OH, BOY, THE POO HAS HIT THE FAN IN THIS STATE!
Watch your national news because I am SURE it will sooner or later be on tv!

Jack called yesterday morning and said to turn on the tv. Five state senators, a former state senator, and a business man from Memphis have been arrested by the FBI on a bribery sting! It has been ongoing since 2003 and the sting was called Tenn walz. Four of these people are from the Memphis district! One guy had been under investigation for a year on taking money for TennCare (Medicaid in TN) and had already been sensored and the FBI sting was BEFORE this Tenncare thingy. The woman from this area JUST got elected (just took office THIS WEEK) and believe it or not, the LAST THREE people elected from this particular district have been arrested for something and that is why the middle of the year elections! The third guy, WAS a senator and resigned to become the county mayor's lacky just a few months ago. The poor county mayor had NO CLUE and the poor guy has this shmuck now on his payroll (we saw on the late news last night that the county mayor wanted this guys resignation IMMEDIATELY!). Senator Ford (tenncare) took money and paid for his dd's WEDDING to the tune if about $15,000 and at his arraignment didn't have a lawyer because he said HE COULDN'T AFFORD ONE! They are hinting our mayor (Memphis City not the county mayor) is involved and may it only be true! Our mayor is the biggest crook you have ever seen! They were talking about this being the BIGGEST sting ever including the US Government! The Ford guy has been arrested for a $55,000 bribe and three counts of threatening or intimidating a witness, (he threatened to kill 2 FBI undercover guys if they were setting him up.) This guy is a real slime ball and Jack and I were pretty mad when the state government didn't indict him on the Tenncare business. Well, he is getting his come uppence now. I guess he was led out of the state house in cuffs and SHACKLES! This is going to ROCK the state and one of our US representative's Harold Ford, which you have probably seen on tv, announced just yesterday he is running for Senator Frist's (senate majority leader's) seat as Frist is not running again and his UNCLE is this state senator. I think his senate bid is going to go down in flames! I guess the east part of the state has been Republican since BEFORE the Civil War so now this is going to mess him up horribly. I don't like the man and wouldn't vote for him, but the poor guy should not be lumped with others. Harold Ford's dad was a senator and went to prison years ago for some kind of wrongdoing and the representative had to overcome that and now this. It is truly this state's Peyton Place!

Jean: Are you really considering retiring? Just what exciting things would you do after retirement? I bet organize all those, "piles" you are always complaining about! It would certainly be a change for you!

Maggie: I truly loved school as it was my refuge from a lousy home life. I got to do something my senior year that was pretty cool. For two hours a day, I went to the elementary school and taught reading to third graders. I had two study halls because of what I said before regarding having all my credits so because I wanted to become a teacher, they let me teach! The town I grew up in had all three schools together, the elementary through eighth in one building then a big long hall that connected it to the high school. The third grade teacher loved me so much, SHE LET ME DO IT ALONE! She got two extra hours to relax everyday and do planning and she loved it and so did I. The only glitch was my church youth pastor's son was in the class. Mrs Mangus was an elderly teacher probably late 60's and from truly the old school. This little boy stood up one day when I was there and told the whole class I was PREGNANT! I thought the teacher would fall off her chair in a faint! That was certainly the days before girls got pregnant willy nilly like they do now! He had mixed up pregnant with ENGAGED! I still get a chuckle thinking about it and years later when I would see Brian I always razzed him about it.

Thomas was so cute yesterday at soccer. He had been resting and then it was his turn to go onto the field. I called to him and he turned and looked at me and I said, "Make a goal for Nonny!" then gave him the thumbs up. I got the biggest shock when he nodded his head, grinned and then WINKED at me! I didn't even know he could wink!

Well, Jack will be getting up soon so I guess I should see what to fix him for breakfast. I will keep you posted on what happens with this mess here.

Faye

Good morning ladies!

It is pretty boring in my part of the world this weekend. We haven't done anything spectacular. I am going to go in about an hour and see how cold the pool is. They have started new rules this year that unless people volunteer to keep an eye on the pool, it will be locked inbetween. I talked on Saturday to the president of the association and told him I would volunteer for an hour when I was in the pool and he told me he would GIVE ME A KEY and I could go anytime I wanted. In exchange, I said I would walk over a couple times a day and check to see no one that didn't belong was in the pool.

Well, we picked the other show we are going to in Vegas. We were going to go to Penn and Teller, but someone told me it isn't very good anymore, less magic more spouting the mouth and we wanted to see magic. I found this dinner show that looks fun. It is called BA DA BING and is a mystery dinner show. It is about Mr Bigg, who is a Vegas mobster and gets "rubbed out" at his birthday party, to which we are invited. It is one where the audience participates in part of the show and guesses who the murder is, etc. You get a salad, lasagna, veal scallopini, chicken marsala or salmon, rolls, champagne, birthday cake, tiramasu and coffee. It sounded like a lot of fun so I booked it.

Well, Jack is starting breakfast and I have to make him some sausage gravy so gotta go

Faye

Morning girls! It was quiet here yesterday. I went to the pool and like I told Jack, it was "heart attack" cold! Once I got warmed up swimming laps, I was ok though. It was great being in the pool again. I can exercise so much better in the pool than on land.

Jean: As for the shows, I have a posting website about Vegas, where I get advice, then I go to the Las Vegas visitors and convention center site and look there and also at the individual casino/hotels websites and read about shows. The convention center site, lists every show in Vegas by the dates you search. A lot of them have video, you can load and watch to get an idea and the BA DA BING has a nice almost 5 minute one that gave you a really good idea. We are counting the days now. I told my sister on Sat when I called her I told Jack I should make those little construction paper chains like I used to with the kids when Jack would go to sea. We would make one link for each day he was going to be gone, then they would take turns cutting one off so they could see how close it was to him coming home without them driving me nuts asking all the time. So I thought I should do it for myself so I wouldn't drive Jack nuts! He keeps track of the hours even at this point!

Well, I guess I better scoot. I am cleaning the upstairs this morning before I go and swim. I cleaned the bathrooms last night and want to get the dusting done first thing this AM and then vacuum as soon as it gets late enough and I won't disturb the neighors.

Faye

HAPPY 1ST DAY OF JUNE

Still cool here thought the sun is trying to come out. Maybe getting warmer by the end of the week...I hope

MAGGIE: A last word.....have a wonderful journey across this great country of ours and if you have a chance to 'hook up' to a 'puter, please check in.
I know you will only have sunny days and clear roads for that is what you deserve.

JEAN: YEAH VACATION!!! I know it probably hasn't sunk in yet but you are out of school. You are going to have a busy summer with the cottage at the lake and all those new babys....and the older ones too!

FAYE: WOW, you are certainly a brave one to swim in that cold water....I hope it warms up fast for you. You sound like the perfect person to be in charge of keeping the pool safe. I just hope it doesn't get to be to much of a job for you.

We got my container herb garden planted this weekend and as long as we do get some sun they will be growing. I just have containers because I am too lazy to start a big garden and since I am the only one who would work on it...why begin what I don't want to finish

We, also, have DD#2's dog Moshup for the next couple of weeks. They are having a new lawn put in and Moshsup likes to do 'devil runs' when she is let out. We will keep her til the grass gets really set. This is another reason I don't have a real garden....

Gloria in MA......looking forward to a better month.

Morning gals! It is cloudy this am, but I expect the sun will be coming out soon. It is already creeping into the mid 70's. I will go and open the pool and jump in at 9 am. I am so sore in my thighs. Must be from not getting enough exercise and hauling my big behind out of that swimming pool. The cement steps have no hand rail so I can't go up that way so I have to use the side ladders, which is ok, until my body is out of the water than gravity takes over and whoo is it hard to haul it up that last step!

Jean: I LOVE the paperclip idea. I have an eye dr appt tomorrow so I will get some then. I think I may start using them for weight loss too and post the idea on my thread since it is so great.

I hate anything having to deal with dividing up deceased relatives anything. My relatives were like pit vipers when my grandparents died. I lived with them for my last two years of high school and I will watch Antiques Roadshow and think about the beautiful things my grandma had that were auctioned off when grandpa died. She had this gorgeous antique breakfront that was a blond color and had huge curved glass doors. My cousin bought it, took it home and his six brats broke the front in 2 days! They said it would cost over $1000 to replace the glass and that was back in the late 80's. The only thing I got from her estate was a set of salt and pepper shakers. She collected them and they put the sets in paperbags and each dd and granddaughter and great grandddaughter got to pick a bag. I saw just the other day on the show some china that some lady had kept and hated and is worth a bazillion dollars now. I remember that exact set in one of my grandmother's china cabinets. Funny I can sit here and even smell the smells of her house (well, if I ignore grandpa's cigar smoke that permeated everything including our clothing!)

This vacation is our last hurrah for awhile. We have some expensive things that have to be done with the condo next year so we have to get going on that. Ahhh, money isn't it a pain!

I hope everyone has a good day. I imagine Maggie is or will be shutting off permanently either today or tomorrow so Maggie, HAPPY TRAILS TO YOU AND COWBOY!

Faye

Morning gals! I am gonna kill dh! He fooled with my wireless mouse and now I am having all kinds of trouble with it scrolling and such! I told him to quit fooling with my computer as I don't fool with his laptop but am going to go in and put flowers etc everywhere on it if he doesn't behave himself and leave mine alone. One thing he did was make the pointer this intermittent rainbow that comes and goes and drives me NUTS!!! (remember I mentioned sounds, too. Well, me suspects he had something to do with that too, though I have no proof! )

Jean: Gracious you certainly seemed to be ready for a lot of weight loss! lol I do think it is a terrific idea for those of us who have more than a few lbs to lose!

I have an eye dr recheck this morning. They have the absolute screwiest receptionists there. I scheduled my recheck and wanted Wed but the dr wasn't going to be in so I took Thur and she called day before yesterday to tell me I had to move my appt as he wasn't going to be in on WED! I told her I never made it for WED but Thur because SHE told me he wouldn't be in so of course there are NO appts for today available and they are going to have to fit me in! GRRRRRR!

It is rainy here today so may not open the pool at all unless I want to venture out long enough to exercise. I am not sure I am going to have the time anyway so it is probably a moot pt. I am going to try something radical for 2 weeks and that is go on a Lean Cuisine diet for 2 weeks where lunch and dinner are lean cuisine meals plus an extra serving of fruit or veggies. I need to get myself jump started again. I have to quit messing around or my vacation clothes are NOT going to fit! We have 84 days, woohoo! lol

Well, I need to shower and get ready

Have a good day all

Faye