Reality Check

Comparing Obama to Hitler? This is a joke, right? Well, I guess it isn't a joke to the extremist radio talk show hosts and t.v. commentators
who are some of the most vile perpetrators of hate I have

ever been witness to. They spit their vitriol and spew

their hatred, creating as much divisiveness among racial

cultural, and socioeconomic lines as they can muster. They

prey on ignorance and bask in the glory of notoriety. But,

I know, underneath this puffed up righteousness, they have

vacant souls. This notion that President Obama is proposing a health care bill that advocates euthanizing of seniors is just simply ludicrous. Why would anyone oppose the educated counsel by people in the health care profession who can delineate end of life options such as hospice, living wills, and advanced directives to the aged. Oh, that's right, this is all a part of Obama's big plan. He will have saboteurs in these settings, really pushing for "just a little more morphine, Mrs. Jones," and then, "Oops, guess I overdid that one. Let's call it at 9:40 p.m." I, for one, have a living will and I am grateful that I have at least that tiny bit of control over my life, should I become critically ill.

That being said, there are legitimate issues regarding this bill that clearly require political accountability - trying to push it through for approval without scrutiny of the components and stating that the new health care plan will create a surplus, not a deficit. Puhleeez. This is politics as usual, and unfortunately, we have not seen a politician yet that doesn't skew statistics and parcel out facts to support their positions. Disappointing? Absolutely. Evil? Hardly.

I am disheartened as I watch rageful faces at these town hall meetings. People are desperate. We ordinary folks were royally screwed and we were promised change with this new administration. Yet, big bonuses and private jets still prevail. I am an Obama supporter and have no doubt that I will continue to be. But, our country is in a mess, headed that way long before January, 2009. I am sad to see how we are choosing camps and throwing poisonous barbs at each other at a time when we need to come together and find a middle ground. Any movement or action that is inspired by teeth bearing, growling fear, and manifesting in hateful words and behaviors, will ultimately leave barren spirits in its wake. We can do better than this.

C'mon, they both begin with "C"

So, I read that castor oil is good for dry skin, among many other things like muscle aches, blood circulation, ect. Since I have been in and out of the chlorinated pool all summer, I thought castor oil sounded like just the ticket. As many of you know from previous posts, I am kind of susceptible to quick fix skin products. Off to The Vitamin Shoppe! I went right to the shelf with caster oil, needing no assistance from the sales clerk, which was ultimately quite unfortunate. I found it most peculiar that castor oil came in orange and lemon flavors along with your basic "pure" castor oil. I didn't know it was meant to be consumed, but I did recall either my mom or Warren saying they used to be forced to take a tablespoon of castor oil with sugar to cure whatever ailed them. I THINK that's what they said so I was sure that someone must have come up with a way to consume the stuff that made it pleasing to the palate. I knew I would be rubbing it on my skin and thought the artificial flavorings might be toxic, so I went with the pure variety. Last night, after showering, I slathered up my body with this new skin tonic, paying close attention to my arms and hands. After I put on p.j.s, I went upstairs, made my nightly bowl of popcorn and settled in to watch CNN. Every time I stuffed a handful of popcorn into my mouth, my nose would crinkle, twitch, and sniff the air, wondering about the smell wafting about. I thought maybe I had popped my corn in a bad batch of canola oil. Even after I had wolfed the bowl down, the smell lingered. I checked to see if there was cat breathing down my neck, who might have just eaten a dish of that nasty tuna/salmon casserole pate. No, that wasn't it. And, everywhere I moved, the smell trailed. Hmmm, I thought, maybe caster oil has an odor. But, an odor that is reminiscent of a gold fish bowl that has needed changing for a couple of days? This is weird. Well, it was time for bed anyway so I traipsed downstairs to take Cayenne out for her nightly poop and pee. Back inside, I brushed my teeth and looked again at the bottle of castor oil on the bathroom counter top. I got into bed and found myself a little distracted by the fumes, when I suddenly had a vision of the bottle on the counter. It didn't say Castor Oil, it said COD LIVER OIL!!!!!!! Omigod, I had doused myself with the stuff and was walking around in a funky cloud of stink. Believe me, cod liver oil doesn't smell like grilled halibut. That I could live with. You would think I immediately showered after that, but, no, I was tired and I had gotten used to the scent. At first, I thought, Oh, no, I have so many scratches on my skin (the travails of a ranch hand), and isn't it true tha fish often carry flesh eating bacteria? Well, maybe not, but I'm sure I read that somewhere, too. Still too lazy to get up, I decided to take my chances, but I wondered if I should leave a note for somebody in case I had a sudden onset of the deadly bacterial infection and died. Thankfully, Warren was staying over in Los Angeles so I didn't have to see his face grimace in disgust while he asked, "Did you change the litter box?" Even though the two odors are worlds apart. Then, I began to think maybe something that smells this bad might have some real healing benefits. You know, the product is unadorned, very pure, that's what the label said, and many fish have absolutely beautiful scales. So, that's what I went with. Ahhhhh, I drifted off to a peaceful slumber with just a hint of a smile on my face.

P.S. I still haven't showered and my skin looks luminous!