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December 18, 2024

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Friday, January 28, 2022

Open Thread – Homer Mudflats

Hope everyone had a great weekend. I enjoyed rebooting the system, as it were. There’s something about walking on the beach, throwing stones, feeding chickens, watching sandhill cranes, eating halibut cooked on a beach fire, and sleeping until you hear a rooster that’s good for the soul.

And as great a weekend as I had, ‘Buf’ the dog’s was greater still. It was her maiden voyage to the beach, and she was positively beside herself with happiness. She “smiled” nonstop and enjoyed the sights, smells, and the other smiling dogs. Once, she started digging a hole in the sand and quickly looked over at me to see if she’d get the same reaction she gets when she does that to the lawn. After realizing there was going to be no yelling and jumping from her human, she continued to dig, and then spun around in circles until her nest was perfect for napping. And nap she did, with a vengeance.

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  1. BuffaloGal says:

    And, may I say , WTF?!?!?!

    Glenn Beck concluding that POTUS has put off meeting with BP CEO because he is white –

    http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201006140057

    • bubbles says:

      good grief!

    • seattlefan says:

      Oh my…I went over and tried to watch all that vid. I couldn’t but I saw enough to know this man is a complete idiot, lunatic and racist. Wow….. How is it that Fox News allows this? Unbelievable. Has he run out of sponsors yet?

      • BuffaloGal says:

        That’s the weird thing – He IS out of sponsors ! In the UK he has none ( or at least that was the case last as of last month ) and here in the US he has only a few left. He’s lost about 100 advertisers.

        How is this possible ???

  2. BuffaloGal says:

    Fox News bungles interview with Sharron Angle – ( too distracted focusing on Palin )

    http://voices.washingtonpost.com/right-now/2010/06/fox_news_bungles_sharron_angle.html

  3. fishingmamma says:

    This just in, I got it on e-mail because I am a UAA student:

    Dear colleagues and friends:
    Over the past seven weeks, we’ve all seen images from and heard reports about the tragic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. On May 22, President Obama announced that he was forming a National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling. This group is charged with investigating the causes of the explosion and recommending changes to prevent future disasters. I am honored that President Obama has asked me to serve as one of the seven members of this new commission.
    This is a volunteer post and I am able to continue as UAA’s Chancellor, with President Gamble’s enthusiastic support. I will travel to Washington D.C. for periodic meetings over the next six months, but otherwise look forward to serving the UAA community until my planned retirement in June 2011. My participation on this commission supports the University’s mission to help meet the needs of our state and of our country. My dual role as a commission member and as UAA’s Chancellor will allow me to serve as a link between the commission and University of Alaska researchers and area experts in oil spill response and prevention.
    I have a deep commitment to public service and environmental policy. Having served in the Alaska Legislature during the Exxon Valdez oil spill, I was a member of the Special Committee on the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Claims Settlement. During that time, many changes were made in law and regulation. I hope to serve as a bridge between Alaskans, particularly those who have been affected by the Exxon Valdez spill, and those recommending the additional changes needed to prevent further disasters.
    I hope that my previous experiences (including service on the Alaska Coastal Policy Council, the Alaska Nature Conservancy, the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission, Governor Knowles’ Alaska Highway Natural Gas Policy Council, and many others over the years) will be useful to the commission. In order to focus my attention and avoid conflicts, I plan to resign my current board positions prior to beginning work on the commission.
    Thank you for being part of such a strong, passionate team, and for helping to make UAA a great place for students, staff, faculty and the community.

    Sincerely,

    Fran Ulmer
    Chancellor
    ********************************************

    Can you believe President Obama did not take Sarah up on her offer, but instead tapped a serious, thoughtful, experienced public servant?

  4. AuntieRuth says:

    The chain of events is pretty transparent. Rupert Murdoch has offered her a chance to visit London and stay at his place. He has mentioned that maybe he can set up a photo-op with Maggie. Hence, the “invitation with the offer to set up a meeting” Obviously, he is the primary beneficiary of setting up the photo op. So his people talked to Maggie’s people. I suspect that Maggie’s daughter could use some cash. The whole thing is faux news.

    If she thinks the tabloids here are tough, wait till the British tabs get her in their telephoto lenses.

    • bubbles says:

      I love it!!! can’t wait for the British media to go after her. meanwhile, i say we pups write a letter to ‘Her British Majesty the Queen of England to warn her of sarah’s pending visit so she can call out the Coldstream Guards, flood the moat, lift the drawbridge, dust off the cannon, hide the crown jewels and flee the country.

      • OMG says:

        Maybe they shouldn’t lock up the crown jewels…legend has it that bad luck always befalls the thief.

        • Nan (aka roswellborn) says:

          I just had this mental image …. sort of a collage of the trip where you-know-who earned her swag hag moniker, and the Crown Jewels laid out to be admired… (cue the music)… and the lightning fingered “swag hag diva” then enters…

          Well, you get the idea. (I hope)

    • BuffaloGal says:

      Let the games begin!!

    • OMG says:

      We could always nudge the tabloids a little, you know to pave the way for her royal visit.

    • Dagian says:

      It’s like National Lampoon’s “Vacation” movies–but for live! Can’t you just see $P making a complete and utter ass of herself while having an audience with the Queen. I bet she’ll make fart sounds with her armpits, or something equally “real”.

      I’ll take REAL melted butter on my popcorn, please.

      • Gramiam says:

        Her Majesty granting an audience? With Quittypants? Yeah, right! She only met with George Bush because she had to respect his title as a head of state. But Palin? NOT! Besides, everybody knows that Michelle Obama is the Queen’s homie!

    • seattlefan says:

      It will be an interesting spectacle to watch. I can’t wait. The British papparazzi will feed her ego and at the same time eat her alive. Popcorn!!!!

    • Rene Thompson says:

      Who gets to tell Sarah that Baroness Thatcher lost her short-term memory in 2002 due to a series of strokes and was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2008? The poor woman, according to her own daughter, has to be reminded that her husband is dead.

      Not only will this poor woman have no idea who she is, she won’t know who she is 5 minutes into the conversation nor 5 minutes after she’s left.

      The idea of any meeting is obscene.

  5. BuffaloGal says:

    Per Palin’s Fa(r)cebook – Her response to rumors of her going to visit Mrs. Thatcher –

    http://www.facebook.com/sarahpalin

    *** Following an article in a British publication on Sunday, I’ve received questions about a possible trip to the United Kingdom. I have received an invitation for a visit to London, and part of that invitation included the offer of arranging a meeting between myself and one of my political heroines, the “Iron Lady,” Margaret Thatcher. I would love to meet her and hope I’ll be able to arrange the trip in the future.

    As I wrote last year when I offered her birthday wishes, Baroness Thatcher’s life and career serve as a blueprint for overcoming the odds and challenging the “status quo.” She started life as a grocer’s daughter from Grantham and rose to become Prime Minister – all by her own merit and hard work. I cherish her example and will always count her as one of my role models. Her friendship with my other political hero, Ronald Reagan, exemplified the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom.

    – Sarah Palin***

    1) she didn’t write this

    2) o puhleeeze

    and 3) The UK article said that Palin’s camp approached THEM with a request for a meeting. Someone’s not quite telling it straight, eh ?

    • ks sunflower says:

      Gee, I wonder which side is making things up – like that’s a hard question to answer, right? I agree with you, BuffaloGal, Sarah is incapable of writing responses such as this. I cannot believe for an instant that she knew Thatcher’s honorary title or her personal history. Gees, when is that FaceBook ghostwriter going to learn how important it is to make the stuff reasonably close to Sarah’s style and competence level?

      • ks sunflower says:

        Also, too, love your “Fa(r)cebook” reference. Funny and accurate!

    • OMG says:

      I doubt that she received an invitation from anyone more than an individual fan. If she did, she would say that the such and such organization invited her to speak. I believe that she is simply trying to puff herself up–you know, the world is now recognizing her importance and all. The original report suggested that she was planning a trip to the UK which I believe to be closer to the truth. Once again, Sarah Palin will lie about anything, even something so insignificant.

      The strange thing is that Palin has no idea that Mrs. Thatcher is suffering from dementia (for more than ten years: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/thatchers-battle-with-dementia-by-her-daughter-907799.html). Prior to her illness, her party voted her out of power and she was replaced with Prime Minister John Major; Major lost power when the Labour Party won the next election when Tony Blair was overwhelmingly elected.

      At the end of her term as PM, Mrs. Thatcher became wildly unpopular with the British public.

      Another note is that Palin is considered a laughing stock there (also too) and any close relationship with Thatcher that she tries to lie about will do nothing to inspire the UK to think otherwise.

      • Nan (aka roswellborn) says:

        I think you’ve hit the nail on the head there.

        The trouble is, we want the US of A to see her as the UK does! With eyes wide open!

      • Rene Thompson says:

        Do you think the British press will inform her immediately before or immediately after the meeting with Lady Margaret that the poor woman has Alzheimer’s and never had any idea who she was?

    • Lee323 says:

      The Barreness Palin wants to meet the Baroness Thatcher, eh?

      It would be funny….if the exploitation of Ms. Thatcher by ex-GINO wasn’t so pathetic.

      • Rene Thompson says:

        True, very true.

        I wonder if Palin hoped no one on this side of the pond was aware of her condition and she was just going to claim that she had Lady Margaret’s approval as Reagan’s heir apparent?

        I wonder how much money she had to shell out for this little meeting? I bet it’s non-refundable.

  6. aussiegal77 says:

    Our gal Sarah, always the victim – even from her own wardrobe and genes!! Oh the horror:

    http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2010/06/the-pernicious-lies-of-sarah-palin-iv-they-victimize-me-for-looking-hot.html

    Here’s a hint sweetheart: Truly God fearing Christian women don’t go around intentionally attracting attention to their bodies by wearing inappropriate clothing then whine when people DO notice. You’re in your 40’s and a mother of 5 – you are expected to know better. Stop whining and start taking responsibilities for your actions.

    • BuffaloGal says:

      High five . Fist bump . And – Hell Yes.

    • rebekkah says:

      Andrew Sullivan is correct.

      Boobgate started with the help and creation of SP. She knew it would provoke any speculation. What is surprising to me though is her greatest supporter Greta point blank asked her if it was true. Has Greta’s loyalty waned? No true friend would stoop that low on live tv with a sensationalistic question like that.

      • ks sunflower says:

        My initial thought was that Sarah had Greta ask her the question so she could give the “definitive, this subject is closed now” answer.

        If Greta’s loyalty had waned, she’s more than capable of asking the question in a way Sarah couldn’t answer or would ask a few follow-up questions. However, I think it was a softball way to address the artificial controversy. It got Sarah what she wanted: attentioin. Plus, it served as a distraction to other more important things happening with the Tea and Republican Parties. I found the timing too convenient – at least with the Greta bit.

        • aussiegal77 says:

          I agree with you – everything with Palin is fake and manufactured and Boob-gate is no different. She can’t ever just be real and genuine, she has to make herself look so much more sincere and honest than she has ever been. It’s appalling how Fox just enables her deceit.

          She is doing nothing but digging herself deeper and deeper into her own deception, losing all touch with reality. That is hell on earth as far as I am concerned. I would pity her if she didn’t use her lies to rip off and deceive honest, hard working, faithful Christians who are DUPED by her e.g. some of the friends in my life who I really care about are completely taken in by her fake victim act. It’s truly a travesty that Palin is allowed to perpetrate this fraud.

          My comfort is that God sees all, He sees into the hearts of men and sees their real motives. Palin will stand before God one day and answer for all her lies and deception. She ought to remember this – she preaches judgement ALL the time – perhaps she thinks she is above the rules?

    • lilybart says:

      Does anyone say anything about any other women in poltics?

      Does the way Hillary dresses invite comments? Michele Bachman? She is a nutter but she knows how to dress like a professional, I will give her that. Kay Baily? Susan Rice? Boxer, Pelosi, Sebelius…..ONLY poor victimized Sarah.

      • aussiegal77 says:

        Which is why Palin is no feminist – she puts her looks and charms above hard work, dedication, determination and competence for the job at hand to earn her a spot in the limelight. It’s truly remarkable how many otherwise strong independent women fall for that kind of crap.

        If a woman isn’t qualified for a job – she shouldn’t get it, full stop. I don’t care what she looks like. If a woman shows up to her job dressed like a tramp, she should be asked to go home and change to something appropriate. I am tired of idiots like Palin making us women look like whining shrews with entitlement issues. She has not, does not and will never represent me.

    • Gramiam says:

      Back in Junior High and High school days, the boys had a name for Quittypants’ type. It wasn’t a “nice” name, either.

  7. LoveMydogs says:

    This is my last day at one of my jobs before taking some time off for fish camp (a whole week!!!) Went down to the beach last night to get the lay of the land with our fellow fish campers. Tomorrow we pitch tents and move in. I can’t wait. A week of living by the sun, the tides and the smell of the ocean. As well as the raucous neighbors… (oh well, nothing is perfect). Played with puppies (the real kind) for hours last night. One of the fellow campers saved 5 puppies from a local good-for-nothing piece of cr*p who didn’t worm them or socialize them (“worms prevent parvo” and “I don’t have time for all of that”). Poor babies are horribly underweight/malnourished from the worms and timid at 8 weeks old. But oh so cute now that they are getting the loving care that all puppies require. There were arms enough for individual snuggling around the camp fire and treats for all. If they are there for the whole week we may have a new addition to the family. I told her to bring them back every day so that I can gently shove them into DH’s arms daily. He said “no” to my first pleading looks but I know that his heart will melt. He is no match for my plots….

    • Trini says:

      LMD, have a great week at fish camp! Right now, I have 6 pups at 5 weeks of age. In case you didn’t know, PUP stands for “Picking Up Poop.” LOL! I don’t worm my puppies. I never have. This is because I have mom on Interceptor year-around. The protection passes to the puppies. This prevents the problems that require worming. Also, I can’t stand the thought of giving my puppies poison.

      Enjoy the puppy breath!

      • LoveMyDogs says:

        This guy wouldn’t put the Mom on anything (wouldn’t consider it) to prevent the need for wormer. It was an “unplanned” breeding and he basically didn’t care about any of them because he is into bloodlines. Sad to say, he isn’t much better to the ones with the perfect bloodlines. He is a miserable excuse for a dog owner. Unfortunately our laws let him get away with just doing the bare minimum.

        I love puppy breath!

  8. AK Raven says:

    Rand Paul says “I think a lot”

    But when there is nothing in the shallow pool, there is nothing to enlighten the thought. He says the hilly country is better for building on after it is flattened. first they would have to import tons of topsoil and stabilize the land so it can be built on, and of course the water table is destroyed, and the area is prone to flooding because all the streams are filled in.

    HOW STUPID CAN HE BE?

  9. Lacy Lady says:

    I still think that Sarah has told one big lie about her pregancy. I know what I looked like at 9Mos pg, and I sure couldn’t hide the fact. And no Dr in his right might would say that it was o.k. to fly home from Texas to Alaska in that condition. I would still like to know who the REAL mother is. And for that matter—–also the father. I am sure there are people in Alaska who know the truth. But knowing her, they are fearful of coming out with the truth.

  10. WakeUpAmerica says:

    No pictures of Buf sleeping in her dog nest? AKM, did you once tell us that “Buf” isn’t her real name? If so, does that make her an anonymous blogger?

    • AKMuckraker says:

      “Buf” is not her real name. It’s the sound she likes to make. It’s sort of a “boof” noise. When we migrated the blog to its current site, I had a graphic of a moving van with a picture of a dog saying “Buf!” and a Mudflatter (I can’t remember who!) started calling her Buf the dog, and it just stuck. She is an anonymous dogger. 🙂

  11. ks sunflower says:

    What do you think of this? Unfortunately, it was a Democrat Representative who went a little off the rails, but regardless of which party he affiliates with, something is very wrong in the way he handles this.

    I’m not saying the interviewer (supposedly a student) approached this man in the best way, but I certainly do not think Rep. Bob Etheridge (D-N.C.) handled it well. He could be brought up on assault and battery charges for his unwanted grasping of this interviewer. Rep. Etheridge looks either overlay tired or as if he’s suffering a bad morning-after (though perhaps he is ill). Regardless, not the way to respond to a question, even a taunting one.

    Is this what our political discourse and interaction is now?

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/14/bob-etheridge-attacks-stu_n_610978.html

    • OMG says:

      I saw that and am disgusted with this guy. Don’t care what party her belongs to, he needs to give is head a shake and do more than apologize.

    • fishingmamma says:

      Ethridge needs to tatoo the words “no comment” on his palm.

  12. leenie17 says:

    Dontcha just love it when dogs smile??? Pure bliss!

    Glad you and Buf had a wonderfully relaxing weekend.

    • seattlefan says:

      I love dog smiles. When my dog smiles he is usually excited, his eyes are vibrant and his mouth truly forms a smile! 🙂 Going “bye bye” , for a waIk, or a treat usually brings the joy for him. I’m waiting for my cats to smile…..I think they prefer looks of contentment over joy, but I’m still waiting.

  13. thatcrowwoman says:

    Sometimes we just need a day or two unplugged, eh?
    *deep, cleansing breaths*

    I’ve been outside dawn to dusk this first week of summer vacation. Spent my weekend in the NW quadrant of the forest ripping up spent dewberry vines, taming the hedgerows, tending the peaches and kiwis, and filling the pool. First swim of the season yesterday evening after a long, sweaty day of yard-work workout. See my happy happy joy joy?

    Here’s to a pleasant and productive week, wherever you are.

    • laprofesora says:

      How I love an evening swim…

    • ks sunflower says:

      What a great start to summer vacation. May you have many more! Peaches and kiwis – how wonderful.

      Is it true that you need both male and female kiwi vines for them to bear fruit? I’d love to try some, but worry that, like our first experience with wisteria nothing happened. Once we bought several wines with the hope of creating the right “mix,” we finally got flowers. So, if it takes several kiwis – how many would you recommend.

      Congrats to AKM for also having a great start to summer!

      • thatcrowwoman says:

        We have 3 vines, allegedly one male and two females.

        When we bought this place (our first place) more than 20 years ago, DH Happy’s mum, of blessed memory, gave them to us as a yardwarming(?!) gift… just 3 little “sticks”… We built a huge trellis, and then POOF like Jack’s beanstalk… like kudzu… the vines Grew.

        We’ve had flowers for the past many years, but this is the first year we’ve ever had fruit. We’ve had more honeybees this year, also, too, though, and dragonflys. Dozens (hundreds, says Happy) of fruits. They’re a pretty good size, and turning from smooth green to brown and fuzzy. I noticed the first little fruits on Mother’s Day, how cool is that? (Thanks, mum. miss you, love you, always in my heart)

        Watching to see what else likes kiwis…birds? armadillos? ‘possums? raccoons? bats? squirrels? (they get plenty of the peaches, pears and pecans in the forest)

  14. Dagian says:

    Whoops! Wrong Uptown Theater–but I love that one too, now that I’ve seen the photos.

    Here’s “mine”:

    http://cinematreasures.org/theater/70/

    • laprofesora says:

      Thanks for the link to the drive-in! It looks perfect, the old-fashioned kind I remember. Hey, you’re in MD; that’s doable from PA. Maybe a good excuse for a road trip…!

      • Dagian says:

        Do it! You just can’t go wrong. The cheeseburgers were good too. I love their onion rings, but I recently developed an allergy to either macadamias, cashews and/or the peanut oil they were roasted in. 🙁

        A woman, her epi-pen and a new-found fetish for reading food labels. Not for fun anymore.

        • laprofesora says:

          That’s so funny you would say that, my husband loves drive-in movie cheeseburgers! Sorry to hear about the onion rings reaction. They’re one of my favorite treats, it would be hard to give them up.

  15. lilybart says:

    Does Mrs. Todd Palin even know that Thatcher is suffering from dementia? And really, the jokes that will spawn…but then she is always looking to play the victim, now she can include Thatcher and how mean we are to both of them!

  16. sage says:

    awwwwww! My girl Maggie is a denning dog, too.
    Loves her naps in justso nests.

    What a paradise you live in! Last night’s PBS Nature was from Wrangell St Elias NP.
    So beautiful. 🙂

  17. Irishgirl says:

    AKM, help! I’m stuck in the spammer thingie and I want to get out. It’s no fun in here.

  18. DF says:

    Nothing like Homer in the sunshine!

  19. OMG says:

    This was posted on yesterday’s thread (but from the Daily Mail article). This photo op with Thatcher reminds me too much of Palin’s UN photo op speed dating. Wow, she can smile and shake hands–how presidential is that?! I’m sure that Palin will spin things out of reality by saying that they discussed world events. However, Mrs. Thatcher has suffered from dementia for several years now, so I do not believe that much will be discussed. However, the majority of Americans do not realize that Mrs. Thatcher is ill and Palin’s fans will buy her lies (again) and swoon that their heroine is indeed the reincarnation of Reagan.

    http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2010/06/14/2010-06-14_sarah_palin_in_talks_to_meet_former_prime_minister_margaret_thatcher_during_uk_t.html

    • ks sunflower says:

      Thanks for reminding us of Sarah’s UN speed-dating experience. That was so dreadful at the time.

      You make an excellent point about most Americans not realizing Thatcher has dementia. I simply hope some reporters have the guts to mention it – though to do so, may make them feel as if they are demeaning Thatcher instead of exposing Palin. I think that’s what she and her handlers are counting upon, don’t you?

      • ValleyIndependent says:

        I think you are right on target. Too many Americans will think the speed-dating and this count as foreign policy experience. Once again, she is likely to get away with nothing more than the superficial.

    • bubbles says:

      Reagan also had Alzheimers and was demented during his Presidency. that’s why i LOL whenever ‘the Right’ references him. completely absurd, these folks.

      • Nan (aka roswellborn) says:

        I remember reading that his “handlers” were aware of the Altzheimer’s when they were grooming him for the second term. I’d have to look now to find a reference to that, though …

        (If you think this comment should be pulled until then, ok by me)

  20. aussiegal77 says:

    Hey guys, glad everyone had a restful weekend, mine could have been better but it’s behind me now and it’s a new day =)

    Bring on the open thread! =)

  21. Elsie says:

    Reading about your wonderful weekend, Madame AKM, makes me smile for you. No one deserves a getaway more than you, Buf, and the rest of the family unit.

  22. BuffaloGal says:

    per a BP phone operator: ‘We’re just a diversion to keep them from getting to corporate’

    http://bit.ly/cmDooF

  23. daisydem says:

    That does sound like a wonderful weekend. I need to break away and do the same but cannot seem to. I guess I will be forced to when I travel to Great Britain in two weeks, though now I see that “someone else ” may be planning a trip there too. Yikes. What am I to do?

  24. jimzmum says:

    Good Monday! I am wondering about that halibut cooked over a campfire. Did you cook it in a basket thing? Every once in a while, we seriously splurge and buy some fresh halibut at the fish market. Lord love us all, it is generally right at $15 a pound! And, worth every bit of it.

    I am dismayed by Rand Paul. It is obvious he knows nothing about the mountains of Kentucky. They are revered. Mining already ruined enough. Ding head.

  25. OMG says:

    I was reading some comments on the last open thread, specifically about Palin’s latest FB rant. I am really sick of Palin’s use of the term “common sense” (which she usually misspells as one word). Maybe it’s time that we chronicle a list of her lack of said sense such as quitting midway through her elected position as governor having taken an oath to fight for her state, or constantly attacking everyone and anyone without offering any substantial alternatives, or how about parading her children in front of cameras therefore opening their young lives to the scrutiny of millions (as a mother that’s a big one for me).

    I’m sure there are millions of examples of Palin’s lack of common sense; it would be a fascinating list to read.

    • twain12 says:

      I would like to hear some specifics once in a while what those common sense solutions are .

      • OMG says:

        Palin will parrot someone’s ideas at some point but don’t expect her to actually come up with one on her own. Even her use of “lamestream” media was not an original thought nor was the term “death panels”. She liked the sound of those little bites and like any broken record repeats them annoyingly. While she did not come up with the terms she does enjoy taking the credit for their use.

      • Dagian says:

        I want a pet woolly mammoth.

        *claps hands furiously*

        So glad that you had such a splendid weekend! I went to the local drive-in theater, ate an awesome chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich (one cookie for each butt cheek, the ice cream sandwich for my belly) and generally screwed around. It was glorious.

        • laprofesora says:

          I’m so jealous! We don’t have drive-ins around here anymore. I’ve been really missing them, we used to have so much fun. We would take chairs and sit outside and drink margarita’s, we even took the dog.Now my husband hangs a sheet on the back of the house and we show movies in our yard,but it’s been raining too much to even do that. I fantasize that if I won the lottery one thing I would do is bring back drive-ins!

          • laprofesora says:

            PS Loved hearing about the dog at the beach. What a sweet image! Dogs are the best!

          • Dagian says:

            I’m so lucky that one still exists. It’s the ONE thing I can do with my argumentative son. I find myself calling him “Mommy’s little litigator” in my head sometimes. Where does he get it? 😉

            Here’s a link for you, just for fun.

            http://www.bengies.com

            I also revel in the fact that there’s still a movie theater with a big screen and a BALCONY in my area. That’s where I saw “2001”, “Star Wars”, “Dances with Wolves” (twice–sobbed both times), “Harry Potter”…

            http://www.uptowntheater.com/UptownTheater/HISTORY.html

    • lilybart says:

      Big lack of common sense…..not going to a hospital to check out an amniotic leak while in TX and flying to Alaska instead. IF true.

      • Dagian says:

        Not only that, but IF true–her doctor should be brought before the reviewing board and I would vote to have her license pulled.

        You do NOT advise a woman to get on a plane to fly hours and hours and hours, leaking amniotic fluid. Particularly when you already know the child has Downs’ Syndrome and is therefore likely to be a delicate newborn.

        So, if the doctor is still practicing and doesn’t seem to have taken any sort of hiatus, I’m going to bet that $P is lying. I mean, her lips are moving!

      • Dagian says:

        http://www.adn.com

        EARLY ARRIVAL

        Palin was in Texas last week for an energy conference of the Republican Governors Association when she experienced signs of early labor. She wasn’t due for another month.

        Early Thursday — she thinks it was around 4 a.m. Texas time — she consulted with her doctor, family physician Cathy Baldwin-Johnson, who is based in the Valley and has delivered lots of babies, including Piper, Palin’s 7-year-old.

        Palin said she felt fine but had leaked amniotic fluid and also felt some contractions that seemed different from the false labor she had been having for months.

        “I said I am going to stay for the day. I have a speech I was determined to give,” Palin said. She gave the luncheon keynote address for the energy conference.

        Palin kept in close contact with Baldwin-Johnson. The contractions slowed to one or two an hour, “which is not active labor,” the doctor said.

        “Things were already settling down when she talked to me,” Baldwin-Johnson said. Palin did not ask for a medical OK to fly, the doctor said.

        “I don’t think it was unreasonable for her to continue to travel back,” Baldwin-Johnson said.

        So the Palins flew on Alaska Airlines from Dallas to Anchorage, stopping in Seattle and checking with the doctor along the way.

        “I am not a glutton for pain and punishment. I would have never wanted to travel had I been fully engaged in labor,” Palin said. After four kids, the governor said, she knew what labor felt like, and she wasn’t in labor.

        Still, a Sacramento, Calif., obstetrician who is active in the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said when a pregnant woman’s water breaks, she should go right to the hospital because of the risk of infection. That’s true even if the amniotic fluid simply leaks out, said Dr. Laurie Gregg.

        “To us, leaking and broken, we are talking the same thing. We are talking doctor-speak,” Gregg said.

        Some airlines have policies against pregnant women onboard during the last four weeks of pregnancy, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists advises against flying after 36 weeks.

        This was going to be Palin’s last flight anyway, her doctor said.

        Alaska Airlines has no such rule and leaves the decision to the woman and her doctor, said spokeswoman Caroline Boren. Palin was very pleasant to the gate agents and flight attendants, as always, Boren said.

        “The stage of her pregnancy was not apparent by observation. She did not show any signs of distress,” Boren said.

        Palin never got big with this pregnancy. She said she didn’t try to hide it but didn’t feel a need to alert the airline, either.

        They landed in Anchorage around 10:30 p.m. Thursday and an hour later were at the Mat-Su Regional Medical Center in Wasilla.

        Baldwin-Johnson said she had to induce labor, and the baby didn’t come until 6:30 a.m. Friday.

        “It was smooth. It was relatively easy,” Palin said. “In fact it was the easiest of all,” probably because Trig was small, at 6 pounds, 2 ounces.

        Palin said she wanted him born in Alaska but wouldn’t have risked anyone’s health to make that happen.

        “You can’t have a fish picker from Texas,” said Todd.

        Palin said she won’t take maternity leave but will go with Trig to doctor’s visits, physical therapy, whatever he needs. She’s breast feeding and plans to bring Trig to work with her, just as she did with Piper.

        “It just feels like he fits perfectly,” Palin said. “He is supposed to be here with us.”

        Read more: http://www.adn.com/2008/04/22/382864/palins-child-diagnosed-with-down.html#ixzz0qqNR6kdV

        ———————————————————————————————————————

        What a bunch of irresponsible asshats. I include the physician in that.

        I don’t usually ascribe to conspiracy theories, but this is too much to swallow. Yeah, go on honey, don’t tell the flight crew you’re 9 months pregnant AND leaking. Get on those planes for hours on end. Don’t take maternity leave. Of course you were pregnant…

        • jimzmum says:

          Let us not forget that the baby was supposed to be rather premature, a Down’s baby, and was out of the hospital and in her office in what, three days? Riiiiiiiight.

          • lilybart says:

            With plump rosy cheeks no less, photographed day of the “birth” I remember.

      • Dagian says:

        I just can’t seem to stop myself today.

        The Overall Average Patient Rating of Dr. Cathy L Baldwin-Johnson, MD when asked is Moderate. Dr. Baldwin-Johnson has been reviewed by 3 patients. The rating is 2.0 out of 4 stars.

        The average wait time to see Dr. Baldwin-Johnson as provided by patient reviews is 25 minutes. By comparison, the national average for a pre-vist wait time of 21 minutes.

        Dr. Baldwin-Johnson is rated “GOOD” in the following areas:
        Courteous Staff — 2.7

        Dr. Baldwin-Johnson is rated “FAIR” in the following areas:
        Ease of Appointment — 2.3
        Promptness — 2.3
        Accurate Diagnosis — 2.0
        Bedside Manner — 2.0
        Spends Time with Me — 2.0
        Follow Up — 2.0
        Dr. Cathy Lee Baldwin-Johnson is affiliated with 2 hospitals, including Providence Alaska Medical Center. Providence Alaska Medical Center is ranked 1 out of 4 stars. Since the hospital quality scores are a composite of performance by individual doctors, a doctor’s particular hospital affiliation will often reflect on his or her performance.

  26. merrycricket says:

    AKM, That sounds like an amazing weekend. So glad you took a few pictures to share with us. I’m off to work gang. See ya on the flip side!

  27. twain12 says:

    I’m SO jealous…glad you all had a good weekend. Mt excitement existed of cleaning out the shed, but i got to spend some time with my granddaughter so that was good.

    and to start out the week here is a doozy courtesy of Rand Paul
    http://thinkprogress.org/2010/06/13/rand-paul-mountaintop/
    Paul On Mountaintop Removal: ‘I Don’t Think Anyone’s Going To Be Missing A Hill Or Two Here And There’

    • OMG says:

      Let’s hope the people of his state are sensible enough (maybe by exercising that “common sense” that Palin is always shouting about) to not elect this loon.

    • OMG says:

      Let’s hope that the people of his state show some of that common sense that Palin’s always shouting about and vote against him.

      • OMG says:

        Oops sorry about the double reply…I didn’t think that the first one went through.

    • Elsie says:

      Nor does Rand miss the occasional brain cell, or two, here and there….look how well THAT’S worked for him.

      Apparently, the intelligence that allows him to be a physician is not connected to intelligence about cause-and-effect, the consequences of bad actions leading to bad results, etc. I’d like him to live next to a flattened-out mountain and suffer the pollution, runoff, and ruin caused by the rape of the land like that. Do you think he’d even notice?

      • lilybart says:

        He did create his own “board” to certify his own doctorness, so what does THAT say?

        • bubbles says:

          WHAT???….how’d the chump do that?….where does this guy work? does he have his own hospital/clinic? does he only accept white patients? we know how he feels about restaurants. wtf?

        • Nan (aka roswellborn) says:

          You are kidding, aren’t you? I thought it was only accredited whatchamacallits that could do that. You know, like the American Medical Association and the specific state where the person wants to practice medicine that determined if someone has the knowledge and background (like STUDYING) to be certified as a Doc!!

    • thatcrowwoman says:

      Excuse me, Mr. Paul, but am I anyone?
      Here or there,
      I miss and mourn for more than one mountaintop…
      and the Gulf of Mexico, there, also, too.

    • ks sunflower says:

      That man is an idiot. Sure am glad he and Sarah didn’t hook up years ago. Can you imagine the offspring of that union? One shudders at the mere thought. Sarah sure has a knack for picking loonies and losers (hopefully).

    • zyxomma says:

      Thanks for posting this, twain12. As everyone at the ‘flats knows, I’m a passionate opponent of mountaintop removal for *many* reasons, foremost among them the environmental devastation, habitat loss, and trashing of waterways that always accompanies it. Then there is the social justice component — Appalachia has one of the strongest cultural traditions in the country, but because the residents have traditionally been poor, their wants and needs get stomped on in favor of the wealthy, whether Big Energy or Big Tobacco in the last century.

      Justafarmer, if you see this, please forward the clip of the interview to everyone you know in your state. Kentucky can ill afford the dangerous Rand Paul, who is far nuttier than his dad, who is famously nutty. I pray he loses the election.