Pre-Labor Day laboring

Well, ye socks, I am pleased to report that I have FINALLY gotten all the stacks and stacks of books up off the floor and onto some recently-acquired bookshelves!

This feat was not accomplished without a significant amount of elbow grease on the part of yours truly.

I suppose I could have purchased something pre-assembled, but we are watching our pennies around this little corner of heaven.

So, I spent most of the day trying to deduce the meaning of the "instructions" manual, which consisted not of words but a collection of rather obtuse drawings.

Anyway, mission accomplished . . . finally!

But, I wouldn't sit on any of those shelves unless you want to end up on the floor . . . for some reason, post assembly found me with 4 loose screws.

No comments required from the peanut gallery on the loose screws!

Different season, different team in Gainesville

The opening day of Gator football is always a special one around this little corner of heaven. And, the boys in orange and blue did not disappoint today in their romp over the University of Hawaii.

A lot of what we loyal fans have come to expect from our team was there.

The heat. The humidity. The compounded discomfort of 90,000+ fans crammed into the Swamp.

Urban Meyer was strutting up and down the sidelines.

Tim Tebow was there to show-off his trophy-winning arm.

But, it quickly became apparent that we were not watching the same group of guys we saw last year.

They're not as dependant on Tebow's rockstar talents. (He only threw one . . . yes ONE . . . touchdown pass, to Louis Murphy.)

Instead, the 56 points UF ran up against the Warriors were fairly evenly earned by the offense, defense, and special teams:

- For the defense, safeties Major Wright and Ahmad Black returned 2 interceptions for TD's.
- For the offense, tailbacks Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps scored 2 more.
- And, for special teams, Brandon James had a breathtaking 74-yard punt return.

Yes, ye socks, football season has finally returned. And, it's already shaping up to be a breath of fresh air with exciting new game plans and emerging new stars.

ORANGE AND BLUE!

It's Palin!

Well, it's official.

John McCain has picked Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to be his runningmate.

What a great choice!

Disclaimer: Yours truly was 95% sure he was going to pick Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota.

Putting a woman on the ticket not only stole the thunder away from all the yayhoo's out in Denver this week. I believe it will negate any post-convention bounce the junior senator from Illinois might have enjoyed.

The timing was perfect!

Most importantly, I think the choice will encourage more women (particularly some of the disaffected Hillary voters) to vote Republican in November.

A media blitz is sure to ensue this Labor Day weekend. So, pop some popcorn, grab a soda, and stake out a good spot on the couch! (Like you wouldn't be doing that anyway, right?!?)

Feeling sick to my stomach

Ye out-of-town socks may not have been following the ongoing Caylee Anthony saga as closely as we have been here in Central Florida. (See original post 07/18/08.)

But, I know it's been making some of the national newscasts on a fairly regular basis . . . when the Olympics and the media coronation of the junior senator from Illinois weren't stealing the spotlight.

Anyway, today all the local stations are reporting some new details on the case that are sad and disturbing.

Apparently, a forensics lab up in Tennessee has reported that air samples taken from Caylee's mother's car indicate there was a decomposing human body inside it at some point.

A lot of us are trying not to lose hope, but it's hard to do in the face of this evidence.

Primary Election Results

Well, I can't say it was a particularly exciting Primary Day in this little corner of heaven. I think the talking heads said we had a whopping 17% turn-out. But, for ye socks who follow such things . . .

My not-so-favorite incumbant U.S. Congressman Ric Keller was visibly shaken last night when virtual unknown Todd Long came within a few thousand votes of winning the Republican nomination. The good news for him: there WAS an upset on the Democratic side. Gadfly Alan Grayson trounced the perceived favorite and local scion Charlie Stuart by a whopping 20%. This heavily-Republican district might have been able to stomach a conservative Democrat like Stuart this year, but Grayson is kryptonite in this case.

The Orange County Sheriff's race is shaping up to be the most lively in years with the retirement of the bloated turncoat windbag Kevin Bearry. Republicans overwhelmingly voted to nominate former Undersheriff John Tegg, while Democrats just as overwhelmingly chose local embarassment Jerry Demmings. But, Tegg has his work cut out for him. Democrats turned-out in significantly larger numbers (42,859 vs 39,896). If they turn-out in the same proportion come November, especially if the junior senator from Illinois grows any coattails, we could be doomed to four years of unprecedented lawlessness . . . wait a minute, we've already done that, haven't we?!?

In less high-profile contests:

* My breakfast buddy Eric Eisnaugle won an overwhelming victory (68% to 32%) in the Republican primary to succeed Andy Gardiner in the state legislature.
* Earl K. Wood, whose name is synonymous with tax collection in this little corner of heaven, won the Democratic nomination to what I believe is his 92nd term. Or, maybe, he's just 92 years old. I don't remember. The number 92 figured into the story somewhere . . .
* I met one of my new neighbors David Rose in the parking lot outside the polling place. He was on the ballot for precinct committeeman. So, of course, I voted for him. I mean, it showed real initiative to sit out there in the heat and humidity all day. Good news: He won 55% of the vote in a crowded field of five.
* County Judge Debbie Ansbro coasted to re-election despite negative information published about her by local defense attorneys.

Now, that's some real horsepower!

This just in from the S&S Ranch.

Apparently, yesterday was the first post-Fay clean-up out there.

Fortunately, they didn't have any of the flooding a lot of folks have had out in the hither and yon.

But, they did have quite a bit of broken limbs, etc., strewn about the place.

Can you believe a horse Sunny's age can be trained to collect all that stuff and drop it in a wheelbarrow?

Seeing is believing!

Mark Twain said it best

The creator of Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, and so many other classic American characters has always been a favorite of yours truly.

And, not just for his incredible gift of writing fiction.

After a recent visit from Tom Levine, who is a walking anthology of Twainisms, I was motivated to pick up a book myself to get reacquainted with his many astute observations on the human condition.

One of them, I found most appropriate today: "It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt."

I know, a lot of ye socks on the Democratic side of the aisle are outraged by that because we Americans are guaranteed the right of free speech.

But, sometimes, you shouldn't exercise every right you have been given. It's just bad form and will only result in a lot of unnecessary bad blood between you and those who are negatively affected by said exercise. Discretion is the better part of valor, is it not?

For instance, in tomorrow's Florida primary, I would encourage ye same group of Democrats to try NOT exercising your right to vote. You may find out that you actually enjoy the inaction so much that you'll keep the habit in November, and perhaps in perpetuity. The world would certainly be a better place for it.

Well, at least it would make me happy . . .

Finally some sunshine!

Our state motto must've seemed like a cruel joke to any visiting socks last week.

Tropical Storm Fay really dumped a LOT of water on us. All of us. From one end of the state to the other.

But, today, the sun finally emerged from behind the nasty, swirling rainclouds.

While running errands today, I wasn't surprised to see the high lake levels. At least they haven't spilled over their banks like the St. Johns River and so many other bodies of water have done around here.

This flock of ibises (is that the proper plural?!?) seemed to enjoy the extra wet stuff. And, they had a TON of ski boats to keep them company.

The only drawback to all this sunshine is that none of us have any excuse for catching-up on the deferred yardwork . . .

And the #2 spot goes to . . .

One of the perils of selecting a runningmate from a pool of former rivals is that there are going to be plenty of critical quotes available.



Remember George Bush's accusation of "voodoo economics" back in 1980?



Well, here we go again . . .



I hope the presumptive Republican nominee has learned that lesson and there is less of this nonsense I've been hearing lately about Mitt Romney.

How we know it's autumn in Florida . . .

We don't have changing leaf colors.

We don't have crisp morning air.

But, you can always tell that summer's coming to an end in this little corner of heaven when folks start turning their attention to FOOTBALL!

It's certainly a more gratifying fascination than politics this year.

I mean we have an incumbant Heisman Trophy winner at THE University of Florida.

I say we give him a 2nd term!

Big names at VFW convention

As Tropical Storm Fay turned out to be mostly a non-event in this little corner of heaven, it is worth noting that we have been the focus of the national political scene around here this week.

That's because the Veterans of Foreign Wars is holding their 109th National Convention in Orlando.

And, they attracted some heavy hitters when it comes to guest speakers, including the current president and the two leading contenders to succeed him.

The best performance was delivered on Monday by John McCain. But, that was really no surprise. I mean, he is a decorated veteran himself. These are his peeps. A gallup poll shows he's leading amongst veterans by a whopping 22% over his presumptive opponent. And, he told them what they wanted to hear in terms of national security experience and commitment to the military family.

The worst performance was delivered on Tuesday by the junior senator from Illinois, though you have to give the guy some credit for even showing up. Perhaps not surprisingly, he dropped the trademark bombast and rhetoric he usually employs on stump speeches. Instead, he was almost somber in his presentation as he was forced to defend his patriotism. The smallish audience of about 3,000 was respectful and polite, but the "wow" factor that is so much touted in the "mainstream" media was nowhere to be seen.

Somewhere in the middle was the appearance by President George W. Bush. The vets gave him a warm reception. Only fitting since he is the Commander-in-chief. They applauded him as he defended his decision to invade Iraq and when he called for victory in the ongoing War on Terror. But, he received actual cheers when he talked about the newly-passed GI Bill. Unfortunately, very few members of the national media showed-up to cover the appearance. Bush is a lame duck, and they're treating him like one.

Anyway, if you're stuck inside due to wind and rain, it's nice to have something other than radars and path projection maps to contemplate. So, it's been great having the VFW in town this week. I hope they come back every hurricane season during presidential election years!

Another "Man from Hope"

As it was repeated ad nauseum back in the 90's, ye socks are surely aware that we have a former president from the lovely little hamlet of Hope, Arkansas.

More recently, folks outside of that little corner of heaven were made aware that it was also the hometown of the man who should be the Republican presidential nominee Mike Huckabee.

Now, we are learning of another "Man from Hope," though he doesn't appear to have what it takes to make it to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

We refer to the "gentleman" pictured here, Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Jim Gunter.

He was relieved to learn this week that his sister Janet Gibson is dropping all criminal charges against him stemming from an incident at a family reunion back on September 2nd of last year.

Apparently, the judge had loaned his sister a bunch of genealogy material and asked for her to return it at the reunion.

When she told him she wasn't done looking thru it, the judge went ballistic and backhanded her.

Now, wasn't that nice?

Seriously, though, don't come between this guy and his genealogy. If this is how he treats close family members, imagine what he'd do to the man on the street!

Some lab work

Ye socks who may be as addicted to genealogical pursuits as yours truly have no doubt explored the LDS church's great web site www.familysearch.com.

But, ye may not be aware that they have a bunch of records that they're still trying to get completely indexed.

And, if ye can exercise just a little patience, they'll let you browse thru the unindexed images in the "labs" section: http://labs.familysearch.com

I was pretty excited to see one of the projects they're working on is the 1935 Florida state census.

I know, it doesn't take much to excite a genealogy addict, does it?!

Anyway, it didn't take me long to stumble across the image posted here, an enumeration of my great-grandfather's household in Orlando. Here's a transcription in case you have difficulty zooming-in on the jpg:

Orange County, Precinct 11, Orlando, 17 East Muriel:
* Morgan, William S., 35 M W husband, b Missouri, high school education, owner, government mail carrier.
* Morgan, Mrs. William S., 31 F W wife, b Georgia, college education, housewife.
* Morgan, Edith, 10 F W daughter, b Florida, in school.
* Morgan, Billie, 9 M W son, b Florida, in school.
* Morgan, Dorothy, 6 F W daughter, b Florida, in school.
* Morgan, Richard, 5 M W son, b Florida.
* Morgan, Eunice, 0 M W daughter, b Florida.

I think the greatest thing about this record is that it lists my Aunt Diane by her first name "Eunice" and that she was zero-years-old!

Oy, Fay!

Don't you just love it when the experts can't agree on something as important as . . . oh, I don't know . . . like maybe the projected path of a killer storm?

It seems the National Hurricane Center and the government-sponsored meteorological eggheads over at NOAA are insisting (at least at this hour) that Tropical Storm Fay will clear Cuba today, reintensify, and hit somewhere around Tampa on Florida's west coast.

But, our friends Tom Sorrels and Eric Wilson at WKMG ("Local 6") are defying that prediction. They tell us the mountains of Cuba are going to push the center of the storm east, and this will be a "Miami event."

I hope Tom and Eric are right.

Ye socks down in South Florida my think that a bit selfish, but I'd rather our little corner of heaven be on the west side of the storm than that much-dreaded northeast quadrant we learned so much about during the infamous summer of '04 . . .

Batten down the hatches and hold on to your seats, folks! It's gonna get dicy around here one way or the other!!

Ye Battle of Tewkesbury

After spending most of the day clearing out the attic up at the Lake Hammer chalet, I returned home totally exhausted.

So, when my cousin called wanting to drop off a couple of boxes, I almost asked him for a rain check.

I mean, I've been doing without the contents for several weeks now anyway, and I thought it was just a bunch of winter clothes. Who needs that when it's 90+ degrees (and 2,090 degree in an attic)?!

But, I got over myself, and am glad I did, because one of the boxes contained one of my favorite books on the War of the Roses.

It could not have been rediscovered at a more appropriate time either, because I've just recently been trying to find out more about the Battle of Tewkesbury, which took place way back in May 1471.

The reason for my fascination with this medieval battle stems not only from my general geekiness when it comes to all things historical, but also because I found a personal connection.

It turns out that one of my ancestors (a fellow by the name of John Delves) was killed in action there as part of the Lancastrian army (the losing side).

His son (a great-uncle many times over) fled the battlefield and sought refuge in the nearby abbey. But, as one version of the story goes, King Edward IV pursued him and several refugees, violated the abbey's sanctuary, and slaughtered them.

"As one version of the story goes" is the operative phrase.

I have found so many versions of the story, I'm trying to sort out which is "correct."

Kinda hard to do after so much time has passed . . .

Lucky number eight!

I don't know about the rest of ye socks, but yours truly has really gotten in to the Olympics this go around.

Maybe, it's the cost of gas keeping us all near the home fires this year, but I don't remember being anywhere near this in to the '04 games.

I also don't know when 8 became "the" lucky number.

I always thought that honor fell to 7.

But folks like Michael Phelps and the 1.3 billion residents of the People's Republic of China have gone a long way to change my mind.

Does luck really have a lot to do with Phelps' success, or indeed the performance of any of these world class athletes?

Doubt it.

Seems to me, it's all the result of a lot of determination and hard work . . .

More economic woes

If ye socks find yourselves down in North Naples, Florida, take a drive down Whippoorwill Lane to see tangible evidence of the state of the homebuilding industry around this little corner of heaven.

There you will find "Marbella Lakes."

Or, what should have been "Marbella Lakes."

Engle Homes got as far as installing sewer connections, fire hydrants, and lamp posts. They even put up a gate house and started building a few model homes.

But, the site has now been abandoned, and the "model homes" consist of a few stark grey cinder block walls unfit for habitation.

Engle decided mid-stream it made more economic sense to allow their bank to foreclose on the site, I guess.

They also decided to hand out a bunch of pink slips up in my little corner of heaven.

So, there are a lot of jittery folks around here these days.

Then, I got news from Texas along the same lines.

When might we expect some good economic news for a change?!

Paradise Interrupted

That's the title of Tom Levine's most recent book.

Ye socks may remember Tom as the guy who ran a spirited (though, ultimately unsuccessful) campaign to unseat our illustrious former mayor Glenda Hood back in 2000.

Tom is now known more for his writing than his politicking. That's probably a good thing since (at least in my opinion) his politics aren't exactly up to par. He's one of those guys who thinks the world would be a better place if Al Gore was in the White House . . .

Anyway, he surprised me yesterday by dropping by my office.

Truth be told, he was hawking his book. I think he was a little disappointed when I told him I already owned a copy. But, I tried to brighten his day a little by letting him know it occupies a prominent place on my Floridiana bookshelf, next to my autographed copy of Patrick Smith's "A Land Remembered."

Check out Tom's web site if you get a chance:

http://www.defiantworm.com

Maybe, you'll be persuaded to buy a copy of one of his books, too. He's got a unique sense of humor, to say the least.

I tried my best today to persuade him to publish another book, perhaps one on Mark Twain since he likes to pepper his conversation with Twain quotes . . . We'll see if that seed bears any fruit . . .

Oops, I think I did it again!

Today marks the second time in the last few weeks that yours truly went to retrieve his favorite jeans (and a sock or two) from the dryer, only to find that they were still slightly damp!

I suppose this is to be expected when you toss them in with a load of towels right before you go to bed and don't check on them again until you're ready to walk out the door . . .

I would say there is nothing worse than putting on a pair of damp pants in the morning, but we all know that's a lie.

Things can always be worse.

I mean, it could be winter time and I could be in Alaska, right?

Still, that is little consolation when you've got moist denim clinging to your skin and fighting you every inch of the way.

Note to self: towels only in the next load, and look for that missing sock in the dryer!

Gettysburg witness in critical condition

Believe it or not, even though the Battle of Gettysburg was fought way back in July 1863--145 years ago--there are still a handful of living witnesses in the area.

Of course, they're not of the human variety.

They're all trees.

Anyway, one of them was severely damaged in a storm last Thursday night, and experts are offering a pretty grim prognosis.

The honey locust in question stood on Cemetery Hill at the right of the Union lines during the high water mark of the Confederacy, bearing silent witness to the carnage of the three-days of fighting.

Then, too, it stood just 150 feet from the platform where Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous Gettysburg Address.

It's amazing that a living thing that bore witness to two great moments in American history survived into the 21st century, and its loss should be felt by all ye socks with any appreciation for the past.

S&S Ranch for sale!

That's right, ye socks, the word on the street today . . . or, at least over Cecil's BBQ . . . is the infamous S&S Ranch is on the market.

So, if you're looking for a new place to keep your equine friends, check it out:

http://mfr.mlxchange.com/Pub/EmailView.asp?r=1999525625&s=MFR&t=MFR

A little less laughter in the world today

RIP Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes.

Thirteen Moons by Charles Frazier

Okay, this 99-cent find was much more satisfying than the one I reviewed for ye socks last week.

It is the follow-up to the critically acclaimed Cold Mountain, that was so amazingly brought to life on the screen by my muse Nicole Kidman and a handful of lesser stars.

Like Cold Mountain, this book centers on a love denied.

Fortunately, unlike Cold Mountain, in which the star-crossed lovers Inman and Ada are permanently denied when he is killed off in the final paragaraphs, Thirteen Moons has a series of touch-and-go encounters with no finality at all. I'll let ye socks judge which is more frustrating to readers.

Anyway, this book is basically a 90+ year reminiscence of an old man named Will Cooper who was apprenticed to a frontier trading post as a boy. He was sent to the frontier of the Cherokee nation with only a horse, key, and a map, and ended up accumulating a lot more--and not just material stuff.

Frazier would have you believe he accomplished all this mainly as a result of his adoption by an old chief named Bear. But, you decide for yourselves.

It is only by reading the endnotes that one will discover the whole story is based on a real fellow named William H. Thomas. Charles Frazier actually wrote a grad school paper about him. So, Thirteen Moons is nothing more than a piece of fictionalized history. But, that's ok. It was still a good read.

Let me know if you want to borrow my copy, 'cause it's just gathering dust around here!

Opening Olympic Observations

I know, that's a lot of "O" words, but I imagine there were a lot of folks around the world saying "O!" tonight as they watched the opening ceremonies in Beijing's "bird nest" tonight.

The Chinese are really going the extra mile to put their best foot forward and impress the "community of nations."

I found it all more than a little intimidating.

Spectacular to be sure, but intimidating nonetheless.

Maybe, that's just part and parcel of a nation of 1.3 billion.

They call it "harmony." I call it "mindless collectivism."

The mass scale of it all reinforced that notion.

Now, I will admit there were some shining individual moments that weren't as intimidating as the thousands of drummers, acrobats, dancers, etc.

I mean, who could fail to be inspired by the little earthquake survivor who marched into the stadium beside Yao Ming? (Even if his little Chinese flag was upside down on its little flag pole.)

It was also kinda cool how the final torch bearer was raised to the perimeter of the bird's nest a la Broadway Peter Pan to light a cauldron that appeared out of nowhere at the last minute.

And, who can do fireworks better than the Chinese? I mean, they invented that, didn't they?

But, I was somewhat dismayed by one of the NBC commentators who is already suggesting the opening of the London games in 2012 is going to be a let-down compared to tonight's festivities.

Oh, well. I guess low expectations are easy to beat. And, I for one will be much more interested in the individualism the Brits are certain to display.

Until then: higher, faster, stronger . . . I think those are the official words, right?!

Pictures that elicit song lyrics

This one brought to mind a snappy old ditty from the incomparable Diana Ross:

Tenement slum

Ooh, ooh, ooh....aaaahhh

You think that I don't feel love

What I feel for you is real love

In other's eyes I see reflected

A hurt, scorned, rejected

Love child

Never meant to be

Love Child

Born in poverty

Love Child

Never meant to be

Love Child

Take a look at me

Started my life

In a old, cold, run-down tenament slum

My father left he never even married mama

I shared the guilt my mama knew

So afraid that others knew I had no name

This love we're contemplatin'

Is worth the pain of waitin'

We'll only end up hatin'

The child we may be creatin'

Love Child

Never meant to be

Love Child

Scorned by Society

Love Child

Always second best

Love Child

Different from the rest

I started school

And a worn, torn dress that somebody threw out

I knew the way it felt to always live in doubt

To be without the simple things

So afraid my friends would see the guilt in me

Don't think that I don't need ya

Don't think I don't want to please ya

But no child of mine will be bearing

The name of shame I've been wearing

Love Child

Love Child

Never quite as good

Afraid, ashamed

Misunderstood

But I'll always love you

Always love you

I'll always love you

Always love you .

Shout out to my Bodo!

Well, I FINALLY got a hold of my baby sister on the phone today, after repeated failed efforts and much consternation.

Anyway, I had fun talking with her.

But, she did TRY to give me a hard time about my delinquent postings here in the dryer.

She should have known better.

I mean, after all, her little blog hasn't been updated since JUNE 19th!!

And, I have access to a virtual library of embarassing old photos of her teenage years.

The one posted here is fairly tame (NYC, 1989), but she should be forewarned that I've got some real doozies in my arsenal!

Ephemera

Well, ye socks, though I do have the majority of my personal belongings transferred from the Lake Hammer Chalet to the Elizabeth Avenue house, a distressingly large percentage remains unpacked.

So, after getting home from another grueling day at work today, I decided to tackle a box or two.

Incidentally, could it be any more hot and humid out there?!?

Anyway, the same thing always happens to me when I start emptying boxes, so I don't know why I was surprised when it happened again in this case.

I found a collection of old letters, written between 1892 and 1910 by members of the Cooper and Munson families of Indiana and Illinois.

I picked them up at an auction a couple of years ago with the intention of trying to find out more about the letter writers and maybe reunite the letters with some long lost descendants or something.

Instead, they've remained in the same big manilla envelope in which they arrived at my front door.

So, now I have another little tangent to pursue, as if I didn't have enough to do around here. I'll let ye know if I discover anything of interest . . .

Raising flags

Well, the congressional race in this little corner of heaven is turning more than a bit nasty, thanks to the huge campaign war chest of our incumbent Ric "Lawn Boy" Keller.

Over the weekend, he mailed out a lovely little brochure trashing his primary opponent Todd Long.

What ever happened to the old maxim about Republicans not speaking ill of other Republicans?!

Well, Rep. Keller isn't your typical Republican. We've known that for a while now, haven't we?

While he's busy trying to raise red flags about Long's past problems with alcohol, I will always remember his efforts last year to raise the white flag of surrender. He was one of the turncoat, cut-and-run defeatists who joined the Pelosi Posse in their efforts to end the liberation of Iraq.

Fortunately, he and they were thwarted in that effort, despite Keller's idiotic attempt at rationalizing his behavior with a disjointed analogy about the unfairness of having to mow your neighbor's lawn.

While Long consulted with his pastor about his past transgressions and claims he hasn't touched a drop of alcohol in over a year, Keller is completely unrepentant and won't admit he was wrong to join the Democrats or that the surge is working in Iraq.

Lump that in with his broken promise not to run for a fifth term, his own peronal ethics questions, his ineffectiveness as a legislator, along with his latest slimeball tactics and I believe ye socks will understand why he's lost the vote of yours truly.

How does that old cliche' go about diapers and politicians needing to be changed frequently for the same reason?!

Could it be?!?

Sniff, sniff.

Might that be the scent of FOOTBALL in the air?!

I believe it is!

Oh, wondrous day!

That's right, ye socks. The first NFL pre-season game is being broadcast tonight, with the Washington Redskins taking on the Indianapolis Colts.

I can hardly stand it!

This means college and high school games will be resuming soon, too!

In the mean time, I have only this to say until the kick-off:

Hail to the Redskins!

Hail victory!

Braves on the warpath!

Fight for old DC!

Paying for it

Well, ye socks, after spending two weekends in a row on other endeavors, it was time to pay the piper today.

The work around this little corner of heaven has really piled up.

And, so has the pressure to get the Apopka house on the market.

Yours truly has truly been working his tail off down here today.

Tomorrow holds a similar itinerary.

I'm exhausted.

Signing off.

Sorrento is shrinking!

There seems to be an awful lot of hot air coming out of the nearby town of Sorrento lately.

It all started a couple of months ago when someone called the Lake County Sheriff Department to complain about a loud party.

A deputy was dispatched to restore order, but was promptly beaten by the revelers who were illegal aliens.

Sheriff Gary Bonds responded by increasing patrols in the Sorrento vicinity, causing a noticeable drop in the population surrounding "El Mercado del Pueblo."

Now, Tirso Moreno with the Farmworkers Association of Florida is insinuating the sheriff is behaving unfairly.

Disclaimer: I actually admire what Moreno's organization tries to do in the farmworker community, especially their AIDS education/awareness program, healthy babies initiative, and advocating for workplace safety and sanitation.

But, we part ways when it comes to enforcing the law, which is exactly what Sheriff Borders and his deputies are doing.

If there are illegal aliens leaving the area because of strict enforcement of the law, that is a GOOD thing. And, they should be applauded. Maybe, they can serve as an example to other jurisdictions.

Truth be told, though, I suspect many illegals are having a tough time finding employment in this economic downturn and are simply giving up and returning home.

I wonder, when they get back to their native lands, if they'll throw loud parties and beat up a cop or two . . .

Doubtful.