I’M SHOCKED!

The Republican Party received only an $140,000 campaign donation for allowing a startup company with a track record of fines and violations from insurance regulators to take over nearly 60,000 policies from Citizens Insurance.

Surely Governor Scott could have held out for a lot more. After all an agent usually gets at least ten per cent of a deal, which in this case would be about $5.2 million.

DOING THE RIGHT THING

There were two letters to the editor of the Sunday Pasco Times, one from a Republican ecstatic about the non-vote on gun control and another Republican, both of whom attended the dinner honoring Marco Rubio. Rubio signed the stock of a rifle as he got a standing ovation from most of the Pasco County Commissioners.

It’s nice to know there’s someone attending a Republican Dinner who realizes the damage done by Politician’s beholden to the NRA. Are there any others of the Republican Party who feel that “It’s the Right Thing to Do” to vote for gun control, health insurance for all, raising taxes on the rich? That’s just on the national level. On the state level, do any of them feel “It’s the Right Thing to Do” to give raises to teachers, to stop lobbyists from controlling our state government, to stop trying to reform education by adding more charter schools (owned or partially owned by the same elected officials)? There are so many more issues both nationally, statewide and local that can be added to that long list

So far there are two people on the state level who come to mind, Mike Faisano and Jack Latvala. In reading about them and hearing them speak, I feel confident they’re trying to do the right thing.  But I’m not confident in ethical reform where the ethically challenged are the one’s put in charge of the hen house.

(this letter was edited before being printed in our newspaper. References to Rubio , the rifle, charter schools and our Commissioners were left out)

ONE WAY TO HANDLE A FRUSTRATING PROBLEM WITH AN UNRELIABLE COMPANY

This is the copy of the e-mail I sent to the Sod Farms President:

On March 21th, 2013 Sod Farms installed Bahia Grass in our back yard as well as installing Floratam St. Augustine grass on the side and partially in our front yard, our cost $1175.00

After watering those grasses daily for four weeks and 16 days every other day according to Pasco County rules and costing us over $300 for a month with another bill due soon, we discovered that the Bahia grass only sprouted weeds. The Floratam, however, flourished with the same schedule

My husband, Mister Nice Guy, called Frank and asked him to check it out, he replied he would when he was in the vicinity, after ten days or more he hadn’t come. We drove to your business with another request and Marie said she would come by on Tuesday which never happened. It was our impression she was told not to come.

On Wednesday, we again went to your business on Ridge Road and left pictures of the weeds and dead grass. Frank was not in, but the receptionist said she would have him call which he did that evening. After seeing our pictures, Frank called to inform us our grass was indeed dead and from what he could see that we had sprayed it with something which had caused it to die. We had done no spraying of any sort and I beseeched him to come to see it in person, he said he would not. I asked him to do the right thing and hung up in frustration as my husband continued with the conversation where Frank told him to call our pest control company which we had postponed before the grass was installed, saying we would for request service after everything was in order, so he hadn’t been here in all that time.

Frank requested that our pest control service call him. After coming and inspecting the grass, it was that person’s conclusion that the grass was indeed dead and most of what is green is basically weeds which was the result of bad grass. He said he could put some granules down which may help but agreed that what we have is a disaster. His boss told him they could not get involved in a dispute, so he couldn’t call. My husband called Frank, after talking with three people at the pest-control company and asked him to call us back.

In regaling this story to our son, he told of his own dead yard which after being re-sodded needed to be redone by him and his son, but he didn’t remember which company had done the work, but that it had refused any compensation for their loss.

 Yesterday, our daughter-in-law stopped to deliver something to us. We showed her “The Disaster” and she asked the name of the company which installed it. She then told us yours was the company which installed their bad lawn and was sorry she hadn’t known we were re-doing our lawn because she would have told us not to use you.

Today, I’ve come to the conclusion that we will never hear from you again.

Tomorrow morning, Tuesday, we are attending the usual monthly breakfast of our Beacon Woods Social Club which has about 200 members. Maybe 30 or more members will be in attendance, it varies every month. After eating, people with announcements are allowed to speak. On Wednesday of this week, we will also attend the monthly board meeting, where we can bring issues to the community. We also have a deed restriction office which deals basically with bad yards. I will also speak to that employee of our experience.

(True to my word I spoke to about 55 residents at the breakfast, the next evening I spoke to the nine members of our Board of Directors after which there was a discussion on dealing with such problems and how to spread the word. I also gave a copy to the employee who handles lawn problems which she had already heard about. The Communications Director in charge of our monthly news magazine sent to all residents which is also sent to out of state owners, asked me to contribute a letter-to-the editor bout our experience.)

FIRST RESPONDERS

After the capture of the younger Boston Marathon Bomber last evening, the first responders to the situation today were Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham.  Surprise! Surprise!

Young Marco Rubio is still on the tight rope wire, bobbling this way and that way on everything, hoping not to upset any of the moneyed people he owes allegiance to. But don’t be distressed, they will be telling him what his position is any minute now.

In the meantime, the city of Boston and the rest of the United States have breathed a sigh of relief and the survivor will probably contribute lots of valuable information to the authorities. We’ll wait to hear from them, not the “Show Horses”!

WHAT THAT WAS ALL ABOUT

Some of my readers may not know why I posted the “romantic” story of my train ride which happened some 62 years ago.

I had put together a group which I called “Five Women in Black” and we performed excerpts from “Love, Loss and What I Wore” a play reading written by Nora and Delia Ephron. True tales written by women telling of their loves, losses and memories of the clothing they wore.

At the end of the performance, we five introduced ourselves by reading a memory of our own. Each personal story was unique and all our performances received raves from the audience of about eighty women.

 

A ROMANTIC  INTERLUDE 

 When I was nineteen I took a fast train from Pittsburgh to Baltimore to visit my father.  This fast train made very few stops and included a diner car where I planned to eat lunch.

Wearing my favorite outfit, a grey wool flannel suit, with a Chanel type jacket in gray and gold, over it I wore a long gold corduroy rain coat with a tie belt. My high heels were gray flannel with black leather trim. My purse matched and I wore a matching gold cap. I was carrying my square green Samsonite cosmetic case. You know, the one with a mirror glued on the inside of the lid.

I boarded the train and passed through the reserved car to the second car where I would sit. On my way through there were seated four or five Army Officers so I averted my eyes as I passed through like a nice girl would.

I had packed a book to read, but really wanted to see the scenery as we passed through places I had never been and eat in the dining car like in the movies.

I had no sooner settled when a Lieutenant came into the car and asked to sit with me. So I said OK. He questioned me, did I have a boyfriend? Yes, I said and was probably getting engaged at Christmas. He said he had a girlfriend in Pittsburgh, where he was from.

He told me he was a pilot and that I had probably noticed that he wasn’t wearing his wings. I hadn’t noticed. He then said that he and his friends were on the train because they were given special leave to attend the funeral of another pilot who had died in a plane crash and he had thrown his wings into his buddy’s grave. What a sad story.

He talked to me on and on, I really hoped he’d go away. The train trip was to be six hours or more long. The conductor announced the dining car was open. I said I wasn’t hungry hoping he would leave to eat, so I could go later. He stayed.

There went my opportunity to eat in a dining car. I didn’t get to look out the window or read my book. I really needed to go to the bathroom but was too shy to say so, so I sat there in misery.

He asked for my phone number, in case his romance or mine floundered, which I gave him.

When I got off the train in Baltimore, my Father was waiting on the platform. The officer got off to say goodbye.  I introduced him to my Father, they shook hands, I shook his hand and said goodbye. His friends were all watching out the window.

I told my Dad I didn’t know what that was all about and that I really needed to go to the bathroom. My Dad said I’ll tell you what that was about. He had made a bet with his friends that he would get to kiss you. He lost the bet.

The next day I woke up with a severe case of the hives. The only time I ever had them.

He also never called.

IT REALLY WASN’T THAT IMPORTANT!

For three days we couldn’t receive our e-mails. The problem was with Verizon according to all the messages we received from H-P. Knowing that important messages were not being responded to, we contacted our provider.

I now know which piece of equipment is the “router” and it has buttons, but not where the technician said they were. We have the “old” router.

After much coughing, (I have a cold which includes much coughing) the problem was fixed. The technician also gave me a Mexican recipe for the cough. (Honey, cinnamon and hot tea) I was delighted to have a technician who is also a “Doctor”.

At last I was able to access our e-mail account. I deleted about fifteen messages, none of which was personal and found out that after three days there were nothing we had missed out on.