Ya know, I REALLY wish we lived closer to

LawDog and/or Matt G ........................... the "neighbor" I mentioned, who went off about Big Red on his girlfriend's car - the following evening, he came over here, claiming to want to apologize ........................ yeah, right ...................... when I said, "If you had hurt him .............. " he went OFF again - another neighbor {woman} was here, and just LOOKED at me and said what an ass he is ...................... but this creep just doesn't have the BALLS to go off like that in front of MY husband, or either of 2 other neighbors' husbands ............................ and Big Red, God bless'im, pretty much stays on my porch, or under our vehicles - the creep just has a wild hair against Red or me - he's the same idjit who asked me to intercede when another neighbor {man} got pi$$ed at him - and I told him I didn't have a dog in that fight - but if he lays a hand on Red, that's IT - I generally take the attitude that folks who smoke dope, 'long as they don't bother ME, it's not my concern - but this character will get high {he smokes the stuff of another neighbor, who uses it for clinical/health reasons} and then get behind the wheel of his big ol' Chevy truck, or his girlfriend's car ........................... now, back in the day, when I DID indulge {whether smoke or alcohol}, I would stay put wherever I was - since I don't indulge in either {pot not at all; alcohol MAYBE twice a year} too often, I'm generally the designated driver - which is OK ............................ per the lady he went off in front of the other night, his girlfriend has him pretty well whipped ......................... izzit just me, am I spoiled, in that I don't have respect for {presumptive} men who are bullies? He'd best not try to talk to me again - I'll TELL him he has no balls ......................... and if, as I believe, he thinks he can get away with harming Red or me, well ............................ I already am known to the Chief of Police here {in a POSITIVE light - I sent an "atta-boy" letter on one of his officers! ;-) }, and I'll just have a sit-down with the Chief ............................

LawDog is one of my heroes ......................... ;-)

his willingness to help, in the face of {apparently} abject ingratitude warms the cockles of my heart ....................... I know there are people who "like" cats, and those who abhor them - but they are still living, breathing, "feeling", sentient creatures - and as such, not deserving of the treatment such as LawDog is rescuing them from ........................ I used to say, in all seriousness, that I wished there would be an outbreak of bubonic plague in Mexico, to force the people there to see that cats were NOT a 'nuisance' - they're 'adopted' as kittens, then tossed outside when they're no longer "cute" & expected to fend for themselves - yes, the same is done here, but to a much lesser extent - I was a "gringa loca" for stopping grown men from throwing rocks at a mother & her kittens .......................

Have a neighbor threatening to kill a stray Tom I've been feeding, 'cause "Big Red" is getting on his girlfriend's car at night ...................... we'll see, as this guy isn't exactly known for his willingness to 'go confrontational' with other men ........................ my spousal unit will stand up for "Red", if it comes to that ........................... ;-)

Time for a rant ....................................

Gay Cynic is having his issues with the medical profession ................ mine is with a much more superficial aspect, but I believe valid, nonetheless ..................

Twenty-plus years ago, I talked with cosmetic surgeons in a teaching hospital where I worked, asking why they couldn't remove fat from thighs/buttocks/wherever and re-locate it to the breast area for augmentation/reconstruction - was told it 'wasn't practical'. I also asked why hair from one's scalp couldn't be transplanted as eyelashes - I was basically laughed at by the docs.

NOW come reports from California & Europe - the latest fad in CA? Transplanting hair from the scalp to the eyelashes - developed for burn victims. Only problem is, one must trim them, as they continue to grow. And from Europe? Women are going on their lunch breaks, having liposuction done on the requisite areas, and the fat is then put in their breast areas .......................... Wonder if I can get any GYNs or urologists to listen to me NOW about my thoughts on reversible tubal ligations & vasectomies?

Happy Birthday, Mary Catherine Weber Chapura Mellon Vickery!!

I'm hoping the ponies are running well for you, and that there's plenty of polka competitions and Ortlieb's in heaven ........................ I miss you, Grandma ......................... ;-)

Hate to say "I tolja so", but ..................................

If y'all recall, my 29 June post, I noted that Teddy the Drunk {forgot to add Harry the Spineless @ the time} would do this very thing:

From FAIR {Federation for American Immigration Reform} today .....................

Piecemeal Immigration Measures Poised to Resurface in Congress
Although the Iraq War has taken center stage since Congress returned from the July 4th recess, special interests continue to work behind the scenes to advance their agenda in the realm of immigration. Sources tell FAIR that there is discussion in both the House and Senate on reviving parts of the Bush-Kennedy amnesty bill (S.1639), such as the DREAM Act, the SKIL bill, and AgJOBS. With Congressional leaders in both parties signaling that a comprehensive bill is unlikely to move before the 2008 elections, supporters hope that these particular provisions will be popular enough to pass without being attached to border security or worksite enforcement legislation.

All three immigration measures seek to appease various minority and business special interest groups. The DREAM Act would give amnesty to illegal aliens who arrived in the U.S. as children and have established a certain level of education. It would also allow illegal aliens to receive in-state tuition at colleges and universities by reversing portions of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRAIRA), passed in 1996. The SKIL bill, as it is commonly called, would dramatically increase the annual cap of high-tech H-1B visas and, among other things, would create a special path to citizenship for foreign students who study math, science and engineering.

Finally, AgJOBS would grant amnesty to 1.5 million illegal alien agricultural workers and relax certain portions of the existing agricultural guest worker program (H-2A).

Some Senate sources even suggest that there may even be movement in the Senate this week during the debate on the Defense Authorization Bill. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced Friday he intends to offer the DREAM Act as an amendment to the defense bill; Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) has filed an amendment that would increase H-1B visas; and some have suggested that Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) may attempt to offer an amendment that would expand the H-2B program.

Meanwhile, true immigration reformers are also looking for opportunities to advance provisions critical to enforcing our immigration laws. For example, Congressman Jack Kingston (R-GA), a member of the powerful Appropriations Committee, has successfully offered an amendment to three different appropriations bills that would require government contractors to use the Basic Pilot Program to verify that their employees are lawfully present in the United States. The amendment has been adopted on the Transportation/HUD appropriations bill; the Labor, Health and Human Services appropriations bill; and the Commerce, Justice, and Science appropriations bill. These funding measures will soon move to the House floor where supporters of the Basic Pilot requirement will be working hard to ensure that the language is not stripped.

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BTW, I lied - I LOVE saying "I tolja so" ........................ ;-)

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Anybody else not getting comments noted ON their blog? I receive the eMails about'em, but they don't show on the blog itself .........................

I've added a link to

Desert Exile ...................... the proprietors are TacoBell {here in Alta Mexico} & XRoadCop {former CHP, currently as a neighbor of John McCain ;-) } .......................... they're pretty much spot-on re: the immigration wars ........................ check'em out! ;-)

Yesterday, while over on t'other side of town .............................

{spousal unit's putting in some O/T - so on paydays, he can't get away to deposit his check, so I went over, met him @ the gate & headed on to credit union} - after I'd taken care of my business on that side of town, I was heading back out here - now, the road our financial institution is at right angles to the highway that starts me on my journey home - you turn left onto the highway - THERE I am, minding my own business, in the left-turn lane - when off to my right I see a most BEAUTIFUL German Shepherd with the owner, who has a crate with a not-easily-seen sign on it - thinking there are !PUPPIES! there {yes, I'm a sucker for puppies - BIG surprise, I know!}, I swoop to the right turn lane, turn the block around {that's a PA Dutch term ;-) } and park next to the pickup with the Shepherd - turns out he's an intact male, 4 years old and his owners just don't have the time to devote to him that he deserves - they're GIVING him away - they just want him to go to a loving home. Tucker {the dog} is a most pleasant dog - VERY friendly, gentle and affectionate {you can tell he's been LOVED} - Joe {his owner} got him as a puppy - he has papers, etc., etc. Unfortunately, 'we' aren't in a position to have a dog right now - but I got Joe's number, and told him I'd see if I couldn't help find a good home for Tucker. Joe's a minister, and he & his wife travel a lot in their work.

We-ell, today I went to get my Jeep inspected {only 4 months overdue ;-) } and got to talking with a gentleman who's vehicle was the next to be checked out - mentioned in passing about Tucker - wouldn't you know it, turns out that Richard is looking for a full grown male Shepherd - got home, called Joe {I don't give folks' numbers out to all & sundry - I'll be the go-between 'til someone tells me different - it's a matter of respect for the folks who entrust their info to me} & left a message on his voicemail - Richard calls, and emphasizes that HE WANTS THIS DOG - Joe calls - I tell HIM about Richard, he gives me the go-ahead to give Richard his number - I call Richard, give him the number - 'bout an hour later, Richard calls - he'd been on the phone with Joe that entire time - they're meeting tomorrow, and Richard will be bringing Tucker into his home - the PLUS for me? Richard's home is really, REALLY close to us here, so I can go see Tucker pretty much whenever I want to ............................ oh, and it turns out that Richard is a minister, too! ;-)

Just call me a Yenta for our four legged friends! ;-)

Crusader Rabbit has a GREAT post ..........................................

but for those with prim family members who might see it, a language alert is in order ..................... ;-) Thank you, the Guys of Crusader Rabbit!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA!!

May we collectively appreciate what we have here ..........................

ATTENTION!! ATTENTION ON DECK!!

Tomorrow night, @ 2000 ET, 2100 CT, etc - Turner Classic Movie channel - 1776 will be on - if you've never seen it, or haven't seen it for a few years - from a teacher of history - it is amazingly correct in it's depiction of the founding of our nation - for those who are anti-musicals - GET OVER IT!! ;-)