it is, I can’t seem to fight it, so I might as well take the rest of what’s left of today off with good will and acceptance.

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On a positive note ending this post, when the WordPress told me “no misspellings found,” it gave me a grin.  Thanks, WP.  I needed that!

This cold weather lasted a solid week and a half. Then it warmed up and snowed some more — warm at 20 degrees, mind. And it’s kept right on snowing and snowing and snowing. We’ve had a good, solid five feet that has compressed itself down to about three and a half feet when one day it had the audacity to warm up above 34 and RAIN — yes, rain — and load what was down with water, decreasing height and increasing weight dramatically. Then it was back to more snow, snow, snow…and it is STILL snowing.

Last winter we had record breaking snows of eight feet down here in the valley. This year we are well on our way to the same sort of volume, and it all has to be shoveled or blown. Which is what I’ve been doing to three places since December 15th.  

And the new snow blower?  Ariens, no less?  Very expensive, to say the least?  And supposed to be a top of the line heavy duty commercial machine?  HAH!!!  I does fine with the light stuff, but bogs to hell and gone with anything that resembles N. Idaho normal snow.  Blasted thing was obviously designed for California suburbanites — paved drives, once in ten years snow accumulations of one inch, and wowy-zowy, see how pretty I can do it.  Here?  Ah, nope.  I spend more time wrestling it out of trying to climb over itself as it bogs and upends its front end, or digs its wheels down and stalemates itself.  Ugly.  And I paid how much for this monster?  *Sigh*

I’m getting very, very tired.

I can breathe.  There’s no hurly-burly.  And I think.  I think about this last year. About the year before.  And about the one coming in a week.  It’s time for changes.  Changes for me.  I know what I’m going to do, now.

And John McCain selected THIS ugly excuse for a vagina-packing ( …or is that packed) misfit to be a U. S. Vice Presidential candidate?  I don’t know about you, but this is the LAST thing this country needs in a position of executive privilege.

Tell me this isn’t happening.

Don’t vote the McCain/Palin ticket.  Please.

Yesterday [09-02-08], John McCain’s campaign manager told the Washington Post, “This election is not about issues.”

It’s clear why the McCain campaign doesn’t want to focus on the issues — their platform is the most extreme we’ve ever seen from the Republican Party.

The Republican platform opposes embryonic stem cell research. It denies a woman’s right to choose, even in cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother. It fails to mention equal pay for women. And it barely acknowledges the $10 billion a month we are currently spending in Iraq.

While many of the policies listed in the 2008 Republican Platform are laudable, the scary ones outweigh any good:

A constitutional amendment that bans abortion

A constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman only

A ban on stem-cell research

Returning prayer in school and allowing religious influences in government.

Allowing organizations the right of free association…if they are Christan-based, but denying other organizations, including states, the right of condemn or blacklist organizations which discriminate based upon Christian prejudices and biases against gays, lesbians, and non-Christians.

You want to read a run-down?  Click here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20080826/pl_bloomberg/avmvtejizjbw

You want to read the ratified, “official” 2008 Republican Platform?  Here it is: 2008 Republican Platform (PDF) It can be found at: http://www.gopplatform2008.com/

Want to compare it to the 2008 Democratic Platform?  Here it is: The 2008 Democratic Platform (PDF) It can be found at: http://www.demconvention.com/assets/downloads/2008-Democratic-Platform-by-Cmte-08-13-08.pdf

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EXTRA BONUS TODAY, TOO! FROM REPUBLICAN MOUTHS!

WHAT THE REPUBLICANS REALLY THINK OF PALIN.  THIS IS WHAT THEY ARE SAYING BEHIND THEIR HANDS WHEN THEY THINK NOBODY IS LISTENING

It’s funny what Republican pundits say when they think nobody’s watching. Today, John McCain’s former campaign chief Mike Murphy and former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan were caught on tape after an NBC interview. They shared their real thoughts on McCain’s judgment in selecting Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate.

Noonan asked, “The most qualified? No.” She called the selection of Palin “political [B.S.].” Murphy called McCain’s selection gimmicky and cynical. The video and transcript are below. This is a breaking story today—it’s on many top blogs and is climbing the YouTube charts.