Stick Horse Cowgirls

DISCLOSURE : I did not vote for John Kerry when he ran. I have never voted for Barrack Obama, however, he is my president. I am an American.  Day before yesterday Secretary of State John Kerry gave what I thought was a well-reasoned speech about limited intervention in Syria. I know most of you have watched with the same horror I feel as over 100,000 people have been killed in Syria's civil war. I have recoiled from the images of chemical warfare used by someone (presumably the government) on one's own homeland. What could be worth that? I watched Secretary Kerry, searching for clues about whether I should trust him in what he was saying. He seemed to me to be a juxtaposition against his predecessor. Hillary Clinton always seemed to me to be gad flying across the face of the earth and accomplishing little. During her speeches as Secretary of State she always looked worn, and her composure looked contrived, as if she was consciously trying to portray someone ...

…Marduk-Baladan son of …king of Babylon sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, ... Hezekiah received the envoys and showed them all that was in his storehouses—the silver, the gold, the spices and the fine olive oil—his armory and everything found among his treasures. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them. Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked, … “What did [the Babylonians] see in your palace?” “They saw everything in my palace,” Hezekiah said. “There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.” Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord: The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your predecessors have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the Lord.  2 Kings 20:12, et seq. V’s last post was about Facebook.  Stickhorse Cowgirls has a page as do I, personally.  Still, it is a source of irritation ...

    One of my biggest distractions is Facebook.  After a difficult day at work –of which I had many this year, it’s how I decompress – chill !   I admit that I spend waayyy too much time perusing the posts of Facebook indulging my passion for animal rescue—which I attribute to my childhood love of animals.  I often share photos and stories of pets in my area that need foster care or adoption.  It’s the only way I know to keep from filling my yard and home with hordes of dogs and cats that are homeless.  I have always been an animal lover, but am determined to keep it reasonable!  Arkansas Paws in Prison is a wonderful program where inmates train dogs rescued from high kill shelters in our state –A future post  will have more about that worthy endeavor that benefits both man and dog!          Another way I use Facebook is to share scriptures or prayers—my passion for Israel—updates on the two li...

If you have read this blog long you know how much I love to put my “two cents” out there.  It is one of the greatest pleasures of this blog—an outlet for my opinion!! (Like it matters…) This week it’s the Zimmerman trial. The verdict was so very predictable for me, a lawyer.  I don’t have a lot of time to spend in front of the television, but when there is an interesting trial going on, I do pay attention during the hours I am at home with the television news in the background.  I accurately predicted the Casey Anthony case, although I believe in my gut that she killed her child.  But the evidence was not there to convict her so I think the legally-correct though morally-stinky decision was reached in that case. In the Zimmerman case I believe the legally-correct decision was made, and it coincides with what I believe the “right” decision was under the tragic circumstances. From what I know about the Zimmerman-Martin case, it was a calamitous meeting of two...

I got an email this morning from a client who has been dead at least six months.  We’ll call him “Peter,” which is not his real one.  Seeing his name pop up in my inbox was eerie.  I knew immediately that it was not a “real” message and, sure enough, it was one of those that is sent out to everyone in your inbox advertising sexual enhancers or weight loss or some such—I don’t know which in this case since I do not open these. Still, it was odd seeing Peter’s name, especially in this early-morning fog before my coffee.  It felt momentarily like a message from the grave from someone who had not been ready to pass on from this life.  Like a stilled voice trying to cry out to be remembered. Indeed, he had not been ready.  He left an eight-year-old son for whom he and I fought hard.  His death had been out-of-the-blue, young.  He need not signal from beyond for me to remember Peter. But, I am digressing—my ADD.  There are many rabbit holes I...

We’ve lived a long time in the woods—or at least near to the woods.  The forest comes up close to my house on two sides and from there stretches miles back over hills interrupted only with dottings of civilization.  Hearing the night forest sounds when the weather allows open windows is one of my favorite things about living out here. One of the sounds I love is that of the whippoorwill bird, who sings only at night.  For those of you who live out of his range, you can hear one at this site .  Scroll down to the section on “call” where you will find a recording. Normally I hear the whippoorwill from the darkness of the forest.  Lately, however, I have had one calling on my back utility porch.  His song is loud and from so close fills my den.  That porch is the point of my home which is nearest to the woods, the steps being but maybe 50 feet to the thick trees.  Hearing him so close made me think about the whippoorwill’s impact on my son. Whe...

I think I have a decent vocabulary.  I love words and don’t often run across English words that I simply do not recognize.  I may not know the definitions off the top of my head when it comes to the more obscure, but I usually at least recognize the word.  But I ran across a new one this week. I was internet-stalking Suzanne Somers the other day… er , I mean, I was snooping a look or two at her estate high on a mountain overlooking Palm Springs that is now being offered at a reduced price of a mere $15 million.  It sounds lovely. I don’t think this picture really captures the place: The estate has several buildings and has ten bedrooms and 11 bathrooms.  As you can see, it has a marvelous kitchen: and beautiful outdoor spaces: It has a pool and, for the performing arts, an outdoor amphitheater.  What more could one want? I was really living it up vicariously when I got to the part that said one of the unique things about the property is ...