One of my former students ~ and always one of my *baby boys* ~ sent this to me, and I thought it would be good to share it on this Memorial Day:

Here's one woman who is telling it like it is...in her opinion! Written by a housewife from New Jersey and sounds like it! This is one ticked off lady.

"Are we fighting a war on terror or aren't we? Was it or was it not started by Islamic people who brought it to our shores on September 11, 2001? Were people from all over the world, mostly Americans, not brutally murdered that day, in downtown Manhattan, across the Potomac from our nation's capitol and in a field in Pennsylvania?

Did nearly three thousand men, women and children die a horrible, burning or crushing death that day, or didn't they? And I'm supposed to care that a copy of the Koran was "desecrated" when an overworked American soldier kicked it or got it wet? Well, I don't. I don't care at all. I'll start caring when Osama bin Laden turns him self in and repents for incinerating all those innocent people on 9/11.

I'll care about the Koran when the fanatics in the Middle East start caring about the Holy Bible, the mere possession of which is a crime in Saudi Arabia.

I'll care when these thugs tell the world they are sorry for hacking off Nick Berg's head while Berg screamed through his gurgling slashed throat.

I'll care when the cowardly so-called "insurgents" in Iraq come out and fight like men instead of disrespecting their own religion by hiding in mosques.

I'll care when the mindless zealots who blow themselves up in search of nirvana care about the innocent children within range of their suicide bombs.

I'll care when the American media stops pretending that their First Amendment liberties are so mehow derived from international law instead of the United States Constitution's Bill of Rights. In the meantime, when I hear a story about a brave marine roughing up an Iraqi terrorist to obtain information, know this: I don't care.

When I see a fuzzy photo of a pile of naked Iraqi prisoners who have been humiliated in what amounts to a college-hazing incident, rest assured; I don't care.

When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the head when he is told not to move because he might be booby-trapped, you can take it to the Bank; I don't care.

When I hear that a prisoner, who was issued a Koran and a prayer mat, and fed "special" food that is paid for by my tax dollars, is complaining that his holy book is being "mishandled," you can absolutely believe in your heart of hearts; I don't care.

And oh, by the way, I've noticed that sometimes it's spelled "Koran" and other times "Quran." Well, Jimmy Crack Corn and -you guessed it - I don't care!

And may I add: "Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem." -- Ronald Reagan

I have another quote that I would like to add AND.......I hope you forward all this.
"If we ever forget that we're One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under." also by Ronald Reagan

One last thought for today: In case we find ourselves starting to believe all the anti-American sentiment and negativity, we should remember England's Prime Minister Tony Blair's words during a recent interview. When asked by one of his Parliament members why he believes so much in America, he said: "A simple way to take measure of a country is to look at how many want in... And how many want out."

Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you:
1. Jesus Christ
2. The American G. I. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom. YOU MIGHT WANT TO PASS THIS ON, AS MANY SEEM TO FORGET BO TH OF THEM. AMEN!

Thanks for sharing with me, Chrissy! :) Love and huggies to you and your girls!

God bless America and the men and women who made and keep us free.

Here is an update on Prissy's kittens: Dawson, Willow, and Wade. (I named them after characters in my last novel!) They are so precious and so playful! I have made my yard shed as kitten-friendly as possible ~ including a doghouse given to me by my friend Patty. However, the kittens play in and on the house and prefer to sleep on a blanket in an old storage cabinet. Prissy is an excellent mother even though she is just over a year old herself. Yesterday I found a surprise from her in the shed: a dead squirrel. Either it had invaded the shed and Prissy killed it to protect her babies, or the squirrel was Prissy's way of repaying me for helping her care for her kittens. :) I keep looking for homes for the kittens ~ but less enthusiastically each day as they wrap me around their little paws. However, Prissy *will* be getting fixed as soon as the kittens can be without her a couple of days. She may be a stray, but she's a stray that seems to like living in my shed! :)

This post concerns the saga of the jewelry armoire. I have been re-doing my bedroom into a *cottage chic* look and, subsequently, decided to replace my old jewelry armoire with a painted one with roses. I found what I wanted at a place online called One Way Furniture ~ and it was on sale with free shipping, too. This sale must be *meant to be* ~ I thought!

My first clue should have been when delivery was a week later than originally promised. I was excited when the armoire did arrive ~ even though the *huge* box was not easy for me to manipulate by myself ~ and some assembly was required: attaching the legs and also the mirrored top ~ no big deal there. I am usually pretty good with assembly instructions.

However, imagine my surprise when I discovered that the top drawer was missing from the main unit. I had to wonder how a piece of furniture could leave the warehouse with a drawer so obviously gone, but, hey, people make mistakes, so I e-mailed One Way Furniture (OWF) with the problem. Their first reply told me to send them the assembly instructions and part number. I promptly replied that there were no assembly instructions and part number for a drawer that should have been already in the main part of the armoire ~ a unit which had arrived fully assembled. I heard nothing and heard nothing though I sent two more e-mails. Then, when I got a little nasty in my wording, I did get an e-mail saying that they would order *the part.*

Then I got another e-mail saying that *the manufacturer* was going to send me a whole new armoire. I said I didn't want a whole new armoire ~ I wanted only the drawer missing for the armoire I already had. They said *the manufacturer* wouldn't send out just a drawer. I asked why not? A drawer was surely more convenient and *cheaper* to send ~ and I did *not* want to deal with shipping a 45-pound armoire back when all I wanted was my drawer. If they would go to the trouble of sending the whole armoire, why not just take out the darn drawer and send that by itself?

Well, OWF held firm: if I wanted the drawer, I had to deal with getting a whole new armoire. So I told them to forget the whole darn thing ~ and that *MEN* must be in charge of *the manufacturer* for making something so simple into something so complicated ~ and I was still amazed that the armoire could be shipped without the drawer in the first place. Hey, somewhere there is a drawer in need of an armoire, right?

So I have disguised the hole in my armoire with ivy ~ it doesn't look *that* bad ~ and I surely don't have enough jewelry to make the loss of storage a problem. But I did want to say *Buyer, beware!* of places like One Way Furniture when they offer a item at a huge discount and with free shipping, too!

Happy Mothers Day, Mama.

Happy Mothers Day to my beloved mama in Heaven. I surely do miss you, Mama.

I have loved this picture since I first saw it ~ and not only because it has kitties in it. The expression on the kitten's face is so full of pure joy from being with his mama ~ the same kind of joy I felt when I was with mine. :)

And in honor of this Mothers Day, one of the strays that I feed ~ Prissy ~ decided to use my yard shed as shelter for her three kittens. :) Just what I need ~ more feline mouths to feed ~ but they are so precious that I won't complain too much. They are *just* getting their eyes open ~ though I had to get an ointment from my vet to help them. Poor little things have some kind of eye gunky going on. If you know of anyone who would be a good mommy or daddy for a kitten, please send her/him my way! :)

The following cartoons are in the realm of things I would love to see. Please humor me. I am ailing with a *nasty* sinus infection ~ and one of the strays I feed just introduced me to her three teeny kittens. I don't know whether to :( or :) that particular news ~ but these cartoons make me smile. :)

Free Countdown Clocks at WishAFriend.com

But who's counting??? :) That would be me! Have I mentioned that this has been a killer school year??? However, the good news is that after 30 years, I am finally getting new grammar texts for all four of my English classes. The new books translate into a ton of planning this summer, but I like the series so much that I can't complain. :) If, God and TRS willing, I retire in four years, remind me to tell the next English teacher to be *VERY* good to the books because it will be 26 years before she/he gets new ones. :)

In honor of my ol' high school buddy, Janet ~ who lives in England now with her English muffin/husband, John. :)