Jimmy Stewart on reality

"I've wrestled with reality for 35 years, Doctor, and I'm happy to state I finally won out over it." -- Jimmy Stewart, in Harvey, 1950

BBC NEWS | UK | England | Lancashire | Wife killer, 100, spared prison

This article details an act of justice tempered by mercy on the part of the court. I find it disheartening the poor man was driven to such an act of desperation because he couldn't cope with the changes.

My first cross stitch project

This is a picture of the very first project I ever tackled when I started cross stitching. It is the piece I am the most proud of because it turned out so well despite not having a clue what I was doing. I stitched the piece in 1990 on 14 count white Aida. Knowing then what I know now, Aida would not have been my fabric of choice. But 14 count white Aida was the suggested fabric on the pattern and I had no idea I could use something else. Heck, I didn't know there was something else to use.


The Castle, Teresa Wentzler

The haircut, revealed

I've had several requests for a picture showing what I look like with my new haircut, so I thought I'd comply . . . sort of.

Set the prayer wheels spinning, part three

My stepdaughter left a message for me this afternoon to let me know the surgery for my former brother-in-law has been moved back to Thursday at 10:30 a.m. It appears there is some kind of problem with his blood clotting or not clotting.

Well wishes, good thoughts, and prayers for the family are still welcome.

Mouse, starring in Alien 4

This is Mouse doing a pretty darn good imitation of an Alien at rest on a blue folding chair.

Miss Muggles in repose

This picture shows off her speckled face and the lopsided tortoise shell markings on her chest.

C. V. R. Thompson

"Washington is the only place where sound travels faster than light."

Training the car

She pulled into a crowded parking lot and rolled down the car windows to make sure her Golden Retriever had fresh air. The dog was stretched out on the back seat, and her mistress wanted to impress upon her that she must remain there.

She walked away from the car backward, pointing her finger at the car and saying emphatically, "Now you stay. Do you hear me? Stay! Stay!"

The driver of a nearby car, perhaps noting that the woman is blonde, gave her a strange look and said, "Why don't you just put it in park?"

The House of Seven Mabels by Jill Churchill
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a very quick, light, fun read. I actually figured out who did it and why before the what even happened, and I can honestly say it wasn't the butler.

Link to amazon.com

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I enjoyed the book tremendously. I found the point of view refreshing. It was a story of longing and loss and love and forgiveness and change.

Link to amazon.com

Miss Muggles and Mouse

It doesn't take much to amuse a couple of kittens.

Spider-Man 2

I finally got to see the movie yesterday. For a comic book film, it was exceptionally well done. There was plot. There was character development. There was humor. There was just a hint of cheesecake.



And there was that freight train I'm sure was intended to be foreshadowing about the story / villain of the next film.

Happy 4th!

Set the prayer wheels spinning, part two

I just talked to my stepdaughter and the surgery for my former bother-in-law has been moved up to 7:30 a.m. Tuesday morning.

Well wishes, good thoughts, and prayers for the family are still welcome.

Politics . . . a definition

"Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it whether it exists or not, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedy." -- Ernest Benn

Sometimes someone has such a clear vision of a truth that you wonder at its simplicity. As definitions go, this quote from Ernest Benn encompasses the meaning of politics more elegantly, though succinctly, than any other I've ever come across. The only definition that is shorter and more to the point is not as elegant. It is also very evocative of a Texan, especially the rather blunt one keeping this blog.

"Politics . . . BS bought and sold." -- M. E. Houston

Set the prayer wheels spinning

My stepdaughter called late last night to let us, my son and I, know that one of my son's uncles has been hospitalized as a result of several strokes. During the course of examining him, the doctors discovered that he has a tumor in his spine. At this point in time, no one knows if the tumor is malignant or benign. My former brother-in-law is in a contraption similar to a halo to keep his head / spine immobile since the tumor is located at a juncture where paralysis could occur if the spine is damaged further. He is scheduled for surgery next Thursday.

Well wishes, good thoughts, and prayers for the family are welcome.

The speed of light may not be the speed of light anymore

New Scientist - Speed of light may have changed recently

Title of sixth Harry Potter book revealed

Just in case someone in the known world hasn't heard yet. I think it's an interesting title and it opens up things for interesting speculation.

And just to make things interesting (since I haven't used that word enough in this post), I've added a little poll to the sidebar at the bottom. Tell me what you think of the title.

Quisling

Got you wondering, don't I? Actually, I just like the way that word rolls off the tongue. And it doesn't sound like what it means. It sounds as if it should be the diminutive for something, a food type thing maybe. But quisling is actually another word for traitor. It is derived from Vidkun Quisling, a Norwegian politician and officer, who collaborated with the Nazis during WWII.