Happy Halloween

We had a beautiful night for Halloween - a little nippy, but pleasant.

It was so nippy this little princess was covering up part of her beautiful dress with a coat. No wonder all the kids were attracted to the cauldron. They thought it would be putting off real heat.

We had 50-60 trick or treaters, but not a major rush at any time. It would have been nice to have more. I so enjoy the kiddies in their costumes.

Part of the problem is that the only houses on my block that have their lights on are me and my next door neighbor to the west.

The neighbors to the east have four little boys so they're out trick or treating with them. Most of the other folks in the neighborhood just don't give out candy. A few have small kids, but most are just only giving out candy to those they know who go up on their porches, even though their porch lights are not on.

Greg did the setup as usual. Mark wasn't able to come this year so we did a simpler setup. As usual, we used the fog machines, which give a nice fuzziness to everything. I usually can't wait to go get a shower after being in the midst of it all night.



Teresa is doing fundraiser at the station. Geez, I always HATED doing that on Halloween. Anyway, she stopped by on her way home. My house is right on her drive, and I was out in the yard so she stopped to say hello briefly. We tried to get her to stay, but she wanted to go home and rest.


Jesse popped by a little later. We ended up going out to get a bite with him and then Terry joined us. Terry is always so funny. He said they had about 90 trick or treaters.

Greg did a tiki mask again, with the fog machine behind it. It was a cool look. I think next year we need to do more stuff.

There's something odd about thinking you need to do more elaborate things to get people come take your free candy.

Roe v. Wade

Well, we have a new supreme court nominee. And, big surprise, it's a very conservative one. The talking heads are going on about how this will most certainly be all about Roe v. Wade.

People... pay attention... NO ONE in political office is really interested in overturning Roe v. Wade. I don't care what they say - they are NOT interested - Republican, Democrat, conservative, independent or liberal. ESPECIALLY not the conservatives who talk about it the loudest.

Are you all too dense to see that no republican wants it overturned because as long as it's in place, they can get your vote, despite how incredibly incompetent they may be, as long as they blather on about how much they want it overturned.

VOTERS... we have really important things going on in this country. Stop giving all this credit to an issue that's a non-issue. When the effort is really mounted to overturn it, lets get excited about it then. Until then, lets stop giving it this much attention. Between the abortion debate, which has been raging for decades with absolutely no push to do anything real; and the gay marriage debate, which got started as soon as the abortion debate started declining - we can't seem to get anything important done in this country. Who thinks it's a bad idea for people who've made a committment to each other to have some legal rights? What kind of sense does that make? And with the hetrosexual divorce rate over 50% for decades I'm sure glad the "sanctity of marriage" is intact. "Until death do us part" is another way of saying "until something better comes along." I better stop or I'll get started a rant other than the one I'm already in.

While the populace is focused on these things we're borrowing money from China like there's no tomorrow (and, of course there's not going to be at this rate) and there's a nutburger with nuclear weapons in North Korea (we think Iraq is a security risk - please, a little reality). We're fighting a war about nothing on two fronts. (I thought it was about oil but since prices continue to rise I must be wrong about that. So, it's about nothing. It's sure as hell not about 9-11 and terror when we're not fighting those responsible.) Meanwhile, we are letting our own people die in the streets after disasters, not to mention slow deaths that happen every day in the US from hunger.

Did you know that 281 children died in Wichita last year from starvation? Yes, starvation. In Wichita - little city of less than 300,000. While you're out arguing about Roe v. Wade being overturned, you could be focusing your energy on saving children that are already here. Actions speak louder than words so I guess what that says is that it's fine for them to die of starvation once they're born - no problems there - but they HAVE to be born so they can suffer and die a slow, horrible death. How humane. No wonder you voted for people who let New Orleans residents die in the streets.

Stop wasting all this energy on this bullshit. Accept that none of the representatives you've voted to put into office because they wanted to overturn Roe v. Wade have done a single thing to make that happen. Wake up. They are not interested. They're lying to you. If anyone were really that interested, this issue would have been discussed somewhere other than in the press for decades.

And once you wake up, put your energies toward something important, something that's actually going to happen. Make your representatives deal with real problems. Oh, and since we're getting such a late start, you might brush up on your Chinese too.

Snack Trays Galore

I have been putting dishes on shelves a large part of the day, including snack trays.

Snack trays, sometimes called luncheon sets, are those little plates with an indentation for the cup. I've been collecting them for years. I don't know why, but they "speak to me." I have been putting them all in one location today. Actually, I have many more in the garage that aren't even in the house, but one thing at a time - I'm going to work on the house, then I'll get to the garage.

I also moved some shelving in my office around. I am a person who needs a lot of table space and a lot of shelving. While it's not the most attractive thing, it's the most productive thing for me. Everything I like to do requires table space and storage. I've learned that one cannot have storage without going vertical. Well, OK, maybe if you have a huge house you can, but I can't.

I'm going to work for a little bit longer and then hit the sack. I've got an early day tomorrow, kicking off a full week. And, of course, I want to enjoy Halloween.

Greg and I went to Skaets for a burger tonight and then just headed on out to Walmart to pick up Halloween candy. He's going to decorate my house and be here for Halloween, which suits me just fine. Unfortunately, Mark couldn't come as planned. But, I'm sure we'll have a fun Halloween anyway. Next to Christmas, it's my favorite holiday. It's so fun to see all the kiddos in their costumes.

America Needs its Own Petroskia

Tonight I went to hear Mikhail Gorbachev, former Russian President, speak in Lindsborg.

It was an interview format and Alan Murray of the Wall Street Journal was the interviewer. There was a chess table between them and they were playing, but Murray admitted he's not really a chess player.

I alternated between wanting to take pictures and wanting to take notes. One thing I loved was that Gorbachev was witty. Even though he was using an interpreter, he was funny and it came through.

Murray asked a few historical questions, including about the beginning of disarmament. Gorbachev said he was driven to end nuclear proliferation because "that war must never be fought."

When asked what he thought of Ronald Reagan during those talks, Gorbachev said that he was "a remarkable individual. A real person who wanted to do something to insure peace in the world." He said Reagan had "tremendous instincts" and that his profession of being an actor helped him. He said when Reagan spoke at the Berlin wall that he played that role, but that Gorbachev did not pay much attention because he knew it was a role.

When asked about today's situation, Gorbachev said,"National interests exist but now we live in a world where we need to promote peace to all people. It is a common responsibility to create a global peace."

At one point Murray asked what Gorbachev thought of the current president. Gorbachev said through his interpreter, "It is your responsibility to validate your president. Don't try to give that responsibility to us Russians." He got a good laugh and applause for that. Obviously, Gorbachev is still quite the diplomat.

One of the most interesting things was when Murray asked Gorbachev about how the world changed when we went from two superpowers to only one - the United States.

Gorbachev said we needed to be realistic about the position of the US and that much of the world is concerned about America's debt. He says it's "alarming," and that "America lives in debt to the future and to others."

He said the world worries about America's debt because they know that if the American economy collapsed it would be bad for many other economies.

He said the idea put forth that it's God will for America to lead now reminds him of the Bolshevik idea of a world empire. He said the American elite need to rethink their situation and get rid of their superiority complex. He said, "America needs its own Petroskia." And needs to understand that "no country can lead alone."

He said no country can solve everything on its own, we need international organizations "working for the common good of all people of the world." He said, "People want partnership, but object to domination."

Gorbachev's speech in Lindsborg kicks off a year long series of events dubbed, "Chess for Peace." http://www.chessforpeace.org/

It was started with the help of world chess champion Anatoly Karpov, who is a friend of Gorbachev. Karpov has started 15 international chess schools, and the one in Lindsborg is the first one in the US.

When a world leader is nearby, so is security - as one would expect. This quiet little town of about 3,300 called on multiple law enforcement agencies for help.

Karpov invited the former leader to come to Lindsborg and Gorbachev accepted with the stipulation that Karpov come with him and they play chess. All of that happened today.

In fact, this afternoon there was a match between Karpov and Susan Polgar, the women's world chess champion.

I hear through the grapevine that she won two games and two were ties. The chess aficionados who were sitting near me tonight were discussing how quickly they played.

There was tons of school kids from all over the place playing chess, too.

There was a parade, during which I understand Gorabachev walked and visited and then made an impromptu speech. My friend, Greg, was there and took these photos. I'm sure he'll be posting more at www.thelope.blogspot.com.

Lindsborg is a community about 45 minutes from here and a fascinating place to visit. I've spent considerable time there over the years.

It's a Swedish community and well known for its appreciation of the arts, particularly music. When I worked at Radio Kansas we were often at Bethany College recording events, including the yearly Messiah festival that is broadcast all over the country.

Tonight's activities were held in Presser Hall, which also hosts many other activities. It's a beautiful facility.

Bethany conferred an honorary degree on Gorbachev and ending the evening with a children's choir performance. There were numerous opportunities to see people in native Swedish dress.

Lindsborg is a testament to what a few people who are devoted to their community can accomplish. I'm fortunate to live nearby and be able to enjoy all it brings to the quality of life in this area.

It's not every day one gets a chance to hear a former world leader speak, much less the architect of the fall of communism. I'm so glad I went to hear him.

Bad Bush Admin. Week

Indictments are flying, approval ratings are dropping, and nominees are withdrawing. The Bush administration has been having a hard week, that comes right after a hard month. Could it be that - finally - people are going to come out of their stupor and see how this administration has failed the American people?

Ready for the Weekend

I worked on the MHA newsletter today. Newsletters are something I actually enjoy doing but they're one of those things that people always want to have done but they never want anyone to work on them.

I used to joke about this at my former workplace - work that no one wants you to do but everyone wants done. I think it happens in every job. And newsletters are one of those things that seem to always fall into that category.

I finally got my ticket for the Gorbachev speech tomorrow. The phone was just busy constantly but I finally got through late today.

Tonight I went to Peggy's. She fixed a wonderful supper and then she, Cynda, Deb and I talked about Altrusa things. Gary was there and fun as always. I'm trying to convince him to become our first male Altrusan here. He works for the group already, we might as well make him official.

Greg is going to Lindsborg early tomorrow. I was hoping we could go up together but I guess that won't work out. I don't want to go really early in the day.

Tonight I'm going to do some writing on this article for Kansas Country Living and then hit the hay. Tomorrow I'd like to get some things done on the house. I haven't had much time to work on it this week.

Mark was planning to come down for Halloween but he can't, so that changes my weekend plans a bit. Maybe I'll be productive with regard to the house.

Things That Take Time

I've spent today doing things that take a ton of time and show no real benefit quickly. In some ways I love projects like this - the slow, steady progress. In other ways, I hate them - because people think nothing is happening.

It seems I always have jobs that fall into these categories.

Early this morning I worked on the house - moving and rearranging things. You can't really tell a lot of difference because there are still tons of things everywhere.

During the workday I worked on the newsletter. Again - no progress is demonstrated until it's out the door. It's the nature of the beast.

I'm also looking for homes for the Christmas homes tour set for the first Sunday in December.

Tonight Greg and I had a burger at Skaets then I decided to stop by the library and pick up "Running with Scissors," that Julie had recommended. I parked beside Jocelyn and as I was walking in was thinking why she was there. Then I remembered there was a lecture by a Buddhist nun tonight. Then I was thinking why wasn't I there. Then - suddenly - I remembered - I was supposed to be at a reception at the arts center tonight. I COMPLETELY forgot about it. Just a fluke. It rarely happens to me and generally means I'm overextended. But I'm sorry I forgot it. I wanted to go. There were three things I was wanted to do tonight and I didn't get any of them done.

But, I went downstairs to the friends preview night for the library sale and said hello to Darlene and some others there I knew. Then popped upstairs and saw Jocelyn, Diana, Austin, Theda, Evelyn, John and Catherine, even though the lecture was over.

We talked for quite a while and I did finally get the book I went in to get, along with "The Mermaid's Chair." I have far too much to do to be reading, but I'm going to anyway.