Got a call from California brother Frank and had a good talk. He and Marybeth are expecting two more grandchildren to add to the seven boys (under seven!) they already have.
Bought some pansies and planted them, delighted to realize spring is really coming. Think I'll go back and get some more. Went to two thrift stores to see if I could get a dark shawl for my monologues character, but didn't find them. Sent a e-mail SOS to several friends and, so far, got positive responses from two of them.
Talked to A., who sent me info on a caregivers' workshop sponsored by Ocean County in Bayville, and will attend on April 2. Looking forward to my respite weekend, starting tomorrow, when we exchange houses.

Still lots of not too much going on. Went to the post office, store, and stuff. Put the two wire Easter bunnies out. Pat asked me to make what we used to sometimes have for a casual dinner (as opposed to our usual ball gown/black tie affairs): baked beans on bread, topped with bacon, then broiled. Sound gross? Actually, it's not bad and Pat ate every morsel. I had lentil stew myself.
Wider: I guess I'm hopelessly naive. I saw GE's annual report, with a voting sheet for the board of directors. I was amused by the name of one nominee: Ann Fudge. Then I noticed another: Sam Nunn. Wait, wasn't he the...? Yep, the senator from Georgia and deeply, deeply involved in the congressional committees that drive the war machine. It hit me, all of a sudden, that this is what's meant by the unholy alliance between industry and government.
I don't see how ordinary people--let alone pacifists--can ever make the slightest impact on slowing, let alone stopping, the U.S. habit of slaughtering humans when we have elected officials--and I'm sure they're regularly labelled "distinguished" and "eminent"--who are crossovers to the military/industrial complex.
If that's a run-on sentence, I don't care.

Not a whole heck of a lot going on. Went to the p.o. to send Vivian's Easter present, to the clubhouse to duplicate some stuff, to Rite-Aid to pick up dups of cousin Judy's pictures. Talked to sister Betty and A. Washed, folded, and put away. Sounds intensely boring, but was actually--in a very low-key way--not unpleasant.
Wider: There's an amazing post at the blog, "Winter Patriot." It expresses exactly what I would have written if I could write as well. It's the March 18 entry and here's just a tiny excerpt:
"It's a beautiful thing how we get new leaders every so often but the policies never seem to change very much. It's beautiful how Bush and Cheney take the rap for being "evil" and now Obama and Biden can do the same sorts of things without being "evil". That's the beauty of the imaginary reality, where even the anti-war reporting has a pro-war spin....party politics is nothing more than an intersquad scrimmage, an exhibition game intended to convey the impression that the two "competing teams" are adversaries.They're not. They're partners. They're working together to put on the big show every four years. And we know this is true because of what happens to prospective players who are not interested in furthering the big show, but would try to change the game. Most of them don't even get onto the field. And those who do never last very long.We've seen what the Democrats and the media did to Mike Gravel, which was exactly what the Republicans and the media did to Ron Paul. We've seen the cold silence -- or jeering derision -- which has greeted every serious attempt to uphold the rule of law, to stop the war in Iraq, to stop the war in Afghanistan, to investigate the crimes of 9/11, to reform a clearly broken electoral system, to rein in a clearly complicit national media, or even to bring just a little bit of accountability to our government. (Emphasis mine.) These were all efforts to change the game in one way or another, and no such efforts will be tolerated.This is the system. This is what it does. The time for amazement is past."
But the entire long essay must be read. It's horrible, disgusting, and infinitely sad. Here's the link:
http://winterpatriot.blogspot.com/

The Peace Vigil yesterday was quiet; I guess about 50 or 60 people participated. It was held at the Universalist Unitarian "church," in Galloway. Having been brought up in the absolutes (in my early days, anyway) of the Roman Catholic religion, the formlessness of the organization puzzles me. It seems more like a liberal social club than a religion--not that I condemn it, I just wonder about it.
Anyway, there's a piece in The Press of Atlantic City, in which I'm briefly quoted. My last word, though, should be "ploy," not "play." More important, the article completely distorts what I said. It quotes me when I mentioned several other countries, but drops the quote marks to add "looming threats." In fact, I didn't use that phrase and what I indicated is my belief that we're the threat to them. Oh, well, here here's the link anyway:
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/179/story/436272.html
Otherwise, got a lot of things done, including wrapping Easter gifts for the two little girls in Singapore (isn't there a song like that?). Made an mportant purchase: a big cardboard Easter bunny, which I put it on the front door. It's very cute and I needed it like a hole in the head. Enjoyed Skype calls from both daughters in the evening and, all in all, had a pleasant day.
Wider: The ceremony yesterday might easily have been held on a U.S. army base. The thing that bothered me about it--and other "peace demonstrations"--was the emphasis placed on American lives, American injuries, American sacrifices. The names of New Jerseyans who died in the wars were read off, then the organizer mentioned how they "died for our country." Another woman urged participants to see the Kevin Bacon T.V. movie about escorting the corpse of a soldier killed in Iraq home for burial. She emphasized approvingly the "respect" shown to "fallen heroes."
I'm not suggesting that anything but sad remembrance be extended to the American combatants killed and maimed in this terrible misadventure--but aren't we forgetting something here? In fact, a whole lot of something? I mean the hundreds of thousands of other people, including--this must never be forgotten--innocent children who died at the hands of these "heroes." I'm afraid the absence of recognition of this dreadful truth ties in with the imperialism so warmly embraced by what seems to be most of the American people. We are the important ones, we are the chosen, we are the ones who must be memorilized. Those bodies in the corner? Just little brown people who got in the way.

Went to Santori's to stock up on veggies. In light of my puzzling three-pound weight gain, I stuck to a "green"--actually, white (cauliflower); red (beets), and orange (squash) diet all day--including for dinner.
I may have overdone it. Woke up several times through the night to, uh, jettison the veggies and whatever else was churning around in there. Slept poorly and still feel a little queasy, but somewhat better.
I'm going to gather today with other members of the Coalition for Peace and Justice to read out the names of the New Jerseyans who have been killed in Iraq. This is to mark the sixth anniversary of that war, which was actually two days ago.
Last year, we marched with banners, then read out the names on the Atlantic City boardwalk, attracting quite a bit of notice. Not sure why today's ceremony will be held at the Unitarian church, which is out in the sticks, in Galloway. On a Sunday, there will be little traffic.
Oh well, I guess the setting is symbolically fitting. Few seem to notice and fewer care to protest our crimes against humanity now that B. is out and O. is in.
But there's hope--there is! I was thrilled and overjoyed at this video from Obama released, significantally, on Friday. Please, please, please let it not be some political trick, some ruse, some nefarious plan and let it signal a true new beginning. See it here:
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/03/20/iran/index.html

Got the income tax done, thank heavens. Went back to the woman who did it last year and it was pretty quick and easy. Nothing much else went on.
I'm planning to go to a gathering tomorrow to mark (I was going to write "commemorate," but that's not really accurate) the sixth anniversary of our vicious actions in Iraq. It's at noon, so the tough part is going to be arranging for Pat to be up, breakfasted, and dressed by 11:30. Maybe he'll be able to wait until I get back before dressing--we'll see.
I'll be interested in seeing how many are there. Now that the dems are ascendant, interest in our extended cruelty seems to have waned. After all, slaughtering children is different when it's done with the blessings of those with whom we identify. They don't scream as loud.
Or at least, we can't hear them as well.
Later: Went to Weight Watchers and found that--aagh!--I'm up 3.2 pounds since my last visit two weeks ago. Now weigh 132.2. I've still lost 67.4 pounds overall, but this isn't good. It's true that I overindulged last night (cookies and gum drops), but surely not to the tune of 3-plus pounds.
Ho-o-kay...will set my strategy. Won't be here next Saturday, so will weigh in on another day, maybe Tuesday and see what I can do to correct this.

An ordinary day here in southern New Jersey. Took my daily walk. Made an appointment to get the taxes done. Talked to our daughter. Made a big salad, vacuumed, and yearned for spring.
In the meantime, in my name, the slaughter goes on in Iraq and around the world. Ho-hum.
Wider: From "Dead Horse," Rob Payne's blog, about the topic last referenced above:
"Nobody is asking why about much of anything these days, I mean what the heck we got Obama, right? Obama couldn’t have come along at a worse moment in time. He continues with much of Bush’s policies but nobody seems to care. And because Obama can get away with it, because of the silence of the masses, all the evil created in the Bush years continues to roll along unhindered and unfettered by any of the baggage Bush carried in his waning years...."
For the full text: http://deadhorse1995.blogspot.com/
And this, which should be read by every person in every household in every state and region in the country. Yeah, sure.
http://www.lewrockwell.com/vance/vance167.html