Nobody asked us, but ...

Love ... there are many definitions of it in the dictionary, but we are sure that "fear" is not one of them.

An incident happened last week where a woman got punched by her "boyfriend" in the arm, and was crying and shivering and didn't want to call the police. Well, ladies, or men, as the case may be sometimes, that's crap. Someone hitting you, calling you names, breaking bones, knocking out teeth, leaving bruises, making you feel like nothing ... is not love, any way you look at it.

Love is being kind, nice, respectful, protective ... and lots of other good things. Love is not saying "Nobody else makes me do these things (shoving, hitting, you name it)" and making you feel like you're the one who's wrong.

Don't ever buy into that. You are being abused. If you saw someone else being treated like that, you'd be horrified ... so don't be the one it happens to. Get out ... get help ... call the police ... Advocates to End Domestic Violence ... your church, family or friends.

If we sound mad about this subject, we are, and it's our opinion that if you've fallen into that trap, you need help. So don't wait. Go get it ... and realize that you're a valuable person and don't deserve any kind of mistreatment. Love always makes you feel good ... so there...

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And time for a spiritual message ... the news says that Pat Robertson is now talking to God ... and that God said George W. Bush will be reelected in a landslide. Sort of reminds us of the Oracle at Delphi ... but then she got her messages from sniffing dope...

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And we see that Pete Rose is coming out with a book where he admits to having gambled on baseball. Gee, Pete, we always thought you did, but it shouldn't have kept you out of the Hall of Fame ... after all, you are one of the greatest players of all time. We just think next to your baseball heroics should be a note showing that you're a liar and a scumball and that way we'd get an honest look at the "whole ball game."

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Dang, we found out too late about the free wine at Fred Stanio's place on New Year's Eve ... maybe next year, Fred? And we also found out that Ben Grissom knows "everything," so now we don't have to look anything up ... just call him. Thanks, Ben...

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The Evergreen nursing home in Carson City has been taking a few hits lately from Medicare and review boards because of the deaths of six of their patients ... and rightly so ... however, they have responded by addressing and correcting the problems.

But, before you get down on them, do you ever think how hard it is to care for elderly people, some of whom cannot feed, bathe, or do the slightest things for themselves? It truly takes people with a "calling" to care for those in these circumstances. And many of the caregivers only get minimum wage. If ever a group should be paid royally, it's those people who give their all to give your elderly relatives comfort in their waning years ... think about it...

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And, while we're thinking about it ... we think rezoning Lakeview for a retirement home is a bad idea ... unfair not only to those who purchased homes there, but to the elderly people who stay there. Not that it isn't a lovely place, but winters are hard to get around in, and, if a person wandered off, it'd be very easy to get eaten by a bear. Some of us old folks can't outrun garbage ...

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Carolyn would like to see some condominiums built in Carson City that are around 1,000-1,500 square feet ... and if they're three or more stories, that they have elevators. Moving or toting things up three floors without an elevator is the pits ... particularly if you're a soon to be retiree...

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We heard the story about a man who couldn't solve a puzzle ... so, he called his girlfriend at work and asked her to come home and help him with it. She asked him what the puzzle was and he said, "It's a tiger," and she asked him why it couldn't wait until she got home. He was just too upset that he couldn't finish it, so she took her lunch an hour early and went home to assist him.

When she got there, she looked at the pieces on the table, then looked at the tiger on the cover, and said to him, "Honey, I'm afraid you'll never be able to finish this," and, with that, she scooped the sugar frosted flakes back into the box ... Do you suppose he was a blonde? Snicker, snicker...

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All best wishes to Karen Chandler and Robert Egelston on their marriage ... be ever so happy ...

Carolyn DeMar and Maizie Harris Jesse are longtime Carson City residents. Contact them at editor@nevadaappeal.com.