Retirement is looming up in front of me and while I thought I would be ready, I now find that the Bush stock market has knocked my portfolio off track. It's about two thirds of what I had been hoping it would be with historical profitability. What lies ahead? Can the stock rally that is currently underway continue and make up the difference? The next five years need to at least avoid the disasters of the last 5. What should I have done differently? I should have agressively managed my money when I was in my 20's and 30's. I could have had twice as much money socked away now. That's a word to you younger people out there. Invest and watch it. It you aren't getting good returns then move it somewhere else.

Puppies are dirt balls. They come inside with grass and straw and leaves attached. They are entertaining, bouncing about, sliding across the tile floor chasing a ball or a plastic bottle. They squeak and yelp and roll about. They chew everything that is close to them including your shoes, the furniture, and when possible, their masters. As a result of puppy handling, I've found myself washing my hands 20 times a day and with my old skin, that doesn't work. I'm washing my skin away! So it's time for skin care lotion. Getting older is not for the faint of heart.

I've been locked out of my own blog for days with a computer problem. Oddly, this is my 365th blog entry. I can't say that I believed that I'd have that much to say, but I did write journals and diaries as a lad. Will there be more of a written record to pass on to our grandchildren than there has been in other generations? What do I have from my grand parents or great grand parents? Almost nothing. I know their names. I have a little fold out fan that was my mother's mother's. Nothing from Grandfather Charlie except a few photographs. Daddy's parents only exist in photos, his father dying in 1930, long before I arrived on the planet and his mother died in 1956. I can only remember her in her coffin. I don't know what any of them thought, felt, or believed. Charlie was a deacon at the Free Will Baptist Church. Grandmother Cora had a pump organ in the house. There were hymn books. There is a kerosene lantern that lighted the old church before they got electricity. It's still at Daddy's house.

My son has made a printed record of his blogs and perhaps I'll do the same. Perhaps there is too much political rambling and not enough personal stuff, but maybe the great grandchildren can catch a glimpse of me in there somewhere. Will they think I was smart or ignorant? Will they ever understand that I made music? Will anyone be able to play a Compact Disc in 2050? Maybe my collection of programs will survive as well. Or . . . maybe not.

There is a new addition to the household. Patches is a 10 week old mixed breed puppy that we brought home from my daughter's ranch in north Georgia. She is a handful, but adapting well to homelife so far. I hope the border collie in her makes her smart and that the mixed breed helps make her be able to adapt to life in a home. It's a risk I know. But there were eight of them and daughter needed someone to take them off her hands. She still has two who need homes if you are interested. I will say she's a cutie. Look up border collie mix images and you'll find her photo, except that her coloring is not black or that chocolate brown but rather a straw color like a regular collie. He dad is a heinz 57. We're hoping that will give her a strong constitution and even temper.

A moment of discovery. I tell people that I learned to sing in 8 minutes. Spread over 8 years. We'll have to teach her to be musical, and style, and languages, and acting, but the placement work is now done. And placement is the hardest thing of all.

Singing well is remarkably easy and impossibly difficult. When you can do it, you understand how it works. Explaining it is more complicated. Tonight, I helped a student find the placement of her voice. It is a groove. I've been coaching her for 3 years. She will never forget today and as she goes on to a career in music, she'll make precious few changes in technique from this day forward. Mrs. G was floored at the other end of the house and called the boy to listen on the phone. The weirdest thing is that I taught her sister to sing 4 years ago. But I couldn't get the sister to major in music. Medicine is her calling. Has to be a doctor. This one is just as smart, but it is music that drives her. She will be a great one. Hours after she left, I'm still jumping around thinking about it. What a sound. The third sister is in the 7th grade.

Remember Scott Ritter, the UN Weapons inspector? He seemed a little like a loose cannon in the run up to the Iraq war, shaking his fist at the Bush administration like Don Quixote, tilting at windmills. He was easily shuffled off to the side by the most controlling executive branch in history. I triple-dawg, snake, cat dare you to read this article that he wrote in July 2002 concerning his certainty that the Bush administration planned to enter into war with Iraq.

While we were never able to provide 100 percent certainty regarding the disposition of Iraq's proscribed weaponry, we did ascertain a 90-95 percent level of verified disarmament. This figure takes into account the destruction or dismantling of every major factory associated with prohibited weapons manufacture, all significant items of production equipment, and the majority of the weapons and agent produced by Iraq.

On another subject, the Repubs are now threatening to filibuster if any of the non-binding resolutions come to the floor for a vote. In other words, the Senate repubs are linking arms in order to not allow a vote on any legislation that offers criticism to the preznut and his policies. You would think that after getting their butts whipped in the last election they would have a little humility about themselves and be trying to figure out why the people voted them out. But no, rather, they have dug in to their old positions and are holding the party line as dictated by the shrub, just as they have done for six years. "You boys stop them down there in the Senate. We don't want any criticism of my office. That would embolden the terrorists."

I say bring the issue to the floor immediately and make them filibuster around the clock 24-7. Take repeated votes to break the filibuster to get everyone on record over and over again. If they can hold it two weeks, then fine, say loud and clear in the press, "We are giving up our effort to bring this to a vote. Once again the Repub party has thrown aside the responsibility of the congress to act as check on the power of this president. May God have mercy on their souls."

Come on Democratic controlled Senate. Do it now.