tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87852526306572088972024-03-14T01:36:27.495-07:00Ln's blog experimentA place to publish thoughts both those I think are profound and those that are merely silly, and, perhaps, some that are amusing - or not.Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12255293284062454181noreply@blogger.comBlogger175125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785252630657208897.post-54617541734421555992010-03-25T11:01:00.000-07:002010-03-25T11:01:48.208-07:00Blog rethinkHaving reviewed carefully my writings of the past year or so, I've decided it's time to take a "leave" and rethink whether I might be able to make this thing better, and what, if anything, I might write that would accomplish that. I expect, therefore, that I will write nothing here until I have a plan, a new design and a better focus. The mundane things in my day to day existence have been Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12255293284062454181noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785252630657208897.post-72003280822431621132010-03-23T09:36:00.000-07:002010-03-23T09:36:25.415-07:00UnderstatementBarney Frank, quoted yesterday by Andy Birkey in the Minnesota Independent:
"Frank told the Hill this weekend, 'Any movement in which the intellectual leader is Michele Bachmann is obviously going to be problematic.'"
Understatement indeed!Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12255293284062454181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785252630657208897.post-55424784013176465502010-03-20T18:00:00.000-07:002010-03-20T18:00:16.795-07:00Spring Training Game Two - 2010"Who does he think he is? I've been in this line of traffic for half an hour and he thinks I'm going to let him in ahead of me? No Way!" said I as I sped up to close the gap to prevent his ugly rotten orange colored Pontiac Vibe from getting ahead of my much more worthy and attractive blue Subaru Outback. As we inched our joint and mutual ways through the lugubriously creeping line of cars to Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12255293284062454181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785252630657208897.post-3146041468352911652010-03-09T16:01:00.000-07:002010-03-09T16:01:17.191-07:00Of course, I'm not complainingBut today has been as miserable a day in the desert as I would ever expect. Dark rolling clouds dumping heavy rain followed by gusty cold winds - I might as well be home in Minnesota. In fact I soon will be.
Yesterday, my cousin and I attended a spring training game between the Chicago Cubs and the Oakland A's. The game began with a rendition of the Star Spangled Banner that was Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12255293284062454181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785252630657208897.post-254665527875346022010-03-02T16:08:00.000-07:002010-03-02T16:08:34.139-07:00My Himalayan Salt LampIt emits a pleasant glow and is an interesting gadget to talk about. Of course, I didn't believe it would remove all dust and pollutants and alleviate allergies, asthma, etc. Nor is it credible that it would boost my immune system, speed the heeling of my wounds, increase my alertness, improve my sleep and cognitive abilities or help reduce my anxiety. All those supposed benefits were clearly Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12255293284062454181noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785252630657208897.post-36358059395181983482010-03-01T10:42:00.000-07:002010-03-01T10:42:34.940-07:00Happy MarchIce houses must be removed from lakes. Can spring be far behind? Yet, I turn over my Minnesota calendar to the month of March and there it is, a picture of another snowy day in my favorite city. I'm so looking forward to it all going away so I can come home.Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12255293284062454181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785252630657208897.post-78017112058051379852010-02-26T10:55:00.000-07:002010-02-26T10:55:18.872-07:00Another unlikely place to shopAlong the lines of looking for new socks at the grocery store, I don't usually think, "Ah, I need a snack. I guess I'll stop at the hardware store." But, if you're not too particular about your snack tastes, you could do just that.Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12255293284062454181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785252630657208897.post-10268548173751236072010-02-24T11:15:00.000-07:002010-02-24T11:15:03.645-07:00What's that?Walking through the Safeway parking lot yesterday, I spotted a bobby pin. I haven't seen one of those in years. Didn't even know they still made them, yet, they can be purchased at Safeway. I wonder. Should I try a new hair style? So many options available using bobby pins. Or not.Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12255293284062454181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785252630657208897.post-63518214292803211312010-02-23T14:08:00.000-07:002010-02-23T14:08:49.172-07:00That's so cool!Walking my three younger dogs (mother and two of her kids) in the park the other day, a man was so impressed that they were all marked the same. I mumbled something about them being well bred. Then he asked if the father was marked this way too, which I said he was. "Wow!" he said, as he walked away. Yeah, I thought, it is sooo cool!! I love Boston Terriers. But, of course, you already knewEllenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12255293284062454181noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785252630657208897.post-77956262181127013412010-02-23T14:05:00.000-07:002010-02-23T14:05:10.458-07:00Always alertIt appears that my anxiety about the imminent demise of my Bertie was, thankfully and happily, premature. How premature, I don't know, but he is back to being his alert and curious self on the treatment program provided to me by my Arizona veterinarian. I am, of course, very, very pleased. Now if only he could hear me when I call him. Ah well, two out of three is not bad at all.Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12255293284062454181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785252630657208897.post-34252040607273988812010-02-21T11:20:00.000-07:002010-02-21T11:20:20.581-07:00I never get sick - really, I never do.Well, maybe once every twenty years or so I get a little touch of something. Yesterday, I had ample opportunity to moan and whine and wallow in self pity. I even had house guests on hand to commiserate and assure me that my instinct to simply sleep all day was appropriate. But was that any way to treat my brother, Gerrit, and his wife, Julie? Not very entertaining, but they didn't seem to Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12255293284062454181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785252630657208897.post-55000519880350954512010-02-16T10:36:00.000-07:002010-02-16T10:36:27.188-07:00Just a whisper in her earI just whispered to my Lily, "Shall we go to the park?" And now I've definitely got to go walk the dogs. I teach them, but I never learn.Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12255293284062454181noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785252630657208897.post-60253383256616291182010-02-12T11:20:00.000-07:002010-02-12T11:20:37.399-07:00Having it both waysGov Pawlenty, I see, is urging a 20% tax cut for corporations. (Could he be looking for corporate campaign support?) President Obama submitted a bill for tax relief for small businesses. As I understand it, it is a good thing to help out small businesses because they employ many people.
Yet, I've read that Republicans can't support President Obama's tax cut for small business because of ourEllenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12255293284062454181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785252630657208897.post-54671286376161090132010-02-11T11:04:00.000-07:002010-02-11T11:04:07.535-07:00Dog updateBertie is doing well, and I've chosen to pretend that he'll be fine - which is probably true for the time being. We're all doing well here in Phoenix, and I'm glad Bertie's not struggling with his "issues" in two feet of snow. My sympathy is with all of you who are. By my calendar it is a mere two months before I'll be readying myself and the "kids" to return to Minnesota. And we will be Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12255293284062454181noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785252630657208897.post-53521262695193326582010-02-11T10:48:00.004-07:002010-02-11T10:58:16.852-07:00Encouraging news"The spotlight has been bright, not necessarily kind to former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
"According to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, 71% of Americans do not feel that Palin is qualified to be President. That includes a sharp drop in Republican support, where 45% believe she is qualified compared to 66% who thought she was last fall."
Huffington Post, Feb 11, 2010
I would Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12255293284062454181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785252630657208897.post-54427872659398508692010-02-06T15:51:00.000-07:002010-02-06T15:51:04.433-07:00Dog: God spelled backwardsThere's a Facebook group entitled something like "I'm a Christian." I joined this group with some reluctance. Unfortunately too many people these days who call themselves Christians don't act like it. My comment: "My God is a God of love. What about you?"
This week two of my friends unexpectedly lost their 6 year old Viszla to a rare form of leukemia. His time was too short, and the pain Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12255293284062454181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785252630657208897.post-39991550406504587692010-01-30T14:28:00.000-07:002010-01-30T14:28:06.930-07:00Dusting upHaving in the past year assumed personal responsibility for keeping my home clean, i.e. vacuumed, dusted and mopped, I have been attentive to those ads for "wetjets" and fluffy dusters. None of these ads, however, had prepared me for fluffy dusters that shed clumps of fluff as you dust, or for dusting cloths which simply move the dust into bunches and pile it into corners of the dusted surface.Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12255293284062454181noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785252630657208897.post-61357513655691168022010-01-30T14:19:00.000-07:002010-01-30T14:19:25.942-07:00A bright start to a new daySpectacular sunrise this morning. Beautiful sunny day in the valley. I sympathize with my friends at home, as well as my cousin and her family in Oklahoma City. This is a wild winter, and I absolutely believe we should be paying more attention to the climatic changes that may account for this awful weather around the country. But that would be politics, and, as I noted earlier, I've given up Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12255293284062454181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785252630657208897.post-15475507097126914852010-01-29T11:38:00.000-07:002010-01-29T11:38:09.865-07:00Blog hiatusI seem to have taken an unannounced hiatus from writing this irrelevant occasional account of life as I see it. No excuses, really. I just developed inertia, or, perhaps, a paucity of inspiration - although that has seldom prevented me from blathering on about myself in the past. Scanning my consciousness for inspiration, I look at subjects like politics, or dogs, or me.
I'm tired of Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12255293284062454181noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785252630657208897.post-25156522620841367102010-01-20T15:55:00.000-07:002010-01-20T15:55:45.778-07:00Pat Robertson is a foolFacebook has a new group for people to sign up to tell Pat Robertson to STFU. I would prefer to ask the media to stop giving Pat Robertson a stage. Does anyone care what idiotic ideas Scott Roeder (killer of Dr. George Tiller) would espouse if he were asked or allowed to publicize them? Would anyone care to hear specifically the views of James von Brunn (shooter at the Holocaust Museum, Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12255293284062454181noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785252630657208897.post-69751812358655732692010-01-18T12:35:00.000-07:002010-01-18T12:35:29.330-07:00Fully RecoveredWith a lot of help from Ibuprofin and, perhaps, from herbal tea (Gypsy Cold Remedy), I have recovered from my sinus and sore throat cold-like malady, with the exception of an awkward compulsive coughing and sneezing event in front of the congregation on Sunday morning. Gosh, I hate that. Starts with a tickle in the throat provoking uncontrollable coughing which only ends after a couple of Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12255293284062454181noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785252630657208897.post-14502910264208740372010-01-14T11:58:00.000-07:002010-01-14T11:58:28.324-07:00Filling your Prius at the Gas pumpI pulled up to wait for the pump at Costco behind a lady with a Prius. First she spent several minutes reading the instructions on the pump before deciding to run her card and take down the hose, which she pulled across the back of the car and inserted in what I assumed was the seldom needed gas tank opening on the other side of the car. Then she walked back to the pump to press the octane Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12255293284062454181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785252630657208897.post-2659266998557778722010-01-12T15:17:00.000-07:002010-01-12T15:17:08.170-07:00Desert Botanical GardenAn outing all by myself is very different from an outing in which friends join me. It was ok, as I took lots of time to read signs and study what I was seeing. Bought a couple of books to help me understand the desert landscape and took some pictures to show off the blue sky and snowless landscape. I do appreciate solitude, but for outings, I think I enjoy having friends or family along much Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12255293284062454181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785252630657208897.post-30822084744038181022010-01-08T10:30:00.000-07:002010-01-08T10:30:26.342-07:00The winter of 2010 is hell!Actually, it's not bad if you happen to be in southern Arizona or southern California. Everywhere else seems to be confronting a major character-building experience this year.
Sharing a little (very little) of the pain of my fellow Minnesotans, I spent four days in Minneapolis in the subzero cold. At first I remembered how one just accepted what could not be changed and found ways to see it Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12255293284062454181noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785252630657208897.post-41502771418393162722010-01-08T10:28:00.000-07:002010-01-08T10:28:38.626-07:00Health coverage for abortionMeditating on those "moral guardians" of women's bodies in the name of "life", I'm thinking of a deal to make on the health care bill. Here's my deal. If the bill excludes from government funding any payments for erectile dysfunction and male infertility treatment, then I will accept that it does not provide funding for a woman's abortion. If that trade off cannot be made, then abortion Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12255293284062454181noreply@blogger.com0