So, it’s winter in Vermont. Kind of a weird winter, at that. It’s hardly snowed at all, and half the time it feels like spring. Except that the trees are all bare and the grass is brown. Kind of depressing, and not terribly motivating. So, what’s a girl to do besides go to work and clean the house?

Well, there’s online games. A great way to burn time. At one point, I was addicted to Farmville on Facebook. I got over that. Talk about time consuming! Getting up at 6 in the morning to harvest imaginary strawberries got old, eventually. Although I was sad to see my beautiful farm go fallow.

My mother-in-law has recently taken up playing bingo. It’s a way for her to get out with her friends and socialize, and perhaps make a couple of dollars at the same time. My lack of a vehicle prevents me from doing that. But, hey, why not play bingo online? I don’t need a car to do that, and don’t even have to leave my house when it’s cold (and if it ever snows!). And it’s something I already know how to do (back when I was a kid, we even played bingo in school….remember that?). It can be done at my pace. I don’t have to wake up at 6 am, or stay awake late into the night….unless I want to!

Guess I’ll go check it out…at least it will give me something to do today besides clean!

I was so happy to read that the Supreme Court upheld the murder conviction against Michael King. Now, to me, this was a no-brainer, but it’s been a while since they heard the appeal, and the lack of a decision was actually making me nervous. I knew that they wouldn’t overturn the conviction, but was concerned that they might throw out the death penalty. I’m glad to say, the justices saw right through his nonsense.

This is what the Supreme Court had to say:

“As noted in the sentencing order, rarely is a court able to experience first-hand what a deceased victim encountered,” the Florida Supreme Court wrote in the opinion released Thursday.

“In this case, anyone who listens to the 911 call placed by Denise Lee will hear the abject terror she was experiencing plus her panicked, frantic pleas to the 911 dispatcher (for help) and King (to be returned home).”

The Florida Supreme Court also cited the horrific details of the crime and wrote “are in complete agreement” that the death penalty was appropriate in King’s case.

One could wish that Michael King would just give it up and accept his fate. Quit wasting everyone’s time and money with appeals, and man up. That’s what a real man would do. Of course, we’re not talking about a real man here, we’re taking about an evil monster. I guess that’s why he’ll continue to appeal, over and over. Doesn’t seem fair. Denise appealed to him, over and over, to be taken home, back to her family. He did not hear her pleas. Why should we have to hear his?

Remember Denise. She’s the victim, not Michael King.

So, one of the problems with working in retail (and especially retail that involves heavy dishes/pot and pans/bed in a bags that weight a thousand pounds!) is back pain. I’ve gotten really skilled at tweaking my back lately. I’ve actually had to call off from work because of it (and I NEVER call off from work). Usually, a few days of taking it easy and watching what I lift do the trick, but sometimes it takes more.

A couple of years ago, I managed to hurt my back doing nothing. Literally. I was on vacation. Can you hurt your back sitting at the computer? Apparently I can, lol. It was awful. I ended up having to do physical therapy, and taking muscle relaxers. What I wonder now (since I keep tweaking it over and over!) is if going to a nyc chiropractor would be a better solution. I’ve never been to a chiropractor. I know a lot of people who have, but I’ve always shied away from it. Maybe it’s something to think about.

In the meantime, I guess I’ll just try to watch what I lift, and keep that big tube of Icy Hot handy. After all, I have a sales goal to meet! And the best sales seem to involve great big heavy boxes. Such is life. :)

So, there’s a new video circulating that claims to be a video blog by Casey Anthony. I can’t decide for sure if it’s her, but if it is, she sure hasn’t changed. The whole video consists of “me, me, me”. Not a word about Caylee. She talks about how she bought a computer (with what money?) and adopting a dog (that poor dog, what kind of fool would allow her to adopt a dog?). So, what say you? Is this Casey?

A couple of the news stories about this:

Alleged Casey Anthony video diary surfaces on Internet
Supposed Casey Anthony Video Diary Surfaces

So, for starters, I’ll share a couple of “only in Vermont” pictures. :) A week ago, I was headed to work, with a horrible cold. Full of cold medicine. I stopped at Dunkin’ Donuts, as I frequently do (yeah, I run on Dunkin’. I freely admit it). I knew something was going on, because the streets were blocked off. But, things looked pretty normal. But when I came back out, here is what I was greeted with!

A thousand Santas, running down Pearl St. I thought I was hallucinating for a minute! Cold medicine overload! Turns out it was a marathon to benefit the Make A Wish Foundation. But what a sight! The first picture doesn’t show you just how many Santas were running down the road, so here’s another shot. Even this picture only shows about a third of them. There were a LOT of Santas! You should have seen me trying to dodge them to get across the street.

Only in Burlington.

Lindsay goes to school, is enrolled in the culinary program at the Tech Center (and is a darned good cook, too!), and works part time at a local grocery store. All while keeping up with good grades and helping around the house. A mom couldn’t ask for more.

Happy Birthday, Lindsay! You’ve grown into a beautiful young woman, and I couldn’t be prouder. We love you!

I work full time now at Macy’s. I enjoy it, but the earning potential leaves a bit to be desired. I do a bit of web designing on the side, and hosting. That brings in a little bit. But there have to be other ways for moms to make a bit of extra money. After all, the older the kids get, the more expensive they seem to get!

That leads me to the web in a search for ways to make extra income. If you google it, one thing it brings up is playing free bingo online. Now, we all know women who go off and play bingo. But that’s not so easy for me, with my crazy work schedule. But playing bingo online….now, that’s something I can probably do. There’s all kinds of different games and rooms to get involved with. There’s social interaction, and chat rooms, all kinds of good stuff. There’s even bingo no deposit available, which would be my kind of bingo (after all, I want to make money, not spend it!).

So, maybe I’ll check it out. Never know….I might hit it big! Stranger things have happened. :)

Truth is you’re an amazing mommy, You make me mad sometimes but at the end of the day i couldn’t ask for anyone better, You’re always there for me no matter what. I can talk to you about anything and everything and trust you with everything, I love you so much?

Made my night! Love you, too, Baylee!

I close again at work today. I hate days when I close, because by the time it’s late enough to leave for work, I no longer feel like going. Just once, I’d love to just skip work, jump on a bus (or a plane, or in a friend’s car), and go somewhere far way. Like New York City. Where no one knows me, no one expects me to work, or clean, or do (endless) laundry. Just spend the day in a spa, a NYC wellness center, any place but home or work. How nice would it be, to spend a day all to myself, not thinking about any of the day-to-day stress I regularly face? If I could just get away for a day, I’d probably be able to focus, to think again, without stressing out all the time.

Well, sadly, I don’t see that happening today. But, one day, maybe it will. Hey, a girl can dream, right? Until then, I guess I’ll go do some more dishes and get ready for work!

What’s really frustrating is some of the things that they are arguing. They’re saying that the shell casings found where King had been target shooting the day before could not be connected to him…even though they found casings that an expert says were shot from the same gun that killed Denise. The reason those casings shouldn’t be considered? Because they were unable to test them with the actual gun. Well, it’s kind of hard to test them with the actual gun when the gun has never been found.

King’s lawyers are also once again trying to drag Robert Salvador, the man who had been target shooting with King, into the murder again. They already ripped Salvador apart in court, and now they want to do it again. There has never been any indication that Salvador had anything to do with Denise’s murder. The only thing Salvador did wrong (sadly for him) was to be friends with Michael King in the first place.

I’m still trying to read the court document listing the arguments. It’s 110 pages. It’s going to take me a while. But everything I’ve read so far does nothing to convince me that Michael King deserves anything less than the death penalty. The sooner the better. I attended court several times, once during the trial, and on the day that Michael King was sentenced. I can sincerely say that, when looking at Michael King, I did not see a person….I saw and felt true evil.

My thoughts and prayers are with the Lee and Goff families, who are having to go through this nightmare yet again. Nate, Rick and Sue, Amanda and Tyler, Mark and Peggy, stay strong. He will get what he has coming.

More on the story here.

The court document here.

The next question to be answered (hopefully) is, what happened? There’s been a lot of talk about the stepfather, Wendell Noyes. And today, it’s reported that he was taken to the hospital, after behaving strangely in his yard. Yet, it’s also been reported that Celina liked her stepdad. I haven’t read anything that indicated that there were any problems in this direction. It’s also been reported that the last place Celina was seen was at her computer. She had a public FaceBook (which I think was finally taken down). Did a predator run across her online and lure her out of her home? I guess only time will tell.

RIP Celina. Whatever happened, you didn’t deserve it. Eleven is too young. Please keep Celina’s family in your prayers.

Article from the Burlington Free Press:

New Hampshire authorities confirm body is that of 11-year-old Celina Cass

STEWARTSTOWN, N.H. — A female’s body was discovered Monday in a river less than half a mile from the home of an 11-year-old New Hampshire girl who disappeared almost a week ago, but authorities didn’t immediately identify her.

Celina Cass was last seen in her Stewartstown home on July 25. Investigators who were searching for her found the body late Monday morning near a hydroelectric dam that spans the Connecticut River between Stewartstown and Canaan, Vt., according to Essex County state attorney Vincent Illuzzi in Vermont.

A dive team had been searching the river, and when it surfaced, investigators blocked off the area and asked reporters to leave. New Hampshire authorities confirmed that a body had been found and said more information would be released later Monday.

Celina, who lived with her older sister, mother and stepfather a mile from the Canadian border, was last seen at a computer around 9 p.m. and was gone the next morning, authorities said. Police said there was no sign of a struggle, and there was no indication she ran away or that someone took her.

“I hope she comes back safe. I hope she’s not dead,” said 9-year-old Autumn Jenna of Stewartstown, who attends the same school as Cass. Her father, Adam Jenna, said the area around the dam is known for its scenic views.

“I’ve taken my children there,” he said. “I’m hoping it isn’t her.”

Friends and family described Cass as studious and reliable, shy and timid, not the type to run away from home. Her disappearance drew more than 100 federal, state and local law enforcement officers to Stewartstown, a town of 800 residents. Because of its remote location, law enforcement officers went so far as to have a cellphone tower erected to assist in communications.

State police and FBI agents from as far away as New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia turned the local school into a bustling command post and searched a mile-wide area around the home. The FBI brought in a special team specializing in child abductions.

According to several media outlets, Cass’s stepfather was taken to a hospital Monday morning. MSNBC reported that Wendell Noyes was taken by ambulance after repeatedly laying down in the family’s driveway and rolling around, and video showed him dropping to his knees in the driveway and then laying face-down, with his head resting on his hands.

A spokeswoman for Upper Connecticut Valley Hospital, in Colebrook, N.H., said she couldn’t comment on whether Noyes was taken to the hospital.

In 2003, Noyes was involuntarily committed to New Hampshire Hospital in Concord after he entered his girlfriend’s house in the middle of the night and threatened to throw her down stairs, according to court documents. An order signed by a probate judge indicated Noyes suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and believed corrections officials implanted a transmitter in his body to keep track of him.

A court motion filed by his attorney at the time indicated Noyes served in Operation Desert Shield before receiving a medical discharge from the Air Force because of schizophrenia. The attorney didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment.

Associated Press writer David Sharp in Portland, Maine, contributed to this report.

The latest video….still seems to be no clue as to what happened to Celina. It does sound as though they might be looking at the step-dad.

Here’s a video with the latest on missing 11-year-old Celina Cass. The latest appears to be not much of anything. This little girl just seems to be gone. Shades of Elizabeth Smart. Hopefully law enforcement knows more than they are saying. It seems like a lot of focus is on what Celina was doing on her computer before she disappeared.

Again, if you’re in the area, please keep your eyes open. After all, that is how Elizabeth Smart was found. Turns out she was being hidden in plain sight (although not right away). May this be the case with Celina.

Story from the Burlington Free Press:

CONCORD, N.H. — The disappearance of an 11-year-old girl from her house just a mile from the Canadian border rattled nerves in her small town Wednesday as crews searched the Connecticut River.

Celina Cass was last seen in her house at a computer around 9 p.m. Monday and was gone the next morning, authorities said. Police have said that there’s no indication she ran away or that someone took her, and there are no signs of a struggle.

The specter of the girl’s disappearance hung heavy over Stewartstown, a community of 800 residents with one blinking streetlight and a handful of stores.

“It’s creepy,” said Shannon Towles, who owns Towles Mini-Mart on Route 3. “Things like this don’t happen here. I know that’s kind of a tired phrase. I’m an overprotective mom as it is. Now it’s going to be way worse.”

Celina’s stepfather, Wendell Noyes, described her as a quiet girl who would not have left home on her own. He declined to comment further on her disappearance.

Residents described Celina as a sweet, friendly child. One of Celina’s best friends, 11-year-old Makayla Riendeau, said Celina loves her mother and likes her stepfather and wouldn’t run away. She said Celina is very athletic, is a stickler about getting her school work done on time and loves having friends over to her house.

“She’s a very good friend, and she never lets anybody down,” Makayla said.

By Wednesday afternoon, family members and friends were camped out on the porch of the three-story wooden home and shooed away reporters. A senior assistant attorney general, Jane Young, entered the home with several officers about 2 p.m. and came out with a woman, whom they walked to a nearby office building that served as a command post. Young, whose agency has taken over the investigation, declined to comment.

At midday Wednesday, about a mile north of town, five Fish and Game Department officers searched the woods behind an apartment. They carried bags and boxes, but it was unclear if they collected anything.

On Tuesday, state and federal law enforcement officials scoured the area within a half-mile of the family home, and relatives, friends and neighbors held a vigil for Celina near the house that night.

Celina’s disappearance did not meet the criteria for an Amber Alert and wasn’t considered suspicious, state police Sgt. Sheldon Belanger said. Police were going through phone and computer records at Celina’s home, he said.

“Honestly, we don’t know where else we can look,” said Lt. Douglas Gralenski, a state Fish and Game official whose agency is helping state police search the river. “There’s so much that’s unknown.”

Fliers with the girl’s smiling face are posted on trees, utility poles and stores in the town.

Shannon Towles’ daughter, 13-year-old Echo Towles, who knows her, said: “I hope she’s OK. I hope they find her.”

Gralenski said Wednesday that a small boat with an officer and fishing guide was searching the river about a quarter-mile from her home. He said the river was lowered Tuesday to help with the search. The river runs between New Hampshire and Vermont, where state police also have helped with the search.

“It’s not a deep river. You’d be hard-pressed to find 6 to 8 feet in most of it in that area,” Gralenski said. “When we had it drawn down, it was exceptionally low.”

That allowed the Border Patrol to search by helicopter and some officers to search by kayak before severe thunderstorms passed through Tuesday afternoon.

At the peak of the search Tuesday, Gralenski said, there were at least three dozen officers, New England police dog handlers and a search and rescue group assisting by water, air and land, including ATV trails in the woods.

“We found no evidence that she had been in that area, and, of course, we have no evidence she is lost as opposed to missing, either,” he said.

The area is densely wooded, and there’s little to no cellphone reception.

Besides the river search Wednesday, some officers were searching areas where some of the dog teams showed interest, Gralenski said.

Towles said her daughter asked her whether she thought Celina was still alive.

“How do I answer that question? And do I want to?” Towles said. “I don’t want to think about it, but I pray every second that she is.”

Associated Press writers Kathy McCormack and Lynne Tuohy in Concord, N.H., contributed to this report.

Turns out I was wrong. Horribly wrong. And I still don’t believe it. I watched the video of Casey Anthony walking free tonight, and I literally felt sick to my stomach. Is it my imagination, or did she like…..snide? Proud? Did she actually smirk at the camera? Because that’s how it looked to me. And it made me sick. Can’t she at least show some respect for her daughter and look…..sad? Regretful? Something other than a bitch who got away with murder?

My lights are on tonight, in honor of Caylee. Who deserves much more than what she got. Turn your lights on, too. It’s the least we can do.