Exodus Now! Black Bishop Calls for All Christians to Leave Democratic Party.

I hope and pray that Bishop Jackson's message would reach every Christian - black or white, Catholic or Protestant - and that they follow his plea........

Bishop Earl Walker Jackson Sr. is a former Marine, pastor, businessman, speaker, author, political activist, and Harvard Law School graduate. He was a Republican Party primary candidate for the United States Senate in Virginia in the 2012 election. In 2009, Bishop Jackson launched a national grassroots organization aimed at restoring America’s Judeo-Christian foundations.  S.T.A.N.D. (Staying True to America’s National Destiny) is dedicated to restoring the faith, values and Christian culture that America once had but has since lost.  He is head pastor at Exodus Faith Ministries, located in Chesapeake, VA, and chairman of Ministers Taking a Stand. 

He has come out with a video in which he calls upon all Christians in the black community to pull their endorsements and voting from the Democrat Party for their ungodliness. Bishop Jackson does not advance the Republican Party, nor does he endorse Mitt Romney, but he calls upon the people to return to God. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oi_KaZ53eDg:

“It is time to end the slavish devotion to the Democrat Party! They have insulted us, used us, and manipulated us. They have saturated the black community with ridiculous lies. ‘Unless we support the Democrat Party, we will be returned to slavery. We will be robbed of voting rights. The Martin Luther Holiday will be repealed.’ They think we are stupid,” he continues, “and that these lies will hold us captive, while they violate everything we believe as Christians. The Democrat Party has created an unholy alliance between certain so-called, ‘civil rights leaders’ and Planned Parenthood, which has killed unborn black babies by the tens of millions. Planned Parenthood has been far more lethal to black lives than the KKK ever was. The Democrat Party and their black civil rights allies are partners in this genocide.”

“The Democrat Party has equated homosexuality with being black. This is another outrageous lie! They could keep their homosexuality private. You and I cannot hide being black. I need not recount to you the painful history of slavery, Jim Crow, lynchings, and sterilizations; all because of skin color. Anyone who dares equate the so-called ‘gay rights movement’ to the history of black Americans is exploiting the black community. They say opposition to same-sex ‘marriage’ is the same as opposition to inter-racial marriage. That is an insult to human intelligence! It is a lie! No Christian should support this. Yet, the Democrat Party has declared same-sex marriage to be an official part of its platform and black Christians remain in that party? The civil rights establishment has embraced the lies and betrayed the black community and God Almighty for thirty pieces of silver from the Democrat Party.” 

“We as Christians ought to know better. Shame on us for allowing ourselves to be sold to the highest bidder! We belong to God! Our ancestors were sold against their will centuries ago, but we’re going to the slave market voluntarily today. Yes, it’s just that ugly. What do you call it when Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins and my sins and paid the price for our freedom and you join in covenant with a political party that doesn’t even want God mentioned in their platform? And, gets offended at the very mention of Jesus’s name? If your pastor tells you to vote for a party that disrespects Jesus, you need to leave that church. Black pastors are also going to have to answer for whether they serve Jesus or the Democrat Party. The black community will never prosper by betraying God and following leadership that carries the favor of the Democrat Party.”

“It is time for Christians to have the faith and courage to refuse to associate with a political party that has, over the years, become anti-Christian, anti-church, anti-Bible, anti-life, anti-family, and anti-God. The Democrat Party is also becoming completely anti-Israel. God said that 'I will curse those who curse Israel.' Do you want to be cursed with them?"

“It is time to come out of the Democrat Party, and to refuse to support its candidates in their rebellion against God. It’s not about party, but principle. It’s not about race, but righteousness and you will stand before God to give an account for your choices and motives. We don’t need the Democrat Party or any party. We need God! God will take care of us. It’s been a long time coming, but the time has come to take a stand. Come out from among them. Exodus now!”

"Stupid is as stupid does."

"Run from stupid, ignorant people,
Forrest, run!!!!

"Stupid is as stupid does." Thank you, Forrest Gump. That fictional character is smarter than the band parents at my son's middle school, and so to the school administration if they're complacent. Forrest understood that stupid people make stupid choices, do stupid things. Like, complain to a public institution about a private citizen's blog. Why didn't they just call the police and tell them that they got their feelings hurt? If you feel stupid when you read my blog, then perhaps you are....or, full of guilt. Shame on you!

I don't work due to health reasons. I burnt myself out trying to help the band teacher at the middle school. At least, I was willing to try - unlike these whining parents. I felt responsible to help....my son's in 8th grade and has two band classes. I was trying to significantly cut back my hours at the school. I tried to enlist other mothers' help. "Hi, this is Mrs. Haddock, a parent volunteer for Mrs. M. You filled out on the dividend [volunteer] form that you'd like to help with such-and-such." "Yes, I definitely want to help." "That's great! Could you come in and learn how to _________ [fill in the blank]? "Oh, I don't want to do that...... But, call me if you need anything." Huh? They apparently do not want to actually assist in their child's education, but they will spend their time complaining about my blog. Of all the nerve to call the local school to complain about my personal blog. 

Of course, I'm annoyed at not listening to my inner voice. I didn't want to be there while the teacher was out. But, I felt guilty that the kids would need help. Weeks ago I knew that I should cut back my volunteer hours. But, I felt guilty that Mrs. M would need help. So, I stayed on..... But, the other band parents just couldn't stop whining. They're so upset the teacher no longer wants my volunteer time. I hope you're proud of yourselves. I put in 200 volunteer hours..... How many have you? 

Too bad that other parents don't spend time in the classroom because Mrs. M works magic with those students. It was amazing to watch how she can take a student that has never held an instrument and just a few weeks later they're playing songs! I was most amazed at her "musical ear." The full symphonic band is playing a piece of music and she can hear when one clarinet is off. How is that possible? Most importantly, she was such a positive influence for me. That's why I knew I shouldn't be there when she was out for surgery. She's the flow of energy in that room. But, she was getting complaints from other parents about my blog. It boggles the mind.

P.S. Now, you can leave the lovely, adorable and talented Mrs. M alone.

Book Review: Live Free or Die by Jessie Crockett

Live Free or Die (A Granite Slate Mystery) by Jessie Crockett is a light read. Whether you like it or not depends on your feelings about small town America.

Gwen Fifield is the local postmistress and Assistant Fire Chief in Winslow Falls, New Hampshire. When the Fire Chef suffers a heart attack, Gwen must take the lead on a series of local fires. The latest fire at the town's museum turns up a dead body. Hugh Larsen from the State Fire Marshall's Office is Gwen's co-investigator and possible romantic interest. Thank goodness for Hugh!

The book is filled with the various town citizens, newly arrived immigrants, busybodies, the town harridan, and the requisite gatherings of old men. Not surprisingly, the locals citizens blame the immigrants. Okay, fine. This could happen in any small town, USA. But, have you been to a tight-knit New England town? Yowza! This was dead on. [No pun intended.]

Gwen's constantly reminding everybody of her deceased husband (even though she's glad the two-timer is gone) is annoying. Also, I disliked that the writer inserted a young, female character. Other than a brief, b-r-i-e-f phone call, she's never mentioned again. She was supposed to add conflict for Gwen and Hugh, but the writer seems to have forgotten she inputted the character. This was a glaring omission. When I finished the book I thought, "What about that female character?" Not, "Wow, that's the killer?!" Not good.

After reading hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of mysteries, some books are totally predictable. Not this one. The writer threw in a couple of twists that I didn't see coming, but totally glad she did. I can't mention what because I want it to be a surprise for you too.

I actually recommend Live Free or Die (A Granite Slate Mystery) by Jessie Crockett. The pros outweigh the cons. Overall, it's a light-hearted, quick read. Enjoy!

P.S. New Hampshire's motto is "Live Free or Die." This really had nothing to do with the story, and it doesn't make sense why the author choose this title. If you figure that out, let me know.....

Book Review: Alphabet Books by Sue Grafton

Years ago, I read Sue Grafton's alphabet books - A is for Alibi, B is for Burglar, C is for Corpse..... Then, I got busy with work.... busy with kids.... and I forgot about Sue's books. I don't remember what letter I last finished.

Recently, I was surfing the online public library when a collection of her books popped up - Q is for Quarry, R is for Ricochet, S is for Silence, and T is for Trespass. I've made it through Q and R, so far. All main character of her books is Kinsey Millhone, a private investigator. 

I've had to get used to her style of writing again. The Jonathan Maberry books movie a lot faster. And, Sue adds a lot of detail to the story that I don't really need. For instance, she completely describes the inside of a building, yet it's not pertinent to the main plot and the main character never returns there. I'm not saying it's bad, just different.

Jane Doe
August 1969

I thoroughly enjoyed Q is for Quarry. The storyline in this one was awesome, and I really cheered for the victim. Don't miss the author's note about the inspiration for this book - an unsolved murder in California. This portion of the book left me in tears. And, Sue's sponsorship of the real girl's forensic facial reconstruction was wonderful and eerie. I hope somebody recognizes her and they can finally put a name on her grave. 

R is for Ricochet was okay. I couldn't cheer for the victim, and I thought Kinsey's character made some really stupid decisions, over and over and over again. And, it really bugged me that Kinsey didn't have a computer or cell phone. Both Q and R are set in 1987. Q took place in mostly rinky-dink town that wouldn't have a cell phone tower. So, I never even thought of it then. But, R took place in cities in California. It wasn't right that she didn't own a cell phone or computer. Of course, when there was a computer "in play," so to speak, it was hysterical that floppy disks were involved. Oh, my goodness! I remember those.

I'm looking forward to continuing her alphabet series - something that I can't say about all authors. If you're looking for a mystery book, don't miss Q is for Quarry. I may read it again. Yes, it was that good.

The incredible edible egg.

I love eggs. There's so many different ways to prepare them. They're a happy food. But, it's not easy achieve a good hard-boiled egg....Or, scrambled eggs in the microwave. Over the years, I've tried different methods, but I just didn't like the outcome....until now. There are plenty of variations of this out there. This hard-boiled egg has worked the best and makes the best-tasting egg salad ever:

The Hard-Boiled Egg:
Ingredients
Eggs
Dash of salt
Water
Instructions
1. Place desired amount of eggs in a large pot. Add a dash of salt. Cover one inch above the eggs.
2. Bring to a rolling boil on high heat.
3. Cover and remove from heat. Set timer for 15 minutes.
4. Immediately pour off hot water and cover with cold water and add lots of ice. Add ice again when it melts.
5. When water is icy cold and eggs feel very cold to the touch, pour off water, reserving 1/2".
6. Place lid on pot and "bumper car" (gently shake back and forth) while the egg shells hit one another.
7. Egg peeling can easily be removed with minimal running cool water. Bumper car the eggs again if necessary.

Ages ago, the boys' young babysitter tried to teach me how to microwave scrambled egg. I didn't enjoy it. I've looked for recipes from time to time. I really like this one, and Steven has started these scrambled eggs too. Now that's quite an endorsement.

Microwave Scrambled Eggs in a Cup:
Ingredients
2 Eggs
2 Tbsp Milk
2 Tbsp Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste
Directions
1. Coat 12 oz microwave safe coffee mug with cooking spray
2. Add eggs and milk and beat until blended
3. Microwave on high for 45 seconds; stir
4. Microwave another 45 seconds or longer until eggs are set
5. Add cheese and microwave for 10 seconds more
6. Season with salt & pepper

Be sure to end me your favorite egg recipe. Enjoy!

Rambling thoughts.....

I haven't been a very good blogger recently. I was spending a ton of time volunteering at the local middle school. The band teacher has 325 students; one of them is mine. I enjoy helping the teacher. I just didn't realize how much it was wearing me down until (1) the school was closed for Rosh Hashanah and I thoroughly enjoyed my "day off" and (2) there was a substitute teacher this week for the band students. 

I've written a couple of book reviews, but they just didn't seem right yet for publishing. Silly, I know. It's just my blog..... The short of it is read No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of The Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden (The Autobiography of a Navy Seal) by Mark Owen. An awesome book. The jury is still out on September Fair (A Murder-by-Month Mystery) by Jess Lourey. I'll probably read October Fest before writing a review of her books. 

I'm completely over politics and the election. It seems like it has been going forever and ever. I just want it to end - with Romney winning. Our country can't stand another four of years of "no President." It's been especially disappointing lately with Obama's handling of the terrorist attacks on our embassies and the reports of Obama's missing intelligent briefings while he parties with David Letterman and Beyonce. Enough already. Let's put someone in the White House who will show up everyday for work. 

Once again, the mainstream media does not fail to disappoint. Their handling of the "topless Kate Middleton" story was horrid. There was no story..... A peeping tom with a telephoto lens invaded their privacy. Sick and creepy. So, the media decided to berate Kate. What!?! Thank goodness France has a privacy law, so perhaps the couple will have justice. The photographer should be arrested and put in jail for a very long time. And, whatever happened to not publishing someone's photograph without their permission? The Irish and Italian papers - and any others - certainly do not have written permission from Kate to publish nude photographs of herself. Stop buying that trash and the photographers will not spend their time sneaking around in bushes trying to get illicit photos. Disgusting.

Update: 9/25/12 - If you read this previously, you'll recognize that I deleted a paragraph. I did that of my own volition. I thought about it last night and again this morning. I could hear my father's words, "Remember where your from." Meaning, what you say and do reflects not only on yourself, but your family and your faith.

However, this blog contains my thoughts and feelings only. It IS titled, "The Daily Life of Carol: My Thoughts, Rants & Raves." They do not represent those of the band teacher, the school, or anyone else. While I still can't imagine how my little blog is making the rounds locally, it is mine and mine only. If you are going to be offended or feel it necessary to whine or complain to the school, stop reading and find something else to do with your time. 

Book Review: Vampire for Hire Series by J.R. Rain

I started reading the Vampire for Hire series J.R. Rain with Moon Dance, Book #1. It was free on Amazon. I have since read American Vampire and Vampire Moon, but they were $3.99 each. The novels are actually short stories. My Kindle ends at 75%-80%. The rest of the downloads are previews of his other books. I find this annoying. I paid for a novel, so I want a novel. It's not really a series as much one book chopped up into little pieces.

The premise is a good one - Samantha Moon was turned into a vampire six years ago. She's a mother of two children, married, has a sister, and the usual array of other characters. First of all, you can tell these "books" are written by a man. Samantha finds every man sexy, except for drug dealers and other baddies. She even thinks the older, overweight, donut-jelly-stains-on-his-shirt-detective sexy. Seriously? Dude.......

Secondly, the storyline and characters are not well thought out. There's a lot of repetition - a lot of repetition - and conflicting subplots. I found myself continually yelling at my Kindle, "Oh, no! Don't go there," but, of course, he would. The best character of the "books" is Kingsley. A hunk-o-hunk of burning love, and a werewolf. He even survives getting shot in the face five times. Cool. But, J.R. Rain must be jealous of his own character. Samantha constantly spurns Kingsley, even though he loves her. He even provides her with goblets of blood. Now that's sexy. Of course, whenever she needs a friend, she turns to him. And, then, again, she wants nothing to do with him....yada, yada, yada.

Thirdly, she hates being a vampire. She loves being a vampire. She hates being a vampire. She loves being a vampire. She hates being a vampire. She loves being a vampire. Shut up, please!

I suggest reading the first one (Moon Dance) because it's free. However, buying a chapter at a time - at $3.99 each - is not sexy. The storyline isn't consistent enough to recommend buying the other "books" in the series. My local library doesn't have ebooks of #4 and #5, so I'm done reading. I don't want to pay another $3.99 for a short story and a lot of advertising. 

Why I always call school administrators.

Eric looking at the camera,
standing between two high school
band students in uniform.

Update: 9/24/12 - The following are my thoughts and feelings only. They do not represent those of the band teacher or the school. While I still can't imagine how my little blog is making the rounds locally, it is mine and mine only. If you are going to be offended or feel it necessary to complain to the school, stop reading and find something else to do with your time.

There's a reason why I always call school administrators....because I can. As a parent, I can call a principal or vice principal and ask why something in particular happened. A teacher cannot. A teacher cannot call his/her principal and ask why administration screwed up. So, I won't hesitate to call. Because it's my child. And, I want to now what went wrong. Let me give you an example.

Friday evening, Eric's middle school band was invited to attend High School/Middle School Night. The middle school band practices with the high school band, then have pizza, then sit with the high school band in the stands, and finally get to march and play with the high school band during half-time. Sounds like fun. Unless it goes horribly wrong. Okay, maybe not horribly, but it did go wrong.

Originally, I had planned to attend High School/Middle School Night just as a parent. But, at the last minute, one of the chaperones advised that she wasn't coming so I was drafted, er, happily volunteered. Now, I'm not only responsible for my child, but the rest of the middle school band too. This ended up being a good thing...because I was with the band for the entire evening....so I knew everything that happened with the band. This would come in handy.

The evening was progressing well. However, almost immediately after the high school and middle school bands marched into the stadium and onto the bleachers, it started raining. {It is still summertime in Florida, so afternoon/evening rains shouldn't have been a surprise to anybody. Especially, since we could see the nasty clouds headed in our direction.} I'll cut to the short version. Our middle school band director immediately took her students out of the stadium. We took cover under a covered walkway, but we were still out in the rain. {Florida rain tends to blow sideways.} And, their hallway flooded pretty quickly. The middle schoolers were left out there for at least a half an hour, and probably closer to an hour or more. {I left my watch at home.}  Because the outdoor hallway was flooded, the students could not put down their instruments. I was standing with the drum line of 6-7 boys. Two of the boys were holding 50-lb. snare drums...for the entire time. Everybody else - high school bands, football teams, cheerleaders, dancing squads, whatever, were taken inside while the middle schoolers were left outside in the rain.....with thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars worth of equipment. We had 34 students come for High School/Middle School Night. Eric was just one student....and he had a $2,000 trombone getting wet. Mommy wasn't happy.

On Monday morning, I called the high school and asked for the principal. He was out for the day at a meeting. Whatever. So, I spoke to a vice principal. My question was simple - Who was the administrator in charge of the middle schoolers? Easy right? Wrong. She hemmed and hawed, and finally tried throwing the band directors under the bus. Epic failure. The following is an abbreviated version of the conversation that I had with the vice principal.

Eric, again, walking between
two high school band students.

Who was the administrator in charge of the middle school students? "Your middle school band director." -- And, she did an excellent job of looking after her middle school band, but she has no authority on your campus. Who was the administrator in charge of the middle school students? "The high school band director." {Buzz! Wrong again.} -- He's a teacher, and not in charge of the campus. Who was the administrator in charge of your invited guests? Who was in charge of the welfare of 11-, 12-, 13-, and 14-year-old students? Who, by the way, are still children. "Well, the principal was there, along with all five vice principals, two athletic directors, and five police officers." -- Yes, and who was the administrator in charge of the middle schoolers? Who was the administrator who left the middle schoolers, including my 13-year-old son and his $2,000 trombone, out in the rain? "Well, I was in charge of the football team." -- Oh, okay, then could you explain to me why your football team was sitting in the auditorium, in their uniforms including pads and helmets, and not in their locker room, while the middle schoolers stood out in the rain? "Oh, well, by the time I got off the field and into the auditorium, the middle school students were already inside." -- Fine. But, who was the administrator in charge of the middle school band? "Well, the Dean of Students is in charge of student activities." -- So, the Dean was the administrator in charge of taking care of the middle school band? "Um, well, no. But, I'll have to do some investigation and call you back." Okay, fine.

When she did call me back, she couldn't be apologetic enough. "Oh, Mrs. Haddock, you are absolutely right. We dropped the ball. We didn't have an administrator in charge of the middle school band. We screwed up. Tomorrow, there is an administrators' meeting. And, I'll tell {the principal} and bring it up at the administrators' meeting that we need to change what we do for next year." Well, I certainly appreciate your calling me back and taking care of this. Because you see, I have another son in the middle school band. And, if he asks me next year if he can attend High School/Middle School Night, I have to be able to say "yes," and not "No, honey, they're not responsible enough to take care of you. So, I really appreciate your calling me back.

And, that's why I always call school administrators.

Book Review: Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand

 Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand is brilliant. This should be required reading for all high school students.

The beginning part of the book is the delightful story of Louie Zamperini, a mile-runner ("miler") in the late 1930s. He smashes local, state, national, and international running times. He participates in the 1936 Olympics before Hitler in Berlin, Germany. Louie trains for the 1940 Olympics and came within seconds of being the first man to break the four-minute mile. However, the 1940 and 1944 Olympics were cancelled due to WWII. But, this only covers the first 25% of the book.

Louie and his beloved brother Pete

The remaining three-fourths of the book is Louie's life as a bombardier for the Army Air Corps., stationed on Funafuti Island. He and his crew have great successes against the Japanese. They have an epic battle over Nauru, a tiny yet military-strategic island between the Marshall Islands and the Solomon Islands in the Pacific. In April 1942, their faithful B-24 bomber Superman was badly damaged in the fight against Japanese Zeros (as well as wounding most of the crew). Louis and his pilot Russel Allen "Phil" Phillips are "volunteered" to join another flight crew to conduct a search for a missing airplane and its crew. This time, Louis and Phil are ordered to take The Green Hornet, another B-24 bomber notorious among the pilots as a defective "lemon plane." It lives up to its reputation.

Funafuti and Naura Islands
(middle, right)

While on the search, mechanical difficulties caused the plane to crash into the ocean 850 miles west of Oahu, killing eight of the eleven men aboard. Zamperini and Phil survive the crash with another crewman Francis "Mac" McNamara. Mac died after 33 days at sea. They drifted for 2,000 miles. On their 47th day adrift, Zamperini and Phil see land in the Marshall Islands, but they are captured by the Japanese Navy before they can reach the island. For three years, they were held in captivity and severely beaten and starved until the end of the war in August 1945. Zamperini was especially tormented by sadistic prison guard Mutsuhiro Watanabe (nicknamed "The Bird"). The brutality of the Japanese treatment of their prisoners of war is......unspeakable.

Louie's perseverance is astonishing. Not only does Louie survive his days as a POW, but he helps many other POWs survive as well. The Bird never breaks Louie's spirit. Eventually Louie forgives the Japanese prison guards. He even visits them in Japan! The book does conclude with Louie's life through the years. Thankfully, the author also tells what happened to the other prisoners.

Louie, 95 (2012)

All these years I have learned much about the European half of WWII. But, I never knew so much about the Pacific portion. This is why this book should be required reading. It tells the real-life story of an American soldier and his days as a POW. It relates how amazing our Armed Forces truly are and his, and their, ability to triumph over great adversity. I hope everybody reads Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand. It's required reading for you too.

The problem with being a Mom and being sick.

The problem with being a Mom and being sick is that we're now allowed to do both at the same time. Moms are never sick. Right....... You can't tell that a Mom is sick when she has to do everything, as usual, as always.

For instance, yesterday I came home from my volunteer work for the middle school band teacher. -- So far, for the last three weeks, I have been there all day. One of my sons plays for two groups - Symphonic Band and Jazz Band. Not only do I want to help the teacher because she's a sweet lady and needs the help, but because it's the only way I'll ever know what's happening with both bands. Teenagers are not good at communication vital information, at least not in a timely manner. They like to wait until you're walking into the building and then say, "Mom! I needed such-and-such or a get a zero for today." or some other urgently needed item or task. For instance at a fundraiser at the school, I pull into carline to drop Eric off. Hum. All the other kids are carrying lawn chairs. So, I ask "Why do the other kids have lawn chairs?" Reply, "Oh, yeah, I forgot. We're each supposed to bring a lawn chair." Ugh. -- But, I digress. 

So, back to yesterday. I woke up in the morning feeling terrible. But, it felt like allergies. So, I showered, took the boys to school, and went about my volunteering day. By the fourth class, I felt like I couldn't hold up my head up anymore. The teacher gave me orange juice in a desperate attempt to revive me. It helped carry me to the end of the day. It was all I could do to pack up and the boys and c-r-a-w-l home. I collapsed into my bed.

My husband was so kind to bring me dinner in bed, hot tea, and anything else I might need. {Of course, I had to yell with my croaked voice as loudly as I could to get his attention. But, he still helped nonetheless. I even heard him instructing the boys to empty the dishwasher. Oh nice.} Seems like everything's going okay. -- Or, so I forgot. -- When I woke up this morning {because the dogs were being totally obnoxious just because they wanted food and water and apparently I'm the only one who can do that}, I stagger into the kitchen. To my horror, it looked like every single dish and utensil that we've ever owned were piled up in the sink or on the counter, including a broken glass. I open the dishwasher and discover that, yes, it was empty. But, apparently nobody had the thought to fill it up again. I call for two boys to take care of the doggies' food and water and then proceed to load the dishwasher. Miracle of all miracles the amount of dishes along over the kitchen fit perfectly into the dishwasher for just one load. Amazing! 

Now I'm trying to decide whether to collapse back into bed and get whatever limited number of minutes sleeping that I can or taking a shower and going to the grocery store. Heck, I'll take the little bit of sleep. We'll still need groceries when I wake up.......