U.S. 95 Sentries

For a little over a month U.S. 95, the north/south route through Idaho, has been getting a bit of badly needed repair through the Coeur d'Alene area. It is a highway we travel daily and we've watched the work progress with a great deal of interest.

Each intersection is getting new curbing and sidewalks that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Plus about seven miles of resurfacing. This is a $4.5 million "pavement preservation project" . I was curious as to what pavement preservation projects are since the surface is being ground off and a new one applied. That doesn't seem like preservation to me. It does seem like a shell game designed to allow for federal funding.

Be it federal money or state money or a combination thereof is moot. It's our tax dollars. That brings me to the point of our curiosity. Everyday, at every intersection, regardless of it's state of completion, stands a solitary hard hatted sentry. I have never seen one with a chair of any sort, nor a lunch bucket. Not a port-o-potty in sight. I've never seen one sitting on the ground.

All construction is at night. There is no construction what-so-ever Friday and Saturday. The intersections seem to be well marked and coned. Yet even on the week ends there stand those sentries!

I asked a store clerk nearby one day and was told she thought it was to keep people from walking on or defacing freshly poured concrete yet they stand where none has yet been poured.

This leads me to believe it is some sort of safety issue, but what? Not many of the intersections have people crossing frequently. Those that do have traffic lights and ample room to avoid the construction area. So what's the deal?

Essentially these people are being paid - to do nothing! I've heard of "make work" but this is ridiculous. "Work" is missing from the equation! If this is where our stimulus money is going, it is stimulating something more than my curiosity. It's stimulating the need for a plausible explanation!

Saints Alive!

Some days are just plain better than others. Today was one such.

I had to talk with our vet this morning and mentioned Bacchus had an eye that was bothering him. Off we went to get some ointment and a chance to see two of his favorite ladies. Our vet and a Saint loving tech who has often assisted with him.

To our delight she had her brand new puppy at the clinic due to a sore paw and a house left empty. I felt pretty comfortable having them meet. After all his doctor was right there. For you Bacchus fans, enjoy. You'll understand why I love this doctor.

Like A Dog Meowing?

Watch out Susan Boyle, you've got competition! Wow. I've got to start watching Britain's Got Talent. It's true!

This time it's a young Welsh waiter who looks every bit the part of an androgynous rocker. When he chats with the judges the tone of his voice is that of a normal young man. What you will hear is the last thing you'd ever expect.

Two years ago Paul Potts, a tenor, sang the same song, Nessum Dorma, and is now what this young man aspires to be - a worldwide performer. It brings to mind what a trouser role in reverse might be given the opportunity.



A few more contestents like Potts, Boyle and now Pritchard, some enterprising composer should pen an opera around Britain's Got Talent winners!

Powell And The Moderates Versus The Republicans

Opinionating along political lines is getting more and more difficult these days. It's akin to being a moderate in either party.

I've always considered myself pretty much a middle of the road type, finding merit where it may be regardless of party. These days however, to look for it is considered betrayal and finding it is nigh on to impossible.

The Democrats, regardless of what they say, are the party of big government and even bigger spending. I have no idea what the Republicans are any more. It's hard to be an equal opportunity commenter when you can't pin down what they stand for in order to comment on it! What's more contrast it.

One part of the party, represented so well by Dick Cheney, clings to times past. He makes the circuit of Sunday talk shows quite frequently trying to convince us the policies of the current administration have put the country at high risk. On the other hand he tells us on Face the Nation , in his continuing effort to discredit Colin Powell, that he didn't realize Powell was still a Republican! How can he be so positive about the state of our national security now that he is no longer privy to current briefings yet not know one of the most respected men in the country has indeed remained a Republican?

How, too, can he endorse the blatherings of Rush Limbaugh, the titular "head" of the Republican party, over the thoughtful insight of Powell? He may not agree with Powell, but to side with Limbaugh's way of thinking, for instance, the reason for Powell's endorsement of Obama was because they are both black, seems to me to be a man out of touch with reality. Or is it just bitter spite? Limbaugh? Hannity? Ingraham? Please! They are not the voices of any party I could be interested in. They preach devisiveness!

Then we have the listening tour with Jeb Bush, Romney and Virginia Representative Eric Cantor trying to find out how to attract people to the big tent. I have a few suggestions. Get over Roe versus Wade and Gay Marriage issues. And quit allowing the religious right be the loudest voice with all their dictates. Moderates and independents will never even look at the tent unless it becomes more broad based.

They also need to get over Ronald Reagan. He was a good man, and to the Republican way of thinking he was the right man for his time. But that time is long past; the country and the times are vastly different.

At the moment I find it extremely frustrating that the Republicans are so totally rudderless. It's like we have the Democrats without opposition. There are certainly no ideas coming forth to counter everything being protested.

The Democrats should be sitting in the catbird seat, but no. They can't find common ground among themselves. Now that the first 100 days hyperbole is over, it makes me wonder just how long it will be until the nation is totally frozen in it's tracks.

Motherhood In All It's Glory

I remember back when I was arranging for care givers for my Mother. One lady said to me caring for the elderly was not so different from caring for babies. They were just bigger. I remember thinking my Mom would have been livid at that assessment.

The care giver had her point though. I've been giving a lot of thought to the practice of "mothering" these days. I don't have children, but I'm mothering never-the-less, with Bacchus. Our animals are the only ones we go full cycle with as a general rule. For humans, parents aren't supposed to outlive their children. Unfortunately, that isn't always the way. I understand that pain. Even if my experience has been with dogs. It is my reality.

We started with a bundle of fluff, albeit a large one, that you could watch grow on a daily basis. We struggled through potty training, teething, switching from baby food to adult food. We lived through the terrible twos to the teens all within two years. We enjoyed the antics and adventures of youth and the dignity that came with maturity. We nursed scrapes and scratches and runny noses and sticky stuff in fur and bug bites. And now we wake each morning wondering if the old grey head will rise once more. Full cycle.

Mother's Day is a designated day of appreciation for all of this.

Spring is the perfect time. I remember many years ago when I did publicity for a small zoo in Washington. Spring birthing season was the time of year to get the TV crews to come out and photograph the new born. I've been marvelling at the mating and nesting habits of our backyard birds. The broken wing act of the Killdeer and the ferocious in-your-face screeching when you get to close, to the bullying of the Magpies. We have them all. They're all wonderful, living creatures bringing life into this world and nurturing it until it's able to fend for itself.

A couple of weeks ago a friend sent me a link to a live feed of an eagle's nest. I've watched her sit the eggs, watched them hatch and watched her feed them. She fusses over them, warms them, it touches one's soul.

It's a female thing that spans species wherever and whatever they may be. It's who we are and what we are meant to do in the grand scheme of things, each in our own way.

Another video has been making the rounds. I've received it from several people. It's a couple of years old, has been edited to be a nature film and sums it up perfectly. Add your look to the three million who have already viewed it. Don't mute it, the track is part of the story. It's motherhood - in all it's glory.