Oh thanks for the tea and sympathy but we're alright when it comes to money. I work part-time and am very clever with coupons and gardening so we get by AND we don't have to look our noses down at others just to fell alright about ourselves. Hubby is getting new health insurance in 4 months will make it seem as if he got a $800 a month American raise. It makes up for two years of paying for own coverage.

How my mother is what she is remains a great mystery to us all. Her father was a serious Union Man who risked life and limb to unionise his local Mill before I was born but not while my mother was that young. That she was born during The Great Depression and was raised in a bare-foot shanty town seems to have conveniently left her memory completely. She latched on to the first "city Boy" she could find, my father (lucky him) and headed for New York City, where the streets were paved with...well, not gold, but at least they were paved! She preferred life there.

When I was about ten she was forced to become a republican to get some silly job she wanted with the party and she's been a rabid republican ever since. Even before that she had odd leanings because I remember her scowling when Nixon resigned and her entire home-town took to the streets in celebration. We were visiting my grandparents in that Mill town at the time and everyone THERE had the good sense to be relieved. She scowled, grumped about and told us we'd all pay for it someday! Perhaps she was right and we got Bush the Younger for our crimes of thought against her hero, Nixon.

Yes, it is amazing to me why she holds these views. She is a typical Bush supporter, however, doesn't read the newspaper ever, believes Saddam Hussein ordered 9/11 and all that rot. What makes it so sad is that we lost friends in 9/11. You'd think she'd care to be more informed. My father, a Saint if ever there was one, suddenly becomes deaf whenever she starts ranting. God love him, he's a patient and forgiving man. Women everywhere should be so lucky as to have such a tolerant husband. I know mine is.

The Brother Can you Spare A dime tape went out to everyone I knew who voted for Bush and I must say, it had the proper effect. I included things like the sickeningly simple older version of "do they know it's christmas" since it was a soft run up to 'Brother.." I also included snoopy's Christmas...the song about him and The Red baron during the Christmas Truce. Other songs on the tape were

War is Over/happy Christmas
Christmas in The Trenches
Pretty paper
and Dona Noblis Pacem(give us peace)
U@'s God part II

Can't say as I changed the world or anything, but I hope it was a refreshing change from "Winter wonderland"

As for those clever Muppets...yes they are all that! I can't stop humming "I'm my own Grandpa" after responding to this thread initially. Drat those muppets and their silly songs!

God how we loved The Muppet Show in its first run. I must have been in Highschool then. We'd put it on to clam the savage beastly younger cousins and stay to watch ourselves, transfixed.

I once came across a website that translates eveything you write into Swedish Chef langauge. I spent two days sending filthy limericks to people with MORK MORK MORK in them. actually, I believe they translated that as BORK BORK BORK!

When they tried out the New Muppet Show on ABC a few years back..Muppets Tonight! I was so happy I sent people emails that went something like this:

The Muppets are coming Hurray, Hurray!
The Muppets are coming Today! Today!
with links to the show's site.

Sadly, nobody else seems to have watched but me.

Don't know what ANY of this has to do with Lydia The Tattoed Lady except that Kermit sang it on that record and to my mind, he does a better job tha even Groucho.

Robin Williams' sweet turn singing it in THE FISHER KING was also notable. (at the Chinese restaurant scene with Amanda Plummer)