Saturday, November 1, 2008

Hugs & Small Towns

Sara, please give Carl a hug from me. It might be a good thing that he has a fever for it indicates the problem is an infection rather that a malignancy. Either way, it's certainly worth pursuing.

Rosey, I was just thinking of you as I logged on. I too, having been a child of suburbs of huge cities, NYC, Detroit, Baltimore and finally St. Pete (going from huge to less huge to almost small) love living here in the boondocks. Al's background was similar to mine but started near Detroit. We both knew instinctively that this is what we were cut out for. Today I went to a so-so pottery festival in nearby Dillsboro, an artsy little town right next to Sylva. Then I went to the county community services building where there was a fund raiser for a neighbor who lives down the road from me. He's 33 and dying of cancer. Like so many around here he in uninsured. He was self employed, a large equipment operator for construction contractors who are in the same position. He is part of a huge clan descended from mid 19th C. settlers of this area and old fashioned family values persist. I had had him confused with his brother who is a family man but found out tonight as I hugged the young lady I thought was his wife and she straightened me out. The sick fellow is not married so he will leave no orphans. There must have been over two hundred people there, many with small children in tow. There was a $6 barbecue dinner, a cake walk which if you don't know as I didn't til I moved here, is similar to musical chairs only with live music, the ubiquitous string band. Numbers have been written on tape which is stuck on the floor around the perimeter of the large gym sized room. Folks march around the room and when the music stops each person steps on the nearest unoccupied number. The mistress of ceremonies calls out a number and if anyone is on that number he wins a cake that's been donated for that purpose.

Next came the cake auction! I came home with a $70.00 pound cake! That's not all. The man sitting next to me bid a cake up to $85, paid for it and handed it back to be auctioned again. He didn't notice when it came up again and inadvertently bought it again. He cheerfully paid a total of almost $200 for that cake. There was a lot of laughter and hugs and I never, for one second, felt like an outsider. I was tired and gimpy later in the evening and young people jumped up to help me, take my dinner trash away etc. It's like a huge family. There was also a silent auction and I now have a lovely matted and framed print made by my favorite water color painter. She does all the framing I need and I got a bargain at $75 compared to her work I see in a local gallery. I also got a relatively cheap bedside lamp I can make good use of. Eventually I escaped with three dollars in my wallet. Despite recent losses in my portfolio I know perfectly well that I'm better off than the vast majority of those folks and I've never seen such an outpouring of love. It makes me teary just thinking about it. Every week the local paper announces several such fund raisers usually hosted by one of the many little Baptist or Methodist churches. All the doctors around here carry a fair proportion of their case load so they do their part too.

The only downside is that I now have a large bundt sized pound cake which is like an alcoholic bringing home a gallon of booze. Tomorrow I may just distribute parts to folks in my immediate area. I nibbled on it on the way home so it looked as though mice had been at it. When I got home I thawed some frozen berries and put them on a respectable slice along with some fat free, sugar free vanilla yogurt. Mmm good. Maybe I should slice off the ragged parts and deliver it to the patient. His sister in law told me that he's near coma so no doubt beyond cake. His mom is taking care of him and the sister in law and brother live on the same property with three children, several horses, goats and a donkey. There are uncles and aunts all around. No matter how little money one has, one is never really poor when they have that.

Well, I've made myself feel teary so I'll stop here.

By the way, Marion. People who sail like that are adrenalin junkies just like mountain climbers, auto race drivers, surgeons and war correspondents. I think it's built in. I have a friend who did "black work" to wit, under cover cloak and dagger work for years in exotic places and it is obvious that he misses the danger now that he's past 70. I know that because he talks about it at least vaguely when he knows perfectly well he'd be prosecuted for such conversation but I understand to a certain degree. He takes anti-anxiety drugs, anti-depressant, sleeping aids all because, as his doctor says, people who live on the edge for years are in such a stage of constant stress and alertness that their adrenal glands are in constant commotion which won't go away just because they retired. Nobody drafted him; he obviously loved living that way. He's told me that one can take a pill that darkens one's complexion so that if you dress in a burnoose and the rest of the near eastern garb one can "pass" as long as you keep your mouth shut. I'm pretty tough intellectually but I hate pain and fear. I've joked that if I were in possession of some government secret and somebody who just looked mean started to question me I'd say "Take my first born, I'll give you anything, just don't hurt me!"

Jane the coward

this & that, Football

Some good news. I went to the beach to run with our group this morning. The 2nd mile out we were timed, I did 1 min in 13:22. Not bad for someone who turned 60 last Sunday. I used to think 40 was old.
My annual banquet for the crisis pg. center was Thursday night. There were about 700 people there, one of the speakers was Pam Tebow, the mom of the boy now playing quarterback at the Florida vs. Georgia game.
She was in the Phillipines 20 some years ago when she found out she was pg. and was advised to abort, due to the health risk for her. She would have aborted a Heisman trophy winner.
Don't now how much $$ wa raised, but the turnout was good. They plan to start raising $$ for a 4th center, this one in another county west of here.

Bad news-DH is very sick. He was home with a fevor and swollen glands in the neck all week. Took a round of strong anti-biotics last week, and is not better. I'm thinking maybe Mono or some other virus. Will go back to the family Dr. on Monday.
Back to the football games.
Sara in Fla.

The Nice Thing About A Small Town is....

The post office knows where you are even if people just put R.R.5 on the envelope instead of these extremely long and cumbersome emergency numbers they are insisting we add to our mailing addresses (which we now have to do). The nice thing about a small town is when I phone our bank to inquire about an account, the receptionist recognizes my voice and calls me by name before I announce who it is calling. The nice thing about a small town is that my biggest traffic jam often comes when a flock of turkeys walk in front of the car or in sprintime when the turtles all come out of the swampy areas beside the road and commit hari-kari on the roads at night. The not so nice thing about this small town is that it's just an hour north of a major cosmopolitain city where people are shooting pedestrians who get in the way of people who they are really meaning to shoot. The traffic congestion in the city is slowly reaching its tentacles north and westward and while it may be a boone when it's time to sell this house, given the fact that the bottom has fallen out of the stock and real estate market at the moment, hopefully, we will gain in having ten acres where people have privacy if they wish. I'd say the city is 1/3rd of the way up to us now. May I live long enough to see it knocking on my doorstep for that will be a nice increase in my investment here. Life doesn't work that way unless one's lucky with the timing of it.

I expected warmer weather this week-end. Someone fooled me. I'm in summer clothes. I will be chilly.

RoseyP

Friday, October 31, 2008

incase you are wondering...(please scroll on by if you're not..!)

More news from the Volvo.......

" we had a massive crash into an unknown object at 1.30am. last night. The boat went from 25knots to nearly stationary causing all on deck to crash to the ground. Neal (nephew) was steering and broke the steering wheel as he fell forward. A rapid donning of survival suits and life jackets followed and the checking of the boat ensued..."

Evidently they were prepared to make the Mayday call but after checking the boat decided that, despite the "huge vibration and speed loss" it was safe to continue. I'm wondering what they hit , it must have been something very large to stop a 14tonne boat. This is the first leg of the round the world race. You'll all be hoping that I soon settle down and keep the drama to myself !!

Another sunny day here . Strong winds though, which are stripping the trees of their blossom. The wisteria and honeysuckle near to the house are at their best.

Off to visit some very old friends this afternoon, they live near the sea, so that will be a nice drive. They are in their mid-eighties and I have known them since I first arrived in NZ some 46yrs ago.. He served in Israel in the '40's and is keen to hear all about our trip there, earlier this year.

Enjoy the w/end.

Marion.

On the water

DH and I are enthusiastic whitewater rafters, but I'm with those who want to have the shoreline within easy reach. We have done week long trips on some of the finest whitewater in Idaho, but I like being able to sit on a chair on the beach at night with my drink in hand.

Things are coasting into fall here. Looks like the slow arrival will be speeding up starting today, though. A storm is forecast to hit tomorrow. Time to get out and mulch all those leaves to put into the garden.

Kathi

I'm with you, Marion!

I've read many accounts of people who sail around the world or across an ocean; I can't imagine trying to race! It takes a special kind of person, I think. I love the canoe on a calm summer's day - anything more adventurous is not for me.
We are heading into winter here, with frosty mornings and dustings of snow from time to time. This weekend is unexpectedly mild, so DH and I are off to camp as soon as I finish work at noon. If it gets cold again, we'll just sit by the woodstove.
Brenda in Nn Ontario

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Sailing...

Why would they do it ??

This is from the team blog on board the Volvo boat, on it's way to Sth Africa yesterday ...

"This is insane...35knots of wind, pitch black.1500miles from land and we are desperateely trying to squeeze more speed from a boat that feels and sounds like its going to self destruct any second..." This mornings blog tells of a "terrifying night and a few injuries" My nephew certainly doesn't get his love of adventure on the high seas from me. I am not happy out of the sight of land and couldn't imagine anything worse than participating in this race..

Sunny and warm this morning and DH is feeling a lot better so it's going to be a good day.

Marion.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Thanks Joleen

Thanks for identifing everyone for us.
I did some guessing & was pretty close!
My Blogger is still in Chinese :(
Fortunately when I sign it it goes to English on the next page.
I'll go to there help site one of these days & figure it out.
Jill

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

I'm beginning to get the picture!!!....

Thank you ladies ! Nice to hear about the retreat and especially nice to see a photo of you all ! Good to see Celia P. She used to post regularly , she has a good way with words and could turn everyday events into very amusing anecdotes..... Come Back Celia..!!

Well done to your DH Grace. These men can turn on the charm sometimes can't they ? I'm always ready to be surprised ! I can imagine your reaction to being told to quieten down !! I'm sure that would have set off another round of giggles.. Wonder where the next retreat will be ? Why don't you all come down to NZ ? It's worth a visit !

Took DH to the Dr this morning so we now have some medication and I hope to see an improvement in the next day or so. He's had a miserable few days and , like most men, doesn't suffer quietly.... however, it's disconcerting when the partner is unwell and it will be good to see him back on form.

Better go and find something to tempt him with for dinner..
Marion.

Another retreater checking in---

Marie - Where is your travel log? Marie has such a wonderful way of describing every detail - hopefully she is still working on her version of the retreat! As Kathi and Brenda have already said, lots of laughter IS Grace's Retreat. This wasn't a "sewing" retreat it was a wonderful gathering of friends - old and new. Grace, who reserved a suite, had lots of munchies and homemade wine at the hotel when we all arrived. It was great to have a place to gather to share pictures and show and tell as well as to visit and laugh. As Grace stated, we only got one call from "Strawberry Guy" at the front desk asking (telling?) us to quiet down. Who would guess you could get in trouble for laughing too loudly! The picture Kathi posted includes front row: Jean, Celia P., Jane, Kathi, Celia B., back row: Joleen, Dianne (Grace's good friend), Kathleen - another of Grace's friends and just a delight!, Marie, Brenda, Karen (Brenda's sister) and Nellie. If it is at all possible to attend a gathering of people from the Board, please consider doing so. You won't regret it. Joleen in MN

More retreat laughter

One thing I forgot to mention was that on one of the nights when we were giggling in Grace's hospitality suite, we got to laughing so loud that the management had to call the room and tell us not to be so "rowdy"!

Grace, please let Diane know that we are all there for her.

Kathi

Retreat

""I'm beginning to wonder what the conspiracy of silence is all about !""

I love that phrase Marion. ROFLOL. Conspiracy, How shall I tell you??? LOL.
The retreat from my side was fantastic and I will, with all my effort ,to never miss another one. A lot of time I still chuckle at something that I remember and I have even laughed out loud to the consternation of my DH . I was never easy to figure out but lately I am worse.
It was hectic putting all of it together but soooooo much fun. The distances are greater here and trying to fit in as much as possible had me driving to check time tables.
I noticed some of the girls have posted some info all ready and did they mention how hard we laughed. and hoooooowwww much.
CeliaP had nothing to do with that, right ladies. She really was an angel. (lol)
I am still amazed at my DH. You know how when you talk to men , most of the time you hear, mmm, ya. ok, while all the time they may be reading something. Well that was how it was all the time I was working on the retreat time tables. The Sat afternoon when we were coming to Golden Lake I tried very hard to impress on him. I had hoped we could have been down by the lake but as it turned out it was rainy and cool, so we had to go to the house. Well he had everything just so and I was so proud of him, I was speechless.( and that is saying something) He played the perfect host and welcomed all the ladies. It was great, as was the meal we had at the restaurant after.
The" Deaconnaires" ( that is the group I sing with)sang after supper and then we had the trunk show with Catherine Timm. She is absolutely fantastic. She is a real artist with a sewing machine and thread. On the Friday night we had supper in a restaurant in Pembroke and the chef is a friend and he made much about the ladies also. When we left he asked when his quilt is coming , so the girls decided we would make him one. All the blocks have arrived here now so we will be starting to put it together in the next couple of weeks. Once done I will see if I can post a picture. I may not be able to here, because we still only have dial up and it takes forever, but we will figure out something. It will be neat.
Right now it is also very hard as my right hand person in the form of my BF, is having a real hard time. Her DH has just been diagnosed with terminal liver cancer and he has been giving just a few months. We are praying the oncologist will tell them different, but it does not look hopeful. So a lot of time is being spent with her . For the girls who have met Dianne please remember her in your prayers and thoughts. She is having a really hard time.
Okay I better go now, still have some stuff to do.
I'll be back once I figure out another conspiracy. LOL ROFLOL. Oh what fun.
Grace,who says Hi Marion.

Retreat


I posted photos on Jill's site, since they were easier to download there. Here is a picture of the entire group that was taken outside of our hotel.


Perhaps the reason that we haven't posted much about the retreat is that we are still wiping the tears of laughter from our eyes. I don't think I've laughed that much in years and years.


We did some damage at quilt shops, too, and ate many fine meals. Show and tell was somewhat limited by airline luggage restrictions, but the gals who drove in made up for it. We visited at Grace's home and sampled some of her wine, thanks to a great effort from her DH and a good friend who had a lovely table set up for us when we arrived.
All in all, the retreat was much too short, but the laughter lingers on.
Kathi

Ahhh, the retreat

What I remember most about the retreat is laughing (and of course, eating). We had show and tell, mostly with pictures due to luggage restrictions. Grace took us to visit a little quilt shop that was full of amazing and interesting things and to a small quilt show in a library. The quilts were great, although we were a little taken aback to see a 1979 quilt labelled "vintage".........wasn't 1979 just yesterday?? After dinner and a musical performance on Saturday night, we had a trunk show put on by an incredible woman who produces a wide variety of quilts, hangings and other examples of fabric art. She had machine quilted many of the quilts we saw at the library, but her machine quilting is only one small part of her huge talent. She even had Celia P. in awed silence; for anyone who knows our Celia, you know that is not a small feat! :-) Most of our time was spent visiting and getting to know each other better. And laughing; did I mention laughing? The goody bags were great. Lots of luscious fat quarters, chocolate, and interesting little gadgets. Marie's fold-up sun hats were fun and the source of much merriement for some. I'm missing lots of things here, I know. Maybe some of the others can fill in some more details. I missed the people I had met in Michigan who weren't able to attend, but I was so happy to meet a few more BBers, as well as some of Grace's quilting friends. My sister also came; I think she is on the verge of getting hooked on quilting.
In Michigan, I was impressed with the great job Mayme and Pat had done to provide us with a chance to visit; Grace was also an impressive hostess. Quilters are good people, aren't they?
Brenda in Nn Ontario

ug....our computer is so SLOW...

By the time the form for posting appears, I've quite forgotten what I was going to say !

Bee.. nice to see you posting so regularly. I was beginning to think that I was the only DUG still around !

Laura, sorry to hear about your Dad. Seems that your health service is similar to ours..

I'd like to hear more about the retreat too. I'm beginning to wonder what the conspiracy of silence is all about !

I think NZ is more of a " cream soup" country than "spicy minestrone" too, Rosey Our politicians would just love the adulation that the Americans shower upon their contenders... it would make a nice change for them after holding meetings in church halls where they are often just "preaching to the converted". Our elections are due to be held on Nov 8th . We've had a Labour Government for the last nine years but it looks as if we may get a change this time around.

DH. has been sick with a tummy bug for the last 48hrs...he has felt very sorry for himself but tells me tonight that he is feeling better, so that was good news (!)

DD#1 is back in Scotland enjoying the half term holidays with her children there. How long she can keep up this travelling between HK. and Scotland I do not know. She must wonder where she is some mornings when she wakes up!

I've recently booked airline tickets on the Internet.. It took me two hours., during that time the tickets went up in price by $50 each... I think I'll go to an agent next time and let them deal with the stress.

Time for bed.
Marion.

Monday, October 27, 2008

As a Child

My mother always taught me never to discuss religion or politics at the dinner table. She didn't say anything about not posting to the Chat Board. Regardless of your political leanings, I think that it is wonderful to see so much passion in the United States in regard to politics. In Canada, I think that we may be more a nation of cream soup than spicy minestrone. The passion that ran through people's veins and led to the United States breaking away from the British Empire, is still there. And, I would agree with Jill, whether you are able to remove yourself from your political leanings, Josh Brolin gives an incredible performance in "W" as George Bush. HIS father must be proud of him.

Rosey, in Canada

opps....


I hit the wrong key!

What I wanted to say was that I think that Josh Brolin is so HOT!

That's my political opinion :)


I have been spending toooo much time trying to get google out of Chinese.

This of course included "Blogger". So weird, but I went ahead & posted after I

dumbed temp files, cookies etc, it came back to English.

I'm sure somewhere along the line I hit the wrong key (sort of like when I tired to post)


I wanted to share this picture of my wild kitty Syler, not sure what he thinks of this big pumpkin & cat!

We have had a run of beautiful fall weather, sunny, breezy (hopefully blowing all my leaves away, hee hee...)

So sorry about your Dad Laura, this getting old is for the birds! Jill

Is this about politics?o

This is not about politics

I'd love to hear more details about the retreat.
What was in the goodie bags? What did you learn about together, if anything?

My dad fell two weeks ago today, and managed to break his shoulder and his knee. Both are hairline fractures. He fell on Monday, and went to the emergency room, where they x-rayed his shoulder and his knees. They found the fracture in the shoulder, but said that his knees were just scraped and bruised. His knees were bothering him so much that he went out and bought a lift chair to replace his easy chair and slept in the chair for the next several days. My brother, who lives in town with my parents, had to help him as well, especially in getting in and out of the bathroom.

3.5 days later, the specialist had to x-ray him again, because the emergency room did not send the x-rays, as requested. The specialist then told him that he had a break in the knee too, and put him in a brace. He was told to keep it on "as much as possible," but says the doctor did not tell him to keep it on all the time. He takes it off to get out of chairs and to use the bathroom, but keeps it on the rest of the time. Does anyone have experience with a hairline fracture of the knee, and does this sound right?

We're supposed to get our first freeze tonight. Yay! That'll kill the ragweed. It's hard to believe that our first quarter at school is over, and we only have another 6 weeks of school, not counting the break at Thanksgiving.

Laura in Alabama

Politics--may it be over soon

Lavinia, I agree with just about every thing you said. The media has done everything that they can to convince us all that our President is a dunce. Nobody who gets through two Ivy League schools can be a dunce, and dunces weren't allowed to fly F15s, either. Our media has been totally in the tank for Barack Obama, and hasn't looked in to his associations with Marxists throughout his life, or his unsavory dealings with Rezko (not sure of that spelling), or so many other issues. Then there's the unending list of Joe Biden's gaffes throughout the campaign, totally ignored by the media, and their outrageous attacks on Sarah Palin, who has more executive experience from running a business to running the state of Alaska than do the other three candidates, who seem to know nothing of how the economy works, to dealing with corrupt officials in her own political party, lowering taxes, forcing the oil companies to give the state a more fair share of the money from their resources, it goes on and on, but the media has chosen to make her look as bad as possible so that their candidates can win. I think she would do okay as President. She also seems bright and a quick study, but gets abuse for not being a Washington insider, which is the last thing we need, and abuse for not having gone to Ivy League schools. She and McCain are honest and honorable, but that seems to mean little to our media. We find we cannot watch news on any other channel than Fox now, as their bias is so obvious that we just can't stand it.

As for folks that think Oliver Stone and Michael Moore make factual movies, there's nothing I can say.

Pat in Rockport, TX who is preparing for several very bad years coming up because of the economy by working a bit more and building up an emergency fund.

Quilt books

Sara, I also only buy the books I really, really want. I look through and there has to be at least 2 items I want to make. I have even stopped my Quilting Arts, I am so behind with what I want to make I haven't enough years left. Hugs Bee in NZ.

My apologies to those who have helped us in a time of need.

Echo Bee

Hello,

I too have to echo Bee about the discord. There is so much politics everywhere these days. You can not turn on a radio or TV without being bombarded with it and it seems that even the experts(LOL) can not agree on the personalities or their expertise of the people that are running for election.
We all have different ideas, values, wants, and passions. Maybe we need to agree to disagree and enjoy each others differences.

That part came out last month with the retreat. We all are so different and yet we share so very much. We can bond as sisters because we can understand and feel so much alike.

I hope we can always be like that because we will lose so much if we do not.Once it is gone it will be very hard to put back together.

On a happier note I got the sewing passion back. Yahoo, I feel great about this.
Going to finish my coffee and then hear my machine whhrrrr.
Later and hugs
Grace.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

helping others

I know I will probably get flamed for saying this but I am so sorry that politics has entered this board. Our family never talks about politics as we all have different opinions and so we should. I would like to add that the comment that we personally know firefighters who go to California helping the fires there each summer and I could add other personal who do the same. Love all of you whatever your race, creed, and colour. Bee in NZ

On becoming aware

With all due respect, Lavinia, I understand some of what you have said but I don’t know what to make of “the other countries (Socialist ones at that) bashing my President and my country.”

In Canada, our recent elections engendered endless debates and strong feelings, as well. I couldn’t support either of our main parties and voted for the Green Party this time. However, without differing opinions, without weighing the pros and cons; without listening to debates, reading commentaries and becoming more aware, how does one make a decision on how to vote? And, I now remember that it was Laura who posted the blog site regarding the unbiased reporting of US politics; I was wrong in thinking it was Lavinia.

What happens in US politics affects our country far more than our Canadian politics and elections affect the United States. As a Canadian I do have concerns about the US elections and while I respect John McCain in choosing to run for President of the United States, I cannot support his choice of running mate. In last Thursday’s Toronto Globe & Mail newspaper, Margaret Wente, a columnist not known to sensationalize her subjects, commented that “by the time Mr. McCain picked her (Sarah Palin) for Vice President, he’d spent less than three hours in her company”. That in itself speaks volumes. And, “The main concern about her is the fact that her lack of qualifications is a top concern”. Her demeanor and behaviour on the campaign trail reflect her lack of skill as an international diplomat and politician. She has been plucked from being recently elected as Gov. of Alaska with no international political experience at all. Should McCain be elected as President; should he have health problems given his age; how would you feel about having Sarah Palin as your President? Ms. Wente went on to quote Peggy Noonan, a Wall Street journalist: “The Palin candidacy is a symptom and expression of a new vulgarization in American politics. It’s no good, not for conservatism and not for the country.” This is not a Canadian journalist, it is an American one.

This election is not so much voting for a President as it is in who you are voting in as Vice-President. It would be foolish to think otherwise.

RoseyP

Lavinia

Please don't abandon the board. Just stay away until this infernal election is over. We all love quilting but we don't share the same political or social views. I don't mind a bit of give and take. I do, however, take just about anything from the Internet in the way of political so called information with a huge grain of salt. I hate some of the scurrilous stuff I've had sent on to me by a person whom I don't know but who attended the same high school I did. This stuff has been totally over the top and probably a fair distance from the truth about Obama and he's no favorite of mine. However, the lies that are flying around are abominable. I've asked the sender not to send anything that he cannot authenticate. I later received a rather humble admission that he had just hit the forward button. I think we can all agree to disagree and remain friends and fellow quilters. Peace be unto you.

Jane

Until today I have never posted anything political on this board, website or otherwise. If you don't have cable or satellite you are not getting the FOX News channel, but rather the regular Fox network. The only thing I am passionate about is quilting, but I am tired of people in other countries (Socialist ones at that) bashing my President and my country. Let it go at that.

Sunday Morning in the Country

I’d like to address Lavinia’s posting, as she posted a helpful and unbiased website a short while ago on US politics:
L: “Why anyone would watch the garbage such as "W" or movies made by Michael Moore is beyond me”… …I’m certain that most folks know that “W’ was made by Oliver Stone but I have seen one of Michael Moore’s movies and while thought provoking and evidence of the freedom of speech in our democratic country, his interview with Charlton Heston still uncomfortably remains with me.

L: “It is too bad FOX News is banned in Canada. Too bad you have censorship in Canada” … …well, we all may have censorship in our country’s media, that’s not something any of us really know but I can say this: my husband watches FOX all the time and we live in the countryside of Canada, without cable, without satellite and still we get FOX.

Just thought I’d like to clear up those misconceptions. It is good to feel passionate about something and I can see clearly that the upcoming elections are on everyone’s minds, including Canadians for we are all part of North America. Whoever is elected in the US as President, affects Canada and the whole world for that matter.

To mention Kitty Kelly’s book on the Bush family may be inappropriate at this time, given Lavinia’s posting, but I did read it some time ago, knowing that the author picks controversial subjects and that her focus is one of exposure. I felt the book was reasonably unbiased, well researched and documented and left the reader to make up one’s own mind about her subject matter. I felt that it was neither fair nor unfair.

Still, the movie “W” is worth seeing for the acting of Josh Brolin alone.

Leaving the Chat Board over political comments is a personal choice. If you enjoy the board, Lavinia, you can scroll past any postings from people (and myself) whom you do not wish to read or connect with but it’s a shame to have enjoyed the cyber company of this forum for so long and not continue because of one issue. Deomcracy and free speech in the western world is what our forefathers have fought for; independence of thought and speech, of political and religious beliefs. But a world without passion and differing ideals would be a dull world, indeed whether you are a quiltmaker or not.

RoseyP

Sentence cut off while posting

End of paragraph two: Too bad you have censorship in Canada.

Response to board comments

Having been on this board for more than ten years, I had hoped the political comments would cease, since this is a quilting board. There are other venues for politics. However I can no longer bite my tongue, as it were, and feel I must respond to comments herein.

It is unfortunate that the mainstream media in this country, as well as Hollywood and others,choose to portray our President in the worst light possible. He is an intelligent man who also graduated from Harvard with a Masters Degree, as well as being the pilot of an F-15. It seems he is blamed for everything coming down the pike just to keep the portrayal going. Why anyone would watch the garbage such as "W" or movies made by Michael Moore is beyond me, but that is your choice. Why you believe them is another mystery to me. It is too bad the BBC and CBC feel they have to follow suit. It is too bad FOX News is banned in Canada, it is the only network that carries both sides of the picture and without distortion. Too bad you have

The current money crisis is not attributable to George Bush. It goes back 20 or 30 years. Housing prices have been going up to unbelievable levels for 30 years and never gone down. The institution of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac by Democratic Senators and the Congress, with Democrats Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, and a few others leading the way, caused the problem, which has taken a long time to rise to the surface.

Our current President has tried to restore the military after it was decimated by Bill Clinton and the Democrats, who proclaimed 9-11 and other bombings for the last 20 years criminal actions to be dealt with by courts. Barack Hussein Obama has promised to cut the military again in order to fund social projects. The Democrats spent 40 years fighting the war on poverty, so why is there still poverty? It is an excuse to get votes. I will vote for the person who has fought the war and will defend me.

When you hear politicians talk about "the workers" and "the rich people who don't care about them", you are hearing Marxists who want to take over our country. Many years ago a leading Communist said they would take over our country without a single shot, through our children, and it is happening. There are 3600 or more professors in universities teaching our children how bad the government is and what they should do about it. All of Obama's connections are Marxists, it is a known fact. You don't hear them talking about the millions people like Bill Gates contributed to fight AIDS in Africa.

Universal health care is not the answer. I don't want someone else choosing my doctor; been there, done that. It is why I have no senses of taste and smell today. And friends in both Britain and Canada have had major problems with it. Many states here have help for folks who need help; the government does not need to be involved.

As for prejudice, it exists in just about every nation in the world. There are probably more prejudiced black people and other colors, than there are whites. I was not brought up with it. When the schools integrated in Florida, whites were sent to the black districts and vice versa. I had a black girl scout troop. When I drove to school to pick up my son, rocks were thrown at my car and epithets screamed at me. So prejudice works both ways. There ARE black politicians for whom I have respect and would vote for. Barack Obama is not one of them.

Our country is always expected to support the whole world. Well it is time they learned, like children, to take care of themselves. The money doesn't grow on trees, it is paid in by those of us who spent our lives working and paying taxes. You don't see other countries rushing in to help us with disasters, do you?

In closing, I'll be leaving this board. Have made many friends over the years and cherish them. But I cannot stay here and see my country and my President put down.

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