The Groping Epidemic, No Man, or Woman, is Safe

What in the heck is going on? Daily we hear of a new allegation against a person of means groping, kissing, raping, etc. without the consent of the "victim."

NO, this is never okay but why have the floodgates of accusations been opened now? Is it because Donald the POTUS has been heard on a hot mic saying what he has done to women? Is it because Donald has been accused of molesting teen girls participating in teen beauty pageants? Now we are hearing that he paid a porn actress $130,000 in hush money?

A couple of years ago my youngest was raped and beaten by her ex-boyfriend for hours. He stated that his intent was to kill her and thankfully he failed on his mission. My adult daughter did not tell the police about the rape and this is a decision she now regrets. A rape test was conducted on her when I took her to the ER but she requested that it not be released. This matter hit my family a bit to close so yes I do have empathy for anyone who is raped but that empathy begins to falter when law enforcement is not notified and rape tests are not done. I would love to believe that ANY person abused in anyway would follow proper protocol in an expedient manner. When the very basic part of the puzzle, such as notifying law enforcement, is not followed and then years pass before one comes forward with allegations I have to ask "where the hell is the proof?"

The Idiot in Chief

The Idiot in Charge

I have never felt the kind of disdain for another human being as I feel for Donald Trump.

When he was a commoner, "reality" TV schmuck, and owner of beauty pageants I paid very little, if any, attention toward this man-child. I was aware that he had a habit of stiffing small business owners for work done and agreed upon by a contract. He would send in his goon lawyers and bully these people who were just trying to to run a business and inform them that Donald would take the matter to court so just take what you are given, go away and shut-up. To support this information here are a few sources;

• https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/meet-the-many-small-business-owners-stiffed-by-donald-trump.html
• https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/06/09/donald-trump-unpaid-bills-republican-president-laswuits/85297274/
• http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/13/politics/trump-small-business-owners/index.html

Yes, I am Still Around

WARNING: THE BELOW POST CONTAINS POLITICAL COMMENTS. THIS IS PURELY MY OPINION AND I DO NOT WANT TO START A WAR ABOUT MY VIEWS

I have to admit that since the November Presidential election I have made myself scarce online with the exception of work. To be perfectly honest I believe I am like many people, just a wee bit in shock and each day brings about something else that is shocking or down right ignorant from the man in office.

I miss the soothing words of encouragement from a POTUS after a horrible event such as the shooting in Las Vegas and Texas. I am not big on Twitter and find it childish that this is the preferred way for Donald to get short messages out to whomever about whatever.

Think about all of the men who have recently been outed over their actions to women. Yet Donald is in that same group, we heard it in his own words, and he is still sitting in OUR White House. I really hope that these women file a civil lawsuit against him. Donald has yet to remove himself from the daily operation of Trump Org.. I could go on and on about all the unethical moves on his part or that of a family member. I won't even talk about Donald's ties to Putin and his actions to convince us that all news is fake except for Fox no-news.

Living in a red state is not easy when one is more moderate than conservative. I prefer politicians who are familiar with the Constitution and use it as a guide on how to best do their job. I know that Donald is not familiar with the Constitution and only has his best interest at heart. Look at how he has handled Puerto Rico, he hasn't done anything but insult these folks.

Kansas will be electing a new Governor in the not to distant future and so far our options are pretty bad. Kris Kobach, the master of allowing only people of certain ethnicity to vote. I was even removed from the voter roles a couple of years ago. The reason for my removal was never revealed but it was a journey getting back on the role. There are several others running but it is a bit early for the propaganda and mudslinging to start so I am not familiar with who else has their hat in the ring. I was asked to run for this office and it did not take but a second to say "Thank you but no flipping way."

Duck Dynasty Circling the Drain

Yes, I watched the show on occasion but it was never on my top ten. I can relate to these families on some level as my Daddy's family is from Louisiana and Mom's family is from East Texas. I loved how they hammed it up for the camera and despite the random comment disparaging women I liked the family atmosphere.

Phil Robertson crossed a big, bad line with his responses in a recent GQ interview. I mean really, is this man so ignorant that he thought he would walk away from that interview unscathed? I am still  a little perplexed over why GQ interviewed this man in the first place unless it was meant to poke fun at him but they did and Phil said some horrible, horrible things about a large percentage of the world's population.

When this dude was posed the question about his thoughts on sin why didn't he go straight away to "Thou Shalt Not Kill?" With all of the mass shootings this is where my brain would have taken me. If you are given your 15 minutes and don't do one small thing for the greater good then you are missing the whole point. To me that is shameful and I guess one could say sinful.

Why is it that so called Christians are so concerned about the afterlife of others? I consider myself a Christian and frankly it is none of my business what others do or how they live their life as long as it is not causing harm to others. After my experiences in my antique shop I am not sure how I feel about heaven and hell as the only options once your soul leaves the body.

The Bible tells us that if we ask for forgiveness then we are forgiven for whatever "sins" we have committed. So that right there pretty much absolves each and every one of us as long as we ask.

Why is it that abortion, equality and lifestyle are the only "sins" ever brought forth from the Bible? There are others things in the Bible that we are given permission to do and to not do, some come with some pretty heavy and horrible consequences;

I Get So Tired of Hateful, Mean Spirited, Angry People

What has happened in the world, let me narrow that down to just America, to make so many people angry and rude all the time? It has gotten to where I detest leaving the confines of my home and property because everywhere I go people are just down right nasty.

I am not always the friendliest cookie in the box but I do try really hard to be kind, courteous and have a smile on my face when I go out in public. I look people in the eyes when I speak to them, I hold doors for others, I step back from the elevator to let those inside get out. I park my car in a civil manner, I return the grocery cart to the cart corral, if I dial the wrong phone number I apologize. These are common courtesies, this is how I was raised.

I know that the U.S. is in a mess and I feel like I am doing my part by contacting my elected officials. All of whom will not get another vote from me but it can't just be about the current state of the country.

The State of Kansas and Its Clueless Politics

Let me preface this with I am a Native Texan. I have had the privilege to live all over the world in places such as Singapore and Mexico City. I did not fall off the turnip truck yesterday but I think that the elected officials in Kansas not only fell off of the turnip truck but the truck then ran over them.

I realize that everyone has their price. I know that politicians all have their own agenda and being the voice of their constituents is very low on their radar.

Kansas has a capitol building full of fools and yes, I did cast my vote for one of them Greg Smith. I voted for him because he is/was a school teacher. I thought that he would be a great advocate for our failing school system. WRONG!! He is one of the biggest idiots right there with Gov. Sam Brownback the leader of Brownbackistan.

Greg Smith is a big failure as a voice of the people - http://midwestdemocracy.com/candidates/greg-smith/ he went in with his own agenda, don't they all, and has proposed several pieces of legislation that would benefit only him. Such as the bit on politicians being able to return to their same job at the same pay. There is already FMLA but Greg Smith choose to be in KS politics and it is not like he would have a hard time finding a teaching position, if he is any good at his job.

Smith ran on the pity vote. Several years ago one of his daughters was abducted and murdered. My youngest daughter had many classes with her. He actually used his deceased daughter's image and story on his mailings as well as the fact that he was a school teacher. He failed to mention that he has no interest in education in Kansas.

Lance Kinzer, my other 'voice' in Topeka did not get my vote. He and I had a very disturbing conversation on my front porch on day and he is no better than Brownback.

So what are some of the topics up for discussion this legislative session in the land of ugh?

Prayers To Connecticut

My prayers, thoughts and tears are with every person impacted by the senseless murders in Connecticut.

12 girls, eight boys and six female adults - - each child was shot three to 11 times, and all the victims were shot multiple times.

Babies

Charlotte Bacon, 2/22/06, female (age 6)

Daniel Barden, 9/25/05, male (age 7)

Olivia Engel, 7/18/06, female (age 6)

Josephine Gay, 12/11/05, female (age 7)

Ana M. Marquez-Greene, 04/04/06, female (age 6)

Dylan Hockley, 03/08/06, male (age 6)

Madeleine F. Hsu, 07/10/06, female (age 6)

Catherine V. Hubbard, 06/08/06, female (age 6)

Chase Kowalski, 10/31/05, male (age 7)

Jesse Lewis, 06/30/06, male (age 6)

James Mattioli, 03/22/06, male (age 6)

Grace McDonnell, 11/04/05, female (age 7)

Emilie Parker, 05/12/06, female (age 6)

Jack Pinto, 05/06/06, male (age 6)

Noah Pozner, 11/20/06, male (age 6)

Caroline Previdi, 09/07/06, female (age 6)

Jessica Rekos, 05/10/06, female (age 6)

Avielle Richman, 10/17/06, female (age 6)

Benjamin Wheeler, 9/12/06, male (age 6)

Allison N. Wyatt, 07/03/06, female (age 6)


 ADULTS


Rachel Davino, 7/17/83, female (age 29)

Dawn Hocksprung, 06/28/65, female (age 47)

Anne Marie Murphy, 07/25/60, female (age 52)

Lauren Russeau, 1982, female (age 29)

Mary Sherlach, 02/11/56, female (age 56)

Victoria Soto, 11/04/85, female (age 27)

I vow to do whatever I can to see effect change so that no more lives are lost to heinous acts of evil such as this.

What Christmas Traditions Does Your Family Have?

My family has a few Christmas traditions that go back generations and we have almost an equal number of new traditions.

Since we moved to the Kansas City area going to the Country Club Plaza and taking a carriage ride has become a tradition. All of us girls get dressed in our finest and go see the Nutcracker ballet

A few traditions passed on when my mother passed away 3 years ago.


Here is my newest article for WorthPoint.com - Baking Cookies, Making Paper Chains, Family Traditions .

I would love to hear your holiday traditions.

As always, thank you for visiting.

I Love the Olympics

I have always loved the Olympic games but the lack of sportsmanship in the current, 30th, games is shameful.

Do we blame the easy access to social media? Do we blame the 'holier than thou' attitude of some of the young Olympiads? Lack of manners or the I don't give a shit what anyone thinks because I am in the Olympics?

If I had the honor of participating I would like to think that I am humble enough to not get myself booted because of spewing swill on Twitter. Shame on these people! I think that they should be banned from participating for life because of their immaturity and lack of common decency.

The other night when Jordyn Wieber failed... yes failed, to make to make the cut for gymnastics individual all-round competition she wailed like a baby. Yes of course she was upset and disappointed but hell she is the reigning World's Champion she should not have failed but since she did she certainly could have held the tears until she was out of camera range. I realize she is just a young girl and that she had every reason to wail and weep but where is her sportsmanship? Why wasn't she congratulating her fellow team members who did make the cut? I don't recall seeing Michael Phelps ball like a baby when he failed to medal in the 400 IM.

Summertime is Travel Time For Me

Point me in a direction and I am off. I have not traveled to any exotic locations in many years but I love to be on the road and always find a way to have the best time possible.

It is getting difficult to travel by car due to the high cost of gas and hotel prices yet with a little research beforehand I can usually find a nice inexpensive motel to lay my head while I am traveling.

Right now I am in the market for a small travel trailer even a pop-up trailer would be nice. You can stay at most RV parks for around $25 a night. Look out world when I have my own little trailer to sleep in I will never be at home.


I am a freelance journalist for WorthPoint.com so when I am on the road I stop at antique shops, flea markets, thrift stores and junk shops along the way to give me something of interest to write about. Here is my latest article if you are interested in reading it - http://www.worthpoint.com/article/michelles-antique-roadtrip-cruising-antiquing-southeast-iowa . I just returned from a seven day trip to Texas and am currently working on a story about that trip. I had an amazing time and met many wonderful people along the way.

In my mind a road trip is about much more than just reaching your destination. It is stopping along the way, taking the small highways, seeing the sights and meeting new people. If you fly down the highway at 75+ mph you are missing a number of beautiful sights.

Tell me about your summer road trips.

Fun Online Shopping Site

I spend quite a bit of time online because of my work and of course there are times when I take off and just start browsing around.

The other day I came across a nice shopping site, I was actually looking for a chair to sleep in for those times when my grandchild comes to spend the night. I found out that it is actually called a guest sleeper chair thanks to this website.

Before my youngest daughter moved back home my grandchild had her own room at our house. Some of our most precious times are when the wee one is with us for a few days. We have amazing conversations, she tells me her secrets and catches me up on what is going on with her world. She is 11 years-old so her world changes quickly.

I have a twin bed in my home office and one of these smaller couches is perfect to put in the office. That way I can sleep in the bed and she can have the chair to sleep in.

Be sure to check out this site and see what 'must haves' you can find.

My "Strongly Worded Letter" to Bank of America

My "Strongly Worded Letter" to Bank of America:

'via Blog this'

This letter applies not only to Bank of America but Wells Fargo and the worst offender of all J.P. Morgan Chase.

These greedy corporate sluts have ruined more lives than we will ever know. They are kicking people out of their homes, Chase thinks nothing of violating Federal law and foreclosing on homes owned by military personnel who are in the heat of battle protecting the freedom of us all.

If WE don't take a stand, shout loudly and just in general throw a fit these money grubbing, scum of the earth financial institutions will continue on with their ruthless ways.

Please share this link with everyone you know.

Bring Back Table Manners... PLEASE

It is just hubby and I at home now and we enjoy a meal out a couple of times a week, I use the word 'enjoy'  very loosely. Table manners have become so horrible that if my eyes stray from looking across the table at hubby or down at my plate .... I gag. I am so grossed out by what I see around me that it ruins not only my appetite but the entire dining out experience.

Being from the South we were taught manners from the moment we came into this world. Things like yes m'am, no sir, please, thank you and how to sit at the kitchen table and consume a meal in a pleasing way were part of our everyday life. I drove my parents and my brother crazy because I was like the table manners police; 'mom he's smacking his food', 'mom stuff is falling out of his mouth', he is talking with food in his mouth' etc. and on and on.

Due to my daddy's business we traveled and lived all over the world. We dined with dignitaries, were invited to dinner parties and mom did her fair share of entertaining so good manners were EXPECTED of my brother and me.

My girls were also taught how to sit at a table and eat a meal, how to cut the meat on their plates, the yes m'am no sir was difficult to maintain because it is not the norm here in Kansas.

Eggies.... Are They Really Worth the Trouble

I am a nut for all these infomercial things but can usually resist the urge to purchase all this crazy stuff. The Eggies kinda got me, they sucked me in, boiling eggs with these plastic cups is going to make my life easier. I did not buy mine online or through calling the 800 number I went to a large chain drug store and got a box of 6.

• each Eggie has 4 plastic parts (they don't tell you this in the infomercial), it took me 5 minutes to get them put together
• you MUST coat the inside or each Eggie with oil
• as with most plastic items all of the pieces that are supposed to thread together.... don't
• it is harder than hell to get a slimy cracked egg to go in to the little hole in the top of the Eggie
• it took my Eggies 17 minutes to cook
• they then have to cool for 10 mins. before you can take the little lid off -  quote from instruction page "Eggies will produce steam when boiled take caution when opening"
• 3 of my Eggies had water in them so I had to strain the water out
• only 2 of my Eggies popped right out of the little cup, I had to use a knife to cut them loose from the plastic cup
• I have a horrible after taste in my mouth after eating one of my boiled eggs

We Have a Responsibility As Adults to Protect

Our children are, or should be, our most precious gift. With all the hoopla over Casey Anthony and the murder (sorry I don't agree with the jury of her peers) of her daughter this epidemic needs to be brought to light, discussed and acted upon.

• Almost five children die every day as a result of child abuse. More than three out of four are under the age of 4.

If you paid any attention to the trial of Casey Anthony you heard how dysfunctional the entire family is. True or not? As the mother of a daughter in her early 20's I know that it is often not smooth sailing, we both have strong personalities and I don't currently approve of her choice in boyfriend. So we have our share of discord but thank goodness there is not a child involved because if there was this too would be a dysfunctional home.

• It is estimated that between 60-85% of child fatalities due to maltreatment are not recorded as such on death certificates.

There were problems in the Anthony home, concerning Caylee, that were detected by friends and family but went totally unreported. I feel pretty certain that Mrs. Anthony did not approve of Casey's lifestyle and was the primary caregiver for Caylee. There was a falling out between mom and daughter, Casey took off with Caylee and we all know the end result.

Casey Anthony Walks, What Is This World Coming To

The American 'Justice' system is badly broken. Someone has killed a child and no one is convicted of it not even the last person to have the child. I personally think it was a lazy jury. How can you listen to over a month of testimony and make a decision in just a little over 10 hours?

These 12 people plus alternates were tired of listening to the testimony and hearing evidence. They were sequestered during all this time and missed their July 4th celebrations. They were being selfish and did not want to take the time to see that justice was done.

When you sit

Prayers Go Out To Joplin, Missouri - What Do You Need?

To all those affected by the horrendous tornado that tore through Joplin, Mo yesterday our thoughts and prayers are with you.

In the comments section you can post any needs that you have, family and friends have started gathering items and I will make a run to Joplin.

I will post when and where I will be with the requested items. We have quite a few items of clothing already.

Please let us know what you need and we will try our best to get it to you.

I have so many "issues" to comment on

I have a lot to say about several topics that have been bugs up my butt lately. I will give you a brief summary of topics I will address over the next couple of weeks.

1. Idiot vets; as in the kind that are animal doctors - You will not believe this story
2. Lack of manners among people especially in public - The ick factor
3. Liars
4. My amazing extended family and our recent family reunion in Louisiana

If you are ready for my screwed up views then these are must read topics.

Young Adult Children Should Come With an Instruction Book for Parents

I am one of those people who don't see the age of 21 as the magical age where a person becomes an adult. I guess legally yes, as a matter of fact according to most state laws they are adults at age 18. Granted some young adults of this age are prepared to venture out into the big world and live alone, earn a living, pay their own bills and make adult decisions but there are some who are too easily swayed by others to make these adult moves.

I love and adore my adult children. One is 32 and the other is 22, both female and amazing people. My oldest daughter was raised by me as a single parent, a young single parent age 18, she has always been very independent, has a lot of common sense and a survival instinct. My youngest daughter was born with my current husband, she is spoiled, never wanted for anything and just does not have that surviror blood she never needed to acquire it. My parents' live nearby and we have a lot of other family here which was not the case when my oldest was growing up.

What Has Happened to the Handshake Agreement?

Once upon a time people would seal important and unimportant deals with a simple handshake. Today a handshake is not enough (as I recently learned), 2 lawyers have taken the place of making a handshake deal in the vast majority of cases no matter the complexity of the deal.

It is rather sad really that the morals and ethics of our society are only making attorneys richer.

I do believe in karma so to the people who 4 months ago backed out on their portion of our handshake deal and continue to make my life miserable...... you had better watch your p's and q's cause karma is a bitch.