I hate watching the news these days.  There seems to be nothing but muggings, murders, shootings, accidents and then there is the economy.  Tonight they tell us that Medicaid will be out of money soon and those people who depend on it will be out of luck and won’t be able to get health care.  So much for Obama Care.  I also hear that in 3 weeks the Federal Government will be out of money (again) and will not be able to pay its debt (so much for the big bail out).

I wonder how much of our hard-earned social security funds they will dip into this time?  It seems strange…if an individual person can’t pay their bills, they are taken to court and a judgment is put against them.  Their wages are garnished.  They have to find a way to deal with it.  Why is our government different?  They just simply dip into reserve funds for the elderly and the disabled whenever they feel like it and we are supposed to sit here and take it?

I don’t know about the rest of the country, but I am tired of paying taxes and then have our government programs taken away from us.  I realize that we have to pay taxes and taxes have to go up in order to keep these programs alive, but this is starting to get out of hand.  What am I supposed to do when I retire (if that ever happens)?  I think that I will be working until the day I die.  What do you think?

I lost my father a couple of days ago.  He and I did not spend much time together during our lives.  He and my mother were divorced when I was very young and I did not see a lot of him through the years.  He remarried and started another family and spent his time with them.  But, I had a good childhood, raised by a caring and wonderful Grandmother who gave me everything I needed and lots of love too, so I did not miss out.

Losing a parent, even one you hardly knew, really makes you stop and think about life.  Even though he and I were not close, he is still my father, and I still will think about him often throughout the rest of my years here on Earth.   I often wonder if he ever felt any regrets concerning the past and his estrangement from me.  I had talked to him recently on the phone, but had not been to see him for many years.  But it seemed to work that way.  I do feel a bit regretful that I was not able to make the trip to see him in recent years.  I do regret not seeing him often enough and not telling him how I really felt and how much I missed having him in my life.

Lesson:  don’t put off those important things such as telling someone how you really feel, especially your parents.

I, like so many others in this wonderful world of ours, LOVE to play the applications on Face Book.  I have two farms in Farmville, a homestead in Frontierville, a city in Cityville, an Island in Treasure Island… the list goes on and on and on.

Like most Face Book users, I use the applications for entertainment and to kill time when I happen to have some extra time on my hands.  I go to my Frontier for relaxation, harvest a few crops, try to complete a few missions and then move on to Farmville.  I have an English farm and an American farm.  I grow and harvest  crops on both farms, build new buildings, raise animals and (new to Farmville), complete missions.  Farmville is celebrating its 1 year anniversary this week.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY Farmville!!!

Some people say (such as Betty White when she hosted SNL), that Face Book is a big waste of time.  And true, it is.  But, if you have time to waste, the I can’t think of a better way to do it.  It’s fun, it’s relaxing and you get to communicate with people you haven’t heard from in years, not to mention all the new “friends” I have made.

Sunday is Father’s Day, the day we all honor those wonderful people we call Dad.

What are you planning?  I am getting  a small token of appreciation for my Dad (and it won’t be a tie, he doesn’t wear them) and a card, as most people will.  I feel I show him appreciation all year long with daily phone calls just to say “Hello” and “I love you” and to let him know on a daily basis that I am thinking of him.

What is a Dad?  A best friend, a partner to play catch with, a shoulder to cry on, a driving instructor, the list goes on and on.  But to me, he is my rock and was my rock while growing up.   He lives far away in another state and I am not able to visit him as often as I would like to, but I only hope that the love and appreciation I have for him is reflected in those conversations we have and the cards and letters I send.

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY to all of you who have someone that calls you “Dad”.

Today our friend, Larry, used his Char Broil Big Easy Infrared  Turkey Fryer/Grill for the first time.  We cooked chicken thighs and drumsticks.

The infrared heat locks in flavor and keeps the food moist; you use no oil, so there is no chance that it will burn, splatter or spill and there is no oil to recycle or to clean up.  The infrared heat circles the cooker and penetrates the meat evenly, so it is moist and juicy on the inside and nice and crispy on the outside.

The meat is healthier too, because any grease or fat drips away into the drip pan located at the bottom of the cooker.

It cooks much more quickly than traditional methods too, it only took 1/2 hour to cook several pieces of chicken and they were done to perfection with the skin cooked crisp and the color was a beautiful golden brown.  And, there were no uneven burned areas such as when you use a grill.

I highly recommend this cooker.  I thoroughly enjoyed using it and the food was delicious!!!!