i got nothing

For the third day in a row I have been ferried across the deep to my trusty old recently paid for Camry with a semi-new engine and low mileage for an 10 year old. In a hilarious repeat of last year, we took first heed and moved all the low riders up to the highway in front of some very nice guy's automotive shop. Stopping along the way for basic necessities like beer and chips, I make my way down 51 by-pass marveling at the size of that skinny ass little Forked Deer river that I ran away to as a child. I actually FELL into that nasty water trying to get into a boat one time. Luckily Mr. Snake didn't bite me, but I scurried out and got over that love affair pretty quick except from the banks.

It has swollen again, this time with no outlet to relieve the spread so it's probably here to stay. I saw an aerial photo of the Mississippi and the tributaries today compared to what it usually looks like. All I could say was "damn". It is being dubbed the flood of the century with records being met or smashed at most every port from north to south. Illinois, Missouri and Tennessee have blown levees and there will probably be some more of that going on before the heaviest of the load slides toward the gulf. All I can hope for is that the mud that will be deposited there might actually cover up some of the oil left by BP and we'd all have a merry christmas. BTW....nobody's forgotten that corporate.

Over the years I have learned about the power of rivers and their value as transportation, especially in earlier days before there was instant communication. By the time those poor people got the letter with the warning, they were already drowning. At least we know now how to use and appreciate rivers as the natural wonders that they are, not just dumping grounds for waste that comes from life in the fast lane. My friend John is one who, along with his partner Mike, has studied the rivers of America for years, and they have have participated in many re-enactments of the Lewis and Clark expedition. It is from these two, particularly John and his native american spirit, that I have learned to respect and revere the river's gifts. You can buy a man a fish, or you can teach him to catch his own.

Adding insult to injury, the mighty funk that my co-workers and BG have had landed squarely in my head and chest on Sunday and it's been a nightmare trying to breathe this week. Finally got a Zpak yesterday and I already have a nebulizer so there ya go. Thow in a little mucinex and self medication is a helluva lot cheaper than a visit to the urgent care. There is rain in the forecast, but nothing serious so the swamp water will probably just sit there lookin' like that for about a week or more. Mama and Daddy have both made it out in trucks for the weekly appointments and I've got that father son team hauling me and mine so as not to miss one thrilling minute of life at the sawmill. That would be bad, umkay? I got the most inspirational text from my daughter today just at the moment I needed to feel validated. I may be imagining things, but my sickness seemed a little bit lighter after that. Well, of course the Zpak helped too ;) It's all uphill after the second dose.

One of the oldest blogger lines in the world is "I got nothing." It was a way to check in with buddies and let them know you're still there but don't feel particularly wordy. I am, to quote Ronni Bennett's phrase an elder blogger. I caught the end of the Yahoo and chat phase and moved from that to a daily posting kind of deal with limited copyright. And that is where social networking began for me, for real. While BG was busy ICQin' everybody and their brother, I was doing the mommy thing. Late bloomer so to speak. She learned to keyboard in elementary school and it was a high school course for me called typing. Lord....what a difference a few years can make!

Let's all remember that our country and our world are suffering in many ways and that the only real avenue for social change is one life...one day at a time. It's a slow process, but in the end good vs good will always beget good. How do I know that? Because my Daddy tells me it has always been thus and so.

^j^