Oklahoma Wins!

We have returned from our vacation in California and Nevada. We had a wonderful time. 

I love spending time with my cousins and we were able to spend a real nice evening with my favorite Aunt Sally, who is well into her 80's. 

Camping at Mt. Madonna County Park with Rickey and Robert is always a relaxing and fun week, full of camp fires, amazing meals, family, newly made friends and lots of laughter. 

The second leg of our trip, we found a really nice RV park in Carson City, NV where we spent another 5 days just a short driving distance from Mike and Kathy and our delightful grandgirls. 

Oh. But the traveling. 

Yesterday on our way home from Tucumcari, NM to Conway, AR, an eleven hour drive (only because neither of us could tolerate those hours divided up into small 3-to-4 hour increments) we reached a monumental conclusion. Bear with me. 

We have driven through 26 states in the last few years, some of which have been in an SUV pulling a travel trailer and some of which has been in our motor home. No matter the mode of transportation, there is one state that, hands down, wins the "Best Roads Award" so far: New Mexico. Not only do they maintain their roads so beautifully, but they make an attempt (and succeed) to make the exits, overpasses and medians attractive.....even beautiful. 

The worst: Oklahoma wins! Driving I-40 through Oklahome was like 6 hours of someone hitting my body with a baseball bat repeatedly. It was so bad, at one point another driver motioned to us about something amiss at the front of our motor home. We pulled over, Tom proceeded to check it out and found that the constant bumps, pot holes, tar strips, cracks and basic lack of any kind of maintenance had caused the hood over the engine to come loose from it's brackets and was flapping open. 

But it's good to be home. It's fairly quiet. I no longer feel Ike I'm still moving even when I'm sitting still. That's definitely a plus. 

Go Home Winter. You're Drunk!

It's been a rough winter. Not just here in Arkansas, but all over the U.S.

We had some real unusual weather for central Arkansas last week. Thunder, ice and sleet. In March!

The roads were treacherous. I-40, the main interstate through Arkansas, was a parking lot for two days. The governor had to call on the National Guard to help trapped motorists.

I was lucky to capture these photos at all. It was probably the second time I ventured out of the house all winter.

Okay. That was a bit of an exaggeration. I've been out. I've been to the grocery store a few times, the post office, volunteering at the Clothes Closet. But I haven't done much more. Mostly I've been hibernating in thick winter hiking socks, sweatpants, sweatshirt and long sleeve shirt underneath day dreaming about warm beaches and sunshine.

When I left the house Thursday morning, there was one last small patch of ice left in the shaded valley of the roof and by Friday afternoon not one ice patch remained.

Saturday was glorious. Sunshine, high 60's. Tom pulled the plants out of the garage and watered them well. We worked in the back yard a little and ate lunch on the patio for the first time since last fall. More of that kind of weather for the beginning of the week, then it's supposed to cool down a little, but no ice.

Hopefully, by the end of March we'll be able to roll the plants out of the garage and on to the back patio until next fall.

My Thoughts

So. Romney's pick for his Vice Presidential nominee is Paul Ryan and their first interview as a couple was with Bob Schieffer of CBS for a segment on 60 Minutes. If you'd like to watch it, you can do so HERE, but it pretty much lacks substance.

The Romney campaign wants to turn the page away from the unanswered questions concerning Romney's taxes, but after last night's little reveal I think the keyboard will be stuck on the t-word for a little while to come. Here's the part of the interview where Schieffer asks about Ryan's tax returns:

Bob Schieffer: How many years of tax returns did you turn over to the campaign?

Paul Ryan: Well, it was a very exhaustive vetting process. It's a confidential vetting process, so there were several years. But I'm going to release the same amount of years that Governor Romney has. But I got to tell you, Bob--

Bob Schieffer: And how many was that?

Paul Ryan: He's-- two. He's-- I'm going to be releasing two, which is what he's releasing.

So, in order to be considered for the vice-presidential nomination, Romney and his team required Paul Ryan to produce more years of tax returns than Romney, the presidential nominee, is willing to release to the American people? Justify that.

Paul Ryan is probably most well known for his budget proposal that would eliminate Medicare as we know it and turn it into a voucher system. His budget also provides for huge tax cuts for folks earning more than $200,000 and increasing taxes for low and middle income taxpayers to pay for those tax cuts for those folks in the upper income brackets. In addition, Ryan’s plan would eliminate capital gains taxes. And, coincidentally, almost all of Romney's income consists of - you guessed it! - capital gains. Instead of the exhorbitant 14% - already about 20% lower than the rest of us working stiffs pay - Romney's taxes would be reduced to nearly ZERO! Yay!! They love America, but they don't want to have to contribute to America. They'll let "you people" do it.

So, of course, back in March Romney said, "I think it'd be marvelous if the Senate were to pick up Paul Ryan's budget and to adopt it and pass it along to the president."

But apparently, the Ryan budget isn't so great after all. Now Romney is trying to side-step around the Ryan plan pointing out that he has his own plan.

Bob Schieffer: There's no question your campaign has been trying to make this election a referendum on Barack Obama. Now, some people are saying you are making it a referendum on Paul Ryan's budget plan.

Mitt Romney: Well, I have my budget plan as you know that I've put out. And that's the budget plan that we're going to run on.

The selection has been made. Romney chose as his running mate the author of probably the most draconian budget plan ever presented, but now he doesn't want to talk about it? Good luck.

I think this is about all we're going to be talking about until November, after which Paul Ryan can go back to Wisconsin and Mitt Romney can go back to Massachusetts and President Obama can get on with guiding America through the toughest economic recovery since the Great Depression.

A Breakthrough

Well, I do believe Joe has at least some minimal learning capabilities. I'm shocked. I didn't think it was possible.

I'm away from home at least two mornings a week. It's been so hot that I don't like putting Joe outside while I'm gone, even with a bowlful of water. So, I put him in the laundry room with his bed, water and food. But I take him outside before I leave and even when I'm home I take him out about the same time every morning. 

My directive is quite simple. As I stand with the back screen door ajar, I merely say {in the most stern voice I can muster}, "Joe. Let's go!" and I wave my arm toward the yard.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I have to follow him out to make sure he doesn't poop or pee on the patio, as he seems to have an aversion to grass, particularly if it's even the slightest bit damp, since he has convinced himself that he is an inside-only dog and all.

It's quite remarkable. I didn't know dogs could poop and pee on command instead of waiting for the urge. But now at least the command center is finally our backyard and no longer the living room carpet.