Here's a little poem for "Father's Day" to all you Daddy's out there.

DADDY’S HOME !

By Robert Blaske

“Daddy’s Home !” she’d yell down the hall,

And come running - with her announcement to all.

“Daddy’s Home !” what a joyful sound to a weary ear.

My little girl’s happy cause her daddy was here.

“Daddy’s Home !” all welcome the hero

My energy level climbed up from zero.

Kisses touched both my heart and my face.

And the day’s troubles were easy to erase.

“Daddy’s Home !” I don’t hear much anymore.

But its familiar echo rests in a brain cell drawer.

True, there’s other sayings there to recall,

A “Daddy’s Home !” memory causes tears to fall.

“Daddy’s Home !” – they’re simple words – only two

I wish that Daddies would listen with love in their heart.

To know their child’s joyful hero-trumpeting call.

To know love and feel like he’s ten feet tall.

“Daddy’s Home !” listen and you’ve earned a crown

More cherished than riches or being a man about town.

Give kisses freely, hugs, and be sure about being careful to listen

Memorize the words freely – cause some day you’re gonna miss ‘em.

“Daddy’s Home !” let this also be my goal.

When heavenward I pass with my name on the role.

Let me run to the throne with a smile, and joy in my heart,

Knowing I’m safe now cause God, My Father, has done His part.

Yes, Daddy’s Home.

A TRIBUTE TO A 

GARBAGE CAN CAT

    She must have been a few months old when she wandered (or sort of lured) into my granddaughter's, Diane, Jacksonville, NC apartment back in 2007. She'd been one of those feral cats that roam around looking for food in dumpsters and garbage cans and seeking to survive in a cruel cat world. Of course, Diane already had a cat and knew she couldn't handle two, so "Who do you call?" answer of course "Grandma and Grandpa." That's how we adopted the kitten with certain restrictions such as, "What are you going to name her?" Diane already knew that Grandma and I leaned toward the more unusual types of animal names, like "Hootza!" or maybe "Obuma" or even "Dumpster." I knew I had to come up with an acceptable name or she  wouldn't release the cat to me, so "Muffin" became her name. 

     Now that I look back on that visit to Jacksonville, we should have named the cat "Ghost" because her survival instinct was so strong she could disappear from view in the blink of an eye. Muffin couldn't allow herself to really enjoy the pleasure of being petted for any length of time without retreating and coming back for another quick pass.

     I am overwhelmed with waves of sadness at the loss of this loyal little friend who adopted me and became a one man cat in spite of all her inner survival warning signs. On cold winter nights my little cat friend curled up under the covers at my knees and accompanied me on my frequent midnight toilet breaks to brush back and forth across my feet with accompanying tail-hugs.

    Muffin took on the self-appointed duty of making certain that all the other animals (including herself) were given treats at the proper time. If I delayed the morning treats, Muffin would find me and meow in a "get your butt in gear!" cat tone. She then would accompany me back to my favorite chair, hop up on the end table, and wait until each animal was given a treat. She would hop down from the table, go over and rub up against Bonnie (ignoring the meaningless growl), and go back to the table until little Bud, the Shitzu got his treat. Bud didn't get the cat rub, but she made certain he was enjoying the special event before jumping back on the table for her own handful of "Fishie's."

    There is no question in Grandma or my mind that God's perfect heaven will include our furry faced  friends who have gone on before us.

WOW ! The money was sent by Fed Ex !

Here's a copy of my email from the Scammers in what is called

The “Nigerian” Email Scam 

It's difficult to believe that there are some people who would get caught up in this trap, but they do.

Customers Service Hours–Monday To Saturday Office Hours Monday To Saturday Attention: Valuable Customer, We have a Parcel containing an International Cashier Bank Draft/Cheque worth the sum of Eight Hundred Thousand United State Dollars($800.000.00 USD) which will be deliver to you at the moment as long as you provide all the requirement information to the FedEx package company before the parcel can be shipped to your own residential address in your country. Furthermore, you might be asking yourself how come this email, cheque or draft, Anyway, your cheque was brought to our office by the Coca-Cola Bottling Company via a Lottery Fiduciary Claim Agent, signifying that you are a rightful winner to their Lottery Award Promo selected randomly which is powered by the Coca-Cola Bottling and India Government. The main aim of this promo is to advertise the Coca-Cola Bottling Company product world wide. Your e-mail address was among the ten lucky email addresses that make your email address as one of the lucky email address and they have decided to send it to you through Federal Express Delivery Service. What you have to do now is to contact our Delivery Department for immediate dispatch to your residential address. For your information, the Lottery Fiduciary Company has paid the Delivery fee and Security Keeping fee & Shipping charges as well as the Vat fees; you will have to pay a sum of $120.00 USD to the FedEx Delivery Department being payment for the Insurance Fee of the FedEx Company. All you have to do is to insure your winning parcel with the Insurance Company, which is registered with FedEx India. The reason why you are been ask to pay for the Insurance Fee is because of the fact that all items & packages that is not Insured by the insurance company of India are not allowed to be delivered to their delivery address. So you are to pay the FedEx Courier Service the Insurance Fee to enable the insurance company of Insured your winnings for delivery. As soon as you effect the payment our delivery team will take your Insurance fee, they will proceed to the insurance company to Insure your winning funds, as soon as it is been Insured by the insurance company of India they shall commence with your delivery without any delay and also we shall provide you with the Insurance Certificate that was been given to us by the insurance company as a proof that you have Insured your Bank Draft which value the sum of Eight Hundred Thousand United State Dollars ($800.000.00 USD). The main reason why you are been ask to Insure your Winning Funds is to certify that the Bank Draft is not a Drug Affiliated Fund (DAF) neither is the funds to sponsor Terrorism in your country this will help you to avoid any form of query from the Monetary Authority of your country.And also we can not take the risk to carry out the delivery of your funds incase of any possible demurrage so you have to contact our delivery team and ask them how you are going to make the payment of the Insurance fee of your funds. We hope that you will respond to us as soon as possible because if you fail to respond until the expiry date of this package, we may refer the package to India Commission of Welfare Or better still to Coca-Cola Bottling Company as the package do not have a return address. Kindly contact the delivery department (FedEx Delivery Post) with the details given below: Delivery Manager. Name: Mr. Kelvin Green. Tel: +919-742-513-298. Email: deliveryfedex180@yahoo.com.hk Do provide us with this information, and it's mandatory to reconfirm your Postal address and telephone numbers to enable us commence with your delivery and mostly to enable us Insure your Winning Funds and also provide us with any scanned copy of any proof of your identification. ========================================= DO PROVIDE US WITH BELOW INFORMATION ========================================= BENEFICIARY FIRST NAME------------- BENEFICIARY LAST NAME-------------- RESIDENTIAL ADDRESS---------------- DATE OF BIRTH---------------------- TEL. NUMBER------------------------ AMOUNT WON------------------------- OCCUPATION------------------------- MARITAL STATUS--------------------- BENEFICIARY COUNTRY---------------- BENEFICIARY STATE------------------ ======================================== Kindly complete the above form and summit it to the delivery manager on: deliveryfedex180@yahoo.com.hk) As soon as your details arereceived,our delivery team will give you the necessary payment procedure so that you can effect the payment for the Insurance Fee. As soon as they confirm your payment of $120.00 USD, they will not hesitate to work straight to the insurance company and insure your winning for delivery. It usually takes 24 hours being an over night delivery service to deliver your winning funds to you after it has been Insured by the insurance company. We were instructed to email you due to the high priority of your package we had to inform you through the letter that was attach in your package, We indeed personally sealed your Bank Draft we found your email contact in the attached letter as the recipient of the foremost package. Ensure to contact our delivery department with the email address given above and ensure to fill the form as well to enable a successful reconfirmation and a safe delivery of your winning. Yours Faithfully, Mrs. Linda Joy FedEx Online Team Management® © Copy Right Reserved 1994-2012.

Aisha Muammar Al-Gaddafi needs my help

Last name -Gaddafi. Remember? The guy that wore the silk bathrobe and the little hat. He ruled the nation of Libyia on the continent of Africa. Here's another email scam to watch out for. His daughter has access to his fortune, but the poor thing needs my help to get all that money released.
It  reads;

 Dear Friend,

 

I know you would be surprised to read from someone relatively unknown to you. My name is Aisha Muammar Al-Gaddafi the Libyan Goodwill Ambassador of the U.N. and the daughter of late Muammar Al-Gaddafi the former president of Libya. I am currently residing in Alger the capital of Algeria North Africa, unfortunately as a refugee. At the meantime, my family is at risk and pains. 95% of our investments and bank accounts in several countries are freeze.

 

I am writing this mail with tears and sorrow from my heart asking for your help at this time, I got your contact via internet searching for a trustworthy person who will understand my present conditions and come to my rescue here in Algeria .I have passed through pains and sorrowful moment since the death of my father Muhammad Abu Minyar Gaddafi and brothers, all our Foreign and local accounts have been blocked by the western countries and we are not allowed to make transfer or receive money from any country or source. Please, view the website:

 

1)  http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/29/us-libya-khamis-idUSTRE77S18M20110829

 

2)  http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/27/gaddafi-family-assets-frozen-queen

 

I have been commissioned to contact an interested foreign investor/partner who will be able to take absolute control of part of the vast cash available to private account for a possible investment in your country.

If this transaction interests you, you don’t have to disclose it to anybody because of what is going with my entire family, if the western nation happens to know this account, they will Freezing it as they freeze others so keep this transaction for yourself only until we finalize this transaction that will be when the fund is transferred into your account. I want to transfer this money into your account immediately for onward investment in your country.

 

I received an urgent email from the bank abroad that both their government and new Libya government are tracing hidden deposit and assets deposited by my family, I don't want them to be aware of this particular fund (9.5million) deposited by my brother late Khamis Gaddafi abroad. If you can be of any assistant to me kindly get back to me so that i can furnish you with the deposit details for verification and confirmation. I am willing to reward you bountiful 25% of the total sum of US$9.5 Million.

 

Therefore if you are capable of running an establishment and can maintain the high level of Secrecy required in this project, kindly respond with the following information for details of the project.

1. Your full names and address:

2. Your private telephone and fax numbers:

 

3. Your private email addresses:

 

4. Age and profession:

 

I'm happy peace has been restored in Libya; I pray one day I will travel back to my country. I cannot talk to you on phone because all telephone conversion is monitor by the Algeria’s Government and the new Libya Government.

Please, keep these offers safe, secret and confidential.

Warmest Regards,

Aisha Gaddafi

Sorry Aisha, but this is just too good of an example of an email scam, not to be shared with all Americans. Maybe someone will read this and try to help you....but not me!!

Love, Grandpa Bob

I WON 700,000 BRITISH POUNDS !

WOW ! The email arrived this morning with the subject "Congratulations!" from the Nikoa Company in the UK.

 

NOKIA E-MAIL DRAW/2012 NOKIA CO-OPERATION      22 GARDEN CLOSE STAMFORD LICE PE92YP,LONDON UNITED KINGDOM,ENGLAND. CONGRATULATION ONCE AGAIN!!!

ATTENTION WINNER This email is to notify you that your email address was
randomly selected and entered into our/2012
promo draws for NOKIA COMPANY UK. You have subsequently
emerged a winner and therefore entitled to a substantial
amount of 700,000,00 Great British Pounds, (Seven Hundred Thousand Great British Pounds) 
For further information, kindly confirm receipt of this
email, by forwarding Your Details as states below to our
claims department. Email: nokia_ukdraw2012@hotmail.com KINDLY FILL OUT THE PAYMENT PROCESSING FORM MOBILE number:+447017602344

QUALIFICATION NUMBERS:
Reference Number..............NA36583658UK
Winning Number is..................NA09765655BX
Batch Number...................NA89765577FG
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
PERSONAL INFORMATION:
FULL NAME....................................................................
SEX..................................................................................
AGE.................................................................................
ADDRESS.........................................................................
COUNTRY........................................................................
CITY.................................................................................
STATE...............................................................................
MOBILE NUMBER..........................................................
OCCUPATION.................................................................
EMAIL ID........................................................................
TOTAL AMOUNT WIN...................................................

So let's see now.... 1British pound = $1.58 so I just won $11,060,000 Dollars ! Of course I'll have to deduct the income tax to Uncle Sam. If you have any idea of how I should spend all this please let me know. Also if anyone needs any help financially, just make a list of needs and I'll try to get around to you as soon as possible. Oh, I also need to read the rest of the email for instructions...let see. To those of you that think this is a scam, let me assure you right now that Rev. Doctor Robert is  the chairman of Nokia and there's even a picture of him in his cleric outfit. There's also a picture some of the other officers in the corporation or something. And here's their phone number and even the email address. See, that couldn't be a scam. Could it?

PHONE NUMBER:+447017602344, nokia_ukdraw2012@hotmail.com

and then of course there's this warning message 

WARNING :...
********************************************************************************************************************

Note: Any unclaimed prize will be returned to the treasury of nokia company. You are advised to keep your winning details strictly to yourself and not share it with any individual or firm to avoid sophistication's of your prize.

Then again, maybe it is a scam....darn... I didn't take the time to copy the whole email for you. This is such a fake that it's laughable that people could fall for a scam such as this. I can't believe that some thief took the time to make such an unsophisticated, childish piece of junk in the hopes that some stupid American would fall for the trap. How pathetic ! I did report it as a scam already.

A LETTER FROM YOUR ADDICTION*

                                   'Till Death Do Us Part'
                   A LETTER FROM YOUR ADDICTION*
*Grandpa Bob is not the author of this letter. It's too well written by someone who knows.

Dear Friend,

I've come to visit you again. I love to see you suffer mentally, physically, spiritually and socially. I want to make you restless so you can never relax. I want you jumpy and nervous and anxious. I want to make you agitated and irritable so everything and everybody makes you uncomfortable. I want you to be confused and depressed so that you can't think clearly or positively. I  want to make you hate everything and everyone- especially yourself. I want you to feel guilty and remorseful for the things you have done in the past and you'll never be able to let go of. I want to make you angry and hateful toward the world the way it is and the way you are. I want you to feel sorry for yourself and blame everything BUT ME for the way things are. I want to make you be deceitful and untrustworthy and to manipulate and con as many people as possible. I want to make you fearful and paranoid for no  reason at all. I want you to wake up during all hours of the night screaming for me. You know you can't sleep without me. I'm even in your dreams.

I want to be the first thing you think about every morning and the last thing you think about before you black out. I would rather kill you, but I'll be happy enough  to put you back in the hospital, another institution, or jail. But you know I'll be waiting for you when you get out. I love to watch you slowly go insane. I love to see all the physical damage I am causing you. I can't help but sneer and chuckle when you shiver and shake, when you freeze and sweat all at the same time.

It's amusing to watch you ignore yourself, not eating, not sleeping, and ignoring your personal hygiene. Yes, it's amazing how much destruction I can do to your internal organs while at the same time, work your brain, destroying it bit by bit.

I deeply appreciate how much you sacrifice for me. The countless good jobs you've given up because of me. I cannot express in words of gratitude I have for the loyalty you have for me. You sacrifice all these beautiful things in life just to devote yourself completely to me.

But do not despair, my friend, for on me you can always depend. For after you have lost all these things, you can still depend on me to take even more. You can depend on me to keep you in a living hell, to keep your mind, body, and soul - FOR I WILL NOT BE SATISFIED UNTIL YOU ARE DEAD!

Forever yours,

Your addiction

THE WRITER'S BLOCK CURSE

Seems like writer's block hit me. Sometimes, a historic novel like Queen Of The Everglades just seems to fall together with little effort on my part. We were living in Hobe Sound, Florida, at the time when Dolores and I went on a short exploration adventure nearby to old downtown Stuart. We walked into a bookstore and... this rare old book was sitting on the shelf beckoning for my attention. I'd heard of the Ashley Gang who had been bootlegging booze from the Bahamas, robbing the Stuart bank, and even holding up a passenger train, so the book felt good tucked under my arm on the way home.
   Later that evening, I turned a few pages, and there was Laura Upthegrove. Odd coincidence that I had a 12 year old young girl as one of my 7th grade students who was a distant relative. I learned that Laura walked the streets of old downtown Stuart, Flordia with the gun in its holster just like you see her in this picture. Now, that sparked my imagination big time! Why would this lovely young lady be wearing a gun? What had happened to her to make her leave her husband and two children to take up with a known escaped convict, John Ashley, and his gang? I was reminded of the similarities between these two and the famous criminals of that time, Bonnie and Clyde. Look at her face. That's not the face of a hardened woman who's seen a rough life. Here she was in the middle of the Roaring 20's living the fast-paced life with booze and guns hiding out in the midst of  the Everglades. Just think that our Colony Street neighborhood was once considered to be part of a wilderness inhabited by alligators, racoons, and more mosquitoes than it has now ! So my historic research and novel writing began to fall together. There were still the gaps that had to be filled such as the reasons for leaving her husband and children. The only reason that I could see for Laura abandoning two children would be if there was abuse. From the abuse idea there had to be a point where she said to herself, "That's it! I'm not taking any more." Then I recalled the true story about a mountain lady who sewed up her husband in a bed sheet and beat the heck out of him. Laura headed into Stuart, boarded the train, and that's how she met John and his gang who were in the process of robbing the passenger train.
    Be wary of judging people who lived years ago with the same modern standards we live by in today's life. John Ashley and Laura lived in a different time in history. Laura's lover was a hunter and trapper in the Everglades. He and Seminole Tiger were partners, but they got into a dispute over the division of furs. John said the Seminole tried to kill him during the night. Later, when they found the  Indian's body, John was convicted of the crime. John's brother was killed in a shoot out trying to help John get out of prison. So, John and his gang set out on a life of crime assured that he was wrongly accused just like Jesse James.
       Hey! If you have an e-reader you can borrow the book from the Amazon library free OR it sells for $4 and  it's a darn good read. Download the Kindle for the PC from Amazon, and you can read it on your computer. OR if you just love to hold a "real book" (Dolores says) then you'll have to pay a bit more. After you've read the book, go to Amazon and write a review. I appreciate your criticism and want to work toward writing more good books.