And the Pursuit of Happiness: May It Please the Court by Maira Kalman

I hope I'm not breaking any rules in posting this article from the NY Times for others to read. I love it and found it so fascinating I want to read it over and over again. Her illustrations along with the writings are fun and interesting. I hope some of you will enjoy it also.


OPINION April 23, 2009 And the Pursuit of Happiness: May It Please the Court By Maira Kalman After a visit to the Supreme Court, and the office of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Maira Kalman thinks about law, decision-making and women breaking barriers.

1. Op-Ed Contributor: End the University as We Know It 2. Personal Health: Paying a Price for Loving Red Meat 3. The Caucus: Specter Switches Parties 4. Verizon Said to Be in Talks for the iPhone 5. A Tiny Hominid With No Place on the Family Tree » Go to Complete List

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Sealed Records....

I am very curious as to why the Tennessee State Legislature wants to pass a ruling that would have the records of gun permits issued in Tennessee sealed? I have not been able to find any back up information or reasoning for this action.

Also, I'm still puzzled as to why it would be reasonable to allow people to carry guns inside our parks and inside restaurants? Nashville, in particular, already has a high incident of gun related crimes. It seems to go against all that has been done to address our crime rate in Tennessee. We are one of the highest in meth labs across the state and adding the potential for "more" gun related crimes is just amazing. Our law enforcement agencies are trying their best to control and reduce violent crimes and this legislature seems to go against their efforts.

I hope someone can explain the background and reasoning related to these rulings.

New Breath of Life

Given my health and the body I live with, if it were not for nutrients, pain med, anti-inflammatories, etc. along with determination to not give up, I would not be living the life that I am right now. When I find something new that gives me a little better quality of life I want to sing praises and share my good news. Well, so far, I think I have found a new product. It is vegetarian safe Buried Treasure - VM-100 Complete, a whole food complex, nutritional system with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants and is manufactured by Life Line Foods, Pikeville, Tennessee and formulated by Mark Murray C.N. I first purchased the product at Feet and More in Dickson Tn owned and operated by Jim Pass and wife.

It took about 2.5 weeks before I felt sure the liquid nutrient was making a difference in my daily life. I have paid close attention to my feelings, energy, levels of pain and not, mental agility, ability to sleep deeply, and in general maintain a balanced life in the midst of chaos and stress. It might help to explain the state of my physical body. The most significant problem is advanced scoliosis. We hear this often as it has been determined in researches done by some medical facilities that 1 in 7 people in the world have scoliosis. There is still a great lack of research on the disease. The majority of western and European medical practitioners is that it is a bone deformity but the cause if still a mistery....are we born with it as a birth defect? is it in our dna and we develop it as we reach puberity? or is it in or dna and it is not until the latter stages of life that we develop it? It is easy to spot someone with scoliosis if their bones have bent them over in either a side twist and forward in a 45 degree twist but, their are many more people walking around with scoliosis that stand straight and tall. All can have varying degrees of damage done to nerves and organs inside the body. Most all have some degree of imbalance within the skeletal structure of their body. Some as in my case have sufficient nerve and organ damage that problems show up mimicking diseases like Parkinsons's, MS, respiratory diseases, falling, etc. This I can say from experience with medical doctors, chiropractors, accupuncturist, massage therapists, etc. working with me and trying to determine the source and cure of my problems. At age 67, I am told surgery is the only answer or surgery is the worst answer , chiropractor care is the answer. Neither of these work. I have been told surgury is not an alternative due to the danger of my spine collapsing and chiropractic care is out as my bones are crumbling from osterporosis.

Country Music Marathon Saturday April 25th 2009

It is that time of year again. 31,000 expected for the Marathon. Bravo to the lady with ALS that will take part tomorrow. All begins at 6am tomorrow. I admire the people that train all year for this one and all the others too.

My physical condition does not permit me to even walk very much any more which, of course, makes me want to walk even more. At one time I walked 6 miles out and 6 miles back after getting home from work 5 days/week. I felt so much better during that time. Advanced scoliosis, osteoporosis, spinal stenosis, bone spurs, degenerative arthritis, joined by many years of dance and athletic stress on knees and hips and with a major fall some years ago has brought me to my current condition. I keep going but running and even walking more than a block or two is so painful it is not worth the effort. My best exercise is in warm water...Ahhhh.

Good luck to all those that enter tomorrow's marathon. It is great weekend for Nashville.

Guns Allowed in Public Places

Is Tennessee becoming the new "wild west" of the USA?

Monthly Posting for April 2009

Life has been on a whirlwind with work's busy season on us and looking for a house taking on the aspects of another full-time job. I love it all but alas, my 67 years and lack of exercise do not provide the energy I need to do all I want to these days.

Finding a house large enough to live in that fits my budget and not need a complete or at the very least, a major over-haul, is difficult. Every house I've looked at has major flaws. The best of them had a full basement but it was not usable for much as it had a severe water problem that had been corrected as much as could be. It needed painting throughout, thorough cleaning, carpets removed (hardwoods underneath) and washer dryer connections installed plus purchasing appliances. Thank goodness someone beat me to that one.

The one I'm trying for now is a little 2-bedroom that needs some work but probably less costly than the other one. The problem with it is that the seller is asking about $15,000 over the going value of the property. And, will not negotiate. Tennessee is having a re-appraisal of all properties so it may help or hurt this negotiation. The re-appraisal is helping some and bringing others into reality. We shall see what happens over the next couple weeks. The good thing about this house is 2 acres of land. I'm a country girl at heart and love wide open spaces where you can feel the breezes and not see another house on the horizon. Not the case here, but at least the houses I can see are far enough away I cannot see what is going on inside their windows.

If I should get this property, I'll need to research "ponds." There is a pond on the back of the property...maybe 150-200 ft diameter. That is a guess...I still use my archery days for guessing measurements. It may be about 30-50 ft deep, has water but appears to maybe be a drainage pond as the water is low and I didn't see any sign of incoming water. It has been allowed to go to rot and ruin. I'm not sure but think maybe having it filled in is the best route even though I love ponds and would love to have a good living and healthy one out back...with frogs, turtles, etc. There are cedar trees, brush, etc. growing in from the sides so it will take some heavy equipment to clean it out if I want to bring it back to life....then what if it won't hold water??? Any suggestions are appreciated.

My friend Joy, has helped by going with me to look at properties and giving opinions, and being a great co-pilot keeping us from getting lost while trekking around the countryside. She has also been there to listen, offer advise, and be patient while I whine and moan and wring my hands so to speak. Thank you, Joy. Also thanks to Paige and my daughter, Hannah as they have been there to listen and offer advise also. I am fortunate to have a wonderful realtor. She found a little house for me years ago that I lived in for seven years....longest place I have ever lived. I have no doubt my little house is nearby...it maybe this one or another one but it is nearby.