Do you feel like our country has been put through the wringer in the past few weeks?  Or months?   Or years?    Being put through the wringer is being twisted, squashed, pounded, and completely drained.   I have never seen anything like it in all my years on this earth.   Before you read much farther, this may get political.

I love politics. I will be up front with you about that. Ever since I got to vote for the first time at eighteen, I have loved politics.  I watched CSPAN faithfully.  I kept up with and still do, all the news I can watch.  Being honest with you, I believe there are several “news” shows that have drifted from being the news to being opinion shows and that is fine, I just wish they would admit to it.   I voted for Jimmy Carter.  GASP!     I grew up and started to see how politicians affected my life and my pocketbook.  Politics seems to have become all touchy feely anymore. Not about the operation of our great country and how our money is spent and how protected we are.  It’s about how people FEEL, not the facts or what is good for them.

During the last confirmation hearings of the new Supreme Court judge it went from finding out how well the man would serve on the court, how qualified he was, how long he has served with distinction, to something he didn’t do years ago, could not be proven and then he was called a drunk, that he threw ice in a bar, the horror, and that he did not have the temperament to be a judge despite the FACT he has served as a judge for decades and been praised over and over for how he performed on the job.   I know many women reading this are saying, but, but, he may or may or may not have done something to a girl in high school?   Well, there were no witnesses, no one to back the woman up, no evidence of anything she said and yet the “news” media continued the lies and deception over and over to try to brainwash people into believing one thing only.   How many of us can say we were perfect in high school?  How many of us have done things we would not want brought to light?  Would we want our lives ruined because someone may or may not have remembered something we may or may not have done thirty, forty, fifty years ago?  Things that could never be proven?   We live in a very dangerous world if someone can throw allegations at you with absolutely no proof and then you are found guilty.  It could happen to anyone.  Even you or me.

Then we watch as people, mostly young men and women throwing what I call tantrums and rioting in the streets. They are not peaceful demonstrations. I have seen people punched, signs torn from people’s hands and ripped apart, elderly people harassed by dancing young women who get in their faces and shout.  There is absolutely no respect for anyone from most of these people.  Is this the kind of country we all want? It’s not the country in which I grew up.  Do we want to hear our leaders telling others to get in people’s faces and shouting them out of restaurants?   Where has civility gone?   I noticed it began years ago when a certain young president told his followers, “If they bring a knife, you bring a gun.” I wondered then, who was bringing a knife??  Another politician tells people to get in the faces of those with whom they disagree.  And just this week I heard the woman who wanted to be president tell us that liberals cannot be civil with conservatives.  What kind of leadership is that?  Certainly not a leader who wants to unite people.   I don’t want a leader like that who promotes violence.  And less you say our president does that, I have listened to most of his speeches and he has never promoted violence. Yes, he has asked protesters to be removed from his rallies which I don’t find a bad thing.  And yes, people say “Lock her up,” about Hillary even though we know that family can get away with just about anything and nothing will happen.  It’s called letting off steam, but I have been to a Trump rally and there is no violence there and it was fun.   I’m telling the world most of all the negative things you are hearing about President Trump is not the truth. If you are reading this just know, most of us like the job he is doing. We have more money in our paychecks, we haven’t entered anymore wars and he is trying to protect our borders that have become like a sieve.

I love peace and harmony.  I don’t want to see people shouting at each other, striking each other and doing all kinds of mean things because of politics.   I want to get along with those who may vote differently from me, but if my man or woman wins, I want people to respect the office and respect our country enough not to throw a tantrum.  I certainly kept quiet for years when people were elected to office with whom I disagreed.  I just waited and quietly voted. It seems one side is not content to do that any longer. If someone beats their candidate, there has to be something wrong with the world.  Maybe we should all just turn off our tvs, get together for a pitch-in dinner and talk among ourselves and ignore the politicians and talking heads for a while.   I’d love to invite you for a cup of coffee and cinnamon rolls and just talk about our lives and our families. Most people all around the world only want the simple things. Freedom, enough food, shelter, friends and family.   This is what I pray for the world,  my country, my family, and my friends.

We don’t want to be put through the wringer any longer. Stop threatening to impeach someone duly elected or confirmed in his job.  Stop telling us what you want us to hear or believe and start telling us the truth.  Get along for a few months, at least, and let the country rest.  We have had enough.

Here’s to freedom and being able to voice my opinion.  May it never be taken away. Bye.

Today is September 11th.  A day we Americans remember with sadness, some anger, and hope that it never happens again.  It was a day like no other I have experienced, when for just a little bit of time we Americans were banded together against one enemy.  An enemy who thought nothing of flying two airplanes into office buildings and murdering thousands of our citizens.  An enemy who used our airplanes to attack the Pentagon and would have done more damage if some brave souls on one plane didn’t fight back.

Now years later, we are still fighting this enemy while allowing many of them into our country. Something I just don’t understand at all.  Would we have welcomed Nazis during WW2?  I don’t think so.  And less you try to tell me all muslims are not terrorists, just know that almost all terrorists are muslims.  I watch them torture and murder Christians in several countries.  What would happen here in the United States if we were under muslim control?  May it never happen.

Where were you when the attack happened?  I was cleaning our church at the time. I would go in at two o’clock in the morning and work until nine or ten that morning. On 9/11 I was taking out the trash in my car when I heard that a plane had flown into the World Trade Center. My exact thought was, “What nut flew an airplane into that building?”  I was thinking a small plane.   I didn’t know until I got home and turned on the tv that it was an air liner and I saw the second one fly into the second building and I knew we were under serious attack.  I sat glued to the tv all day.  I had so many emotions that day. Grief, anger, disbelief, fear.  When the pentagon was attacked I thought it was all out war.  Maybe it should have been. Maybe we should have annihilated the enemy once for all in the days afterward.  My heart broke for all those who lost loved ones that day. Remember all the pictures and messages posted on fences and walls by family members looking for their loved ones, hoping they had survived the attack?   Those pictures still haunt me.

But true to form, the Democrats and Republicans could not remain as one voice for very long and soon some were for protecting all muslims at any cost while some wanted to bomb muslim countries into oblivion.   Maybe if we had done that then, we would not be having the continuous threats to our country and many other countries around the world with muslim infiltration.   I read about rapes going up in European countries because of muslim infiltration.  In Sweden, rapes have sky rocketed in that small country.  All because of their leaders allowing so many muslim men into their country.

I don’t know what the answer is.  I ask God to protect our country from those who would destroy us.   Just this week a hundred Banglesdesh people were stopped at our border.  People are flooding our borders as never before.  I heard today that since 9/11 border patrol and ICE have turned away eleven million people at our border. Millions more have come into our country illegally. Muslim Terrorists were even found living  in a compound right on our border, who were training children to attack our schools.  Our president is trying to stop this with a wall, but, as usual, the politicians can’t come together and get it done.   I hope there will not be another 9/11 to wake some up.

This day brings many thoughts.  If you live in a country being invaded, you understand what I am writing about.  If you believe muslims are a peace loving people, and many are,  that is your right, but the religion was founded on conquest and destruction and taking over people by force, if needed.   The culture of Islam is not compatible with free countries.   I never really thought much about Islam before 9/11, but I have thought a lot about it since and I have done some studying of it and nothing has proven to me it is peaceful.  It’s only peaceful when kept in control.

So, when you ponder where you were and what you were thinking on this day, just know we must all come to some conclusion one day about who the enemy really is and what should be done about it.  I pray we never have to endure another horrible day like 9/11 ever again.

Say a prayer for those who lost loved ones this day seventeen years ago and pray God will protect our countries from any more harm.  Bye.

I’ve been hearing and seeing a lot on opinion sites about Nobody and Everybody.  Everybody loves this tv show. Everybody is flocking to see that movie.  Nobody likes our president. Nobody believes a thing he says.  Nobody goes to rallies willingly.  They are paid.  Everybody wants a woman in the White House. Which woman?  Everybody loves this new food, book, tea, laundry detergent, store etc., etc.

Just who are these Nobodies and Everybodies?  And why don’t I always agree with them?   I went to a movie once that Everybody was raving about and it even won an Oscar.  Most boring movie I have ever watched and some people even got up and left when full frontal nudity came on he screen.  Who are these Everybodies? Don’t they have any taste?

I went to a restaurant Everybody said I should not miss. It would be the highlight of my life.  Worst food and service I have ever received.  Everybody was wrong, evidently.   Maybe I am a Nobody.  Because I don’t always agree with all the Everybodies.

What do you think when you see something advertised and it is said that Everybody loves it?  I immediately become suspicious because these Everybodies have steered me wrong more times than not.   I hear that Everybody is getting a certain vaccine.  Well, I haven’t and I probably won’t.   Some vaccines have been proven to be more harmful than helpful in the long run. I got vaccinated for something a while back only because a friend had been affected by this particular disease and told me I really must get vaccinated against it.  So I did. A few weeks later I heard that getting the vaccination could CAUSE you to get the disease. What????!!!

Who are these Everybodies and Nobodies?  Where do they live. Do they live in a nicer house than me, have a better dog, car, cat, refrigerator etc?    How did they get so smart that Everyone wants to follow Everybody?    And the Nobodies are just party poopers.  Really.

So the next time you hear something advertised and someone says, “Everybody loves it, or wants it, or has used it, etc.,”  just remember, if you aren’t part of those Everybodies, it isn’t true.

As for the Nobodies. Nobody listens to them anyway. Bye.

Now I don’t have the best of hearing, but the world seems inundated with noise of all kinds nowadays.    First the alarm clock blasts us awake in the morning telling us another busy day has begun.  I will have to admit, I very rarely wake to an alarm clock any more since I am retired. David sets his alarm, which I hardly ever hear, and goes to work early.   But back in the days of school and a business and working, the alarm clock woke me every day.

Doing the laundry is no longer a silent job.  Just opening the washer lid sets off a dinging telling you the lid is up.  Then, when the wash load is completed, there is another ding to remind you that you put clothes in the washer.  Same goes for the dryer.  Open the door and there is a ding.  Clothes dry, ding again.

Driving a car use to be pretty easy.  You got in the car, turned on the lights if needed and drove.  Now the car warns you your door is open, your seatbelt is not on and if you left your lights on before getting out there is a loud ping-ping-ping that won’t let up until you turn off the lights. If you forget and leave your keys in the ignition, there is another warning sound that is so irritating, you can’t get the keys out fast enough.  And I’m sure many of you have heard the check engine ding that may or may not be warning you about something.   David ignored that ding for years in his truck and has never had any trouble.  A tire low, ding again.  Gone are the days when you were responsible for checking the pressure in your tires or remembering to turn off the lights or take out the key.

Have you listened to any news on tv lately?  What’s with the steady beat behind the reporting?  It seems the news cannot be reported any longer unless there is music or drum beats going on in the background. Sometimes it’s so loud, it’s hard to hear the reporters.  Same with movies and television shows.  The background music is so intrusive, it drowns out the voices you are trying to hear.  I read once that the makers of movies thought the loud music would make it more of an experience for the viewer, drawing them in.  It makes me want to leave.  Sometimes the music is so loud in the movie theater I have to cover my years. Is there an insidious effort to make us all deaf or deafer than we already are?    I also have been noticing a subliminal sound of a telephone ring in the background of some things I am watching.  David doesn’t hear it, but I have heard it clearly several time.  I am not going nuts.

Loud music in passing cars.   We sit on our porch quite frequently and a car will go by with the bass playing so loudly, I fear for the occupants inside.  When I can feel the beat in my chest from a car passing my house, it must be a tad too loud.

Trains.  I love trains.   I have lived by train tracks for almost my entire married life and enjoy seeing the trains go by.  But lately, it seems the train whistles have become much louder and longer in duration.   I wonder about the engineers who really lay on the horn and keep it going from one crossing to the next.   Why is it necessary for them to keep the horns going after they have crossed the track?     It’s a noise that is causing some problems in my city because there are more trains going through than ever before.  The city fathers are trying to find a solution, but I don’t think they will do anything with the crossing by my house as we are too far out of town, even though we are considered in city limits.

Dogs barking. Okay. They are my dogs.   Some day I will have to tape Molly when a train goes by.  She is louder than the train, if possible. It’s almost like she is enjoying the howling and will continue it long after the train has passed.  She doesn’t do it when I am outside with her.  I am sure the train whistle hurts her ears, but she should be getting use to them.

Talking heads on tv.  They are just noise.  Who are these people that others take them seriously and listen to them?   Watch one show there is one view. Watch another there is an opposing view and the more controversial the topic, the louder the voices get and they shout over each other.  Noise.  I find myself turning them off more and more.

Cellphones.  David and I rarely use our cellphones except for long distance calls and we do take it with us on trips in case we have car trouble.  But I see people with cellphones on continually, whether playing games or scrolling through pictures or checking Facebook or twitter.  Kids wear earplugs in their ears continuously listening to the latest music.  People turning on and turning out everywhere.  It’s not noise, but it’s another distraction from real life. I notice even in church people are sitting there scrolling through their cellphones and I know they are not all reading the Bible!  And sometimes a cellphone will ring right in the middle of the sermon. Noise.   Distraction.  We have become a nation of watchers, not doers.  Many people aren’t in the moment anymore.  If it’s not on their cellphone, it’s not life for them.

I’m as bad as the next one. I have to have background noise on most of the time whether it’s the tv or radio.  Lots of times I’m not even really listening.  Noise.    I must make a concerted effort to turn off the tv and radio and listen to the silence for a while.  I don’t know how anyone is creative anymore with sound blaring constantly all around them.  Some of the best inventions have happened when people were bored and were sitting quietly, thinking.

I hope I don’t sound like a curmudgeon.   Yesterday probably wasn’t any better than today, but it sure seems like it’s a lot noisier today.  Who listens to the birds singing or the patter of rain on the roof or the wind blowing through the trees?  If it all isn’t done with background music many probably won’t listen.    Noise. How has it affected you today?