New Addition to 'Laugh Out Loud' on My Sidebar

Three Posts from The Adaptive Curmudgeon's Blog.  Every word is pure gold.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Despite Evidence To The Contrary, I Am Not Crazy

Posted on October 5, 2012 

Here’s what my neighbor would have seen yesterday. Assuming, of course, I had neighbors, which I don’t.

I went charging out of my house at full tilt and stopped in the yard to shout “what’s the matter, not getting laid?”. Then I spun around three times while waving my arms and making a sound like this “Yeeghgh Blah Ploot Gnuff Errak”. Undeterred I sprinted to the woodpile, grabbed a perfectly innocent piece of wood and hurled it in a high arc onto the grass. Angrily I stomped back to my house only to return with a shotgun, wave it around a bit, aim at the inert piece of firewood, and pump two rounds into it (fatally wounding the wood). Then, smiling, I laughed uncontrollably for a full minute before hurling the wood over the fence and returning to my house.

Everything I did made sense.  In my next post all will be made clear.

*********

Despite Evidence To The Contrary, I Am Not Crazy (Part II)

Posted on October 7, 2012 

I was minding my own business when one of my roosters went to Defcon 4. Roosters only go berserk for a few reasons:

• They feel like it.
• A hen is missing.
• A legitimate threat looms
• The dog is sleeping peacefully and that’s unacceptable.
• Space rays have shorted the rooster’s two brain cells.

I stepped out to investigate. The rooster was fluttering around the yard and squawking. It reminded me of the children’s story. Chickens (both roosters and hens) do indeed squawkexactly as if the the sky was falling. I get it.

I didn’t see any raccoons, hawks, or polar bears. What was the big deal? I noticed all the hens had abandoned him and were nowhere to be found. I joked aloud; “What’s the matter, not getting laid?”

Just then a hawk blasted out of nearby brush. My day had just gotten interesting.

The hawk had appeared only twenty feet away. It had been in a waist high bunch of thistles and my presence did nothing to spook it. It was closing like a missile. The rooster was toast!

I admire a good rooster; they’re obnoxious little monsters but they’ve got heart. This one was going to keep sounding the alarm and mortal danger wasn’t going to deter him. He’d probably go toe to toe with a wolverine if he thought it was necessary. He’d known the hawk was in the bushes yet he’d been warning the hens to clear out rather than wisely running for his life. I wonder if he’d deliberately made himself the target of the hawk’s interest to buy the hens’ escape? (Ladies, here’s an important tip. Just like roosters, a human male will face death bravely and without hesitation if that’s part of his job duties. Provided, just like a rooster, he gets unlimited sex with the job. I’m just sayin’.)

Rather than let the rooster meet his maker, I stepped between the hawk and his target. The hawk didn’t see me as a threat and aimed to make a run inches below my armpit. I made a pathetic wimpy squealing sound when I realized this. Half in defense of the rooster and half wondering what talons could do to a grown man, I started waving my arms and shouting. The hawk banked hard and circled an arm’s breadth away. The rooster, brave but not stupid, hauled ass around me too.

We did three rotations like that. Rooster scampering like death was after him. Death orbiting me in a real life demonstration of flying prowess. Me waving my arms and gibbering like an idiot.

I’d become the hub of a wild and flapping universe of chaos. This would not do. It was time to use that monkey brain of mine and disrupt things.

On the third spin I jumped directly into the path of the orbiting hawk. The hawk barely managed to avoid crashing into my stomach. It flapped away to park on a fencepost thirty feet away. I’d thoroughly pissed it off. My only thought was that it hadn’t hooked my gut with a talon. Lucky me!

It glared at me. I glared back. The rooster was safely behind me so it squawked and glared at everyone. We had achieved détente.

More in my next post…

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

Despite Evidence To The Contrary, I Am Not Crazy (Part III)

Posted on October 8, 2012 

The hawk clearly intended to out wait the brave rooster and it’s imbecilic owner. After a few minutes I sprinted to the woodpile to grab a weapon. The instant I moved the hawk took flight. The chase was on again! The rooster squawked louder and sprinted for the safety of the truck. I grabbed a piece of firewood and hurled it. The log landed close enough to the hawk to make him call off the attack. Whew!

By now the hawk was on a closer fencepost; less than ten feet away. The rooster was under the truck but still sounding his alarm. (As if there was a hen left in the county that wasn’t hiding by now.) The dog in the house was trying to tear the wall down to rescue us all. A nearby barn cat was fast asleep. (Cats! They exist to piss me off!)

The hawk took flight and cruised around the back of the barn. I ran for the house to get my shotgun. I had no intention of shooting the hawk (I like their grace and there’s probably a million laws protecting them anyway). I just wanted to use the timeless and undeniable argument that is understood by everyone; “run like hell because I’ve got my boomstick!”

By the time I got back one of our turkeys was flapping across the yard with the hawk hot on it’s trail. All I could think was; “You’ve got to be kidding me!” The turkey was massive compared to the hawk. Our free range turkeys are sweet critters with the disposition of a kitten. Unfortunately they’ve got the brain of a cueball and the grace of a thrown brick. When chased by a hawk it went from clumsy to utterly unhinged. It was careening into the fence, the truck, tree trunks, and everything else. The hawk followed closely but hesitated here and there. I guessed that it had no idea what it would do if it actually caught a turkey over five times its size. The turkey, if it had a brain (which they don’t) could probably have turned around and eaten it.

The hawk, letting logic overcome bloodlust, realized the turkey was out of his league and veered toward the cat. Awesome!

Unfortunately the cat got with the program and shot off like lightning. It zoomed over the woodpile and straight up a tree. The hawk thought better of the cat and jetted toward my truck’s bumper where the rooster was still carrying on.

I tried to find a spot where nothing was in the way. It wasn’t easy since the whole lawn was in chaos. Then I noticed the block of firewood lying on the grass.

Boom! I scored a direct hit on immobile firewood. That got everyone’s attention!

The turkey let out a sound exactly like Gilbert Godfrey having a heart attack. The cat poofed up like an exploding dustmop and practically tried to chew it’s way into the tree. The rooster (inexplicably) left the safety of the truck and chased after the turkey. The dog in the house let out a war cry that could make paint peel. The hawk came to a screeching halt mid-air and briefly hovered while trying to decide what the hell to do next.

I racked the slide and fired again. Boom! You’ve got to double tap blocks of wood… you don’t want one coming back to life and getting’ ya!

That did it! The turkey, cat, and rooster were long gone. The hawk, having changed course against all laws of physics, was airborne but with no momentum. It was flapping hard to get moving. It really wanted to be somewhere else.

I racked the slide again. The firewood was doomed and I was just wasting ammo for fun. The hawk had learned the meaning of boomstick and was desperate to get out of Dodge. It did an emergency jettison of extra baggage by taking an impressively huge crap. If it had flapped any harder it would have turned itself inside out.

I spared the firewood for no other reason than ammo ‘aint free and I was impressed by the hawk’s speed dump. Two seconds later the hawk had cleared the trees and was aiming to break the sound barrier. I wouldn’t be surprised if it didn’t stop for a hundred miles. It was clearly headed for somewhere safer, like Jupiter.

I’d literally scared the crap out of it!!! At the moment this seemed like the greatest feat ever accomplished in the entire history of mankind. I let out a hearty laugh. The cat (apparently stuck in the tree) made a pitiful sound. This only made me laugh harder.

It took a good minute or two to stop laughing. Then I picked up the wood (which had given it’s life for the cause!) and tossed it in the forest. I don’t need lead melting into my firebox.

It had been crazy but none of the animals got hurt. (The block of wood gets posthumous honors for making the ultimate sacrifice.) It had been a close shave. The rooster lost a few feathers but seemed to think he saved the day. The hawk will probably keep flying until it’s in another time zone. The cat (to my dismay) eventually came down from the tree. The turkey, having no brain at all, immediately forgot what had just happened and begged for treats. The hens came out a few minutes later. The dog hadn’t actually destroyed the house but it sure tried. Also, for no reason whatsoever, the dog seems to have the opinion that this was all caused by the turkey. (Which is why the dog has a future in politics.)

Everything I did made sense but it had been weird. It’s precisely why I shouldn’t have neighbors.

25 Ways to Redefine the Phrase...

25 Ways to Re Define the Phrase 'Woman Up'

(Carlos Andres Gomez at The Good Men Project, has posted what amounts to a steaming pile of Churchian Rationalization Hamster excrement, 25 Ways to Redefine the Phrase 'Man Up.'  In response, Paul Elam at A Voice for Men, posted a hamsterlation of each of the 25 points.  He edited them to include what they really mean.)

GMP Guide to Do-It-Yourself Castration

AVfM's rousing rendition of, "Fuck You and the Horse You Rode In On."

And now, for your edification, the companion piece:

You've come a long way, Baby.  For the past fifty years We women have been given the benefit of the doubt.  Society has hobbled masculinity in order to give women a boost in all matters legal, economic, social, educational, and even religious.  We're grown up now, independent and empowered, so it's time for us to Woman Up.  Come on, we can do this, ladies.  Let's show those men that we're willing to make the effort to be worthy of their love and devotion.  We can be everything men tell us they need us to be.

Be a Peacemaker.  Drama is not peaceful.  Don't get all bent out of shape every time someone suggests that perhaps you could do better.  Quit picking petty fights and initiating power struggles with your significant other; he finds it tiresome.  Stop sabotaging your friends and co-workers.  You can be "better" than them by improving YOURSELF; you don't need to put them down.

Don't Leave the Tears on your Face.  See above.  When your hormones get the best of you, or someone says something hurtful, and you "lose it," get it back ASAP.  Mourning in private, during and after a genuine tragedy, is an age old but largely forgotten tradition.  Reclaim it.  For your garden variety miseries-blown-out-of-proportion, either for effect or because you have no self discipline, dry your eyes and get over it already.  That's how grown-ups roll.

Communicate.  I know you think you're good at this, but you could use a few pointers.  Nobody you know is a mind reader; if you want or need something, ask for it.  Explicitly.  No subtle hints, no demuring - 'oh, it's nothing.' no dirty looks or heavy sighs.  Don't expect it if you won't ask for it.  If you're "testing" your man, stop it already, see Be a peacemaker.  Also, keep it relevant; the words, "Well, I feel..." should never be spoken in an official, professional meeting.  Your feelings are not relevant.  Succinct and direct would be nice as well, but I think that might be pushing the envelope.

Be a Great Parent.  If you don't have to work outside the home, don't.  If you do have to work outside the home, find a family-friendly job, preferably part time.  I know, the wages are usually low, and child care is expensive.  That's the point.  Get a job that requires little or no childcare, and raise your own children.  Continue your education part time or join a gym or club.  It will keep your mind sharp and make you practice speaking like an adult, which you should be doing with your children anyway. (Remember, the goal here is to teach them how to become adults, not really big children.)  Learn to say, "No," calmly and with confidence.  If you become emotional because you let your kids push your buttons, you're no longer in charge.

Forgive.  Remember that time your new young husband ruined your favorite sweater because he didn't notice the "hand was/dry flat" label?  Don't ever bring it up again.  When he forgot your anniversary?  Accept his apology and move on.  Your overbearing mother or your hyper-competitive sister?  If you need to create some distance to prevent future slights, do it.  Leave the past in the past and make a more peaceful future.

Cook.  Not Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, not pre-made microwave meals from the grocer's freezer (OK, maybe once a week.)  Nutritionally balanced real meals.  Cookbooks are easy to read.  If your schedule is crammed too full (which is a problem all its own) spend a weekend cooking a month's worth of casseroles to keep in the freezer.

Spend Quality Time with Your Family.  Log off of Facebook. Turn off the TV and your phone.  Have meals together.  No Ipods.

Change a Diaper.  No really.  Many of you actually need to be told.  Duh.

Be Flexible.  The sun's going to come up tomorrow whether you crossed everything off your to-do list or not.  You can't control everything so quit trying.  You CAN control two things: what you say and what you do.  You may predict likely responses, but the outcomes are out of your hands.  Deal with it, and adapt.

Be Responsible.  Learn to manage your money.  Learn to manage your time.  Fulfill your promises and fix your mistakes.  Excuses don't fix anything.

Advocate for Men.  Your husband risked everything he will ever have when he married you, because you can take it all away on a whim.  Show him some respect in public and in private.  Next time your BFF rolls hr eyes and tells you about that "creepy" guy who flirted with her, tell her she's full of shit.  He may be unappealing or even repellent to her, but that doesn't justify her use of derogatory slurs.

Be Gentle.  And feminine.  And sweet.  Nobody likes a coarse, vulgar ball-buster.  Seriously.

Mentor a Child.  You can start with your own.

Be Healthy.  Drop those extra pounds.  You'll look better and you'll feel better, and you'll be far less likely to raise obese children.

Hold Yourself Accountable.  You might as well be the first to do so.  You're a woman so nobody else is allowed to.

Value Your Partner's Sexual Needs.  Sex is not always going to be fairy-tale perfect.  Most men have a higher sex drive than most women, and they tend to crave variety.  Unless you're sick, accommodate him even if you're not really in the mood.  Even a quickie or a hand/blow job.  It's not much of a sacrifice, and you'll both be glad you did.  There's rarely a good reason not to.  Oh, and let's get one thing clear.  Sex is not a weapon.  Don't ever withhold it to manipulate him; it's petty, selfish and childish, and we're Strong Responsible women, remember?


That's not 25, is it?  The problem with Gomez's list is that it's prime bullshit.  It's a bunch of shaming tactics based on weak male stereotypes.  However, just because I can't make much use of a useless list, doesn't mean I'm finished.  With a little help from commenters at AVfM, I came up with a few more:

If You're Going to Dress to Fuck, then Fuck.  Good women don't tease.

If You Cajole Your Husband into Buying a Bigger House than He Wants, Clean it Yourself.  It's your dream house, not his.  You make your own dream come true, and remember to thank him for footing the bill.

Do it Yourself.  If you can't, be prepared to show respect and gratitude to those who do it for you.  Don't ever expect a man to carry your water simply because you're a woman.

Behave Like an Adult.  No sneaky shit.  If you have to hide the bill, you spent too much; own it, it's yours.  No temper tantrums protesting reality (I'm looking at you , Slutwalkers...)  No renegging on promises.  A man is only as good as his word, and so is a woman; you follow through, or you are unreliable.  Grownups are reliable.  No exceptions, no excuses.

Reject Baseless Fears.  The TV is lying to you.  So are your magazines.  So are your politicians.  So is your church.  If they can convince you to live your life in fear of men, strangers, cars, the "wage gap," guns, terrorists, Hell, MRSA, gays, last year's fashions, tap water and bottled water, they can sell you reassurance.  And if you believe them, they have already sold you drama.  Quit buying it.  Children are naive and ignorant, and they need grownups to teach them.  You are a grownup.  Teach yourself, then teach your children.

THINK.  (from Sasha) Pause when your friends tell you to 'follow your feelings,' and consider the impact of your behavior.  Actions have consequences.

Show a Little Humility.  Your Inner Goddess is a myth.  Think of her as an imaginary friend, like the one you had as a child.  Nobody else can see her.  They may play along with you and pretend she's real, but so you really want to be patronized like a child?  Don't expect to be treated well by anyone, and thank everyone who bothers to treat you well - it's a favor, not their duty.

Fight Your Own Battles.  It's not your boyfriend/ husband's job to start a fight with someone who hurt your feelings or offended your delicate sensibilities.  Autonomous independent adults can't afford delicate sensibilities.

Show Loyalty and be Loyal.  Don't badmouth your husband, boyfriend, family, employer or friends.  If they are in your life, it's because you chose to put them there.  If trash talk is all you can come up with when discussing them, what does that say about your judgment?  Additionally, if you want their loyalty, you'd better be prepared to earn it with yours.

I could go on all day here, but 25 is a good start.

L'Oreal commercials like to tell us "..we're worth it," but they never tell us how or why.  And yet we believe them.  How about we hold ourselves up to some objectively measurable criteria, the same way men do, and prove that we're worth it.

"Also if You Accept this Honor..."

(Thank you, Photobucket)

I just threw up on my keyboard.

Time Sink

I double dog dare you

The Judge Lori B. Jackson Highlight Reel

Judge Lori B. Jackson doesn’t want Harrison County, or anyone else, to know what she’s doing behind closed doors.

A Voice for Men - Articles on Circuit Court Judge Lori B. Jackson, Harrison County, WV Family Court:

“Petition to Impeach Judge Lori B. Jackson”

http://www.avoiceformen.com/mens-rights/activism/petition-to-impeach-judge-lori-b-jackson/

*Not only has Judge Jackson clearly violated state guidelines, she has done so knowingly at the expense of two minor children, effectively delivering them into the custody of the person abusing them.

http://www.change.org/petitions/west-virginia-house-of-delegates-impeach-family-court-judge-lori-b-jackson#

*All of the evidence, including video and audio recordings, demonstrated the fact that Tina Taylor Kirk was an abusive alcoholic who engaged in an unrelenting pattern of physical, emotional and psychological abuse of her children.

*Judge Jackson reviewed all this evidence and failed to contact child protective services, and subsequently ruled to deliver both children from that marriage into the custody of their abuser.

*Judge Jackson even went as far as ordering that the video evidence of Tina Taylor Kirk's child abuse be gagged and withheld from further viewing by authorities.

                                               **********

“Child Abuse from the Bench”

http://www.avoiceformen.com/mens-rights/family-courts/child-abuse-from-the-bench/

*DECORATED COMBAT PILOT AND HIS CHILDREN BRUTALIZED BY WEST VIRGINIA FAMILY COURT JUDGE LORI B. JACKSON

*HARRISON COUNTY WEST VIRGINIA JUDGE LORI B. JACKSON KNOWINGLY PLACES CHILDREN IN THE CUSTODY OF AN ABUSIVE, ALCOHOLIC, BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDERED MOTHER IN THE “BEST INTERESTS OF THE CHILDREN.”

                                             **********

“Judge Lori B. Jackson Seeks to Gag AVfM”

http://www.avoiceformen.com/feminism/government-tyranny/judge-lori-b-jackson-seeks-to-gag-avfm/

*In a stunning move, Jackson issued an order that Joel Kirk appear in her court this Thursday, October 4, 2012 at 9 A.M., effectively giving him two days to secure council

*She also knows that there are few to no attorneys in Kirk’s immediate area suitable to represent him

*Similarly, Jackson also wants to intimidate AVfM into cowering and surrendering our rights to free speech, as well as freedom of the press.

                                             **********

“Circuit Judge Delays Ruling Kirk Custody Case”

http://www.avoiceformen.com/a-voice-for-men/circuit-judge-delays-ruling-kirk-custody-case/

*On Friday September 21, the West Virginia Fifteenth Judicial Circuit court decided to delay final judgment until further notice on Joel Kirks appeal to regain custody of his children.  This comes after an activism drive spearheaded by A Voice for Men has given much publicity to the case spurring action on the internet and locally in Harrison County WVA.

*…Tina Kirk’s lawyers approached Lt. Col. Kirk with an offer for full custody of their children in exchange for $288,000.  He has not entertained this offer to sell the children.

                                             **********

“Tina Kirk ‘Grieves’ Losing Custody”

http://www.avoiceformen.com/mens-rights/family-courts/tina-kirk-grieves-losing-custody/

*Tina Taylor Kirk stated on the court record and in writing that she was receiving treatment for alcohol abuse at Celebrate Recovery, a “Christ-centered 12-step recovery program.” She also testified throughout the entire court proceedings (before these photos surfaced) that she had not drunk any alcohol since June 28, 2009, the night Lt. Col. Kirk captured his wife’s drunken and violent rampage against him and their children on film.

“Shattered” mother and her “grief counselor”

*…these photos of Tina Taylor Kirk and friends, knocking back beer after beer, were taken only 5 days after being ordered to have no contact with her children.

*Tina told the children that she was equally shattered by her separation from them, but the photos below tell a different story…

*As image after image loaded onto the screen, the children became more and more devastated. The first words out of the son’s mouth were, “Who are those men?” The daughter saw the date-stamps on the photos and said, “Hey mom’s in a bar and it’s right when she left here.’”

*Judge Jackson continues to enable this child abuser and, in the process, has become a child abuser herself.

                                             **********

“Interview with Lt. Col. Joel Kirk”

http://www.avoiceformen.com/a-voice-for-men/avfm-radio/mwt-radio-interview-with-lt-col-joel-kirk/

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/avoiceformen/2012/09/18/interview-with-lt-col-joel-kirk-usaf

                                             **********

“The Dishonor of Judge Lori B. Jackson”

http://www.avoiceformen.com/feminism/government-tyranny/the-dishonor-of-judge-lori-b-jackson/

*Judge Lori B. Jackson, of the Eighteenth Family Court Circuit for Harrison County, West Virginia has used her gavel, her authority under the law, to sadistically bludgeon Lt. Col. Kirk, and has sentenced his two children to being placed in the custody of their mother, Tina Taylor Kirk, a proven and even more sadistic abuser.

http://www.avoiceformen.com/portal/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/kirk-audio-file-redacted.mp3

http://www.avoiceformen.com/portal/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/gal-final-redacted-bw1.pdf

*The report documents Tina Taylor Kirk’s attempts to intimidate and threaten personnel charged with investigating the well-being of her children, her attempted coercion of her children into lying on her behalf, trying to force them to mold their reality to cover her lies and to fit her embittered and malicious agenda. It is all laid out in clear, heartbreakingly painful detail.

Oh wait!  There’s more!

http://www.avoiceformen.com/updates/news-updates/kirk-recusal-motion-in-west-virginian-supreme-court/

http://www.avoiceformen.com/updates/second-motion-to-gag-avfm-filed/

http://www.avoiceformen.com/mens-rights/activism/the-real-housewives-of-harrison-county/

Virginia for information regarding any of the questions posed by Dr. Palmatier in this article. The safety of the Kirk children continues to hang in the balance, and we could use your help in identifying the source of the obvious conflict of interest guiding decisions from Lori B Jackson’s courtroom. If you have any information that would be helpful to this case, please make contact with Paul Elam at paul@avoiceformen.com. Publishers note: AVfM now makes an appeal to the citizens of Harrison County, West You need not disclose your identity. AVfM will protect your anonymity. Thank you. PE.

Judge Jackson is Getting Desperate. Let's Shut the Broad Down!

Judge Lori B. Jackson seeks to gag AVfM

please read this post

"In a stunning move, Jackson issued an order that Joel Kirk appear in her court this Thursday, October 4, 2012 at 9 A.M., effectively giving him two days to secure council to represent him there. We happen to know that Judge Jackson is aware that Lt. Col. Kirk’s lawyer lives more than a two-hour drive from her court, and that the possibility of getting him there on such short notice would be near impossible. She also knows that there are few to no attorneys in Kirk’s immediate area suitable to represent him in this matter.

In fact, she tips her hand and demonstrates this awareness in a handwritten note to Snead on the order, informing her that Kirk would be in court representing himself. She decided, before the hearing was even scheduled, that Kirk would stand before her without legal representation."

This was my comment:

"So, Paul I guess that’s a “yes.”

As many of you know, last week I distributed by hand, over 100 AVfM flyers in Harrison County. {Paul, do I need to be there Thursday? (+voice recorder?) I *might* be able to swing it. I have a job interview in a few hours, and I might be working by the end of the week.} Here’s what I’m doing later today. I’m going to create a document with every link on the subject and a sexy headline or two; I’m also going to hit Google and find every publicly available email address in Harrison County (including Fairmont, just north and a good sized town.) If anyone wants the email list I’m going to create, let me know – it will be available later this afternoon."

I'll publish another post this afternoon, with every email and link I can find.  Feel free to make use of them!

driversuz44@gmail.com

Bits 'n' Pieces

I have a job interview tomorrow morning.  It's retail, but it's in a home improvement store 15 minutes from home.  I hope they offer me the job and a decent starting wage; it should suit my needs just fine.  I don't want to work full time, but I almost applied for a FT job last week - kennel attendant in an upscale pet resort and training facility.  I could spend 40 hours a week talking only to dogs, walking them, and yes, even cleaning up after them.  And getting paid for it.  Oh well. Lowe's is more practical.

And speaking of home improvement, we brought home a few paint samples the other day, and I've chosen my new den.  Hopefully we can start this week.

I met my very first black widow spider while weeding the front flower bed today.  She was quite beautiful.  Yes I said "was."  Spiders don't give me the willies and I usually leave them alone because they kill things that DO give me the willies, but let's be real here - she was crawling up the foundation of my house!  I'm glad WolfAlpha was home, because I prefer not to get close enough to kill a critter that could kill me back, especially one with a brain the size of a grain of sand.  Problem solved; I do love that man.

The "Five in the Bed..."* (my siblings and I) are currently swimming in a deluge of emails, discussing our parents' immediate and long term needs.  The crisis that precipitated this was much milder than it could have been, and we've been expecting it, but still.  On the plus side, the cooperation, suggestions and support flying through cyberspace is a sight to behold.  Whodathunk that five kids who fought like cats and dogs, would grow up to be such decent, generous people.  All of us.  I guess it's a testament to Mom and Dad; their lives have hardly been a walk in the park, but they were tenacious.  They always did what they knew was right, and their patience with five clueless kids who took them totally for granted, was phenomenal.  I only hope that those two stubborn, independent people can keep their wits about them well enough to let us  give it all back, and make their last years comfortable and safe.

*I can't find an audio to embed, but Odetta's "Five in the Bed" was a big part of our early childhood.