Frogs in the cement pond

We've all been kept awake the last few night (dogs barking their hearts out) by croaking frogs.

This seemed weird to us because we don't have a nearby stream or pond.

However, because of the strange, cool spring weather we've had our cement pond (pool) has had standing water for a few weeks.

Seems some tree frogs (at least four of them) hopped to the pond and have been calling out for mates.

We moved the frogs back to the tree grove, pumped out the water, and will try to get it ready for the season (read heavy chlorination, no chance for frogs or other creatures to survive) as soon as possible.

We also snapped a photo of one of these cute little frogs.

My garden photo of the day: 4/11/11

Bluebells—one of my favorite woodland flowers—are just breaking out into bloom. This flower takes me back to my childhood, when I remember it blooming in the little border garden next to our house. I've been propagating it in our yard—next to wild ginger—and am so happy to see it blooming gloriously.

ideology - not a sincere desire to cut spending - will shut down the government

I can't remember being this upset and disillusioned with Washington in a long time.

Republicans called for a certain amount of cuts to the the budget. Dems called them on it and agreed to that number.

But wait, Boehner and friends now say that the cuts must also include their political passions — cuts to EPA surveillance, screening for cancer and STDs at Planned Parenthood, and funding for two national treasures, NPR and PBS.

I cannot believe that our service men and women in Afghanistan will now have to worry about their families receiving paychecks over the next few weeks.

I cannot believe that children, whose parents plan to bring them to Washington over spring break to see the cherry blossoms and visit the Smithsonian, may have to cancel their trips.

I cannot believe that disabled citizens will have their application for support put on hold.

I cannot believe any of this.

It is, in one word, incomprehensible.

Republicans scream that the American people sent them to Washington last fall to "reign in reckless spending."

Some did.

Many others think that cutting government oversight of the environment, human services, and education is dangerous and ill advised and could lead to the downfall of our great country.

Boehner, Ryan, et al. You have no mandate other than the one you imagine and try to pull out of thin air.

The American People, the ones you so love to invoke, do not want a government shut down. They want responsible compromise. They want responsible leaders.

Optimism

I'm an optimist:

Today I clicked "repeat every year" on my Ical entry that reminds me of my birthday.

This spring I plan to start a whole hedgerow of cyprus trees.

And, I always keep a bottle of champagne in my fridge.

P.O.T.U.S. - do you have satellite radio yet?

Have you set up your subscription to Sirius/XM satellite radio yet? If not, what is your problem? It's really not that expensive. Bruce fan? You have your own station. Grateful Dead fan? Own station. Blues fan? Station. Jazz fan? Station. You get the idea.

But the most important reason I have found to subscribe to satellite radio is the relatively new station called P.O.T.U.S. — "politics of the United States for the people of the United States."

Wake up to Tim Farley providing an update of the day's news headlines, as well as history lessons and interviews with news makers.

Midday, Joe Matthieu takes over. He is a political guru and manages to get "the best reporters in the business" to weigh in on the day's issues. Joe can also be counted on to stay late or come in on weekends to provide live coverage. When Representative Giffords was shot in Tuscon, I was so relieved to find that Joe, and his talented staff, were on the job providing reliable information.

Come afternoon, Pete Dominick, takes to the airwaves. His goal is to find the most pressing issues of the day that affect the greatest number of Americans and find experts to comment on them. Then, he takes comments from callers. Pete is just a regular guy, a comedian, a husband, and a father, who wants to live a good life. He may be too passionate sometimes but you cannot doubt his honesty or integrity. That makes him a reliable discussion moderator.

The other day, Pete was out, and the most awesome Charles Ellison sat in for him. Callers love Charles, who is quite personable and gracious. One caller mentioned that Charles was the "greatest guest host" to fill in for Pete and then added that he was also filling in for the "greatest station in the history of broadcasting."

You know, that caller had a good point.

P.O.T.U.S. provides raw feed of events in Washington but moderates through intelligent reporting.

I love it.

A Diamond in Your Mind

Amazing words

author Tom Waits/Kathleen Brennan / singer Solomon Burke

Best words from "Always Keep a Diamond in Your Mind," a song with intensely original and provocative lyrics:

She's got the milk of human kindness and the fat of the lamb
Scared like a baby, but she drives like a man
She lives outside of Natchez where she operates a crane
She's like a wrecking ball no longer connected to the chain

Oh Zerelda Samuel said she almost never prayed
Said she lost her right arm, blown off in a Pinkerton raid
Then they lashed her to a windmill with old "3-fingered Dave"
Now she's 102 drinking mint juleps in the shade

Everybody, always keep a diamond in your mind

(italics added)

You can hear Waits at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSnghcGigzY

Or for a more fulfilling version try Solomon Burke: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1ZDjRnNUJQ

President Ford rides the rails

In honor of President's Day, our local paper, the Peoria Journal Star, asked for stories of readers' encounters with past, current, or future POTUSes. Here is my story:

During the 1976 campaign, President Ford traveled the rails making “whistle stops” in communities across the country.

In the fall, Ford came through Illinois by rail with a mighty Amtrak engine leading the way. He and his wife, Betty, stood at the back of the train waving to crowds who gathered at station stops to greet them. I believe that in some of the larger cities, such as Springfield and St. Louis, special events were planned as the train made its stop.

I must have read about this in the paper or seen it on the news. I was 14 and had a Newfoundland puppy who loved to swim. We would often walk from our house over to “the pond,” a watering hole beside the railroad tracks that had once served the steam engines. Hector loved to dive into its murky water.

As I watched him swim, I was not surprised to see a train, decorated in patriotic bunting, chugging down the tracks. President Ford, standing alone at the back of the train, waved happily at me and Hector until the train pulled out of sight.

The memory of unexpectedly seeing the President of the United States in my little town of Auburn and having that moment all to myself made me feel special. The fact that Gerald Ford was that man also seems significant. He was destined to lose that election, but I think all of us understood that he was, to the nation, a hero.

Read more stories from readers at http://www.pjstar.com/news/x253216647/Web-extra-More-presidential-close-encounters

The photo is of my sister and "The Heck" at the pond.