Thank you both for your support. I need it.

I'm the sort of person that no matter what a person asks about, I usually say "I can do that." Train a horse or dog? "I can do that." Write or act in a play? "I can do that." Jump off a 100' cliff onto an air mattress? "I can do that." Truth to tell, it doesn't always work out quite the way desired. So it might be my ego that finally does me in. My older brothers took full advantage of that, although I'll admit they never expected me to do anything they wouldn't.

But how hard could it be to call up 3 or 4 people a month, ask them a few friendly general questions about their life and inspirations, and thank them for participating whether as donor or recipient, dropping a little hint along the way to spread the word. I'm not smart enough to suffer stage fright. On stage I always figured those people in the audience wouldn't have shelled out $ if they didn't think we were worth it.

1) Identify self and ask if the person has a few minutes to spare or would another time work better for them?

2) Express sincere gratitude for their time and participation.

3) Find out if they want to be identified by name, general location, and profession or not.

3) Ask for any little (not too) personal story about what inspired them.

4) Find out if they want to send a picture to go with their story.

5) Thank them for their time and participation, and ask them to help us spread the word.

6) Shut up and hang up.

7) Write down what they said.

Easy peasy, right? I'm open to suggestions for additional questions.

Wish me luck. I've been offered an excellent part time position helping create and basically run

a newsletter for a growing non-profit HQ'd back East. Well, it's more important to wish us all luck since the organization's dedicated to helping the poorest of the poor on a number of fronts. I've been out of harness so long I don't really want the pressure that goes with a paid position anyway; and since I certainly support their cause, I said just fold back in what they would've paid me otherwise. That way they're spared an extra employee, more applicants can be helped, and I feel less pressure too. It's only part time. I couldn't handle full time. But since all my working expenses will be met, equipment etc., I'll feel well rewarded. No ownership will be in my name, either legally or in effect. I'll just devote a few hours a week from my home in flyover country doing very pleasant tasks. They'd be legally entitled to return of equipment if things go south, but I don't believe that will happen. And they wouldn't make me anyway. They're in expansion mode, so everyone please wish us well.

I have no intention of talking about my new project here where I retired, either. None of their business. Too many people have not been nice enough to know my business. And I don't need to brag.

For my money,

having nuns (and especially Mothers Superior) worthy of deep respect and love also makes it easier for us to accept and receive more blessings from the Queen of Heaven. I hold with those who cannot imagine her Son turning down any request from his mother. To any protestants reading this, let me say: most of realize we don't need permission or help from anyone to speak directly to our sweet Savior. But I find the idea of turning down intercession on our behalf from the rest of the heavenly kingdom to be a ludicrous waste of resources, not to mention a certain amount of undeserved disrespect. Most people of any religion believe in the efficacy of intercessory prayer by other humans on earth, and they believe in an afterlife usually. It isn't even consistent to imagine there's no use petitioning those who've crossed over before us. Especially the very Mother of God. I'm rather fond of St. Francis too, who even preached to the birds and Brother Sun and Sister Moon. It's a thing of incredible beauty, and we can only see through a glass darkly for now.

One further note:

Everyone's born with a certain degree of psychic ability. Lack of informed training and the disapproval of society at large drive it underground, though, to the point it might as well not exist. For most people. Those who escape or overcome the obstacles are fortunate indeed.

The main part of this town where I retired for financial reasons in

RedNeckLand/flyover country is only 12 blocks square. The church is catty corner across the alley, and the bank I use is just a block farther. The bank I use is only about one more block, and the town square with a few businesses still there including my favorite hardware store, weekly newspaper, and a lumber yard. 2 funeral homes since the whole county has to come here. In a different direction from home there's a nice public library that I'll miss when the GOP manages to shut it down. About half a mile away there's a decent grocery store about half the size or less than a real supermarket store and a few tiny other shops like a pharmac. 2 gas stations; stuff like that.

When a little boy was asked by Linkletter what animal he wanted to be, the kid said a cat

because his dad wanted to be the same thing so he could go out tom catting around.

I'm still laughing about that one.

Does it have to be this moment?

I'd have to say I'm getting ready to watch Person of Interest. Or you might as well say 'listen to' with a 7" tv.

My music tastes are very wideranging and include at least some samples of most genres. Folk and blues might be my favorites, but not when I'm listening to Cohen. Or Beethoven or Dylan or JD Simo or.... you get the picture. What I don't care for is nasal 'singing', especially in country and pop. I do like people such as John Legend and Harry Connick Jr. because they don't screech. The list of women singers is yards long and to be kept for later - except mentioning Joan Baez and Sinead O'Connor and Tracy Chapman and....

Yet another great reason to boycott McDonalds.

I don't care WHAT gets rid of them, just so something does.

The GOP, of course. Not an entire generation of young voters!

President Obama's executive order workaround has many other surprises

for the part of NO, I'm sure of it. As to this one, I've always been horrified by employers trying to escape their obligations by 'promoting' the lowliest floor sweeper to a manager of some kind. The fed's definition of managerial status requires a lot of discretionary powers on the part of any such individual. In the matter of so-called independent contractors, that stinkbomb won't fly when you have no control over your working hours and such beyond just saying "Yes, boss". And those fast food owners paying their employees in meal coupons? Don't anyone ever ask me why I deplore the GOP or I might just explode.