Friday, August 31, 2007

http://www.geocities.com/pract_history/homestead.html


http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carnegie/sfeature/mh_horror.html
have a happy, safe holiday weekend .
Subject: Help force the president to keep his Katrina Promises

Hi,

Two years ago, Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. In the days following the tragedy, promises rolled in from the Bush Administration to help rebuild that great city and get New Orleanians back on their feet. It turns out, that's all they were—empty promises.

The tremendous suffering that persists on the Gulf Coast is a national disgrace and Congress must help hold the president to his word.

I signed a petition urging the Senate to pass the Gulf Coast Recovery Act of 2007. Can you join me at the link below?

http://pol.moveon.org/katrina07/petition/?r_by=11149-1209316-zGIo4s&rc=confemail











end of august cat blogging.
you can see just how they are spending their labor day weekend!
2 jokes cause it's a holiday weekend. the first joke is for my sister(the blonde)














Blonde Sheep Winner

There was a blonde who was tired of all the blonde jokes and decided to dye her hair brown. She then went for a drive in the country and came upon a shepherd herding his sheep across the road.

She asked the shepherd, "If I guess how many sheep there are here, can I keep one?"

He replied "Sure!"

Out of the blue, she blurts out, "352!"

He is stunned but keeps his word and allows her to pick out a sheep. She looks and searches and finally picks out the cutest one.

He looks at her and says, "If I guess what color your hair really is, can I have my dog back!"










After getting all of Pope Benedict's luggage loaded into the limo, (and he doesn't travel light), the driver notices that the Pope is still standing on the curb.

"Excuse me, Your Holiness," says the driver," Would you please take your seat so we can leave?"

"Well, to tell you the truth," says the Pope, "they never let me drive at the Vatican when I was a Cardinal, and I'd really like to drive today."

"I'm sorry, Your Holiness, but I cannot let you do that. I'd lose my job! And what if something should happen?" protests the driver, wishing he'd never gone to work that morning.

"Who's going to tell? Besides, there might be something extra in it for you," says the Pope with a smile.

Reluctantly, the driver gets in the back as the Pope climbs in behind the wheel. The driver quickly regrets his decision when, after exiting the airport, the Pontiff floors it, accelerating the limo to 105 mph. (Remember, he's German.)

"Please slow down, Your Holiness!" pleads the worried driver, but the Pope keeps the pedal to the metal until they hear sirens. "Oh, dear God, I'm gonna lose my license -- and my job!" moans the driver.

The Pope pulls over and rolls down the window as the cop approaches, but the cop takes one look at him, goes back to his motorcycle, and gets on the radio.

"I need to talk to the Chief," he says to the dispatcher. The Chief gets on the radio and the cop tells him that he's stopped a limo going a hundred and five.

"So bust him," says the Chief.

"I don't think we want to do that, he's really big," said the cop.

The Chief exclaimed," All the more reason!"

"No, I mean really important," said the cop with a bit of persistence.




The Chief then asked, "Who ya got there, the Mayor?"

Cop: "Bigger."


Chief: " The Governor?"

Cop: "Bigger."

Chief: "The President?"

Cop: "Bigger."

"Well," said the Chief, "Who is it?"

Cop: "I think it's God!"

The Chief is stumped, " You been drinking, John ? "

Cop: " No Sir."

Chief : " Then what makes you think it's God?"



Cop: "He's got the Pope as a chauffeur."


.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

TOO GOOD NOT TO SHARE:




MEDICAL INSURANCE EXPLAINED


Q. What does HMO stand for?
A. This is actually a variation of the phrase "HEY MOE". Its roots go back to a concept pioneered by Moe of The Three Stooges, who discovered that a patient could be made to forget the pain in his foot if he was poked hard enough in the eye.

Q. I just joined an HMO. How difficult will it be to choose the doctor I want?
A. Just slightly more difficult than choosing your parents. Your insurer will provide you with a book which lists all the doctors in the plan. The doctors basically fall into two categories -- those who are no longer accepting new patients, and those who will see you but are no longer participating in the plan. But don't worry, the remaining doctor who is still in the plan and accepting new patients has an office just a half-day's drive away and his diploma from a third-world country.

Q. Do all diagnostic procedures require pre-certification?
A. No. Only those which you need.

Q. Can I get coverage for my pre-existing conditions?
A. Certainly, as long as they don't require any treatment.

Q. What if I want to try alternative forms of medicine?
A. You will need to find alternative forms of payment.

Q. My pharmacy plan only covers generic drugs, but I need the name brand. I tried the generic medication, but it gave me a stomach ache . What should I do?
A. Poke yourself in the eye.

Q. What if I'm away from home and I get sick?
A . You really shouldn't do that.

Q. I think I need to see a specialist, but my doctor insists that he can handle my problem. Can a general practitioner really perform a heart transplant right in his/her office?
A Hard to say, but considering that all you're risking is the $20 co-payment, there's no harm in giving it a shot.

Q. Will health care be different in the next decade?
A. No, but if you call now, you may get an appointment by then.











rain coming rain/reign. raining in my...


reign o'er me
i was asked to help spread the word and, so i am. think about it.

thanks.










THE THOMAS MERTON CENTER NEEDS YOUR HELP!




Dear Members and Supporters of the TMC, I am very glad to be the new communications director and am still lookingforward to meeting all those I did not get a chance to see at our recent meetand greet events. In the midst of celebrating 35 years as a peace and justice organization, theThomas Merton Center faces an unexpected financial crisis. Though mostnon-profits usually suffer a slow down of contributions during summer monthsthe center is experiencing an emergency situation. We have been an important community institution for many individuals and groupsin the region and it is very important to have a common space for the communityto share. As you know, the Center continues to support anti-nuclear groups,workers and the right to fair treatment in the workplace, anti-war efforts, andthe quest to increase the peace and stop the violence in our communities. The Thomas Merton Center has been able to provide support and resources forprojects such as the Pittsburgh Campaign for Democracy Now, Save Our Transit,and Book ‘Em books-to-prisoners campaign.
The TMC continues to help people onthe local level to think globally though the efforts of the Pittsburgh Darfur Emergency Coalition, the Africa Project and the Haiti Solidarity Committee. Our long-time colleagues from American Friends Service Committee recentlysponsored a vigil with Demilitarize Pittsburgh, a project of the Thomas MertonCenter, to recognize the anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing and make connections to war profiteers and the arms race today. Recently featured in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was TMC member and urban farmer Claire Schoyer and several other members of the Center's Sustainable LivingProject.
Pittsburgh is one of the few large cities with a lot of green space inan urban environment. The members of this project are working on communal,organic gardens to eventually provide a free source of healthy food. They aimto facilitate self-sustaining and less destructive human environments bystudying and mimicking relationships found in nature.
As you see, the Thomas Merton Center is as committed to peace and justice issuestoday as we were in 1972. Over the years, our work has continued to transcendrace, gender and socio-economic factors.
The demolition and replacement of an old fire escape has put a large hole in theMerton Center budget. Nearly $20,000 has been spent so far in that process alonewith another $11,000 due to pay off the bill for the new structure. Thedemolition has caused damage to the community institution housed in the heart
of the Penn Avenue Arts district in Garfield. The structure had to undergomasonry repairs and still needs roofing, gutter and downspout work which meansadditional funds are needed. Clearly the escalating costs were not anticipatedby the former financial management team. Other physical plant issues the Center is facing come from further inspection bythe current staff and board members. This includes the need to renovate spaceavailable for community use, replace an antiquated phone system and to improveour computer networking capabilities. Various individuals and groups havestepped forward over the past weeks to offer donations, volunteers andconsultation. We also need your assistance. The 2006 cost to run the center was just under $192,000, which pays for threefull-time and one half-time staff, office supplies and physical up keep. Thattotal 2006 budget does not include monies received by the 25 individualprojects that are fiscally sponsored by the Center which are used by theprojects. The current situation also has staff members facing possible layoffsto save the center. While supplemental funds are constantly being sought by our development,building, financial committee members and staff, that does not downplay or ruleout the urgent need for new and renewing memberships. We are also currently in the process of contacting major donors and planning forour next major fundraising event on November 15. The 2007 Thomas Merton AwardDinner will be held at the Sheraton Hotel in Station Square. This year’s Merton recipient will be Cindy Sheehan, the fiery “peace mom” of our growing anti-war movement. How can you help? We are asking you to make a donation, renew your membership,support our annual dinner, encourage others to become members, volunteer yourtime, goods or services to keep this community institution growing.


All of yourcontributions are tax deductible.


Donate online at:


www.thomasmertoncenter.org


Contact the staff about volunteering your time, goods or services at:



412-361-3022



Send a donation to: Thomas Merton Center 5125 Penn Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15224 The Center is confident that we will get through this current situation andcontinue to serve the public by making everyone aware of this crisis but wecannot do this without your help. Thanks for your time Peace and justice for all,

Kevin Amos Communications Director
You Are 35% Strange!

You are a bit strange, though still more normal than strange. You definitely have some quirks, don't get me wrong. But you aren't exactly freaking out old ladies on the street. It's okay though, you've got a healthy mixture of strangeness and normality.

How Strange Are You?
Quizzes for MySpace

a glorious morning.
the sunlight is casting a pale gold glow on the mist and there were deer in my yards munching away, including a young buck. bucks are usually skittish and are better at keeping just out of sight but they are used to the place and so, tho wary are not too shy.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

i signed yet another petition about darfur. this time as soon as i was e-mailed back by the darfur organization, i received a auto-reply from the white house.sad thing, i hesitated before i opened it. i would have never done that before, even during the days of nixon and the vietnam war.
that's one of the WORST things that this administration has done, made it's own citizens wary of exercising their right to petition our government, if only for a moment of hesitation.










Dear sherry,

Thanks again for signing the petition to President Bush urging
him to uphold our commitment to the UN-AU peacekeeping force for
Darfur.

The hybrid peacekeeping force cannot succeed without firm
international support and the U.S. must lead the way in
providing that support.

Please ask your friends and family to join you in contacting the
White House by September 18th to help ensure that President Bush
gets the message before the UN General Assembly begins. Click
below to spread the word now:

http://ga6.org/campaign/unga_petition/forward

We'll be in touch again soon with more information about how you
can help ensure the success of the peacekeeping mission.

Thank you again for your dedication to bring peace to Darfur.

Best regards,

Colleen Connors

Save Darfur Coalition

--------------------------------------------

Donate to Help Save Darfur
Help build the political pressure needed to end the crisis in
Darfur by supporting the Save Darfur Coalition's crucial
awareness and advocacy programs. Click the link below to make a
secure, tax-deductible gift: http://www.SaveDarfur.org/Donate

******************************











On behalf of President Bush, thank you for your correspondence.

We appreciate hearing your views and welcome your suggestions.

Due to the large volume of e-mail received, the White House cannot respond to every message.

Thank you again for taking the time to write.
a heartfelt get well to bo diddley!

got this over at blue gal's

remember katrina?
http://www.poetrykit.org/liv/index.htm


MERSEYSIDE AND WIRRAL POETRY PROJECT

PRESENT

POETRY IN LIVERPOOL











I'd like to run away
From you,
But if you didn't come
And find me ...
I would die.


by Shirley Bassey

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

http://carbolicsmokeblog.blogspot.com/

i can't say enough about this blog. it is just wonderfully witty and fun
but i think EVERYONE in pittsburgh already knows that.







my friend and fellow poet and pk'r, philip still has some cd's of us(some of us)
available:








http://fizbang1.users.btopenworld.com/pkcd2007.html



HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERIC!!!!!
http://msmonongahela.blogspot.com/



there's a wonderful little post here about dee thompson from wpxi.
i think dee is the most underrated reporter in pittsburgh.
i look forward to seeing him. i always wanted to ask him what he thinks about standing in the dark, in the snow or rain or worse and still managing to be professional and concise and calm.










this seems like a cool site:




http://www.tropicalglen.com/









another hot day and another for tomorrow.
i'm winding down from my nephew's wedding.
i just guess i may always look at him as a kid tho he is far from that
both in age and in the fact that i come up a little bit mid rib cage. he's like 6 foot 3 inches tall! who knows how i'll feel when his sister jess gets married.

Monday, August 27, 2007

sundown


the crickets are learning
to sing a fall tune
and the evening air has that scent

of leaves just beginning
to give their shades of green away.
http://pghwomenbloggers.blogspot.com


check out the post SHE VOTES today on

pittsburgh women bloggers. it's a grand read!
a monday poem that i found to share:




The Wounded Angel, 1903
after Hugo Simberg



Walk the treeline, higher

than before, where the frost covers each rootbed. Dig
for the rotten fruit, lay it in your hand. Touch

the red berried hips of the branch's cradle. Dusk,

and the sky irons. Listen: a bird-stir and the build
of God in your breath. In the garden,

the wind knocks you into blind

slumber. Each torn wing folds into

the arms that rescue it. Two children

wait for the earth to grow

back into you, bring your sorrows

to the shore. There,

they reed-wash your halo, tie onion blooms
to your wrist. There is nothing they miss—

how the current moves through you,

sweeps mud into your throat, brightens
each bruised eye. Look away from this, your river-

locked voice, the threat of the far bank.



Amanda Auchter


Crab Orchard Review
Winter/Spring 2007
beautiful morning today, tho we have to take my uncle and aunt to the airport today. they are flying back home. i'm going to miss them a lot.

Sunday, August 26, 2007

here are some pictures from my nephew's wedding.
the first 2 are 2 of the little banner decorations that were hanging from the shelter and tents. they were in all different colors and were cut out on paper by hand in mexico. the lady with the leg brace/cast on is my aunt betty who broke her knee a few weeks ago in ireland but that never stopped any irish lass i've ever known! there are a few pics of the 1 pinata, the other was white and gold (the wedding colors).







went to my nephew jordan's wedding yesterday.
he's my sister's son and he and my niece jessie grew up with my daughter.
my sister and her family live close by to us so we were together a lot.
it was a great wedding and i will have pictures later. marta's family is mexican.
jordan and marta went to high school together and have been together since high school. they were married at my old church. it was neat. they had some customs i had never seen before.
jordan had to give marta 10 big gold coins during the ceremony and then a bit later 2 of marta's brothers put a lasso that looked like a big wooden rosary over the bride and groom. the reception was a big outdoor picnic and there were 2 big fancy pinatas that everyone has a ball with. marta swings a mean bat even blindfolded!
my little grand daughter had a ball. there were swings and a water pump that the kids splashed around in, and water balloons were thrown(and launched from a HUGE rubber slingshot) there was volley ball and horseshoes. marta's mom and her sister grace are hoots!

Friday, August 24, 2007








bob's comment on today's weather.
92 and humid today. thunderstorms tonight.

the yard is full of toadstools and i feel like a garden gnome!









friday, you KNOW what that means, dontcha?





what bird robs the rich and gives to the poor???




robin hood!

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Wednesday, August 22, 2007





WHY NOT?

at least we could laugh without screaming.







i haven't posted anything from here in quite some time.
i liked this and want to share it. make for some good thoughts:










Today's DailyOM


August 22, 2007

Divine Feminine Force
Shakti

The divine feminine goes by many names in many spiritual traditions, but at the heart of nearly all of these, Shakti can found. Hinduism specifically recognized the dynamic and potent feminine power that exists in all beings and deified it in the form of a goddess. Shakti, however, is not merely a single deity, playing a single role in the lives of humankind. Rather, she represents the fundamental creative force that is the root of all creation in the universe. In art, Shakti has taken on the outward appearance of many goddesses, but her anthropomorphized form is far less significant than the essential form she takes within each of us. Shakti's presence in our lives can be experienced in a deep and personal way, but we must first reach out to her so that we can draw upon the vital animating energy that is her gift to us.

There is no one motive that drives all beings to expend effort in the act of creation, which is precisely why Shakti can be the embodiment of power that is both constructive and destructive. Giving substance to inspiration helps to restore balance—sometimes by breaking matter or ideas down into their base components and sometimes by building them up into an object never before seen in the world. Shakti energy is intense yet multifaceted. It is simultaneously subtly illuminating and darkly fierce. There is a temptation among those touching the Shakti within themselves to ignore those elements of this powerful force that do not suit them. But to disregard this energy is to reject the fact that the elements of existence that are the most transformative and life-affirming are often those that are intensely challenging. If our aim is to become consciously balanced, we must accept the Shakti within as a unified whole rather than an amalgamation of isolated qualities.

You have likely felt Shakti's touch in your soul, even if you could not give the resultant feeling a name. When the goddess turns her gaze toward you, she recognizes the potential you embody, and her gift to you is the inspiration that allows you to realize that potential. Shakti exists in all thought, feeling, and matter, which means that you need only act upon your creative impulses to connect with the feminine power that has been a part of you since the universe's conception.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007










this poem is one example of bukowski's genius.
it is near perfection in it's ugly truth.












An Almost Made Up Poem


I see you drinking at a fountain with tiny
blue hands, no, your hands are not tiny
they are small, and the fountain is in France
where you wrote me that last letter and
I answered and never heard from you again.
you used to write insane poems about
ANGELS AND GOD, all in upper case, and you
knew famous artists and most of them
were your lovers, and I wrote back, it’ all right,
go ahead, enter their lives, I’ not jealous
because we’ never met. we got close once in
New Orleans, one half block, but never met, never
touched. so you went with the famous and wrote
about the famous, and, of course, what you found out
is that the famous are worried about
their fame –– not the beautiful young girl in bed
with them, who gives them that, and then awakens
in the morning to write upper case poems about
ANGELS AND GOD. we know God is dead, they’ told
us, but listening to you I wasn’ sure. maybe
it was the upper case. you were one of the
best female poets and I told the publishers,
editors, “ her, print her, she’ mad but she’
magic. there’ no lie in her fire.” I loved you
like a man loves a woman he never touches, only
writes to, keeps little photographs of. I would have
loved you more if I had sat in a small room rolling a
cigarette and listened to you piss in the bathroom,
but that didn’ happen. your letters got sadder.
your lovers betrayed you. kid, I wrote back, all
lovers betray. it didn’ help. you said
you had a crying bench and it was by a bridge and
the bridge was over a river and you sat on the crying
bench every night and wept for the lovers who had
hurt and forgotten you. I wrote back but never
heard again. a friend wrote me of your suicide
3 or 4 months after it happened. if I had met you
I would probably have been unfair to you or you
to me. it was best like this.

Charles Bukowski

Monday, August 20, 2007


charlie with his band:

the carpenter ants








please send a happy, healing thought to my friend, charlie tee.
thanks, sherry










everyone by now knows i love the blues, but
motown and especially smokey, well,
smokey is perfection itself!
monday morning. rain all day yesterday, rain forecast on and off every day this week.
i hope there is no flooding again.

Sunday, August 19, 2007









http://www.westdeertownship.com/dogs/index.htm



this is the site of the dog shelter i wrote about yesterday.

we had a good turnout of cars, about 19 and a nice amount of toys were donated.
barb and the dog shelter got some money donated by some members. like i said, it's a tiny local shelter and those doggies need care and or loving homes.

give the site a look, o.k?

thanks, sherry

Friday, August 17, 2007




cars and kids!!!!



tomorrow afternoon there's a small car show at the owl's in russelton.
it's to collect new, unwrapped toys for the west deer police to distribute at christmas time. it's a nice thing to do for the kids.



plus, barb from the west deer animal shelter will be there to show off some of the adoptable dogs and hopefully get a donation or two.
this little shelter runs entirely on donations and volunteers. so many of the dogs there were just dropped off in the wooded areas around west deer and left scared and confused, to die.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

i had to come on and post this little bit of my life cause it just cracked me up!

yesterday my little grand daughter was here. when her parents came to pick her up she didn't want to go home just yet and so she threw a very impressive hissy fit.
i have no idea why, because she never gets her way when she decides to have a hissy.
i think she is just a naturally born drama queen .

she has just turned 3(keep this in mind as i go on)

her parents put her in her car seat, tell her to behave and off they go.
my daughter said that about halfway home from the back seat they hear, "pull over and let me out!" over and over.

this naturally cracked them both up which made my little sweetie in the back seat even angrier.



it's nice to be loved tho.
being a gramma is much more fun than being a parent!!! : )
friday's joke tonight because i've got a morning appt. to keep.








Investment tips for 2007. For all of you with any money left, be aware of the
next expected mergers so that you can get in on the ground floor and make some
BIG bucks.



>
> Watch for these consolidations in 2007.


>
> 1.) Hale Business Systems, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Fuller Brush, and W. R. Grace
Co. Will merge and become:
> Hale, Mary, Fuller, Grace.
>
> 2.) Polygram Records, Warner Bros., and Zesta Crackers join forces and
become:
> Poly, Warner Cracker.
>
> 3.) 3M will merge with Goodyear and become:
> MMMGood.
>
> 4. Zippo Manufacturing, Audi Motors, Dofasco, and Dakota Mining will merge
and become:
> ZipAudiDoDa.
>
> 5. FedEx is expected to join its competitor, UPS, and become:
> FedUP.
>
> 6. Fairchild Electronics and Honeywell Computers will become:
> Fairwell Honeychild.
>
> 7. Grey Poupon and Docker Pants are expected to become:
> Poupon Pants.
>
> 8. Knotts Berry Farm and the National Organization of Women will become:
> Knott NOW!
>
> And finally.
>
> 9. Victoria's Secret and Smith & Wesson will merge under the new name:
> Titty Titty Bang Bang
>
>
>
>
>

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

What Be Your Nerd Type?
Your Result: Social Nerd
 

You're interested in things such as politics, psychology, child care, and peace. I wouldn't go so far as to call you a hippie, but some of you may be tree-huggers. You're the type of people who are interested in bettering the world. You're possible the least nerdy of them all; unless you participate in other activies that paled your nerdiness compared to your involvement in social activities. Whatever the case, we could still use more of you around. ^_^

Literature Nerd
 
Science/Math Nerd
 
Artistic Nerd
 
Gamer/Computer Nerd
 
Musician
 
Anime Nerd
 
Drama Nerd
 
What Be Your Nerd Type?
Quizzes for MySpace










got this one over at: harp and sword


http://www.mistrelboy.blogspot.com


one of my must read blogs.

















The End and the Beginning



Wislawa Szymborska





After every war
someone has to clean up.
Things won't
straighten themselves up, after all.

Someone has to push the rubble
to the side of the road,
so the corpse-filled wagons
can pass.

Someone has to get mired
in scum and ashes,
sofa springs,
splintered glass,
and bloody rags.

Someone has to drag in a girder
to prop up a wall,
Someone has to glaze a window,
rehang a door.

Photogenic it's not,
and takes years.
All the cameras have left
for another war.

We'll need the bridges back,
and new railway stations.
Sleeves will go ragged
from rolling them up.

Someone, broom in hand,
still recalls the way it was.
Someone else listens
and nods with unsevered head.
But already there are those nearby
starting to mill about
who will find it dull.

From out of the bushes
sometimes someone still unearths
rusted-out arguments
and carries them to the garbage pile.

Those who knew
what was going on here
must make way for
those who know little.
And less than little.
And finally as little as nothing.

In the grass that has overgrown
causes and effects,
someone must be stretched out
blade of grass in his mouth
gazing at the clouds.



from Miracle Fair: Selected Poems of Wislawa Szymborska, 2001
W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., New York, NY









the mimosa blossoms are starting to go. hard to believe it is mid-august already.












What it took to get an 8th grade education in 1895

--Remember when grandparents and great-grandparents stated that they only had an 8th grade education? We'll, check this out. Could any of us have passed the 8th grade in 1895?
This is the eighth-grade final exam from 1895 in Salina, Kansas, USA. It was taken from the original document on file at the Smokey Valley Genealogical Society and Library in Salina, KS, and reprinted by the Salina Journal.


8th Grade Final Exam: Salina, KS -1895
Grammar (Time, one hour)

1. Give nine rules for the use of capital letters.
2. Name the parts of speech and define those that have no modifications.
3. Define verse, stanza and paragraph
4. What are the principal parts of a verb? Give principal parts of"lie". "play", and "run."
5. Define case; Illustrate each case.
6 .What is punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of punctuation.
7 - 10. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.
Arithmetic (Time, 1.25 hours)

1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.
2. A wagon box is 2 ft. deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft. wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?
3. If a load of wheat weighs 3942 lbs., what is it worth at 50 ct's/bushel, deducting 1050 lbs. for tare?
4. District No. 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals?
5. Find the cost of 6720 lbs. coal at $6.00 per ton.
6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.
7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft. long at $20 per meter?
8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.
9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance of which is 640 rods?
10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt.


U.S. History (Time, 45 minutes)

1. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided.
2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus.
3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.
4. Show the territorial growth of the United States.
5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas.
6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion.
7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell, Lincoln, Penn, and Howe?
8. Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620, 1800, 1849, 1865.


Orthography (Time, one hour)

1. What is meant by the following: Alphabet, phonetic, orthography, etymology, syllabication
2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?
3. What are the following, and give examples of each: Trigraph, subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals
4. Give four substitutes for caret 'u.'
5. Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e.' Name two exceptions under each rule.
6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each.
7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: bi, dis, mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono, sup.
8 . Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: card, ball, mercy, sir, odd, cell, rise, blood, fare, last.
9. Use the following correctly in sentences: cite, site, sight, fane, fain, feign, vane, vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.
10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication.


Geography (Time, one hour)





1 What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?
2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas?
3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?
4. Describe the mountains of North America
5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia, Odessa, Denver, Manitoba, Hecla, Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fernandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco.
6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S.
7. Name all the republics of Europe and give the capital of each.
8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?
9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to the sources of rivers.
10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give the inclination of the earth.

Notice that the exam took FIVE HOURS to complete. Gives the saying "he only had an 8th grade education" a whole new meaning, doesn't it?!
grey morning. hot later on.
no words yet to work on any poems.
just grey fog between my ears too.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007


a. adams










A Hazy Shade Of Winter



P. Simon, 1966




Time, time, time
See what's become of me
While I looked around
For my possibilities
I was so hard to please
But look around
Leaves are brown
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter

Hear the Salvation Army band
Down by the riverside
It's bound to be a better ride
Than what you've got planned
Carry your cup in your hand
And look around
Leaves are brown
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter

Hang onto your hopes, my friend
That's an easy thing to say
But if your hopes should pass away
Simply pretend
That you can build them again
Look around
The grass is high
The fields are ripe
It's the springtime of my life

Seasons change with the scenery
Weaving time in a tapestry
Won't you stop and remember me
At any conveient time?
Funny how my memory skips
While looking over manuscripts
Of unpublished rhyme
Drinking my vodka and lime
I look around
Leaves are brown
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter

Look around
Leaves are brown
There's a patch of snow on the ground
got a haircut. feeling so much better. i hate it when my hair gets too long and annoying. put on a big pot of chili. have a load of clothes in the dryer.

advil does wonders!

Monday, August 13, 2007

finally back home. spent the day since about 10:30 a.m. moving tons of small things to my mom's apt. she is spending her first night there. i hope she will be o.k. she was pretty wound up but i think she will adjust quickly.
me, i'm dirty and tired and sore and i am going to take a HOT bath before bed so perhaps my back won't bitch me out too much in the morning.HA!

i've got 65 e-mails to answer as well, but that's not a chore. i enjoy that.

nighty nite kiddos. i'm off to watch k.o. and take that bath. ; )

Sunday, August 12, 2007

r.i.p.



Merv Griffin Dies at 82



i always liked him.









got my little munchkin here while everyone else is moving my mom.
i'm the least able bodied one in the family so i get to have fun here with
sweetie pie.

this is a picture i just took of her t-shirt. i loved it.
a little poem from last night's window.

















a star



fell

last night

trailing it's dying light

in a white arch behind it.

an omen of some sort

no matter the

science,

a star

fell

i watched it

while i lay curled on my side

in an arch of drowsy sky gazing thru

black shadowed oaks

just one

no more.
ooooooohh!




warning, bad word below:














An ignorance of means may minister to greatness,
but an ignorance of aims make it impossible to be great at all.



Elizabeth Barrett Browning






she puts my thoughts more diplomatically
but i'm really, really tired of all the crappy news.
well, today is the big moving day for my mom.
feels really strange for me so i can only try to imagine what she must feel.

Saturday, August 11, 2007

this song just gets to me. oh baby!











thankfully it is a bright sunny and dry saturday!
what a sad, sad situation in those flooded communities.
i had my little grand daughter overnight thursday while the "kids"
cleaned up after the flood. they lost the dryer and the furnace and
other smaller things. i felt so badly for my little grand daughter. she slept with me as she does when she stays overnight and i had to jiggle her a bit 5 or 6 times to try to stop her from grinding her teeth in her sleep. she has never ever done that before. only 3 and i know it is stress. i hope it eases.
her mom and dad are going to get her a new sandbox to replace the one the flood broke and bring it here in my yard because their yard is damaged yet again, plus they lost 2 fences and there is a big drop off into the creek so it isn't safe for the little one to be out there even tho she is never unsupervised. kids are way faster than parents!
she is coming early tomorrow because my mom STILL has to be moved tomorrow.
luckily, we are a tough bunch. been through worse, been through better too.

Friday, August 10, 2007

just found by archaeologists here:
political primitive at his best.
especially during disasters and emergencies.
evolution??? maybe they are like the crocodiles,
reached a plateau and they stopped.









friday. joke day (tho the biggest joke around is flood control!)







Q: What happened to the dog that swallowed a firefly?


A: It barked with de-light!

Thursday, August 09, 2007








I postpone death by living, by suffering, by error, by risking, by giving, by loving.

Anais Nin







i was cleaning some old framed pictures for my mother to take with her to her new place. i decided to scan them for myself.

this is an old one of my grandfather and some of the men he worked with in the steel mill.

my grandfather, Gabriel Ferraro, is the one with the pipe.
girty's run rant:

yes, once again my kid's house has water in the basement and their new fence was taken out by a big damn piece of wood that came barreling down the rising creek.

you know, the various government agencies, from the townships up to the federal government have had MORE than enough time to STOP THE FINGER POINTING, sort out who is responsible for what, and clean up and dredge the creek!

it's scary and it's frustrating. my daughter and her husband have remodeled that house inside and out, landscaped their yard and this is just too much.
it was so sad today to listen to my little granddaughter who just turned 3 as she asked sorrowfully why the water broke her sandbox and her little playhouse.
yes, they are small items compared to the mud in their basement and the smell and the fence etc. but that hurt me i think the most.

and government wonders why no one believes them anymore. they can't even work together to clean out a creek let alone really help new orleans etc.

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

we took my mom out today shopping for a new sofa.
she is moving this weekend to a senior highrise and needs a sofa.
everything else, she has. it is going to be a very big adjustment for her but
she knows some of the ladies there and that will help.
she makes friends easily.
the furniture store we wanted to take her to went out of business so we went elsewhere.
she bought a very nice sofa and they will deliver it to her new place in about a week. yeah, one less thing to move.


oh, and did a piss and moan to you all about the weather yet? nope?

well, here goes...


it's too freaking hot!!! : (

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

hot, and hot and hothothotttt!

that's about it.

nightie nite.
just found this. have to share with my friends.
better'n chocolate, better'n ice cream better'n shoooz even!


stay to the end, oh man!








hot, hazy, humid, icky, phooey.
took a shower, sitting by my window typing, my hair isn't even drying and it's cut short!


phooey! have a ton of things that must be done today.

Monday, August 06, 2007





i love this sort of thing.
got this just now in my e-mail and i believe in giving credit where it's due.
i don't agree with him often, but on this i do along with a few others.
so i sent my thanks. here's the e-mail:





dear sherry



Can one vote make the difference between a pro-choice victory and an anti-choice success? You bet it can—and that's what happened late Thursday night on the floor of the U.S. Senate.

Pro-choice senators led the fight to defeat an anti-choice amendment to the children's health bill by a vote of 50 – 49. That's one single vote.


Your senator, Arlen Specter, voted pro-choice. Send him/her a message now.


The failed amendment, offered by anti-choice Sen. Wayne Allard (R-CO), would have enshrined a controversial Bush administration regulation into law - forever. This Bush regulation allows states to make an embryo or a fetus—but not a pregnant woman—eligible for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

That's right—anti-choice senators completely ignored pregnant women.

This amendment showed just what anti-choice politicians will do to undermine a woman's right to choose, even if it means derailing a bill that would provide health care for children and working families.

When anti-choice senators tried this "sneak attack," NARAL Pro-Choice America went to work, contacting Senate offices and making sure the facts got out to the right people. Moments after Sen. Allard introduced his amendment with loads of misleading anti-choice rhetoric, we sent a rebuttal to Senate offices refuting his statement point by point. This rebuttal helped pro-choice senators prevail.

This close vote is a reminder for us. We made big gains in last year's elections and restored pro-choice leadership to the Senate. But legislative attacks like the Allard amendment underscore our need to continue to elect more pro-choice senators.

Until we have the numbers, we will continue to see dangerous and divisive assaults on our right to choose.

Thank you so much for all you to do protect choice—and please take action one more time by contacting your senators.

Best,








Nancy Keenan
President
NARAL Pro-Choice America
geeeezzzz, it's hot and steamy and i hate this.
everything is tacky and i am so glad that about a month ago
i bought a package of 6 sleeveless white ,ribbed, guys t-shirts(no annoying tags)
way cheaper than the ones at victoria's secret.(blasphemous, i know!)

more of the same ALL week.
PDB...




















August 6, 2001: Bush Administration Warned 'Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside the United States'

April 8, 2004














Two and a half years after 9/11, the American public learned today that President Bush received explicit warnings that Osama bin Laden was planning to attack the United States – including activities "consistent with preparations for hijacking." Yet, there was no domestic follow-up by the Bush administration. No high level meetings. No sense of urgency. No warnings to FBI agents across the country.

We now know why the Bush administration has been hiding the Aug. 6, 2001, intelligence briefing for the president, called "Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside the United States." All of the 9/11 Commission members – Republicans and Democrats – have asked the Bush administration to declassify this document. There are precedents for releasing presidential daily briefings and the American public deserves to know what President Bush knew and when.
We also learned that there appears to have been no response to explicit and repeated warnings about al Qaeda attacks. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice's claim that the FBI sent warnings to field offices was directly disputed by commissioners who said they had conducted thousands of interviews and reviewed thousands of documents. Their conclusion: no one at the FBI can recall such orders.
Today's hearing also confirmed evidence that the administration had done little or nothing to combat the terrorist threat between Jan. 20, 2001, and Sept. 10, 2001. Rice repeatedly used the claim that the administration was developing a "strategic approach" as an excuse for not acting. There was no response to the bombing of the USS Cole that claimed 17 American lives and the administration tried to cut counterterrorism funding.



Daily Talking Points is a product of the Center for American Progress, a non-partisan research and educational institute committed to progressive principles for a strong, just and free America.





NO MATTER WHO TRIES TO SPIN IT, THEY WERE WARNED.


they can blame anyone they choose, but they were warned.
they chose not to listen. maybe because it was the previous "democratic" administration, maybe not, but they WERE warned. sherry

Sunday, August 05, 2007

Saturday, August 04, 2007






these are the winners of the owl's scholarships.
they are a fine group of young people and the club has done a fantastic job on these awards. they grow every year.

Friday, August 03, 2007








layla in the sun this morning.
holding m&ms


in the palm of my hand
clenched fist, honestly
not caring if the reds
greens browns or


the blues melt
color flesh
stain the leg

my fist lies on
looks like it died
the rigor mortis clutch


sliding a rainbow
down my inner thigh
the heat, flies


in the dumpster below
where i'm perched
like a crow eyeing
moldy cantaloupe greasy fries


empty beer bottles and cans
coors millers iron city
light


to pick out a poem
from the trash.










this is the poem i "picked" from that garbage dumpster.
i bumped into this story over at shakesville.









Immigrant Simic to be U.S. poet laureate
By HOLLY RAMER, Associated Press Writer
Thu Aug 2, 5:50 PM ET






Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Charles Simic, who learned English as a teenage immigrant, will be the new U.S. poet laureate, the Library of Congress announced Thursday.

Simic, who lives in Strafford, will replace another New Hampshire poet, Donald Hall of Wilmot, the poet laureate program, which promotes poetry across the nation.

"I'm overwhelmed," he said.

Simic taught at the University of New Hampshire for 34 years before moving to emeritus status. He won the Pulitzer Prize in poetry in 1990 for his book of prose poems, "The World Doesn't End." He also is an essayist, translator, editor and professor emeritus of creative writing and literature.

"When you read it, you feel like he's talking to you," Marilyn Hoskin, dean of the college of liberal arts at UNH, said of Simic's work. "Whatever the subject matter — a cat walking at midnight or a view from Serbo-Croatia — someone is there telling you something beautifully phrased."

Simic was born in Yugoslavia in 1938, and his childhood was disrupted by World War II. He moved to Paris with his mother when he was 15 and joined his father in New York a year later, in 1954. He has been a U.S. citizen for 36 years.

"I am especially touched and honored to be selected because I am an immigrant boy who didn't speak English until I was 15," he said.

Simic graduated from the same suburban Chicago high school as Ernest Hemingway, where he started writing poetry in high school to attract girls, he said.

"They were always surprised. `You wrote this for me?'" he said. "They're so surprised, they don't want to play literary critic at that moment."

Simic's first collection, "What the Grass Says," was published in 1967. It was noted for its surrealist poems.

Simic is known for short, clear poems. His poem "Stone" often appears in anthologies. It begins: "Go inside a stone / That would be my way. / Let somebody else become a dove / Or gnash with a tiger's tooth. / I am happy to be a stone..."

"He handles language with the skill of a master craftsman, yet his poems are easily accessible, often meditative and surprising," Librarian of Congress James Billington said in a news release.

Simic's awards include the Edgar Allen Poe Award, the PEN Translation Prize and awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the National Institute of Arts and Letters. He was elected a chancellor of the Academy of American Poets in 2000 and received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Later on Thursday, Simic received another honor, the 14th annual Wallace Stevens Award, a $100,000 prize from the Academy of American Poets for "outstanding and proven mastery in the art of poetry."

He married fashion designer Helen Dubin in 1964. The couple has two children.

Simic takes up his duties as poet laureate with a speech at the library's National Book Festival on Sept. 29 and a reading of his work Oct. 17 at the library's annual literary series.
FRIDAY, HERE'S THE JOKE ; )






a man was in an ice cream parlor waiting to buy some ice cream. there was one
lady in front of him. she ordered a chocolate cone.
the soda-jerk told her he's sorry but they have run out of chocolate. she
said, "ok, then i'll have some chocolate."
he told her, "lady, i'm out of chocolate."
once again she said, "ok, i'll just have some chocolate."
exasperated, he said, "lady, spell van as in vanilla."
she spelled van.
he said, "good, now spell straw as in strawberry."
she spelled straw.
he said, "good, now spell f*** as in chocolate."
the lady said, "there is no f*** in chocolate."
he replied, "that's what i'm trying to tell you."

Thursday, August 02, 2007









me here. it's hot as hell. i was trying to work on the poem i sent
in to my group for c&c. it just is too hard to think straight(yes, i know, left myself wide open for a few jokes with that statement. there's truth in humor)
so i thought i'd just reprint my interview from my featured poet article.
yes i know, lazy way out today.




any how here goes:









The PK Featured Poet 20 – Sherry Pasquarello





"I get my ideas from watching people or hearing a word or two, maybe in a conversation or a song will jog a memory loose. It may be something written in a newspaper a billboard, whatever. I scribble it down on a piece of paper. I carry a small notepad in my purse and I have pads of paper all over the house. mainly to write myself notes so I won't forget to do something but also for the words and thoughts that pop up at any time." - Sherry Pasquarello




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Sherry's poetry records life and incidents. Much of what she writes is observational and personal, but Sherry makes this personal viewpoint universal through poetry which is evocative and inclusive. She presents her view of the world in a way which helps to bring insights into our own. Sherry recently became an administrator for the PK Poetry List, where she has been a member for many years and where I have long been an admirer of her poetry. It is a great pleasure for me to introduce this closer look at her poetry life and work. (Jim Bennett)




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Featured Poet 20 – Sherry Pasquarello



Can you tell us something about yourself?



I'm 55 years old. born and raised in the Pittsburgh area. I think I learned even as a toddler to watch and gauge people because I spent quite some time in hospitals. Who was coming to comfort or to hurt depending on tone of voice and body language. I became an observer though out my childhood and I also read quite a lot. I can not remember a time that I did not want to write. Well, except for the usual little girl "want to be a ballerina" stage.



How and when did you start writing?



I started writing in grade school. I started poetry in jr. high school when I found out that poetry was more than just the classics that we were required to learn. I developed a greater feeling for those later. at the time they just made me want to throw the textbook against a wall. In high school I really began to write seriously. I was spending a lot of time in the city and Pittsburgh is pretty much loaded with colleges. I had friends that went to many of them and they took some of my stuff to different teachers for them to read. They liked my poem and were surprised that they were written by a 16 year old girl. sort of raw and knowing for a kid I guess. Their reactions made me feel more confidant but I would have continued even if they had trashed me. I just would have never shown anyone else ever again.


Are there any other writers in your family?



No no one else before me tho my nephew is taking some courses in creative writing and i think he shows talent.



Did your family encourage you to write?



No I was never encouraged to write. I come from a pretty traditional home. My grandparents were Italian immigrants and even tho they became very American they still had no ambitions for me, I think, beyond wife and mother. Pittsburgh has always had the reputation of being 10 years behind the times and I was caught with 1 foot in the 60's movements and the other in a 50's sort of time warp. I had to dig in my heels to continue to write and even now I have gotten some puzzled looks from some when I say that I am a poet.



Was there anything that particularly drove you to write?



I've had depression since grade school and I know myself well enough to know that my poems would never have seen the light of day after that. I write because I have to. I hope that makes some sense. I try to write poems that readers can see through their reality, their experience, personalize them.



Where there any particular influences on you as a writer?



When I was in grade school I read "The Lady Or The Tiger" by Stockton. It has stayed with me to this day. So I'd much rather each reader put themselves into my poems, get their own feeling from them. I aim for feelings, emotions, memories, much more that a specific form. there are forms in poetry that I love. that I read for my pleasure but I don't care to try to write in. Life is short, even if it seems long. there are too many things that have to be, must be done. I don't want my writing of poetry to be cut to fit. Some enjoy the exercise. I just end up feeling tired and "less than." I am so happy that poetry keeps evolving, changing, becoming. there is something for everyone and my hope is that everyone will find it for themselves and take it into themselves.



Do you have any particular writers that you enjoy reading?



tThere are so, so many. Robert Gibb is a big one and Bukowski. That throws a lot of people, as if a woman can not find anything in Bukowski's writings. I enjoy finding books like "The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry" while wandering the local half priced book store. That book has been a favorite for the past few years. I also love all of the different styles of the poets of the PK list, they are varied and so free and yet so personal and multi-layered.



How do you write? do you have any particular method for writing?



I get my ideas from watching people or hearing a word or two, maybe in a conversation or a song will jog a memory loose. It may be something written in a newspaper a billboard, whatever. I scribble it down on a piece of paper. I carry a small notepad in my purse and I have pads of paper all over the house. mainly to write myself notes so I won't forget to do something but also for the words and thoughts that pop up at any time. Then I type them out. I used to write longhand in spiral notebooks then I used my daughter's old word processor now I use a computer and that makes things so much easier.



Do you make much use of the Internet?



oh my, yes. I do most of my work via the computer. I used to have to buy envelopes in bulk, type out my poems on that old word processor, get up money for postage then mail out my stuff and wait and wait and wait. sometimes I got replies, sometimes not which meant I'd have to write again. plus I had to write out by hand what I had sent, where I had sent it and when. then put that somewhere that not only would be safe but where I would remember it.

now, it is simpler, faster and neater. it also allows me to read and find many more poems than I ever could just at a library or book store, though I love the feel of a book in my hands.



So the Internet is important to you?



I adore the Internet for that same reason. I can find whatever and whoever I am in a mood for or just let fate find something for me. It's like having all of the libraries of the world for my very own.



Why do you write poetry instead of some other creative outlet?



Poetry touches in a way, at least for me, that a short story or a novel can't. it is closer to a painting or a sculpture or a song, It is like food. There are all types of food, it might be a steak dinner or popcorn, chocolate with wine, or beef jerky and a shot of cheap whiskey. It's what you crave at that time.



Thanks for your time Sherry, is there anything you would like to add?



I can not think of anything to add unless it would be the fact that I feel like I have found a "home" on the list and that I credit it with making me a better poet and a richer human being because of the people that I've met.






--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

POEMS


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




This is pretty much as it is. I've know a few people that were victims of suicide. Usually it's no one's fault.

the note


typed neat
no smudges stark white
knife edged folds not
as sharp as the razor


I would like a coffin
of polished wood
dark and shining as
a buckeye just pried

from it's prickly jacket,
smooth with a soft glow
tempting hands to stroke

satin under fingertips
reminding you
of my skin.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I get a lot of my ideas from bars. though I rarely drink.


shooters

there are three of us
at the end of the bar
my nose is itchy
from the scratchy smell of
the cheap whisky you two are pounding down
but then, who am I to pass judgment?
me, with painted nails and a glossy paint smile that
I can actually see grinning
in two pairs of glassy eyes,
wide with fake honesty red with booze and smoke as
you both tell tales of Vietnam

vietnaaaahhhhhmmm, in slurred pittsburgese
"back in nahhhhhhmmmm, yadda, yadda...!"

there are three of us
one with an invisible ice pick between her eyebrows
and a long dead lover, forever nineteen, me
sipping at my watered down kahalua and cream that's
curdling in my belly
but not sick enough or pissed off enough yet,
no, not not quite yet to tell
these drunken middle aged bullshit artists that
I've got their number that I've just about had it, that
I KNOW they were never outside of the freaking southside, EVER
that their often mentioned purple hearts are about as real as
my fake nails, just there to impress

there are three of us
at the end of the bar at the end of the night
two have drunken hardons and one of us
me, well I've finally lost my painted smile
and I swear, I have dirt under my manicured nails
from staying here listening to this crap as
two of the three of us do shooters of cheap booze and
are shitfaced enough to think I'm still smiling.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


I was so looking forward to getting "poetry speaks" as a Christmas gift one year. I was so upset with my reaction when I listened to the CDs that came with the book. it just creeped me out. Really it was not what I expected of myself.




poems read by dead poets. a christmas gift

something odd and awful, unexpected
on silvered discs.
the voices of dead poets
their words, as familiar as morning coffee and buttered toast
their voices unexpected, unpleasant as
the corpse of a fly hidden in the blackberry jam.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



I like sensuality in my poetry, at times I like sexuality, they are two different things. They are also, like beauty, in the eye of the beholder.




mouth

my taste for your mouth and the
words it contains, the
thoughts of me they wrap moist
around
make me lick at your lips as
if they were the last drops in the bottom of the glass. your
ideas give me
shivers of possibilities and so
I search the corners of your mouth for a
stray crumb that I might pick off and
swallow.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


This is one of my poems that has more than just a trace of me in it.



revelations of a kind

he was my epiphany that summer
wearing a bright smile
illumination that frightened him
yet soothed me,
the more accepting but then
I had always been the seer
he, the master of self deception
always closing himself to avoid opening the wound
or perhaps turning away
the fearsome possibility of joy


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




This one is pure Pittsburgese. We have a very unique dialect here. I celebrate it and the culture but Pittsburgh is changing and a lot of the people that sound this way are called "yinzers" now but those that have rid themselves or the accent and the blue collar steel mill coal mine attitudes. Some of which need to be gotten rid of but some that should be treasured. this poem, well tho it's set in a blue collar bar it could just as well be set in a country club if the language and accent was changed. the story itself is fairly universal.

one sided conversation, in Pittsburgese

" hey buddy, ya needta grow up
will ya please? jesus buddy
ya were so fuck'n drunk, what
a show ya put on, at yer goddamn age
a god-damn-middle-aged man
act'n like 'at!

what were ya try'n ta prove anyway?
all that bullshit about tha old days
tha big time make out artist
tha local stud, HA!
hey, i'm yer best buddy here, ya unnerstand me? huh?
grow up, ya embarrassed yerself
yer wife, christ, didja fergit she was here, over
inna corner, play'n tha machines. jesus
was she PISSED! fuckit,
ya even pissed me off, ME, yer best buddy!
i threw a tip onna bar an walked out, never even
looked back atcha, buddy!!!!
hey, i know ya man
ya never was some kinda stud. i know'd it
everybody knows ya here. damn we tried hard not ta laugh
too loud.
we watched ya try'n ta pick up fuck'n angie
dumb bitch, an even she was'n kicked inna ass enough
ta go out inna park'n lot witcha, man
THAT'S say'n summp'n. hell ya
could'n even cop a feel offa her
even when yer old lady wassn't stare'n dagger eyes atcha.

christ sakes buddy, grow some balls willya?
ya make us all look like shit when
ya get THAT damn plowed
we're a classy buncha guys here, YA KNOW?"