I just remember it rained a lot ....

SEATTLE (AP) — A few things will be different at this year's Hempfest, the 22-year-old summer "protestival" on Seattle's waterfront where tens of thousands of revelers gather to use dope openly, listen to music and gaze at the Olympic Mountains in the distance.

The haze of pot smoke might smell a little more like victory, after Washington and Colorado became the first states to legalize marijuana use by adults over 21. Having won at the state level, speakers will concentrate on the reform of federal marijuana laws.

Oh, and the Seattle police — who have long turned a lenient eye on Hempfest tokers — don't plan to be writing tickets or making arrests. They'll be busy handing out Doritos.

"I think it's going to be a lot of fun," said Sgt. Sean Whitcomb, department spokesman and junk-food-dispenser-in-chief. "It's meant to be ironic. The idea of police passing out Doritos at a festival that celebrates pot, we're sure, is going to generate some buzz."

The idea isn't just to satisfy some munchies. The department has affixed labels to 1,000 bags of Doritos urging people to check out a question-and-answer post on its website, titled "Marijwhatnow? A Guide to Legal Marijuana Use In Seattle." It explains some of the nuances of Washington's law: that adults can possess up to an ounce but can't sell it or give it away, that driving under the influence of pot is illegal, and that — festivals aside — public use is illegal.

Organizers are expecting as many as 85,000 people each day of the three-day event, which begins Friday and is the first Hempfest since voters passed Initiative 502 last fall.

Growing old, growing old. ............

I am getting old, I can tell I am getting old. I had tears in my eyes many times this beautiful Saturday morning. All due to living so long.

Tom McNutt retired from television in Columbus, Ohio. I am not a big fan of his, I have seen him on TV often, he was a plants and trees and flowers guy on Saturday morning. Why was I sad?. Another milestone has come and gone, another memory I will see no more. Many "milestones" have come and gone, just means I am getting much older.

Then, on another channel, this was the last show for some lovely lady. I have no idea who she was, but I must have seen her on TV. From the remembrances, she was a very neat lady. I don't remember seeing her before, but, I will never see her again. That's what made me sad.

As George Younce, my favorite Gospel Singer,  said, "I know I have many more days behind me, than ahead of me." That makes me sad at times. When I get that way I stop and look at now, I have less than many, and I have much more than many, and much to be thankful for, almost 80 and "still above ground."

Farewell to Tom McNutt and that other girl, all on Saturday morning TV, never to be seen again.

Seattle welfare recipient lives in million-dollar home

A Seattle woman who is receiving welfare assistance from Washington state also happens to live in a waterfront house on Lake Washington worth more than a million dollars.

Federal agents raided the home this weekend but have not released the woman or her husband's name because they have not officially been charged with a crime.

However, federal documents obtained by KING 5 News show the couple currently receives more than $1,200 a month in public housing vouchers, plus state and government disability checks and food stamps. They have been receiving the benefits since 2003.

The 2,500 square-foot home, which includes gardens and a boat dock, is valued at $1.2 million. And even though the couple has been receiving the benefits for nearly 10 years, records show that they accurately listed the address of their current home when applying for the state and federal benefits.

A federal official told KING 5 that the couple likely took advantage of a loophole, which allows low-income individuals to receive financial assistance to help them pay their rent and move away from housing projects. However, the law does not require officials to verify what type of home the benefits recipient is living in.

As if the million dollar home weren't enough, the supposedly low-income couple also gave money to various charities and traveled around the world to locales in Turkey, Tel Aviv and resort towns in Mexico, according to court records.
 
Are we a GREAT country, or what?

Seattle Weather in Ohio

Forty-six degrees and Cloudy in Ohio today, reminds me of when I lived in Seattle, Washington. I was in the Navy, aboard the USS William T. Mitchell TAP114. I think I went aboard her in the Fall of '54. She was only in port a week or so and then we would ship out to Yokohama and Korea, a week or so over there, and then back to Seattle for a week or so.

I think it was well after Christmas when I was finally able, because of rain, to get out on the golf course. The people out there just get used to a lot of rain. Many things are under a roof. I remember a driving range that was under a roof, two decker as I recall. It was unusual to me in those days.

But, with all the trees and "greenery" around there was a fantastic, fresh aroma in the air, a lot of cedar and pine trees. I was actually "based" in Seattle for two years but only spent a few days there. We often pulled into San Francisco a "yard" period there, and some time in San Diego.

So, I am sitting here, looking out the front window, reminiscing about my time in the Navy, a good four years. In some respects I wish I had done my "20" or so in the Navy, would have missed out on a lot though, so will just sit and reminisce.