Thankful

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and He will direct your path. The more I listen to the news from Memphis, the more thankful I am for the divine intervention which led my path to Ripley. This weekend, two friends were arguing and one killed the other. Within 3 hours, the home and car belonging to the mother of the suspect were totally destroyed by fire. The comments from family members of the deceased leave no doubt that further revenge and violence is forthcoming. The crime statistics within one mile of that incident (rape, burglaries, murder, assaults) are terrifying and astounding. While crime is a major concern in D.C., it pales in comparison to the viciousness down here. Ripley is by no means utopia; inconvenience and limited employment are the main deterrents to living here, but I give hearty thanks to the Lord for His guidance.

Clinton vs. Obama. What a brouhaha. Neither can lay claim to the race issue. I probably have more credentials than they do. Hillary says she was 14 when she heard King speak--was Obama a twinkle in his father's eye? At least I participated in a sit-in (my one and only) and remember well the D.C. police letting loose the dogs. I could run then. We scattered everywhere. But back to the argument going on and perhaps my understanding of the English language, words and meanings is screwed, but Hillary is correct in stating that Johnson was responsible for enacting the civil rights law. He was the president; he signed the bill. King was the impetus for the bill. He was not a politician; his power came from his influence on the people. Johnson held the pen and, hence, the power to make the will of the people come about. King was not slighted. Without Johnson, yes, a white politician, there would be no civil rights act. Case closed. They are both dynamic people with good ideas. Stop the rhetoric and get on with the game.

What's up with the brood? Jealousy. A human trait which I would not ascribe to animals. But what do I know? My ownership of pets has been limited to one at a time and for relatively short periods. Figured since Big Boy is so destructive (I know, he's a puppy doing puppy things but I swear my other puppy did not), I would pick up two squeaky toys, one for him and one for Cindy. Good grief, did she take both of them? From a dog who exhibited no interest in anything other than food? And, he looked so pitiful. Then made a mad dash for the one that she wasn't guarding. How funny. Of course, the hot dog was dismantled. I guess the hamburger, which Cindy has appropriated, is too big for him to get his jaws around but give him time. I have no idea where the squeak mechanism is. I guess it will pass. If you pet one, the other wants equal time. Treat for one means a treat for the other. My brother suggested a bone to stop the chewing on everything. Big Boy will be sick in the morning because he attacked it like I dive into desserts. I bought two because I figured Cindy would take it. And, she did. Both of them.

Back to words for a moment. Elan--how do you pronounce it? There's a fur store in Memphis bearing that name. I listened to their commercials and was very smug in my assertion that they didn't even know how the word should be pronounced. Now I learn that I have mispronounced it for years. Goes to show even "Miss Know-it-All" doesn't know everything. Maybe they're using the French pronunciation. LOL.