Hodge-Podge!

Zeb, the beautiful cat, in the garden. This picture makes me smile, and I needed something to smile about tonight after watching the news! So many changes are being made in our government with so little regard for what those changes will mean to Americans. It makes me ill to think about how our lives may never be the same. Quite frankly, I am so sickened by politicians and their duplicity right now that I would like to chuck the whole lot of them out of office and start over with some REAL people who CARE about America and Americans. Every couple of hours there is some report put out about how President Obama and his leftist progressive "czars" are changing some other part of the government.

Two things reported today: In the health care bill, there is a section that MANDATES that the IRS must make everyone's financial records (tax records, etc.) available to the Health Care Commissioner (another czar??) so that the determination may be made as to whether you qualify for certain coverage. It doesn't matter if you want the coverage or not. They will determine if you "qualify." Great...our finances will be open to inspection by who knows whom in Obama's bloated health care department. We all know how secure the government systems are. Any 11 year old with a computer can hack in! I hope everyone is letting their representatives know how they feel about all this proposed outrageous intrusion into our lives.

Secondly, President Obama has decided to declare September 11 as a day of "service." Another way to erase history and to downplay what really happened on Sept. 11. I'm not complaining about having a day of service, but it should not be on this particular day. Americans should never forget what happened on that day and how fragile our freedoms and our way of life really are in today's world.

Guess what this is? This is an owl pellet! Evidently when an owl has a successful day of hunting his dinner, he eats the whole critter. Some things are not digested and he....well he......I can't think of a polite way to say this. HE THROWS UP! It looks like a hair ball that your cat would deposit on your carpet, but it contains information about the owl's lunch....

Bits and pieces of the "meal" are encased in the pellet. Here we find a few bone fragments, some fur, and a claw. I wonder what type of creature was eaten? A rabbit, possibly? The claw doesn't really bring to mind a rabbit, though. The claw is pretty sizable... I think hawks may toss their pellets in the same manner. Ick!

I collect alphabets and samplers, and this is one that hangs above the bed in our bedroom. The punched hanging was purchased from a local antiques store. I'm not sure what it would have been used for or exactly how old it is, but I liked the look. The design looks like a rising sun (or possibly setting!) and stars.

I have been drawing rug designs this week, and will be starting a new rug tomorrow. I hope to post pictures soon.

Have a great weekend!