I seriously did.  Just a while ago, I could feel the headache creeping back inside my brain and thought, "Before I have another glass of wine, I'd better take some more Advil."  Right?  I should've done that.  But when I looked at the cluttered granite counter, with baby Tylenol, my grocery list, a calculator, scrunchies, an emery board, two pairs of off the rack reading glasses, my planner opened to next week, a used paper towerl, a dictionary, Vitamin E & Aloe Petroleum Jelly, A & D Ointment, wipies, a box of Kleenex and assorted vitamin bottles and meds...I saw the M&M's with Peanuts!  I was side-tracked.  I knew in that moment what I needed was the M&M's.  I finished them before I could pour another glass of middle of the road Chardonnay.

 I fully intended on writing a post tonight, entitled, "OBAMA - IS ON KP DUTY FOR THE REST OF HIS TERM."  Swear to God, I was going to write that post.  Had I done that, I was going to attest to the fact, that in my opinion (and I believe those two last sentence fragments cancel each other out!), that he, Obama, is, indeed facing  serious KP duty for the remainder of his sentence.  Oh, I meant to say, his term.

In military terms, KP Duty is defined as, "Kitchen Police or Kitchen Patrol."  I prefer the latter.  Now, if any of you has ever served in the military and thought that taking on KP Duty meant that you would acquire culinary skills while serving in the military...you were sorely disappointed.  I have a good friend who did just that and was medically discharged after one year in the Navy.  That is another story.

OK, so, the reason I was going to explain this Obama thing and KP and all is this.  Surely some or most of you already know what I am thinking.  It is not brain surgery to figure out what is on my mind.  I really feel for this guy.  This very polished, educated lawyer from Illinois, works his way up quickly through the ranks in Illinois state politics and, is, I believe, as squeaky clean as any politician you'll ever find, then decides to run for KP Duty for the United States of America.  Yes, he surely did!  If ever in the history of of our country, anyone has ever had to take on the dirty job of cleaning up after so many administrations after administrations...and I do mean BOTH PARTIES here, he took on the task, has rolled up his very white sleeves and is elbow deep in decades of old dishes, filthy, dirty laundry, grit, grime  and garbage, as any president has ever seen.  Dear Lord, he has signed up for some seriously, disgusting duty, for the sake of our country's future and that of our children and grandchildren.

While driving home from the horse corral tonight, having cleaned up after the crew of 15 and my two grand kids...wiping up a day's worth of manure spiked dirt and dust all over the kitchen table and counters; plates and utensils covered in cabbage, mustard and leftover bits of corn beef (which was quite yummy earlier in the evening), I couldn't help but imagine what Obama is up against.  I have become a true sympathizer.  I may even be in awe of this man and I voted for McCain, for Christ's sake!  I know, what a bimbo!  But I'm comin' clean here, so cut me some slack.

I have had a true epiphany this evening.  I really feel for the task at hand and the miracles, work, blood , sweat and tears that Obama and we all must overcome to support both our president and our country during this time of massive clean up after so many years of shit layered upon shit, topped with more shit and then some extra shit for good measure.  Certainly, our recent Bush made this shit pile worse than anyone could have ever imagined, but his shit just adequately covered up the 8 filthy years of Clinton's shit and Original Bush's shit and procrastination before that.  Every president's dance card was so full of shit for the last 30 plus years, I can't even imagine where Obama will begin to clean up this horrific mess.

KP Duty is not pretty.  It is not a culinary vacation from being sent to the front lines.  It is a daunting and dirty job.  It is an assignment only the very strong, brave, dedicated and committed men and women would dare to undertake to serve their country in a time of such daunting clean up.  This is far worse than your worst prom clean-up committee nightmare, including the school bathrooms filled with urine mishaps, TP wet and stringy all over the floor, unflushed unmentionables in the toilet and vomit spilled over the edges of the porcelain rims.  You know how disgusting that is!  This is worse!

So, after coming home to pick up after a day's worth of grandkid's toys strewn around, damp, dirty burp clothes, crumbs from unfinished snacks, emptying the dirty diaper pail, general clean up and such, I looked around to see that I am living my dream in a country that I love, appreciate and could never abandon, no matter how messy the clean up becomes.  We are so damn lucky, despite all the challenges that face the majority of Americans.  I don't need to mention all those issues that we all know and fear daily.  And we certainly hear it on the news, read it in the papers, on the Internet and from our fellow bloggers...it's all there, in our faces, all the time.

I can't imagine what it must feel like to be Obama, at the end of his day, after he tucks in his precious daughters, kisses Michele tenderly,turns off the lights and wonders...what else he will need to add to his list of KP Duties for tomorrow.

                                                                         ***

I did finish the M&M's but didn't feel the need to fill my wine glass again.

And, lo and behold...my headache is gone.