My mom . . . a photoblog.

Two years after she was born (1918)

Two years before she died (1989)

Further comments are not necessary.

Random thoughts on a Saturday.

Politicians need to retire the phrase "blood and treasure." It's overused and a bit too cute.

I understand why people buy vanity license plates. I have a couple myself. But, hey folks, if you can't come up with something more than your three initials and her three initials, just get the regular numbers. Those plates just scream "I HAVE NO IMAGINATION." If you have plates like that, don't yell at me. Work on your creativity. You'll accomplish more.

Someone tried to correct me when I used the word "prettier" last week. He thought it should be "more pretty." I said no, the comparative form of the adverb pretty is prettier, the superlative form is prettiest, and I think my usage is more better.

I was at the mall today, and they were holding one of those kiddie pageants. You know the type - five and six-year-old little girls in frilly dresses and makeup. It was way too Jon-Benet for me. What are these mothers thinking?

The masseuse called Mary Kate Olson four times before calling 911? An obvious case of body temperature exceeding IQ.

I've been reading Greg Iles lately. In fact, after reading one book, I went to Amazon and used my birthday and Christmas gift cards (thanks, kids!) to buy everything he has published. I ride the express bus to work almost every day, and reading keeps me semi-sane. The problem with Iles is that I can't put his books down. Trite, but true. I guess part of the facsination is because Iles lives in Natchez, Mississipi. I love that town, and probably would live there if I could. It's not only a beautiful place, but my family has history there. My 5th great-grandfather was among a group of folks from the New York/New Jersey area who moved to Mississippi in 1773 and settled on an English land grant known as the Ogden Mandamus. Iles uses the area liberally in his stories, and my knowledge of the area bring the tales to life. If you like a good mystery read, pick up an Iles book. Turning angel is particularly good.