Remembering 9/11

Everyone has their story. This is mine.
That beautiful September morning began as almost any other.
After feeding her breakfast and packing her lunch, with coffee cup in hand I walked Molly to the school bus and returned home to feed the dogs prior to heading out for my regular Tuesday round of golf. As it is every weekday morning, our little TV in the kitchen was tuned to The Today Show with Matt Lauer and Katie Couric who announced they had some breaking news. As I stood there watching the thick, black smoke pouring from the World Trade Center, wondering along with everyone else what exactly was happening, Katie Couric said something about a small plane hitting the tower. My first thought was that there was no way a small plane could have caused that kind of damage, there had to be jet fuel involved.
Then the second plane hit.
And at that very moment, I just knew.
"Terrorists!"
The word tumbled off my tongue as if there were someone there to hear besides the dogs. In somewhat of a daze, I instinctively went to the front hall closet, retrieved our American flag, unfurled it and placed it in the bracket on our front porch.

My next thought of course was of my family, particularly my son Billy, who was assigned to The USS Vella Gulf, a guided missile cruiser based in Norfolk, VA where they were in the final stages of preparation for a regularly scheduled 6 month deployment. He had enlisted in the US Navy and left for The Great Lakes Naval Training Center on January 3rd of that year, completed boot camp in March followed by 'A' School where he trained to become an Operations Specialist. He married in May and had just moved to Norfolk with his bride of barely three months.
Not knowing how to reach him on board the ship, I immediately called my daughter-in-law who was unaware of what was happening in New York. She turned on her TV, tried unsuccessfully to call Billy and called me back in near hysterics after learning that every ship in Norfolk had left the base for God-knows-where.
I assured her it was probably a precaution to avoid another Pearl Harbor type scenario, but there was no consoling her and I certainly understood her tears and fears.
I also understood the world as we knew it would be forever changed.
Though it was days before I was able to hear the sound of my son's voice, we soon learned that his ship left immediately for New York City where they were told to be prepared to shoot down civilian aircraft if it came to that. Billy said the guys on the screens in the Operations Center were sweating bullets but thankfully never had to execute any such horrifying order. They spent four days in the waters off New York before returning to Norfolk and leaving for the deployment the likes of which none of them ever anticipated.
One day they were looking forward to cruising the Mediterranean and the next, as Billy, with his voice cracking so sadly stated, "It's off to war we go."
And so it was for the remainder of his 4 year enlistment.

It's been impossible to turn on the TV this week and avoid any reference to today's 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, The Pentagon and had it not been for those brave souls on Flight 93, an unknown target in Washington, D.C.

As I've watched the extensive coverage of the memorials at Ground Zero, that ghostly field in Shanksville, PA and the Pentagon, I'll admit to the shedding of tears. The stories that have surfaced in the last ten years are at the very least, mesmerizing. I'm grateful to both the media for their excellent coverage and the survivors who were willing to speak. There is much to be learned from their insufferable losses and their experiences of recovery.

Is it possible to watch the child of anyone killed on that day speak and not tear up at their pain? On Friday, Matt Lauer played a clip from his 2001 interview with a young boy who'd lost his firefighter father on that awful day and as I watched this child choking back his tears, trying to be as brave as his father surely was, I could not control the flood of tear drops that cascaded down my cheeks into my morning coffee. 

I'm thinking that if I still feel this way after 10 years, I'll probably react that same way in another 5, 10 or even 20 years if I'm still around and even can remember!

Thousands were lost that sad September day and thousands more in the years since as our military fights to prevent such terror attacks from occurring again on our soil. My high school classmate Paula lost her beloved husband, Bob Minara. He was a firefighter, just doing his job, doing what heroes always do - running toward danger while everyone else runs away from it. Although I never met Bob, I think of them both constantly.

And I'll admit to being very proud that my son, though he never wanted to go to war, played a small part in our efforts to go after those responsible for the horror that was inflicted on our country 10 years ago.

Remember?

Always!

Back to School

Unlike the swallows returning to the San Juan Capistrano mission in California, the 26,000+ undergrads rolling into Boulder each August don't all arrive on the same day but they are just as predictable.
Having lived in this beautiful college town at the foot of the Rocky Mountains for over 35 years, I'm always energized by the annual influx of excited freshmen and their nervous yet proud parents.
Returning upperclassmen arrive happy to trade their small and restrictive dorm rooms for the freedom of a new apartment or house.
Our streets are clogged with cars bearing out of state plates but local stores and restaurants are packed. Business is booming all over town.
Football season is just around the corner.
The nights are growing cooler. One can feel fall in the air.
It's a great time to be in Boulder!

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Today is the first day of school for the nearly 29,000 students in the Boulder Valley School District and I'm thinking of one very excited first year teacher fulfilling her lifelong dream.
Oh, how I wish I could be a fly on the wall in her classroom today!
Such lucky students to have my daughter Molly as their 4th grade teacher!
You go girl!

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Lastly, a friend posted the message below on his Facebook wall today and I think it bears repeating.
It's a message that should not only apply to students, but one that everyone should consider when dealing with co-workers, neighbors, restaurant servers or store clerks. Be kind to everyone!

To all you kids returning to school: If you see someone who is struggling to make friends or being bullied because they don't have many friends or because they are shy or not as pretty..PLEASE step up! Say hi or at least smile at them in the hallway. You never know what that person might be facing outside of school. Your kindness might just make a BIG difference in someone's life! PARENTS & Grandparents SHOULD REPOST THIS! And kids, study hard, play hard and please have fun this new school year!

Trying To Be Reasonable About Reasonable Doubt

Initially, I was probably as shocked as anyone else when a verdict in the Casey Anthony capital murder trial came down. And after only eleven hours of deliberation it was clear that the jury was probably unanimous in their findings early in the process.

We were 25 minutes from DIA aboard a Frontier Airlines jet when CNN announced the jury had reached a verdict and were at baggage claim when it was read in open court. I watched and listened on my iPhone in disbelief as Jim searched for our bags. (Priority Handling my ass!)

Like any newshound, I followed this trial via newspapers and CNN's daily recap and often wondered how defense attorney Jose Baez made it through high school, much less law school.

I served on a jury once and at the end of the day, we could not find the defendant guilty (an assault that resulted in the victim losing a testicle) for the simple reason that the prosecution could not prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt - "reasonable" being the key word here.

The victim had crashed a party at the defendant's residence, was drunk and belligerent, asked to leave and refused to do so. A scuffle ensued, ending with a swift kick to the groin of the victim. I'll spare you the gory details.

There were plenty of witnesses, the defendant admitted to the kick in his effort to get the victim off his property and his back, but said he never intended for the victim (who was 8" taller and outweighed the defendant by 65 pounds) to ultimately lose his testicle. The prosecution failed to prove he intended to injure the man so seriously and we could not, in all good conscience, convict this guy.

In our country, the burden of proof is on the prosecution to "prove beyond a reasonable doubt" that a crime occurred and someone is responsible for it. It's a very high, if not impossible, standard to meet which is why it's referred to as a "burden".
The Casey Anthony case was based largely on circumstantial evidence which is always going to generate some degree of doubt and no jury should ever take a capital murder case lightly.
Scott Peterson's conviction in the murder of his pregnant wife Lacey was also based largely on circumstantial evidence proving that sometimes, even circumstantial evidence is compelling enough for a conviction. But that simply wasn't the case in the Anthony trial.
In recent years, DNA evidence has freed many sitting on death row who were wrongly convicted and we also know there are plenty of innocent people still sitting in jails.

It happens.

New York lawyer Susan Moss said when referring to the Casey Anthony trial, "Apparently, they found the only 12 people who still think the world is flat". But we can't blame the jury.

Is she guilty, beyond a reasonable doubt, of the murder of her daughter Caylee?

After three years of investigations, legal maneuvering, lab tests, sworn statements, and a lengthy trial, the jury agreed the prosecution did not prove that she was. 

Due to the decomposition of her little body, authorities could not even determine the cause of death.
But is Casey Anthony innocent?
Of course not! And the jury never said she was but it's clear they had doubts about much of what the prosecution presented as evidence.
As for me? The fact that Caylee was missing for 31 days before Casey said a word is evidence enough, and I believe she's guilty as sin, but what I think or believe doesn't matter.

More than likely, Casey Anthony will walk out of jail tomorrow a free woman after being sentenced to time served for lying to the cops. She'll disappear for a while, get a makeover, a new wardrobe and reappear on a book tour in the not too distant future because she's no doubt going to go after the money and fame.

We won't ever know the truth because no matter what she says, no one could or should believe a word that comes out of her mouth.
It's a sad commentary indeed.

Politicians, Penises and Prostitutes, Oh My!

So it was just announced that Rep. Anthony Weiner has (finally!) decided to resign, as well he should.

Ever since the former President William Jefferson Clinton sat at his desk, pointed his fat finger at us and lied, "I did not have sex with that woman..." things have completely gone to hell! 

Despite the minor inconvenience of that little impeachment issue which was later dropped, Clinton got away with it. 

Completely. 

He's too smug to even be bothered by it today. He's far too busy earning his six figure speaking engagement fees. People pay a lot of money to hear this guy blabber and pontificate! 

Or maybe they just really want to thank him for teaching our children all about oral sex and that it's okay for the President to lie so it must be alright for everyone else to lie too, right?

I almost barfed when I read that Clinton was "angry" at Anthony Weiner (they're friends, Clinton officiated at his recent wedding to his now pregnant wife who also happens to work for Hillary) and was reportedly refusing to take his calls after the scandal broke. Well isn't that a case of the pot calling the kettle black? 

A tad self righteous, aren't we? 

Look what you started, Bill!

There's a long list of politicians who since Clinton's scandal, seem to think they too can get away with this type of behavior:

*Sen. John Edwards - liar, had affair with campaign aide who later gave birth to his child as his wife battled cancer.

*Gov. Arnold Schwartzenegger - liar, had affair with maid who later gave birth to his child as wife Maria staunchly defended him against rumors of groping and unacceptable behavior.

*Rep. Mark Foley - liar, sends texts of explicit sexual nature to young, male Senate pages.

*Gov. Elliot Spitzer - liar, patronized high priced call girls (prostitutes).

*Sen. Larry Craig - liar, gets caught trying to pick up men in airport restrooms.

*Gov. Mark Sanford - liar, boinking his Argentinian soulmate while everyone thought he was hiking the Appalachian Trail.

*Rep. Christopher Lee - liar, sends online pics of his pecs while looking for love in all the wrong places.

*Gov. James McGreevey - liar, having affair with another man. (Not totally unexpected when someone's had to live in a closet their entire life. It's got to be easier to be openly gay)

*Rep. Anthony Weiner - liar, well...you know the rest. I hope there's not more.

These guys all have families, wives, children!

What are they thinking?

What are they thinking with? Their little heads, of course!

Had enough? Me too!

We need more women running for public office!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/12/weekinreview/12women.html?_r=2&src=twrhp

Given a choice, I'd probably vote for a woman over a man every time!

Well, any woman except Sarah Palin!

GlutenFreeVeganPescatarianism

When I was growing up, the eldest of six children, we were offered two choices for family meals:

Take It Or Leave It.

Preparing three meals a day for her brood of six, my mother spent an incredible amount of time at the grocery store and in the kitchen, but those family dinners provided some of my most cherished memories and the animated banter of so many at the dinner table never failed to make mealtime interesting. 

A large antique family dinner bell that could be heard throughout the neighborhood alerted us to the impending meal. We would immediately stop whatever we were doing, run or bike home, wash our hands and climb onto our assigned stools at the two-sided, ten foot long kitchen counter. The formal dining room was only used for holidays, birthdays or special occasions when we had visiting relatives or important guests. We were warned to "clean our plates" and constantly reminded of "all those children starving in China" although they always looked pretty well nourished to me.

Family dinners usually consisted of a protein, a starch, a vegetable and always a tall glass of milk! We were the quintessential meat and potatoes family. Mmmmm! Comfort food! Bring it on! I was almost 21 before I realized that all fish did not come in sticks from the freezer courtesy of Mrs. Paul!
I really didn't learn to cook until my twenties and I admit to some epic culinary failures over the years. But my early dinner parties were wildly successful. I would ply my guests with ample amounts of alcohol and serve dinner just late enough that everyone was so hungry they would have loved Kibbles and Bits had I served it. Cooking became more of a priority after I had children of my own and their nutritional intake was of the utmost importance. I loved our family dinners and especially enjoyed the dinner parties and holiday feasts with extended family and friends.

When my oldest daughter was 15, she announced she was giving up red meat. Okay. I learned to deal with that. It wasn't long before she eliminated pork, poultry and finally fish from her diet. Thanksgiving became her least favorite holiday. So I now had a daughter who was a Vegetarian. It's all okay! Certainly I could handle that. Millions of people in the world don't eat meat!

Recently, she made the choice to become a Vegan thereby eliminating all animal products including dairy, not only from her diet, but her wardrobe, beauty products and household cleaning supplies. If it was an animal, hurt an animal, was tested on an animal or came from any part of an animal, she wanted nothing to do with it! It's a choice I certainly have to respect. From what I've learned, she's not only healthier but is making the world a better place by embracing this lifestyle and I'm proud of her for doing so. It does however, make planning, shopping for and preparing our family dinners more of a challenge.

My youngest daughter, now 22, recently followed suit and also gave up meat although she continues to eat fish, making her a Pescatarian - one whose diet includes fish but no meat. Okay. I can certainly handle that too.

But this year she had a student in her class with Celiac Disease so began doing research on it and discovered that after years of suffering similar symptoms herself, she probably has an allergy to gluten - a protein that seems to be in just about everything! After trying a gluten-free diet for slightly over three weeks, she had more energy, lost weight, eliminated digestive discomfort, bloating, intestinal cramping, and pretty much felt like a new person. Further research explained how an allergy to gluten might also have even been the cause of her anemia - something she had been dealing with for several years. None of her doctors ever suggested this might be the problem but a gluten intolerance can certainly inhibit the absorption of iron, causing her to be anemic. We're anxious for the next blood test results!

So now, all pastas, breads, cereals, anything with wheat, barley, rye, malt, flavorings, thickeners, stabilizers and about ten million other things that contain gluten are also off the list! Even some salad dressings contain it! Once again, I find myself reading labels like crazy as I learn what products do or do not contain gluten.

My son, who literally spits out anything with cilantro in it, and is allergic to nuts, will still eat most things I cook. Never in my life would I have believed he would be the easy one!

And my dear husband, well, he's always been easy. The human garbage pail: Step on his foot and his mouth opens! He'll eat anything and better yet, always thanks me.

I'm now resigned to the various dietary restrictions and choices of my three adult children - largely because they remain healthy, all live away from home and are primarily responsible for feeding themselves. I also have no choice in the matter! No longer do I have to cook the family dinner 7 nights a week or stress over who can eat what with the exception of those holiday and birthday celebrations or those occasions when one or all of them show up at mealtime.

But I have come up with a fabulous idea... 

One that will surely please everyone...

The absolutely perfect thing to make for all our future family dinners...

Reservations!


"Red meat is not bad for you. Now, blue-green meat—that’s bad for you!" 
-- Tom Smothers

Counting My Blessings

Forgive me Father...no wait! I did that the last time! Never mind...

So it's been a while since my last post. No worries. 

It's not my intention to post too many entries for fear of becoming boring, mundane or redundant as so many blogs are. (Ugh! It's her again...)

Really! Do these bloggers truly believe their lives are so interesting that people want to read about every minute detail?

If I ever get to that point or become that type of blogger will someone please just shoot me? 

My road trip from Florida to Boulder went well. 

My brother was a happy and helpful presence who provided me with the necessary respite from doing all the driving. I do love to drive but even long haul truckers are required to take a break now and then.

The dogs were perfect little traveling companions who were so quiet and undemanding that we sometimes forgot they were in the back seat.

Unfortunately, we annihilated about two million love bugs along the way making my stop at the car wash before we departed North Palm Beach a total waste of time and money.

I relegated the windshield carcass scraping to Ted when we stopped for gas and potty breaks. That alone made it worth bringing him along!

Massive tornado damage was evident in several states and we were in awe at the power of the storms. Huge swaths of giant old trees snapped like match sticks were evident along the highway. We were mesmerized by the randomness of it all. The worst damage we saw was actually at the St. Louis airport and the surrounding area (which had been hit the week before) but then again, our route didn't take us through Tuscaloosa which as we all know by now was devastated.

I was in Tuscaloosa once, when my oldest was in graduate school. Much like Boulder, the town was basically built around the University, which I understand was spared for the most part. I wonder if the Tornado Gods weren't kind to Tuscaloosa because unlike Boulder, rampant racism persists and there remains a percentage of the population who still don't know the Civil War is over. 

All kidding aside, after seeing the tornado damage along our route, we truly felt despair for any and all the victims of those storms. No one deserves that.

Our first night on the road we almost waited too long to pull off to find a room. Thousands of displaced tornado victims who'd lost their homes or were without power were also seeking rooms and we were most fortunate to not only find one, but one that accepted pets. Honestly? I would have given up that room and slept in the car if it were a choice between me and a tornado victim.

Our second day on the road brought continuous and torrential rains and the current flood situation comes as no surprise after seeing the swollen Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. I do find it disturbing that officials are opening up the spillways flooding smaller towns upstream in their efforts to save Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Certainly, New Orleans has suffered enough in recent years but isn't this sort of like a "Sophie's Choice"?

Later that evening we learned the news that bin Laden met up with a few of our finest (God Bless those Navy SEALS!) and is now "swimming with the fishes" as one friend likes to say. 

I hope his demise brings some sense of justice to all those who've suffered unimaginable losses as a result of his sick and twisted time on Earth.

And now I'm home. 

Ted had a good visit topped off by his well documented sail plane ride over Boulder and the mountains to the west.

Mother's Day was superb - the perfect blend of family and friends who joined us for an early morning brunch prior to catching their flight back to California after attending the CU graduation the day before. After preparing brunch at home, we enjoyed dinner out at a favorite local restaurant putting the finishing touch on a great day.

I'm still trying to remember where everything is after four months away but found the kitchen to be reasonably in tact - unlike last year when nothing was where I left it. The dogs, however, remembered exactly where we stash the treats and promptly planted their respective butts on the floor in front of them waiting for the tasty tidbits. They're so smart. Can dogs be gifted?

Our Boulder spring was briefly interrupted by a dash of mid-May snow and plenty of badly needed rain but the forecast is looking bright.

Golf will have to wait though as we just returned from an out of town weekend birthday celebration where I took hundreds of pictures I've got to upload and sort through and I've got a photo assignment this week that will keep me busy at the computer for a day or so.

But all of this seems so trivial as I pause to remember an old friend who lost his beloved wife and soulmate last week. 

Together they put up a valiant 4+ year struggle, first against the ravages of Hodgkins and finally Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) an insidious disease that literally robs sufferers of their ability to breathe. http://www.ardsusa.org/facts.htm

As I read through her blog, I truly wished I'd had the chance to meet and get to know her. She was taken too soon and I'm heartbroken for the loss my friend has suffered. 

Never take your health for granted.

Call someone today and tell them how much you love them.

And always count your blessings!

Writer's Block

Forgive me Father for I have sinned. It's been 6 weeks since my last blog entry...
Perhaps that is a good thing for some of you but enough have asked where I've been that I felt it was time to post something, anything, just to prove that I'm still alive and have not abandoned my blog.
The truth is, I've felt completely and totally uninspired lately!

My winter in Florida has been filled with visiting family, house guests, an apparent lizard invasion in the back yard, spraying weekly for cockroaches, thrice daily walks with my dogs (Boomer is now completely house broken), bad golf with extremely nice people who just happen to play to a 40 handicap and a family medical emergency that caused great concern.

The weather has been idyllic!
I've enjoyed many hours of pool time and have a great tan. I've read a couple of good books, (loved The Help by Kathryn Stockett!) learned how to program our automatic sprinkler system, restore the pool to a swimmable condition after a raccoon shit in it, learned which fertilizers are best for palm trees, how to identify poisonous toads and I pummeled a snake with that brand new shovel I purchased because I just knew it would come in handy one day. I've also become familiar with the care and pruning needs of the beautiful plants and trees in our yard.
But I'm suddenly overcome with the overwhelming feeling that it's time to return home.
I'm really missing my very busy husband and adult children.
I'm missing happy hours with my terrific Boulder neighbors.
I'm missing dinner with good friends.
I'm missing manicures with Molly.
I'm missing lunch with Collin.
I'm missing breakfast with Billy.
I'm missing the highly educated, inspiring, tolerant, intelligent and invigorating community that is Boulder!
I won't miss the redneck rube neighbor to the south who hacked away at our sable palm and dropped the fronds on our new plants. Without permission. He never apologized. Yes, we had words.
I won't miss the anal retentive asshole neighbor to the north who comes home every night from work and inspects our property line to see if our sweet lawn care guy disturbed a blade of his grass. We also talked. And I wonder how he lives in a world with so many God damned people in it! Miserable, angry man!
I think I feel very sorry for his wife.
I won't miss the crazy drivers who weave in and out of traffic at well over the speed limit on a five lane highway never using their signal. There's a reason I-95 has been designated the number one death trap highway in the US.
I won't miss the assholes who feel it's their God given right to sit on their car horn the second a light changes to green because the poor old guy in front can't put the pedal to the metal as fast as they can.
And I won't miss the disproportionate number of horrific crimes committed against children in the state of Florida. What's wrong with people down here?
I will miss my wonderful sisters, brothers, nieces, nephews and in-laws who reside here.
I'll miss our dinner parties and cookouts. I'll miss the birthday celebrations and impromptu happy hours.
I'll miss the Palm Beach Post - our great local daily newspaper, delivered to my door each morning. I really love a good newspaper!
I'll miss watching my beloved dogs enjoying the south Florida sunshine, the beaches, our many walks and lounging in the sun by their pool.
But it's time to go.
I'm packing a little bit each day and purging the fridge.
I'll be hitting the road next Saturday with one of my dear brothers along for the ride.
Road Trip!
Hello Boulder!
We're coming home!


"Close your eyes and tap your heels together three times. And think to yourself, there's no place like home."
-The Wizard of Oz