Alternatives

Have you heard about this guy?
Bill Bridgers www.kktv.com/vegtheusa/3452021.html
and driving a car on waste vegetable oil? Joe told me some guy did this for a Mercedes Benz.
Apparantly people have known about this for some time. So why aren't more people aware of it, and doing it?

Did you know simple, harmless diatomaceous earth, found at any garden store, can kill most insect pests better than
ANY chemical powder or spray. I had a flea problem a couple of years ago and I researched for hours before I
found a site that told me to sprinkle this stuff in my yard, near my doors and to vacuum twice a day (with D.E in the bag).
Fleas were totally gone in two days, for good. I used no poison of any kind.
These folks even have an edible version www.dirtworks.net/Diatomace...Earth.html

We are using neurofeedback (biofeedback) therapy for my daughter's petit mal seizures. This
is more effective, and a lot less harmful, than drug options. It works for numerous neurological disorders.

I guess if more people new about these harmless solutions they wouldn't spend so much money on expensive chemicals, drugs
or fuel. I suppose that would put a lot of real assholes out of business. I say assholes because it appears their bread-n-butter (or mind-boggling wealth)
means more to them than the health of the planet...and MY kids!

I sense a coming change. Not so much because humans are suddenly going to care more. Not soon anyway. No, people are simply
going to think "Five dollars a stinkin' gallon?! Screw this! I'm gonna try this vegetable oil thing!"

The picture isn't Rori, it's Sage when she was Rori's age, eating spaghetti...wearing spaghetti.

8 things

According to Amy's rules here are 8 things you might not know about me:

I have three sisters and none of them are related to one another. Lori lives here, Erin lives in Brooklyn and Lynda mysteriously disappeared in 1987. I never met her so I have this weird sense of having lost someone I never knew.

I'm adopted and I met my biological mother in "86" and my biological father a year and a half ago.

My biological mother was going to name me Sahra. That's why I use the dance name "Naadira Sahra" Naadira means "scarce thing."

I like punk rock, among several other genres, and I used to have the wildest shaved hair-dos.

I can sing. I have vocal training and used to do weddings. Now it's mostly just karaoke. I love to sing heavy metal.

I was a mega-outcast in Junior High. Complete dorkdom.

I got all the answers right on this IQ test: web.tickle.com/tests/uiq/...egister.jsp
I know, I was just as surprised as you

I have a third nipple. Hee, hee, hee, hee, hee! It's true! Like Chandler.

Valerie tagged me. I think all of my friends have been tagged. Who hasn't been tagged?

You know you have a toddler when...

This blog may evolve as the child grows. There will surely be plenty more shenanigans in the future.

You know you have a toddler when:
Everything you own is either broken, lost or covered in a mysterious sticky substance.
You arrive to work late with snot on your shoulder and oatmeal on your pants, you look like you slept two hours and you haven’t bothered to comb your hair. You know everybody else who looks like this had a wild night out but you haven’t had a night out in two years.
You tell your boss to use his “indoor voice” when he’s chewing you out.
Everything you do; brush your teeth, mend a sock, cook a meal or write a blog, you get “help.”
If you do not get help you spring from the room to see what’s being destroyed and/or eaten.
You’d sleep a little longer if it weren’t for that finger in your eye.
You have Poison Control on speed dial.
Sex consists of four very quiet minutes during nap time in the afternoon. This romantic interlude is often interrupted by crying in the next room.
Your bathroom often sports that hip draped toilet paper look.
You go back to a restaurant three weeks later and none of the wait staff will come to your table.
You can smell it but she won’t admit to it.
You’re wearing a Sponge Bob Squarepants band-aid over a bite mark on your finger.
You debate with yourself whether Great Aunt Erleen’s antique vase is really worth the tantrum if you take it away.
You’re convinced there are both monkey and Tasmanian devil genes in your genetic pool.
You know what “The Wet Noodle Maneuver” is.
You’re late to the birthday party because you had to change your kid’s clothes three times and your own clothes twice.
You do laundry all of the time and there are still three piles of dirty clothes up to your ass.
You clean house all of the time and at the end of the day it’s actually messier than when you started.
You don’t bother with cleaning supplies because you need a ladder and a locksmith to get to them.
You no longer have the energy to be embarrassed when company drops by.
The last time you went to a movie you spent the entire time chasing your screaming kid around the lobby.
When you do find a sitter she calls in the middle of dinner to ask, “So...when are you coming home?”
You are constantly searching for shoes.

You say things like:
“We put bologna in our mouths, not our pants.”
“We do not eat things we find on the ground.”
“Poop is not for throwing!”
“Poop is not for eating!”
“Pet the kitty nicely!”
“She only does this when she needs a nap.” (Blatant lie)
“No, Sweetie, that’s a horse, not a dog.”
“No, Baby, that’s a giraffe, not a dog.”
“We do not put pebbles in our bottom.”
“Crayons do not go in your nose.”
“Yes, you have an umm-brel-la-OUCH!”
“Honey! The vacuum is not going to eat you.”
“Who’s my little pookity-poo peapod?”
“Put that back!”
“Sit down!”
“No!”
“NO!”
“NOOOOOOOO!!!”


And just when you wonder why you had a kid you remember...
You get lots of kisses and hugs!
You laugh all of the time!
That the sweetest sound in the world is “I wuv oou!”
You do not have twins.

I wanna see your Pudica, show it to me..

Okay, I thought I might better illustrate the whole pudica thing if I showed you a paper I wrote awhile back. Ally McBeall was taken off the air some time ago but I still think this idea applies to our popular culture. It's collegiate writing people so don't expect to be entertained.



Liesl Wright

February 16, 2000


The Ally Pudica


It has long been asserted that while culture shapes art, art also shapes culture. Stereotypes presented in works of art can effect our perceptions of the world around us so insidiously that we accept them as realities of nature. Popular beliefs of the past have found permanence in highly revered works of art as well as in written texts. The modern Western world has been strongly influenced by beliefs and images from Greek antiquity and the Italian Renaissance. Women were held in low regard during both of these periods, and while we would like to believe that the feminist movement of the 70's has freed us from such bias, a candid look at the portrayal of women in popular media today would indicate otherwise.

In the "Venus Pudica" Nanette Salomon explores the effects of a work of art from antiquity so often imitated that its perceived narrative qualities have been accepted as truth by centuries of artists and viewers. The ideology of this sculpture has portrayed women as helpless and vulnerable, effectively reducing them to mere sexual objects, available for the viewing pleasure of men. Praxiteles' Knidian Aphrodite is a sculpted female figure that "affects expectations and evaluations of real women" (Salomon, "The Venue Pudica" p. 65). While nudes of men continued to exhibit the penis as naturally as any other body part, the first female nude of Ancient Greek art shields her genitals with her hand as if to protect herself from an unwelcome viewer. This simple device effectively reduces the female figure to a sexual object and creates a possessive voyeur of the presumably male viewer. While we cannot assume to know what Praxiteles hoped to convey in this pose we are well aware of the manner in which it was interpreted by later Renaissance artists. The "Pudica,"pose, defined as both modest and sexual, continues "to be a most favored subject/pose/gesture in the art of the Western world." (Salomon, "The Venus Pudica," p. 70).

The Pudica ideally complimented popular Renaissance opinions of women. Diane Russell states that "Being born a biological male or female was perhaps the most portentous sign in one's life, leading almost always to gendered patterns of existence." (Russell, "Eva/Ave," p.17). A woman was considered irrational and less intelligent than a man. She was known to be unstable, emotional and ill-suited for work outside the home. She could not care for herself but could care for children as long as she had a husband to direct and protect her.

A virtuous man, according to Russell, was intelligent, wise, strong, generous and eloquent among other things while the one essential virtue of women was chastity. A woman might be portrayed as the ideal virgin, a model of the mother of Christ. The wicked temptress, first personified by Eve, would be another typical characterization of a woman. Depictions of women were consistently clichéd versions of one of the two.

Many would argue that while these preconceptions of women have certainly existed in the past and may still exist in other parts of the world, modern America has abolished sexism almost entirely. If this is true then we must consider why an overwhelming number of American women regard their physical appearance as their most important trait. Women spend billions more than men every year on products meant to make them look better: diets, cosmetics, haircuts, clothing, plastic surgery, manicures, waxes and much more. Clearly, most women believe their attractiveness to men is of the utmost importance. Worse, some women and girls are so critical of their appearance that they risk their health for the sake of what poplar culture defines as beauty.

While arguably not acceptable as high art, television cannot be denied as an artistic medium that reaches the largest possible audience. The average layperson, incapable of naming a single artwork from this century, could doubtless rattle off a sizable list of television programs. Television may be the most persuasive media of all time. It is available to everyone and is so common that we tend to not question any but the most overt assaults on our sensibilities, which may explain why a program like "Ally McBeall" is held in such high regard as to receive an Emmy while simultaneously offering up a stereotypical and narrow-minded archetype of womanhood.

Frightfully thin, wide-eyed and full-lipped Callista Flockheart, the actress who plays Ally, looks more like a little girl than a woman. As women have gained access to the workforce and life outside the home, the media has pressured us to lose weight, to even starve ourselves. It is difficult to be an imposing force in the workplace or in the home while possessing less mass than a stalk of celery. The Rubenesque ideal of feminine beauty was a lush, voluptuous and abundant figure. A well-fed woman was the picture of health during the famine-ridden centuries before the industrial revolution. Besides, Rubens and his contemporaries did not need to make women physically tiny to insure their vulnerability and dependence on men when so many social and political restraints prevented them from being self-reliant.

Aside from physical appearance, Ally McBeall conveys an unrealistic, childish and supposedly charming idealism. A highly unlikely lawyer, she wins cases utilizing fragility, vulnerability and an irresistible sweetness. The brilliant, strategic arguments her male co-workers use provide a sharp contrast to her "feminine charms." While the character Ally is not a virgin, her naive and childlike qualities provide the illusion of chastity. Ally McBeall appears to exhibit all of the characteristics of women described during the Renaissance. She is irrational, emotional and passionate. She utilizes her femininity to manipulate men. She demonstrates an aptitude for compassion, requires protection and direction and seeks a man to make herself complete.

In a recent episode, Ally deliberately rear-ends an attractive male driver in order to meet him. When accused by the driver of hitting him on purpose she tilts her head coquettishly, as if hoping to smooth over the matter with her cuteness. Ally makes no apology for her actions, apparently in the belief that her desperation for a man is reason enough. Ultimately, the male driver is charmed, apologizes to her and asks her for a date.



Like the Pudica, her vulnerability and sexuality are conveyed through her exposure. In Ally's case, her secret desires and fantasies are communicated to a voyeuristic television audience. The pleasurable viewing of a naked woman caught by surprise has been replaced by an even more probing "peep" into a vulnerable and sexual psyche.

While so many opportunities have opened for women, ideology so deeply rooted in our cultural foundation continues to dictate how women are conceived of, perceived of and, of more consequence, how women see themselves.

Pudica

We're all familiar with the "Girl's Gone Wild" videos. Now there's a new one, "Wild Party Girls" and it's a little different. They have created a fantasy world where sorority girls take showers together all of the time, make out and have pillow fights where they mysteriously lose their clothing. There's a whole infomercial about the video and all along the girls are insisting they have no idea this video will ever be made public. "Oh! I would just die if this ever got out!" and so on. Really? No idea, huh?

I realized the directors of this video are taking full advantage of the pudica effect. Do you know what a pudica is? Don't feel bad, Google doesn't even know. It's a very obscure term and that's too bad. Take a gander at this: www.wga.hu/tours/brancacc/pudica.html


See how the naked women are shyly covering their naughty bits? See how that might make a person more curious about what she's hiding under there? It actually draws attention to her sex and, therefore, immediately sexualizes her. It also illustrates that she's a "good girl", a nice, proper virgin sort. 'Cause ya know, we're all either whores or virgins and that's about it.

Rori combs hair

I'm getting my hair done by a 21 month-old person. I still have bed-head so its a good thing she's around. I was looking at blouses earlier on Ebay and she came up and pointed at one. "Cute!" she yelled. It was cute. How does she already have fashion sense?

Uh-oh! She's already lost focus and is beating on the blinds with the comb.

Leave them kids alone

Today kids, on the first day of school, we're gonna find out what is wrong with the education system in the United States of America today.
Pink Floyd had it all wrong. It should have been "Administrators, leave them teachers alone" or maybe "school board, leave educators alone." It could have been "legislators, give them schools some money," or most appropriate yet least effective in the in the actual song; "President, if you really wanted 'No child left behind' you'd come up with a real plan and properly fund it."
But there were lots of things wrong with the system long before Mr. W Bush threw his crusty, stale piece of toast into the ring.

I don't have any sources listed here. I'm the only source. On some of this I'm making an educated guess based on experience. I don't, for instance, know the exact ingredients of all of the foods served in the schools. But after smelling, seeing, and consuming it I have a pretty good idea. After 25 years in the system as a student, parent, custodian, maintenance worker and educator in elementary, middle and high school I consider myself an expert of the culture.

Before I begin my diatribe I want you to know that as bad as public school is it's still the best thing going. There is no evidence to support the idea that private schools do any better. Scores may be slightly higher overall but you have to remember that private schools do not serve children with the vast array of learning, developmental, behavioral and physical disabilities that the public schools serve. They also don't have high populations (like zero) of children of poverty. Home school isn't even in the running. Montessori school might be the exception but they still kick kids out if they're too difficult.

diet - Have you seen what they're feeding your kids? In terms of dietary needs it's pretty much one cup of fat, some empty carbohydrates, a heavy helping of sugar and additives and a few soggy, highly questionable vegetable or fruit pieces. Recognize that everything on that plate comes from the cheapest possible source. That "hamburger" is part cow raised on hormones, antibiotics and the dead meat of other cows and part mysterious fillers.
The government does not allot enough funds to provide a real meal to all of the children on free and reduced lunch. You must be aware of that. What you may not know is that the money that is allocated is put to poor use due to some mind-boggling state and federal mandates. Every child on free or reduced lunch must receive all of her lunch whether she wants it or not. Whatever she doesn't eat must be discarded. This includes unopened, packaged items like a carton of milk or a pop-tart. It includes untouched bananas, oranges and kiwis. Every school day tons of perfectly good food is thrown away unless teachers sneak it out and consume it. They're not supposed to, it's against the rules, but how can they let all of that food go to waste?
I worked with an elderly teacher who used to fondly recall her childhood school days. She lived in a small Kansas town where the midday meal was home-cooked on sight. Potroast and carrots or a steamy caldron of chicken and noodles with mashed potatoes and fresh greens. Ingredients grown on local farms and lovingly prepared by gentle granny-types. And they had a full hour to relax, enjoy it and go out to play. AN HOUR!
Which brings me too...

schedules- A the function of school boards has always been to squeeze as much work as possible out of teachers while paying them the least amount of money. School days grew longer, school years grew longer, lunch, recess and summer got shorter. Teachers don't mind too much, at least they got a small raise. But the beansprouts really suffer. Some elementary kids don't get recess at all. Some only have 10 minutes to eat. If you think that would be stressful for you imagine how tough it is for a little kid.
Middle school is the worst. Kids have three minutes to get from A hall to E hall which is a good mile away. But they're not allowed to take their backpacks with them since they might be smuggling assault rifles. They have to go back to their lockers to get the textbook for the next class which they were not allowed to have in the previous class. When they arrive late, they're promptly punished for the unavoidable tardiness. At my daughter's school they punish the kids by removing two of the three minutes from the next passing period thereby making them late to the next class. 6th graders can be seen frantically scuttling down the halls without running (because that is a fundemental public school sin) for the 1st 8 months of school. By 7th grade they hate all of their teachers and don't give a crap if they're late anymore.

I fail to see the reasoning behind making school a dreadful experience. I suppose the teachers and administrators think they're "toughening 'em up" for the real world but they only succeed in making them hate school. Kindergarteners love school, 7th graders do everything they can to get out of going.

class size- El numero uno, big number one problem of all problems in the public school system. You don't have to be smart to see that cutting class size would enable teachers to devote more time to students. In childcare the law states that the caregiver to child ratio should be: 1:3-4 infants, 1:5 Toddlers, 1:8 ages two to six. Then suddenly in kindergarten it's more like 1:25 to 1:32. Moreover, kindergarten teachers are required to teach all of these kids a long list of standards in reading, writing, math, science, social studies, health and prepare them for testing and for 1st grade.


teachers- Apparantly my daughter is too gifted for the gifted program at her school. Her teachers find her daydreaming and zany ideas a little out of step with the nice toy soldier they were hoping for. So a child who scored in the upper 99th percentile on her intelligence assessment will be purged from this lofty program and placed with the vile "general ed" population. I think she's better off.

There are a lot of good teachers. But there are just as many with giant sticks up their asses who would ream me good for starting this sentence with "but."

ejumacation for teachers
teachers' teachers
research methods
administrators
money
parents
standards
low expectations
elementary set-up
no room for individuality
bureacracy vs. corp

Clearly I'm never going to finish this blog. I have this thing called a family and this other thing called a job and frankly, I'm sick of this subject. At least for the time being. Maybe I'll write a book someday. Maybe not. Probably not.

Tiffiny

My friend and dance buddy, Tiffiny Leary, died of breast cancer yesterday. I wanted to post the short tribute I wrote for her on my profile, mostly for my own benefit but also to share. She was the beautiful (and I mean BEAUTIFUL in every way) blond woman in the white top in the Raks Araby photo on my profile. If you do read this blog please go the the breastcancersite.com and hit the button in her memory.


Tiffiny was a sweet, affectionate, kind-hearted person. She was always thinking of others. In Raks Araby class she would be sure to notice when I looked tired or unhappy and reassure me with kind words and a gentle rub on the arm. Her infectious smile easily warmed my heart.

My daughter, Sage, adored Tiffiny who played with her and gave her special attention. Sage nicknamed Tiffiny "Fungirl" -a name which fit her fun-loving character. She was young, vibrant and full of life.

Tiffiny was taken from us much too soon. Her absence will leave an insatiable void in all of the lives she touched. I always thought she looked like an angel -and so she was and still is.

Ebay: The Novel

This is the longest, corniest, most outrageous ebay item description I have ever seen. Somebody has just a little too much time on their hands. There are 8 pictures with this fixture in every conceivable viewpoint and perspective so that you may behold it's otherworldly, celestial qualities. I think it was wrought by God and blessed by Jesus himself.
I'm glad to know little Toe-Toe has a good home now. I imagine him cuddled on a satin pillow nibbling steak-tips from a stemmed crystal dish.




VINTAGE ULTRAMODERN EAMES CEILING LIGHT FIXTURE



ALUMINUM FLYING SAUCER w MILK GLASS SHADE CRYSTAL STEM



Being offered for utmost consideration and ones celestial need: to surround ones self with objects of the past. This objects being one that visually enhance the feeling of: modernism and well being. Being offered is one of those as spoken about an authentic: vintage fixture that will blow you away.



The first time I laid eyes on this vintage futuristic piece it truly awakened a need in my soul for objects of our industrial age that define who we were and what we did about it way back when.



At first glance this authentic fixture took on a visual sensory image of the planet Saturn with all of its rings. Then I plugged the piece in, and it began to further entranced my feeling of a fixture that replicated something from space, and the BEAM ME UP SCOTTIE sort of appeal.



It doesnt get any more futuristic than that.



This vintage piece with it purely ultramodern futuristic appeal: is absolutely impressive.



From its of the period light sand colored aluminum finned louvers with its reflective outer rimmed demeanor to its intense white milk glass center shade this ceiling fixture has the period captured to its avant-garde style and revolutionary design.



As if the fixture was not enough to play with ones mind the creator added a hint of elegance in the fixtures fluted stemmed and ribbed crystal piece. The crystals presence with its upward thrust adds to the volume of projected light. The creators way of stepping out (figuratively): with his (or her) use of the element of crystal as a safety net for acceptance.



The fluted reflective crystal adds so very much visually, I have to concur with the designs choice of elements that promote the refraction of light, it truly adds to the projected power of this catalyst of light. However the inside cup that holds the heavy linked chain to the fixture does support a bit of surface rust. Due to its unique location this cannot be seen by the naked eye.



The fixture does come with about 12 inches of heavy chain for easy ceiling attachment. The fixtures original cloth wires are attached and a marriage of interwoven wire to chain. I suggest to all my buyers to take the initiative to get the fixture and its wiring inspected by a licensed electrician before attaching fixture in ones domicile. Safety is of utmost importance.





When summons to perform: illumination from this fixture pierces the darkness with its directive and control lighting abilities. It owns the night with its ambiance. Its applied design: a directive of light.



I consider this fixture to have three commanding light projection sources.



First being: the gorgeous vintage ribbed white milk glass globe pressure fitting into place by three ingenious spider leg springs centered on the bottom of the fixture. (View photos) The globe adds a bit of warmth with its downward projection of light. An enormous coverage of light directed into the living space of the lamps owner. You can add or decrease the lighting effect by choosing a comfortable wattage for your lifestyle with the bulbs you place into the fixture. Glass is wonderful rendition of vintage milk glass, with no chips nor cracks.



Second light source being: The aluminum slatted aperture that are so much a part of the innovative design that went into the creation of this fixture. The projected light from the bulbs escape between the vaned openings between the layers of vented aluminum: and illuminate the room via the narrow openings. The surface aluminum does support a small bit of discoloration (which might clean off with soap and water) where someone so very long ago must have taped the glass to the fixture to keep it tight, because they did not realize the function of the lamp and its ability to hold the glass tight with its spider springs.



The brilliant reflective beauty of the outer rim does support a few minute surface scrapings, due to use, not abuse. A small price to pay: for a cherished item of the past.



Third and most comprehensive light source being: the open faced top of the fixture that heaves the fixtures total wattage upwards in a splash of stunning projection. (See photos) Nothing says total ultra modernism like an illuminated room that is seemly light in a celestial fashion. If you are one that has a vaulted ceiling or a magnificent ceiling medallion, than this is the fixture for you. Or if you appreciate vintage lighting with the appeal of dramatic presentation, this will be to your liking.



Fixture is a titillating 22 inches in length (about) from the end of the fixture chain to the bottom of the milk glass globe. Meaning this fixture will hand down a little over 22 inches in length when attached to ceiling cap. (Which the cap is not part of this deal)



The total measurement in height of fixture alone is about 10 inches. (Its a tuff piece to measure) With a satisfying: 15 diameter measurement.



Milk glass globe does support a nipple sort of heave to its outer surface.



An icon of its time: a chosen treasure forever.



This unique fixture will leave my home adequately packaged with a shipping weight of 8 pounds from zip code 49601. Buyer should give serious consideration to investing in shipping insurance to adequately protect ones investment.



TERMS:



PLEASE NOTE: This item is being offered and sold in used as is said condition.



AS IS means: what you see in the photos! NOT what you think you might see, or hope is there-but rather what is visually represented.



I do my personal best to provide a visual description in its entirety: of the item being offered for auction.



I highly encourage: if perfection is your forte, you might be more content (and comfortable) with going to an Antique store or Flea Market to make you selection. If your desire (and understanding) is to own and appreciate used -than this is the auction of choice for you.



Items being presented are in the spirit and format of used auction or Estate or Garage Sale finds. PLEASE REMEMBER: that old vintage and antique items are known and expected to have age and use behind them. This is the true nature of: vintage used.



If the item is in RARE Excellent condition, my write-up will state that status, and I did. My personal perception may differ from yours. That does not mean that the item is misrepresented, it means that each and everyone has their own level of perception of an item and its acceptable quality.



Sight unseen is: like having a distant relative picking out clothes for you that they think you might like!



PLEASE EMAIL ME WITH ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS.



I cannot (and will not) be held responsible for any item once it leaves my home, if not insured.



Placing a bid on this light means you have read (and understand) and accept and acknowledge all of the terms and conditions of this sale.



If you have a question or doubt -the time is now to ask.



RETURNS OR REFUNDS: ARE NOT ENCOURAGED!!!



THANK-YOU: FOR YOUR VALUABLE TIME.



At this time I am thrilled to announce after many months of debilitating grief over the loss of my beloved soul mate Farkas, I have committed my loving and passionate heart to the frail and broken spirit of an abused and neglected Rescue Pekingese from Adopt-Aluv in Mentor Ohio. The angels that live and work among us!



Which as we speak: is being over-run by toss away and owner surrendered Peks.



Take a moment and look at: adoptablepets.net or petfinder.com with a caring heart and determined mind.



Maybe together we can work to overcome this horrendous situation of: abuse, neglect and genocide of the four pawed kind.



Happily ever After is a God given right: an existence that each and every animal should be entitled to experience in their lives.



Torture and neglect: is not acceptable!



Toe-Toe: has come into my life with needs as big as the desert sky, and I have committed my life to helping this little guy have the life: he so deserves.



A long and treacherous road this little abused guy has traveled, the suffering and abuse was at the hands of the wicked and the barbaric.



Starting life out as a pampered show dog and ending up neglected and abused in an abandoned barn for over two years, with animals living off his filth and tormenting his soul. Unable to stand on his own legs: or move due to the abusive imprisonment.



With each passing day he is beginning to learn and put faith in the fact: that with our love and committed compassion together can conquer anything!



As a family we are committed to helping little Toe- Toe to know a passionate and caring heart: and a better life.



We will teach him to see the outside world and to learn to lock away the horrific abusive cage life.



He will see the trees, hear the birds sing and learn to walk and climb stairs.



With time he will learn his life was intended for him to be a dog, not a victim. And that the word play will bring a world of good things to his life.



From this point on he will know only a world void of: boundaries or cages, neglect or abuse.



For he does not realize it yet that he has finally reached home. The abandoned barn that housed and tortured him for so many of his long days will be tucked away and cursed to a memory.



His tortured body and his wounded mind will be a thing of the past: never to be experienced again in his lifetime.



WELCOME TO YOUR FOREVER HOME TOE-TOE, WE HAVE SEARCHED AND WAITED A LONG TIME: AND NOW WE FINALLY FOUND YOU!



A dear friend who is the head of a Rescue group in Kentucky just emailed to ask for help. She has in her custody a broken and abused Sheltie by the name of Sasha that needs our concern, care and our help. If you have made it this far into my write-up: than I know you are a caring person. Please take a moment and check out item .. 7167276985. This is not a scam, this is what real life and abuse and neglect does to sweet innocent animals. Maybe together we can make a difference, and help: right a bad wrong done to an animal that has been neglected and abused.



Thank-you: for your compassionate consideration and time.

New York City!

I recently took a jet-plane to New York City. My sister lives in Brooklyn and what an excellent excuse to go visit the big city. This time I took my eleven year-old daughter, Sage, as I'd promised. We toured the Guggenheim and MOMA. I can get a little wrapped up in art viewing. I once spent 11 straight hours at the Met. My feet were bloody stumps by the time I tore myself away. The very next day I wrapped up my blisters and scabs and got absorbed all over again at the Guggenheim. I worship you Frank Lloyd Wright! That time Frank Gehry was on exhibition.
This time it was Hilla Rebay, Jorge Oteiza and Robert Mapplethorpe. Whoa! Did she just say she took her 11 year-old child to a Mapplethorpe exhibit? Yes, indeedy I did and she was thoroughly horrified. I talked a lot of art teacher stuff about the beauty of the human form and how it has always been a central theme in art, blah, blah, blah. But, oh well, she's eleven, what did I expect? She hid her face in my sleeve and refused to look at that gross naked people stuff.
It's important to note this exhibition did not include Mapplethorpe's homo-erotic work. It compared his photos of human form with classical mannerist prints. So the question remains: would I have allowed her to view those photos that many people have described as pornographic?
I'm very different from the average Midwestern mom who freaks out at the thought of her precious darlings viewing nudity or hearing about sex but doesn't seem at all concerned with violence in cartoons and on TV. To me, violence is the thing to be feared. Sex is a natural part of life and ignorance breeds curiousity. Homosexuality is perfectly natural too.
The Mapplethorpe photos I'm referring to are sadomasochistic and, therefore, depict a sort of violence. Yet these photos express tenderness too. Would that confuse her?
I think what I would do is explain the photos beforehand and let her decide. She would have decided not to see them. And that says something very poignant about her readiness. It's her choice, she'll decide when she's ready.
She did impress me with her observations of Kandinsky, Rebay and Oteiza. We had the kinds of conversations about art that drew in passers-by until we found ourselves in little clusters of perfect strangers. Did I mention she's one hell of a smart kid? MY super-smart kid!
Aside from museums we rode the Cyclone at Coney Island in a cyclone. It seemed like it anyway. A downpour began just as the ride was taking off. Rain pounded against our faces and forced us to close our eyes. Sage described the experience as "exhilerating" and I would have to concur.
We encountered fun characters on the boardwalk like the dancing guy in tiny yellow shorts and the oddly dressed giant guy, a good head-and-a-half taller than anyone else in the crowd, who proudly brandished a duck puppet on his hand and marched around yelling "tawk to da duck."
We saw break-dancers! Some good ones and I think I got some good pictures too. I like watching capable dancers as much as I like viewing thought-provoking art.
We ate yummy pizza Brooklyn style, walked up 42nd street to Times Square, visited the Flatiron and saw a bit of Central Park. We ate excellent Korean food in Brooklyn, had dim-sum in Chinatown and Thai on Manhattan Island. We found refuge from a flaming, smoking bus in the very library they find refuge in when Manhattan floods in "The Day After Tomorrow." But the two best features of my visit were the long conversations with my sister in the evenings (nobody "gets it" like she does) and the one-on-one time with my oldest daughter.

Right before I left for New York I met some family members I'd been looking forward to meeting for some time. My husband's daughter, Nikita, and her mother, Nancy. Sage and Nikita befriended each other immediately -you would have thought they'd known each other all of their lives. They even resemble one another. And Nancy is just the sort of woman I would have picked out of a crowd to be my friend. She "gets it" too.
I am having an excellent, fantabulous (fanta, fanta, don't you wanna?) amazing summer.