My Crazy Next Door Neighbor (And I don't care if she reads this I am so mad!)

Remember the other morning when I said our next door neighbor was measuring in front of our house? The reason is because we applied for a tree in the tree lawn (the city puts it in and we pay $35.00. Pretty good deal.). Well, we didn't expect to get approved as the measurement requirement is 40 feet, and with the tree in her tree lawn we wouldn't have made that requirement. BUT on East Drive there were trees put in that are clearly less than 40 feet apart, so we thought we'd give it a try and if we got denied, not big deal.
The day the guy came out from the city to measure happened to be on a Monday, and PJ was off work and went outside to talk to him. He told PJ that we failed the 40 foot requirement and he was going to deny our tree. We thought okay, just as well, perhaps we'll put one in the front yard instead. But later on in the week the city forester (I just recently found out that such a person exists!) came and looked at our neighbors tree and saw it was clearly dying. He painted a big orange circle on it and approved our request (both things we found out yesterday of all days!)
Across the street this morning I was discussing recent events with some other neighbors and our next door neighbor, I'll call her Madame X, came across the street. We spoke of the crime, then the subject turned to the tree. Here's how the conversation went:
Madame X (M.X.) Did you see that the city is going to cut down my tree?
Me: Yes, I saw the orange circle on it yesterday.
M.X. I was told they were going to cut it down because you want a new tree.
Me: That is completely ridiculous. Who told you that?
M.X. (exasperated) I'm not going to tell you who told me!
Me: We were told we weren't getting a tree because it's too close to yours.
M.X. Well, I was told that since you want one they are taking mine down.
Me (chuckling ever so slightly at the inaneness of this) That is very strange. We just got the approval yesterday. We were told that after our initial denial, the city forester came and determined that your tree is dying so they are taking it down and giving one to us.
M.X. Well, I'm having my landscaper come and look at it and my forester too. To see if there's anything to be done to save it.
Me: Well, I think you should. It's silly to cut down a perfectly good tree.
M.X. My landscaper thinks that it's dying but it might be saved it we trimmed it.
Me: Why don't you have him trim it then?
M.X. Why should I pay for it?
Me: (thinking, hmmmm, really? Is she listening to the same conversation I am?)
M.X. They said it's got some ash disease going around. I haven't heard of such a thing.
Me: Really? (Thinking, OMG HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT THE PLAGUE OF THE EMERALD ASH BORER THAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE BEFORE WE CAME TO INDIANA FOR CRYING OUT LOUD??????)
Me: So the landscaper thinks it's dying but you could save it?
M.X.: Yes. But since you want a tree they're just going to cut it down.
Me: Madame X, that is completely ridiculous. Really, why would we want to cut down a perfectly good tree just to have one planted 10 feet away that will take several years to grow mature? That is irresponsible and wasteful, and we are certainly not like that at all.
M.X.: Well, you can't fight city hall. I just wish I had known that you could apply for a tree in the tree lawn. Maybe I could have applied and had my tree replaced. (So she acknowledges the tree is dying and her real problem is that she didn't know she could have applied to replace it and we are getting a tree instead?????) Anyway, I am going to email Mayor Henry and let him know what I think about this.
Me: (thinking haha he has bigger fish to fry and doesn't seem to fired up to fry that even) I think you should. We would not like to see a perfectly good tree taken out. If you can get them to decide it isn't dying, then it should stay.
M.X.: (clearly thinking grrrrrrrrr) I will.
Me: Exit stage left. This conversation was not only exasperating but exhausting. She is not listening to what she is saying, nor does she comprehend the ridiculousness of the idea of someone wanting to get a tree in their tree lawn that they have to water and take care of at the expense of a tree that is thriving and doing fine. I have tried to like this person but at nearly every interaction that lasts past the two minute mark she is so completely abrasive, I get pretty fired up and have to walk away. I was proud of myself to be so emboldened to speak my mind to her though. Maybe chasing bad guys is good for my character!

A window into my view of how I want to rear my children

"Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them to become what they are capable of being." Goethe

Cooling our jets

James is very upset every morning when we drop Ava off at school. This particular morning I told him we would ride bikes down to the park and stop at the library to pick up a book I have on hold on the way home, and he just kept saying "Noooooo!" So we are cooling off around here for a little bit until the "No!" becomes less forceful and he decides going to the park is fun after all.
Plus I need to eat as this morning's festivities did not allow time for that. Off for some zucchini muffin homemade with zucchini from the garden. The last one too :-(

A Few Thoughts After Watching the Convention Last Night and Listening to NPR this Morning

And listening to NPR this morning. Stop reading Didi if you don't want to hear my politics. Will blog about the boy next :-)

-I found that watching coverage of the convention was much more satisfying on CSPAN vs. MSNBC. It is distracting to watch all those talking heads (some of whom I like) to try to figure out the meaning or significance of what was said. If I had been watching on another channel, I would have probably missed Senator Kerry's speech as it came after Fmr. President Clinton's speech, and you know they would have had the tea leaves out over at MSNBC on his speech.

-I have a lot of respect for Fmr. President Clinton, not just because of all he has done, but as his skills as an orater. That said, I was fairly disappointed in his performance last night. I felt he did a fine job, but usually I am inspired by his speaking. After his speech, Senator John Kerry came out and did his speech. It was well spoken and inspiring. He spoke about being an American, about how the republicans don't have a corner on the market for being a patriots and certainly don't have the right to question anyone's patriotism. How challenging America's leaders and wanting to make America a better place is not unpatriotic. He spoke very respectfully of John McCain and stated the differences between the Senator McCain he has known for years and Candidate McCain who is vastly different in beliefs from Senator McCain. How he is against policy now that he himself wrote (on VA funding and immigration). I was very impressed that it was not an attack on character but a showing of difference on issues. I was crying by the end. I may as well have been watching Steel Magnolias for crying out loud!

-This morning on NPR they interviewed Rudy Giuliani who spoke about Obama's inexperience. Neil Conan asked about George W. Bush's inexperience when he ran for office. Rudy didn't have much to say about that except that Texas is one of the largest states in the nation. What Neil didn't say and what I was thinking was that President Bush did have some experience- and plenty of people around him to help him out. Like his friends in the oil industry and Enron. Remember them? But importantly President Bush seems to have been inexperienced in a couple of things I find pretty important: the truth, and the constitution of the United States of America. Which leads me to my final point (we're almost there folks!)

-This morning while trying to listen to NPR there was some crying and gnashing of teeth in our household trying to get Ava out the door to school. (Bloody Mary?????) Anyhoo, during one moment I heard them state that John McCain was planning a constitutional ban on same sex marriage. Now, I know there are several views on this, and the point I am trying to make is not whether same sex marriage is right or wrong; it's if it is the job of the federal government to tell us what we can and cannot do. Should that not be a position of the state government? Really if one lets one's imagination run, they can envision all sorts of things that could be constitutionally added and rights that can be taken from any and all of us. And when it starts to affect you and me, suddenly will we take notice? States should have more power in certain instances, and I feel strongly that this is one.

-P.S. TORTURE IS WRONG and the gentleman running for president that experienced it should know that it is inhumane, and doesn't work. Ironic, isn't it, that the man who knows this says nothing about it. Again, for those listening, regardless of circumstances, TORTURE IS WRONG AND DOES NOT WORK!

K, I'm done. Thanks. No more politics for me today. Even after I go to Huffington Post. And even after I hear about Biden's speech (I couldn't stay up for it last night- we are eastern time y'all!)

No more HuffPo for me today

Even more riled up:

But after the two Obama kids scored in their performance on national television last night at the Democratic convention, "we had to do something to give the American people some straight talk on those two brats," Sen. McCain said today. (In reference to his latest "ad")

Attacking children? Under the age of 10? Way to keep it klassy, Senator.

Sir Charles Always Speaks the Truth!!!

A little piece over at the Huffington Post states that our friend the conservative Mr. Barkley has crossed over. Not one to mince words, he speaks some truth. It's short. I highly recommend it.

This is so very wrong but I love it

See more Kristin Chenoweth videos at Funny or Die

More soapbox (just a little bit I promise!)

This morning on my reader was a post from the Momocrats site regarding the people I wrote about yesterday. Here's an excerpt:

At the end I went up to the "Noobama" man and his wife. They are from Houston, TX. We talked. I asked them if the "Noobama" concept meant they would vote for McCain. The woman responded, "Well I'm not voting for Obama, ever." We then had a pretty lengthy conversation, one which I will not relay here except to say it is so clear that this woman and I come from such different perspectives that we will probably never agree. I tried to bring up the issue of race with the woman and was promptly informed that she has black grandchildren and that black people need to stop acting like victims. I hope those black grandchildren saw Michelle Obama speak last night.

After the woman from Houston, I encountered two Oregonians who are going to vote for McCain. (One, historically an Independent, the other, historically a Democrat.) They said Obama has zero experience and is a "racist radical" due to the church he was affiliated with for 20 years. We reached an impasse quickly and they just turned and walked away. To her credit, the woman from Texas was much more cordial.

PJ says to get ready. That McCain will win. (I say get ready to go to Canada, haha-ish.) If he even comes close, this is why. How sad is it that this is how you show your pride as an American- to believe the lies that are spewn about people. Are you the same people who revere McCain for his service to his country yet marginalize the service John Kerry gave to this same country? Is that because he came home and said (before many others did) take care of our soldiers? PLEASE become informed, people. I mean everyone. Even democrats who read stories of how Cindy McCain's story of how Mother Theresa begged her to take home the daughter they adopted is not true as she never met Mother Theresa, or how John McCain isn't sure how he feels about the unfairness of insurance not paying for birth control but for sure Viagra. Or even the houses! It's not about any of that. But as long as these people are as blind as the seem to enjoy being, there's a chance that we may be moving forward into the quagmire of the last 8 years. So let's do what we can to stop that!!!

Is it just me?

This morning when looking out the window to investigate the dogs latest barking, I found my next door neighbor with her trusty tape measure measuring the curb in front of our house (not her own!). Is it just me or would that ruffle your feathers too? I am so fired up I (almost) don't need a second cup of coffee!
Ava is home from school today. There was a regurgitation incident yesterday, followed by another last night. Not sure if it's food or viral. The boy as of this point shows no signs (thank God) so we are on the couch frying our brains with too much tv today. She seems much better but a) we don't want to take any chances and b) they don't want to see your child until 24 hrs after the sickness has passed, so we will hang out around here. Not like there's not plenty to do. Wish us luck!

On my soapbox for a moment **

Okay, I know I have been m.i.a. It started out as slacking a little, then there were preparations for out of town visitors (hi Didi and Papa!) and then we were having fun. Plus Ava started school. So I have a whole lot to get on the blog, but first I have to start with all the news I have been hearing about the convention and Hillary Clinton and where her votes will go.
There are several news reports speaking about Hillary Clinton's loyal supporters and their sitting on a fence on whether to vote for Barack Obama or John McCain. Puhleeeeeze. (Get ready, here I go~) If all these Clinton supporters don't know if they want to vote for Obama or are automatically going for McCain, it seems to me that her strategy of trying to be an agent of change failed miserably. Plain and simple, if you are voting for McCain as a consolation for voting for Clinton, then you really didn't hear what she was trying to say. And you were simply voting for her because she is a woman. It is really sad to hear these people saying that they were so strong for Clinton and now going towards McCain, because if you looked at her policies, then you would see she is a lot more in line with Obama than McCain. She would be pro choice. McCain not so much. She would be looking out for the disappearing middle class in helping out with taxes. McCain would be bewildered to learn that there is a middle class, disappearing as it is, and continue with the corporate tax cuts that behoove companies to send more jobs overseas. Really. Look into it. And there's the whole healthcare thing. She gets it. So does Obama. John McCain, not so much. There is not one day in his life or one person for that matter that would worry about filing bankruptcy or losing their house (one of seven, sorry) because of overwhelming medical bills. Even when they have "health insurance". Which brings to mind my friend Suzi who toiled at a job that made her sicker because she couldn't change employers as she had a preexisting condition. And then everyone thinks McCain is the military candidate. Yes, he is. He was in the military and is very fond of looking towards military rather than diplomatic solutions. And with Russia being a total bitch because they want into NATO, do you want someone who would rather send in troops without the help of our allies than seek some kind of diplomatic solution with the help of our allies? (Again, really, look into it. One should be completely informed and vote based on smarts. Please do your research no matter who you are leaning towards!)
Back to the whole Clinton thing. I am a Gen X'er. But I am early enough on that train to remember feminism. And while I barely can stomach Femenazis, I am grateful to all who went through what they did to get women to where they are today. We still don't get equal pay. Can you imagine where we would have been without the work of all those women to get us where we are? I remember my mother working hard to take care of us kids because my dad did not send child support. She was one of thousands if not millions of women who worked the same or similar jobs as men to make less money for reasons such as "the men are head of household- they need it more to take care of their family" as if single women who had the extra expense of day care didn't. That said, I don't think that this gives us reason to vote Clinton simply because she's a woman. That would be like saying you were voting McCain because he's a baby boomer, or Obama because he's (actually) African American. Really! If you ladies want to take your ball and go home, so to speak, and vote for McCain, go right ahead. But think about how we will remember you and Clinton when she tries again. And tries to be an opposite of the republican machine that you sided with instead of using your vote for the hope of a better future. Who will we believe?
**If you don't read this that's okay. Really. I do go on and on. But I love me some convention, bitches notwithstanding.