More Critter Pix

In Order of Appearance...

Shirley

Laverne

Buffy

Jansy

Kiki and Buffy

Update: The Girls Have Settled In

Laverne and Shirley settled in by Sunday. As of today, they're officially spoiled rotten. Any time I go into the back yard, Shirley bleats at me as if I'm a sight for sore eyes -- and if I don't go right over and talk to her, her "baaa" turns into a drawn out wail that sounds almost like a human in the throes of a natural or man made disaster.

Today I wandered around and pulled down various species of tree branches filled with leaves for the girls to munch on. I noticed that whenever I take them for a walk they make a beeline to fallen leaves, so that was a clue... 

In other news...

Today I mowed and fertilized the lawn and then watered it really, really well. That's why the goats didn't get their "lawn hour" today and why I picked them leaves and branches instead.

Both of them jump onto the cable spools now -- and they often sleep atop them. Laverne is the bossy one; she pushes Shirley around by butting into her flank. I'm trying to discourage it, but I think it's just goat antics.  Shirley doesn't seem to mind all that much...

What else?  I'm making phone calls from home again as a volunteer for the State DEMS, encouraging voters to be sure and vote during the upcoming primary August 17th.

I'm making money at Elance. 

I just read two books -- by Carol Burnett and Lucille Ball. Carol's book ("This Time Together") has a chapter in it that had me laughing so hard I thought I was going to hurt myself internally. I have rarely laughed so hard in my life. It was about why the TV show PASSWORD went from LIVE to taped, and it happened while she and Elizabeth Montgomery were celebrity guests on the show.  What happened was so hysterical that Elizabeth Montgomery fell off her chair.  I can't repeat it here because it involves a word that is never used in general audiences -- or much of anywhere else.  God, I thought I was going to wake Jackie up, I laughed so long and so hard -- I cried and ached, I laughed so hard.

The rest of the book is good too, but this one incident alone is worth the price of admission... I promise you!

Local Author Nick Rogen Impresses Me

This weekend I stopped by a local BORDERS store with Dr. Mary Jo Robinson while she picked out a DVD. When I walked in the door a handsome young man was sitting at a table with a small stack of his book, A Life Worth Living.  Always eager to meet other writers, I stopped to say hello and read the back cover. Intrigued, I asked if the book is autobiographical; he said, "Yes, it is."

I leafed through a few pages, read a few lines, and decided to buy a copy. I asked Nick to sign it to me , which he did. We visited for another five minutes or so and then I re-joined Mary Jo on her quest for a DVD.

When I sat down for the evening, I picked up A Life Worth Living. Published by iUniverse (not unlike AuthorHouse, which published my first four books), it's a powerful, compelling story. I couldn't put it down.

Like most first-time authors, Nick's manuscript would have benefitted from having a second set of experienced eyes (an editor) look it over before he submitted it to iUniverse to publish, but let me assure you, it's easy to overlook the tome's few editing lapses because the story is an absolute page-turner from start to finish.

Nick has been through the wringer already in his young life: his mother struggled with schizophrenia for decades until she found a reliable drug to help her, leaving Nick to fend for himself at home pretty much while keeping an eye on his mom to prevent her from committing suicide during the depression phase of her disorder and to chase after her and cut her off at the pass to keep her from spending the family's income on a gambling addiction when her mood was on the upswing (into the stratosphere).

All of this responsibility at such a young age took its toll on Nick. He developed a predilection for one of his mom's prescribed drugs (which he pilfered once to calm his intense anxiety, then went out and scored his own prescription for it by feigning -- or capitalizing on -- his own ADD tendencies).  From then on, and for years, he battled his own dependency on mind-altering drugs while continuing to try to keep his mother stabilized on hers.  It's a heartbreaking but ultimately triumphant story.  I'm glad Nick says at the outset that the story ends happily or I would have been on the edge of my seat the whole way through praying for just such an outcome. No youngster should be saddled with the responsibilities he had to deal with from a very young age... but alas, many do... and Nick's story should bring hope to a lot of them.

I give the book an A+ for Nick's storytelling ability and a C for editing. I hope next time he writes a book he'll tap me as a local editor. But as long as he gets someone professional (as all successful authors do) to burnish and buff up the few unfortunate blemishes (this book has numerous errors in punctuation, some clunky metaphors, and a number of sentences that are less powerful than they could be), he should enjoy a long and successful career as a writer.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to sit, read, and vicariously cheer on a formerly-troubled, extremely talented new author who has laid bare both his journey and his soul to help others who are facing immense life challenges and personal demons of their own. I also recommend it for those who wonder how the wonderful kids they know could have ended up addicted to drugs. Most don't get there simply on a lark. Something in this life is so unsettling and beyond their own control that a lot of kids opt for a prescription drug to take the edge off their anxiety and fear. Many addictions start innocently enough, then take over with a vengeance. Nick's story shows there can be light at the end of the tunnel.

BRAVO!!!

Goat Antics....

This afternoon I put the goats on a common, long rope and took them for a walk.  As soon as they started following me reliably, I dropped the rope and started running like a madwoman away from them.  They bleated and took off after me as though thinking I was trying to abandon them! I ran into their pen -- they followed. I ran out of their pen -- they followed.

So I'm officially "Mama Goat" tonight. WOO HOO!!! Jackie will see if she can catch us in action with a video camera tonight or later this week. If so, I'll attach it here so we can share the smiles with y'all...  You really gotta see it to appreciate it.

Following "MomGoat Kris" FAST to the holding pen

Laverne and Shirley in Action Close-Up

More Goat Pix

Click on photos to enlarge them...

Meet Laverne and Shirley (Not Twins After All)

From Top to Bottom

Kris and Laverne

Kris and Shirley

Casey and Shirley

One of the twins had a rash on her udder, so the seller didn't want to send her home with us. Jackie chose the red/brown goat as her replacement, since she knew I loved and wanted the red goat but just didn't want to break up identical twin sisters. We've named the girls Laverne & Shirley, at least for now.  (Another geat idea was Mocha and Latte, but Laverne & Shirley gave us such a laugh that we're probably keeping those names. My niece/Jackie's daughter-in-law Wendy came up with both pairs of names. Clever lady, huh?!)

The red/brown one is Laverne.

Surprise Coming This Weekend...

This weekend -- I hope by Saturday evening -- I will be able to unveil something I've been working on feverishly for five days. I'm waiting to make the announcement because I want to include photos of "the happening" -- and the happening isn't happening until Saturday morning sometime.

I'll give you a few hints:

I had to build a holding pen and enclose a portion of an outlying wood shed (see above photo) to accommodate the newest members of the family.

They're four month old twins. Identical twins, I think. (I couldn't tell them apart when Jackie and I went to look at them last weekend.)

They're mammals.

They're awfully cute... and I've never had one of their kind before. (Now, THAT limits the field by a bunch because I've had cats, dogs, skunks, ferrets, hawks, horses, cattle, sheep, a serval, and more!)

It has taken me four whole days to dig fence posts, stretch wire, get some "play toys," buy feeders and frame and enclose  a shed for these critters. I'm sore, bruised, scraped, burned, battered -- and wildly excited.  It's costing a small bundle but the idea is to help Jackie with some of her outdoor work on the periphery of our property.

Have you guessed the species, yet?

If not (or even if so), you'll be able to meet our newest family members just two days from now... so, stay tuned!

The Writing Life -- Wordsmith Wisdom

"Do what you love -- the money will follow."

"Follow your bliss."

These quotes have spoken to me -- resonated mightily -- my entire life. It's rather appalling to me now that I didn't obey them decades sooner and hang my writing shingle a long time ago.

I've been a writer all my life -- I just didn't BELIEVE (rely on) it before 2007 as a means of income. And that's a shame. But I'm relying on it now and it makes me feel happy, alive and contributory. 

I was a spectator before - left like an alien. The work I did before 2007 (executive secretary, administrative assistant,  etc.) was an act, a role, and I felt like a fraud. Even though I was very good at it, it wasn't me -- it's what was "expected" of me by others (loved ones) who never really felt I could make it as a writer -- and they communicated that to me in unspoken ways. To this day, a couple of them still do, but it's out of concern/worry and love and I accept it as such (instead of as a judgment of my ability).  I just don't adopt or embrace their concern and worry anymore -- which helps enormously! 

I have developed complete faith in myself as a communicator (on paper!). I've honed the craft and often impress myself these days with what I come up with (which was a rarity years ago). I know who I am when I write: a craftsman... a wordsmith... a

force of nature.

Oddly enough, instead of this knowledge making me proud or arrogant, it makes me humble. Words can be whispers, wonders or weapons; it's all in how you wield them.

My passion to write was a gift I was given before birth. I was CREATED to write -- I didn't DECIDE to write. From the moment I learned how to build sentences I've been captivated by stringing words together, pulling out thoughts and feelings and putting them on paper to reach out and touch others. God gave me the passion to write and the perseverence (addiction!) to keep at it in journals, letters, and blogs all along the way, even when writing for a living seemed quixotic.

It isn't always EASY - but it's nearly always enjoyable. That's because I only accept projects that I feel certain I'll ace and enjoy. I freely decline Elance projects  that are offered to me if the subject matter or formats don't resonate with me.

My criteria for selecting projects begins with one rule: What I agree to write has to matter in some way -- not just to my clients, but to me. It has to help someone in a significant way.

I don't take projects solely to make money -- I take work that will make a difference in the realms where I agree making a difference is vital. On the few occasions (early on) when I haven't followed this Prime Directive, I've regretted it, so I don't do it anymore. My heart has to be in it or I can get miserable pretty fast!

I'm going to turn down two new projects tomorrow -- ones that came ONLY to me (as an invitation) -- because they don't float my boat. I have plenty other clients to keep me busy right now, and besides... I turned down a project last month from a former client because it was finance-related (YAWN!) and he just got back to me with a project that I want to do... so I've discovered that I don't lose clients by being true to my Prime Directive; it shows folks that I'm in it for MORE THAN THE MONEY, that I must be as passionate about every project I accept as the client is. That way we both know that what I agree to do is going to receive my complete focus and best effort.

I have a really great client now who is referring his clients (who need copywriters) to me these days. The only "problem" (I say with a grin) that I have with him -- and them -- is that they think (or have been taught) that long form sales letters and landing pages are the ONLY way to go -- even for $39 items. It drives me nuts! 

For starters, I despise writing long-form sales copy, and unless the product or service is expensive (more than $100) or not well understood, I think a 500-word sales piece is entirely sufficient. My rationale: most Internet seekers are busy people who just want to find what they need and buy it; having to slog through 1600 words of copy to find the offer drives them crazy. (I know it does ME -- and I love reading and writing! Many people don't!)

So today, per instructions from one of these wonderful gents, I adapted two 1600+ word landing pages and then wrote a third, 500 word landing page for the same offer. I'm absolutely convinced it will convert better than the "war and peace" (long form) copy.

The offer is for busy Adwords users who have wasted ENOUGH time and money already trying to get their ads to convert seekers into buyers. I singled 'em out right up front (target audience), gave 'em the scoop (identified the offer), gave 'em the guarantee of satisfaction, and provided links to their ordering options. My copy is powerful, concise and convincing -- but in no way bland (as the above description might seem to indicate). I provided no story line beyond what they can expect the service to do for them -- which is a LOT, while saving them oodles of time and even more money. Their decision should be a no-brainer if they fit the profile I outlined. They'll whip out their credit cards before they get halfway through the 480 words. They'd be nuts not to take the trial offer... absolutely NUTS! I want to take it -- and I don't even fit the profile!!!

In the long form copy the offer is so completely hidden in non-essential, feel-good colloquial chat that it seems whoever wrote it is trying to coerce the reader into a less-than-stellar deal. I'm not saying the copy isn't good -- it's fine for what it is -- but it goes on FOREVER and that's a waste of people's time. The offer is so good that the copy should have them almost at "hello."

A great $39-$99 offer doesn't have to overcome the seeker's "sticker shock," so the more concise and direct the copy, the better, in my opinion.

I think the client is going to split test the three ads, so we'll see shortly how they compete against each other. If my copy doesn't convert better, I'll be enormously surprised. If it does, they'll learn something new: why spend 3-6 hours writing a 1600 word ad (or pay a copywriter to do it) when a 500 word ad works better?

Thanks, Greg Barton, For This Terrific Link -- De Kelley Interview

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zSuM1Sa6fs

Women's Right to Vote Came HARD! Women, VOTE!

I had never read about this! Isn’t it amazing that in school we were never told about this. I think every American woman needs to know this and teach it to her daughters. Amazing. I would love to see the movie.


This is the story of our Mothers and Grandmothers who lived only 90 years ago.




Remember, it was not until 1920 that women were granted the right to go to the polls and vote.


The women were innocent and defenseless, but they were jailed nonetheless for picketing the White House, carrying signs asking for the vote.


And by the end of the night, they were barely alive. Forty prison guards wielding clubs and their warden's blessing went on a rampage against the 33 women wrongly convicted of 'obstructing sidewalk traffic.'


(Lucy Burns)


They beat Lucy Burns, chained her hands to the cell bars above her head and left her hanging for the night, bleeding and gasping for air.



(Dora Lewis)


They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed and knocked her out cold. Her cellmate, Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and suffered a heart attack. Additional affidavits describe the guards grabbing, dragging, beating, choking, slamming, pinching, twisting and kicking the women.


Thus unfolded the 'Night of Terror' on Nov. 15, 1917, when the warden at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his guards to teach a lesson to the suffragists imprisoned there because they dared to picket Woodrow Wilson's White House for the right to vote. For weeks, the women's only water came from an open pail. Their food--all of it colorless slop--was infested with worms.


(Alice Paul)


When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks until word was smuggled out to the press.


So, refresh my memory. Some women won't vote this year because - why, exactly? We have carpool duties? We have to get to work? Our vote doesn't matter? It's raining?


Last week, I went to a sparsely attended screening of HBO's new movie 'Iron Jawed Angels.' It is a graphic depiction of the battle these women waged so that I could pull the curtain at the polling booth and have my say. I am ashamed to say I needed the reminder.


All these years later, voter registration is still my passion. But the
actual act of voting had become less personal for me, more rote. Frankly, voting often felt more like an obligation than a privilege. Sometimes it was inconvenient.


(Berthe Arnold, CSU graduate)


My friend Wendy, who is my age and studied women's history, saw the HBO movie, too. When she stopped by my desk to talk about it, she looked angry. She was--with herself. 'One thought kept coming

back to me as I watched that movie,' she said. 'What would those women think of the way I use, or don't use, my right to vote? All of us take it for granted now, not just younger women, but those of us who did seek to learn.'


The right to vote, she said, had become valuable to her 'all over again.'



HBO released the movie on video and DVD . I wish all history, social studies and government teachers would include the movie in their curriculum. I want it shown on Bunco night, too, and anywhere else women gather. I realize this isn't our usual idea of socializing, but we are not voting in the numbers that we should be, and I think a little shock therapy is in order.


It is jarring to watch Woodrow Wilson and his cronies try to persuade a psychiatrist to declare Alice Paul insane so that she could be permanently institutionalized. And it is inspiring to watch the doctor refuse. Alice Paul was strong, he said, and brave. That didn't make her crazy.


The doctor admonished the men: 'Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity.'


Please, if you are so inclined, pass this on to all the women you
know. We need to get out and vote and use this right that was fought so hard for by these very courageous women. Remember to vote in Nov.

History is being made. Women need to write their part of it.Thanks to JC Waters for sending the following to me...

QUIET OBAMA ACCOMPLISHMENT

I haven't been watching TV much recently, so if this has been reported and I just missed it, forgive me. But it seems that the plan Obama has hammered out with BP re the Gulf oil compensation plan is an AMAZING accomplishment.

Under present law (thanks again, Bush-Cheney admin), an oil company can only be held liable for $54 million in claims. WA Senator Patty Murray is trying to change that with a new bill, but in the meantime, that's the law/regulation or whatever you want to call it.

Obama has gotten BP to fund a $20B fund to pay the people hurt by the Gulf oil disaster -- and it isn't just $20B, according to Ken Feingold, who is administering it.  It's replenishable by BP if $20B isn't enough -- and as the efforts to stop the flow have failed miserably, it may be necessary to pay fishermen, shrimpers, hotel chains and other tourist industries who depend on tourism, etc. for numerous decades.

This is HUGE. This is so huge, in fact, that some GOP folks are calling it a "shakedown."  One GOP fellow has apologized to BP for the inconvenience of being required to help beyond what is actually required of them. 

Kudos to BP for agreeing -- but the greatest kudos go to Obama's folks, who doggedly pursued them, cajoled them, and reminded them that this disaster is a public relations nighmare and that only by doing the right thing could they ever redeem themselves as a company in the eyes of the world.  That must have taken some doing...  That's diplomacy (or clout) of the highest order. 

Because of the way this has been handled, the American taxpayer shouldn't have to put out an extra dime to rescue the Gulf; BP had agreed that they made the mess, and they'll clean it up.

So in addition to health care reform, mitigating a global financial meltdown, smacking Wall Street upside the head and almost 100 other things this administration has done, it has also had our backs during this presently-unmitigated catastrophe in the gulf.  The oil continues to gush, the white sands of Florida continue to turn foul,  people continue to hurt and fish, foul and mammalian wildlife contine to die, but one thing is certain: Obama is focused on what CAN be done to make certain something like this will be a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence and then WHEN it occurs, the companies responsible will honor their moral and ethical reponsibility to fix it, whatever it takes, for however long it takes.

That's leadership. That's quick-witted strategy. That's the fellow I voted for.  I have never been more proud of a vote in my lifetime.

I hope every other person who voted DEM in 2008 will take stock of what has been accomplished against enormous, vitriolic odds and realize that this administration is getting results. In just 18 months we're a helluva lot farther along than we "should" be, given the virulent attacks and stonewalling of the other major party.  And it's only the beginning, as long as we turn out in large numbers this year again and use the ballot to proclaim, "Good job!  Keep it up!"

I hope Obama supporters will get busy following the 4th of July and volunteer to make phone calls, go canvassing, and reach out to friends and family to underscore to all you meet that you've seen what can be done when you have representatives in Congress and elsewhere who have ours backs and who do the right thing, even when it's hard...

Michael Jackson One Year Later...

This anniversary snuck up on me. I can't believe it has been a year already. I guess that's because I'm not over being sad yet...

Michael Jackson's untimely death was a tragedy of immense proportions. There are so many questions left unanswered...

He was helpless to help himself. Why would nobody else help him?  

Are people allowed to disintegrate before the eyes of their familes and friends?

Are there people willing to look the other way, provided they're well paid enough?

Will a company use a person until they're all used up?

The sad answer to every one of these questions is "Yes."  It happens every day. It doesn't only happen to Michael Jackson. But when it happens to someone who's world renowned, we take notice.

We look around. We realize the importance of the people around us, who are as special to us as Michael Jackson was/is to his family and fans.  Any of them could be gone tomorrow... just as he was...

It isn't fair. Michael was killed by an addiction that consumed him, administered by a licensed doctor who continues to insist that nothing he did "should" have killed him.  But it did!!! 

It did.

And here we are, a year later, sadder... but no wiser. People die every day of legally-prescribed drugs approved by licensed doctors. Dr Murray administered a drug in Michael Jackson's rented mansion that should only have been administered in a hospital setting during a surgical procedure. He did it because Michael insisted.

Would he have fired a gun at Michael, had Michael insisted?  He may as well have...

If Michael wasn't competent to make wise decisions, why in the world would a doctor abide by them?

I just don't understand. And I never will. This is a tragedy that should never have happened.

Been Really Busy!

Sorry for the delay in posting again. I'm working on at least three different fronts every day -- often day and night -- so my ability to blog often falls by the wayside.

I have a heavy Elance workload right now -- have for more than two weeks -- and it looks like that isn't going to slow down any time soon.  I'm also making at least 50 calls a day for OFA and riding herd on some volunteers who are doing what they can to keep the ball rolling for OFA. The third front is LIFE -- you know, the stuff we all need to do: eat, sleep, get in a wee bit of entertainment whenever we can shoehorn it in.

I went to see THE GRAPES OF WRATH on Sunday -- a live play put on by Lakewood Playhouse. Based on John STeinbeck's novel, it's a real downer of a story about the Dust Bowl years and the hundreds of thouands of American who were displaced and forced to relocate during that decade in our history.

What seemed very fresh and contemporary to me about the story was that, the moment the beleaguered, transplanted Okies tried to organize to keep themselves from being paid almost nothing for their labors, the people in power --  Californians with land and fields to harvest -- started calling them "Reds" to demonize and marginalize them.

That happens today. Progressive and Liberal (and even moderates like Obama) are called Marxists, Socialists and Communists by the people whose positions of power are being questioned and "threatened" (their term, not mine) by the notion that all Americans should be able to rise to their highest potentials without having roadblocks placed in the way, beyond the obstacles that come to us naturally.

JFK and RFK were called Liberals (and worse) by their opponents because they insisted that black Americans and Native Americans and Hispanics should be able to share the American dream, since they too had bled and died and suffered in every war we ever waged... even though some of them came here as slaves as the result of brutal kidnapping (blacks, Chinese). (The term "being shanghied" came from the brutal custom of kidnapping hardy young Chinese workers in Shanghai and tossing them into the bowels of a ship bound for San Francisco.)

Ted Kennedy was a Liberal eventually-- but he grew into the role as the decades developed after 1970; he didn't start out the way he ended up.  He grew into the role of a liberal as his heart developed and matured. 

His two brothers, Jack and Bob, were trying to move the ball forward during more primitive times. They recognized that it was patently unfair to deny the same opportunities to non-white Americans. We can see and acknowledge that now. (Well, most of us can. There are still a few clueless Neanderthals around. I met several of them during 2008 when I was phoning voters and heard them say, "I will never vote for a black man.")

So if being for equal justice and equal opportunity is socialist, I guess you need to count me in. I just see my belief system as being an inseparable part of my Christian upbringing.

I don't believe in people getting what they don't earn (although that happens often enough via lottery, inheritance and luck), but I do believe that anyone who works hard, gets taxed (this eliminates a lot of rich people, who write off their taxes and pay next to nothing!), and does everything he or she can to contribute to move the ball forward for him/herself and others ought to have an equal opportunity to succeed, unfettered by his or her race, gender, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, or political affiliation.

But that's just me.  How about you?

About DeForest Kelley...The Final Journey

The reminders started coming in before midnight from England. This is the 11th anniversary of De's passing.  It's a dreary day here outdoors and perhaps that's fitting...

But on the day he actually passed away, the sun was shining in southern California. And it became very busy, very fast.


I was in charge of calling the 12 people on his list that needed to be notified of his death before the information assaulted the airwaves. The publicist at the hospital said she would release the news at 3 p.m., so I had just under three hours to help Carolyn back to her room, process the loss myself, and make those calls.  It was a very short three hours.


None of the people on De's call list had been given any notice that he was in precarious health -- I'm sure to alleviate their pain until the last possible second, and perhaps to keep the news from leaking out that he was seriously sick at all.  (22K+ cards and notes -- which we received after his passing -- would have put him over the edge, for sure, because he was always so good about responding to everyone who cared enough about him to reach out to him.)

So I had to make the calls, introduce myself, and diplomatically find a way to deliver devastating news. The call list included his two nephews.

The shock in every voice was palpable over the phone. "What?! I can't believe it? What happened?! I didn't even know he was sick!"

So every call took a minimum of five minutes, except when I had to leave voicemail messages. De didn't want anyone who was close to him to find out about his passing while driving a car or by turning on the television...

I turned all the PR stuff over to AC Lyles at Paramount. He would know what to say. I didn't have time or the inclination to face cameras, questions and the further distress of saddened reporters. (When I watched the news late that night, I could see that, although the reporters were professional, they were very sad and surprised to hear the news.)

I wanted to go to the vigil near his star that night... felt I should be there since I was his star polisher.. but it had been a very, very long day and I was exhausted.  Unable to sleep, but exhausted.  So exhausted that as I left Carolyn that night to drive home, the thought crossed my mind as I exited her hospital room, "Oh, wait. I still need to go over and say goodnight to De..."  Crazy. I suppose predictable, too.

While we waited for the fellow from the Neptune Society to arrive to pick up De's body, I sat with Carolyn part of the time and cleaned De's room part of the time (at Carolyn's request, so things wouldn't be vulnerable to theft, souvenirs, what have you).  It was eerie cleaning up in the room where his body lay.  One thing I noticed, the few times I looked over at him, was how peaceful he seemed. The lines in his face were relaxed, smooth. I thought about how hard it must have been for him these past months (indeed, two years) to be constantly concerned about what would happen to Carolyn following his passing. This couple was in love, top to toes; it filled the room as they struggled to keep a lid on the inescapability of his leavetaking.


When the Neptune Society driver arrived, about 4 pm, I left Carolyn's room to help him move De from the bed to the gurney (or whatever you call the contraption that funeral folks use), then accompanied his body as the man pushed the cart down the long hallways to his van.  Nurses stopped what they were doing, turned with respect to the event. Some said, "Goodbye, De.." "Thank you, De."  "God bless you, De," as we passed.  The lump in my throat got bigger; my eyes were swimming.

As we exited the building, TV helicopters hovered overhead. I told the Neptune guy, "I know he can't feel anything, but be gentle with him."  He said, "Oh, I will!  We are with everyone. But I have to tell you.. this one is special to me, too. I've picked up some famous people -- Mayor Sam Yorty included -- but Mr. Kelley... well, I'll never forget this day."

Neither will I. Neither will I.

If I could, I suppose I would, because absolutely every other memory I have of that man is happy, hopeful, humorous and beyond human description. I put a lot of the good stuff into my first book about De. Those of you who have read it now know him about as well as I did all along the way.  And I hope you were all blessed by it.

The last part was hard to read, I know (even though I was very careful as I wrote it) because it was hard to live through. But live through we do... because it's what we have to do, and for no other reason. If losing someone we love doesn't hurt, something is very wrong.

Carolyn and I were "prepared" to lose him, but we weren't ready to lose him. The rest of the world, in a very real sense, was in the same boat with us eleven years ago today.

I'm happy to say that on most days of the year his passing is the farthest thing from my mind. What he brought to this planet remains. That's why people email me from all over the world on his birthday and on this day to tell me they're with me in solidarity: heart, mind and spirit.

DeForest Kelley: You brought love, grace and joy to the world, much like another Fellow you're with today. I hope you look down occasionally and grin that wonderful grin. It lit up the world.

"He isn't really dead, you know... as long as we remember him."

DE: WE REMEMBER YOU -- WITH LOVE AND THANKS!

Lisa Hamner, De's Present Star Polisher

June 11, 2009

Shall I Divulge? Oh, Sure, Why Not?

OK. I apologize in advance if this sounds like bragging... but...

The Director of the Washington State OFA organization, Dustin Lambro, called to ask me to be on an important conference call tonight hosted by Jeremy Bird, who reports to Mitch Stewart, who reports to President Obama. WOW!

Dustin asked if I'd be one of three volunteers across the country to report on last Saturday's event for the Vote 2010 Kickoff, because we had a very good turnout and numerous "best practices" to report.  So I did that.

It was kind of fun.  I guess I must have misplaced every last nerve I ever had. I no longer get stage fright when asked to do something of significance that's outside my comfort zone. I guess that's because it's such an important thing and I know, for sure, it ain't about ME, but about what I can share that will help others be more effective as volunteers, team leaders and community organizers. 

Tonight's call was less stressful, by far, than taking the stage in Seattle, Sacramento, Oakland, Denver, Baltimore and Vegas to talk about DeForest Kelley to 3K people OR present a STAR TREK stand-up comedy routine -- that's for sure!  It felt kinda nice, actually... 

A long, long, long time ago I was really, really into politics (the late 60's and early 70's, as a newly fledged voter), but after Watergate I bailed for a very long time... except for brief forays to campaign for McGovern-Shriver and to vote for Jimmy Carter and Dukakis-Ferraro. I didn't really want to be working for what seemed to be a bunch of lobbyist-purchased politicians. I considered it all pretty corrupt and unsavory for about 30 years, and checked out. 

But in my heart of hearts, I really did want to care again -- I just didn't consider politicians people to care about!  Now that I do have an Administration in office that I really do care about, my enthusiasm is back.  It feels good, if a little scary (because I remember what happened to all the politicians I cared about in the 60's -- bang, bang, bang). But I figure, hey... if these people are willing to go out there and run, and lead, and risk their lives, who am I to sit on the sidelines when I admire them so and agree with their policies?  I mean, it would be lame to do that.

So I'm in, with both feet.  I pray every day that the tension and turmoil and demonizing that is tearing the country apart will fade and that we'll all agree to disagree agreebly where we do disagree politically... That would be fantatsic. 

I would love to discuss the issues without running into the spin/smear machine. It would make life less stressful in a number of ways.  I don't like being tense... at all.  I'm the peaceable type.

WOO HOO! WE Made It to OFA'S WA Flickr Website!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ofa_wa/

End of brag.

Thanks, Dustiin Lambro!

My Perspective on the Gulf Oil Disaster

Any time anyone defends a position, the general understanding is that they accept whatever it is they're defending -- and its consequences.

GOP Congressman Don Young has said that the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is not an environmental disaster. I'm astounded and appalled.

What is it, if not an environmental disaster of almost biblical proportions?  Wildlife and habitat are dying wholesale, the lives and fortunes of people across the Gulf coast are stymied and may indeed be perishing...

I have no idea how even our most conservative citizens can be taking any of this in and not having almost-blinding "AHA!' moments. 

The "party of no" orchestrated this course of history by getting into bed with the oil barons and not questioning whatever they said. 

"Failsafe" systems failed... at what cost? We don't even know the total cost yet because the oil is still "spilling.."  a misnomer for GUSHING LIKE MAD!! BP had no backup plan in place to immediately address a gusher lying a mile beneath the surface of the ocean. They've been scrambling -- will be scrambling for months still -- to find a way to shut the thing down and give the Gulf coast an uphill chance to recover in the decades to come.

And this is just one offshore oil rig among thousands in the Gulf. How many others are similarly constructed? How many additional back-up devices is BP planning to build for each of them, now that they know their "fail safe" back-up plan failed?

If this doesn't infuriate the right and the center the way it infuriates me (and I'm far from a leftie, believe me) and make them reconsider voting for folks whose vested interests (paid for with lobbyist money and exorbitant campaign contributions) lie with multinational giants, something is very, very wrong...

How long can people blindfold themselves and refuse to see what believing a lie can do to the planet?

I feel similarly about nuclear power (a rare point of contention between the Administration and me). I think we must always be very careful when taking as gospel the information that any vested interest puts out there to tout the greatness/safety/failsafe nature of its product or operation. 

"Trust -- but verify" is a pretty good rule of thumb. 

Here's the worst part: whatever failures have occurred happened on our watch. We were responsible for the people we voted into office.  We still are. Take your vote seriously. Don't just vote the party that daddy voted. It's time to grow up, be an adult, and look at the facts in every election, instead of listening to the talking heads on the cable station you feel most attracted to.  THEY ALL HAVE AGENDAS.

The Republican Party doesn't resemble the GOP of old.  What it resembles these days... is... the Gulf oil spill: gushing, damaging, destroying... and with no backup plan whatsoever to actually fix what's broken. All they can do is gush about what's "wrong" as they see it... never seeming to realize that they created a lot of it to begin with...

It's a never-ending story, but it needs to stop.

We, as voters, can stop it. Let's get 'er done this year during midterm elections.

I believe the Obama administration has our backs. If you've doubted that up till now because of all the conflicting "opinions" on all sides, check out barackobama.com and familiarize yourself with the agenda. I think when you do, you'll actually feel better...

Brown Dog Democrats -- We Support Obama and All Who Support Him in Congress!

Dr McCoy Would Be Pleased...

http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-36888-Science-Fiction-Examiner~y2010m6d4-Star-Treks-Hypo-Spray-Now-A-Reality

Thanks to Mary Jo Robinson for sending this to me..

AMEN! My Sentiments Exactly...

http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1993050,00.html?xid=aol-direct

Obama and his allies can't lose, with an opposition that is blind to the way most Americans think...

Those who denigrate him do so at their own political risk. I think we'll be finding that out in November.