FamGuyToday by Aunty Fox

whatever you call it, is in full bloom. Almost looks like the tropics, on the south side of the house.

showed me a small, curved white thing, he had removed from his dog's hind quarter. At first I didn't recognize it, THEN, I saw that it was a cat claw, that had broken off. The other day, Zee, their springer spaniel, had been busted, by Bailey, while he was eating her cat food, in our kitchen. All of a sudden, we heard a yelp, and he went tearing out the back door, that had been left open, with Bailey in hot pursuit. Now we know why.

from the mountain house, Laura and the all-terrain buggy, w/Piper, some of the hops Nate is growing for his home brew, and part of the moss rock walkway he is building. Nice place to live...

Carol's flowers are really nice this year, especially around the pond. The blue heron missed a couple koi, and they had babies. Nice backyard, I think.

also Nate and Laura, but Piper was the real reason for the trip. This is a pic as we left for a 'stroll' in her 3-wheeled mountain buggy. What a doll. Had a great walk, and met some neighbors who were also out 'strolling'. There must be a law up there, that only cute, blue-eyed babies are allowed on the mountain, 'cause that's all we saw. I made my crock-pot chicken, got to visit w/Laura, had some of Nate's new brew, 'Sneaky Peach', which is excellent, and got a lot of 'Piper time'. All in all, a fantastic day. Hope to do it again...

http://news.aol.com/health/article/obese-people-have-severe-brain/639382 (Aug. 25) - A new study finds obese people have 8 percent less brain tissue than normal-weight individuals. Their brains look 16 years older than the brains of lean individuals, researchers said today. We know that the center of the Repub party is The South, and ALSO, The South is the center of obesity in the United States. Now it all makes sense. There is a direct correlation why some people actually believe FOX News and their bullshit. Lack of brain cells. Finally, it all makes sense...

yesterday, playing golf at Inverness. Kari won a free 'foursome' in a poker tournament, and Nate, Ted, Russ and I played yesterday, while the girls played with Piper. I was amazed at how well Nate played, esp for a guy who never gets a chance to practice/play. I would LOVE to have his swing/distance. Not sure how/where he learned it, but the boy sure do hit the ball. Whatever, it was a wonderful afternoon, and I really wanna thank Kari, for being such a good poker player. All in all, a great time to be a proud papa.

the private army funded by Bush, that constitutes over half of our forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Soldiers paid in 6 figure incomes, off the books. Led by Eric Prince, the Christian crusader, one of the largest Republican contributors, making hundreds of millions of dollars, totally unaccountable for what he does. Under the radar, under both administrations. So scary I hate to even think about it. Also, the Repub cons saying 'America should NEVER apologize". Well, how 'bout the Indians, Japanese internment victims, slavery, Bush's "Oops, bad info war', torture at Gitmo, and John McCain picking Sarah Palin? Just thinkin' out loud...

and have several doubts. Don't want to give anything away, if you haven't seen it, BUT, would love to discuss it, if you know what I mean... It's one of those movies without a 'definite' ending, and that's part of what makes it so good. Excellent acting and an interesting story. I go back and forth about guilt/innocence and other stuff. Altogether, a very good movie, with great performances from Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Meryl Streep. Who's the bad one???

how so many people can be against reforming medical costs. I know the insurance/drug/hospital lobbies are very powerful, and the right wing will lie (they're gonna kill grandma, and illegal aliens will be covered), and do whatever it takes to make Obama look bad, BUT, don't these yokels realize what the current system is like? We have the highest priced (by far) health care in the world, that is # 38 in effectiveness. Looking at Kari's hospital bills, (hundreds of thousands of dollars, to fix the mistake they made last time) and watching health insurance premiums rise to the point that buinesses can't afford to insure their employees, and Medicare is on track to bankrupt the country, one would think it would be obvious something has to be done, BUT, the Repubs have found an issue they can run with, no matter HOW wrong. They proudly say this can be Obama's downfall, as if trying to fix the Bush economic mess isn't enough. I just don't understand....

ConAgra Foods, Procter & Gamble, Walmart, GMAC, Best Buy, CVS, Travelocity, State Farm Insurance, Radio Shack, Men's Wearhouse, Lawyers.com, Sargento and many others have pulled their advertising from the 'Glenn Beck Show', after his 'deeply devisive' remarks, such as "Obama is clearly a racist, who hates white people". True, FOX nut jobs will welcome the boycott, and revel in the discord, but, for average person who actually uses his brain, Beck is nothing but a buffoon, and typical of the propaganda that FOX spews, constantly. He is kinda funny, though, when he starts crying....

Glenn Beck manages to distinguish himself, as one of the worst. GEICO has agreed to no longer run its iconic car-insurance advertisements during the Glenn Beck Program , which broadcasts on the Fox News Channel cable network. The insurer, known for its ads featuring cavemen and a chatty gecko with a cockney accent, has joined a growing list of advertisers who are steering clear of Beck, a self-described "rodeo clown" and conservative commentator with a penchant for petulance and over-the-top criticism of President Barack Obama and other Democratic leaders. Among other sponsors who have pulled their ads from Beck's show are household products companies Procter & Gamble (PG) and SC Johnson, and another insurer, Progressive Insurance (PGR). Progressive Insurance rep Cristy Cote said that the company wants to "avoid programming that we believe our customers and potential customers might find extremely offensive." The organization has been urging advertisers to ...

on it's 40 year anniversay, I found out some stuff, from the paper this morning, that I never knew. My old boss, Barry Fey, the concert promoter of Feyline Productions, was at Woodstock. A few weeks earlier, he had done the Denver Pop Festival, at Mile High Stadium, (the last time Jimi Hendrix played w/The Experience). Michael Lang, who produced Woodstock, was Barry's guest, and vice versa at Woodstock. Barry bailed out after the 2nd rainstorm, cause he thought there would be trouble, but, like most people, was pleasantly surprised when he saw how everyone just pitched in to help each other. 'Twas truly the birth of a new generation, that some of us recognized, and were proud to join, while others of the same age could never understand. I can't imagine there will ever be anything like it, ever again. Music was so important and powerful in those days. Just hard to believe it was 40 years ago. Wow....

As she deserted her governor's job, she implored the news media to "stop making stuff up', THEN in her first press conference after that, she implored the media to report on Obama's 'death panels'.” which had spun out of a proposal from a Republican, Senator Johnny Isakson of Georgia, who has long espoused helping Medicare patients learn about options for care at the end of their lives. In an interview with The Washington Post on Monday, Isakson diagnosed Palin’s interpretation of his suggestion as “nuts.” Sarah Palin, a true nut job, and perfect example of Republican nonsense.

after watching several that were pretty sad. "Vicky Christina Barcelona", set in Barcelona, Spain, with Scarlett Johansen, Penelope Cruz, some other hot chick, and Javier Bardem, the psycho from "No Country for Old Men", in a totally different role. Great scenery, backgrounds and hot women. What more can I say?

I find it peculiar that Dick Cheney--who has never seen a battlefield in his life--would characterize Scooter Libby's plight as leaving a soldier on the battlefield [Aug. 3]. During the G.W. Bush Administration, I was struck by the fervor for military action from an inner circle who had not served in the U.S. armed forces. The odd man out during the drumbeat for war was Colin Powell, whose long military career included serving in Vietnam and as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. His voice of caution against entanglement in Iraq resulted in his getting pushed out by the "believers." It's too bad they didn't listen to the one man who knew what he was talking about. Lieut. Commander Eric L. Jewett, U.S. Navy (ret.) LOS GATOS, CAL Eric Jewett. Telling it like it is, about Dick Cheney. Probably the most evil person to ever be VP. BUT, he delivered, BIG TIME, for Haliburton. The stock went from $6, to over $50, with the huge 'no-bid' contracts, when he and W...

I am a Democrat. Not really. Both political parties suck, but the Repubs are definitely worse. Not that the Dems are much better. Ron Paul has the right idea, BUT, all the power lies with the two ruling parties. Bottom line, they all sell out to get elected. As for the common people, we don't have a chance. Gird your loins and get ready for some real interesting times.... ( This post came after watching the latest Penn & Teller "Bullshit" show)

that one guy wrote/directed, Ferris Beuhler, Breakfast Club, Family Vacation, Home Alone, Planes Trains and Automobiles, etc. John Hughes, only59 years old, died today. I remember when 59 seemed really old. Too bad. A really talented guy...

daddy-daughter Wednesdays, 'cause Kari goes back to work, as a teacher, next week, and I'm gonna miss it. Not sure when it started, but the last several Weds, we have gotten together, for one reason or another, and had a really good time. Today, we installed the shelves I built, in her classrom, then visited lovely little Piper, Nate and Laura, who was doing much better, then played 'Settlers of Catan', which I almost won, but, just for her, I came up a bit short. Hope she appreciated it. Love you Kari, and will miss our Weds together, but know the kids in the canyon need you...

yesterday evening, after a particularly trying day at the office, and had decided she had earned a tall gin and tonic, with a fresh lime, her special Beefeaters gin, in her favorite lead crystal glass. We had just sat down and I was thinking, 'Hmmm, that looks pretty good', when BAMM!, a golf ball, from #9 tee box, totally exploded the drink, sending shards of glass everywhere, cutting Carol's leg, and nearly giving us both a heart attack. Our neighbors, also on their deck, during cocktail hour, heard the shattered glass, and ran over, thinking a window had been broken. The young villains tried to make a highspeed run, in their golf cart, up the far side of the fairway, but I 'convinced' them to come over and face the damage. At first, they were kinda wise-asses, but the guy who hit it, finally agreed to pay, opened his wallet, and gave me all his cash. Ten bucks. All in all, it could have been worse. I'd rather replace a glass, than taking a golf ball, going FU...

of the channels I watch, on my TV. SO, when I am surfing, I inadverdantly get to see some 'fair and balanced' reporting, and it makes me sick. It seems the right wing owner has ordered all of their 'talent' to continually repeat the same mantra. It comes out in various forms, but all to the same point. Obama can no longer blame this mess on Bush. It is now Obama's economy. Whatever happens next is Obama's fault. RIGHT! Just as if the captain of the Titanic could have resigned his position, after he hit the iceberg, then blamed the sinking on the new guy. Anyone who actually uses their brain, which excludes the FOX devotees, knows that the damage caused by Bush and his cronies will take MANY years to fix, IF it can be fixed at all. FOX News would be a joke, if there weren't so many idiots that actually swallow the swill. Scary....

This story was in today's paper U.S. TAX REVENUE TO FALL BY 18% The numbers could hardly be more stark: Tax receipts are on pace to drop 18 percent this year, the biggest single-year decline since the Great Depression, while the federal deficit balloons to a record $1.8 trillion. Other figures in an Associated Press analysis underscore the recession's impact: Individual income tax receipts are down 22 percent from a year earlier. Corporate income taxes are down 57 percent. Social Security tax receipts could drop for only the second time since 1940. The last time the government's revenue was this bleak was in 1932, in the midst of the Depression. And you wonder why I'm concerned about the economy?

I am no huge fan of any political party, BUT, the Dems at least offer something, to try and fix the HUGE mess that the Repubs left. The party of hope, vs. the party of nope. The party of Bush and his crew has no ideas to fix the huge mess we are in, whether it be health care or the crashing economy, BUT, they are very vocal with their 'nopes' when presented with any plan. Bottom line, you can't just do 'nothing' as health costs spiral out of control, and joblessness continues to rise. I just get so sick of them refusig to admit they caused the problems and their obvious plan is to make the situation worse, then try to blame it all on the Dems. So transparent, and SO totally WRONG in so many ways.