Zanymuse

Trial by media

2009-10-26T01:05:00.000-07:00

Like much of the nation I was riveted to the news accounts of the flying saucer shaped balloon as it soared across the sky and felt dismay at the idea that a small boy could be inside. While it was still in the air I mentioned to several people that I hoped the boy was hiding somewhere because he was afraid after he let Daddy's big balloon lose that he'd be in big trouble.

When it landed and was empty, I felt relief and when they began reports of the ground search I thought they should start the hunt at home under the boy's bed and then expand to the yard and even check the dog house if they had one. When he was found hiding in a garage attic I laughed. Yep, laughed. Now that was the kind of thing either of my son's would have pulled at that age.

Immediately the hue and cry began that it had all been a hoax. Tonight they had a whole show about it with the "experts" interviewing some guy who sold copies of emails from the dad and saying they were proof of the hoax. Then they played some horrid rap video of the three boys using foul language to impress upon us how horrible this man is as further proof of the hoax. They have already convicted him and are wanting the powers that be to extract payment and punishment from the Father and they hope, the mother based on all the "evidence" they have uncovered.

So, what exactly is all this evidence? They show me that this family is in need of some real counselling, and Daddy needs some intensive therapy. From their "evidence" I see...

1. Daddy is a wannabe scientist.
2 Daddy is a big time publicity seeker.
3. Daddy was creating a flying saucer shaped helium balloon in the back yard and (IF) the emails are genuine he planned to use it in a publicity seeking stunt.
4. That the boys were aware the balloon was part of a plan for a TV show.
5. That Daddy had yelled at the boy earlier for playing in his precious project.

Hmmm, So Daddy had plans for a publicity stunt with a helium saucer...

OK, I've heard of brighter ideas but since the silly thing was still tethered in the back yard no stunt had been perpetrated yet. BUT, since it was capable of carrying the weight of a small boy it was obviously a dangerous thing to leave unattended with three very active boys about. So, I could understand a demand for an investigation into child endangerment.

But did Daddy plan the stunt to be that his son was missing and might be on board the balloon or did the boy prevent Daddy's hoax from happening by releasing it, hiding because Daddy would be furious, and inadvertantly created a bigger "hoax" in the process?

According to the trial by media, Daddy is guilty. I think they are wrong. I do not believe Daddy told the boy to hide or that this was the particular Hoax he was creating the saucer for. Who would trust a child that young to remain voluntarily hidden while all the fun was happening without poppin his head out to see what was happening? However, I would expect him to stay hidden if he thought he was in big trouble. And with what they have shown of this family Daddy would be a pretty scary man to face when he saw his big balloon flying off before his scheduled performance.

So, do I think they need to drop the whole thing? No! I think the media needs to back off and that Child protective services needs to step in before Daddy gets one of them killed.

Daylight Savings time

2008-11-02T20:54:00.000-08:00

I was sitting back trying to relax and watch a bit of TV. But it was not very relaxing since I would check out the listings and click on the channel only to find that the show I wanted was not on. So, I surfed around a little and shut it off. Several hours later I repeated this and again found what was listed was not what was on...that is when I noticed that the little time readout on my task bar said it was an hour earlier than all my clocks...hmmm...the daylight savings finally dawns...the guide is fine...my clocks are an hour off...I'm sure glad I noticed it before I missed the season ending of Army Wives or went to bed and was an hour late for work tomorrow. I sure wish they would just move the clocks once and leave them there...maybe split the difference and go a half hour difference and leave it alone.

Oliver

2008-10-22T12:53:00.000-07:00

After finishing the Dragonfly I was eager to begin another project. Continuing with the pond concept I decided to do a swimming turtle. He is not quite as garrish as it looks with the picture but the flash and the backlighting on the screen makes him seem almost cartoonish. But I am pleased with him.

I discovered during this process that what I really want to do is sculpt. But although clay is affordable, a kiln is not. That makes it unrealistic for me to be able to do the size pieces that I want to do. I am researching alternatives online and hope to find an affordable self hardening medium that will allow me to persue this interest.

Frustrated artist...

2008-09-30T22:04:00.000-07:00

I have always wanted to be an artist. Not that I have any great talent or training to overcome my lack of it. But that has never quelled my desire to do something artsy. Over the years I satisfied this desire by trying different crafts and art forms. I tried sketching...but stick figures somehow didn't fit my desired image of an "artist". Hah! I showed less promise than the average 1st grader.

Then came oil painting with a friend. She was pretty good and I was less than adequate ... er...I had no skill there at all except for blending colors on the pallet. But I did manage to make a mess of a couple small canvases before giving up and tossing them into the trash.

Then came painting statuary in the 70's. You bought molded pieces and painted them...I actually did pretty good on that one but how many painted plaster pieces can one home hold... and why? ...they were not exactly great works of art. The phase passed and I moved on to sculpting with clay.

Clay sculpting was a true breakthrough for me. I bought a 50 pound brick of porcelain clay and had a wonderful time creating several pieces. I felt wonderfully artistic as I worked the clay into my vision of the statues I wanted to make. And much to my surprise they actually looked good! The pieces were never fired. First of all, I didn't have or have access to a kiln and second, I didn't know how to properly remove the air pockets from the clay so that they would have no doubt exploded if I had tried to fire them anyway.

That led me to an art class at the local Jr. college where I was taught the basics of working with clay and actually fired one piece. It was a billy goat and I was very proud of it. It made it through the first firing and then vanished. I suspect it got knocked down and broken but no one ever admitted to it. I did get an A in that class but was not able to return the next semester.

Next came a doll making class. You selected a mold and type of clay and the instructor poured it. From there you cleaned the green ware. My problem here was wanting to make every detail perfect. This left tiny doll fingers and toes too well defined and fragile so that they broke easily. The dolls came out ok but the hobby was too expensive to pursue at that time and molds just didn't suit me anyway.

Over the years I tried tile mosaics, latch rugs, embroidery, crocheting, sewing, quilting, photography, carving, and even writing. I completed 3 books that were so bad I never let anyone else read them and destroyed them after reading them through myself. Some things I just burned out on and others, like sewing, I had to stop because of carpal tunnel.

Then the computer came into my life and along with it there were photo programs and web building programs to play with. Software became my passion. And gardening became my favorite interest off the computer. Then one day, while chatting with some true artists on a forum, I commented on some lovely silks one member showed pieced together and how it would make a wonderful wall hanging. She sent me a box of the silk scraps and my desire to be artistic returned.

I didn't want to sew or quilt. I wanted to create a mixed media collage. I played with several designs on the computer and changed my mind at least a dozen times before settling upon my final design and getting to work. As the design emerged and shifted I felt wonderful. Manipulating the piece into my vision. . . Artistic! And when it was finished I picked up some scrap wood and began to make a frame to suit my project. I like the process of sanding the wood, staining it and using power tools to make a frame for my piece. When I finished it this morning I hung it in the living room and set back to admire it. It isn't perfect. I can see ways to improve my next piece. But I like it. I am proud of it. I am an artist at last. Not a great one but an artist none the less...and it feels good!

The feeling of pride in my own achievement is wonderful. I don't know why it has taken me all these years to enjoy it. I have always been my own worst critic and never really allowed myself to feel good about my efforts. But suddenly, I can say it and feel it. It would be nice if others like it too but even if they hate it or think it is worthless because I like it and I feel good about it. It is mine.

Ashes to Ashes and Dust to Dust

2008-09-07T14:43:00.000-07:00

Dad passed away on August 16Th 2008. He had been in failing health for the past few years and this last year was especially hard for him as he was struggling with the strength to even get out of bed for those most basic of human functions. He was ready to die and I am sure he even prayed for the Lord to take him home.

So when the final hour approached it was filled with all the normal emotions that accompany the minds of those left behind. Grief over personal loss, insecurities over doing the right thing, saying the right thing, relief that it was over and sorrow it was over.

My daughter and I were the first ones to arrive at the viewing. He was laid out nicely in his coffin and the room was quiet. I stood and looked down at the mortal remains of this man I loved so much and felt...nothing. He, my father, was not there. The corpse in the casket was just a thing. Not something to "say good bye too" What would be the point? That flesh and bone corpse was no longer my Dad.

Because of a snafu, I was not at the grave site to see him off. I waited until the following week to view his grave. When I stood there I wanted to feel like they show people acting in movies. I wanted to feel that there at his grave I could talk to him and that he could hear me. But again, he was not there and I could not "feel" him. I left the cemetery feeling somehow that I must be a very cold person because I felt no "connection".

As days pass into weeks, I miss him. It isn't the man in the bed I am missing. It is the man I remember from over the years. The one that stood in a pulpit on Sundays and worked as a construction worker and carpenter during the week. I missed the handsome guy that would sing out loud and strong, whistle a tune or play his harmonica. I missed the man that tended his roses, that loved my mother, that told funny stories, that commanded respect and stood tall. I miss the poet and the woodworker with the quirky sense of humor who created a lot of great things over the years, Dolly and Gar (wood sculptures) clocks and tables, boxes and wood turnings and carvings. Some serious and some, not so much.

I miss the man who practised what he preached and believed what he taught. He is gone. His memories however are still a part of me and those memories are not gone. Those memories are more the "real" man than those mortal remains now laying in the grave. And as long as those memories are real to me he will never be really dead. I am not a cold or heartless person after all. I just have a big enough heart to keep him alive inside of me.

145 years and counting...

2008-07-31T00:24:00.000-07:00

Scotia, CA
Brief history:
1863 -- Pacific Lumber Co. formed
1906 -- Redwood rebuilds San Francisco after quake
1964 -- Massive flood wipes out PL log decks, nearby timber towns
1975 -- Pacific Lumber listed on New York Stock Exchange
1986 -- Houston-based Maxxam Inc. takes over PL
Summer 1990 -- Redwood Summer protests
Jan. 1997 -- Mudslide from PL land swamps town of Stafford
Fall 1997 -- Activists pepper sprayed during protests
Dec. 1997 -- Julia Butterfly Hill begins tree-sit above Stafford
Sept. 1998 -- David “Gypsy” Chain killed by tree felled by logger
March 1999 -- PL sells Headwaters Forest, groves to government for $480 million
Jan. 2007 -- PL files for bankruptcy in Texas
June 2008 -- Bankruptcy Judge Richard Schmidt approves Mendocino Redwood plan for PL
July 30, 2008 -- Mendocino begins rebuilding PL as Humboldt Redwood Co. and Marathon Investments takes over the town, the co~generation plant and other properties.

The mill will continue with a new name and new management. It is a new beginning that holds great promise for the community as sustainable logging practices are implemented. The collective sigh of relief is heard and felt by all concerned. There will be some that will not be hired by the new company but most of the workers will soon return to their jobs with a feeling of security that has been missing over the last few years.

The new Town Company met with the residents and business owners in a Town meeting yesterday and answered some questions regarding the town's future. They made it clear that they will be making improvements and proceeding with the steps necessary to sell the homes. In the meantime the workers and others like us will continue to rent. For some, the opportunity will come for them to purchase their homes. Some will want to do so and others will decide to move. Some will be unable to buy and eventually have to look for rental options elsewhere.

The affordable rents close to work will be gone. It is a shame, but hopefully, as the changes are made, the nature of the town will not be completely lost and it's charm will somehow be retained. The representatives of the company did seem to understand that part of their new acquisition at least in so much as it applies to the bottom line. The small town community, the stability of the workers, the infrastructure, the parks and museum and churches are all important to the people and therefore important assets toward the future sale of the homes.

145 years. The name of the mill and possibly the town will change and the town will not be company owned but it will not become another ghost town. The Mill will hopefully continue on under it's new owners and management for many generations to come. I won't be alive to see it but I sincerely hope that 145 years from now someone will be writing about the wonderful success of a little mill in Humboldt county and the thriving little community surrounding it.

On the up side, it should take 2-4 years for them to make the necessary changes and cut through the endless red tape before they can sell the homes. For us that means that we will have 1 or both cars paid off and if it takes the full 4 years we would be in a better position to purchase...IF... and the list of IFs is a long one!

Who knows, I may even get to plant a few tomatoes next year and live to taste them!

links to stories done in the past concerning Scotia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotia,_California

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-09-10-companytown_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/06/us/06scotia.html?_r=1&ex=1183867200&en=1cc273cc8839b4ff&ei=5070&oref=slogin

http://www.humboldtbeacon.com/local/ci_9984029

http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_10039446

http://www.times-standard.com/opinion/ci_9560701

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1216/is_n4_v184/ai_8833863

And for a laugh: Check out this table made from reclaimed lumber from one of the old mills. Note the asking price and realize that this same old wood is present in every old building and house in town and the same reclaimed wood I used as a compost bin at the apartment. So what will these old pieces of history sell for as homes? http://www.tamalpais.com/htmlpages/scotia/ARWC_table1.html

Living in History

2008-07-25T12:59:00.000-07:00

To say that life in these parts has been interesting lately would be a great understatement. Living in Humboldt county is always interesting because it is a hotbed of political diversity that polarizes the citizenry on almost everything. In fact, you can predict most peoples votes based on where they live within the county and where they work or if they are attending HSU.

I usually refer to HSU as "Berkley North" since both campus seem to have the same 60's hippy mentalities which can be both refreshing and aggravating...mostly the latter...

I live and work in Scotia, Ca. This little town is one of the last, if not the last, genuine company towns in America that is still serving it's original purpose of housing the workers of a single company, owned in whole by that company, managed by the company, cared for by the company, ruled by the company. When you enter Scotia you are entering a piece of history that has been preserved and presents itself as a charming little hamlet nestled in a small bend of the Eel river. The streets are clean, the homes are cared for and the people are friendly.

All that is about to change. The company, after almost 20 years of being under the control of Charles Hurwitz and being broken up into several corporate sections, has been reunited to some extent by a judge in a Texas bankruptcy court. The case stretched on for more than 18 months. When a plan was finally approved by the court it was instantly appealed by one group of note-holders. Tensions have run high and fear of losing more jobs and having the mill closed has had the population feeling the stress. As the case is starting to finally reach it's end we have a plan that will have the mill and timber taken over by what appears to be a good company and the town, power plant and other properties will be taken over by an investment /banking firm and will be sold off.

The houses, the businesses, the post office, the recreation center and the school will no longer be company property. The company will no longer decide who lives here or be able to insist that the yards be kept tidy, the houses be painted in pastel shades or set the rules for the workers outside of the mill. They will no longer be maintaining a little park, atv trails, river access, a museum, a fisheries exhibit and...

There are some things that will need to be done before the houses can be sold and many of the people now renting them will not be able to buy and will have to seek housing elsewhere. They will face higher rents, no pet policies and longer commutes to work in a tight rental market. As one of those people I can only hope that the process is very slow moving.

But aside from my personal dread of having to move again when the houses are sold off, I also dread seeing the little town change. In a time when the world is worried about the environment, communities are being designed to be "green" where people can live, work, shop and find recreation all in their neighborhood, this little piece of history which actually had all that, is changing away from it.

National Geographic had photographers here last week. I wonder if they will publish a piece on the death of a way of life in a company town or if they will just cover the story of the mill and the redwood timber lands.

Interesting History

2008-06-13T18:32:00.000-07:00

History is more than facts and figures. It is also skewed by our personal experiences, what we are taught, and what we choose to believe. I ran across a discussion concerning the "War of 1812" on line and was delighted reading the different viewpoints. Of course someone had to post this old song...

Well, in eighteen and fourteen we took a little trip along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mississip. We took a little bacon and we took a little beans,And we caught the bloody British near the town of New Orleans.

We fired our guns and the British kept a' comin.There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago.We fired once more and they began to runnin' down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

Well, I see'd Mars Jackson walkin down the street talkin' to a pirate by the name of Jean Lafayette [pronounced La-feet]He gave Jean a drink that he brung from Tennessee and the pirate said he'd help us drive the British in the sea.The French said Andrew, you'd better run,for Packingham's a comin' with a bullet in his gun.Old Hickory said he didn't give a dang,he's gonna whip the britches off of Colonel Packingham.

We fired our guns and the British kept a' comin.There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago.We fired once more and they began to runnin' down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

Well, we looked down the river and we see'd the British come,and there must have been a hundred of 'em beatin' on the drum.They stepped so high and they made their bugles ring while we stood by our cotton bales and didn't say a thing.Old Hickory said we could take 'em by surprise if we didn't fire a musket til we looked 'em in the eyes.We held our fire til we see'd their faces well, then we opened up with squirrel guns and really gave a yell.

We fired our guns and the British kept a' comin.There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago.We fired once more and they began to runnin' down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

Well, we fired our cannon til the barrel melted down,so we grabbed an alligator and we fought another round.We filled his head with cannon balls and powdered his behind,and when they tetched the powder off, the gator lost his mind.We'll march back home but we'll never be content till we make Old Hickory the people's President.And every time we think about the bacon and the beans,we'll think about the fun we had way down in New Orleans.

We fired our guns and the British kept a' comin,But there wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago.We fired once more and they began to runnin' down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

Well, they ran through the briers and they ran through the brambles And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn't go.They ran so fast the hounds couldn't catch 'em down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

We fired our guns and the British kept a' comin.But there wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago.We fired once more and they began to runnin' down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

And in response someone else posted this version...

Come back proud Canadians,To before you had TV.No hockey night in Canada,there was no CBC.
In 1812 Madison was mad,He was the president you know.Well he thought he'd tell the British where they ought to go.

He thought he'd invade Canada,He thought that he was tough.Instead we went to Washington,And burned down all his stuff.
And the white house burned, burned, burned.And we're the ones that did it,It burned, burned, burned.While the president ran and cried,It burned, burned, burned.And things were very historical,And the Americans ran and cried like a bunch of little babies Wah-Wah-WahIn the war of 1812.

Those hillbillies from Kentucky,Dressed in green and red.Left home to fight in Canada,But they returned home dead.It's the only war the Yankees lost except for Vietnam.And also the Alamo and the bay of ham.The looser was America,The winner was ourselves.So join right in and gloat about the war of 1812.

And the white house burned, burned, burned.And we're the ones that did it,It burned, burned, burned While the president ran and cried,It burned, burned, burned And things were very historical,And the Americans ran and cried like a bunch of little babies Wah-Wah-Wah In the war of 1812.

In 1812 we were just sitting around,Minding our own business,Putting crops into the ground.We heard the soldiers coming,And we didn't like that sound.So we took a boat to Washington and burned it to the ground.

Oh we fired our guns but the Yankees kept on a coming,There wasn't quite as many as there was a while ago.We fired once more and the Yankees started running,Down the Mississippi to the gulf of Mexico.

They ran through the snow,And they ran through the forest,They ran through the bushes where the beavers wouldn't go,They ran so fast they forgot to take their culture,Back to America, and golf and Mexico.

So if you go to Washington,It's buildings clean and nice,Bring a pack of matches,And we'll burn the white house twice.And the white house burned, burned, burned,But the Americans wont admit it.It burned, burned, burned...It burned and burned and burned It burned, burned, burned I bet that made them mad.And the Americans ran and cried like a bunch of little babies Wah-Wah-Wah In the war of 1812.

Viewpoints varied on the reason for the war... Some say it was in response to the British conscripting American citizens into the British Navy... Others say The British were merely retaking AWOL British sailors and that the war was started because the Americans were invading Canada which was still a British colony at that time.

Both sides seemed to feel that no one really "won" that war although there were some interesting comments on how it changed Canada's capital to a safer location.

The British and Canadians both seemed to agree that the Americans were wrongly trying to take Canadian soil and that the British had every right to invade America to capture their AWOL sailors... But they did not think America should, by that way of thinking, have invaded Canada during the Vietnam conflict to capture AWOL and draft dodging USA citizens...

So, depending on your nationality, the 1812 war was started by_____, because____ and the truth about who won is__________.....

Now, Why were we in Vietnam? .... Depends on who you ask... Why are we in Iraq? ....Hmmm.... Want the World view? , the Liberals view? or the reasons given by the White House?... How will history tell about it?.... depends on who is writing the History books....Facts and figures are only important in how they are skewed to present the version of history they want to teach our children...

QUOTATION: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." ATTRIBUTION: George Santayana (1863–1952), U.S. philosopher, poet.Life of Reason, 'Reason in Common Sense,' ch. 12 (1905-6).

Which version are we supposed to remember?

Next project

2008-06-10T22:22:00.000-07:00

The next area to be tackled is the back yard. It is overgrown grass with some thistles, brambles and weeds. For a bonus they also left a lot of trash which we have already removed.

I would like to avoid killing the grass by cutting it in stages. This past weekend I used the weedwacker to take it down about a third and removed the large thistles and brambles. I hope to mow it this coming weekend with the highest setting on the lawn mower... if we can get it running. After sitting in storage for 5 years it will start but quits after a couple seconds.

Pyxle is enjoying the space and is settling into a new routine now. She likes taking a toy up to the top of the steps and dropping it over the edge. She runs down to get it and repeats until she is panting and then lays in the grass with it for a while. It keeps her busy and gives her excercise besides her daily trip to the local park.

Changes ahead.,,

2008-06-06T22:56:00.000-07:00

The bankruptcy judge announced today that he will be approving the Mendocino/Marathon plan. That means the mill/timber lands will change ownership to Mendocino Forest Products. They have a good reputation and this appears to be good news for the community. It will be awhile before we know how or if our jobs will be impacted but putting aside my personal fears I have to admit that for this county this is really good news.

The second part of the plan places the town, residential and commercial, and the power plant in the hands of Marathon Banking. We do not know what that will mean to us as far as the housing goes. We know they will want to sell the houses but we do not know if that will begin immediately or if it will take a year or so to get the ball rolling.... the longer the delay the better for us on this one!

Since our job serves both the mill and the power plant, we do not know what to expect in that respect but I have a reasonable expectation of staying on since we are a contracted service they will need and it is generally more cost effective to use us than to hire inhouse people.

So that is the scoop on the situation here for now. Maxxam/ Hurwitz will be gone and a new regime will take over.

New housing...

2008-06-06T22:37:00.000-07:00

This is the first section of the outside areas I have tackled. The brambles were well rooted and took me an hour to dig them out. The horsetails pulled up rather easily and the grass I just weed wacked down and topped with cardboard for weed supression.

And this is the same area a week later....

That is 1 1/2 yards of chips from the mill.

I still need to plant something in those window boxes and that is all I will do in this area since we have no idea how long we will be able to stay here.

I think it looks a lot better even if it is rather barren looking. I will probably switch out some of these pots for some of my terracotta colored pots so they all match.

At least it no longer looks like the messiest place on the street and several people have already commented on the improvement.

The moove...

2008-06-05T08:45:00.000-07:00

When the owner of the house in Carlotta decided to sell out during the housing market's ridiculous bubble we were forced to move. Since this was the 4th such move for us (owner selling out from under us) we decided to bite the bullet and move into an apartment where this type of thing rarely happens so that we could settle in and stay put. HA!

After 5 years and rent increases that came like clockwork (no rent control here) I was greeted early in the morning of April 30Th by the landlord at the door with a 60 day notice to vacate. His reason was that they needed our apartment for his aging parents. ... Who want to see it empty before they decide if it will work for them... And how much remodeling they may want to do... IF... they decide it will work at all... Since ours was most in need of updating they decided it would be the one they should invest the funds into...IF...

So we set about looking for another place to live. We found a house in the mill town where we work and were out in 30 days. When we turned in the keys the Landlord thanked us for our "understanding", apologized for the "inconvenience" and said he would mail us our deposits.

The upside of all of this is that we are again in a house with a yard, real washer and dryer hookups, and we are now less than a mile commute from work. That last one is a biggie since regular gas hit $4.50 a gallon yesterday and there is no sign it will be dropping soon.

Between Bob's Charcot's foot and bad back and my bad back plus both of our obesity and age related aches and pains, we managed to get the move done and survived it with even more aches and pains.... I had no idea that even the roots of my hair could hurt! But we managed somehow and are officially moved!

The down side to the move is that the houses here in town WILL BE SOLD... we have no idea how soon that will happen. The Company is in chapter 11 and even our jobs may or may not be here in a month or so... Life is uncertain. If the mill continues we should be fine for our jobs. There are a few things they will have to do before the houses can be sold, zoning, set up a service district or annex into the connecting city... Hopefully it will take a while.... along while...I really do not want to move again until we can clear up our debts and hopefully be ready to purchase a place of our own... It is in God's hands.

Another great find in the Blog O' Sphere!

2008-01-13T12:35:00.000-08:00

I saw a link on DG to another wonderful blog today and spent about an hour looking at the most recent posts. I am looking forward to reading this blogs archives as time allows. I added a link to it in my Points of Interest section.

Written by a gardener, it of course appeals to me. But it is not just gardening that makes me like this blog. I also enjoyed the writers sharing of ideas. So if you have a desire to read an interesting and well written blog please be sure to visit http://ourlittleacre.blogspot.com/. Kylee in NW Ohio. Then, if you still want to explore check out her http://gardentours.blogspot.com/ as well!

Misguided Left wingnuts

2008-01-07T18:51:00.000-08:00

Yet another example of the extreme Leftist good intentions run amok! Free the Gnomes indeed!
http://www.freethegnomes.com/mailbag.html

One cause after the next has been taken up by this group of radicals but now they are truly off their collective rockers. They claim the gnomes are being held captive in our gardens and demand their immediate return to their "native woodlands".

There are several problems with their logic on this one.

First: They (the Gnomes) do not wish to return to the woodlands. They have traveled the world seeking to establish new colonies and have settlements in gardens worldwide. Threatened with being returned to the land of his forefathers I heard one young gnome cry out in anger "this is my home!"

Second: The woodlands where these creatures of earth originated have all but vanished. Logging and urban sprawl have taken over much of their homelands.

Third: If they were sent back to the woodlands it would create such overcrowding that they would no doubt die from diseases or starvation.

Fourth: Having lived in gardens for several generations, the average gnome could not fend for himself in the woods and would be easy prey for ferocious killer chipmonks or rabid bunnies...or worse!

Please folks, do not be drawn into this foolish attempt to right a wrong that never was! Help the Gnomes defend their right to live in any garden anywhere, free from fear of being deported to a strange woodland. Free to raise their young without fear of being "saved" by the extremists and their misguided attempt to do that which is too frightening for the average Gnome to discuss!

SAVE THE GNOME! To support this counter movement I ask that you join me in combating these gnome enemies by sending a check to ME. I guarantee that not a single penny of your generous contribution will be spent on anything that would in anyway make my garden less Gnome friendly.

For more information on what you can do please leave a comment with your credit card information, your drivers license number, your social security number, your bank name, branch location, the pin number for your ATM card and your mother's maiden name. I promise that after I max out your credit card and empty any and all bank accounts I will sell your identity to the highest bidder. This statement is true ... trust me...

Freedom of religion

2007-12-04T20:32:00.000-08:00

In many areas freedoms such as we in the USA enjoy are unknown. We are still free to voice our opinions on matters of politics, to worship or not as we are so inclined. To move about our lives and pursue happiness, apply ourselves and seek riches or to run for office. And by law, all citizens are entitled to these freedoms. Or are we?

Every day we experience prejudices. We are told that we must not speak out in government meetings or schools if we are going to discuss our religions. That it is immoral of us to take a stand against anything or any teaching that is based on our religious beliefs.

An atheist is not told to be quiet when he stands up anywhere to say there is no God, that Christians are all hypocrites, or that we need laws to prevent Christians from voicing our faith in public schools. They ban prayers, call us fools for believing, sue us for any demonstration of faith to which they or their children may be exposed. It is ok for them to use foul language, mock our God, and flaunt their "lifestyles" to us and insist the schools teach that their ways are to be accepted to our young while we are not allowed to even say the name God out of fear that their child may hear it!

I believe it is time to insist on freedom for Christians! To demand that we and our beliefs be afforded respect and the freedoms guaranteed to us by the constitution. We can no more leave our beliefs out of our politics than an athiest can leave their anti God sentiments out of their thinking.

I firmly believe in freedom. I believe in an Atheists right to deny god. After all, who am I to even attempt to deny anyone a right that was given them by the very God they are denying? God gave man freedom of choice.

I will continue to support your right to not believe. I will support your right to reject God. And all I ask in return is that you support my right to Believe and to speak as freely of my beliefs as you do of your non belief.

I will not be personally offended if you say there is no god...please stop being offended when I state that there is!

Please do not try to remove my freedom to discuss my faith. Please understand that your discussions pointing at Christians as hypocrites and or fools is offensive to me and statements that there is no God, or about the "evils of organized religions" is still a discussion of religion even if you are arguing against it instead of for it. Your rights do not extend to the right to usurp my rights. Your rights to disbelief are not more important than mineto belief.

Keep one thing in mind. If my beliefs are correct then by telling someone about them I may play a part in their being saved from an eternity in Hell. And if your belief is correct, we are nothing after death and it really won't matter to anyone.

Life is but a dream

2007-10-31T18:31:00.000-07:00

Life is but a dream... much of it seems hazed and surreal, shifting from sadness to joy and stopping here and there in between. Yesterday weaves itself through dreams of tomorrows and today is split evenly between what was and what will be. Life is but a dream...wake me not...for in every dream there is an new me to explore and a new you to discover. Dream your own dreams, weave them into the fabric of mine and share them with all who wish to partake of them. Dream... Dream... Dream...For who can say that their reality is of more importance or woven of a finer fabric than my own.

Dreams are... well, they are dreams... they are made up of our experiences, the sights,scents, sounds,tastes, textures and emotions of our existence. They morph about and shift shapes they are their own reality but are without substance. Ephemeral, Misty shadows that peek into the recesses of our minds when we let down our guard. They show us that which we love, that which we despise, that which we seek and that which we seek to hide. They are our hopes, our aspirations, our desires,our loves, our fears, our likes and dislikes, they are made up of whole cloth, the wholeness of our very being and yet they are not real, they are only dreams...

Did I just sit here and write all this... or is it a dream... for in truth I am but an inarticulate soul... incapable of original thought... dreaming... weaving old thoughts and ancient ideas into my dreamworld and wrapping myself in an imaginary cloak of wispy thoughts that I believe are mine but actually belong to a graduating senior who is quoting some obscure French existentialist. Life is a dream... a wonderful dream...

Self restraint.....

2007-10-25T23:42:00.000-07:00

I have been working hard on using self restraint on the forums of my favorite web site. I discovered right away that it is not easy to keep my opinions to myself and even harder to refrain from commenting on a posting that pushes one of my hot buttons. At first it was easiest to just refrain from posting anything at all. Then slowly I began to enter into the topics that were safe and talk about things that were non controversial.

I don't know how many times I typed responses to posts that were about issues that I have strong opinions on and then deleted them without hitting the send button. But today It seemed to take a lot more effort on my part to not reply than usual.

So what trips my switch and makes me antsy to respond? Well, it can be a lot of things. Today the worst was a comment about people in the fire ravaged part of the state and how God gave us brains and how it is foolish of all those people to live in homes built in areas that God designed to be burned as a part of it's normal life cycle. Hmmm, very callous statement in a forum that had people discussing how they could help the fire victims and some of the people that had been evacuated from their homes were checking in to let their friends know they are ok or to ask if others had been heard from yet.

I typed a lengthy reply that Since mankind had been kicked out of the Garden of Eden, there is no safe place to build where fire, flood, earthquake, avalanche, hurricane, tsunami....some form of natural disaster would not be a threat. Where were they supposed to build a home? That placing blame on the victims was insensitive and out of line. Now, of course, I spent a lot of time on wording it and it was quite lengthy and I was really itching to send it when I stopped.

I got up from the computer and went outside for a cigarette to think about it before I hit that send button. As I sat there I started asking myself why I wanted to reply to this persons comment. Not why was what they said upsetting but why reply? What purpose would it serve? Would it make any of the victims feel better? Would it teach this person anything? Would it somehow make me look more caring or make anyone think more highly of me if I attacked this person? Would it undo any damage the poster had done or heal any resentment? The answer was a resounding NO to all the above. So I came back in and hit the delete button, clicked unwatch this thread and went to work.

So, have I finally learned self restraint? Well, I'm working on it....

testing Pixamo blog inserts

2007-09-18T22:22:00.000-07:00

This is Pyxle at the park. just a short clip to test this feature of Pixamo

Well, it put a picture up that if clicked will take you to the sign in for Pixamo but the video is only viewable if you log in. This makes it awkward for blog purposes.

Fish!

2007-07-29T13:14:00.000-07:00

The rivers are low and the deep pools are clear but over the past decade the Eel river has been almost devoid of fish. So when we took the dog to run the riverbar I was startled to look down into a deep pool and see lots of small fish swimming around. They ranged in size from 1 inch to about 8 inches and they were feasting on the bugs that were skimming the waters surface. There must have been over a hundred of them in this one place. Small trout. Beautiful, dashing, shimmering trout that hopefully will survive to grow and spawn here in the future. Wouldn't ya know it, it was the first time in a month I left the camera at home!

High School glory days?

2007-07-27T00:16:00.000-07:00

As I drove past the local High school tonight I noticed the sign had been changed to welcome the class reunion of the class of 1957. 50 years. It struck me funny for some reason.

High school is 4 years of our lives and 50 years later a group of people come together to relive old times and rehash their glory days, brag about their accomplishments or look up old sweethearts. Some have never left the area and others have left to create lives elsewhere but for this momentous occasion they flock back to the old gymnasium from far and wide.

Maybe I am odd but I really do not see the point. The friends I had back in high school are total strangers now. If I really cared about them and wanted to track them down I would not need to wait for a reunion to do it. And to be honest, the few old friends I have looked up or been located by over the years were no more the teenager I remembered than I am. I found it to be rather sad to see them old and gray or to hear that this one was dead, another was convicted of hit and run, one is now on the city council and so on.

We shared a few memories and went our separate ways with no desire on my part to rekindle the old friendships with these strangers. When our 25th reunion came along I had no desire to use my cherished vacation time revisiting the far distant past when there are current friends, family and grand kids I could use it visiting.

I have enjoyed conversations with strangers, getting to know them and learning about their hometowns. I have listened raptly as a 100 year old woman talked about history. I have laughed at the humor of a 10 year old child who stopped to visit me in the park because they like my dog. But I have no interest in reliving my own past with a lot of people that are trying too hard to recapture the tumultuous teen years.

Don't get me wrong, I had a good time in High school. I sometimes think of something that happened back then and it has made for a nice anecdote in a conversation. But there is so much more to my life, so many more current happenings and people that to spend an entire week end trying to relive those 4 years seems somehow empty and desperate.

So, I think I'll skip the 30th, 40th 50th, 60th reunions and just show up for the 75th to see who is the last man/woman standing....that should be interesting.

English please....

2007-07-02T23:03:00.000-07:00

More and more I am hearing people complain about immigrants to the United States who do not learn to speak English. I personally think it would be wonderful if the entire world population spoke English. I think it is a pretty wonderful language with plenty of choices for wording things and the ability to add subtle nuances to seemingly simple words.

But do I think it should be used to judge someones fitness to be a citizen or a prerequisite to their holding a job here? NO! Oh, don't get me wrong, it would sure make things a lot easier for me if the person on the phone or behind the counter always spoke English. But should I be upset if they do not? Why?

I took a year of Spanish in High School. The result is that I can say "Hello, how are you?" and "Very well, thank you, and you?" I can count to 20 and know about 10 other words.

My first husband was American of Mexican descent. Most of his family spoke Spanish and English. By the end of the marriage 5 years later I spoke about 25 words of usable Spanish. But when the assorted family members came to visit from Mexico most of them could not speak English at all. We spent many a visit using signs and pointing to things. They would say the Spanish word and I would say the English. I never did manage to learn Spanish. I tried. I failed.

Learning a second language is easy for some people. For some it is difficult but they manage. For some it is impossible. For me, I know that with concentrated effort and hard work, I could have done much better but I doubt I would ever have been fluent.

Now let's look at it from a different point of view. " This is America and if you want to live here learn the language or go home" Boy, I bet the Indians wish they had told the Pilgrims that. Maybe they wouldn't have been forced onto reservations and their Children forced to speak and dress like the white men.

And the Spanish people that owned vast areas of the country long before the new European arrivals came should have insisted they learn Spanish in order to fit into their newly chosen home or leave immediately.

This nation has been called a melting pot. We have a Statue on Ellis Island that holds the inscription "Give me your tired, your poor,Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door." Granted, it was a gift and the inscription was not written by an American.... But we accepted the gift and we didn't request the inscription be changed. Obviously we liked the sentiment enough to place it in the harbor and treat it as a national treasure. But we only meant poor huddled masses that speak English...and only a few at a time, and only those who we deem to be desirable... but most important is that speaking English part...

Officially, by law there is no National language here. I personally do not think there should be one. I do not believe that Freedom of speech should be limited to English only and I do not think that a persons ability or willingness to learn English is a reasonable test of their commitment to or love for this nation.

But it sure would make life easier if everyone spoke English....I think it is wonderful that children in many countries are being taught English as a part of their basic educations....I wonder if our schools will ever get back to teaching it to our children.

That's ok, I don't see her either...

2007-06-30T17:07:00.000-07:00

While sitting in the park I saw a small female woodpecker land on the bark of this tree. I saw her climb up a few feet and then she vanished. Upon investigation I realized that this is the only place she could have gone. It is only about 10-12 feet off the ground.

I suspect there is a nest hidden here and will watch it for signs of life over the next few weeks. I do not want to frighten or harrass her so I settled for a picture of the entry and did not climb up to look inside.

What struck me funny is that this is not really a hole in the tree at all. it is actually two trees that have grown together at the base and this is the Y where they split apart, A piece of bark fell and wedged there and needles built up around it creating what appears to be a snug and dry hollow that goes back between the two trees for about 3-4 feet and is closed off on the other end with more bark and needles.

So what do you think? Will I ever see her again? Or was this just an exploration and she will actually nest elsewhere?

Watch the sky

2007-06-30T16:53:00.000-07:00

I have been having a lot of fun taking pictures of the clouds lately. They are everchanging, have many different formations and make for some beautiful sunsets.

The sun setting turns them into a rapidly changing and colorful show.

Just because they are lovely

2007-06-17T16:50:00.000-07:00

Washed down from the surrounding mountains the rocks of the river are multi colored and beautiful . There are sandstone , quartz, jasper, fools gold and fossil stones from the bluffs. Strange how one day I hardly notice them at all, taking them for granted. Then on a day like this they stand out, demanding attention and admiration.

Womans Lib...

2007-06-17T13:28:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time women were expected to stay at home and keep the house clean, the kids neat and tidy and have a hot meal ready for prince charming when he returned from a hard days work. Women who lost their husbands through death or divorce were poor unfortunates that were to be pitied and a woman who did not marry was an old maid.

When men came home from war the women who had filled almost every job in the country were told to go back home and remember to be good little women again so their men could get back their jobs.

The problem was that some of them no longer had husbands because they had been killed in action. These women could not just go home. They had to fight for a job in order to survive and to support their children. The jobs they were allowed to hold once the men were back were the most menial and low paid positions. Even if they managed to get a "man's" job, they were paid a fraction of what their male counterpart received because "he has a family to support" The fact she also was supporting a family without benefit of a wife at home to do the house work and chore was not relevant to that way of thinking. After all, she was expected to remarry and settle back down soon and was therefore not going to be a valued, long term employee.

In the 70's that attitude toward women was often exhibited. Women's Lib had managed to change laws of discrimination but had become a joke as media forces gave their attention "burning bra extremists" and too many women trying to prove they were not just equal too but superior to men.

As the lesbian faction was emboldened to come out of the closet The Feminine Mystique, coined the phrase "lavender menace" which made the mainstream homophobic woman want to distance herself from the movement.

They had made great strides in the enactment of reforms and laws that helped all women but they were an embarrassment and the movement settled back into obscurity. But it did not die. The young women of today are much less likely to be discriminated against and are even less likely to let any attempt to submit to a male hierarchy. Young men of today are less apt to expect a submissive wife but a partner.

From here it is up to my children and grand children to take up the banners of equality. Backlashes have always followed periods of rebellion and some of this has come from women themselves. The argument that a stay at home mother is a better mother is still heard today by those who have the luxury of choice

It was in that period that I escaped an abusive husband and found myself on the dole. Desperate to get on with life and to regain my dignity I sought work. I was told during one interview that as a mother, they were afraid I would not be dependable. That interviewer also told me that my real job was to find my children a new father who could set a good example for them. Needless to say, I did not get the job.

When I did land a job I worked harder than any man in the place just to prove myself. In spite of never missing a day, producing at least half again what the men did, and taking courses on my own time to improve myself, the men were promoted and given raises while I was given more and more responsibilities with no titles or wages to go with the job. I persevered. During this time, I went to the boss and was again told that the men were considered to be long term employees and that their status as such was justification for the pay discrepancies and their promotions even when they had less experience and poorer performance ratings.

When I left that job, the boss actually asked me to stay but I knew by then that to get ahead I had to move on. **GRIN** I do know he had to hire three people to replace me and that that was a lot more expensive than the little pay increase he offered me.

But now, many of us women still work even though we are married. We no longer have the option of staying home to greet the man of the house. Today's economy make it necessary for many of us to continue working outside the home because it take two incomes to maintain the simple basics of house and hearth.

Of course there are some who have the option because their spouse makes above average wages. But that is not the majority of people here. With so many women in the job force now wages have not kept pace with inflation. Male and female have to work outside the house. Men are having to help with the children, laundry and cooking. Both men and women come home tired and there is no one there to fetch slippers, spend hours preparing that favorite meal, or make anyone the King or Queen of the castle.

The kids often come home from school to a babysitter or an empty house. Many are ending up in trouble with the law or are just drifting through life with no real supervision.

So I have some mixed feelings about this "liberation" of women. Yes we should be treated as equals. But we also have been forced to give up the chance to truly raise our children. We are made to feel like failures if anything goes wrong. After all, we are still responsible for home and family. We should be able to "bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan, never ever let you forget your a man..Yes, I am woman" Yeah right! Superwoman is just a comic people!

I am woman hear me roar in number too big to explore...

and I'm tired , sick, poor and sore, cause I'm a woman....

This and that

2007-06-17T09:34:00.000-07:00

Today is Father's day and later I will have the privilege of wishing my Father a Happy Father's Day. Each year that I am able to do so is a gift. Dad had some very serious heart surgery a few years ago and the mortality of man suddenly became evident to me. Not just his but that of all those I cherish.

I have been taking the camera out with me everywhere I go. Pyxle has quit paying any attention to it so getting her picture is getting easier and easier. Last week end we took a drive up to Ladybird Johnson park and I was really looking forward to giving the camera a work out. But it was so wet and drizzly that we ended up just turning around and coming home.

But here are a couple shots shot of Pyxle taken Friday at the river below the local park where we visit her puppy friends almost every day. She isn't a swimmer but she loves wading on the edge of the river and thinks it is the worlds best water bowl.

Yeah Baby!

2007-05-26T02:17:00.000-07:00

I am really jazzed about my new digital camera. It is small enough to carry in my purse without weighing me down and so far the picture quality far exceeds my older and more powerful Olympus because of the image stabilization feature. I have a lot of settings to play with and learn about but even using it on auto as a point and shoot it far exceeds my expectations for a pocket camera!
Canon PowerShot A710 IS You Da Bomb!

Spring has sprung a leak!

2007-04-18T10:13:00.000-07:00

Spring arrived with several weeks of sunny days and cool evenings. It was grand to see the trees bursting out in bloom and the daffodills popping up everywhere. The fields began to bloom with lupine and poppies and people began to thaw out too. Then the "spring rains" came. The wind blew cold and the skies began to deluge us once again. The snow returned to the mountains as if to taunt us that winter still has us in it's grasp. The weather reports show one wet front after another heading our way and even though the sun came out this morning the ground is so soggy that garden work is not possible.

I'll take Pyxle out to the soggy park to chase her ball and she will enjoy getting muddy even if she won't like the brushing out after she dries off. But it has to be....we must take advantage of these little breaks in the rain when they present themselves....and look forward to the coming of summer when the sun gets warm enough to drive us into the shade.

Pet food crisis and analysis

2007-03-31T21:18:00.000-07:00

What am I feeding my beloved pet? With all the news reports of contaminated pet foods and animals dying from it I decided to find out. Here is the manufacturers list of ingredients and the information about that ingredient I could locate.

I know the conclusion should come at the end but for anyone that doesn't want to wade through the ingredients I am starting at the end...

CONCLUSION:
Overall this food seems to be nutritionally sound and the ingredients seem safe except for the Menadione sodium bisulfite which I need to investigate before I will be comfortable with it. So I'll wait to give it a big maybe.
That is the ingredients. But the problem in this widespread panic with the current recall and the horrifying deaths reported it is what is not listed that is the problem. It is in the rat poison ingredient that had found its way into the wheat. Rat poison! Why would they not be testing each and every delivery of any grain or grain based product for this before it is put into production? After all, rats are a problem worldwide and I can't imagine a grain storage or processing plant that is free of this vermin. Why then would it be such a devastating surprise to discover that somewhere along the line rat poison was carelessly introduced into the mix? I repeat... Why are shipments not tested BEFORE THEY ENTER THE PRODUCT?
It would cost too much to analyze each shipment? HMMM... Is it really cheaper to kill pets, recall hundreds of products, face public rage and loose the trust of your consumer base? Come on all you pet food CEO's out there. Wise up! Pinching pennies on testing can cost you millions and that just can't be good for the bottom line. So if you can't see the need based on moral grounds. If you can't justify the expense based on the fact it is the right thing to do or because you truly want to provide a safe and nutritional product...Then do it because it is actually good business.
Fortunately our chosen brand does not use any wheat because we searched for a Lamb and rice formula to overcome the doggy gas problem we were experiencing on other foods. But this situation Could occur just as easily with any ingredient derived from any grain. It did make me more aware that I need to know and understand what I am feeding my best friend.

What I use;
Purina One Brand (all ingredient information was taken from independent sources to avoid any possibility of being mislead by the manufacturer)

LAMB AND RICE

Ingredients:
Lamb (natural source of glucosamine) ~ First ingredient listed should mean that the largest part of this food is actual Lamb. Granted it is not the pretty cuts of lamb I would buy at the grocery store but at least it is real lamb and not Lamb Meal which their web site said is not an ingredient.

brewers rice Brewers rice is a milled rice kernel that is one quarter to half the size of a full kernel. Second heads, depending on their quality are used to make rice flour. If the quality of the second heads are poor, they will be sold for pet food or dairy feed. Brewers rice are sold for pet food and dairy feed exclusively. OK, again not the rice I would serve on the dinner table but real rice non the less.

oat meal ~ meal made from rolled oats. OK, I grew up on a diet of hot oatmeal for breakfast. It is a filler and is promoted as being good for lowering cholesterol levels. I don't know if it serves this purpose for pets but it seems harmless.

corn gluten meal ~ ok this one starts out looking iffy. First hit states "corn gluten meal, has potential as a natural preemergence herbicide. U.S. Patent 5,030,268 "

and here "SUMMARY As a pesticide active ingredient, corn gluten meal is intended for residential non-food use on lawns to prevent emergence of grassy and broad-leaved weeds. The substance is common in many food/feed products and in dietary supplements for humans and animals. This active ingredient is a protein found in corn kernels. It is not harmful to humans, to other non-target organisms, or to the environment. Furthermore, it provides a safer alternative to toxic chemicals commonly used for weed control on lawns."

And another research site says "Corn gluten meal is a high-protein, high-energy ingredient consisting of protein (gluten) and yellow pigments separated in the corn wet-milling process and used in feeding poultry and swine. Another by-product from corn wet-milling is corn gluten feed "

Okay, it sounds safe enough....I think! Although one source seems a bit confused about the meaning of pesticides versus herbicides which definitely leaves room for pause when considering them as a reliable source of information.

poultry by-product meal (natural source of glucosamine)
"Definition: Consists of the ground, rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered poultry, such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs, intestines, exclusive of feathers, except in such amounts as might occur unavoidably in good processing practices."

Hmmmm...sounds icky and I wonder why it is needed since Lamb, the first ingredient listed is also stated to be a valuable source of glucosamine.

whole grain corn Well, I again do not know why corn is added to what is labeled as Lamb and Rice. At least it is not one of the first ingredients.

animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E)
This one is rendered lard. The source of which is best not thought about if you have a weak stomach. But what about that preservative? Here it is from Wikipedia "Tocopherol, or vitamin E, is a fat-soluble vitamin in eight forms that is an important antioxidant. Vitamin E is often used in skin creams and lotions because it is claimed by the manufacturers to play a role in encouraging skin healing and reducing scarring after injuries such as burns.
Natural vitamin E exists in eight different forms or isomers, four tocopherols and four tocotrienols. All isomers have a chromanol ring, with a hydroxyl group which can donate a hydrogen atom to reduce free radicals and a hydrophobic side chain which allows for penetration into biological membranes. There is an alpha, beta, gamma and delta form of both the tocopherols and tocotrienols, determined by the number of methyl groups on the chromanol ring. Each form has its own biological activity, the measure of potency or functional use in the body.
As a food additive, tocopherol is labeled with these E numbers: E307 (α-tocopherol), E308 (γ-tocopherol), and E309 (δ-tocopherol)."

Sounds like a good thing. I can accept that animal fat is necessary to a balanced diet and of all the possible preservatives out there this one actually is a vitamin which seems safe also.

non-fat yogurt ~ "Lowfat and nonfat: There are three types of yogurt: regular yogurt, lowfat yogurt and nonfat yogurt. Yogurt made from whole milk has at least 3.25 percent milk fat. Lowfat yogurt is made from low fat milk or part-skim milk and has between 2 and 0.5 percent milk fat. Nonfat yogurt is made from skim milk and contains less than 0.5 percent milk fat." from the National Yogurt association.
Recognized as a great source of protein and the bacterias that promote intestinal health this ingredient makes sense. I do wonder if more yogurt could replace the animal fat but do not know if this would be better or not from a nutritional view.

calcium phosphate ~"From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Calcium phosphate is the name given to a family of minerals containing calcium ions (Ca2+) together with orthophosphates (PO43-), metaphosphates or pyrophosphates (P2O74-) and occasionally hydrogen or hydroxide ions."
I am no expert so I am going to just go with what I know. Calcium is needed for strong bones and this is some form or part of calcium.

calcium carbonate ~ "From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound, with chemical formula CaCO3. It is commonly used medicinally as a calcium supplement or as an antacid. Calcium carbonate is the active ingredient in agricultural lime. It is a common substance found as rock in all parts of the world and is the main component of seashells and the shell of snails. It is usually the principal cause of hard water"
Again, a form of calcium. This one I am a bit more familiar with since it helps me with acid attacks in the middle of the night.

animal digest ~Animal Digest is a common ingredient used in pet foods. As defined by the AAFCO, it is produced by chemically or enzymatically treating animal tissue (such as flesh, bone, organs, etc.) from slaughterhouses and other sources, in a process akin to rendering.
Again, not very tempting as a meal and not to be further investigated by the feint hearted. Rather like investigating what goes into that hot dog I had for lunch.

potassium chloride ~ Drug Class And Mechanism: Potassium chloride is in the class of drugs called potassium supplements which are used to treat low potassium conditions (hypokalemia) or prevent them from occurring. Potassium is the principal positive ion inside of the cells of the body and is used in nerve conduction, muscle contraction, and normal kidney function. A deficiency of potassium causes weakness, fatigue, heart rhythm problems, paralysis, and kidney dysfunction.
Definitely important to the overall health and well being of animal or human.

caramel color ~ Unnecessary but harmless? This serves to make the food look better to the human buyer but since dogs are colorblind they don't care what color their food is. The question is, would I buy it if it looked gray or beige instead of brown? To be honest....I doubt it. It would look unappetizing to me even if the dog loved it.

salt ~ Some salt is necessary for water retention and electrolytes.

choline chloride ~ Choline chloride, also known as vitamin B
Another vitamin.

L-Lysine monohydrochloride ~ L-lysine is protein amino acid. It is classified as an essential amino acid for humans and therefore must be supplied in the diet. Certain proteins, such as those found in meat, poultry and milk are rich in L-lysine. Proteins found in grains, cereals and their products are typically low in L-lysine. For example, wheat is low in L-lysine; wheat germ, however, is rich in L-lysine. Small amounts of free L-lysine are found in vegetables, vegetable juices and in such fermented foods as miso and yogurt.
Sounds safe and necessary.

brewers dried yeast ~ BREWERS' DRIED YEAST is grown in a wort consisting of an aqueous extract of malt and hops. As the worst is converted by fermentation to the familiar malt beverages - beer and ale, there is a marked increase in the amount of yeast cells through budding. These yeast cells are then harvested as a thick slurry and washed free of residual wort with neutral or alkaline water. This helps remove the original bitter flavor of the hops and gives the product a blander flavor. The washed cells are then dried.
DRIED YEAST, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, provides a ready, dependable, inexpensive and natural food source of the B vitamins and easily assimilated high quality protein, as well as other identified and unidentified nutritive factors.From a scientific viewpoint, Saccharomyces cerevisiae is probably the most widely studied and the best known form of life. Observations made from studies on cerevisiae yeast, and its many products, have contributed to our intimate knowledge of carbohydrate metabolism and B vitamin chemistry. It continues to serve as an experimental tool for the study of metabolism and nutrition.Cerevisiae yeast, through the ages, has been foremost in the production of universal food products.
DRIED YEAST IS:....the oldest and best known plant source of the natural vitamin B complex. It is one of the cornerstones upon which the structure of nutritional science was raised. "Dried Yeast," mentioned in the nutritional literature for the past 50 years or more, refers to Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
DRIED YEAST IS:.....inactive - it has no fermenting power as does live yeast used in leavening bread or in brewing. Processing and drying are carefully controlled so that the yeast is made inactive. It is thus easily digested, yielding its valuable nutritional components for ready assimilation.
DRIED YEAST IS:.....a food product. Dried Yeast is the foremost natural source of the B vitamins. And with its content of high quality protein it is a superior and inexpensive food or food supplement.
DRIED YEAST IS:.....a source of still unidentified nutritional factors which protects against various physiological stresses.
DRIED YEAST IS NOT:.....a bag of chemicals. It is natural whole plant grown as a food crop.
PRODUCTION-GROWTH OF DRIED YEAST Both in Brewers' and Primarily Dried Yeasts, the cell crop - as it grows - develops the excellent protein, vitamins, and other metabolically essential components for which cerevisiae yeast are noted. The drying process, which is the last step in the production of Dried Yeast, destroys the fermenting power and the enzyme activity of the yeast and releases its nutritional components for easy digestion and ready assimilation.Precise study has made it possible to control the levels of many of the nutritive components of Dried Yeast. For example, by careful adjustment of the growing media, some vitamin potencies may be greatly increased during the growth stages. Other vitamins may be assimilated into the yeast tissues while the living cells are in a resting or slowly metabolizing stage. These vitamins are held within the cytoplasm of the yeast cell.Each type of Dried Yeast has certain characteristics which lend it to particular food and pharmaceutical applications. Manufacturers' representatives can advise and discuss the advantages of using either Brewers' or Primary Dried Yeast in a given situation. Chemical and bacteriological analyses and vitamin assays are conducted on every production batch of Dried Yeast and authenticated reports can be supplied to the user verifying the protein and vitamin content.A brief description is given here to help distinguish between the two types of Dried Yeast: Brewers' Dried Yeast and Primary Dried Yeast.
Safe food additive with centuries of use.

zinc sulfate ~ Zinc is a naturally occurring mineral. Zinc is important for growth and for the development and health of body tissues.
Zinc sulfate is used to treat and to prevent zinc deficiencies.
Another good thing

Vitamin E supplement ~ Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin that exists in eight different forms. Each form has its own biological activity, which is the measure of potency or functional use in the body. Alpha-tocopherol (α-tocopherol) is the name of the most active form of vitamin E in humans. It is also a powerful biological antioxidant. Vitamin E in supplements is usually sold as alpha-tocopheryl acetate, a form of alpha-tocopherol that protects its ability to function as an antioxidant. The synthetic form is labeled "D, L" while the natural form is labeled "D". The synthetic form is only half as active as the natural form . Antioxidants such as vitamin E act to protect your cells against the effects of free radicals, which are potentially damaging by-products of energy metabolism. Free radicals can damage cells and may contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Studies are underway to determine whether vitamin E, through its ability to limit production of free radicals, might help prevent or delay the development of those chronic diseases. Vitamin E has also been shown to play a role in immune function, in DNA repair, and other metabolic processes.
I wouldn't want my pet to suffer from a lack of vitamin E!

ferrous sulfate ~ Ferrous sulfate provides the iron needed by the body to produce red blood cells. It is used to treat or prevent iron-deficiency anemia, a condition that occurs when the body has too few red blood cells because of pregnancy, poor diet, excess bleeding, or other medical problems.
No one wants an anemic pup!

manganese sulfate ~Lack of manganese in animals has been found to cause improper formation of bone and cartilage, may decrease the body's ability to use sugar properly, and may cause growth problems.
Well, that definitely makes it a good thing to find listed in the ingredients.

niacin ~ Niacin, also known as nicotinic acid or vitamin B3, is a water-soluble vitamin whose derivatives such as NADH, NAD, NAD+, and NADP play essential roles in energy metabolism in the living cell and DNA repair. The designation vitamin B3 also includes the corresponding amide nicotinamide, or niacinamide, whose chemical formula is C6H6N2O.

Vitamin A supplement ~ Vitamin A is commonly known as the anti-infective vitamin, because it is required for normal functioning of the immune system. The skin and mucosal cells (cells that line the airways, digestive tract, and urinary tract) function as a barrier and form the body's first line of defense against infection. Retinol and its metabolites are required to maintain the integrity and function of these cells. Vitamin A and retinoic acid (RA) play a central role in the development and differentiation of white blood cells, such as lymphocytes that play critical roles in the immune response. Activation of T-lymphocytes, the major regulatory cells of the immune system, appears to require all-trans RA binding of RAR.

calcium pantothenate ~ Vitamin B5 is also known as pantothenic acid or calcium pantothenate. This is a water soluble vitamin which is found in the cells. Vitamin B5 is produced in the intestines by bacteria and is known to place a role on preventing depression. Vitamin B5 is necessary for the release of energy from carbohydrates, the synthesis and degradation of fatty acids and other acetylation reactions.
This vitamin is also required for the production of steroid hormones, the adrenal glands’ production of hormones and nervous system function. Vitamin B5 is required to gain resistance to stress, shock and allergies, plus protection against radiation-caused cellular damage. Vitamin B5 has other uses including being required for carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism, cholesterol and fatty acids, skin health, and decreasing side effects of certain drugs.

copper sulfate ~Copper sulfate is a naturally-occurring inorganic salt and copper is an essential trace element in plant and animal nutrition.

thiamine mononitrate ~ thiamine /thi·a·mine/ (thi´ah-min) vitamin B1; a water-soluble component of the B vitamin complex, found particularly in pork, organ meats, legumes, nuts, and whole grain or enriched breads and cereals.
thi·a·mine (th-mn, -mn) or thi·a·min (-mn)
n.
A vitamin of the vitamin B complex, found in meat, yeast, and the bran coat of grains, and necessary for carbohydrate metabolism and normal neural activity. Also called vitamin B1.

riboflavin supplement ~ Riboflavin is vitamin B2. Vitamins are naturally occurring substances necessary for many processes in the body. Riboflavin is important in the maintenance of many tissues of the body.

Vitamin B-12 supplement ~ Vitamin B12 is a member of the vitamin B complex. It contains cobalt, and so is also known as cobalamin. It is exclusively synthesised by bacteria and is found primarily in meat, eggs and dairy products. There has been considerable research into proposed plant sources of vitamin B12. Fermented soya products, seaweeds, and algae such as spirulina have all been suggested as containing significant B12. However, the present consensus is that any B12 present in plant foods is likely to be unavailable to humans and so these foods should not be relied upon as safe sources. Many vegan foods are supplemented with B12. Vitamin B12 is necessary for the synthesis of red blood cells, the maintenance of the nervous system, and growth and development in children. Deficiency can cause anaemia. Vitamin B12 neuropathy, involving the degeneration of nerve fibres and irreversible neurological damage, can also occur.

garlic oil ~ Vitamin B12 is a member of the vitamin B complex. It contains cobalt, and so is also known as cobalamin. It is exclusively synthesised by bacteria and is found primarily in meat, eggs and dairy products. There has been considerable research into proposed plant sources of vitamin B12. Fermented soya products, seaweeds, and algae such as spirulina have all been suggested as containing significant B12. However, the present consensus is that any B12 present in plant foods is likely to be unavailable to humans and so these foods should not be relied upon as safe sources. Many vegan foods are supplemented with B12. Vitamin B12 is necessary for the synthesis of red blood cells, the maintenance of the nervous system, and growth and development in children. Deficiency can cause anaemia. Vitamin B12 neuropathy, involving the degeneration of nerve fibres and irreversible neurological damage, can also occur.

pyridoxine hydrochloride ~ Vitamin B6, also known as pyridoxine, is an essential vitamin to aid in the formation of healthy red blood cells and supports more vital bodily functions than any other vitamin. A water-soluble vitamin, Vitamin B6 is needed to release energy from the food we eat. Since it cannot be stored in the body, it must be obtained daily from either food or supplements.

folic acid ~
Folic acid is a type of B vitamin. It is water-soluble, which means it cannot be stored in the body. Water-soluble vitamins dissolve in water. Leftover amounts of the vitamin leave the body through the urine. That means you need a continuous supply of the vitamin in your diet.
Folic acid works along with vitamin B12 and vitamin C to help the body break down, use, and create new proteins. The vitamin helps form red blood cells and helps produce DNA, the building block of the human body, which carries genetic information.
Folic acid also helps tissues grow and cells work. Taking the right amount of folic acid before and during pregnancy helps prevent certain birth defects, including spina bifida.

Vitamin D-3 supplement ~ Cholecalciferol is vitamin D3. Vitamin D is important for the absorption of calcium from the stomach and for the functioning of calcium in the body.

calcium iodate ~ calcium iodate
Type: Term
Definitions:1. used as a dusting powder and, in lotion and ointment, as an antiseptic and deodorant.
SAY WHAT? This one will take some more research!
This is what I finally found
Uses : Nutritional source of iodine in foods and feedstuffs. More stable in table salts than iodides. To improve properties of yeast-leavened bakery products.
This makes me wonder why they don't just use iodized salt since they listed salt already as an ingredient.

biotin ~ Biotin is used in cell growth, the production of fatty acids, metabolism of fats, and amino acids. It plays a role in the Krebs Cycle, which is the process in which energy is released from food. Biotin not only assists in various metabolic chemical conversions, but also helps with the transfer of carbon dioxide. Biotin is also helpful in maintaining a steady blood sugar level. Biotin is often recommended for strengthening hair and nails. Consequently, it is found in many cosmetic and health products for the hair and skin.
Deficiency is extremely rare, as intestinal bacteria generally produce in excess of the body's daily requirement. For that reason, statutory agencies in many countries (e.g., the Australian Department of Health and Aging) do not prescribe a recommended daily intake.
While it may be normally produced in ample sufficeincy in a human diet I can understand the need to insure it's availability in a pet food.

menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity)
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=menadione This is the most confusing ingredient so far. According to the link above it is not only not a good source of Vitamin K but can actually interfere with vitamin k in the body. I will have to dig deeper into this and find out if the pet food company is right or if other scientific reports will confirm it to be an unnecessary and possibly harmful additive

sodium selenite ~From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sodium selenite, Na2SeO3, is a selenium compound. It is a source of selenium in many food supplements.
Sodium selenite is listed in the material safety data sheets from Environmental Health and Safety as a dangerous poison in large amounts, similar to arsenic, because the element selenium is poisonous in large amounts. It attacks sulfhydryl enzymes in people and animals.
Although selenium is poisonous, it should be noted that selenium is essential in small amounts. Humans and animals require selenium for the function of a number of selenium-dependent enzymes, also known as selenoproteins. For this reason, sodium selenite can be found as a listed ingredient in various foods such as dog biscuits.

Several sources give the same basic info on this so I believe it should be accurate.

Abexo free registry cleaner

2007-03-10T23:52:00.000-08:00

*** BEWARE*** It may work too well! All seemed great at first but when I rebooted the computer it had removed critical components of my wireless network and caused my system restore function to stop working.

Haunted by an old song

2007-02-15T01:06:00.001-08:00

I don't know why this old song kept running through my head the other day but it was driving me crazy! First, there is the irritation
of the melody repeating ad nauseam. Then there are the lyrics, which are definitely from another era!

Hey, little girl, (if she's married she is probably a woman now)Comb your hair, fix your make-up. (is that before or after she scrubs the toilet?)
Soon he will open the door. ( all by himself?)
Don't think because
There's a ring on your finger,
You needn't try any more ( is that a finger ring or a nose ring? )

For wives should always be lovers, too. ( versus husbands who must be seduced?)Run to his arms the moment he comes home to you. ( He worked all day while you did what?)I'm warning you.

Day after day,
There are girls at the office, ( And he doesn't have to worry about competing with the men you come into contact with?)And men will always be men.
Don't send him off
With your hair still in curlers.
You may not see him again. (But he can sit around in his robe and gristly face all week end and you should be at his elbow or feet?)

For wives should always be lovers, too.
Run to his arms the moment he comes home to you.
He's almost here.

Hey, little girl (here we go again...)
Better wear something pretty,
something you'd wear to go to the city. ( you mean the little lady is allowed to go to the city!)
And dim all the lights,
Pour the wine, start the music.
Time to get ready for love. ( Gosh, she must be primed and ready to seduce him by now! )
Oh, time to get ready,
Time to get ready,
Time to get ready
For love.

Now, of course my brain kept changing the words to a more updated version.

Hey there you lug,
comb your hair, pick your socks up,
soon she will come through the door.
Don't think because there's a ring on her finger
you needn't try anymore.

For husbands should always be helpful too,
either cook her dinner or wash the dishes when your through.

Day after day there are guys at her office
who are happy to open her door
Don't sit around while she does all the housework
or she might not come home to you.

For husbands should always do their share too
Put down your remote and help until the work is through.
She's almost there.

Hey there big man put on something fresh and clean now
something you laundered your self,
something you'd wear on a date would be good!

And dim all the lights,
Pour the wine, start the music.
and maybe she'll be ready for love.

Oh, time to get ready,
Time to get ready,
Time to get ready
For love.

Now that I got that out of my system maybe this song will stop haunting me!

First computer

2007-02-13T11:30:00.000-08:00

I spent Saturday morning at the home of a friend from work. She recently purchased their first computer and it scares her something fierce. She has two teen boys 14 and 16 who of course have already found my space and IM's but other than that none of them have any experience at all.

As I started with the basics of turning it on and off properly and installed all the prerequisite firewalls, virus protection, adaware, spybot etc... I tried to explain the vaugaries of safety on the web and warned the boys that I was also installing parental controls and a tracker so they needed to make sure they were not going anywhere their mom would not approve of. The 16 year old looked at the 14 year old and said "that means no porn you pervert" I told them it meant more than that. It also meant they would need to watch their language and steer clear of any offensive materials.

I walked them through the process of safely downloading Ipod tunes with their mothers permission and explained the system tools for disc cleanup, defrag and system restore. The 16 year old sat quietly next to me taking notes and asking questions while the 14 year old ran about whooping and hollering.

12 hours later the younger boy managed to put something onto Myspace that he shouldn't and wanted it gone. Not understanding the process because he wasn't listening, he took the older boys notes and did a system restore. Of course that didn't fix the My Space problem so he started randomly deleting things on the computer...goodbye Quickbooks, goodbye modem drivers... you get the idea.

I was able to walk the older boy through restoring the files from the trash and reversing the system restore over the phone. He's a bright kid and really wants to learn so I am enjoying it.

Now I just need to convince the Mother to learn more so she will not panic when he practices the things I show him.

Pyxle was caught red pawed

2007-02-09T10:05:00.000-08:00

I thought Bob had been forgetting to push the kitchen chairs back in under the table but it turns out the culprit is Pyxle. Last night as I was at the stove she pushed and pulled one across the floor toward me and then jumped up on it to reach the counter and stove and check out what was up there to get into. So now at least I know how she managed to get the tomatoes off the counter.

Now I have to figure out how to make it so the chairs can't slide so easily. Dog gone it, I refuse to be dogged by a dog while cooking!

Dogs and tomatoes?

2007-02-07T23:43:00.000-08:00

When I left for work today I had 4 tomatoes on the vine sitting on the kitchen counter. When I got home I had no tomatoes and a vine laying on the floor. Could a dog have eaten 4 whole tomatoes? Will they hurt her? She seems fine at the moment but either she ate them or she had company while I was at work.

I guess I won't be having stuffed tomatoes for lunch tomorrow and that I need to keep the tomatoes in a safer location.

My Andy Warhol impression...

2007-02-05T23:23:00.000-08:00

I wanted to post a current photo on my new blog layout but could not get a shot I liked. I do not take great pictures and finally decided to play with one that was very washed out. After adjusting the contrast (a lot) and converting it to black and white I liked the effect. Adding the colors in the Warhol style completed the picture for me. I can tell it is me but it is me free from the reality of chin rolls, red blotchy complexion and the wrinkles that have come with the years. Hey! It's my blog and I can be a piece of art if I want!

a day at the park

2007-02-03T18:03:00.000-08:00

In this movie clip Pyxle loves chasing the ball at the park. Notice at the end of this short clip how she tries to throw the ball to me so I can lob it out there for her again. This ritual goes on everyday for at least an hour and 2 hours if the weather is nice. The exception is rain...she might not mind it but this old lady is not going to play in the cold rain!

This is the first time I have tried to use a movie clip so I hope it works. It uses the quick time player format so most people should be able to view it...I hope! If you do not have quick time you can download it free here

Go ahead and play with your food

2007-02-02T22:38:00.000-08:00

Playing with your food could be a good career move if you want to earn a chair in this orchestra... Vienna Vegetable Orchestra

Be sure to listen to some of their audio clips. Some of it sounds like jungle noises and some actually has a melody.

Their concerts would be a vegetarian dates delight since they serve the audience fresh vegetable soup at the end.

You can't beet some of the things that sprout up on the Internet and I yam nuts about anything that will lettuce enjoy cucumbers without getting pickled. So where have these folks bean hiding!

What was it?

2007-02-02T09:28:00.000-08:00

Last night Pyxle presented me with a very sticky mystery. She was covered from head to toe with a sticky mess. It felt like syrup but had no odor.

I searched the house and yard trying to discover the source of this mess but came up empty. There was no sign of it anywhere but on her. So I had to write it off as one of life's little mysteries and proceed with the job of bathing the pooch.

This is no small chore because she really hates baths. By the time I got the goop out of her fur we were both all wet and the water on the bathroom floor was so deep I had to use the shop vac to get it up. Then came the rub downs with the towel as she sped through the house trying to avoid me and dry herself off on the sofa, chair, draperies and bedspread.

Once she was dry it was brushing out time. She rolls onto her back at the first sign of the brush and loves having her belly brushed....but she must be turned over and held down to brush anything else. With her under coat matted from the bath this process took an exhausting 2 hours. But she sure is pretty and clean and soft after all this and I had no problems getting to sleep!

Change is inevitable...

2007-01-31T23:06:00.000-08:00

A world that stayed the same would be boring and lifeless but non the less, change is often feared and abhorred.

Lately there are a lot of major changes going on which affect me either directly or indirectly but are not in my control. One example of this is the recent sale of a favorite web forum site. It is Dave's Garden and I stumbled into it several years ago and watched it grow from a few hundred members when I joined to the huge membership it has today.

Google for a plant identification and the chances are more than good that one of the top links will be to Dave's or DG as we have come to refer to it. But the site is much more than just gardening info (though with gardening being the number one hobby that is reason enough for it's popularity) it is a diversified forum with separate areas for everything from A to Z. The limitations are few and to be expected on such a site. No vulgarity, no political discussion and no religious discussions.

When they decided to start charging a subscription rate of $15.00 a year I had never been tempted to use a credit card on line for any purpose and had never paid to use any site since there are so many free ones out there. But the young man who built this site had created something special. The lay out was user friendly and the people who joined were for the most part great to "hang around with". So without any hesitation I paid the fee and was happy to be a small part of that community.

BUT...along with the notice the site has been sold, (and Dave's assurances that he will remain in charge and nothing really is changing), they announced the subscription rate is going up 60% to $25.00 a year.
That is a huge increase and I just can't bring myself to believe it is still such a great bargain. Oddly enough, part of the reason it seems too high is because the site has grown so much and become so successful, that it has lost that close family of friends feeling. There are many wonderful and interesting people involved in this site but there are a lot of interesting people in the blogs and other forums also.

There are now 206 forums and 271,082 members as of today's count making it impossible to get to know individuals or even keep up with the posts of those you already have gotten to know.

So, I have to make a decision. Do I pay the fee or just visit the few forums open to non subscribers? I have until November to decide....but a 60% increase seems excessive....

A new beginning

2007-01-30T01:29:00.000-08:00

Tired of the same old rut and wanting to start fresh I deleted my old blog and established this one. All the old posts are gone into the great cyberspace funeral pyre and their passing is not mourned but celebrated. They served their purposes from bragging to venting and now have been laid to rest as this new blog rises slowly from the ashes.