Where did the time go?

Let's start with the fun stuff. Here's a pic. It's a bit fuzzy and I apologize for that, but I couldn't get another because the flash was working and scared the he%% out of her. Her name is Pancake and she's the adventurous one of our pair of sugar gliders. I do believe she's the runt of her litter as she's about half the size of her adopted sister, Waffle. OTOH, just look at those eyes. The biggest, blackest and brightest eyes I've ever seen on a cute little critter.

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She's our "fun" one. Waffle still "crabs" at us, but she's slowly coming around. She still doesn't like to be picked up, whereas you can see that Pancake is having no trouble with that. Pancake likes to wander your shoulders, then climb onto the ear pieces of your glasses and then perch on top of your head. Probably because it puts a couple of feet between her and the dog. Lacy wants SO much to meet them and lick them (no, not eat them. I know her expressions and she just wants to make friends.) But Lacy's sheer size and the fact that she tends to be a bit high strung makes them nervous as all heck.

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Let's see... why have I been missing in action for the last three weeks? Honestly, I haven't got a clue. I feel like I have SO much to do and not enough time, but I think back and try to remember anything I've accomplished in that three weeks and can't think of a thing. Other than swilling tons of coffee and being addicted to talk radio (yes, I lied! I'm listening to the talking heads! yikes!), I can't think of anything I've done...

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Well, okay, a few things. I did finish the yarn for Dee. Somehow I'll turn this into something amazing for Christmas. I'm not sure what yet. Maybe the Moebius or some other kind of "smoke ring". Maybe a pair of mittens. Maybe a hat. I really like that "fuzzy toque" from the latest Interweave Knits, so maybe I can add some kind of fuzzy-type yarn in purple and that might do it. I haven't decided yet.

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But I do like the yarn. I spun it a bit heavier than the Buffalo Soldier because that was bordering on lace weight and really too fine. This yarn has a bit more substance to it, so the end fabric will have more body to it.

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I was going to take some pictures of the fall colors and load them here, but fall sort of breezed right past us before I could take note. The leaves were green one week, in full color the next and then we had a couple of hard frosts this past week. That brought out the fall foliage in full splendor, but then we had a huge windstorm last night. I mean HUGE. I swear it sounded like a hurricane was blowing through. And now all the foliage is on the ground. I really don't want to take pictures of the ground. It's not the same as capturing that color while it's still on the trees.

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Good news is that our new boiler is in the basement. That happened last week. Yes, $5000 later, but we should be able to save huge amounts on our fuel consumption this winter. Already, I'm noticing that our house feels MUCH warmer and yet the boiler works about one-third as hard as that old ancient curmudgeon. Oh, and to add to that good news is I called around and was able to get my tank topped off for a bit under $500. $2.87/gal for fuel. I jumped on it before OPEC could shut down their production to drive the prices back up.

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Yes, God forbid they only make $4mil in profits instead of their usual $30mil profit margin per quarter... /sigh/ Geez.... we can't survive with our ski resort in the middle of the desert if gas is less than $3/gallon or fuel oil is less than $4/gallon... Greedy b*st*rtds, aren't they?

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Bad news in the last week is I finally went to the dentist and I have a LOT of work that needs doing. Yeah, I'll have to take out a second mortgage to pay for it, but I should be set for the next 20 years or so once it's done. I think I can do this. I just have to get online and see if I can get the financing. Yup, another bill to pay for the next five years... Yikes!

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Now, of course, I have to talk politics. You know it. I know it. I mean, someone has to do it. I made the mistake of checking out Mollywobbles this morning before coming in to update my own blog. I've been reading Aiden's blog for a long time, but he's really gotten my gander up. Sorry, Aiden, but you sort of pushed my button with this comment: "I can assure you a) that he isn't a terrorist, but rather a 64 year old professor, a devoted expert in the education of urban, high-risk children..." [posted on or about 10/4] Yes, he's talking about Bill Ayers. This is the man who was quoted the day after 9/11 as stating that he wished he and his Weather Underground buddies had done more bombing. If he was devoted to children, he wouldn't have made a spectacle of himself in an article, standing on the American flag, entitled, "Guilty as Hell, Free as a Bird, Isn't America Great?"

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Does Obama consider him a close and personal friend? Probably not. But I can't believe he isn't aware of his political leanings if Obama could blurb his book either. See, there are two things that people have to consider. First, if Obama blurbed the book without reading it, then I have to question Obama's judgement. Why would you give your name and position as an endorsement for someone you don't know? As a politician, all you have is your name and your position as a recommendation for people to vote for you. So that name and position must be protected from those who could later use it against you. It also scares me that Obama could later be signing documents upon the recommendation of others without reading. Sorry, but I'd like the President of the United States to read stuff before he signs it. I know that's asking a lot, but there you have it. If he's reading without signing, we could very well end up owned by Russia. That brings me to the second point. If Obama read the book before he endorsed it, then he certainly can't be telling the truth when he says that he hasn't got a clue that Ayers was a leader in the Weathermen and now openly admits to bombing his own country. And Obama endorsed it anyway.

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Now, let's discuss Biden and his remarks last weekend. Don't try to disclaim them because I heard the sound bites. In the week prior, both candidates were briefed by the National Security Council on what's happening internationally. This makes sense. One of them is going to be President and they should be aware of what's happening in the world. They should be part of the "in crowd" as to what they could be facing when they take office. Then Biden goes off to Seattle and San Francisco and he says that if this administration takes office, mark his words, there will be an international crisis within six months. And they will need the support of the communities that support them to keep everyone calm because the decision that administration makes will not immediately be seen as the correct response.

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Yeah, I'm paraphrasing because I don't have the sound bite right here on my computer. But he clearly said "this administration", not the new administration. Before anyone else analyzed his statement, I heard that he was referring to Obama particularly. Not that the international community would test any new administration, but that they would feel the need to test Obama. Because Biden did go on to say that they would learn he has a spine of steel. Not for nothing, but we already know that McCain does. Taking on McCain would have been like taking on Ronald Reagan. And, let's face it, as soon as Reagan won the election, Iran released the hostages. They'd been held in captivity for almost three years, but the terrorists knew that Reagan wasn't going to let the situation slide. Reagan would have bombed them, if necessary, in order to stop their nonsense. Jimmy Carter was still trying that "negotiation" thing. Hmm... sound like two new candidates running for office? Sorry, but I see Obama as dead set against force of any kind and trying to negotiate his way out of an international situation.

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Especially when you read the last of Biden's statement. That we, as the American public, wouldn't understand or necessarily agree with his resolution to this international crisis. Biden did go on to say that he could easily give 4 or 5 scenarios...

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Yikes! Sorry, but Biden sounded to me like someone who's been told a great, big juicy little secret and can't keep it to himself. He knows something that he's dying to reveal to the rest of us, but his position demands silence. Why? Because Obama spent the next two days trying to smooth it over with platitudes and generalities. He never denied or negated what Biden said. He simply stated that of course it was possible the international community is always trying to test any new candidate.

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Sorry, Barry, but that's not what Biden said. Nor is it true, either. Why did we have the longest run of peace and prosperity under Reagan? Because the international community knew he wouldn't take any nonsense from them. He wasn't a President who offered the other cheek if slapped. He would have slapped back and then followed it with a punch.

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Let's move on. Let's discuss how Obama has been adament that his comment to poor "Joe the Plumber" is exactly what he meant for his economic package. He hasn't said that his comment was misconstrued. He hasn't said that it was taken out of context. He's maintained that "spread the wealth" is exactly what he meant to say. The fact that the people who own the businesses are already paying 40% of the taxes in this country is meaningless to him. (Check the facts. The top 10% pay 40% of the taxes in this country. The bottom 40% of taxpayers pay nothing.) Obama wants to increase the taxes for the top 40% and give rebate checks to those in the bottom 40%. So the people at the top should, in effect, just send a welfare check to those at the bottom.

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Sorry, but the people at the bottom aren't going to take those checks and create new jobs. But the side effect of this economic principle means that the people at the top will not only no longer create jobs, but they'll have to cut jobs in order to send those rebate checks. So unemployment is going to raise even more. This is Obama's way of stimulating our economy? I don't see how that can be done. It will financially strap the very people who hire. They can't hire anymore. Jobs go out the window. So now, instead of creating jobs, people will have to subside on that $5000 check they get back.

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Call me crazy, but I'd rather see tax breaks in business to create new jobs worth $20,000 rather than instituting new taxes to offer a $5,000 rebate. I may be nuts, but I think it's easier to pay rent and utilities with $20,000 than $5,000. I must be weird.

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One last thing because I simply can't ignore this one. They've run out of ammo against Sarah Palin. They're now discussing her wardrobe. $150,000 for a new wardrobe so she can look the part of a VP candidate. Think back, people. Do you honestly think the Democratic Party turned Hillary around for a mere $150,000? I'd love to see the figures on that one. And do you know why I think they needed to spend the $150,000? Because I betcha that Sarah's wardrobe consisted of parkas and LL Bean. Sure, she was a governor. But I'll bet my remaining salary that Sarah didn't have a designer wardrobe to begin with. So they spent some money to boost her wardrobe. I'd love to know how much Obama's suits cost. He and Michelle were ordering caviar and lobster before the final debate. I can guarantee he wouldn't be caught dead in a $200 suit. How much you want to bet his suits costs $3K each?

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Little tidbit. Hillary brought 3 pantsuits to the convention so she'd have a choice when she gave her speech. They checked the 3 against the background so she'd look "just right" when she spoke on TV. 3 pantsuits = $18,000. For one speech. And the Dems are complaining about an entire wardrobe and makeover for $150,000? And all those clothes will be given to charity once the dust settles. How much do you want to bet that Hillary's pantsuits are still in her wardrobe? And I don't hear of Michelle donating her wardrobe to charity. Or eating a burger from the hotel menu.

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Obama says let's stick to the issues and stop with the character attacks. Yet it's his people who did a background check on "Joe the Plumber" and came up with the bill for Sarah's wardrobe. Sorry, but his reaction to "Joe the Plumber" has been reprehensible and this man wants to be president. An average middle-class guy goes to a rally and asks an innocent question and Obama turns him into a punchline. Obama's people did a full background check on "Joe". Can you believe that one? Poor guy asks a question and now he's being ripped apart by Obama and Biden. He's the punchline with jokes like "Do you know of any plumber who makes $250,000?" Maybe not, but that wasn't the question. Joe asked about the economic policy if he manages to buy the business he works for. And, yes, hundreds of thousands of small businesses (the very people -- the sole proprietorships -- that you want to increase taxes on) make $250,000 per year. I ought to know because I work for one. But that's okay. According to Obama, Joe doesn't get to enjoy the fruits of his labor. He's worked 20 years so he can be in a position to purchase this company. Now he doesn't get to enjoy it. He has to take all that extra money he's earned and give it to the very people he employs so they can buy him out. So, in essence, the very people he employs will make more money at the end of the year than he does.

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It destroys the very fabric of free enterprise and incentive. Why make more? You'll only pay more, so don't bother. I mean, $1 trillion needs to be financed by someone. I don't want to finance it. So don't bother working for more.

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'Nuff said. Aiden says he's got a handful of readers. I think he actually has more readers than I do. So no one is listening. Why do I bother? According to the polls, I'm talking to the wind anyway. Regardless of what I read in the paper on Friday. The pollsters explained how they skew the numbers to report what they want to report. And, yes, the media is definitely on the Obama bandwagon. So I'm the one who's banging my head against the wall. Why should I argue and fight when everyone says that I'm fighting a losing battle.

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Probably because I hope people come to their senses and read between the lines of rhetoric. I pray that you all vote your conscience. And I hope and pray that I'm not singing the song of "I told you so" a year from now...

Entries, Gliders and more Politics

Let's start with the fun stuff. Durham Fair was last weekend. I won ribbons on all my entries. Fiber Entries: I took first place with my socks. The yarn was a bit uneven in tension, but it was really fine handspun and I think that's why I won. Most of the other handspun was worsted weight or bulkier. I tend to spin more of a fingering or maybe DK/sport. My handspun skein of Buffalo Soldier took third place. The judge commented that there were too many "weights". I think she meant that it wasn't consistent enough. Considering I've only been spinning on a consistent basis for about 4 months, I'm ecstatic. No, I'm not even in my tension or even in my thickness, but that will come with time.

I did spend the weekend spinning for demonstration. I'll write more about that next week (as time is limited today) but that was a LOT of fun and I met a LOT of people. I also tried to spin a bit thicker since this yarn will be used for a Christmas moebius. I don't need fine fingering for that. (Not if I want to get all the fiber spun and the yarn knitted up before the holidays... Yikes! /g/)

At the Fair, they had a display of Sugar Gliders (http://www.sugargliderinfo.org). My daughters and I fell in love, so we brought two babies home. Their names are Pancake and Waffle. Pancake is adapting to her new home quite well. Waffle is more of a challenge, but considering she's just more fearful gives us more incentive to work with her on a regular basis. We've only had them for a week, but I think they're doing okay. Pancake has crawled into my daughter's hand twice now. Waffle isn't ready for that, but I think she'll be just fine. She's just more hesitant and will take longer. A tougher nut to crack, but I've been known to crack nuts in my time... LOL!

Of course, this puts me behind. Every spare moment, I'm trying to spend with the gliders. I know they recognize my voice because they peek out in the morning when I go in to remove the extras from the cage. And they're quite calm when I do so, but we're not at the point of picking up and holding in my bare hand. I tried that with Waffle and it was a disaster for the poor thing. She freaked and nipped the heck out of me. I tried to calm her down, but she was having none of it. So we slowed down to a crawl and I'm slowly getting her used to me. She'll come out in the morning, but she's not ready to explore. She sits in her corner, quietly as long as I don't try to approach her with my hand. So I use that for now.

Today, she's been in her bonding pouch for the last four hours tucked inside my bathrobe. I do have a bunch of stuff to do, but that's okay. Shelby has agreed to take her once she's done with her shower. At that time, I can get the laundry started and get some cleaning done. (My furballs have rolled into the size of goats, so some vacuuming is sorely needed.) We also need a few things at the store. I'm going to try and take the baby with me. Tuck her inside my shirt and just come along for the ride.

Lastly, have you been paying attention? I see so many blogs out there for people who are supporting Obama. At least of the people who's blogs I normally like to read. No one seems to be openly vocal for McCain and Palin except for me. I know I promised not to talk politics, but someone has to do it, don't they? /g/

Because the debates don't start until 9PM and I'm normally crashing for the night by about 9:30, I do tend to pick them up late. I got the Presidential debate on my iPod by downloading from Cooper Anderson. I was able to tape the Vice Presidential debate and watched it Friday night (with both babies in a pouch around my neck, please note ). I think the thing that disturbs me the most is Rush Limbaugh was the only one who caught the quick comment by Biden that I caught. When talking about the economic mess, he said that the Federal Manager (whoever that will be and PLEASE tell me that it won't be Chris Dodd) not only has the ability to adjust the mortgage interest rate on those purchased mortgages (less money back into the taxpayer pocket), but they will also have the ability to adjust the principal loan amount. A very quick mention. But this was also reiterated by Sean Hannity Friday afternoon (when I get his talk radio show) and that fact was built into the bill that Congress passed. So... in essence, those people who bought houses they couldn't possibly afford will now not only have a lower payment because their interest rate can be adjusted, but their principal can also be lowered?!?

I'm skeptical and downright disheartened by this whole mess. If those mortgage holders now get to pay back less than what they borrowed (losing interest as well as principal), that means that I'm the one who'll now be paying their loan. So it's not bad enough that I'm struggling to pay my own mortgage, but I'm now going to lose that "investment package" by paying their loan for them.

Funny, but I don't see Congress running to help me pay MY mortgage. Almost makes me want to stop paying mine and see if they'll grandfather me into their package... /g/

Not that I would do that. After all, I'm one of those few people who did what Sarah Palin told us we have to start doing. I haven't borrowed more than I can afford. Yes, I have credit card bills, but I'm paying them. I've refinanced my mortgage to my advantage, but I'm paying it. I'm not standing around with my hand out to Congress. I'm doing whatever it is I have to do to pay for those things I need and want. And, I'm sorry, America, but we're a bunch of spoiled brats. We want what we want and when we want it and to hell with being able to afford it. And, now that we've overextended ourselves and put this economic strain on our economy, we're crying in our beer and waiting for the gov't to bail us out.

Not for nothing, but the Dems are trying to lay this blame at Bush's feet. Oh, the White House forced the de-regulation and put us in this mess. Sorry, folks, it was our Dem-lead Congress that passed the de-regulations, not the White House. This mess began back with the Clinton Administration. A Dem in office. And it was pursued and escalated in the past two years once the Dems took control of Congress. You might want to point the finger at the Rep president, but he can only do so much when he's got a Dem Congress with their collective feet firmly planted in the ground. And the bottom line is, regardless of regulations or de-regulations, we did this to ourselves. The banks didn't have to sign the papers. People who didn't read the contracts they signed overextended themselves to the point of bankruptcy. It's the fault of everyone who signed those contracts.

And the bottom line is that NONE of that matters. We're in the mess. Who's to blame for it isn't worth the time I'm taking to point it out.

It's about time we stop pointing fingers and try to FIX the problem. If you're going to lower the interest rates for them, then you'd better lower the interest rates for me. Free up some of my hard-earned money so I can put it back into stablizing the economy. If you're going to cut their principal, then cut mine. I'm paying my mortgage. Lower my principal and I can refinance back to what I've got and take that money back into the economy with jobs. I still have a few improvements I need to make on my rickety house. Free up my money so I can hire a contractor to finish what needs finishing. That's spreading the wealth and I'll be happy to do it.

Unfortunately, what's going to happen if the Dems get the votes next month is they'll raise taxes to pay for this mess they created and my money will be tighter than a piano wire. It's going to stifle me by strapping every last dollar I've got and I won't have anything to keep the economy running.

Sorry, but I think we ought to take this "rescue package" and see it for what it is. It's a loss leader. It's money we'll never get back unless we take that same principle and apply it to the people who actually ARE paying their bills.

And the only ticket that can apply that logic is McCain and Palin.

C'mon. I know you want to respond. With 30 days left before we enter the polls and let our voices be heard, it's time for some honest and soul-baring debate. Since no one else is taking on the Dems, I'll be more than happy to be the guinea pig. I have one of those adorable little creatures, so I have some experience. I'm open to debate. I dare ya... LOL!