Republican hypocrits (nothing new, really)

House Speaker Dennis Hastert of Ill., gets out of a Hydrogen Alternative Fueled automobile, left, as he prepares to board his SUV, which uses gasoline after holding a news conference at a local gas station in Washington, Thursday, April 27, 2006 to discuss the recent rise in gas prices.

Hastert and other members of Congress drove off in the Hydrogen-Fueled cars only to switch to their official cars to drive the few blocks back to the U.S. Capitol. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Looks like the old boy ought to walk those few blocks back...

If you're still voting Republican, you really need to wake up. If these hypocrits keep control of Congress during the midterm elections, I will know that this country is honestly and truly sunk. Sure, what's pictured above isn't the worst thing anyone has ever done, but it's a really good example of the kinds of liars who have hijacked our government for the last six years.

It's up to you, America. Get yourself some self-respect, lady, and get out of the bed you're sharing with these oily neocons.

Janey-Jane Ackerham, 2003(?) - April 20, 2006

*Sigh* I've lost yet another of my little friends. This time, Janey-Jane, the sweetest little hamster you could ever imagine. I found her Thursday morning, nestled into one of the several nests she had made in her blue Carefresh bedding for the transitional time between winter and spring--not cold enough to need to sleep in one of the hamster hotels but not warm enough to sprawl out on the second or third floor balcony. She was just a little doll. Every day I'd go in with some fresh greens and a little bit of carrot, and I'd call out her name. Soon enough she'd be poking her little nose out and crawling out to see what I'd brought for her.

She'd usually eat her dandelion leaf tip first. She loved those. And endive. Sometimes she'd nibble a little and then run to the edge of the cage to crawl out into my hand or accept seeds and other food treats through the bars, nudging gently with her soft lips and sometimes a bit more insistently with her teeth. It never hurt--she was such a good girl.

I found her nestled down and in a sleeping position, her soft little feet under her and relaxed. I think she still had a few goodies in her cheeks, too. She died comfortably, warmly, and in peace, just as she lived for almost two years with me. I'll never forget how she "found me" at a adoption fair I had gone to for The Rabbit Resource in mid-August 2004. There were some wonderful folks there doing small animal rescue--hamsters, rats, mice, gerbils, and a few others. We were all packing up at the end of the afternoon, and I wandered over to their table. I saw Janey-Jane, dark brownish-black with a light underbelly and white feet and muzzle, in one of their aquariums, and I asked about her. She was an adult, just one of the many rescues from the jaws of snakes and the hands of uneducated youngsters.

I had a large three-story wire hamster cage at home and five bucks in my pocket. That was the adoption fee.

Best five bucks I ever spent.

Sleep softly, Janey-Jane. I loved you so much, and you are already missed so acutely in my life and so unbearably in my heart. If love could have kept you alive, you would have been with me forever. I hope the Rainbow Bridge has lots of big striped sunflower seeds (not those little black ones you didn't like so much), peanuts, almonds, and, of course, dandelion greens.

Moving day looms large

Well, just one short week now until the movers officially come and take my meager furniture and other miscellaneous belongings that wouldn't fit into my moving vehicle (a Honda Civic; yes, I've moved almost all of my belongings using a two-door economy car). I couldn't be more excited about all that's afoot. We've been having the floors in the downstairs redone, and I simply cannot believe how great they're looking. Seems that every time we do something at that place, we discover some little charming detail--patterned floors under old carpets; a pleasant sitting area overlooking the backyard, revealed only after demolishing a shingled carport type structure; and some kind of little trinket shelf built into the dining room wall. Okay, I'm not so sure about that last thing. The electrician discovered it and told us about it. We haven't totally uncovered it yet to know the full extent of it. It sounds so quaint though, and it would definitely explain those lumps under the wallpaper in there...

Anyway, there's a bunch of anxiety going along with all of this. Introducing my cats to Scott's cats isn't something I'm looking forward to, although once they all make friends, it should be a blast. The general pain of unpacking and moving in still awaits for the most part, even though most of my stuff is over there and out of the boxes--there's always more settling in to be done. And then also hanging around is a bunch of other anxious-making stuff that's purely of my own making. Ah well. Such it is with any new adventure in life. We can only wait and see what happens.

I just can't wait to move in! It's wonderful there, and I've been obsessively thinking about moving in for weeks now. Soon we'll be there!