light posting-(pictures)

I haven’t been as engaged as usual because I’ve been trying to clean up my mac to free up space so that I can go ahead as usual and load pictures and video. Diersen is sending out too many emails, LOL…I can’t keep up with it. Because of the space problem (and how slow the solutions seem to be in coming), it appears as though all I’m posting are his emails! Now that I have a camera that takes HD video, the space on the mac disappears very quickly.

To remedy that, at least for the short term – I load up pictures to the photo blog and delete them. And upload video to the youtube account and delete them. But still, before I know it – if I’m not completely careful (and I’m not most of the time) – the macbook freezes up because I’ve run out of disk space.

I will be working on alleviating that problem over the next few days as things wind down and I figure out what the next project is.

In talking with my son tonight, I discovered that he is training dogs as a part of his therapy through the veterans hospital. It’s a program called “circle of change” - and the veterans go to a kennel and work with dogs for a few hours once a week. The dogs are the teachers. I will be going with him next week and bringing our dog, and hope to bring video and pictures back from that. It sounds like a fantastic program.

It turns out he’s been a part of that program since May. And he never brought it up until TONIGHT, when we were talking about the possibility of our own dog possibly having Cushings disease. We’ll find out the test results tomorrow…he was at the veterinarian all day having tests. The dog, not TAZ. (My son is the tasmanian devil. Seriously.)

I attended a debate between Dan Venturi and Don Castella the other night at a meeting at the Wauconda Township Republican Club, and took some great pictures and video–that is a very interesting situation up there; but I gather the symptoms that are showing up in the Lake County GOP are not isolated to Lake County – it’s all over in Illinois and across the country. We, as conservative republicans need to take some steps to correct them, and become more vocal about things.

Needless to say – that is very irritating to the likes of Judy Baar Topinka and others!

Along the way during a trip with Paul Mitchell putting out yard signs before primary day, we stopped near a bird sanctuary and I jumped out and took the first truly close-up pictures of a juvenile red-tailed hawk. You can see how the coloring is absolutely perfect for winter.

The bird looks as though it has snow on its shoulders…and when flying to perch in a tree, virtually disappears. The action shots are getting better, and more clear…as I become more skilled behind the camera.

And right before the primary I went on an amazing jaunt to the University of St. Mary of the Lake– Mundelein Seminary on a brief trip-again with Paul Mitchell (because those days leading to the primary were very intense), we went on a whirlwind tour of the place….

It’s the place where Priests receive their training and schooling…steeped in catholic tradition and gorgeous artwork, stained glass windows and sculptures-I was mesmerized.

I took a few pictures during that trip, but I’ve been thinking I need to go back there to get more…it took my breath away.

I also saw an incredibly large deer in the woods there – as the seminary is surrounded by acres of beautiful mature forest that I would imagine is even more incredible (not to mention easier to walk through and take pictures of) in warmer weather. Not that I don’t like winter-I love all seasons in Illinois…winter is just tougher because of the need to bundle up; but it can be magically beautiful -contemplative and quiet- and always differently – with snowfall sometimes dusting, sometimes wet, sometimes cold white kisses of glitter that melt into droplets on your nose.

I managed to snap a few pics when stopping in at the Joe Walsh victory party on the evening of February 2nd-I didn’t hear his victory speech, but I was told that he said we are entering “phase 2″. I keep running into a lot of the same people at these events.

And it must also be noted that I have joined the Republican Assembly of Lake County and am taking the steps necessary to join Taproot…because I have always been a conservative, and that’s where I belong. I am still appalled at the loony leftists who seem to have somehow infiltrated our party and now look at the conservatives as though they don’t belong; and do their best to marginalize us.

I have news for them…and the country has news for them…

Which is why the Dan Venturi/Don Castella Lake County GOP Chair contest is of particular interest to me, as are some other races that would seem to some to be insignificant. Once again, we are in the struggle for the soul of our party and we need to shake up the foundations of the GOP in EVERY COUNTY.

I just have to figure out how that applies to the County of CROOKS that I live in.

There doesn’t seem to be enough time in the day to do all the things I need and want to do…

Cheers, and thanks for listening.