This simply has to stop...

My blog is anything but political.  I generally write about events in my life, post pictures of my dog, our cottage, etc.  However, the events of the past few weeks in Washington have caused my blood to virtually boil.  The 112th Congress will certainly be remembered for being, to date, the worst in the history of the Republic.  On Friday, I sent the e-mail below to my Representative and Senators who are representing me in Congress.  I have yet to hear from Representative Amash, Senator Stabenow or Senator Levin.  I will post their respective responses  when and if I ever hear back from them.  If you are as mad at Congress as I am, you might want to let your elected officials know, too.

Senator Stabenow, Senator Levin and Congressman Amash,

Shame on you all for getting us here, the edge of the fiscal cliff

How do you look at yourself in the mirror each and every day with the realization that the 112th Congress is, because of your incompetence and ineptitude, the worst Congress in the history of the Republic?  As I wrote to you yesterday, all of you deserve public censure on the floor of the House and Senate and then you should personally apologize to all the people you are supposed to represent.  You have all been utter failures in your job and you need to apologize to us all for your incompetence.

I have a simple request as your constituent: Please explain to me what you are planning on personally doing tomorrow, Sunday and Monday to fix this mess you collectively made.

I can be reached via e-mail: plkrat@gmail.com.  I look forward to a response from you or one of your staffers.

Regards,

Paul Kratochwill

Our Charlie Brown Christmas Tree

When I lived in Chicago, we purchased an artificial tree from a nearby IKEA store.  We decorated it with a few strings of lights, a couple of ornaments, you get the idea.  In 2005 when I was stationed at NOSC Chicago Deirdre came in for the week of Christmas.  After I decorated the tree, I sent her a picture of it and she declared, "It looks like the Charlie Brown Tree."  I had to admit that it did look a little spartan that first year.

In the intervening years, we got a natural tree, or we had no tree at all.  Fast forward a couple of years to 2012.  The tree is once again out of its box and Deirdre strung the lights.  We added ornaments together.

The tree topper is a Belleek star Deirdre picked up along the way.

We are ready for Santa's visit tonight.  I hope that you are, too.

Samson the Dog

Our dog, Samson, is a rather famous individual.  He has a Twitter account where he occasionally posts his comments on the life he leads.  It takes a lot of effort to be him, so he tends to sleep at least 8 hours a day and whatever he can get at night.  He also is quite photogenic.

No doubt he was contemplating a nap when I snapped this image.  He also enjoys hanging out in our yard, chasing squirrels or other small animals who decided to  cross into his territory.

One of Samson's favorite things to do when he is not chasing small furry creatures is rolling around on his back.  He does it with such gusto.

Samson has been a part of our life for five years.  He was a rescue pup.  Somebody dumped him in a park just north of of downtown Grand Rapids.  He was fearful, aggressive and scared when we brought him home.  Now, he is kind, loving and just a great dog.