Pinkies, Pain, Promises, and Politics

I'm taking a caretaker holiday for the next week. The wife has had this finger problem for some time now, ever since I accidentally closed a metal gate on her pinky. The finger hadn't actually been broken during the freak accident (me not knowing she had her hand on the post as I swung the gate shut), but the trauma that did occur fueled the arthritis that she already has in her joints and the finger eventually became crooked and painful to touch, prompting a trip to the finger doctor who decided the joint had to be fused.

So, we are home now after the operation. The surgeon opened up the pinky, cleaned up and aligned the bones, inserted a small metal rod and wired it all together. She's sleeping right now with a bandage around her hand that looks like a boxing glove. I just hope the percocet keeps her from suffering to much while this finger heals. In the meantime, I have assumed the full-time role of chief cook and bottle washer, nurse, and distractor, all of which I am fully qualified to assume. In return, bless her, she's promised me a full day in which she is "at my disposal", and whatever you wish to assume that really means, I plan to take full advantage of it.........hehe. However, since full use of both hands are a minimum prerequisite for this particular job, it may be awhile before I can hold her to it, and no doubt I imagine she is hoping I forget all about it. Sly little devil, I do love her......grin.

Well, our experiment in power conservation has apparently paid off, as this month's power bill is $20 less than last month's, and I expected it would have been almost twice as much had we not gotten medieval with the electricity around here. It is still a terribly high bill, for us at least. As the price of fuel continues to skyrocket, it's going to hit everybody hard no matter what they do, and more money the energy sucks out of our wallets, the less we have to spend on things that keeps the economy healthy, or even our basic bills. I hope the stockholders in Exxon and other oil companies are giving at least passing thought to what their paper wealth is doing to the rest of us, but it's amazing what people can't see through green lenses.

Despite the efforts of many companies who are involved in commerce on the net, it seems that congress is being well payed by those lobbyists who what to cash in on access to the information highway, mainly by forcing those who want higher bandwidth access to pay thru the nose for it. Very soon we may well be forced to pay what we now pay for cable grade speed just to maintain a dial-up connection, while the well-to-do will have to pay higher subscription fees for the convenient access to movie and music downloads or even blogs like these. Frankly, this pisses me off, because this is just one more method of corporate control and censorship via capitalism, so only those who can afford that $5 for the first three minutes will get to express an opinion or expose something that needs to be known to the rest of us. Makes me wonder why any of us should bother to vote anymore when it's becoming apparent that it's not the people who are controlling our lives that we get to elect these days, and the ones we DO elect are simply bought and paid for by big business. China is already practicing the kind of corporate democracy we are steadily heading towards now. Yes, America, I know, we have choices.........love what we are given or walk away.....and starve. Isn't freedom wonderful?

Now imagine if one day the highway patrol started pulling people over on the highway and asking for your ID, then shooting you right there on the spot if you happen to have the wrong last name. Suppose the Jones decided the Smiths all deserve to die. That's what life in Iraq is like these days. Pre-Sadam, Post-Sadam, what in the hell is the difference? Oh, I know.........it's now a free and democratic Iraq! Well, then, ain't that special?

Meanwhile, the Taliban, that awful bunch of Islamic extremists we were supposed to have toppled in response to 9/11 are back in even larger numbers. Seems they were on vacation in Southern Afghanistan while we were making Kabul safe for democracy. Now I know how to spell that word that defines the Bush Administrations foreign policy........FUBAR.

In the meantime I would like to thank all of you bloggers who have become such a blessing to my sanity, especially Tim and Shandi who have been somewhat prolific lately with their wonderful and hilarious posts. It helps to distract me from these weights on my shoulders, which I am so thankful to be able to bear so much easier with your able assistance, in words that rival deeds in what they do for me. Who in the hell needs a bible when a much more honest truth is available right here on this screen, courtesy of you very special souls whom I have come to have much affection for. Thank you.