This has been a week to remember past and ongoing wrongs against the helpless among us as well as a technical wrong against Samuel Alito. The vote on his nomination was put off for a week just because it could be, not because of any lack of information on his outstanding qualifications. The Democrats are dragging this out as much as possible.

It was also a week to remember the cause for their angst, the Supreme Court decision that legalized elective abortion. They are fearful that he would vote against elective abortion in cases brought before the Supreme Court, and the frantic smear campaign continues to try to tarnish his reputation and sway enough votes to defeat his appointment to the Court.

Apparently the deaths of over 40 million unborn babies aren't yet enough to guarantee the human rights of women. I haven't noticed it helping guarantee any women's rights for that matter, except the so called right to choose to have an abortion. That really should be called the man's choice not to have to pay eighteen years of child support, or perhaps the woman's choice to have sex with a man she doesn't want to marry or have and raise his child. The child's choice doesn't figure into the argument, even though the child's life ends because of the choice.

Terri Schiavo's death was also remembered as another innocent who died for the convenience of others. Her horrendous thirteen day death through starvation and dehydration is still being proclaimed a merciful death by the right to die advocates. Her husband has just quietly married his significant other, as though no one would notice the bitter irony and insensitivity of it so close to the anniversary of the legalization of abortion and the associated right to life protests. I'm astounded that the woman would marry someone who would kill his previous wife like that. I don't know what their children think about it.

That's not the only legal way to kill an adult now approved by the Supreme Court. They approved of doctors using drugs to kill their suicidal patients. That's the edge of the slippery slope previously traversed by doctors in the Netherlands, who are now killing patients who have not requested help to die. The doctors simply decide that the patients have no further value to society or themselves and administer the drug to kill them.

We're all supposed to keep our noses out of their private business, no matter who gets hurt behind that shield of privacy invented by the Supreme Court justices who had to find some legal ground to allow people to do things long held to be criminal offenses because they clearly harmed another individual. Kill your unborn baby, kill your disabled wife, kill your disabled patient, who is next?

It was not a great week of news for my 51st birthday, especially since I spent it with a flare-up of my illness. I'm not a prominent person of acknowledged value to society. I'm a nobody living with her family and taking care of whatever housework I can manage. That wouldn't be much of an argument if a doctor decided that I wasn't worth more than an overdose of morphine, especially if he was trained in the same school of medicine as the abortionists and Terri Schiavo's doctor. Have you checked on your doctor's credentials and beliefs lately? How about the philosophy of medicine practiced in your local hospital and hospice?

Life still goes on despite the dark political clouds hanging overhead. The days are getting longer and are still warmer than usual, with rain every few days and no serious frosts at night. Today, I planted two packages of neglected freesia bulbs outdoors that I had planned to pot up for indoor bloom.

I had potted two other packages and they are doing well beside the plant light in my room. They've grown tall enough to arch over the plant light, but they tolerate shade well enough that they look good with some overhead light as well as the plant light shining on the lower leaves.

I had saved these bulbs to pot for later blooms, but their shopping bag slipped under my bed out of sight. They were slightly shriveled but still pretty firm, so they got nice deep holes next to the irises under a pear tree in the back yard. The soil was so warm and loose that I planted four short rows of spinach seed next to them. I'll have to keep an eye out for frosts over the next month, but so far the winter is staying remarkably mild.

I finished the first sweater for a new sweater box. This one is a size ten with a lavender ombre top and an olive green bottom. I've started another one in the same colors. I also finished another lace towel and have another one started.

I got a lovely surprise for my birthday. A friend sent me a $30 gift certificate for fabric.com. Thanks, Nancy! :-) I had a barrel of fun surfing through the pages and picking out goodies. I even managed to slip in a few more fabrics, much to my brother's dismay as the credit card scorched a bit. The box is scheduled to arrive tomorrow, so I'll be looking for the UPS man to stroll up to the door.