Reports of the death of "Barking in Burke" are greatly exaggerated.

I have to re-tool the blog a bit once I become a bonafide board member - the character of the blog will have to change a bit, but I hope to keep you all informed of the actions of the board. Until then, this is what I have been up to:

I am still trying to catch up on the things I have neglected over the past couple of months. Like my sophomore son's lack of progress in a few of his classes (sorry Teach!), my job (I now realize I shouldn't have suggested that a potential Mexican partner's lawyer take the first shot at a joint venture agreement a month or so ago – ¡Ay, caramba!), thanking everyone to whom I feel magnitudes of gratitude, coming to terms with the fact that I have a mouse (or meeses) in our bedroom (thanks for taking care of that Joe!), cleaning out the chicken house, cursing the cats for 1) bringing in stunned rodents through the cat door and 2) watching the rodents with complete disinterest once they revive (this is where the mouse problem comes in), paying some attention to the dogs who seem starved for it, having a couple of hungry, hungry college kids home for a weekend.

And setting folks straight about my chickens. They are not a literary device symbolizing my personality (no matter what self-appointed literary critics who "precipitately" leave nasty comments on my blog might tell you.*) I actually had to set Joel Abee straight about this by bringing an egg to the Family Food Mart the other morning! Note: please don't ask me for eggs - the hens aren't laying much right now, they are in molt, and I just happened to have that egg in my pocket. I am just full of surprises.

So, enough about me, what about you all? What do you want to see out of this board I am not a member of yet? We have big plans - if you've been paying attention, you know generally what they are. I hope that the remaining board members will work with us in achieving the goals we have set. I am hoping for some sort of détente, but I guess we will just have to wait and see.

Please leave me a comment and let me know what is important to you right now, how the board should “look” (visualize yourself sitting in the audience – what do you see and hear?), what issues (and there are so many) need to be addressed asap (other than the obvious ones we candidates have been talking about for months) – how do you think we should approach building the trust of the public? What advice do you have?

Also, props to Bill Crump and James Stamey for staying engaged and being so gracious Tuesday night.

Note to my friends at "Hair and Nails Unlimited" - love the sign! I am so sorry you have been harassed by anonymous (well, they think they are anonymous) sore losers. "Sticks and stones may break my bones. . . But if those ladies don't take down that SWAT Victory sign I think it may kill me." Really? And you have to call these ladies and harass them about that sign anonymously? Really? Really? Really.

*The awkward adverb in that sentence is there for a reason. Maybe you can figure it out?