My Demands

This is a bit outdated, as it was written prior to the election - but is still stands as what we should all want from the new "administration":

Column - Norma White: You want change? Try these ideas
From: http://www.amarillo.com/stories/102108/opi_opin3.shtml

Opinion
Column
Publication Date: 10/21/08

Each presidential candidate is giving his rendition of the changes he wants for America.

Here are a few that I believe all Americans want.

Limit Congress from serving more than two terms. That is all that presidents are allowed. Stop Congress from voting for their own raises. How did that ever get started? Stop paying for lawmakers' high-priced insurance premiums. After all, they are only part-time employees. They might pass some law changes on the insurance companies, if they had to find one. Stop paying lawmakers their full salary after serving just one term, or at retirement. We need to get rid of that pension plan; they've let other companies get rid of theirs. You were lucky to get 40 to 50 percent of your salary after working somewhere for 35 years, but they get 100 percent. Make Congress pay into the Social Security system. They make laws for it. If they spent some of their own money, they might be interested in making it solvent. Stop handing out aid to illegal aliens. If we did, then Medicaid and the food stamp program would have enough money to aid the aged and the poor. Secure our borders. Stop allowing babies born to illegal aliens in the United States automatic U.S. citizenship. Stop the abuse of our benevolent welfare system. We feed children free meals three times a day until they are 17. Churches give away good, clean clothes. Companies buy and donate school supplies. Emergency rooms provide health care at taxpayer expense and the food stamp program is buying food at home. What are parents doing for their children? Have a computer program that cross checks Social Security numbers with fingerprints to stop fraud on many fronts. Use it on voter registration, too. Stop bailing out mortgage companies and banks that give loans to people who cannot afford them. Stop companies from paying CEOs and other executives outrageous salaries and bonuses while doing away with workers' pensions. Stop all unnecessary spending so we will have the money for our nation's security, and to help needy and elderly Americans. Stop permitting anyone to have a photo with their face covered on driver's licenses. Whoever wins the presidency will not be able to make these changes. Only members of Congress can do this, as they are the lawmakers. You know, the Democratic Congress that got us to where we are right now - Pelosi & Co. The same Democratci Congress that the exit polls showed that all of the Obama voters didn't know was a Democratic Congress, since almost unanimously they said the Republicans control Congress. I don't believe Congress is interested in changing anything, do you? Norma White of Amarillo is a retired network engineer for Southwestern Bell

A Black Day in History

I have to say that I am almost paralyzed with fear, thinking about some of the things that could occur as a result of today's Inauguration. I cannot believe that this country, even the world, is deluded enough to think today will improve anyone's circumstances. Do you hear that??? That is the sound of your freedoms being taken away from you while you watch American Idol.

And just so you know, this has nothing to do with the color of anyone's skin; if that really is the issue, which looking at the exit poll interviews, I really think it is, then how about Colin Powell or Condoleeza Rice? I'd vote for either of them right now. How the Republicans came up with John McCain as the only viable option is almost as mysterious as how the Dumbacrats came up with Obama (we know how they came up with Hilary - it's not like she gave them any choice). I agree, George W, hasn't exactly been the best, or what we needed - but dammit people, two wrongs don't make a right.

I hope you people are happy. I have to go now - I need to go pull all of my money out of what's left of my 401K and get it buried in the backyard, after I use some of it to go buy a few guns before I'm not allowed to anymore, and then I might consider quitting my job, because I sure as hell don't feel like supporting one more person in this country with my hard work, while you all sit on your asses waiting for your government checks to roll in. I hope we all live to see 2012. Unless the Mayans were right, in which case none of this matters...

A Bit of This, A Bit of That - An Update

Like most of the updates you've been reading the last couple of weeks, the cold is here, too. Not nearly as bad as up north, but still, a bit unusual for here, without an accompanying ice storm. though there is the threat of sleet & snow here tonight, which will have GA shut down until late tomorrow afternoon, I am sure. The picture is my frozen pond - this is the first that I remember it freezing solidly - often a frozen rim, but never completely iced over, enough to catch half-submerged leaves! Though, to be fair, I don't really go out and look to see how frozen it is - my feet are usually indication enough :) the only reason I saw it this time was because Lucy drug me over there, via the back yard where the squirrels were, seconds before she came crashing through.... Speaking of...
Here she is, trying to squeeze into the last little spot of sun on the steps - and a very disgusted look because I had the nerve to close the door, cutting off that brief glimpse of even more sunlight :) Just FYI - Lucy gets wrapped up in blankets on the couch same as us - I've never seen a dog shiver so much. DH wants to get her a sweater. Ummm, no.

On to the stitching. This week's main piece was Knotgarden. I, as usual, did not get as much time as I had planned in on it - between the weather and the barometer doing a roller coaster thing, and just life in general, a couple of nights I just didn't have the brain power for it, and other nights, I just kinda stared blankly at the TV - 24 started Sunday and continued Monday, so I knew it was pointless to even get it out Monday night. But I did get some in on the huge green part of the bottom right corner. As I was doing the egg section, I could swear those weren't the colors I had used in the first one; the symbols looked right, but the actual colors looked completely different. The first one was under the clamp, so I couldn't see it. Anyway, when I took it out last night to get my pic, I was reassured to see that it does indeed match the first one :) Here's what I did accomplish:
http://rifestitch.multiply.com/photos/album/40/Knotgarden_by_Chatelaine_Martina_Weber#12

On Monday, when 24 was on, I decided to work on an ornament, which I then finished up on Tuesday before dinner and Knotgarden. I flipped through my store of Dragon Dreams, and came up with the first two I wanted to do, and the first finish of 2009 is this one:
http://rifestitch.multiply.com/photos/album/68/2009_Ornament_Challenge#2
Then, Friday night, I got tired of muddling through green on Knotgarden, put it down, and picked up ornie #2, which was to this point as of last night (and should be finished tonight):
http://rifestitch.multiply.com/photos/album/68/2009_Ornament_Challenge#1

I also did a bit more work on Shawn's RR - I am no longer in stealth biplane mode, the Airplane section is complete!!
http://rifestitch.multiply.com/photos/album/59/2009_RR#4
Now, where to go next? Maybe the green leafy border below? Some more frame fill-in? I guess it depends on whether Shawn has another piece to send out to those near the end of the list, in case this one gets finished up way before then :) Anita has already told me she wants to keep going on mine, so I have another one picked out to finish kitting up - need beads & Kreinik, of course - so there'll be more for the RRers:
http://rifestitch.multiply.com/photos/album/6/Stash_Acquisitions_#21
I'll put it on the fabric left over from Lavender Path - this has some whitework around it, and the framed model is on grey, but I think it looks kinda dirty; the bellpull model is on white, and I like that.

And last, but not least, Saturday, I again got tired of thinking about Knotgarden, so Little Kid put Time Bandits into the DVD player, and I got out Kaleidoscope for another block :) I am now 1/4 done (minus the very outside border). Watching those two Starry Nights WIPs has made me want to work on Kaleidoscope and/or start that sea-colored Autumn Mosaic - I refuse to start another project, so Kaleidoscope it was :)
http://rifestitch.multiply.com/photos/album/48/Non-Cross_Stitch_Stitching#18

I worked on BoInk, but nothing photo-worthy; more green - the last knot is almost filled in - and I got the entire gold border of the current (and last gold-bordered section) done during a non-participatory conference call :) As this week is Foursome Reel week, or Sampler Week, I will probably spend a couple of nights on BoInk, too. And Sampler 4 Saisons & ABC Vert & Mauve have both been whimpering from their bags, as has World Tree & Noah's Sub. So who knows what I will have worked on by this time next week??? At any rate, I hope everyone has a great week, and know that Spring WILL come - the daffodils tell me so: