Screwed Again ~ Not!

Saturday morning we took our F-150 King Ranch truck for a 3,000 mile service checkup and oil change. And since the dealership didn't do some things right when we bought it three months ago, we requested a do over. That entailed a special exterior coating, a special leather treatment for the inside, etc. We paid extra to have those things done but they weren't done to our satisfaction. As a matter of fact, the leather wasn't even touched.

Once we arrived there we were told the things we wanted done would take more than one day. And since they are closed on Sunday, we wouldn't get the truck back until late Monday. They had told us over the phone that they would supply a loaner vehicle. And we thought we would be dropping the truck off, taking their loaner vehicle, and then coming back later the same day for the truck. Yeah...right. Here's what really happened:

Their idea of a loaner? How about an Enterprise Rental vehicle. And what did we get? A Windstar minivan. Which, by the way, does not fit either of our images. We are far from minivan people. We did, however, manage to crack each other up over the course of the first day with our minivan jokes. I will not share them with you because I know there are minivan lovers out there and people who do fit the minivan image so we will leave it at that. OK?

Here is a picture of the minivan, and all I can say is at least it's a Ford.

The Enterprise guy explained things to us about the vehicle and then asked us if we wanted to buy their insurance at $15.99 per day. Say what? We have never rented a vehicle before, so that kind of took us by surprise. Not to mention the fact that we were totally not prepared to deal with a rental in the first place.

If we went with our own insurance instead of theirs and anything happened, we would have to shell out the $1,000 deductible we have. No thanks. So we opted to use theirs. As we drove away I commented on two things: 1) The dealership did not tell us that more than one day would be needed and 2) they did not tell us we'd have to pay insurance for a rental car. Had we known ahead of time we would have taken two vehicles down so that we had one of our own to use. Usage of the rental car is covered under the bumper to bumper coverage we put on the truck. The insurance is not.

To make a long story short (and you know I have trouble doing that), we ended up talking the dealership into absorbing the cost of the rental insurance. After all, it wasn't our fault.

And to top it all off...three days turned into four.

Enterprise is one of Dale Jr's sponsors (last year anyway, I don't know about this year) and had he handed the keys to me personally, well I would have paid the insurance no questions asked.

Still Here

It's been a very busy weekend and today is just as bad. Hopefully I will be able to post something within 24 hours. I have a lot of material to draw from so just bear with me and keep coming back.

Not Thrilled At All

Although I am not superstitious, I still don't like when the 13th falls on a Friday. There's just something a bit eerie about it.

I tempted the odds with my first marriage by tying the knot on the 13th. Guess what? It didn't work. My daughter was baptized on the 13th, my brother was married on the 13th, I graduated high school on the 13th. What the hell were we thinking? Thank God none of those days were on a Friday.

Did I say I'm not superstitious? Maybe I should rethink that. Anyway, is it Saturday yet?

Mystery Solved

A few weeks ago (September 12th to be exact) I wrote about some large, black garbage bags that went mysteriously missing. The title of that post was It's A Mystery To Me.

I used the garbage bags to wrap around cardboard boxes, using plenty of duct tape to keep them in place. The bags were used to keep the boxes dry during rain storms so the cats would have decent shelter.

At that time I never did figure out where exactly those garbage bags went to. It seemed like a human act because I never, in my dreams, would have thought an animal would not only get them off the boxes, but take them away too. It just was not possible.

Well, this morning I finally got my answer and it is no longer a mystery...

Inside one of the two boxes I had an old tablecloth. It was nowhere to be found this morning on our three acres. Absolutely no~freaking~where. And it was one of those times when I could say WTF and really mean it. As I stood there scratching my a...er...head, I looked over the deck railing at the side of the house. And there it was! By the old groundhog hole I had covered so well. At least I thought I did at the time. All the while I was gloating, thinking I had pulled one over on ole mister grundsow. Little did I know it was laughing its hiney off every time it saw me when it was out in the yard.

It seemed as if it had tried to drag the cloth into the hole and couldn't so it gave up. I believe it can get out of the hole but not in at the angle of its new opening. So I wedged a piece of board and a brick on top of the board into the new opening that had gone unnoticed by me. It didn't seem possible for it to get out either, but it must have at least tried. These are some big mofo groundhogs we have here, and I am now quite sure it cannot use the hole anymore.

If not, and it gets ahead of me again, the half German in me will just keep at it until I am declared the victor. As if that's going to happen.

Another Happy Milestone

HAPPY 32nd BIRTHDAY, RALPH DALE EARNHARDT JR!

I'm So Glad The Mets Won Because...

...Dale Jr., while leading on the final lap of Sunday's race, was taken out by an over-zealous red-headed stepchild. And I hope Brian Vickers chokes on his win because he didn't deserve that one.

Dale Jr. was on his way to a win, or possibly a second or third place finish. He would have made a huge gain in the points, but mister Vickers wasn't having any of that. He's a Hendrick driver so I shouldn't expect any 'smart' moves from him. What he did was totally uncalled for, not to mention he took his own teammate out too. Vickers doesn't care about his team anymore because he is leaving Hendrick at the end of this season and going to another team next year. And he was too eager to get a win before that happens. So much so, that he didn't think things through.

...and then, to top my day off really good, I watched the end of the Cowboys-Eagles game. Another fiasco.

So, like I said, I'm so glad the Mets won. 'Nuff said.

Mets Swept Dodgers In 3 Games And Will Move On To The National League Championship Series

It's Finally Here!

I just love the racing at this track. It should be very interesting this year with the new surface. Almost like racing at a new track. Everyone will be on the same playing field. No one has an advantage. Should be quite interesting. And to make it more intriguing, it's an impound race.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Dale Jr. taken at last week's track in Kansas. I wonder what he's thinking? I just love that look on his face. Go get 'em Junebug. Show 'em you own Talladega, just like your Daddy did.

This Changed Our Plans

There are a lot of places we want to visit now that we are able to go during the week. One of them is Country Junction which is north of us, about an hour of driving through some very nice scenic country. It is located at the foot of the Pocono Mountains. Country Junction is billed as the "World's Largest General Store." It covers three acres, and there are three buildings.






Up until earlier this week, those were our plans; however, there was a fire and everything is gone. All the buildings and everything that was in them, including some animals that were in the pet shop. That is the saddest part of it all.











So I guess we will have to wait until next year to visit, as the owner stated he plans to rebuild. So much for the best laid plans...

A New Chapter In Our Lives

No, we did not file Chapter 11. That's the best image I could find for this post. Sorry if I got you all excited.

Life is filled with many chapters. Some people just have more than others. Some chapters are good, some not so good, depending on how you look at them and life itself.

My husband and I are starting a new chapter. You know how they say the best is yet to come? Well, we are hoping that time is here, now. As of October 2nd, we are both officially retired and because it's so new for us, having never done it before, we are not sure whether it's good or bad. I'm sure it will take some time for us to adjust. Maybe, maybe not.

Neither of us chose to take retirement at this time of our lives. I had a lot of good years left in me to stay in the workforce, as did my husband. But there's something about young people these days not being able to work with or deal with people older than they are. It's like they don't even want to be around them.

I used to laugh at that idea when I was just starting out way back when. But older folk were so different back then compared to people of the same age today. Like 100 years different.

We're not ready to be put out to pasture. We're not ready to be brushed aside as if we don't exist. We are a force to be reckoned with.

It took me many months, well actually a whole year, until I was able to reconcile with the fact that I was no longer working. It's hard to get over a certain routine. But my reconciliation had more to do with just a routine.

I was angry. So angry that I started this blog and tried to rid my anger here. It didn't work. Not until I wrote my first anniversary post. That's when all the anger finally left me.

I fully expected my husband to be angry after he visited his former workplace to turn in the key to his tractor trailer. He lost his job because of a very young (under 25) female manager of one of those coffee franchises (starts with an S and ends with an S). It seems she didn't like his sense of humor last Thursday when he made a delivery there. She called her corporate headquarters and they in turn called my husband's corporate headquarters. He never stood a chance. You see, the trucking company we both worked for has to cater to that coffee company and treat them with kid gloves.

I have no idea what went wrong with her and I can only think she was having a bad day. Either that or she is simply a man hater. Yeah, that makes sense. My husband has a terrific sense of humor, and he got along with everyone, including all his customers. And to tell the truth, I would love to pay her a little visit. Say hello to my little friend.

So we closed one chapter and move on to the next. I'm sure it will be quite painless. Our house and both vehicles are paid for. We have no credit card debt. We are now free to come and go as we please. No alarm clocks. No deadlines. And this winter when it snows we can stand inside our house and watch all the other lunatics trying to get to their place of work. And we will finally have the last laugh.

Written Prior To His Freedom

(I typed this a few weeks ago. Little did I know what was coming down the road. I will post about that tomorrow.)


"They" used to pick at me all the time.
I kept to myself; tried to mind my own business.
In the end it wasn't enough.
"They" proved to be oh so much stronger than me.
I knew it, but I prolonged it as long as I could.
But "they" won and I lost. (Or so they thought)

And now "they're" at it again with someone who is very very close to me. Picking away ever so slowly.

Why is it when a person (if that's what you want to call some of those low-lifes) is put in charge of people, they no longer act human? Why? They actually go back to some of their early ancestors and act just like them: cavemen. What is it that changes them? Power? Their ego? Or is it just "I'm better than you..."

I saw such changes from my little corner of the world. And there was nothing I could do about it. Oh, it's not that I didn't fantasize, because I did that on a daily basis. It was the only way I could keep my sanity, what little I had left.

I don't care who it is or where they work, no one should have to fear being where they are. Ever. The biggest employment problem today is that the majority of states (Pennsylvania included) are "at will" states, meaning employers can fire anyone they darn well please at any time for any reason. Employees of those states HAVE NO RIGHTS!

You'd think with new management (hah, that's funny, a possible oxymoron if you will ~ well, the moron part is right), would be more considerate. Find out about your "new" employees before you nitpick. I lost all respect of the one that was in place, and the new one never had any of my respect. Never will. And it makes me sooooooo happy to be able to say that.

Gee, I guess I'm still a bit angry. Ya think?

Hopefully we wll be the stronger for it all because as I always say "What goes around comes around." Those are my famous last words. I learned that saying from the lawyer that taught my law class. I use it all the time. And darned if it isn't coming true. "They" know who I mean.

Oh, the little devil at the top? He represents "them."

People In The News

I have nothing to say about T.O.'s situation until all the reports are in. But I do like one of the headlines in the newspaper: The Blame For This Media Circus Lies With The Media, Not Owens. Amen!

I absolutely love the latest TV ad that the Swann campaign is running. Very humorous. It's the one about the current governor's ad stating there will be property tax cuts for all Pennsylvanians. They don't say when. Actually it might occur sometime late next year, if not then in 2008, according to the guideline dates I found yesterday. The current governor made the campaign promise in 2002 saying he would give all home owners significant property tax relief. However, should he not be voted to stay as governor this fall, his campaign promise will not be worth much. Property tax cuts? I'll believe them when I see them in my tax bills. Right now it's just a big joke.
Tokyo Rose is dead. Boo hoo. I don't know much about her other than hearing her name now and then in my early years. After reading the article about her in the newspaper, I now know more than I really wanted to: namely that she never existed as just one person. There were several women that demoralized American servicemen via the radio. This one particular woman, Iva Toguri D'aquino aka Orphan Ann, just happened to be the one that was prosecuted. Poor baby...Not!
Juan Pablo Montoya ~ is this just the tip of the iceberg as far as other drivers in different racing venues wanting to get into the lucrative sport of stockcar racing? It uneases me a bit. Irregardless, Mr. Montoya, or is that Senor Montoya from Colombia, will make his debut October 6th in the ARCA race at Talladega Superspeedway. I for one will be watching very closely. If all goes well, Juan Pablo will be in the No. 42 Dodge next season driving for Chip Ganassi in the Nextel Cup Series.
And finally I would like to talk about Matt Kenseth. How can one person be so dang funny and not crack a smile at the same time? He cracks me up almost every week. I just can't help myself. I never used to appreciate his humor, but I do now. I'm not a big Kenseth fan, but he's ok in my book ~ till he does something dumb on the track. But that doesn't happen very often as he is a careful driver. I guess it's not what he says so much as how he says it. Kind of like an "aside." Funny guy ~ who'da thunk it?

Of course, I just had to post a photo of Matt with Junior. For my sake.

I Make No Excuses

For those few readers that I have, I sincerely appreciate when you visit. For those of you who come here looking for NASCAR writings, you won't find much. This is not a NASCAR site per se. For the most part, my NASCAR posts are, and probably always will be, devoted to my driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr. I make no excuses for that because I don't see much beyond Dale Jr. and I have always admitted that.

There are other drivers who I can count on one hand that I like and I do celebrate their good fortune(s). The only other time I write about NASCAR or its drivers is if I am severely pissed off at them. And that happens nearly every time there's a race but even then I try to refrain from bashing them merely because most of them are not worth the waste of my time and energy.

So, with that in mind, I would like to make one tiny comment about the current Chase for the Nextel Cup:

I am glad that Childress Racing is doing so well right now. After all, that's where Junior's father was employed at the time of his passing. With two races done and eight to go, I am not writing off Junior's chances in the Chase as most of the media has and will be doing for the remainder of this week.

There's a strong possibility he may not win the championship but I do think he will climb higher in the points. Why do I say that? Because the first two races were not a team effort. I think his team is letting him down by not providing first, a good handling car and second, better adjustments to make an ill-handling car better. I also think DEI better get their act together and find more horsepower for their engines. Junior is driving his butt off, but it doesn't mean anything if the car will not cooperate. Remember that...

The Good The Bad The Ugly

A neighboring water authority has been fighting to get public water in our little village for more years than I care to remember. We, as a community, kept fighting against it. But, as the "little man" knows, the "bigger man" won. And so we are supposedly moving up in the world. Bah!

The Good ~ I currently have unlimited usage of fresh water thanks to our well. That means I can shower as long as I want, wash my hair every day, do lots of laundry, and not have to worry how much I used or what it will cost.

The Bad ~ If we hook up (and it's not mandatory that we do, nor will it cost us anything if we don't), we will have to monitor our water usage. I absolutely hate when I have to do something like that. Anyway, they claim it would cost around $60 per quarter. Yeah, I know how that goes. Next year it would jump sky-high. And then it's too late.

The Ugly ~ If we do decide to hook up, we will pay a tapping fee of over $1100. That's just the fee. That doesn't get us any public water. Then it would be another $1000 or so to bring the water to the lateral in front of our property. However, that $1000 will be waived if we hook up within 90 days of availability. And then the fun begins...money-wise. It's our responsibility to find a plumber to bring the water from the lateral to the house. I can just hear the money clinking already.
I enjoy my well water. It's free and it tastes good. Public water just plain downright sucks. I have yet to taste any decent public water.

Currently, we are wavering as to what to do and our mind is not definitely made up yet as to what we are going to do. If we do decide to go with public water, we are still going to keep the well and use that for the outside spigots. However, I wish we could also keep the well water for the laundry room and bathroom, and just have public water for drinking purposes only. I think that can probably be done but it would cost a lot of extra money to do so. It is illegal to have water commingle.

We have to make up our minds soon because we are one of the last houses for the initial pipes being put into the ground, and they are currently working just below our house.

So once again, our household has a major decision to make. Don't these decisions ever go away? I am thinking that I would just love to move to the boondocks of Alaska, get my food and mail flown to my property, and just kick back and say to hell with everything else. How about it?

Another Hang 'Em High Story

I had a post a few weeks ago about someone who opened a farm enclosure and let 20 steers run all over creation. Only 13 survived if I remember correctly. It happened locally, as did the following story.

Well, before that happened, another group of young males did something so horrific that I couldn't even set my pen to paper for a rough draft, let alone a final post. But because an animal rights group was so incensed by how the boys got away with murder, it surfaced in today's newspaper again. I, for one, am so glad that the whole issue isn't being shoved into the background only to be forever forgotten. Things of this nature should never be overlooked.

The five teenaged boys (15-18 years old) got off easy. They were charged with criminal trespass and only had to pay $425.00 in fines and court costs. A mere slap on the wrist.

What did they do?

First they broke onto private property. Then they attacked four baby goats that were in a pasture. Using a baseball bat, they beat those baby goats. All of them either died that same day or a few days later as a result of those attacks.

The owners of the farm have moved to another state. They are also pursuing a civil lawsuit against each of the boys' parents. And I say good for them, take it to the Supreme Court if they have to.

If it was baby goats five months ago, what will it be next? Someone's child? Any young person who commits such heinous acts on any animal will eventually grow up to be a wife beater, a child beater or will commit murder. They are nothing but bullies and it makes me wonder what their home life was like.

Just give me a few hours with them and we'd see justice done. An eye for an eye...

Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah!

As most of you know, I've been a Mets fan for as long as they've been around, and I have been nervously watching them ever since they literally "took off" at the beginning of the season, all the while holding my breath and hoping they'd get as far as they have. And they did. On April 6th they took over the lead in their division and never relinquished it. As of this past Monday, they are the first team to clinch a division title, that of NL East. And...it's their first title since 1988.

They tried clinching the title three games ago, but the Pittsburgh Pirates were just too tenacious and denied them of any wins. And so it was the Florida Marlins that gave them the win for the title. By doing that, the Mets ended the Atlanta Braves' reign as king of the NL East. The Braves had won 14 straight division titles, including 11 in a row after they were moved over to the NL East Division.

I wish Mike Piazza were still on the team. And I miss Bobby Valentine, too. He was their colorful manager a few seasons back. But this is a new team, it's a new day, so let's hope they indeed do go..all..the..way!



Pardon me now while I go do another happy dance...


I just had to work that Bud in somehow:

Gone But Not Forgotten

A fellow blogger recently lost one of his rabbits (10-year-old Greyton), and so I would like to share with you my past experiences with our rabbits. I dedicate this post to Greyton...may he rest in peace.


We have been the "parents" of four rabbits since 1992. They were all females. Thank goodness, because they are more docile than males.

Our little rabbit venture all started when my daughter brought one home from her end-of-the-year agricultural class at vo-tech. Students were asked if they wanted to take it home and she volunteered. Didn't ask Mom first, but it was OK.

I called her Peter J Rabbit despite the fact that she was a she. I have no idea where that came from, but eventually it got shortened to "Pee Jay." I don't remember how old she was when she got sick. She was an "outside" rabbit and since I considered her my daughter's responsibility, she and her then boyfriend took Pee Jay to the vet. He injected meds and sent her home. During the night she passed away. She had pneumonia. I found her the next morning and cried like a baby. I had become quite attached to her because it was me that fed her and me that kept her hutch clean. So much for my daughter's responsibility.

I needed a replacement and my husband came to the rescue when he brought a tiny black bunny home that he had gotten from a co-worker. She was a mixed Dutch rabbit. We named her Shelby (after the Mustang model.) Being new to raising rabbits, we were not aware that females should be spayed. It prolongs their life, as they are "cycling" constantly. And because of that they are prone to cancer.
Shelby looked a lot like Pee Jay except that she had three white splashes on the back of her neck, like a collar.

Shortly after we acquired Shelby, my father decided that my husband needed a rabbit of his own. He said he felt sorry for him. My Dad worked the small animal/poultry building at the Allentown Fair and he found a bunny for sale. It was a white Netherland Dwarf and looked like this one:



Both Shelby and Cobra (aha...there's that Mustang model again) lived outside. However, before Cobra could be put outside, another pen had to be built to accommodate her. Unbeknownst to us, outside rabbits are prone to get sick. And they both did. We lost Cobra after about a year of caring for her, but Shelby was saved by the vet. It was then we decided she would live in the house with us. We got her a dog crate/pen and put her in the living room. She developed cancer at the age of 6-1/2 years because she was not spayed. This time the vet could not save her.

It was then that I decided no more rabbits. However, my brother-in-law had other ideas. He met someone who asked if he knew of anyone who would be interested in a baby bunny. And he immediately thought of me. He brought her to the house while we were both at work and then he called me at work to tell me what he had done. My husband got home before me. Behind the house, under the plum tree, our wheelbarrow had been turned upside down and put over a cardboard soda box that contained the bunny.

This is a photo of a Mini Lop and it is very close to what Jasper looked like.

I didn't want to get too attached to her so no name was given. I put a sign up at work to see if someone wanted to adopt her (but I insisted on visitation rights.) No one came forth and by that time she had wedged her way into my heart. And so she was named Jasper (after the engines)...and now she is gone too. We lost her on May 11th of this year.

She had other names too: Sweetie Pea, Munchkin, Jazzy

A lot of people don't understand rabbits. They make wonderful pets if they are cared for correctly. They don't like to be dirty so they constantly groom themselves, much like a cat. They crave affection and it's very rare when they don't want to be bothered. They give much affection in return.

My little Jasper was a real warrior up to the end. She gave so much love that I will never forget her. I promised her I would see her in heaven. And I asked that she be taken care of there by my parents. I know she's in good hands, because they have all crossed The Rainbow Bridge.

My Husband's Opinions

My husband and I were having a discussion the other night about who the Chase contenders are for the NASCAR Nextel Cup. When I mentioned each name, he made the following comments:

MATT KENSETH ~ He's a good driver but he's just too consistent, although that's how he won his first championship. And that's one of the reasons I'm not in his corner this year.

JIMMIE JOHNSON ~ He's too much of a whiner and a blamer and he would be absolutely nowhere were it not for his crew chief, Chad Knaus. Besides, he's a Hendrick driver.

KEVIN HARVICK ~ I always liked Kevin and I love the way he drives. If he wins the Busch and the Cup championships it would be OK with me.

KYLE BUSCH ~ He drives for Hendrick so I'll say no more, except that I hate the way he 'talks' with his eyes.

DENNY HAMLIN ~ I'm not so sure a rookie should be in the Chase. He hasn't been around long enough to merit it. Have you ever noticed how he pronounces his Js? Just sounds like chust. Are you sure he's from Virginia and not around here?

DALE EARNHARDT JR ~ Well, I can't say enough about him. I always was and still am a fan of his father. He may not drive aggressively like his father did, but he gets the job done when it needs to be done. Do I think he deserves to win this year? Of course, I do.

MARK MARTIN ~ Sh*t or get off the pot already with the retirement stuff. I don't think he has a chance to win it.

JEFF BURTON ~ I like to listen to him and I like the way he handles himself in the spotlight, but I think he, too, will fade toward the end.

JEFF GORDON ~ Can we just move on to the next name? Well, he's a Hendrick driver, isn't he? Need I say anymore?

KASEY KAHNE ~ He's a good kid and he has five wins but even that almost wasn't good enough to get him into the Chase. I like the fact that he earned his way in though.

Well there you have it. I know everyone has their own ideas and opinions as to whom they'd like to see win the championship.

Remember, these are my husband's opinions, so don't shoot the messenger.

It's A Mystery To Me

When it was raining on a daily basis a few weeks ago, I threw together some make-shift shelters on the deck for the cats so they at least had someplace to go to stay dry. Just two heavy duty cardboard boxes and some old towels for bedding.

After a few days I decided to encase the boxes in garbage bags as they were getting very damp. I also put an old plastic tote out and laid it on its side, again with old bedding inside.

One day last week, after the bags were a bit weather beaten, I found one of the boxes partially covered and the other box had its bag completely gone, nowhere to be found. We're talking the 33-gallon size.

The following day I redid them but I took more care, making them tighter to the box plus I used a whole lot more duct tape.

Imagine my surprise when I looked out one morning and saw only one box with the garbage bag gone and, again, it was nowhere in sight. That made a total of almost four full bags gone.

So by now I'm really scratching my a...er, head. Totally bamboozled. Where the heck did those bags go and who or what did it? It looked like something only a human was capable of doing. I know for a fact that it wasn't the cats. I walked to the side of the house and looked over the side of the deck and at least I found the one box that was missing. It was near the groundhog hole that's in the one window well. A hole I thought had been abandoned.

About an hour later I went out the front door, walked alongside the house, and as I turned the corner there by the box was a groundhog. He dived into the hole.

Let's back up to a few weeks ago when I came out on the deck one morning and found that very same groundhog ripping into a garbage bag full of trash. Well, it wasn't full of trash anymore as it had most of the trash strewn all over the deck. At first I hadn't seen it and once it spied me (while I was standing almost on top of it), away it ran. I have no idea what it was after because we don't throw any food whatsoever into the trash. And if I hadn't seen the groundhog in action, I would have blamed it on the cats. Well...maybe. In the back of my mind I would have held another critter responsible for it.

So, I put two and two together and came up with the fact that this groundhog is garbage bag crazy. Addicted? Who knows.

To make matters worse I would've sworn as I rounded that corner that morning, the groundhog was on its hind feet doing a happy dance thinking he'd pulled one over on me and he was probably trying to figure out just how to get the box down the hole where the garbage bags already were.

What else am I supposed to believe?

Hail To The Heroes

After five years there are still no words to express the sorrow of what happened that day...