Povey Prattle

My blog will be off-line until Monday 8th November 2010 In the meantime here are some local scenes. 1. Bougainvillea 2.Flowering tree in November 2010 3. Neighbourhood visitor 4. Snowy Egret in the shrubs. 5 and 6.    Bismark Palm

With  thanks to E.K.

Yes Mr. President. Come 2011 the House of Representatives will be dominated by the G.O.P.   (Greedy Oligarchs Party). The Senate will have a DEM majority (Dismal, Enervated, Milquetoast Party). Thank heavens we shall still have our excellent and wise President.   He has a good mind which he puts to good use.   He is mercifully unflappable.  Thankfully he is possessed with neither the braggadocio of George Bush, nor the lack of personal discipline of Bill Clinton.     His is a calm presence in a wild political season.  His is the voice of moderation midst the clamour of un-reason. President Barack Obama ran for office on the slogan of “Yes WE can”.   He did not say “I can”. He did not say “the Democrats can” .      He said “Yes, WE can”. Sadly the Republicans and the “Blue-Dog” Democrats chose not to be part of the WE, even though he led from the centre.  Instead they chose to oppose him at every turn.  In...

Church leaders meet with President on eve of election (Episcopal Church) Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and other church leaders met with President Obama on the eve of the election. The National Council of Churches revealed the meeting in a press release Monday, as reported by the Rev. Chuck Currie of the United Church of Christ: This afternoon, on the eve of the mid-term election and in celebration of 100 years of U.S. Christian cooperation across denominational lines, prominent American Christian leaders met with President Obama to speak for the millions of Americans struggling to find jobs, make their next rent or mortgage payment, and put food on the table. Leaders with both the National Council of Churches and the global humanitarian agency Church World Service thanked President Obama for passage of historic health reform legislation and robust engagement with the faith community, while also pressing him to take a strong stance on behalf of families faci...

Earlier this year I had a battle with fleas.   They invaded my home.   They were relentless in their attacks on my dog and cats. None of the chemical cures (“Front-line”, and whole house spraying) were effective, even after I had thrown out Penne’s bed and two carpets,   each of which were presumed to harbour flea eggs. It was only after my dog-trainer neighbour, Randi, gave me a “natural” remedy that the fleas hopped off elsewhere.   They have not returned in as many as six months. I decided today that Penne deserved a new bed, so I bought one. I donated her temporary bed (a folded up bed-spread) to the cats. It is clear that Penne “loves” her new bed, and that the cats like their pre-owned bed. I’ll send you the natural anti-flea recipe upon request.   It truly works!

Somewhere within my files is the “National Identity Card” which was issued by His Majesty’s Government in the U.K. soon after my birth in May 1944.  The card is printed on thick stock paper.  The details of my name and date of birth are handwritten, and entered in pen and ink. (Who remembers pen and ink?).   There is no photograph – leading me to believe that these National Identity Cards were not terribly useful! World War II in Europe ended about 13 months after my birth, and I have never once been asked to produce or show the card.  I possess the card thanks to my Mum who “saved” such items. Of course the card, in and of itself, says little about my identity .  I am more than my name and date of birth. For instance: 1.        I attended the gay pride event yesterday in Sarasota. 2.        I was at Church this morning at St. Boniface on Siesta Key. 3.        This...