Republicans Fighting the Wrong Fight

After watching about 95% of the healthcare summit yesterday I came away feeling a couple of things. First I admired the President for keeping his cool and grace in the face of such unsubstantiated opposition and second I felt frustration for him as he had to explain the same things to the Republicans over and over and over. If I could understand what he was saying why the hell couldn’t they?

Will the summit change anything? I doubt it but it did show the Republicans have more determination to fight the President’s plan than they do to fight the healthcare monster we seeing rearing up before us every day.

Martini gets Wheels

There are so many places that we go outdoors where we could take Martini but due to the fact he doesn’t like to be carried and it’s dangerous for him to be walking down there amongst big human feet, he often has to stay home. That’s about to come to an end.

Last Saturday I Googled “dog strollers” and found just the thing for him. It’s like a kid’s stroller but it has nylon net screening so he can be secure and enjoy the scenery while we stroll along. It even has a cover in case of rain or strong winds. The compartment floor area is padded and the compartment is the exact same size as his crate. He’s gonna be damned cool as he gets chauffeured around at the next art show and or the open-air green market. Martini will soon have his own set of wheels.

Oh, I almost forgot, the dog stroller also has a cup holder for the chauffeur, in case the chauffeur might want to enjoy a beverage during the stroll.

Switching Places for Six Months

If President Obama handed the reins of all government over to the Republicans and said, Okay, you think everything the Democrats are doing is wrong, here you give it a try for six months. I have to wonder how things would change or if they would change.

I have heard nothing from the Republicans but bitching and moaning. Not one word about what they would do to make a positive change for our country, except their cure-all, tax cuts. Their old tried and tired carrot they always use to appeal to the greedy and the selfish.

Unlike a Good Neighbor, State Farm Will Not Be There

Remember we heard some months back that State Farm insurance would be dropping some Florida homeowners from their home insurance coverage? Well the time has come and we were notified last month we are among the thousands to be dropped.

There is no rhyme or reason for which homeowners will be dropped. They say we were chosen at random as were the many others. For a little background we have insured our home for over 25 years with them. We have never been a second late with our payments and only filed one claim, that was after hurricanes Frances and Jeanne tore the hell out of our house.

Okay, here’s the best part. They will drop our coverage in August of this year. This is just one month before the historic peak of hurricane season. Plus no insurance company will take new customers if there is a named hurricane threatening. So not only will State Farm no longer be a good neighbor and be there, they are running away just when the need for them might be the greatest.

The Feeling of Love

Yesterday one of the Valentine cards I received was “from Martini, with love” Here’s what it said on the front of that card.

“How do you spell ‘Love’?” Piglet asked Pooh.
“I don’t have to spell it, “ said Pooh, “I just feel it.”

I know exactly what Pooh meant and I think Martini does too.

Thank you Mr. Pop for helping Martini with his card shopping.

Where there's a will , there's relief

Yesterday we had an appointment with an attorney to begin making our will. She was recommended by someone we sincerely trust. I mean just thinking about making a will brings up some very sobering thoughts. I was a bit nervous about the whole thing. I shouldn’t have been.

When we went into the attorney’s office the first thing I saw were pictures of her dogs everywhere. Well, you have to know my nerves were already calming. As we talked I discovered she is on the board of our local humane society and a total dog lover. That endeared me to her even more.

She was serious about the subject at hand without being dour. As we answered question after question and considered her very professional opinions, it felt more like we were consulting with a friend rather than with an attorney we had met only a few minutes ago.

When we left her office we both felt such a sigh of relief. Finally we had accomplished something that we have known for years we needed to do. Since we have no children we had never felt an urgency to have a will, but we knew we should do it. Now we have!

Beginning Year Five today

They say a four leaf clover bring good luck. Today marks four years this blog has been going and I feel lucky to have had so much fun over those four years.

I began this trip taking care of Murphy during the final two years of his little life. Then there was the year when I didn’t have a dog. This year I have driven you crazy talking about the little dog who joined me in February of last year. If you think over the next year I won’t continue to drive you crazy talking about Martini, you are sweetly wrong.

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time out of their busy day to stop by here and read what I write. You are indeed special and I am indeed grateful.

Yorkie in a Martini Glass

The weather was beautiful here yesterday so we decided to attend a large outdoor art show. When we arrived the crowd was already in full attendance. We luckily found a parking place close to the show and we were browsing the booths in no time.

We stopped at one booth of beautiful paintings and Mr. Pop was talking with the artist about something or the other. As they talked, I glanced over Mr. Pop’s shoulder at another artist’s display. The first thing that caught my eye was a painting of a little Yorkie sitting in a martini glass holding an olive between its paws. Like a flash I was over there and before you could say, “I gotta have this!” it was in my hands. We paid the artist for the prize and as far as I was concerned the rest of the show was just a blur.

On the way home we stopped at a waterfront restaurant for lunch. It was cool out but sunny so we ate outside on the deck right by the water. As we sat there enjoying some great food, I kept this silly smile on my face because I just couldn’t stop thinking about the lucky find of that amazingly perfect picture.

Happy Anniversary, Martini

This photo was taken a year ago tonight.

One year ago today Martini walked into our home and heart for the first time. Oh what a year this has been! So much love and fun and new experiences that it made the time fly by. Time really and truly does fly when you’re having fun and especially when a Martini is involved.

Happy Anniversary, Martini, and thank you for sharing this year of your life with us. Here’s to many many more.

We love you little dude!

Who is listening to McCain these days?

By now we have all heard Senator McCain’s hypocritical rant yesterday as he fought against the plan to retire the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy in the military. I would like to suggest that Senator McCain’s sell-by date has expired.

Does he really believe that we will take his rant as heart felt on behalf of those serving in our military? Hell no. He has to know that we see him doing nothing more than political pandering. After all, this is the same man who thought Palin was prepared to be Commander and Chief if the time arose. How would that have worked out for our service members?

Republican-hog Day

The Republicans in DC came out today and saw their shadow. As usual they were afraid of their shadow so that means three more years of negativism to everything the President proposes.