A large flock of American Robins visited while we were working
at our Daughter's house over the weekend.
(We look forward to seeing them show up in our own backyard!)
I got a similar feeling when I learned that Rep. Peter Welch D-VT and Sen. Bernie Sanders I-VT have joined those publicly endorsing Gov. Dr. Howard Dean for Secretary of HHS~!
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Just thought I'd pass this along...February 12 is the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth.
http://www.darwinday.org
http://www.defendscience.org
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Waldo has been found. (Picture taken by Daughter's friend at last weekend's anime convention.)
Also...
...love us like a son and daughter. And never smell of barley water.
When I heard those words in the song from Mary Poppins, I had no clue what barley water was. Something British children didn't like the smell of, apparently. I thought maybe it was some sort of cooking by-product. It wasn't until a week or so ago that I discovered it was actually sold in stores, in bottles.
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Photo is from this site with recent article on this subject.
Okay Dean People! This is time critical! Therefore I have posted this now,
but please do not miss Renee's midday front page (below) about Blogroll Amnesty Day!
PLEASE CONTACT PRESIDENT OBAMA TODAY
Remember that Howard Dean would have accepted this position had he been asked
Email President Obama (limited to 500 characters):
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Here's what listener sent:
Dear President Obama, As Senator Daschle has withdrawn his name, I beseech you to again consider, and nominate, Gov. Howard Dean as Secretary of Health & Human Services. As a Vermonter, I am well aware of Dr. Dean's capability, honesty, bipartisanship and fabulous leadership on healthcare issues. As a blogger I am aware of his large following of actively engaged Americans willing to donate resources and energy. I am grateful for your leadership and keep you & your family in my prayers.
HERE IS WHERE TO CALL (It is busy; keep trying!)
White House Phone Numbers
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461
TTY/TDD
Comments: 202-456-6213
Visitors Office: 202-456-2121
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On Saturday afternoon, I received the following e-mail from Jon Swift. Had every intention of reading it right away when I got home, but after spending a long day trying to keep up with my 13 year old daugther and her best friend at Ohayocon, I was too mentally and physically exhausted to remember anything by the time I got home. Anyway, better late than never, I hope...
Please join me, skippy, Blue Gal and a number of our friends in celebrating Blogroll Amnesty Day this year. The official holiday is February 3 but we'll be celebrating from now until Tuesday. Blogroll Amnesty Day is a day when we celebrate smaller blogs by linking to a few that deserve some recognition. Here are a few links explaining what this holiday is about:
Blogroll Amnesty Day Redux
Bad Days Are Here Again
Blogroll Amnesty Day is Next Tuesday
And here is some more background if you're not familiar with the history of this day:
Blogroll Amnesty Day
If you post something about the day email me or skippy at skippybkroo@aol.com and let us know.
Happy Blogroll Amnesty Day!
Jon Swift
Every year on Candlemas I hand dip candles.
It takes about 100 dippings to make one pair.
This is a tradition my family has done since our early days of home schooling.
Now that the children are grown, I have a friend come over or work alone.
This year I'm on my own. I don't mind at all.
How many pair do you think I can make today?
According to an old English song:
If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Come, Winter, have another flight;
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Go Winter, and come not again.
According to an old Scottish couplet:
If Candlemas Day is bright and clear,
There'll be twa (two) winters in the year.
Another variation of the Scottish rhyme:
If Candlemas day be dry and fair,
The half o' winter to come and mair,
If Candlemas day be wet and foul,
The half of winter's gone at Yule.
Pennsylvania's Earliest German settlers recited:
For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day,
So far will the snow swirl until the May.
American 19th century farmers, recited:
Groundhog Day - Half your hay.
Anybody got a Farmer's Almanac? :-)
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At 2:00am on February 2nd listener prognosticated that
Punxsutawney Phil would NOT see his shadow today
thus declaring an early Spring.
So there will not be 6 more weeks of winter,
only a month and a half!
Was listener a good weather prophet?
Click here to find out at Punxsutawney Phil's website
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While at the anime convention with Daughter, I received this message from Demetrius:
A couple of nice Christian kids came to the house with the "Dare To Share" program to ask 1) if I had any canned goods we'd like to donate, 2) if I had any prayer requests, and 3) if I died tonight did I know where I'd go... I almost set (our vocally atheistic son) upon them. But, even I'm not *that* mean.And then I saw some signs at the convention center and realized that Dare 2 Share was the "Christian group" that was holding a convention in the same space. One of these Dare 2 guys was talking to a young woman at the anime convention who was playing chess with anyone who wanted to play. Though, this was before I knew anything about the group. The guy was telling her about Jesus, but making the point that he's "not one of those Christians who will tell you you're going to Hell" and she responded something to the effect that he was less creepy than some religious people she'd encountered. After the guy left, I quietly commented to her that she most likely encounters plenty of religious people who seem even less creepy because they don't come right out and tell you what they are.
Dear Columbus,Update: Elsewhere, I was asked how the Dare 2 Share people make it harder, so I'll answer that question here as well. While Son has been a nonbeliever essentially from birth, my daughter used to go to church with me sometimes, and was in a church youth choir. At the moment she is "off" religion. I'm sure the reasons are many. I know that some of it is the usual "who am I, and what do I believe?" questions of adolescence. But it's at least in part due to some of the "in your face" type Christians she has encountered. She really doesn't want to talk about the subject at all right now, so I can't yet have a heart to heart with her about what I believe and why. But I do hope that the way I live my faith is registering on some level for her, and I hope that can eventually counteract the yuck factor that is currently associated with religion in her mind.
Here we come. We know you’ve had ice and snow storms earlier this week. We know you can be one cold city. But, through God’s power, we will not be stopped. We expect somewhere between 5,000-6,000 teenagers this weekend no matter what you bring weatherwise. These teens will melt your ice with their worship and set your streets ablaze with evangelism. They are invincible to your temperatures through the white hot might of their Savior. We heard the sun is supposed to be shining this weekend. Either way the Son will be shining through thousands of teenagers.
Get ready. Here comes the heat!
Sincerely,
The Dare 2 Share Crew
I took this photo in April of 2007 when Thankful came to visit.
It's of the Old Red Mill in Jericho, Vermont.
I passed that scene today, and the river is covered in deep snow.
How deep is the snow?
Well, there were squirrel tracks running across it!
C'mon Punxsutawney Phil~!!
Give us some good news!
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Pine Siskins, Redpolls and Goldfinches
Dear Dean People,
We are in hard economic times that promise to get harder.
How can we help one another weather the storm?
What if we shared with one another some idears about how to "get by"?
Hubby and I are planning a large vegetable garden this summer with lots of fall canning.
Meanwhile, we are logging every penny spent and seeing where else we can cut corners.
How about you? Got idears that have been handed down to you from your grandparents
or ways to scrimp along that you have discovered over the years?
Please share. ♥
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by Holly Johnson
“On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.”
President Barack Obama - Inaugural Address, Tuesday, January 20, 2008 source
Jan. 2004-New to politics, I decided to attend the ’04 IL senatorial forum for 6 candidates in Rockford IL. I seriously listened, took notes, and as each candidate spoke, my friends, Elaine and Karen thumbed up or down each candidate. Finally, the last candidate, who came almost too late to speak, strode into the room. He was tall, slender and elegant. He spoke with such eloquence and knowledge I put down my pen, I knew I was witnessing not just the next IL senator but also the future president of the United States. ---
I was not going to go to the inauguration. It would be too far, too crowded and too cold. Then the week before Jan. 20th, I received a call from Sen. Durbin’s office informing me I had 4 tickets for the inauguration. Everyone else already knew it before I did; I could not stay away from the inauguration of President Obama.
My husband, Bob, and adult son, Mark hopped in the car and headed to my daughter, Erin’s efficiency apartment in DC. As we drove across Indiana and Ohio, the rest stops began to fill with people wearing Obama stocking hats and pins. In Pennsylvania there were busses of students and activists. We all had the same destination- Washington DC.
I knew this event was not for the faint of heart. They media had warned us - millions of people, no cars in the city, congested transportation, long lines for security, hours of standing and worst of all record colds in DC. I figured that I would be dehydrated due to no water, no food and no restrooms. All would be proven true, but we went anyway.
We unloaded our car at my friend Lois' son’s condo in the suburbs of DC and she took us to the public transit. The metro gave its passengers commemorative tickets with a picture of Obama. Pepsi got into the act by plastering the walls of the subway with their altered trademark resembling Obama’s rising sun symbol.
Underestimating the time it took for city transportation (and frustrating my daughter) we missed the Sunday Inauguration Concert by half an hour. We walked around the DC Mall at night among the lit memorials and the beaming faces of the newly enthusiastic Americans. We just wanted to soak up and recover the love for America that we all had regrettably lost over the last 8 years.
The long lines started on Monday morning when attending Sen. Durbin’s open house at the Library of Congress. We were rewarded because as we waited, Sen. Durbin walked along the line shaking hands and taking pictures with his constituents. Our next line was several blocks long before entering the Hart building where the senators distributed tickets. There was an adjacent line for the congressmen’s tickets. We knew we could just send my daughter but all 4 of us wanted to take part in every aspect of the event. After security, we took the elevator up to Durbin’s office. Cold and tired all 4 of us sat on the floor outside the office to examine the packet- a letter of announcement, the six-page program and the 4 much sought after tickets. We each had to touch the tickets to confirm, that yes they were real and yes we were actually here going to the inauguration.
On Tuesday we left at 7AM, already the news told of lines starting at 4AM. We were able to board the metro for the 40-minute ride. Passengers were smashed together separated only by our bulky clothing. The cars were filled to capacity not allowing more passengers in for the remaining stops. Spontaneous singing of “America” and the national anthem were interspersed with shouts of “yes we can”.
At the capital- mass of people, more lines, more confusion, and a cursory security check of patting through our thick clothing before entering the silver ticketed area. We chose the farther back location behind a group of short students but in front of the big screen. The section just behind us was for the general public. Like those sitting in the bleacher seat section at Cubs baseball games, they appeared to be having more fun- waving flags, singing along with the projected concert and spontaneously cheering.
Six hours of standing, frozen fingers like ten little popsicles and numb feet were all worth it. Being short, my view was basically the back of heads or the bottom of people’s noses. Twice my husband lifted me like a child to see the breathtaking view of 250,000 people in front and 1.5 million people behind.
The big screen showed the parade of officials and celebrities and the crowd gave you their opinion of each. This was a partisan group- cheers and jeers as you would expect. The crowd went wild when Obama walked down the steps to the podium, which was followed by a reverent silence as he spoke the oath of office. The shouts of joy resumed following the cannons proclamation of our new president.
Dazed by it all, we wandered trying to find the exit. Just as we got to the backside of the projected TV the crowd let out a gasp- Keillor http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-oped0121keillorjan21,0,4812049.column
describes best what happens next.
The crowd stopped and stared, a little stunned at the reality of it. They saw it on a screen in front of the Capitol and it was actually happening on the other side. The Bushes went up the stairs, turned, waved and disappeared into the cabin of the Marine helicopter, and people started to cheer in earnest. It was the most genuine, spontaneous, universal moment of the day. It was like watching the ice go out on the river.
The helicopter did a single loop over our heads and around the Washington Mall, Bush left leaving DC to those of us left on the mall and Obama.
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It is freezing outside. I did make myself go to church, in spite of being tired, and feeling wimpy about the weather. I know I'm going to miss next week, so I decided to go to the effort of dragging myself out of the house. (Dragging myself to church, by the way, is much like dragging myself to the gym. I don't always succeed, but I'm always glad when I do.) On the way back, it started snowing, which made the roads really slippery. So I'm happy to be home.
Earlier this week, I checked the DVD of Othello out of the library--the one with Laurence Fishburne and Kenneth Branagh. I actually grabbed it by mistake, thinking I was getting the one with Orson Welles (which I was getting for the "camp" value of such a distinguished actor doing blackface.)
After a bit of Googling about adaptations of Othello, I learned that Patrick Stewart actually played the role once, in an example of "photo-negative casting". I thought that was interesting. And then as I continued clicking about on the interwebs, I found this picture of Stewart as Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Brave man.
Anyway, I did start to watch a bit of the Fishburne Othello DVD. Not sure I really want to watch the whole thing, but I might at least skip to the end to hear the final speech. At some point in high school I had to memorize it. I can't remember any of the actual words, or even the name of the character who uttered them. All I remember is that the gist, roughly paraphrased was, "Look at all the dead people on this bed--that's just messed up!"
We have discovered once again that Son is way behind in homework that we didn't even know he had. So the challenge of the day will be to actually keep him on task to get some of it done. That kind of rules out spending this cold Sunday making some popcorn and watching a (non-Othello) DVD together.
That boy had better take good care of us when we're old...
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On Sunday, January 18, 2009, I woke up at 4:30am, threw my suitcase in the car and headed off to the inauguration of our 44th President, Barack Obama! First I picked up my Aunt Jeannette in Southern Vermont. There are no bus stations in Central or Southern, VT, so from there we drove to Albany, NY to get on our Greyhound bus. It was windy and snowing the whole way there, but we made it safely. We had a transfer in New York City and then arrived in Silver Spring, MD (just north of DC) that evening.
We stayed at a friends house that night and left there very early the next morning to go to our hotel in Downtown DC where we would be spending the next 2 nights. It was too early to check in so we left our luggage with the front desk and walked to the closest Metro to get to Bernie Sanders office where we needed to pick up our tickets. When we arrived at the Senate office building, there was a line around the block to get in, but that was OK, we knew we would be standing in lots of lines during this trip. We got in and got our tickets. Unfortunately Bernie wasn't there himself, but the person handing out the tickets was someone I knew, so that was cool because I didn't even know he worked for Bernie now!
We were starving at that point so decided to look for a restaurant. That was a lot harder then it sounds! We walked up and down streets for about 2 hours before we found a restaurant (where do all those people who live and work in DC eat?), but while we were walking we saw lots of monuments and buildings, so that was cool. After lunch we took the Metro back to the hotel, checked in and took a nap. We had dinner at the hotel and decided to go to bed "early" (11pm) so we could get up early the next day. We had planned to take part in a service activity that day as Obama had asked everyone to do, but it just didn't work out...I did give a homeless person my pack of cigarettes that morning, so I'm counting that ;-)
We had set 2 alarms for 3:30am and neither of them went off! Luckily we also put in a wake-up call for 3:50, just in case, so we jumped out of bed when that rang, threw on almost every piece of clothing we had brought, and headed off for the inauguration at 4am! This was the 3rd morning in a row that I had been up before dawn, but who needs sleep ;-) The Metro was packed! We did get on the first train we needed, but we were squished right on there!
We arrived at our gate's line about 4:30am. It was a single file line and we were about the 200th people in it. We were in that line about 1/2 hour, and there were probably about 500 people in line at that point when one of the security people yelled for everyone to move to another place to line up. This of coarse made everyone start running to the new place in a totally disorganized way. The new line was about 30 people wide and we were about 20 people back, so we ended up a little farther back, but that was OK. This was our home for the next 3 hours until the gates opened at 8am. It was 19 degrees and felt like 8 degrees with the wind chill, but as I overheard 1 person say on her cell phone "I can't feel my fingers or toes, but there's no place I'd rather be!" So we sang, and chanted, and marched in place to keep circulation in our feet, and bid on imaginary cups of coffee, and sang some more. We finally resorted to Christmas carols because everyone knew the words. LOL.
I've waited to talk about the most important part of this trip until now because I took a picture that sort of puts what 2 million people were feeling for 2 straight days and nights into a visual image.
This picture was taken about 6am in that line for the gates to open. At this point most of the people around me had sat down for a while on the cold pavement to huddle together for warmth. This is a picture of me and a girl from California. I don't know her name, or really anything else about her, but we were huddled together for warmth with huge smiles on our faces.
It was like this the entire time I was there...The happiest place in the world! Everyone had a permanent smile on their faces, and if you were passing someone on the street, you made eye contact, asked how they were doing and cared that they were great too! If you had the opportunity, you struck up a longer conversation like you had been friends forever. It didn't matter what race that person was, or what religion, if they were young or old, rich or poor. We were all Americans, there together at a defining moment in our country's history. You could literally feel the hope and happiness in that city's air the entire time. It was truly amazing.
After the gates opened and we went through security, we got to our section which was the blue south standing section. It was on the capital lawn, but still a ways back. Maybe 100 yards? There were also a lot of trees so you couldn't see the podium from most of the places. We found a pretty good spot, but tall people stood in front of us, so we found another good spot, but tall people stood in front of us (this was not their fault. There were a LOT of people in that section and they had to stand somewhere...), so we found another good spot behind the port-a-potties, but then people climbed on top of the port-a-potties and we couldn't see again, so we found a 4th spot (behind some different port-a-potties LOL) where we could see and that's where we stayed! Here’s a picture of people climbing into the trees so they could see.
The Rev. Sharon E. Watkins, preaching at the prayer service on President Obama's first full day as president, urged Obama to "hold your ground."
"We need you to feed the good wolf within you, to listen to the better angels of your nature, and by your example encourage us to do the same," Watkins said.
Renee, it might be time to break out your wolf gravatar again.
Meanwhile, above is my good angel. Some of you have seen a photo of it before.
I thought it appropriate today because when this angel was created for me 13 years ago,
as a Christmas present from my family, I named the angel Hopeful.
I got to tell the artisan, Greg Gorman of Lyme NH that the theme I wanted him to work with was that of an angel, by which I meant: "The movement between God and the soul and God."
Sweet to think that movement is Hopeful.
Sweet optimism.
I feel like that today...
H O P E F U L
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Bluejays vying for seeds. (Note the cardinal waiting for a turn.)
This cold snap is very hard on wild creatures and the homeless.
Help feed someone in need today,
and help the world be more non-violent
and feel a little warmer.
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No need to move to the Arctic
since the Arctic as moved to us!
Brrrr.
At least when it gets this cold, falling snow crystalises
resulting in sparkly snow! ♥
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Not only has Cat Girl mastered the art of lounging, she also knows the value of finding an important looking spot to do it.
On the other hand, she was recently foolish enough to "challenge" the collie from her perch. She hissed and pawed at him, and the old boy surprised her (and me) by jumping up and coming back at her with both paws.
I'm pretty sure Brady thought he was playing with her, but I doubt that was Cat Girl's view of the experience...
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So I thought to myself, I bet somebody's written a song about cake that can accompany a picture of the birthday cake Demetrius made me.
Yep--
If you ever want to have the very best day of your lifeExcept, it turns out, I wasn't able to get a good picture of the actual cake.
the memory of which will see you through in times of strife
you only need the knowledge that there's someone who will make
a really really lovely tasty tasty tasty cake
I like cake cake cake cake cake cake cake yeah
I like cake cake cake cake cake cake cake yeah
I like cake cake cake cake cake cake cake yeah
I like cake cake cake cake cake cake cake yeah
Gimmie some cake cake cake cake cake cake cake
The point is, it was yummy. And my husband is the best.
You have no idear how many times I take a picture of something amusing, thinking that I might post it here. Often, by the time I get back to my computer, I decide the thing wasn't all that funny, and I end up not posting it.
But it's late night, and, what the heck--maybe it will give somebody a smile.
I was at a local Asian market the other day and spotted all sorts of oddly named food items. But the one I seem to keep snickering about is this one, which, as best as I could tell, appeared to be a bag of individual wrapped rice cake type snacks. Except that there seemed to be other grains involved, like maybe puffed wheat.
Called "Roughage Party".
Heh.
Yep, I'm pretty sleepy. Time to summon Brady and Winnie and head into the "cave" for the night.
Take care, everyone.
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I painted this for Hubby's birthday last year.
His birthday is in April, so this is Vermont in April.
It's a view of Lake Champlain as seen from the Causeway in NW Vermont.
The first section shows Mount Mansfield in VT.
The second section shows Camel's Hump in VT.
The third section shows Whiteface Mountain in NY.
If you look closely you might find a Robin in a tree,
a seagull (yes we have seagulls), a pair of mallard ducks,
and a sailboat which has Hubby's birth date on the sail.
Vermont...well worth the trip. ♥
(Click on photo to enlarge)
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A little King's Cake, anyone?
(Or, shall we say, Queen's Cake? ♥)
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Ran into the grocery store the other day to pick up the last couple ingredients I needed for dinner, and saw this...
In case you can't read the words on the box, this is apparently one of the "Planet Heroes" by Fisher Price.
Uranus "Yuri"
This wooden ornament is of a Pine Grosbeak
which is a very gentle and peaceable bird.
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More ornaments from listener's tree this year.
After all, Christmastide doesn't end until Epiphany.
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This ornament has been on our tree each year for the
past 26 years (so far) in honour of our son's birth.
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Here are listener and a little friend
donning their Paris hats to celebrate!
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While in Chicago, I visited a 7-circuit (classical style) labyrinth (as opposed to the 12-circuit Chartres style labyrinth) for the first time. Hard to tell, though, because it had snowed. :)
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M E R R Y * C H R I S T M A S * E V E R Y O N E !
From a song by John Denver...
The season is upon us now
A time for gifts and giving
As the year draws to its close
I think about my living
Christmastime when I was young
The magic and the wonder
Colors dull and candles dim
And dark my standing under
Oh little angel, shining light
You've set my soul to dreaming
You've given back my joy in life
And filled me with new meaning
A savior king was born that day
A baby just like you
And as the Wise Men came with gifts
I come with my gift to you
That peace on earth fills up your time
And brotherhood surrounds you
That you may know the warmth of love
And wrap it all around you
It's just a wish, a dream I hold
From days when I was young
Merry Christmas little Zachary
Merry Christmas everyone
Love and Blessings
♡*♥*♡*♥*♡*♥*♡*♥*♡*♥*♡*♥*♡*♥*♡*♥*♡*♥*♡*♥*♡*♥*♡
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♡*♥*♡*♥*♡*♥*♡*♥*♡*♥*♡*♥*♡*♥*♡*♥*♡*♥*♡*♥*♡*♥*♡
Church this morning was a very weird experience. I was the only person there without a "speaking part". There was the priest, the deacon, the deacon's husband (doing the readings) and me. But there was still a sermon. The priest started out by saying, "I know I'm getting old when I almost like it better this way."
The big services were last night, but I used that time to reconnect with a friend I haven't seen in four years. Her husband had the kids and she was spending Christmas Eve alone. As I think about it, for this year, the small, quiet service was what I needed this year anyway.
After church, I went to see The Curious Tale of Benjamin Button. I figured that was enough of a "chick movie" that Demetrius wouldn't mind missing it. But he was with me in spirit, every time there was a point in the film I knew would have him groaning (or playing a tiny little imaginary violin). ;)
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By Jonathan Amos
Science reporter, BBC News, San Francisco
Swiss glaciers are melting away at an accelerating rate and many will vanish this century if climate projections are correct, two new studies suggest.
One assessment found that some 10 cubic km of ice have been lost from 1,500 glaciers over the past nine years.
The other study, based on a sample of 30 representative glaciers, indicates the group's members are now losing a metre of thickness every year.
Both pieces of work come out of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.
"The trend is negative, but what we see is that the trend is also steepening," said Matthias Huss from the Zurich university's Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology.
"Glaciers are starting to lose mass increasingly fast," he told BBC News.
by Maryada Vallet12-18-2008
She walks the trails until her ankles swell and her back pulsates with pain. Her abdomen, swollen with eight months of pregnancy, slows her down, and with each step she cannot help but think, “Will I be left in the middle of nowhere to give birth among the dirt and desert pines? Does anyone out there care to take me in, give me shelter?
Similar questions were certainly asked by Mary, the brave young woman who carried Jesus across borders trying to please the mandates of the Roman Empire. Only this time, “Mary” does not have a partner or a donkey to help, and there definitely is no pleasing the empire.
DID YOU FEEL A LITTLE LUNEY LAST NIGHT?
Last night the moon came closer to the Earth than it has all year.
It was 14% bigger and 30% brighter! Did you notice?
Here's a photo I managed to get...
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The BBC reports the results of a sixteen-year study, which show conclusively not only that super massive black holes exist, but that in fact one resides at the center of our very own galaxy.
Not to worry, though. Rather than a ravinous monster, our four million solar mass black hole may be benign, even helpful according to one researcher quoted in the article.
According to Dr Robert Massy, of the Royal Astronomical Society, the results suggest that galaxies form around giant black holes in the way that a pearl forms around grit.
Dr Massy said: "Although we think of black holes as somehow threatening, in the sense that if you get too close to one you are in trouble, they may have had a role in helping galaxies to form - not just our own, but all galaxies.
Thank you, everyone, for you support, caring, and concerns.
Just knowing that you are there helped keep my sanity and kept my spirit from dying.
I originally turned down the "offer" - because I was not guilty of anything, and it was 100% certain that the jury was ready to find me not guilty on all charges.
In fact within the first minutes of the trial they were already showing signs of frustration and anger with the prosecution.
It was, however, also 100% certain that although being found not guilty - the prosecution was going to KEEP me in jail.
My attorney strongly urged me to accept the "deal" - which I stated I was opposed to in principle to the very concept. He also was certain of acquittal. But the issue was the need to shift to defending against the other charges and the State trying to compromise my defense by holding me in jail.
I stated I would do what my supporters (a packed house - standing room only - in the court room) said was the right thing to do. I had hoped they would strongly say don't give in - I was prepared (although not wanting) to go back to the jail and fight.
But this is what I reluctantly decided. I will have more to say later and just wanted to stop by and say hi and thanks.
Charlie