Who Woulda' Thought?!



Lake Ontario, hurricane Irene, and two wacko surfers.

Jon and I decided to take a car ride to the lake on Sunday and view the reported 10 foot waves created by hurricane Irene. Lake Ontario is only five minutes from my townhouse, so I figured if the weather got too bad, we could make a quick getaway, get to my place quick, and hang out in the basement.

Turns out the waves were at least ten feet high with wacko surfers out there in the water doing their thing. In fact one of the sufers had words printed on the back of his jacket that read, "Rochester Surfing Club". Who woulda' thought there was a surfing club in Rochester, NY? We don't have any surf, anywhere, except for this last Sunday, and that was due to hurricane Irene. They must practice in their jacuzzis or go out to Big Sur when they get a chance.

All I can say is those guys are crazier than I am, being out there in 10 foot plus waves. The wind was brutal. I was on the beach with my feet in the water taking pictures. There's no way I'd go any deeper than my ankles; not on a million dollar bet. No siree, Bob.  

My biggest thrill was waving to "lightly", a regular Horse Pucky reader and commentator, who lives across the lake, in Canada. Hey, lightly, I put a message in a bottle for you. Hope you got the note. If not, let me know. 

Hurricane Irene was kind to us in Rochester, NY. There was little rain, only 50 mph winds, and no damage. Viewing Mother Nature, at her most powerful, was awesome, breathtaking, and beautiful. It was a really cool experience.  

Horse Pucky Advice: Dish to Pass

Dear Horse Pucky,

My husband and I are invited to dinner at a couple's house this weekend. When I asked if we could bring a dish to pass, the hostess emphatically said, "No!" I feel really funny showing up empty handed. What should I do?

~Not Too Sure

Dear NTS,

First of all, I wouldn't have asked to bring a dish to pass. I suggest you purchase a nice bottle of their favorite wine to take to the house. If they don't drink, perhaps a lovely bouquet of flowers for the table would be nice. There are plenty of gorgeous summer flower bouquets available at local roadside stands.

Just remember, no means no.

On the other hand, if you were coming to my house for dinner, I'd have asked you to bring the whole dinner...and the wine...and the flowers.

~Horse Pucky

Rumble Seat

Holy moly! I was sitting on my swivel chair, in my office, when the chair started to vibrate. It started out feeling more like a quiver, then turned into a strong vibration.

The next thing I heard was a rattle. When I turned around to look where the noise was coming from, I saw my printer doing the shimmy shake on it's stand. The whole vibrating, rattle thing lasted about 10 seconds. If I wasn't so unnerved, I may have enjoyed the vibrating chair. "What the heck is going on?", I said outloud to the wall.

Across the computer screen was a wide yellow band with large black letters on the band that said, WEATHER ALERT, "There has been an earthquake in Virginia that has reached as far north as NY and D.C."  Now there's a real butt slapper for ya'. An earthquake in this area. Great.

This whole shake, rattle, and roll experience made me realize how important it is not to postpone things you enjoy doing, so I decided to go out and buy a vibrating chair.

Twisted Retoric

Ya gotta love those politicians and their twisted rhetoric. All the horse pucky they spew is enough to make you dizzy.

Unions, corporations, and the education industry are all major contributors to the political machine. Unfortunately, money talks. The chief players who influence public policy are the ones with the deepest pockets and unlimited funds.

Obama received *$24.5 million from individuals within the education industry who have a six figure plus income. We know who they are, and we know who they aren't. It's the superintendents of school districts, presidents of major universities, and their "yes" men. It's definitely not the teachers who are in the trenches all day.

The politicians claim it's a charitable, educational donation to help the students toward a better future through education. All I have to say to that is, "HORSE PUCKY"!!! Take that $24.5 million and put it toward more support staff for at risk students. Then maybe I'll start believing your claims for change; change that is supposed to better serve the people who voted you into office instead of listening to your twisted rhetoric.

* Figures from www.opensecrets.org

Sigma Delta Nu: Sisters of Devilish Nonsense

Class reunions bring out the best and the silliest in us. The beanie cap I'm wearing is something I saved from my high school days. Don't ask me why, 'cause I'm usually a tosser of all things not usable. I guess it's because I thought it would be fun if I showed up at my 50th class reunion with that silly looking cap. And it was; fun I mean.

I forgot what Sigma Delta Nu stood for and was reminded by one of my classmates that the Greek letters were the first letters of the phrase, Sisters of Devilish Nonsense. I should have known. I won't go any further with this, because what was said and done fifty years ago stays with the class of 1961. All I can tell you is, we had a lot of laughs mixed in with some very creative high jinks. I'll leave the rest to your imagination.