Yaye is Proud to be a U.S. American

Watch this video and see why...

I see your butterfly, and bring you butterfly on finger

Did you know that Butterfly Bushes are considered invasive plants in the state of Washington...how sad is that. I have purple butterfly bushes (cause I started wearing purple for you now) and yesterday there was one butterfly that just couldn't be away from us. It landed on my rubber boot then on Mr. T's finger this is a photo of Mr. T transferring butterfly to Yayo.

Your white butterfly bush is quite lovely. Did you know that they make a wonderful bouquet and can be propagated easily. If you pick off the deadheads then the plant will bloom more. Not that I'm in favor of picking on or off deadheads...I have a soft spot for dead heads.

Yaye's Garden: Butterfly Bushes Really Work

Nature sure is detail-oriented.

You really need to open this one up to its full size. This is my current wallpaper.

Just sharing some of the pretty!

We will Barack U - Obama - rama

Tallulah has been Barack - ed!

The only thing Madonna and Tallulah have in common

Mr. T and I became big fans a year or so ago of a little film called Everything is Illuminated. One of our favorite parts was the ending tune. Which is what you see above. I'm hearing that Madonna likes Gogol Bordello as well, and has done a show with them. It's one of the only things Madonna and I have in common our love of this band.

Anyway, after a hard day, we always blast this song and try to do an old world dance.

Attack of the Killer Yellow Jackets

I've (Tallulah) decided that a picture of a real yellow jackets is scary so I've opted to simply put up a picture of a yellow jacket. The following is what happened today.

I was minding my own business working on the website that will take forever to complete and I hear this horrible gut wrenching gutteral screams of pain coming from Yayo. He's clutching his side like he's been seriously injured. (Sadly, first thought is no insurance how much is this going to cost?) I run to him, he's absolutely panicked and I can't seem to understand him through his screams of pain. All I could get out was that "Dad hurt too" - Oh good god.

I grab Yayo all 6'5" of him and put him in the bathroom he's pulling his hair. He finally says...Dad and I attacked by a swarm of Yellow Jackets I start looking at his body, there are at least 40 stings that I could tell. I grab baking soda, run around for benadryl...must find Old Man...he's allergic to honey bees...does that mean yellow jackets too?

Find him he's bright red and moaning. ..he's been stung everywhere but his face. Where the hell did I put the benadryl.

Call emergency room to get advice...they tell me that can not legally give any advice and if I feel like bringing them in I should...Old Man won't go. Call everyone I know in the medical profession...tell them what I've given them. Med friends say...if throat is not closing up and tongue not tingling then Benadryl should work just fine, they'll just be in pain. One pal says to make poultice of aspirin. I go one step further... it produced sweet relief with boys:

Grind up into paste:

Aspirin (a handful)
Baking Soda (half a handful)
Plantain tea (pick a bunch from the lawn boil and steep for 20 minutes) Mix in bowl it will get frothy, rub on stings with cotton ball. No scientific evidence on this remedy, it's just what my head kept telling me to do.

Research done, yellow jackets go crazy this time of year (late summer and fall)

see article:

Seasonal incidence of insect stings: autumn 'yellow jacket delirium'

Boys seem to be doing okay, they're asleep. I've checked several times, they're breathing... I believe we'll survive.

And how was your day?

Tallu's Deathwatch 2007

I've chosen the apple blossom as my symbol of death. Why? I don't know maybe because I didn't feel like creating a graphic. Let me see if I can make an analogy to life and death with an apple blossom.

An Apple Blossom is born a bud (whoa dude a bud! Chah! Yah Brah!) Then it like totally blossoms to like a blossom which is totally like a teenager...whatever....then it slowly becomes an apple. When the apple is ripe it gets ripped out of like its comfort zone, plucked unsuspectingly into a bag (for this discussion). Then brought into a kitchen where it is again prodded with giant TEETH and EATEN then tossed away to be composted somewheres.

I'm still on death watch for two old friends and I've talked to both of them for at least an hour ...it's never easy to say goodbye. I don't want giant teeth to eat them, but I know we will all be composted in someway. I guess, it puts everything into perspective so may I just make a little note to the few who read the blog...

Here's what I want at my memorial...cause I want to be cremated.

1. Lots and lots of good wine. Red or white doesn't matter cause well I won't be there.
2. Lots and Lots of cheese, good bread, olives, chocolate and snacky things...I have always liked to snack.
3. Music, music and more music.
4. People MUST dance.
5. Fireworks
6. Bubbles
7. Elephant Rides
8. Women must wear silly tiaras and/or feathered boas
9. Men MUST NOT wear suits. However, someone must wear a Fez and someone else a 10 gallon hat and then there must be someone to wear a Beret.
10. Hurdy Gurdy Man with monkey...I like monkeys.


PS: Smidgen of Ashes to be scattered in the following places: Pacific Ocean (near where I got arrested), In the woods behind my house, Connecticut, Philly, New York (in case I never get there....if I do get there then I will update), Puerto Neuvo, Baja Mexico.

I know this is a morbid post, but I had to put it out there. Please whatever you do don't forget the Hurdy Gurdy Man... I just loved those little monkeys...

Tallu and Yaye new recruits? Oh that would be bad.

Forget that Private Benjamin is my (Tallu) favorite Goldie Hawn movie. I cannot stomach the following:

Source: Associated Press (read the whole story)

WASHINGTON (AP) - Frequent tours for U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan have stressed the all-volunteer force and made it worth considering a return to a military draft, President Bush's new war adviser said Friday.

``I think it makes sense to certainly consider it,'' Army Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute said in an interview with National Public Radio's ``All Things Considered.''

``And I can tell you, this has always been an option on the table. But ultimately, this is a policy matter between meeting the demands for the nation's security by one means or another,'' Lute added in his first interview since he was confirmed by the Senate in June.


And leave it again to the british press...this link I found from Mothers Against the Draft.

Concern over US army recruitment

This year the army appears to be on target to reach the 80,000 goal but to do so it has had to double the top enlistment bonuses for recruits from $20,000 to $40,000. It has also had to loosen medical standards, forgive more minor criminal offences, raise the age limit for new recruits from 35 to 42 and accept more people who did not finish high school.

Somehow...I don't think they'd actually do it. But the thought is quite, well... can you imagine going through boot camp? Not to mention anything else. On the good side, someone would finally force me to exercise everyday...but I think I'd rather force that issue on my own thank you very much.

Tallu, You've Got to Rock Your Bella Streak...

Take your inspiration from this image by Bumblescutt...

...and check out the henna body art in this one by Hito...

Twice envisioned with your streak. How can you be anyone else for Halloween?

No rubber masks...EVER!!!

Tallu asks: What do Harry Potter and Barack Obama Have in Common?

Well, really they don't have much in common except both will be hot Halloween costumes. And are hotly debated almost daily. (Oh my Professor Snape......just a moment with him in the penseive....yikes I scare myself) Ahhhh but I digress...

You should check out the site obamamask.com.

What I like about this site aside from the pure home spun cheesy red white and blueness of it all is that they claim they will not ship production off shore, unlike 90% of Halloween manufacturers. I mean who knows what's in a latex mask from China... ecoli? High levels of lead? Asbestos? I'm not about to chance it, I'll buy small business American made.

I like Barack, I don't know if I'd vote for him, I'm not sure who I will vote for...I'm very cynical about the whole process...what did Pete Townshend write way way back in 1971?

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

Anyway, I may just be Barack Obama for Halloween only I might pair it with a Gryffindor sweater. I don't know this mask is so life like I may just hit the campaign trail, been needing to take a roadtrip...where to go, where to go...

Yaye any ideas? Pacific Northwest? South West? North East? Mid West? American Territories Guam or Puerto Rico?