Cappy's Corner

BEING NEIGHBORLY

My neighbors have been here since the beginning of time. I have one of my neighbors who recently left town for a time to have surgery and recovery time to N.C.. In the meantime she had her mail forwarded to her N.C. address. While home in Miami the mail arrived that had that letter about your Homestead Exemptions, you know the one, it says if these exemptions are correct do nothing. The government has this letter set up to not forward anywhere. As you might guess the letter was returned to the Exemption Board and they immediately removed her exemptions, not only did they do that but they changed her assessed value as if the home was repurchased by a new owner. The name of the deed did not change, and according to the rules, if the home is no longer your homestead they can only increase the assessed value ten percent. Lets do the math, it went from 84,000 to 172,00. My math skills may not be perfect, but that doesn't seem to add up.
In her horror, Lilly, contacted me and we began to try to fix this problem. First, we make our way to the government office to try to correct the problem. Lilly did not have enough identification to correct the problem. So, we schedule a hearing with the Adjustment Board, now that ten months has passed, the date for the hearing is here.
Time to go Downtown, I won't even get into the logistics, that's another story. At the Government Center we sit before three people, one was a magistrate, and two others with the administration of Exemption, or something like that. Before we entered the room, I had to instruct Lilly, who was in tears, to keep calm and be nice. Lilly was a wreck, trying to live on her retirement of 13,000 a year is hard enough, but to tell her that she has to pay 4,000 in taxes just sent her over the edge. I can't image what it would be like to be over 80 years old and living in her home for almost 50 years, and the government tells you "this is not your home anymore". She was devastated. Lilly started to ramble on, not realizing that the board had already restored 2 of her 3 exemptions. I got it, so we were more than half way through the process, now we had to restore the assessed value of the home back to 2008 prices. I have always believe that there are no problems without solutions. So, I had to speak up and tell the board that we don't have the identification that they require, instead of discussing why Lilly does not have it, I said lets find a solutions. The board began to brainstorm, and one of the ladies suggested a special form. We began the paperwork with the help of the board. One of ladies took us down stairs to have the forms notarized, after I filled them out, she sent us to record the documents. After hours of paperwork, I told Lilly that we are going back to the board and bringing the paperwork to the Assessment board, this completes the process. I mentioned to all who helped me and Lilly that this was "Help a Neighbor Day", the response to this was wonderful, we became know as the "Good Neighbors".
Our driver Max, and neighbor got us home, pulling up to my house Lilly turns around and says to me give me a call, I shouted "No way, its the end of Help a Neighbor Day, now Piss off a Neighbor, begins", of course I was kidding.
I was so happy to report that everyone that we encountered in our Downtown adventure was wonderful, it all started because I instructed my neighbors to be nice. The old saying you catch more flies with honey, is sooooooo true.

4 comments | Posted in » Politics  

WHAT KEEPS ME GOING

I have been missing something in my life for awhile. At first I thought it might be a man, but I brushed that thought right out of my head. This past week I have been around my grandchildren, swimming, diving and just having them around. I noticed that instead of sitting on the couch I have been doing things.
I have accomplish more this week of things I have been putting off than ever. Instead of being occupied with the children around I find myself motivated. I finished a purse I promised a friend. I have been working on a blanket, made out of Crown Royal bags. I organised and went through stuff for the garage sale, cleaned my dresser and repaired clothing. Cleaned out my fish pond and so many other things. I hope to keep motivated because it seems I eat and smoke less.
This week work seemed to pick up a bit, and I hope to continue, the best way to do that is to have the little ones around me. They are full of energy and it gives my life a kick start. Not to mention I am around lots of love. I have such a great family and they are what keeps my life going.

3 comments | Posted in » Family Matters  

IT'S ROOKIE SEASON

Lobstermania is here. I call it Rookie Season, that is what they call "Mini Season", a time for people to go out and dive for Spiny Lobster. The mini season is a chance for all the Rookies to go out and crash their boats and drown their dive buddies.
This is the time of the year we stay close to port. The crazies are out, the people who go out with experience are few and they are probably clenching their fists every time a rookie zooms by in their boat.
People think that this is the only time to catch lobster, in fact the season is open for months from August to April. I can't manage to see the need for a mini season, there is plenty of time during the year to catch these elusive critters. My advice is to be careful and stay safe anytime you go out on the water.
I love being out on the water and catching fish, yet my enthusiasm is limited when it comes to the bug looking creature, to me they taste the same no matter how they are prepared. Not to mention it is a chance for the Marine Patrol, and every other official to pull you over and board your boat, check your catch. The worst part is they won't leave until they find something wrong, so be certain, you have you whistle and safety equipment up to date. I know from experience, it doesn't matter what you are doing anymore you get pulled over for any or no reason. Homeland security detained us for a long time while they checked our identification. Like we look like a flotilla.

1 comments | Posted in » Controversy  

A DAY WITH MURPHY

If you are not familiar with Murphy's Law I will explain. Murphy's Law is, everything can go wrong, will go wrong.
Yesterday was our annual Mothers' Day Fishing Trip. On the boat was myself, Monica, my daughter, and my son, Jason, who was our official boat handler.
The day started out with getting the boat ready to head to the marina for launch. We have been going out on Mother's Day for so many years, I can't remember how many years we have been doing this. The amazing part of Mother's Day boating is that no matter what the weather prediction is, the day is always perfect. It's probably the only time that the marina is not packed with boaters.
We arrive at the marina, without a problem, launch the boat, back up and head out the channel, heading toward the ocean. Of course, we didn't know that Murphy was on the boat. Putting the throttle down, I notice nothing happened. We are idling down the channel and decide when we get out the channel we will anchor the boat and examine the problem. It appeared that Murphy was on two other boats that day also, along with us, a couple other boats were making repairs. A brief inspection of the throttle connections show that everything is intact, yet still no acceleration! We then remove the cowling over the engine and take a look under the hood. We then decide that the cable is broken. Most people at that point would head back to the marina and home. We are definitely stubborn boaters, why can't we engineer a way to make the throttle work manually? With some leader wire, electrical connectors, piece of rubber tubing, and a cardboard roll, we made a throttle. Now we are able to go forward to our fishing adventure. With Jason on throttle and me at the wheel we continue through Stiltleville to the ocean. We begin trolling and enjoying the day, watching bottle nose dolphins at play. Hours go by without a bite. We notice a sailfish jumping and head in it's direction, when suddenly Murphy shows up again.
A bird, which has to be a relative of the Doe Doe bird, dives down and grabs the bait. A stroke of luck and the Albatross lets go. We frantically pull the lines in until the birds fly off. Wouldn't you know it, the bird makes another dive and gets hooked. First catch of the day! Now, we have to pull in the bird and unhook it. These are large birds, and while pulling him in he kept going under water. Fearing we would drown the thing, we had to take our time. Finally getting the bird along the side of the boat, Jason, throws me a rag and says to put it over the birds head. The poor bird was yelling in fear, he was hooked pretty good, the end of the hook was coming out of his eye socket. His snapping bill and flapping wings, made grabbing him a bit tricky. I grabbed the bird around the neck and brought him on the deck, where the surgery began. Jason tried to cut the hook, but Murphy was on the boat, none of the tools we had was effective in cutting the hook. Our only option was to carefully remove the hook, we had to work quickly to avoid stress to the bird. It took some twisting, but we removed the hook without damaging the eye or any part of the bird. Monica stood watching and almost getting sick, thinking we were going to pop its eye out on the deck. Handing the bird over to Monica for the release, she carefully put him over the side. The Albatross flew away, looking like he was no worse for the wear.
Deciding at that point we would just do a little bottom fishing. Checking the electronics, I notice that they are not working, oh Murphy is back. Well, we have to do this the old fashioned way. One small problem is that we don't have a compass, Jason did have his I-Phone, which has a compass app.
One more problem foiled. We had a great time fishing up grunts and small groupers. It was time to head in, without a GPS, using landmarks and experience of the area. Monica was on the throttle, which took a bit of work to get it smooth. In the meantime we all got a bit a whiplash, Monica laughed so hard she was nearly in tears. After a bit of work we managed to find the marina and get home. We got enough fish for a fish sandwich. As much of the day was full of problems, we had a great day and laughed so hard. A beautiful day on calm seas is so wonderful for the soul.

3 comments | Posted in » Adventures, Family Matters, Fun or Disfunction  

CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATION?

My ride started out innocent enough. I am doing a little renovation on my bathroom. What I want to do is go as "Green" as possible on my Reno. My bathroom has a gray toilet and sink, which doesn't really match anything. So, I was looking to replace my toilet with a white one. I located a "Home for Humanity Restore," and then called my sister to let her know what I was doing. Since my sissy lives in Key Largo, I would sneak in a visit. My sister told me that she can get me a toilet from a recent Reno, from the Lions Club. After getting off work, and watching a litter of kittens being born I head toward the Florida Keys.
Making my leisurely drive, I cross the county line and begin noticing information signs. The sign said, "Drug Enforcement Check Point Ahead." "What!" I said to myself. I continue driving and notice police everywhere, pulling drivers over randomly. "Can this be true?" Have I crossed the border into a communist country? Do people know their rights, or are they being detained unlawfully, because they don't know. Are we rolling income for the government, is there a short fall somewhere and now we just pull over and pay. Does this sound like a nation of rights and freedom?
On my way out of town I stopped at a convenient store for a coffee. The parking lot and the store was full of police. After a few minutes they cleared out of the store, I couldn't help asking the cashier what was going on. The cashier didn't reply, instead the other customers standing in line jumped in on my comment. A couple of guys had been detained and commented that the police can do anything they want! Me and another gentleman told the guys that legally they cannot search your vehicle, without probable cause or your permission. The guys didn't know they had the right to say no! The police intimidated them into submission, to allow the search. I can't believe how the government is taking advantage of travelers. These poor guys weren't even on the rode, they were at a restaurant and in the end they got a ticket for too dark tinting. That is a ruse that is commonly used. Instead of concern with our safety and freedom, the police are taking advantage of us and finding different ways to make money from travelers.
I am just sick over this, how bad is it going to get before we put out foot down. I was hoping to get pulled over and be able to exhort my rights. Enough is enough. If this pisses you off let me know.

1 comments | Posted in » Politics  

A STEP BACK IN TIME....

...if only for a moment. I was lucky enough to be invited to an Antique Car Show, by my good friends, Ralph & Carolyn. They were showing 3 beautiful cars in the show. A Buick Skylark, a Cadillac, and what I see as the, "Untouchables," car, I could envision Elliot Ness in the front seat, pursuing Al Capone.

Due to the value of the vehicles, someone must literally stand by the cars at all times. The car that I was honored to stand by was the Buick Skylark, bright red, convertible.

The best part about standing by, has to be all the stories that I heard. People would come by and remember what they were doing in the 50's. Perhaps a story about their grandparents taking drives in that exact model.

Everyone was full of smiles, except for the owners of the cars. The frantic, last minute preparations, were full of stress.The judges would soon be on their way. I watched car owners come by and examine the Buick, then return to their car to polish something they missed.

Everyone was so respectful to the cars, as if they were made of all gold and precious. The cars were so perfect to my eyes, yet, I would hear people talking about things like the color or type of bolts and washers.

Time for judging was here. The judges were very thorough, they examined the car, inside, outside, and underneath. I was watching the expressions on their faces, at the same time wondering what they were thinking. After a little palaver, one of the judges came to me and said, "We all agree that this car is #1." Of course, I smiled from ear to ear.

The day continued, and what a perfect day it was. I would have to wait on the results, although, I knew that the Buick was getting a first place in its class.

Later in the week, I visited my friends,Ralph & Carolyn, only for them to tell me what I already knew. All the cars they entered in the Antique Car Show, got first place in their category.

As I remembered walking around these magnificent works of art, I thought about the time that things were simple. I imagined myself in the days gone past on a leisurely drive to no where. Driving was something people did for pleasure and a time for family fun. My step back in time was a memory that will always make me smile.

2 comments | Posted in » Fun or Disfunction  

EASTER ART CLASSES

I have always enjoyed art, all kinds. For a few months I have sponsored an Art Class for homeschooling. For the past two classes we have focused on an Easter theme. We started with blown eggs, the first part of the project led to red faces and scrambled eggs all over the place. For this group the standard decorated egg just wouldn't do. Shy-Anne, my granddaughter, suggested a Lady Bug; after her suggestion, the ideas grew into creations full of imagination.
The first class concluded with a Penguin, a Bride, Zebra, Bandit, and, of course, a Lady Bug.
The second session of the Easter Egg decorating class, concluded with more imagination than the first. We ended up with more adorable characters; A Bumble Bee, Graffiti egg, a Groom, a Sea Turtle and an Easter Bunny.
I can't describe in words the great work the class did without showing photos. I think that this project, had to be the most fun for me.
We have done some amazing projects, beaded animals, Aboriginal painted boxes, home-made paper, that we made into Valentines. I hope that I can come up with more ideas to capture the imagination of these children.

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I HAVE A NEW TITLE

DOG HOOKER
What the hell does that mean? I make ends meet by doing odd jobs. I reinvent myself every chance I get.
The other evening I was relaxing in my favorite chair, when the phone began to ring, it was 10:30 in the evening. When I get calls that late in the evening, I panic just a little. To my surprise it was a lady calling from Utah, she got my name from one of my customers. She asked, "if I could do her a big favor", her dog sitter was unable to work on Friday and Saturday. So, I agreed to help. The favor was a bit unusual, she wanted me to sleep with her four dogs. If that wasn't crazy enough, she also requested that I sleep in her bed with the dogs, and love them up. I think that this request has to be the most unusual to date.
I completed the job, even though it was extremely odd, never meeting this mysterious woman, it was time to get paid. I am certain that she was desperate to let someone she didn't know in her home, not to mention in her bed. Still, I have not met this woman in person, she calls and says that my payment will be under the door mat.
I wonder how far pet owners will go to take care of their animals. Whatever that may be, it is good for me, job security.

2 comments | Posted in » Animal Antics, Fun or Disfunction  

A PLANT IS NOT JUST A PLANT

While at work yesterday, the landscape crew was also working. I noticed a beautiful plant, somehow it looked very familiar. I asked the boss of the crew, Richard, if the plant originated in Africa?. Richards reply was, "Yes, and there is a special place in his heart with this particular plant". My curiosity peeked, I had to know the story behind this plant.
Richard began to tell his story. First, he has a import license to harvest plants from Africa, due to the fact that he is African. Anyway, back to the story. While in Tanzania he was searching the bush in his vehicle, he came across a river coming down from the mountains. Seeing what looked like an interesting plant across the river he was determined to collect it. To get across the river he had to walk across a tree that had fallen into the river. Precariously crossing the log, which was wedged upon some rocks, he began carefully crossing. Looking down to check his footing he noticed, something that horrified him, it was the body of a young girl. Richard said that he noticed her long black hair and that she was a white girl. Richard returned to his vehicle and went to the police to report his finding. He gave them the exact location, in this remote area. Yet, the police insisted that he come along. After, Richard disapproved of returning, he was made to go with the police.
The story now very interesting, his phone rings. Richard excused himself and walked off, now my curiosity is getting the best of me. I returned back to my tasks, waiting for Richard to finish his phone call, and giving more instructions to his crew. Almost an hour later I was going crazy to find out what happens next.
Back to our conversation, Richard continues his story. Richard and the police begin to travel back to the river on dirt roads, winding and deep into the bush, they arrive at the sight, where the body of the young girl is under water, caught in the current of the river. The police begin to retrieve her remains, collecting her in garbage bags, for the river had taken its toll on her young body. The police then turn to Richard and arrest him for murder. Imagine his shock, he was just trying to do the right thing, to help a family find their missing child.
Richard was then tossed into a cell, he asked why he would show the police where the body was if he was the murderer? They didn't care, and he really couldn't argue the point, he was at the mercy of the police. No phone calls, just throw in a cell. That wasn't the worse of it, his cell mate was a man accused of murdering his entire family with a machete. Are you horrified yet?, well this man also had Leprosy, most of his face eaten away by the disease.
Richard, now afraid for his life, could not sleep, nor would he eat or even drink water. A few days passed when he noticed an Indian woman walking by his cell, through the very small window, Richard began screaming for help, the woman turned and acknowledged Richard. The woman's husband was a Barrister, she told Richard she would help. After 4 or 5 days he was finally released from his horrible cell. The police then changed their story of why he was in jail, and said he was there as a material witness. Richard went to court and testified at the trail. The results of the trail left a family with closure, but also left them with the horrible story of their daughters demise. This young 12 year old girl, a daughter of farmers, was abducted, taken to the mountain tops, tortured, and molested repeatedly, murdered and tossed into the river, where her final resting spot was where a man was collecting plants. Richard found out later that just a few feet down the river was another 30 bodies.
This experience was not the end of this trip, he then ran into a young man who was missing his ears. Richards curiosity led him to ask the man what had happened to his ears? The young mans reply was another shocking story.
The young man said that when he was six years old his village was attacked, his family and community was being slaughtered. What they did after the slaughter was remove the ears of the victims and throw them in piles. This young man, feared that if he ran he would be shot in the back, so he remained on the ground pretending to be dead. His ears were then removed and his young body throw on to the pile with the rest of the people in his village. Although he survived this horrible ordeal, I can't pretend to imagine the strength it took this six year old not to scream or move while all of this was happening to him.
The story now completed, Richard again looks at the plant that was a reminder of his adventure. He said, "this plant is the offspring of the original plant collected in the African bush, and a reminder of the time he spent in jail with a Leper.
I imagine that I will look at landscaping a bit different, perhaps each plant that is imported to grace our gardens has a story similar to this one. Embrace the beauty around us, for it too has a story to tell.
RICHARD ADDED..........
DID NOT FINISH MY STORY. NOT SURE WHERE I LEFT OFF.. THE PLANT THAT I WAS SEEKING FOR KEW BOTANICAL GDNS WAS ENCEHPALARTOS GRATUS.. NOW ON THE CITES NO 1 LIST. NO LONGER ABLE TO COLLECT IN THE WILD.
QUITE RARE IN COLLECTIONS HERE IN THE USA AND SELLS FOR QUITE HIGH PRICES.. THE NATIVE POPULATION IN MOST COUNTRIES THAT I HAVE COLLECTED CYCADS IN HAVE LITTLE OR NO REGARD FOR THESE PLANTS AND KILL THEM INDISCRIMINATLY.. ONE CAN BE JAILED HERE IN THE USA FOR ABUSING THESE PLANTS THAT THE CITES REGULATIONS ARE TRYING TO PROTECT.. PITY NO ONE IN THE COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN CARE A DAMM..
ANYWAY THE ELDERLY PARENTS OF THIS LITTLE GIRL THROUGH AN INTERPRETER
THANKED ME FOR GIVING THEM CLOSURE.
NOW WHENEVER I SEE AN ENCEPHALARTOS GRATUS I ALWAYS THINK
OF THOSE TWO HORRIFIC DAYS IN A JAIL CELL WITH A MADMAN WHO SAT WITH ARMS AROUND HIS LEGS ROCKING TOO AND FRO AND NEVER TAKING HIS ONE REMAINING EYE OFF ME.. STILL GIVES ME THE SHIVERS.

November 23, 2009 9:09 AM

2 comments | Posted in » Adventures, Controversy  

OUT OF SUPPLIES

I have been painting for a few weeks now. I have produced 5 paintings in less than 3 weeks. I have been stuck in front of my easel. I can't seem to pry myself away. I just finished "Window to the Sea" for my niece, Gina. I get the initial idea from the person and then try to create something that works just for them. Gina, has no window in her home, it's like a cave, thus, the idea of a window. According to Gina, its a window you can look out, but no one can look in. That is a beautiful thought.

The painting of the Mac Caw is for my step daughter, Stephanie, who recently got back in touch with me. Stephanie has been checking my face book, and was watching my art work being posted. She requested something in the rain forest, with lots of color. Stephanie is another one who has no window, now she has a window to the forest. I am so happy to have ideas, and of course much better to sell my work.

I am sitting here right now and going through all my art supplies, my paints are slowly depleting. My sketch pads are all used up, and I don't even have any old posters to paint over. I am going crazy looking for something to paint on. I wonder if there is something wrong with my brain.

I did come across something interesting that I had stashed away for years. I found and finally framed my very first painting. I was in middle school, it is painted on a paper bag. The painting of a horse is now displayed, even though it isn't that good, but it was done in the 1960's.

Tomorrow, I have so much yard work to do, but I am going to need to do something at night, I will have to go to the craft store and pick up some canvas. I have several ideas and need to get them on canvas.

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ANOTHER PAINTING COMPLETED

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I AM AN ARTIST LOOKING FOR WORK

I have been painting for some time, a matter of fact, as long as I can remember. I am currently inspired. I found myself with a long dry spell, I just simply ran out of ideas for paintings. My sister-in-law, Margo, requested an Everglades scene. Margo gave me the specs of what she wanted in her painting, so I began.

After completing Margo's painting, my son, Jason, requested a painting of Africa, so that it would go with his living room design. I have now completed that painting and it too has been delivered.

I am currently working on another painting of a beach scene, which I modeled after a beach in Costa Rica, for a old time childhood friend.

I would love to post some of my painting for sale, but for now I would love to show you the ones I have completed in the last couple of weeks. I am taking orders, and am happy to ship anywhere you may live.

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IN MEMORY OF OREO

1 comments | Posted in » Animal Antics  

HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE

After years and years have gone by, I find myself in need of a High School Diploma. I have decided that I need an occupation that is recession proof. I am selecting the medical field-nursing to be exact. I looked at careers, and found that nursing offers me many more opportunitys to travel than any of the other career choices.
To get back to the subject of my High School Diploma. I dropped out of high school in 1973, with one half credit remaining. I faked my way through jobs and careers-not needing a diploma. The time to get a diploma was here and now I had to study to pass the G.E.D.. I studied with my tutors, for a good month, day after day. The test was in July, yet I would not receive the results for months. This week, I got my diploma, the results were in and I accomplished the impossible. Learning years of high school in a mere month.
Now, it is time for me to take my entrance exam and the nursing exam. Back to studying and cramming to get to my new goal. Things have been very rough during the recession and I have to get a second job to make ends meet. For now, I will be doing everything I can to move on to the next stage of middle life. I should be planning for retirement-but that isn't the case. Wish me luck on the next series of tests.

No Comment | Posted in » Fun or Disfunction  

HAPPINESS IS SIMPLE

I don't know why or when it all happened, yet I find myself in a world of peace when I am on or near water. I have had an opportunity to get out twice last week, on the boat.

The first time was the beginning of crayfish season, my son and daughter are always with me, the grandchildren and friends. What a beautiful day it was, even though we didn't get our limit, we had a fantastic day. The season is months long, I have faith that we will get more as season progresses.

Last Wednesday we got another opportunity to go out. It was for fishing, just myself, daughter and son, along with my TaeKwonDo instructor, Master Isaacs. The weather was beautiful, perhaps too calm for dolphin fishing, yet we managed to get three beautiful fish. I was very quiet during the day, I don't know if it was because I was in my favorite place or from lack of sleep. I do know that there just isn't anything I enjoy more than being on the ocean, under the comfort of mother nature.

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SOMETIMES THINGS IN THE PAST BITE YOU IN THE ASS

Have you ever put off doing something, because it just didn't seem important? Well, twenty five years ago or so, I put off changing my name on my social security card. I did get my name legally changed and thought that was enough. My maiden name was still on the card, I just didn't use the last name that I had deleted.
I was able to pay taxes, get a voters registration, get my captain's license, and homeland security background check. Never thought that, by not changing it with the social security administration it would come back to bite me in the ass. I could do just about anything I wanted, except go to school.
I was scheduled to take a test to obtain my G.E.D. today. Yesterday, I went to the school to check the lay of the land. I wanted to find where the class room was located and confirm my testing date. Much to my surprise, I walked into the office and was told that I can not take the test, because there was a problem with my social security card. The problem was that the name didn't match and the card had an error on it. Back in the day, when I got my card, computers were well in the future and my card was hand typed. Looking closely at the card, which I never did, you could see that a number had been corrected and typed over.
Now, I had to go to the Social Security Administration to get a special print-out, so that I could go to school. Went to the S.S.A. twice and finally returned to the school with the paper-work. I had a sigh of relief, until the school rejected the paper-work. I went home again, looking for something that would make them happy. I found a document, a W-2 from the State of Florida Retirement, this seemed to satisfy the school.
That's not all, in the meantime I was removed from the testing list. I have been studying very hard and was excited about continuing my education. Finally, after an hour, we manged to make an adjustment to the schedule, and today is the day that I test. I will be taking the first section of the test at 1:45 today. I also found out that my test results won't come back for 8 to 12 weeks. I am in store for a day of testing that will last approximately 5 hours. I have confidence that I will do well, since I am only required to get a little more that half of the questions correct. In the meantime, while waiting for my test results I can begin my chosen studies. All I can say is Wish me Luck, I will need it.

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MY BIRTHDAY

I guess the best thing to say is, "It ended well".
I always plan on getting out of the country for my birthday. A ritual that I have done for years, with the belief that, if I am not here, I will not get older. It doesn't really work, but it is a lot of fun thinking it does. My favorite thing to do is go out on the boat. I can always go out far enough, so that I am no longer in the U.S. and can be in International waters.
Fishing was on the agenda for my big day, any excuse will do. I took the day off work, along with my team, Monica, Jason, Jeff, Kevin, and Buck. Had an early day on Monday, so I thought I would begin getting the boat ready, with an early start in mind. What do they say about finely laid plans, and Murphy's Law? Well, Murphy and his friends were in attendance. I had the boat loaded and checked all the systems, good to go! So, you would think, yet as I was pulling the boat out of the yard, I heard a loud bang! I stopped the truck and looked under the boat to see what the noise was all about. I bent down and noticed that the springs that hold the axle on, were broken. Here it is 7PM, not going to find a store open. I notified the crew and Jason came over to help me locate the parts. Murphy reared his ugly face and made it impossible for us to find the right size in stock anywhere. I was giving up hope, called my boat mechanic, Bob, and he had some ideas, but they would take another day. That would mean that the trip was going to be delayed. My son, Jason, wasn't about to let that happen, nor was the rest of the gang. Monica and Jeff did some brainstorming.
The next morning, Jeff and Monica made the calls to find the parts, again Murphy, you bastard! I called Bob and he said we could get the parts, yet we would have to pick them up and that would be in North Miami. Jason jumped in his car and headed to pick up parts, in the meanwhile Jeff and Monica were on duty taking the old parts off. By the time Jason got back with the parts, it looked like we had a pit crew on site. The team took a short time and we were on the road toward the dock.
One o'clock and we are out the channel, heading toward the beautiful blue ocean. We tried trolling and the winds and moon were not indigenous to dolphin fishing. We, resorted to bottom-fishing. The weather was getting rougher, storm clouds moving in, although we landed quite a few small fish and three nice sharks before the lightning made us move. The tiny ship was tossed, if not for the courage of the fearless crew, the boat would be lost! Just kidding, we headed in, the sun had already set and it wasn't raining too bad, yet the waves were making smooth running, rough. Surrounded by lighting and thunder heads, we proceeded toward home. Then, a surprise, we saw sailfish jumping, that got us going again and the lines were back in the water. We seemed to just ignore the impeding weather conditions. We get a hit on the line, the sailfish, but it shook the hook loose. We continued and brought up a couple of nice mackerel, just when we thought Murphy had gotten the best of us. We arrived home after 10PM, cleaned the boat and fish, what a wonderful day. I can't believe how the crew perceived to make my birthday happen for me. I must be the luckiest person on earth. It makes getting older a pleasure.

3 comments  

GREAT WEEKEND

1 comments | Posted in » Adventures, Family Matters, Fun or Disfunction  

STARVING ARTIST

This is a painting I did for my sister, I think it came out great. I spent two days precariously perched upon a ladder, while painting this mural on my sisters house. It was hot and windy, but I did get to go out on their boat as a treat. It makes me miss living in the Keys. I wish that I could actually make money from my artistic skills. Who knows what the future has in store for me.

2 comments | Posted in » Fun or Disfunction, Photos  

JURY DUTY

I have been called! Well, I have a problem with our legal system. I have only been called three times in my life and the last two I was excused. I again took the form that was mailed and wrote in my excuse.
Today I received a phone call telling me that my excuse is not acceptable. I explained to the caller that instead of wasting both our time, it would be best to let it go. I explained that I don't believe in our legal system, it is corrupt and worthless. I would not be selected to serve and what a waste of time and money. My excuse was that I don't have the funds to get to Downtown and waste my time sitting in a chair. I made it very clear to the caller that I will not be there.
The caller then told me it would be up to the judge to decide my fate. I told her she can have me arrested, at least I will get three meals a day.
I have heard that it is a privilege to serve, but I don't see it that way. I don't think I would even be living here if I wasn't born here, I reject my American citizenship, if I was an alien I would get so much more out of our government. I have no duty to anyone. Just to let my readers know, I am scheduled to report on June 8Th, so give me call and you can visit me in Jail. Don't forget to let the news know how they put a little old lady on food stamps and limited income in jail.

3 comments | Posted in » Controversy, Politics