This is who we are!

These days it feels like we aren't America anymore.

That instead of Make America Great Again 

we have become Who Is America Now?

I've been struggling with this question this holiday season.

I wanted to find something, anything that depicted what we have lost and what we are losing.

Something that represented who we really are.

Are we a country and people who will only help others if they pay us enough money?

Are we a country and people who go back on our commitments to others?

Have we really become some slogan that professes that we are America First and only?

Where would we have been if other nations had thought that way after 9/11?

We all live on this planet together...we should not be; America First...

We are the world!

So, here is to 2019.

May it be saner and more loving.

May it be calmer in the chaos.

May it be a year when we find our way back to the middle ground.

Because in 1985 THIS was who we were and 25 years later in 2010 THIS  is who we still were and who we would be wise to keep striving to be.    


Happy New Year...

Noodle and crew

The power of the written word...

Hand writing is an art.

It is becoming a lost art.

When was the last time you received a hand written letter?

That sensation of carefully opening an envelope addressed to you.

What kind of stamp was used to send it?

Unfolding the paper inside.

Perhaps it's parchment or pale blue with the faint scent of the person who composed it.

Letters from a grandmother.

A daughter or son.

Letters from someone stationed somewhere far away in the military.

A love letter stained with tears.

Lipstick kisses on the back of an envelope.

Little hearts or o's, to dot the i's.

Along with a  hand written letter come clues of the personality of the person who sent it.

Our handwriting reveals a lot about who we are.

Are the letters cursive or block print?

The depth of the impression left by the pen can tell you the persons mood while writing.

We can't tell any of these things in e-mails or texts.

Yes, now we can Skype and email and text and that's all great!

Instant communication has definite advantages.

But perhaps we should not be in such a hurry to forget the power of handwritten letters delivered

through the mail...at least while the mail still exists.

A hand written letter can be a powerful thing.

So grab a pen and some paper, write a letter.

If you're feeling really bold write one to your Senator or your congressman, you can even write one to Donald Trump (although, I hear he doesn't read much).

Write someone a letter.

Even if you never send it.

Have a wonderful weekend!

     Noodle and crew

just a small slip...

We apologize, but we are taking a small slip back into politics just for a moment.

Actually we think we've done pretty well staying away from the headlines this month what with all that's going on.

But we just couldn't resist drawing a parallel to the political world in the context of a slightly tweaked nursery rhyme...




Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the kings horses and all the kings men,
couldn't put Humpty together again...

or...

Humpty Dumpty wanted a wall.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the kings horses and all the kings men,
couldn't get Humpty elected again.



Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Noodle and crew

Sunday selfie...

Have a spectacular Sunday!

Noodle and crew

Wordless Wednesday...

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Noodle and crew

Wordless Wednesday...

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Noodle and crew

Apologies...

We would like to express our sincere apologies for not coming by and visiting and commenting on other bloggies lately.

We have definitely been MIA in this area for the past several months.
We are trying to get back to our regular routine and hope to do so soon.
In the meantime, please know that we love all the great kitty blogs and bloggers out there!

You guys are the best!


Have a super Monday,,,

Noodle and crew

The forest for the trees...

Yes, this presidents policies, how we are treating asylum seekers and what is happening at the border is atrocious.

Yes there is the Mueller investigation.

Not to mention doing something about voter suppression.

Yes there needs to be investigations into business ties between our president and foreign powers.

Yes, Saudi Arabia needs to be held accountable for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi

Yes, there needs to be investigations into obstruction and collusion and the Emoluments Clause and so much more that it boggles the mind.

And they are all important and very significant

But...



(Photo by; © Carlo Allegri/Reuters)          

Let's not forget;

We have a homeless crisis in this country.

We have an opioid epidemic in this country.

We have a gun crisis in this country.

We have a poverty problem in this country.

We have an out dated, broken infrastructure in this country.

We have escalating health care prices in this country.

We have not fixed Flint Michigan.

We have not fixed Puerto Rico

The list goes on and it's long!

Let's hope this next congress can at least attempt to fix some of what's broken as it investigates this administration.


Have a wonderful Wednesday...

Noodle and crew

The best gift re-post...

We posted this last year and  people loved it so, we thought in this divisive and chaotic world we are all living in at the moment that maybe it would be nice to post it again on the very same day this year because we could all use a little more of this...

(baby Noodle archives)

We wanted to give you all a gift.

So we thought and we thought and we thought...

At Christmas we always watch one movie; Love Actually.

It's a little corny and over the top but it's meant to be. It's also sweet and touching, funny and sad and it leaves us feeling hopeful and warm like someone wrapped us up in a great big hug knowing that no matter how bad things are there is love all around us if we just take the time to look.

Especially this part; take a look it's the best gift we could think of.


This year, through out December we will be taking a break from all things politics and posting happy, warm, fuzzy "make you smile" things!

Have a wonderful weekend...

Noodle and crew

Happy Thanksgiving...

 GOBBLE, GOBBLE, GOBBLE...

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Noodle and crew

Sunday selfies...

Have a wonderful Wednesday....

Noodle and crew

Wordless Wednesday...

                                 (baby Noodle archives)



Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Noodle and crew

Sunday statistics..

Due to raising the age of Social Security, Americana's are retiring later, dying younger and sicker in between!

With that in mind...


Have a super Sunday!

Noodle and crew




PS. We want to say Happy Veterans Day to all veterans everywhere.

Wordless Wednesday...

It might not have been a blue wave, but it was more than a ripple!

Baby steps...

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Noodle and crew

Mirroring...

Interesting..

No sympathy or empathy for those individuals targeted by a Trump inspired bomber.

No commitment to tamp down the rhetoric.

Instead blame the media, hint that it was the victims themselves who sent the bombs.

Let the world know that you are irritated by this whole "bomb stuff" because it has slowed momentum in your party. 

When asked whether Trump bears any responsibility for his divisive words and rhetoric, he and other Republicans reply with a resounding "NO", or silence or the administration's talking points.

Or they flip it to begin talking about how Steve Scalise was shot and it was a Bernie supporter and no one blamed Bernie..

Or how Sara Sanders was asked to leave a restaurant...

It's called mirroring it's when you don't have a legitimate argument so you turn the discussion around and reflect what ever gobbledygook you make up back onto the other person.

As for Sara Sanders and Mitch McConnell et all, I would say be careful what you wish for...

The right railed about their religious freedom the same way they go on and on about the someone who's coming to take their guns.
Funny, I've never heard a word about any ones guns being taken...

And in the end it was the republicans who pushed the Supreme Court to rule on the inevitable ruling that would allow business owners to deny service to some.

So, sure now you can deny making a cake for a gay couple but don't you DARE ask someone to leave your restaurant...hum-m-m-m.

We will find out on Tuesday whether all the mirroring and hypocrisy worked!


Please get out and vote!


Have a wonderful Sunday...

Noodle and crew

Words on Wednesday!

We want to give a shout out to our friends at Scratch and Sniff Pets who make the most amazing cat trees!
Take a look at these beauty's...

Check them out...
We bet your special kitties would love to see one of these under the Christmas Tree this year.


Have a wonderful Wednesday...

Noodle and crew

Sunday selfie...

Have a stupendous Sunday!

Noodle and crew

Wordless Wednesday...

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Noodle and crew

Getting away with it...

As we didn't do a weekend post, we are forgoing Wordless Wednesday this week and replacing it with what would have been our weekend post...

They created a whole TV show on the premise that he was this great business man and how rich he was.

So what happens when the whole thing is based on a lie?

Nothing.

He took that lie and ran on it and now he sits in the White House ( with the help of Russia, Wiki leaks, gerrymandering and restricted voting rights...)

He proved that if you bull s*it enough, you can beat the system.

And unfortunately the system wasn't ready for the likes of someone like that.

No one put rules in place in case we were ever that gullible, that stupid.

Our lines of defence where ineffectual.

But the biggest problem was that congress didn't do it's job.

The one guardrail that could have been a check and balance for all of this, became part of it instead.

So, the Republicans love him as he is signing all sorts of deregulation stuff that will just be the impetuous for more and deadlier storms and hotter and hotter weather and higher and higher ocean rises.

His fans base doesn't care.

As a matter of fact they LOVE that he has scammed everybody and that he's gotten away with it.

They love that he is crude and raciest and lies over and over again and gets away with it.

The key words here are he gets away with it.

There is a culture among a portion of the population who see themselves as victims and they are angry.
They are angry because they think everyone else has gotten away with stuff.

Immigrants (unless you are one of Donald Trumps wives) and low income people. The disabled and the elderly and the homeless.
The government, affirmative action, any person of color...they have all gotten away with... well they can't exactly say what but they know it's something and by god if they got away with it, well then they stole what ever it was from them.

Donald trump came along and told them exactly who to be angry at and they love him for that.

He gave them permission to be hateful and bullying.

He gave them permission to say whatever they want, about whom ever they want and the heck with the consequences because well... there just won't be any.

It's up to the people now.

It's up to the people to act.

It's time to actually get off our butts and demand decency and respect be put back into the presidency.

It's time to VOTE!

I know, the system is so wonky with big money and gerrymandering and foreign players that it feels like nothing can fix it.

But if we do nothing then we have participated in the deterioration of our democracy.

And there will be more and more incidents like the brutal murder of journalists and more and more detention centers filled with more and more children.

There will be less and less aide for the poor, the elderly, for children and the disabled.

And where will it all end?

And who will be next?


Let's do more than shake our heads in the aftermath and say, "he got away with it".

Lets all get out and VOTE!




Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Noodle and crew

Wordless Wednesday...

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Noodle and crew

Here comes the judge...

Brave women told their stories.

Brave women confronted their Senators

Now we are watching as they confirm their Supreme Court nominee in record time without full disclosure of his voting record FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY!

With allegations of sexual assault hanging over him.

With his stunning display of anger and political bias.

Privilege prevails as this man moves onto the highest court in the land.

What did I learn from the last few weeks?

That money can buy anything.

That good does not triumph over evil.

That justice is blind.

That Congress is no longer a body that is interested in what the people want.

The large majority of voters DID NOT vote for Donald Trump.

But he is in the White House.

The majority of voters DO NOT want Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court yet he has been confirmed.

It's a sad day when thirty percent of the country now has a larger voice than the other seventy percent...



I will leave you with the one good thing to come out of all of this.





Have a wonderful weekend...

Noodle and crew

Wordless Wednesday...

                                         (baby Noodle archives)





Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Noodle and crew

Asterisk...

*

There was raw emotion and courage and screaming and calm and ranting.

We could write a very long post about yesterday's "hearing".

But we will just say this...

We felt one of the most significant moments occurred right at the end.

Senator Kamala Harris asked a last question and Mr. Kavanaugh's answer spoke volumes.

Today the Republicans will move forward and confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.

There will always be an asterisk by his name and a thicker cloud over his head than already exists .

Just like the asterisk next to Donald Trumps name after being elected NOT by the people but by the electoral college after interference by a hostile adversary assisted by the Trump campaign.

Hillary Clinton lost with over 2 . 8 million more votes, that's a 2 .1% margin!

And she was NOT a popular candidate.

The system cracked and Donald Trump slipped through and we are left to deal with the consequences .

But hey, they'll have another justice on the court to advance their agenda, so  there's that..

UPDATE;

This is what turned it all around!




Have a wonderful weekend!

Noodle and crew

Never mind the outcome...

Unless you live under a rock, you've heard about the whole kerfuffle about Brett Kavanaugh and an accusation of sexual assault.

Eerily similar to Anita Hill and Clarence Thomas, it's been all over the news.

A hearing is being hammered out as I write this.

And I do mean hammered.

Republicans have thrown down the gauntlet.

They are getting their judge no matter how badly he's viewed by the public.

No matter what Kavanaugh has or hasn't done.

The United States has lost all respect, dignity and credibility under this president.

We are about to lose what little morality we still have, in a public display of blame the victim all over again.

While there is a debate raging about honoring the Pledge Of Allegiance    and The National Anthem  I can't help but wonder just what it is we are pledging allegiance to anymore.



Have a wonderful weekend!

Noodle and crew

Wordless Wednesday...

Happy Wednesday!


Noodle and crew

self image...

Donald Trump wishes he were the richest man in the world, ( we couldn't possibly know because he won't show anyone his tax returns, but hey...)

Then there is all that debt.

He tries in vain to convince anyone who will listen that he is indeed the richest, the smartest and the very best business man that ever lived.

But then there are all those pesky little bankruptcy's and failed and repossessed businesses and real estate.

He wants us to believe that he has the best people, (who are all under indictment and have plead guilty.)

Never have we had someone in the White House who disrespect's and embarrasses the office of the presidency as this man does.

Not just for now but for future generation's.

Never have we had a president who has embraced political censorship to the extent and lengths as Mr. Trump.

With his war on the media and anything or anyone else who disagrees with him.

This November it's not just democracy that's on the ballet, it's also freedom.

Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of choice...

I know it's less than 10 weeks away. But It's not to early to start sounding the alarm.

GET OUT AND VOTE!!!!!!!


Then we can move to this...

Article 2

Using the powers of the office of President of the United States, Richard M. Nixon, in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully to execute the office of President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in disregard of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has repeatedly engaged in conduct violating the constitutional rights of citizens, impairing the due and proper administration of justice and the conduct of lawful inquiries, or contravening the laws governing agencies of the executive branch and the purposed of these agencies.

This conduct has included one or more of the following:

1. He has, acting personally and through his subordinates and agents, endeavoured to obtain from the Internal Revenue Service, in violation of the constitutional rights of citizens, confidential information contained in income tax returns for purposed not authorized by law, and to cause, in violation of the constitutional rights of citizens, income tax audits or other income tax investigations to be intitiated or conducted in a discriminatory manner.
2. He misused the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Secret Service, and other executive personnel, in violation or disregard of the constitutional rights of citizens, by directing or authorizing such agencies or personnel to conduct or continue electronic surveillance or other investigations for purposes unrelated to national security, the enforcement of laws, or any other lawful function of his office; he did direct, authorize, or permit the use of information obtained thereby for purposes unrelated to national security, the enforcement of laws, or any other lawful function of his office; and he did direct the concealment of certain records made by the Federal Bureau of Investigation of electronic surveillance.
3. He has, acting personally and through his subordinates and agents, in violation or disregard of the constitutional rights of citizens, authorized and permitted to be maintained a secret investigative unit within the office of the President, financed in part with money derived from campaign contributions, which unlawfully utilized the resources of the Central Intelligence Agency, engaged in covert and unlawful activities, and attempted to prejudice the constitutional right of an accused to a fair trial.
4. He has failed to take care that the laws were faithfully executed by failing to act when he knew or had reason to know that his close subordinates endeavoured to impede and frustrate lawful inquiries by duly constituted executive, judicial and legislative entities concerning the unlawful entry into the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee, and the cover-up thereof, and concerning other unlawful activities including those relating to the confirmation of Richard Kleindienst as Attorney General of the United States, the electronic surveillance of private citizens, the break-in into the offices of Dr. Lewis Fielding, and the campaign financing practices of the Committee to Re-elect the President.
5. In disregard of the rule of law, he knowingly misused the executive power by interfering with agencies of the executive branch, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Criminal Division, and the Office of Watergate Special Prosecution Force, of the Department of Justice, and the Central Intelligence Agency, in violation of his duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed.

In all of this, Richard M. Nixon has acted in a manner contrary to his trust as President and subversive of constitutional government, to the great prejudice of the cause of law and justice and to the manifest injury of the people of the United States.

Wherefore Richard M. Nixon, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and trial, and removal from office.

Adopted 28-10 by the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives.

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Noodle and crew

Did you know?

Did you know that in October of 2016, someone sent a bomb to then President Obama and one to Texas Governor Greg Abbott?

Neither device detonated and the package intended for Obama was intercepted by the Secret Service.

But guess how they finally caught the culprit...

cat hairs!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Noodle and crew

Sunday selfies...

Have a super Sunday!

Noodle and crew

Wordless Wednesday...

              Can't a cat take a nap without someone getting the clicky box?



Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Noodle and crew

Defining the deep state...

You may have heard some people talk about the deep state.

They rail against it and fear monger about it's reach and scope.

You may be wondering, exactly what it is.

 For as many people who are so upset about it's existence, they don't seem to really be able to define it.

Well, we're going to try to help..

So, here is our example of the deep state;

You write a letter.
You put it in an envelope.
You address the envelope.
You put a stamp on it.
You deposit the envelope into a mail box.
The Post office picks up the mail from said mail box.
It is sorted at the Post Office.
The letter is put in a truck.
After which the letter is delivered to the address written upon it.
Ta Da!

That's the deep state.

The deep state is also your public school system, your neighborhood library, your roads and bridges, your fire departments, it's also Medicare and Social Security...

So, basically, the deep state is your government working for you!

Scary right?

Hope we helped.




💓We would also like to send our condolences to the McCain Family.

Although we didn't agree much about politics, he was a true hero and a man who could admit when he was wrong, a rarity these days..



Have a wonderful weekend...

Noodle and crew

Wordless Wednesday...

                                    (baby Noodle archives)



We apologize for not coming by and leaving comments lately but we've all been under the weather.
We hope to be by soon.


Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Noodle and crew

R-E-S-P-E-C-T...

We'd like to dedicate this weekends post to the legendary queen of soul Aretha Franklin.

This astounding woman was an inspiration and lent her voice to life's sound track for millions of young women growing up in the 60's and 70's.

With songs like Respect which was originally written for a male singer, but Miss Aretha took it and made it her own and  made it a battle cry for all women.

She sang for kings and queens and presidents.

She sang at Martin Luther King's funeral and Barrack Obama's, Jimmy Carter's and Bill Clinton's inaugurations.

George H.W. Bush gave her the highest award available to citizen's of the United States, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. 


Her music and her life will be remembered forever...





Have a wonderful and musical weekend!

Noodle and crew

Wordless Wednesday...

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Noodle and crew

Ouch!

Due to an automobile accident, we are licking our wounds and tending to our bumps and bruises both literal and figurative.

Please forgive us for skipping this weekends post.



Noodle and crew

Wordless Wednesday...

Have a wonderful Wednesday...

Noodle and crew

One year after Charlottesville....

In memory of Heather Heyer

On the anniversary of Charlottesville....

we were stunned by the comments uttered by Fox News, Laura Ingram.

They were despicable  and deplorable statements.

What are people so afraid of?

I sorry, I just don't understand.

When you would forfeit your own best interests because that's how badly you want the country to be "white again".

Because you are under the mistaken notion that if you can only contain and control those other people  somehow everything will magically be like it was in the 1950's.

Everyone will shop at mom and pop stores owned by folks you know by name and go to church with.

Kids can play outside until after dark without you worrying someone will snatch them or shoot them.

Manufacturing plants will spring up in decimated neighborhood's bringing them back to life.

You won't have to work after retirement because your Social Security that you paid into faithfully for decades will be enough to live on.

Health care and prescription costs will go down...

and we will all live happily ever after.

That's never going to happen!

And blaming some none existent bogyman for all of it, is what is know as DENIAL.

My advice?

Get over it.

Things change.

Quit acting like a victim.

I'm sure that the guy who used to make buggy whips wasn't happy either.

Or the book binders or the guy who spent his life repairing clocks only to be out of business when digital clocks were invented.

None of these things have anything to do with the border or immigrants or people of color.

If you're looking for a villain...maybe you should take a look in the mirror



Have a wonderful weekend...

Noodle and crew

Wordless Wednesday...

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Noodle and crew

Lost in space...

So, the Pentagon is taking its first steps to creating Space Force, which would be the 6th branch of the military.

This is a project that will cost billions of dollars.

You know, on top of the billions of dollars already that went for tax cuts and models of The Wall and parades and all the other nonsensical things this president has wasted money and resources on.

But Mr. Trump seems to view the presidency not as an office where he is there to protect and serve the people.

But more like his own personal piggy bank that he can draw from whenever something strikes his fancy.

Certainly NOT to help citizens after a hurricane that devastated Puerto Rico.

Certainly not to help rejoin families his own whims have torn apart


So I guess it makes sense in a perverse way...you screw up the entire world so bad that of course you have to have somewhere else to go so....lets start exploring all the aspects of space again.

And lets have a military specifically designed to defend the next planet we conquer and lets do it under the pretext of it being an expansion of a military that is already more powerful than all others.

And lets do it while we are still fighting 2 wars that have been going on for over 15 years.

Does this all sound like a fictional conspiracy theory ?

Welcome to the world we live in now.



Have a wonderful weekend...

Noodle and crew

Words on Wednesday...

        (We know we've used this picture before but here it is in color)




For a while now we've been wondering what's up with Mr.Trump and the word reciprocal.

He says it A LOT!

It's like he heard the word one day and really liked it so began using it all the time.

We've come to know his favorite and most often used phrases.

We have gotten too used to his way of speaking

But really that shouldn't surprise us because as we all know that Donald Trump "has the best words".




Have a wonderful Wednesday...
we hope it's reciprocal!


Noodle and crew