The Sentinal Ant protects his Aphids

What a busy place it is on the tip of a tree branch.

The Storm blew this way and that

ALL TOO EASILY, THAT TREE COULD HAVE DECIDED TO LET GO ON OUR DRIVEWAY.

AS IT IS, IT WENT OVER ONTO OUR NEIGHBOR'S. I MADE SUPPER WHILE THE REST OF THE FAMILY HELPED THE LONE WOMAN AND HER TRUSTY CHAIN SAW GET THE JOB DONE. IT WAS GOOD TO SHOW MY KIDLETS WHAT BEING A GOOD NEIGHBOR IS ALL ABOUT. THESE PICS ARE BUT A MEMORY NOW - THE ONLY STUFF LEFT ARE LEAVES, TWIGS AND DEBRIS. BET MOST AREAS COMMUNITIES WISH IT WERE SO EASY TO CLEAN UP THEIR MESSES. MANY AREAS HAD TO CLOSE ALL SCHOOLS DUE TO TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN. I THINK WE WERE VERY VERY LUCK....

WHAT BUG DO THESE EGGS BELONG TO????

A London Werewolf in America - I read it

I recently read a book whose very title had me interested in reading it.

I saw the movie, American Werewolf in London years ago. So what kind of story could the reverse be about? A fine romance, if I may say so. I liked it enough to write a review.

What do you think??

Title: A London Werewolf in America
Author: Pat Cunningham
Publisher: Siren Bookstrand
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal
Length - #pages : 227


Review: The answer to what does a werewolf and a witch have in common is nothing and everything. Finding out what they do have in common and how they get to that point is a great read.

Darinda is the heroine. And she does earn the title of heroine because of all the things she has to do to keep herself alive as well as the hero. She doesn’t do martial arts, she doesn’t use a gun nor does she have to act like she’s got something to prove. She’s an ordinary woman living in a supernatural world and she just happens to have a bit of magic about her. Her familiar is deceptive and affective – just wait until the plot gets really hot – her friends are varied, funny or helpful, and she has a way with cards. She also has bucketfuls of integrity and loyalty which serve to not only garner respect from this reader as well as the hero, but serve to ratchet up the sensual tease and heat during the courtship. Not that she sees it as that, nor was it meant to be a mating intent. Just by the way she acts, the decisions she makes and the friends she’s made, she put herself in a position to be accepted by the very people who shun humans as being less than them. Darinda perseveres because she’s got guts, class and doesn’t run from the truth of her feelings. I enjoyed her character.

Roderick is a werewolf. In this world that Ms. Cunningham has created, humans are considered inferior but no less important as diversions, technological and societal movers and shakers which allow the supernatural communities to blend in and benefit from -- much to the detriment of some of the characters in this story. As for Roderick, he’s a misplaced alpha being forced to do as his mom says. His mother makes Mommy Dearest look like Mrs. Brady from the Brady Bunch. How he managed to stay sane and not become a bully is a testimony to his character and the strength of his inner alpha. I absolutely enjoyed the slow, gradual buildup of his character’s falling in love with Darinda. Being a guy, Were or not, he messes up and thinks with his partner ‘down South’, which presented this reader with some wonderful insight into both Roderick and Darinda.

The conflict is internal – want vs. oath, and external – who is trying to kill everybody? The mystery dogs their footsteps and Darinda ends up doing a lot of the sleuthing. It was refreshing to see a woman in a strong role without losing her femininity or brains. The villains are well couched in distraction and misleading clues, yet the author drops little hints along the way. Not that I figured it out until Ms. Cunningham wanted me to. It was a fascinating reveal. And something happened that totally caught me and one of the characters completely by surprise. I enjoy being astounded.

I thought the writing was tight, the dialogue flowed smooth and true to character, and the sensual dance between Roderick and Darinda as they fell in love was page flipping – will she or won’t she? I thought the secondary characters were well placed and described, and each contributed to the plot and story overall. I giggled when it was revealed just who Darinda was named after. In fact, her pixie buddy and her cat were oftentimes amusing and great fun in the scenes they appeared. I smiled many times throughout this story.

If this were to appear on a review site: I'd rate it a 4 1/2 on whatever scale they use if it's 1 out of 5. So, I'd say I was pretty happy with it. And when I'm happy with/about a book, I share. It's one of My Favorite things.

:-)

Tim Hawkins- Old Rock Star Songs

TELL ME YOU DIDN'T SNORT AND GUFFAW AFTER HEARING SOME OF THIS. COME ON, THIS IS GENIUS!!

Last time I zipped

This time I'll stroll

First, what is it with all the scam comments my blog is getting? How annoying.
Second, What is it with winter? Give it up already! Let the seventy degree temps reign.

I re-read Raising Havoc by Lori Foster. It's as great the second time as the first.
I just bought, Coyote's Mate AND Lion's Heat by Lora Leigh. AND Sandra Hill has FINALLY come out with a new Viking one, Viking in Love. Woot! I love her sense of humor. That new line about Pink Ice was ..eh.. ok..but her Vikings have always entertained me. My only groaner is that I cannot read these yet. I have to save them for when I go on vacation. Do you have ANY idea how hard that is to do?

I've been reading the Cat Star Chronicles by Cheryl Brooks and I cannot get enough of them. They rock my world. Then again, Terry Spear is nothing to sneeze at. She has wolf stories that make me care about the characters. Enjoyment abounds.

I have been going to ZUMBA for over two months now and I LOVE TO ZUMBA!!!
I lost 8 pounds from doing it but it's the contagious and outrageous fun and excitement generated by the owner of the studio that really inspires me to try harder and Woot and Holler and Yahoo louder. She's an amazing lady.
She just got certified in Zumba Toning and after my first class my butt screamed for three days! Yeouch! but of course I went back for more.
I just got word that she's planning a surprise ladies night with food and everything. She's just not saying what the highlight will be. No, not anything with men dancing, darn it. It's going to be a saucy but nice surprise. I'm just thrilled to do things that are geared towards women. It's great being a mom and all that but I like to do fun things for me. If I feel fun, I AM fun.

Oh, yes. The Neti Pot. Don't anyone scoff at its use. It works. Sounds weird and gross but dang if it doesn't work wonders.

I'm on Facebook. I think you know that. And I'm a Bejeweled addicted nut. I don't play the apps like I used to but that Bejeweled Blitz is only a minute. Who doesn't have a minute or two or TWENTY to play? LOL - yeah, time creeps away from you when you play that game.

Oh, I had another short 1200 word story Epubbed. And I have a great WIP that I'm working on. Maybe I should say it's Good ... it'll be GREAT when I finish it. LOL

Well, that's all the conversation I have to impart today. Except for wishing that SPAM comments would just stay the heck away from my blog. Sure I don't post as often as I used to but it is STILL my blog and I don't like trash being posted in my comments. I don't think ANYONE does...why can't they leave us alone?
Pesky rodent spammers.
Bronx cheer to them all.

zipping through

Yep, just zipping through to say

OH my Gosh, they are making the A-TEAM into a movie? And they sort of found actors
that have hints of the originals?
And oh my gosh, who IS that ripped guy they showed in the trialer?
OOOH WOW!
I HAVE to go see that movie!

and that new Jackie Chan movie looks funny. Reminds me of the Pacifier a bit, but that's OK, I liked that movie too.

Happy New Year.

Hope you are staying warm. It's been cold and windy and not conducive to snowman making, or snow balls.

I'm currently reading the latest Kim Harrison book. It's taking me awhile because I'm fitting it in amongst other things going on.

I'm joining Zumba soon - I go for my weigh-in this Saturday. It's a six week course and I hope it makes a difference for me.

Some totally stupid jokes to share::

***What do you call a fish with no eyes?
A fsh

***Two snowmen are standing in a field. One says to the other : "Funny, I smell carrots too".


I love Redneck jokes:

***You think taking a bubble bath starts with eating beans for dinner.

My Favorite Cat Quotes:

Anything not nailed down is a cat toy

Cat - a small furry organism with a tropism for where it's not wanted

Cats are smarter then dogs. You can't teach eight cats to pull a sled.

Cats are intended to teach us that not everything has a function

Cats are Zen made Fur -- Jo Godwin

Cat Creed: Everything here is mine

Dogs come when called. Cats take a message and get back to you

**********

I fell on the ice last week. My Chiro said I 'bounced'. That means I gave myself whiplash. Have to go back next week after swelling goes down. I can't wait until winter is over. Ick.

I sewed a button yesterday. OK..so what you say. BIG so what, sew what? LOL
I'd been buttonless for over 2 months. It took me that long to sit in one place long enough to have the patience to sew a button. And hem the coat and restitch the cowl flappy big part on the coat. I love my coat though. It's big, long, black and wool.
It looks like I should walk around with a latern and respond to being called
John Coachman.
LOL

And , a question. Do Moose Tracks go in single file like a cat's???

OK..zipping back out. Hope all is well with you!

A Man who can COOK

I can just swoon.

I love him on romance book covers.

But what he does to food? Oh my Gosh. The part when he makes a fennel salad was too fast. I wanted to SEE how to prepare that. I've never had fennel. Seeds, sure, but as a veggie?
Wow, never crossed my mind.

And his smile? **le swoon**
And his wife? Can we say TALENT? How she decorates is totally awesome.
I have woods behind my house and I've NEVER thought to USE them in decorating.

It's got me thinking.

Watch his episodes.
I envy his pots and pans. I want them. Now those are tools to cook with!

I'm feeling low on iron

So I took this quiz.
It's been a LONG time since I've posted a quiz.
LOL

Ready for my results?

Your result for The What's Your Signature Weapon Test...

Greatsword

You preferred a weapon with 51% power over speed and 49% range over melee.

You use a Greatsword.

Do the words Zweihander or Flamberge mean anything to you? You prefer a Greatsword, a massive, heavy blade frequently strong enough to cut down the rides of mounted warriors. Though slow, the impressive length and heft of a greatsword makes it capable even of breaking through armor. Your enemies will run from the deadly arcs of your blade as you bear down on them.

Take The What's Your Signature Weapon Test at OkCupid

Now, All I need is a Highlander or someone equally savvy with these things to teach me the ropes. LOL
IF I could lift the silly things.
<>

Our Class' Weapons Instructor

Here are two videos of what I got to see yesterday. And what I had a chance to shoot with. I don't think my form was as good as his. <> At least YOU don't have to wear earguards and safety goggles to view these. LOLOL

I Fired my First Gun Today!

Yes I did and it was awesome!

Today was my class's day at the shooting range.

I got to fire a pistol, an AR-15
, a 12 gauge shotgun AND ...

A GLOCK!
Just like I read about in my favorite romantic suspense novels.

And get this.
Out of our class of 30, 15 showed up for the practice. And of those 15, five were women and all of us had never ever shot a weapon.

AND... ::drum roll please::

I was the ONLY female to get THREE out of four of the steel targets!! ME!!!
I can't believe it! I've never fired a weapon before in my life.
It was fun.
It was exciting.

And...I drew blood. My own.
LOL

You see, with a pistol, you have to hold it just right and keep your thumbs out of range of that slider piece on the top. Well, I sort of forgot and the top of my knuckle got skinned. Bled for three hours. Thank goodness I had a tissue to use to absorb all that red stuff. *g*

I view it as a badge of courage. I mean, I fired a GUN. WOOT!

When I was firing the AR-15, the instructor said, "Wow, don't let me ever get on your bad side." tee hee... there were five rounds to fire and each one went into the neck area. Not the torso, not the bulls eye, oh nooooo, I go for full stoppage.

I did take some pics. I'll have to load them on the other computer so I can post a few here.

Honestly, it was THE most fun I've had in a long long time.

And I just had to write all about it.

<<*VBG*>>

My nightmare

Yep. That describes my whole day.
DH was gone so I was all alone to enjoy the crisis.

Today I woke up with high hopes. Eldest was going to march in his first parade.
I bought his 'farmer' outfit, I had the chairs, the water bottle and the money for the rides all set. We were going to go to the fair after the parade. We even had ideal beautiful sunny yet cool-ish weather. Perfection.

All went well. I didn't think too much about youngest's wish to walk all the way up the main road until he came to the street his buddy lived on.
I should have.
All was fun and entertaining until my son and his band came by playing a very fun song. The first inkling of disaster came when I realized 1- he had NO idea where we were sitting to find us. 2- he was supposed to go back to the school to pick up his instrument case after they were done, to go by bus and be picked up from there.

Big issue with #2. My car was in a lot that I could not get out of because of the parade. HOW would I get him? He'd be left standing at this school for over 1 1/2 hours until I"d be able to go and get him?

And I had another child to think of. What do I DO? Beg the father of other child that my youngest was talking to and ask if my kid could stay there. He said yes and within a minute, I'm doing a brisk walk down the main street trying to catch up with the band, to get him before he boards that shuttle.

I make it. I also have to decide to have him leave the case at the school and hope it's there for him come Monday. Monday I'll have to figure out HOW to transport a trumpet without a case on a school bus. One nightmare at a time.

Now, we have to walk all the way back up to where I left my other kid. My eldest sees the buddy he's going to spend some time with at the fair and says'Mom, I need money." I give it to him and I said, I'll meet you at her shop!

Parade ends and I have to carry the chair and my youngest has to carry his chair and his hoard of candy he got from the parade participants. He loves it when they throw candy because most of it is peanut-free. It's so nice.

We get there and I have to drive out of the parking lot to find another parking lot closer to the fair. Still a decent amount of walking, but doable, until I realize that I have to walk from the new parking lot (at our local bank) to the shop. By the time I got there and dodged people, horses and more people, the shop was closed and the mom was just about to leave. My son and hers had already left for the fair across the street. I never had a chance to talk to him. Don't ask me if I talked to him when we were walking up earlier. I can't talk and walk - I"m that out of shape.

So, I and my youngest go to the fair. The next hour was pleasant. We went on the Scrambler and the Tilt 0'Whirl and a few others. We bumped into my son twice. Both times I tried to tell him, to remind him where our meeting place was and both times, he ran off with his buddy, never hearing me and a sea of people closed in between us and I lost sight of him.

And I really lost sight of him when it came time for meeting at the rendezvous spot and he's not there. Nor does he show up. I lost him. For over an hour I looked. I went to the police and the fair's Lost & Found and went to every person I knew who I knew, knew what my eldest looked like.

Eventually, he was found by one of the mom's I'd asked for help from. Thank Goodness.
So, after crying and feeling completely, totally emotionally wrung out like a wet dish rag, I said, we're going home now.

Except, we could not.

Remember I had to find another parking lot closer to the fair grounds??
Well get this.

AS I TYPE THIS , MY CAR IS STILL THERE!

The attendents allowed my car to get boxed in and I could not leave!
I had to call my DH to come and get us.

And.
Just now?
DH just found out that our boiler is leaking. A valve or something let go.

CAN THIS DAY GET ANY WORSE????

What a loss

I just heard that Patrick Swayze died.
He was only 57!!
What a loss.
I loved him in Ghost and Dirty Dancing. I think everyone has either seen the movies or at least heard of them. They defined an age.

He will be missed.

*************
I don't feel chatty right now.
I'll get back to you as to how the Citizen's Police Acadamy is going.
So far, we toured the station and got to look into the police cars.
We got an overview of what we'll be hearing and seeing.
It's not a surprise that the first class ran over 30 minutes longer.
LOL
Lots to ask questions about, that's for sure!
TTYL

I'm Allergic to What?

That's my question.
I just got those Disney Freeze Dried Fruit thingys for my kids.
You know, thinking it was a good healthy alternative to candy?
I tried the pears.
Youngest HATED them, said they tasted 'yucky'.

So, not one to let things go to waste if I can help it, I ate three.
And lived to regret it.

It came upon me so fast!
Mouth, tongue, gums, back of throat..a burning itch that reached
a screeching crescendo.
Sure, I have an Epi-Pen.
But I didn't get the sensation that I was having a systemic reaction.
I DID get that I was having a reaction that made me want to have a mouth transplant.

I raced downstairs, poured a cup of black coffee and searing my mouth and throat
with its heat, fresh off the burner, I downed half the cup.

I'm better. Throat is a little sore. Not known if it's from the allergic reaction
or the hot coffee.
I don't care.
At least I'm not having the horrid feeling any longer.
So, what I would like to know is.. WHAT AM I ALLERGIC TO IN FRUIT? DRIED PROCESSED FRUIT AT THAT?

You see, most fruit, once processed, doesn't bother me any longer. Fresh apples, pears, peaches, plums; all make my mouth itch. But this itch was exponentially increased. Yikes!

On the book front.
Read the final book in Emma Holly's Fitz Clare trilogy. Oooooh, I do like Graham. At first I thought it was Edmund who was the star. How clever that it's not. Seems throughout, I got to see Graham grow and evolve as a character. The last book finally gave him his HEA.

Emma is very sneaky.

Yep, kids are back in school and a different sort of chaos ensues.
The fight with the school system will continue.

Oh, the good news. That Zonagram medicine..even though it has the unfortunate side affect of suicidal thoughts, seems to be the ONLY medicine that has any affect at all on my youngest's epilepsy. Depacote, Depakote? ... did nothing.
All that tutoring during the summer I think helped. And in two weeks we'll continue it for a month since the first 2 months of school is usually a recap from the previous year. I think he'll catch up. He's a smart boy. :-)

OOH, and I'm a JAFRA consultant again! Yep, I re-upped. I really missed their products.

Whereas a lot of companies that sell perfumes and skin care and body oils use man-made chemicals to simulate the wonderful smells in nature, JAFRA is botanically based and their products have NEVER EVER caused my asthma to kick in. I've never had that choking sensation, like my breath is trapped in my throat, with any of their scents. So, I'm a big fan because of that. Do you realize they've been around 53 years? Yet loads of women and men have never heard of them!

Oh..and my DH is like,incredibly difficult to find cologne scents for. Most over the counter colognes require him to take a bath in them just for the scent to last most of the day. You can imagine how fast a guy can go through an 8oz. bottle while having to do that.
Not so with JAFRA. Nope. Four quick spritzes and he's good to go. And the bottle lasts for up to three Months, not one. I'm all for better value for the dollar. Especially during these times.

I'm a happy camper.

Oh! Oh! Oh!
And guess what? I was accepted to take part in our town's Citizens Police Academy!
Is that cool or what? I can't wait to start. It's very official and serious but I'm excited too!

So, that's my update. Lots of stuff going on and for a nice change, most of it is pretty darned good.
::knock on wood::

TTYL!

You think Monday was Bad? HA

Tuesday was another adventure in Life's Chaos.

Upon bringing the sitter home, my eldest holds out his glasses and says,
"Look, Mom!"
And holds out his new opera glasses.

Seems his eye glass bar, or whatever they're called, snapped right off.
We were supposed to LEAVE Wednesday night!

What eye glass place can not only order them but make them in Less than 24 hours?
Seems my local town does.

It was a 90+ degree day. Seems the little place's A/C was broken. We walked in and lo! turns out that if we waited 38 minutes in the sweltering heat, they actually had an eye guy there who actually took his insurance and had a cancellation! Not only that but with ten minutes to spare the next day before they closed their doors, we dropped by and picked up a New pair of glasses with a new prescription. Talk about service! Talk about Small town excellence. Talk about being really really LUCKY.

But honestly, think about all the crap that's been thrown at me in my family in a very short amount of time. It's amazing we're still sane. LOL

So, here I am... in a room, on a bay where I saw a dolphin play in its waters.
How relaxing.

It's amazing to be in a strange place and still have Internet, in my bed where I can look out over an ocean bay. Now if only the kids would stop jumping on the bed.
Reminds me of that book...Five Little Monkeys Jumping On The Bed..except I only have two.
But that's enough. **VBG**

I figure, things have to be better. We went through so much to get here.
Oh and I got some great books!
I started reading an old story... The Forever Kiss by Angela Knight. Not that I've read it before but I guess it's been out for awhile. I hope it's good.

AND, I found the latest Christine Feehan book, the latest in her Drake Sister's series. I hope that is as good as the rest.

Right now, the Pacifier is on and I enjoy that story a LOT. Must be the Navy SEAL that Vin Diesel portrays. Anyway, that's the scoop!
Have a great Weekend!

My Day Went FUBAR

Oh yeah, it did, in a big way.
Thank goodness I have a blog. I can VENT.

My day started when I left at 8AM.
Tutor at 8:30 - 10AM
Trumpet 9:30AM
MD appt 11:30
Car repair 1PM

It's that car repair that made everything else go FUBAR. I want to scream.
Ever hear of a domino affect?
Oh yeah, it's real.

Made it with a minute to spare for the 1PM car appt. Seems when we had the tires installed, one of the mechanics was a little too happy with that little automatic screwer-on thing, and stripped one of the lug nuts.
We went to have the car aligned.
The tech had the bolt snap off in his hand.
So, it needs to be tapped out and another replaced.
We were assured it's a 45 minute job.
HA

Today, we waited 2 HOURS for it to actually be brought into the bay.
30 minutes later the guy comes out and says, Gee, we can't do it today.
You have to come back and LEAVE the CAR!
They don't provide loaners.
We were going on a long trip and were going to use the car.
He says...oh, you should be alright to use the car, but the manufacturer did put five lug nuts on there for a reason. You should be safe enough but before you start back..re-tighten all the nuts to make sure they are secure.

Hello! Who wants to go 65-70MPH down a highway with even the thought of a possibility that your tire will pass you on the road???

I work. My DH works. And the guy tells me it will take a Minimum 2 HOURS to even do the job, the whole hub assembly needs to come off to do the repair.
That's not counting the time it takes to get IN the bay!
Who can sit on their ass all day like that?
Who can afford to rent a car to add More of an expense on top of car repair?
Just so you don't have to wait for hours with Two Kids!
Not fair, Not fair, not fair.

Sooo, we have to rent a car. Now we have to cut a day off of our mini vacation. We don't even get to take full weeks anymore. We were going to have 4 days, now it's down to three.
Sucks... big time.

And here's the domino affect. The rental car needs to be returned Monday AM. Then, since we will be leaving my blasted car over vacation at the car repair shop, we have to go and pick up my car at the repair shop for when they open at 8AM. BUT I'm supposed to have Tutor at 8:30AM and Trumpet at 9:30 Am and the thing you need to realize?

The car rental is in one city, the car repair is across the river in another city and the Tutor is in a different town 55 minutes away in the other direction.

::bangs head::

All because of a stripped lug nut! Make sure, any of you, that when someone uses that automatic screw-on thingy, they are not overzealous or YOU will end up having a FUBAR day too.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

An Actor Makes His Own Mark

A couple of years ago, through this very blog, I connected with an up and coming actor, Mr. Nate Golon. He's been busy since then, learning and honing his craft in his chosen career. It's a tough road but he's determined, energetic and always looking for that edge that will propel him towards his goal. I'm proud to announce and share a milestone with you. He's been hard at work and is an integral part of a new Internet series that has its debut this week. Please check out this link: WORKSHOP SERIES If you are a longstanding reader, you may remember Nate from way back when. Let me know if you spotted him because he IS in there...live, in color and with his charming and high-wattage smile totally in view. Have fun!

Find the Happy in Botany

OK...a bit of nature too. LOL....





Some posts just do not need words, since nature tends to express herself so well.
Take some time and marvel.
You'll be glad you did.

Haggis Rocks!

Well, you don't have to agree with me. LOL
Yes, I ate haggis at the Scottish Festival.
When the vender suggested I eat my haggis puff with some steak sauce, I only put a dab at the corner. EWWWW.

I like my haggis straight And they make the BEST fish and chips there. Sure it's a bit pricey, but we budgeted for this. I look forward to this every year. This is the third year in a row we've gone.

And I got my airbrush tatoo too.

I took some awesome pics of the caber toss and the weight throwing contest. Can you imagine throwing a metal ball weighing 65 pounds, overhead behind you, up and over a 14 foot height? Yep, that's what they do. Well, try anyway. Tee hee

Did you ever see the bicep width of these guys? Hmmmmm.

.

OH and did you notice? Under the kilt? Just a regular ol' pair of athletic shorts. *sigh*



Like I said... it's HARD to throw that kind of weight backwards. HOW do they train for THAT?
Whoa.
Is it any wonder these are my favorite things to see?

What's up?

Not much except clouds and bees.

What do you see when YOU look up?

Anyway...I love my library. Yeah, I know, I've said that before. But I borrowed some books on general laptop info and I discovered the Fn key! What a handy little button!

I've been able to get a few green beans from my garden, lettuce and peas. I'm sharing my chard with the mustard colored slugs. Guess what? They are compact little critters and they fly really far when you throw them. I can't kill them...ewwwww! So...I give them permission to sprout wings and if they can fly back to my chard, they can have it.
I'm fair.

I just remembered something ...

I saw this guy in a pick-up truck drift over to the rumble strip on the highway the other day... I estimate he was going about 60 MPH. Do you know why he drifted? Nope, he was not drunk. He was on a cell phone. As much as I don't like another law being passed to tell us what to do for our own benefit...texting and talking on the cell has become an epidemic of ridiculous proportions.
I would have thought that taking your eyes off of the road longer than it takes to sneeze would be avoided, as in common sense. As in, realizing that a driver has the responsibility to maintain control of his/her vehicle at all times and be aware of their surroundings and react accordingly.

Their first thought should be that they are in a mobile weapon, capable of maiming, destroying or seriously injuring people, property or animals and drive with respect to that.
Their LAST thought should be who is calling, must answer the call or " OOH, look at that accident, I simply HAVE to text/call (insert unlucky name) and tell them all about it!"

Because people have increasingly put their phone first and safety last, now laws have to be written to correct people's inherent stupidity and arrogance - It can't happen to me, I can do three things at once, I'm always in control, you can't tell me what to do, it's my phone, my car, my decision.

No, it's not. Not when it affects too many other drivers and pedestrians who innocently believe you are alert, in control and and are paying attention beyond the thing held in your hand or attached to your ear. Driving is a skill.
You can't hunt bear while on a cell phone, that kind of inattention will get you eaten.
You can't jog a marathon while talking on a cell phone, you'll lose; not enough regulated breathing to moderate your pace.
A painter/artist cannot paint/sculpt or create the next masterpiece while talking on a cell phone.
It will look like one of those paint by numbers jobs by a four year old.

Why then, why do people think they are doing a great job of DRIVING when they are talking/texting on a cell phone?

Can you tell me??