Whipping you-know-what

Please note the new widget at the top of this blog. Ken and I saw it on our friend Deb's blog, and thought it was such a great idea. Since we stopped smoking over two years ago, look at how much money we've saved! But what's even better is how much better we feel, how we aren't coughing and hacking like we used to, how our house doesn't smell like cigarette smoke anymore, and how much better our health is. I bet Sheeba is also happy to not have to be breathing in our smoke. If any of you are still struggling with trying to quit smoking, PLEASE don't hesitate to contact me for support, or to hear about the plan that Ken devised for us to stop smoking. It's the best thing I've ever done for my health (I suspect Ken probably feels the same way), and I will happily be your cheerleader, your confidante, and your supporter in your efforts to STOP THIS NASTY HABIT.

How about that wacky stock market?! Woohoo, way to rebound, you nut! Our pal Dan made the call, and what a relief to see some good news. Obviously, we're not out of the woods yet, but I think we all needed to see a little confidence in the market, and a nice big turnaround when it comes to buying should help a lot.

As far as the presidential campaigns (feel free to skip ahead a few paragraphs if you'd rather not read this), I think everyone gave Sen. McCain a lot of credit for stepping up on Friday and trying to calm his supporters down at his rallies...an attempt to take the anger down a notch. He was booed by his own supporters for his efforts, so now he is saying that he stands behind his supporters and understands their anger, and at his Virginia headquarters on Sunday, he pledged to kick some ass in the last debate this Wednesday.

“After I whip his you-know-what in this debate, we’re going to be going out 24/7,” he says of his and Palin’s campaigning.

Considering that the topic of the last debate is the economy, I'd say that Sen. McCain's ass-kickin' will be more "get" than "give." I'm really starting to wonder about McCain's volatility, and I don't just mean his temper. It's like he changes his tune from day-to-day--first he's conciliatory and trying to regain his honor, then he's right back to the mud-slinging and negative campaigning. I'm sorry to see that he has reverted to the nastiness and attacks rather than focus on the issues. I really don't think it's playing well, at least not with moderates, independents, and undecideds. Kind of sad to see, actually, and I hope that the rhetoric won't result in violence.

I spent some time in the garden today, trying to get more of the weeds cleared off. I got the rest of the tall stuff, but the wild strawberry vines are just too much to tackle. I think that if we cover them up this winter, they won't be able to get a hold of the garden beds in the spring. The mosquitoes are still terrible, and really, isn't it about time that they started dying off? Jeez! Of course, it's been 80° the past couple of days, so they're still thriving.

After I stopped working in the garden, since I already had bug spray on, I took a stroll down the path that Ken maintains through the marsh and wetlands. It was so nice and warm and sunny, and I got quite warm walking along! I went back into the woods a little bit, too, and it was so peaceful. As I continued on through the marsh, I could see little trails through the marsh grass where deer had made their way off of the main path, and I could see the spots where they bed down for the night, usually by a tree, either still living or downed. Some extra protection, I suppose. It made me want to start hiking back into the woods this fall, as the vegetation starts dying back. We are so lucky to have found this place, and I feel like we have our own little nature preserve.

I took a walk out front to check on some of the trees and bushes we've planted, and as I walked back down the driveway, the basketball hoop drew me.

I can't explain it, but I had a mad desire to shoot some hoops. I opened up the garage and pumped up my Pacers basketball, and started shooting some baskets. I had a blast, and even made a bunch of my shots! It seems that my best shot is the short jumper. HA! Get it? Short jumper? That's ME! I even did a couple of awkward layups, and made them! My long jumpshot sucks, though. I sure had fun doing that, and I foresee myself working on my mad skillz. Think I can learn to dunk it? Maybe if I can manage a 6-foot vertical leap. Looks like I've got some work to do.