§ The shadow of her[or his] smile.....

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On my lunch break this past week, I walked around the marina on a sunny, balmy afternoon. This heron actually let me walk up close and personal!!! [one of its toes was missing]













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A little bit over a week of 2011 taken from me already! Where did the week go I wonder? Not that it went by fast; it didn't for me...it was just the idea of having all those beautiful gorgeous days that I was cooped up in a courthouse with no windows, nothing but pure boredom. As y'all know I had received a jury summons around Christmas and the New Year weekend. So, early Monday morning, when I normally would be in my room, on the computer, I had to jump in the shower and get ready to mosey on down to the county courthouse. Around this neck of the woods, if you are not selected first off, for the scheduled trials of the day, you are to remain for others throughout the week, or until all jurors are properly selected...and then, afterward the court clerk will pick a handful of jurors for backup if no one shows or if there are dismissals of other jurors who aren't liked. So, it made for a long week...for me. I feel as if I've been on a long road trip and not being home much except for when it's dark o'thirty only to eat, sleep and start the rigmarole over the very next day. It really puts a damper on my lifestyle. Not that I have anything better to do, it's just that the complete boredom of it all tends to wear thin, and after a while the book I take with me tires my eyeballs and I feel the need to jump up and run around the courthouse parking lot just to get some movement in my system...I hate having to sit, sit, sit. No jury duty for me...it's over for another two years when the whole spiel begins anew. Maybe it's every three years that the summonses go out, but no matter....soon, I will no longer be eligible because of age. Yippee...if ever I look forward to 'old age', it's because of this. I've been selected to sit in as a juror three times in my life, and I've learned that no matter, it's the one who hires the costliest lawyer who "wins", guilty or not guilty. Money speaks volumes...I can't say too much good comes from our own justice system. Even if the verdict is guilty, it seems parole or bail is often the way out without serving the time for the crime. The justice system really is all about who has the most money. Anyway, come Friday afternoon around 2 the clerk released those of us left in the central jury room to go home. Yay!! I was like a kid released from school for recess. Oh ya, I know, it doesn't sound like I'm much for one doing my civic duty and handling it very well...yes indeedy....just give me some WHINE with my dinner, thank you very much.


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On a happier note, I must tell you this little ditty. Our neighbor right next door to us has the cutest little dog. I love him to pieces. Well, the Sunday before I had to report to court, a bunch of cop cars were parked out on the street...next door. A crowd had gathered, but I didn't want to go out and see what was going on at the time. And I haven't had a chance to talk at all with the neighbor...but during all the hoopla of the cops and crowds, Bud and I saw from our front room window [all during the Cowboys last football game of the season]---we saw the animal control truck pull up by our mailbox, they had, on long chains, two pit bull dogs......I was worried that they had attacked our neighbor's little dog, or worse someone's child. Well, all week when I got home in the evening, I would ask Bud if the our cute little furiend had been seen out and about. He usually has the run of the 'hood! LOL Bud would sigh and report "No, he hasn't been around. I bet he was butchered by those loose dogs." Well, I felt sad all week and at times I would catch myself thinking of the cute little booger...gone for good. Coming home Friday afternoon, nearing our driveway and fumbling for the garage door opener, I spied him!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I jumped out of the car and walked out of the garage and whistled for him to come see me. He came running up to me. I checked him out good, for wounds or stitches...nothing in sight. He's alive and well. I feel good all under. Bud heard my whistle and came out to greet the both of us...he was elated to see him as well. I still haven't had a chance to talk with his owners yet, since they both work long hours each day and keep indoors mostly on the weekend recouping from their work week, but I will let them know just how worried the two of us were. What a relief.


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Okay, so this weekend I will try and catch up on my visitors. I thank you all for being such faithful friends while I was tending to the summons of doom. I have just a few menial plans for the week ahead. I am going to clean out and 'gut out' the DVDs and VCR tapes that we haven't watched in years and instead of trading them in at Half Price Books this time, I'm going to get them sent over to the Women's shelter...they can always use those for their entertainment at night when the doors are closed and they're locked in for safety. Then, I am going to do the same with my books...get them cleaned out and take them in to trade in. And after catching up with everyone here, I am going to get outdoors!!! Cold front coming in from the Canadian Arctic or not!!! I've been a shut in far too long. As I type this at 4 a.m. Sunday morning, we are receiving a vicious downpour and it just started tossing a hailstone or two. Hope this doesn't last too long.

§ Heard of Rango? You will before you leave-------

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MACRO MONDAY









招き猫
maneki neko
"beckoning cat"















A bit of history:
A common Japanese sculpture, often made of ceramic, which is believed to bring good luck to the owner. The sculpture depicts a cat (traditionally a Japanese Bobtail) beckoning with an upright paw, and is usually displayed—many times at the entrance—in shops, restaurants, pachinko parlors, and other businesses. While it is believed that Maneki Neko first appeared during the later part of the Edo period (1603–1867) in Japan the earliest documentary evidence comes from the 1870s, during Japan's Meiji Era. It is mentioned in a newspaper article in 1876 and there is evidence kimono-clad Maneki Neko were distributed at a shrine in Osaka during this time. An ad from 1902 advertising Maneki Neko indicates that by the turn of the century they were popular.

Pronounced Mah neck ee neck oh
From a site online, I quote:

A long time ago, during the Edo period (17th Century) of Japan, there was a poverty stricken priest, who was the keeper of a run down Temple in the Western part of Tokyo. The kind priest shared what little food he had with his pet cat and companion Tama, whom he cared for despite his poverty. Life was very difficult for the priest. The cold winds whistled through the Temple and chilled his old bones, rain poured in through the dilapidated roof, and he ached with hunger and exhaustion, yet he always remained dedicated to his duties, and grateful for what little he had.

On one particularly dreary day, the cold was cutting through his damp clothing like a million tiny knives. He went to make himself some tea, in hopes to warm himself, when he was crushed to see that he had no tea to make. His good nature turned to utter despair and sadness, and he slumped down in a corner and began to weep.

Concerned, his beloved companion Tama went toward the man to see if he could possibly comfort him. The priest exclaimed in frustration "Oh Tama! I am so very poor, and yet still I keep you! Could you not one day, do something for this Temple? Do something for me?". His head fell into his hands and he wept quietly until he went to sleep.

Tama was puzzled, and decided to go to the outside of the temple for a while. He sat in front of the door and began cleaning himself, as cats do, licking his paws and rubbing them on his face.

Just then a very wealthy and powerful man was passing by the Temple as the gentle rain grew stronger and a violent thunder and lighting storm erupted. Large droplets of icy rain poured down and pelted him as he took refuge by a large tree. "This place will provide adequate shelter until the storm subsides" he thought. At that moment, he noticed a cat in the doorway of the old temple, cleaning his face with his paw, gesturing as though he were extending an invitation. This gesture puzzled him so, that he just had to have a closer look at this cat, who seemed to be beckoning him forth.

Cold and wet the man quickly approached the cat and entered the building. Moments later, the tree he had been using as shelter was struck by lightning and caught fire. The tree broke with a loud crash and flaming pieces of it�s shattered trunk fell precisely where the wealthy man had been standing.

The man was extremely grateful to the cat, for having saved his life. He was immediately compelled to find the owner of the cat and reward him. He entered the Temple, looking to find Tama�s owner, and found he old priest, living in such deplorable conditions. He soon befriended the priest and showered him with gifts. The wealthy man used his influence to bring many wealthy people to the Temple, and it soon became very prosperous.

The cat had not only saved a life, but also relieved the priest of the burden of his poverty. When he died, the cat was honored by being buried in a special cemetery, and a statue was made in his likeness, reflecting the beckoning, raised paw that had brought so much good fortune and prosperity to his owner. As word of the events spread, people began placing figures of cats with raised paws in their homes, shops and temples, believing it would bring the same kind of prosperity into their own lives, that Tama had brought to the Priest.

Once, on National Geographic Channel, they aired a whole hour's program on these cats and the collector's phenomenon that they've become. While at a trade center during the holiday season, I found one and brought it home with me. I have him as we enter the kitchen from the back entryway off the garage. So far, the luck is working. LOL Most are 'solid' but others found are coin banks...this one is a bank. Contrary to most beliefs the cat is NOT waving, it's beckoning!! They should all have at least ONE Japanese 'coin' in the front with either the right paw raised or the left paw, and it's said they should have a collar and bell. Right paw brings wealth, while the left paw raised is believed to bring prosperity to an establishment. It is said that the banks always have the left paw upright.

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MY MONDAY MORSELS

I was searching what movies were being played at the local theaters this weekend for a break after cleaning and packing the decorations of the season away. Needing a bit of time off to soothe my sore back, I wanted to see a movie that isn't being shown here. It figures. "The King's Speech". Oh well, guess I'll just have to purchase it after it's released on DVD. Which is okay. Anyway, I was looking at the 'coming soons'. And, lo and behold, Johnny Depp's photo caught my eye. LOL....There will be a new animated film coming out to theaters March 4th 2011....




Mark your calender ----March 4th. Hopefully it'll be the release date.
This'll be a perfect flick for Bud and me!!! Bud loves Westerns, and I love comedy [and J.D. of course]
More trailer clips and background and cast/crew can be found at THIS LINK



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Today is Jury Duty Day. I have to report at 8 a.m. Hopefully I won't be needed --or in any case, hoping that if chosen, one of the lawyers doesn't like me. "Anni, you're excused, go home!"

~...end Wordless
[scroll below jury duty update for commenting]



My jury duty is over for the year. Or at least until I get another summons in the mail. We were instructed Monday to be at the central courtroom at 8 a.m. Then, the selection of potential jurors for many-a-trials were selected. I was one of 60 selected for jury "I" --yes, there were that many trials scheduled for this week, and more even after our group was dismissed for the day. Just before we left on Monday, we all were given a sheet to have us call in on Monday evening at 5:00PM for further instructions...the recorded message was up for us until 8am on Tuesday morning. Okay, so I called in early hoping the recording would be up...it was...and Jury "I" was then instructed to reconvene at the central courtroom on Tuesday morning at 8:30 am. I got there at around 8:15am, and the sixty people were mostly all there by then, with a few little 'stragglers' coming in shortly after I arrived. Then, we sat...and sat. [I hate that part.] Altho, I did get some reading done. And watched juror #36 beside me play billiards on his cell phone while we continued to wait.

Finally the court clerk came in, took roll call. One didn't show...oh, oh...around here, in this county in Texas if you don't show up as instructed there is a stiff penalty --- $1000.00 for the first and more if you continue to not show after other attempts of getting you as a juror.

Okay, then...the roll call complete. She calls up to the courtroom floor above us, on more floors; tells the judge we're ready to be taken to his courtroom. We wait some more. She ends up leaving us to bide our time until a court deputy appears and escorts us all upstairs....

Around 9:30am, she re-enters the central courtroom where we were 'held in captivity'...and tells us we have a twenty minute break. Oh boy........I'm thinking "This is gonna be a long day for us all."

Well, the twenty minute break turned into about an hour and a half!!! 'Long about 11am, after a few of us went to the cafeteria and sat and drank iced bottled water, coffee, juice, etc...we were informed that the accused was in the midst of a plea bargain, yet the judge didn't want us to leave until all legal documents were signed and notarized, etc. etc. etc. So, guess what, all 60 of us did some more waiting.

But the court clerk stayed with us...she sat by the phone wired up to the judge's chambers...finally, the phone rang...she said "This is it people!" "It's either release you, or take you up there for the rest of the day and more". All's quiet on the western front...[well, north in this case]...she hangs up the receiver, and turns around to us..."You're free to go, 'til we need you again"........boy howdy you should have seen the stampede through the main doors!!!

It was like letting all the pigeons out of the cage to fly free once again.

So, now my jury duty, my citizenship honor is over for this time. We never did find out what the trial was. And for that matter, I don't think any of us cared.

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I don't know if each county in Texas does their system this way for selecting jurors, but it's really quite a 'rinky-dink' system here if you ask me. In Colorado, when I was summoned to be a potential juror, when we received the notice in the mail, ---we were instructed to go to a certain courtroom in the courthouse, and we already knew what judge we had and soon found out what the trial was beforehand. A much less complicated way of handling it...saves a lot of paper work....saves a lot of time...saves a lot of all this extra labor/time for the unnecessary employees that are paid by our tax dollars!!! Really an odd way. I tellya, really odd. In Arizona while serving jury duty it was quite similar to Colorado's...Texas? At least this county....did, I say odd before? It is.

NOW!! I can get back to bloggin' and blog visiting. I must admit, I was 'dying' to get back and leave some comments to y'all who visited me in the last couple of days. Yay!! Free at last, free at last...thank god-almighty, I'm free at last. [to blog anyway]

...and the saga continues. I hafta return at 8:30 a.m.[Tuesday] for jury duty. Alas!!

Yesterday's Fun Monday Poll Results Here

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This week's prompt for Heads or Tails is - Doctor


Doctors, huh? Everyone that knows me knows I don't like [but find them a necessity at times] the medical doctors! And I don't expect anyone to agree...this is just for my own personal views and my experiences. I don't like the idea that we humans are nothing but guenia pigs of their science. When drugs are issued to a patient on the basis of all the hypochondriacs who think they NEED drugs!! It's all a matter of trial and error, and too often [even if that error is one in a thousand] it's fatal error.

from Yah** News:
The increase in deaths was highest among baby boomers [because of prescription drug use], people in their 40s and 50s.

"We're sort of drug happy," said boomer Dr. J. Lyle Bootman, the University of Arizona's pharmacy dean, who was not involved in the research. "We have this general attitude that drugs can fix everything."

I've learned over the years to question their integrity and education. Seriously. I experienced one nearly fatal Rx [and THAT constituted my decision to have the ablation --FIX the problem, and in turn not depend on any prescription drugs to keep the SVT under control...] in the last year that I am now finding myself literally refusing medication where, if I know I can work on the problem myself [if possible], I work on my own time to fix what ails me. Or what the ailment is, of course, if it's workable and doable withOUT medication, I will opt to not take them. I've spent too many long hours in ER and having tests run where they find the same thing over and over, and they all agree that I'm healthy for my age and my lifestyle. At one time, long ago, before I educated myself with the 'doctor's world' and pharmacy - I've been considered high risk at times, but I think of it this way: I'm at high risk getting behind the steering wheel, driving in traffic; even chewing there is a high risk of choking -becoming fatal! So, I need to question it all for my own piece of mind. I don't EVER want to live a life of being medicated to live a more 'painless' life. That, to me is NOT a life. Okay then...so, one day, I'm at high risk --then the next time I have a doctor's visit, I'm as healthy as all get out...I don't get it!! Then, 'these medications will help you live longer'...then, in three months without even taking the so called 'cure-alls' [a choosing of my own accord with some strong words exchanged with my primary care physician] I'm now too healthy to even be seen by a doctor-'we'll keep tabs on your blood work' 'other than that, you're good to go'. And people who talk about all the medications they're constantly on "I can't talk right now, my meds are throwing me for a loop"..."These things [pills] are strong as all get out, my head is spinning, but they're sure working" ...hearing this talk, well, it just makes me cringe...there is MIND over matter ---even psychiatrists agree that the mind makes you think too much about physical pain-- Granted, there are physical things that need to be attended to by the care of these so called doctors of medicine, and I trust there are good ones out there, but learn to question their choices and advice before leaping into a cupboard full of Rx - [ask why? ask side effects, ask is this necessary, ask is there an alternative to drugs. BeFORE you end up in ER with a near-fatal allergic reaction like I did]... Oh well, it's all personal preferences and thoughts.......

Enough of that. On with my Head or Tails. It's a little boasting on my part. hehehe Now this doctor will be on the top of my list. He has been since 1972! Altho, right now, he's taking a year off from his mark in life, he will be and is determined to have the title "Doctor" behind his name. This year, while he's on 'sabbatical' from highering his education to that very title, he is going to be in Argentina for the month soon. This is long over-due vacation-he hasn't been on a vacation other than a long weekend here and there since 1994. Since high school, then entering the United States Marine Corps and being discharged Corporal, he moved out to Houston Texas and has gone to college part time at night while working long hard hours during the day to pay for his education. Last year, he graduated with his masters degree in Economics, history and education. He's now a professor of social science and English as a 2nd language and remains working as a real estate/insurance investor advisor. In the near future he will begin working on his PhD in Economics and History. Then, more than likely in 2010 I will be able to say our son...the doctor!!


Our son, receiving his Master's Degree from University of Saint Thomas [the only Catholic, private, university in the area] in Houston.