Kudos

If you read my blog ever, you'll have seen that my children's pool fell victim to some ATV riders. Anyway, there was an article in the local paper a few days later regarding some ATV trails that are being shot down by one of the state agencies. So I fired off a letter to the editor about this...

Would an ATV trail really be that bad?I have to say that the NRPC is wrong. I have no tolerance for ATVs in most cases, but I would much rather have ATV riders on a trail than where they currently ride - my yard. We awoke Wednesday morning to ATV tracks across our yard, and one of the ATVs had run over my children's 10 foot by 6 foot pool, destroying it. Police say that there is little that they can do to prevent these wee hour of the morning ATV activities because there is only so much of a police force to go around throughout Franklin county. Perhaps if ATV users had somewhere to actually go, they'd get off of other people's yards. In the meantime, if anyone has a pool to donate, I'm sure my children would appreciate it. - Georgia, VT - July 23, 2006

I tried to remain civil. And I've been told I didn't sound as witchy as I could have been. So I guess I kept the civil tone throughout. I have an update to this story now!

The local ATV Assocation (the North Country ATV Association) contacted me after seeing my letter. Not only did they find a replacement pool (not an easy feat, I'd gone to four stores and couldn't find a pool that was the same size), but they also went out back and talked to the kid we feel is responsible. His ATV tracks are still visible, they saw them and said it looks like the kid steered for the pool. They warned him that there was going to be more patrolling and ticketing by not only the police, but also by fish and game wardens who now have the authority. They suggested he join their association and get out on the trails where ATVs should be. Since Friday, the kid has not been out ONCE on his ATV. Things have been quiet. I appreciate everything Steve (the president) has done for my children!!

Responsibility

I think I've had it with the kids in my neighborhood who own ATVs. I actually had it a long time ago, but the final straw came some time last night. Two ATVs apparently decided my yard was good for racing and then ran over the pool we purchased for my kids. It wasn't a huge pool, but at 10 feet by 6 feet and then 3 feet deep inflated, it was a good spot for them to cool off during these hot days. This, however, is all that is left.

http://www.roundtablereviews.com/damage.htm

There is no need for ATV riders to be on private property. I'm sick of it and wish the police would do more, however, they have repeatedly ignored neighborhood complaints. Part of me wonders, maybe it is time for taxpayers to stop chipping in to pay for the yearly salary we pay for sheriff patrols!

Cost of Living

I was watching House Hunters last night. I tend to enjoy watching the show to see other houses and see what the market is like in other states. Last night, the home buyer was in Manhattan trying to find a larger flat. OMG! The housing was absurd, but it was the "assocation fees" that shocked me. No wonder rents are so high there.

This home buyer is a voice actress. Not sure what someone in that field makes, but it would have to be a small fortune! She looked at three flats - all around 600 square feet. That's a little over half of my house. It's probably close to my downstairs. She needed one bedroom near her work in Manhattan.

The first place was puny. It was not glamourous and the views were awful. Yet, it was $500k and assocation fees were an addtional $750 a month. Another $750 a month is over my mortgage payment!!! The next place was $485k and the association fees were the same. So the final flat is $495k, association fees are $720 a month. I'm thinking with a mortgage on a flat that costs $500k, you are looking at a mortgage payment of around $2700 if you can afford 20% down. Under 20% down with PMI, I'm sure the payment would be around $3300 - $3500. Add on your association fees and you'll be paying $3400 to 4200 per month. That's absurd! If I realize that the housing prices in many areas are going to force people to work themselves to death, why can't the government???

The only news you'll need to read!

Yesterday, I logged on to read the news and was assaulted by bad news layered upon more bad news. Tunnels collapsing in Boston. Two more planes crashing this week (Russian, Pakistan, Mexico.) Subways derailing in Chicago. Bombs in some of India's railways. The suspicious death of a Vermont woman. Everything I read was depressing. Today the news was that a woman was found stabbed to death near Safeco Field in Seattle. The Vermont woman appears to have been beaten to death... A local realtor dropped dead while jogging. Nothing is happy anymore. I need the uplift, so I'm going to find some happy news.

Port boy’s battle with rare disease has happy ending By Christopher CamireTHE DAILY NEWS (NEWBURYPORT, Mass.) http://www.athensreview.com

On July 22, Brady O’Donnell will celebrate his third birthday. For his family, the milestone marks a happy ending to a medical ordeal that once had no end in sight.Although Brady looks like a happy, healthy child today, it was not long ago that his family questioned whether he would ever experience a normal life.Brady was born with an extremely rare disease called linear nevus sebaceous syndrome. Doctors said he would probably never be able to walk or speak. Huge birthmarks covered his face, head and neck. The left side of his brain was smaller than the right side, and he was susceptible to seizures that threatened to leave him developmentally disabled.


How about this one - a man missing since WWII has returned to his country. http://www.happynews.com/news/732006/man-missing-since-wwii-returns-to-japan.htm

There is far more at www.happynews.com Enjoy!

Changing Fate...

My daughter yesterday was playing in the backyard. She stopped to check the pond (just a small kit that we put in a few years back) and discovered a baby bird stuck in the water and it was near death. She was so upset, so I decided to go in, grab the bird and see if I could save it. Sometimes, animal rescue shows are a great form of education!!

My husband grabbed a junky towel and we wrapped the bird up. It wasn't acting scared, never made a move to peck me, it was shaking something fierce though, so my daughter and I took shifts and held it against us wrapped in the blanket hoping to get it warmed back up. Eventually she grew tired of it, so I took over and used the towel to dry off as much of the bird's feathers as possible. It was a small grackle and the mother sat watching me from the tree, not attacking, so I'm guessing she'd figured her baby was a lost cause.

Two hours passed and suddenly the little guy started squirming just a little. So I moved him/her to a sunny spot on the deck (hawks are common around here and two were overhead, so I made sure he was hidden from sight). Another hour passed and he suddenly stood up by himself and started watching us. He still made no move to attack, so I figure all was well and my husband and I sat back and watched him.

At this point, Jess was excited because his breathing seemed back to normal and he'd stopped shaking. He started squawking about 20 minutes later and his mom flew to the bird feeders, repeated his noises, flew off to the tree and kept repeating that pattern. To our amazement this little bird that I figured was going to die, stretched his wings and flew over the deck rail to join his mom in the tree.

I know they say if you see a wild animal in trouble - leave it be. I guess it isn't in my nature to just let something like a bird die. Jess is overjoyed that she saved this bird's life and I have to say, it is an amazing feeling to see something go from limp and gasping for air to alert and flying.

Click

We went to see Click last night. Now I am a fan of Adam Sandler. Sure he's goofy, but there is something about him that comes off as extremely sexy - maybe his grin...

I think Click is one of his better movies. He's a family man this time... he's also a workaholic. The bratty kid next door is always rubbing it in how his family has better technology, cars, lifestyle... So in desperation one night, Sandler heads off to Bed, Bath & Beyond to at least get a universal remote so that he'll be capable of turning on his television. Christopher Walken gives him a brand new product-- a self programming remote - just point and click. The thing is the remote works on anything and anyone. Suddenly, Sandler has the power to control his life - fast-forwarding through the bad and freezing the screen when things are good!

While this is a great comedy, there is also the emotional drama aspect when he finds he is using the remote so much that life is whizzing buy. I found myself laughing, shedding a tear or two, and then knowing by the end that this is a movie I'll have to own. I could watch it again and again without tiring of it.