Pledge of Allegiance

I am disappointed that no one found it. Or maybe no one read Friday's post.



I pledge allegiance to the flag of THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and to the republic for which it stands...



Did no one notice that I left out "THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA?"



No wonder this nation is in trouble.

No wonder Congress can slip everything and anything past the people of this nation.

You get what you pay for.



I could have said, "I pledge allegiance to the flag of China..Russia..Cuba...or Iran. Then would you have taken notice? Did you not Pledge Allegince to this country all through grade and high school and even in the services? Sad...sad...sad.



OK, I don't have many readers, but someone should have noticed an taken offense...made a comment...something.

SIN OF OMISSION

Last night I played a sneaky, little trick on you. Did you find it? I will refer to it as the "SIN OF OMISSION." Do you think you are "SMARTER THAN A FIFTH GRADER?" Any fifth grader would have found it...or should have. And any reader herein should have caught it and said..." something just isn't right." However, I will give everyone the benefit of the doubt...pointing out that something just isn't as it as it should be...and that most of us have not been in the fifth grade for a long time. You will have to go back and re-read last night's post to find the sin of omission.



If I can dumb you down, just think how much wool our powerful government can slip over your eyes. I am not the smartest knife in the rack or a politically astute blogger, but imagine what a huge government body can and is doing to it's citizenry as we sleep walk through campaigns and elections...with eyes wide open, but unseeing.



If you drive a car at night with faulty headlights or bad brakes, sooner or latter you will hit something. You really can't depend on the full moon to guide you on your way..it may be cloudy, raining or you could be getting a "snow job." We need a maintenance schedule for our go-mobiles and we need a maintenance program for our government. As Jefferson said, "We need to have a revolution every 20 years." While I do not advocate revolution, I do encourage a good "house cleaning" and term limits. Government offices should not be careers, but services.

I started this blog around lunch time and am about to finish it up. What events have changed and shaped the world as we know it? Here are some of my views; do you..can you add to to the list?

1. Te discovery and use of fire.
2. The invention and use of the wheel
3. Mathematics and its use in civilization
4. The Egyptian civilization and Empire
5. The founding of the Greek civilization
6. The fall of the Greek-Roman-Egyptian Empires
7. The Dark Ages
8. The Plague
9. The industrial Age
10. The founding of America/Constitution
11. The development and use of the Atomic Bomb
12. The Electronic/computer age

I didn't include the numerous wars because there have been wars and chaos since the cave man picked up a big stick and called it a club. Two historical leaps foreword in the annals of time were the Code of Hammurabi which codified law and order in Europe and much of the Eastern continent. The second great leap forward was when Moses went up to the mountain and brought down the 10 Commandments which drafted the conduct and treatment of the Jew and then Christians. Too bad he had a temper tantrum and smashed them.

These are my views and may not be in chronicle order , but it has a been a long time since I was in school. Can you add to the list?

END

TEA PARTY

I've been to a Tea Party meeting. No, they are not crazy, radicals. You can learn things about your Constitution and history that they don't bother to teach in school. For instance, we are Not a Democracy, but a Republic-a nation of laws. No where in all of the Constitution is the word Democracy written. Most people do not know the difference between the two words and what they stand for. Anymore there is very little difference as over time politicians have melded the together. "I pledge allegiance to the flag and to the Republic for which it stands...." I can't do your homework for you, but you should look it up for your own enlightenment and education.

The People who attend these meetings are not young people. They are older citizens, mostly over 40 and many much older, who remember what America used to be and the COMMITMENT for freedom and liberty. This is not my first meeting, but is the first time I have had much to say about the Gathering of Eagles. Want a future for tomorrow? The plan for its rescue...save America. COMMIT YOURSELF.

I'm pretty tired so I will stop my preaching. Into the night go I. To my bed, that is.

END

No news is good news

They say that no news is good news and that fairly well describes this posting. Well, I could add that my nephew is stuck in Harrisburg, PA. waiting to get out of the snow. He drives an Auto Transport rig and the weather on the east is not ideal for hauling.





I have been watching Olin Steed on the Discovery Channel. He never finds the elusive pot of gold, so I am losing interest. It is a remake of the Josh Bernstein discovery show. I did watch Survivor Man, which was fairly good, but it must have been dropped. I watch whats-his-face on Man vs. Wild, but Bear does so many stupid, dangerous "stunts" that the average man or women would die if they tried doing some(or a lot) of that stuff. Well, it's entertainment and I don't have any books to read.



Oh yes, my neighbors next door finally put their trash/garbage out for pick up. They have a big block out building and the stuff was falling out of the doorway. The pile is at least 6 feet high and probably 4 feet wide. Some of their trash is drifting about in my yard and I will have to pick it up. I hope I get to see the pick up guys when they drive up. Now, I'll bet that will be real entertainment!! By morning half of that pile will be all over the alleyway!

The End

Ordering Seeds

I ordered more seeds today. I am trying to get ahead of the rush. I hope to start my seeds March 1 st. I know that in the past I have waited too long and had to take what was left...available. So, this year I have a head start.

I ordered Rutabagas today along with a few other seeds. At one time people wouldn't eat sugar beets, rutabagas or turnips. They were considered fodder for cows and pigs. If you like turnips you should like rutabagas, esp. roasted or cooked with other vegetables. If you can grow turnips you can grow rutabagas. Rutabagas are really high in nutrients, minerals and are excellent keepers. I don't know if you can eat the tops as you can eat with turnip greens, but I'll bet you can as the two root plants are kissing cousins. I'll find out as time goes on.

The rutabaga seeds, along with onion sets, asparagus, and beet seeds were my big purchase of the day. I have ambitious garden plans; I just hope I can follow through. I do think this is a year for everyone to plan and plant a garden according to their space and ability. You know, you can grow a lot in a small space.

My next acquisitions will be blackberries, and possibly another fruit tree or two. There is not a big hurry for me to order these, so I will wait a bit.

Bitter cold for the next 24 hrs. or so. Maybe it will start to warm up again. After all, it's almost March. However, you can get some surprises in March.

END

GOOD STUFF

Good enough for seconds. The photo doesn't do it justice. I need to use things up from the freezer and I got out a large bag of chicken strips that were meant for stir fry. Ah, what to make...


One box of packaged dressing
1 bag of noodles
1 can of gravy
1 onion.
layer the bottom of the dish with dressing
layer of noodles.
Layer of chicken strips
1 can of gravy

Cover all layers with the gravy and top it off with a last layer of dressing with onions.

Bake in oven until done.



The chicken strips were already fully cooked and I also cooked the dressing, so it didn't take long to bake. If you use uncooked chicken, be sure the meat cooks through.



I will make this again, but next time I will add a layer of drained, canned vegetables or frozen vegetables. The dish I cooked is/was really flavorful, but probably a little too much starch as I am trying to watch my weight(Yeah...Like Right...HeeHee).



This is the third day that I have brought canned goods in from the van and more to bring in. I can't carry it all at once because of my funky arm, but I'm getting the job done. I'll bet my gas mileage will be a lot better. I even have a decorative brick in the van...that's gotta go.



Yesterday we got up to 61 degrees. Gone With The Wind and not with Rhett Butler. It is bitter today and will be for several days, but the signs are there.

end

SEEDS

I have a good start on my garden seeds. Besides these packets I have seeds in envelopes that I saved from last year. I have leftover sweet potatoes that I hope to start soon. Last year the sweet potatoes did very well. I may try regular potatoes again, but I have had a problem with Bermuda Grass spearing roots right through the tubers. The roots are like biting down on a glass shard, if you are unaware of them. And they hurt.

I hope to get an early start on my garden and will probably get my seeds in pots and small tin cans by the first of March. There is nothing better than fresh vegetables from the garden.

What a day...what a day...what a day. My kind of weather. It got up in the 50's today. My internal thermostat broke and I had to abandon my sweater. I was running in and out in the sunshine and loving it. It won't last long, but it's nice to see a clear sky for a change.

The days are getting longer. You can tell that spring time is just teasing us before it really arrives.I have had spring fever for a while now and am ready for some seasonal doctoring...yes!

What is a REDNECK? My neighbors next door have piled up a truck load of trash and garbage in their outbuilding. There isn't any door on the building and feral cats are in and out all the time. Yesterday and today I saw Grackles(birds) in and out and, eating the garbage. When these same people moved out from a trailer park...they had to go in with a dump truck and haul off the trash. I guess they have not and will not change . They have a rubbish pile up against my fence that has damaged the chain link fencing. I have asked them to remove the pile, but get nowhere. I guess I will have to call the city on them, which I hate to do. Maybe I shouldn't call them rednecks; maybe they are just plain lazy trash. Harsh words, coming from me, but the city picks up trash weekly and all they have to do is walk it out to the alley. Life..?

END

CASH OUT THE CARDS

I love this picture. It sort of reminds me of bygone days, 'though we were too poor to "stock up" or plan ahead. We were the poorest of the poor. Sadly, I think such poverty is being relearned in the wealthiest country in the world.

We ate beans and beans and more beans. It's a good thing beans are "good" for you, but it was a long time before I would eat beans in my adulthood. I guess that is one of the reasons that I "prepare for the worst" in my senior years. I will eat beans, but I don't want to be forced to eat beans. Another reason is that Mother Nature can play some dirty deeds and your health can play havoc. I found this out the hard way last year with a fractured elbow, ice storms and snow. When you can't get out and about...you have fallen into the pickle jar...so I stock up and prepare.

Today I dragged in several bags of canned goods from the van and have more to bring in. Tomorrow is another day and I hope to finish "cleaning" out the van and making the vehicle look like a van again.

Now, I just shop for things such as bread, milk, eggs and a few perishables. I think I spent all of about $30-40 dollars this month. Next month I hope to get canned fruit to put on the shelf for now and later. I hope to be able to can veggies better than I did last year.

Today I cancelled another credit card and cut it into teeny, tiny pieces. 15% interest is just too high. I feel that I am paying interest on my own money. So...CASH IS KING. Remember when your word was good and you could buy on time? That just shows how old I am because it has probably been 50 years since you could walk into a local merchant's store and "buy on credit."

I continue to urge people to get out of debt, stock up on food and water and do like the Mormons and Amish do...become a little self-sufficient island in the eye of turmoil. Maybe you will never need to be prepared, but...it can't hurt.

END

Mother Earth News

The Mother Earth Magizine is on of my very favorite subscriptions and I await the magizines arrival every other month. In the 70's I gave my whole collection to my brother. His wife tossed them out when when he passed away. I wish she not, but what is done is done. The reason that I mention the Mother Earth magazine at all, is because there was a really good article on how to create an outside storage/cold room by using sand bags. It walked the reader through all the steps and the necessary materials needed to create the structure. I can't remember which issue the article appeared in, but I will find it. The nice thing is that you can find The Mother Earth magazine online and search for it.

This has been a fairly decent day. The temperature got up to 38 and much of the snow has fled the scene, like an errant snow gnome hanging out in hiding, waiting for the next event. It seems like these events happen each and every week-end. This week-end is predicted to be freezing rain/snow. Maybe it will miss and head north.

Tomorrow I may try to clean out my van a bit. It is full all kinds of stuff and I want to lighten the load. Gas is going up as I expected and if I lighten the van up I will save a small amount on gas.

END

Prepare and Endure

Are you old enough to remember these? Cold cellars...fruit cellars..root cellars...storage cellars? If you ever lived on a farm or in an old house, the home place probably had one of these. Or something similar. It is was a place to store vegetables and home canned foods and fruits for the leaner times and winter. Root vegetables could last over winter and feed the family until the next planting season. Very few homes/people have them now including me, but I would I would like to have one.

If you were listening to Glenn Beck today he was giving out subtle messages..or not so subtle hints, that Americans should be preparing or stocking up for hard times. We are not ready for another Great Depression. In the 30's we were still a agrian society...souls of the soil. Farmers had their gardens and meat producing stocks and flocks, even if they didn't have money or very little of it. They had the land and they had a plan.

We have become so urban and dependent on the supply chains and factory farms that most of will not know what or how to endure should the system fail. What will you do and how will you feed yourself or family? It is something to think about and plan for.

Things that may become hard to buy or get; Sugar, white flour, fresh vegetables and fruits. You can try to stock up now or hope for the best. Hope won't fill the belly, 'though, will it?

Even city dwellers can stock up. You can store canned goods under beds, in closets, on porches and even in cars/trunks. A creative mind will find creative ways to prepare for any contingencies, be it man made or weather related. Just do it. Bring home a couple extra cans of food each week or if your flush, buy in bulk...just do it according to your financial ability. Just don't charge it to a credit card, because a credit card will come back to bit your tin can.

Plant a garden-a big garden if you can. Get your seeds now as there may be a seed shortage later in the spring. If you don't know how to process and can food start reading and learning how and better yet, find a mentor to guide you along. If you never need the knowledge you are still ahead of the game. Just think of it this way, GAME ON.

I hope to have a small cold cellar, but if I can't manage to have one, I will use a back store room that has a concrete floor and cover the bright windows. It has worked fairly well for potatoes this past winter, but is much too bright and sunny in the fall and spring.

Prepare and endure. End

FREECYCLE-GONE

Today I got rid of Freecycle. It has been clogging up my e-mail box for some time. Even after deleting a bunch of stuff I still have around 400 entries or requests in my box. Also, it annoys me that people as for color TVs, computers, all kinds of electronics, ecetra. There are some good, forthright people in need, but a lot of people that just want...want...want. So, freecycle cycled on out of my files.

I also called the credit card company and got rid of-canceled-my credit card. They said they were not part of the bank bailout, but of course, they were. Same bank...same card. They may operate independently from the parent bank, but that is where they get the money for operations, no doubt.

Credit Card companies have Americans on a leash, but I refuse to be bound and jerked around, paying out $60.00 per year for the privilege of nothing. "IT MATTERS NOT HOW STRAIGHT THE GATE-I AM THE MASTER OF MY FATE." Or as much as humanly possible.

Tomorrow I need to get out and about in spite of the snow. I need to get my prescriptions refilled and maybe some moo juice. We are supposed to get rain/ice over the week-end. I don't want to wait to the last minute to go to the drug store or for milk.

There you have it: my post for the day. THE END

Tatters and Chips

Yesterday I had a craving so I made homemade fries and chips and tossed in a small piece of leftover fish for good measure. Yes, I ate the whole plate full and yes, it was good.

There is not much to write about unless you love hearing about more snow. I know I am tired of it...looking at it...posting about it...living with it. Mother Nature...pack it up and get out of town.

I did get two loads of cloths washed and dried, but not all put away yet. That was the extent of my hard days work, so I am not suffering from overwork.

The Mayor of Evansville, Indiana totaled out his car on black ice this morning. He OK, but his car is history. That is why I stay in rather than going out. Snow is manageable, black ice is not.

Everyone is spending big money on Valentine's Day. It is actually St. Valentine's day or used to be before merchants and commerce discovered another source of sales and money making goodies. The next thing you know someone will declare St. Obama Day or Obama day and figure out a way to cash in, in some way. Um....oh, they have already done that? OK, how about St. Biden's day or Chaney Day? Or even Bushy Day? No? OK. Selling sacred medals bearing anyone of their images would help defray the national debt...wouldn't it....maybe?

Well, enough silliness on my part. I will stop.

END

Credit Cards

What a scam from the big bank man. Today I got a letter from my credit card company stating that as of April my card will be charged a $60 dollar fee for the privilege of carrying their plastic... because of the rising cost of business. I have no balance on the card and don't intend to have a balance. Didn't the American consumer/taxpayer just bail out these big boys??

Credit card companies are charging consumers in at least three ways that I am aware of; they charge interest on your account, they charge the a vendor a fee and they got into your pocket through the bailout, which is a big tax raise on the near horizon. Not to mention the large late payment fees they are hitting the consumer with. Delicious dessert...ice cream on the cake for the pigs and pirates of Wall Street and the Big Banking System.

As of Monday I will call and cancel my credit card which I have kept for emergencies. No card...no balance...no fee. And I urge everyone within the reading sight of my blog to do the same. We have very few modes of retaliating against big businesses and corporations other than checking out of the money system wherever possible... as famous Dave Ramsey says..."Cash is King." We should strive to become a "cardless society" as much as possible. I know it may not be feasible for many, but if enough people cut up their cards it sure would send a message.

Now then; the sky is gray and of course, more snow is in the weather pattern for the next few days. It is also cold and damp. I turned the heat up a couple notches. I noticed the people next door have acquired a kerosene heater. Renters have been in and out of that house for years and all have complained about the huge heating bills. A couple years ago I had insulation blown into the attic and it has helped me keep the gas bill down. I don't like paying $140-$150 for heat, but it sure beats the $400-$600 dollar gas bills others are choking on. Some are even paying more than that. Next spring I hope to button up my house even more.

Remember me when you wave the white flag of SURRENDER TO THE CORPORATE GOVERNMENT...OF AMERICA. I'll be sitting back wishing we had all done better.

END

Cancun food

Just so you won't think I am not ecumenical I went to the Cancun Restaurant for lunch today. You see, I like All food, especially if someone else cooks it and I don't have dishes to clean up. So, I like Mexican food, too. The trouble with the Cancun is that the portions are HUGE. You get a big bang for your buck...if you can eat it all.

I got really hot in the van. We are having a heat wave. I think it got up to about 38 degrees. Of course, it is not a lasting rise in the temperature and it is getting cold now, as the eve. progresses. And more snow is coming our way...2 to 5 inches.

I wanted to get out while the sun was bright and shinning. I did and picked up a loaf of bread and a few items. I didn't really need to go: Just wanted to get out and about and make sure the earth was still rotating in its path within the stars.

I hope to get back to the library on Monday, but that is when Mother Nature is supposed to make her bed in white lace end eiderdown coverlets. Time will tell, but I think Mother Nature really ought to be bedding down elsewhere. She has overstayed her welcome.

There isn't much to inspire me or any of the readers that may happen by, so I am about to call it a night.

END

Food and books

I went out this afternoon. I had intended to go get some bread and eggs, but I saw that gas was down to $2.36 a gal. so I decided to "filler up" before the price goes up again...and it will. Me and half the city decided to it while we could. I suppose that the weather has kept everyone in and off the roads, keeping the demand for gas down and the oil companies need to make some money. You know, if they can sell gas at $2.36 they are still making a happy profit. When the warm winds come blowing across the plains and the sun smiles down on us poor peons, the price of gas will rise again.



Speaking of rising, despite all the snow, cold and bitter wind, guess what is peeping up from the white stuff. Tulips...they are about an inch high...much too early, but insistent to get going and bring on spring. I'm ready...come on tulips!



I enjoy Asian cooking and stop at the Chinese restaurant when ever I can. When I eat Asian food I seem to be more able to keep my weight down. I would eat out every time I could, but it would thin out my bank account rapidly which I don't need to do right now. But, I do try to eat out once a week if Mother Nature is agreeable.



I finished the book I was reading and thought it would make a rally good movie. It is different...unique. It's a smorgasbord of reality, fantasy, mystery, action and personal conflicts. It is somewhat prophetic and sad. Not too many baaaad words, worth reading; THE WINDUP GIRL. I did mention the book the other day, before I finished it.



This day is done. END



P. S. I still get a giggle when I see Mexicans working in a Chinese restaurant. People are free to work wherever they want for whoever they want; it just strikes my silly bone and make me giggle.

Ship in dark waters

I have read so much my eyes are popping out. Give me a good book and I am a contented soul. I guess I got my love for reading from my mother as she liked to read as well. Reading is a good diversion in the dark chill of winter. A nice diversion from reality.



On today's news they were giving Al Gore, the weatherman, a thumb in his eye...that must hurt. Now they are saying the global warming tax is all but dead...dead, I say. Good, says I. We have more than enough taxes and carbon credits to weigh us down. Tax Congress, the Senate and the stooges of the run a muck government.



When I was working I didn't get paid if I couldn't get to work if the snow was two deep or the roads were a glaze of ice or frozen over. The working stiff either gets to work or has a skimpy pay check. You can bet your snowshoes or boots that your government servants get a paycheck in spite of the weather, and all the nice fringe benefits that are part of looting the treasury. Oh, maybe not the little guy on the lower rungs of the governmental ladders, but the higher up the tree, the better the fruit.



Your "employed Civil Servants" should be going after waste, corruption and inefficiency, instead of trying to tax every breath you take...and we all know that breathing emits carbon dioxide...which is a toxin...tax it or stop breathing...so think the Idgits at the helm of this sinking ship. Hey, Captain Courageous Obama, your steering the wrong way. Your heading into the gale! OOPS! All hands over the side! Abandon sanity! Oh, I mean ship...I think.



You know that once the great Bison roamed this land by the millions...emitting toxic carbons and farting methane gases... and the green grass grew. Now they are few because a few frontiersmen came along, killed them all off to the very verge of extinction. Maybe we should all slaughter ourselves, save the planet and become extinct altogether. Hmmm. Nah. I like being toxic!!

END

Blowing in the Wind

The third snow. The thing about this snow is the wind. It is gusting from 20 to 30 miles per hour. When the gusting occurs there is an instant whiteout. If your outside you get stinging snow right in the face. The wind is coming from the northwest and it is a cold wind. The temperature has already dropped to 19 degrees and it is only late afternoon. The wind chill is a big fat 0..zero. It is going to be a miserable night for many, esp. for the poor or those in sub-standard dwellings. My house is no palace, but I am warm and dry. I don't have everything I want, but I have what I need-short of ambition, that is. I just don't know where THAT went or where to look for it.

Today I had a "rice sandwich." Oh what? You never had a rice sandwich? Just take two slices of bread, butter it, add cooked rice and chomp away. I have always liked rice anyway it can be presented. I guess I'll never get invited to appear on any of the food shows, but that's OK, I'm happy. I did add a little cottage cheese on the side for "balance." Hee Hee. I was going to have steak and eggs for supper, but it was easier to reach and pull out a bag of breaded shrimp, so that is what I will have instead.

Chicago is getting lots of snow, but they seem to know how to deal with it better than most. There is another snow storm headed this way and the snow that we got last night isn't melting this time. It is just blowing in the wind. I didn't shovel because of the wind...too cold. I did clean off the steps and got snow needles in the face. So, I was not out very long.

Al Gore has become a rich fellow on the premise of global warming. There are other-real scientist-experts, that say we are entering a "Little Ice Age." I'll buy that. This has been an unusual season, as was last year. The weather is dependant on sun spots and there have been very few on our side of Solar Sid. Give me more sun spots!! But not too many as I don't want to be fried to crispy or well done. That's for shrimp, chicken, or tatters and onion rings-not me!

End

Ode to a Snow Sovel-not

Beverly now has heat and lights. I imagine that is a relief and far more comfortable. More snow is zipping through the mid-west on its way to the east coast. The weather man here calls it a 1-2-3 knock out punches. There is a silver lining to all this: it is alleviating the drought all over the country. I am pretty sure Californians are not too happy about all the rain they are getting, but come summer there may be less fires.

I am reading a good book titled THE WINDUP GIRL. It is all about the genetic manipulating of plants, food products, no oil and reverting back to lesser, baser ways. It is how civilization crashes and burns and then adapts. It is a pretty good novel, not dry or boring or overly rank with violence...not so far, anyway.

I cooked rice and fish tonight. I am not really that fond of fish unless it is shrimp, lobster or sole. But it was in the freezer and needed to be used/cooked up. The rice turned out OK. I added a can of sun dried tomatoes and that gave it some flavor. I have always liked rice, even plain with butter on top. So, it was an "OK" supper, but I would rather go to Red Lobster for seafood. They just cook better than I do...at least fish.

I turned my heat back slightly. I need to be a bit more conservative. My heating bill was $140 dollars this past month. That may not seem a lot to most folks, but it is when your drawing S. S. After working 40 years those checks seem to be a small pittance. I do well enough, but I to have enough money to buy a new lawn mower in the spring. I am not suffering and only turned the heat back slightly.

I may have to shovel a little snow tomorrow. If I do, I hope my arm holds up. They are predicting 2 or 4 inches here, but Mother Nature is so fickle and you can't outguess her.

END

Ho Ho ,Snow

Oh yes, that's me. Sitting on the couch watching TV...being lazy. Today I have been reading a good book, rather than staring mindlessly at the TV.

Beverly (big sister) has not had power or heat since about 8 P. M. Saturday eve. and they can't get the generator to put..put. They are socked in with about 2 feet of snow in Virginia. Here-one inch is enough for me . Never fear: more snow is coming around Monday or Tuesday. The weather is cantankerous everywhere across the country.

I did a little cooking in the pressure cooker this afternoon. I have an electric digital pressure cooker that is so nice to cook in. I also have a 4 qt. pressure cooker that can be used on either the gas or electric stove(yes, I have 2 cook stoves). I could cook outside if I had to, but I wouldn't want to in this kind of weather.

I have gas heat, but I also have a kerosene heater on the back porch...just in case. I have been trying to get ""certain people to buy a kerosene heater for time of duress...you know...like when the lights go out and the heat is from electric power. Kerosene heaters are much safer than they were 50 years ago. As in all heaters, caution should be the word of the day. When I use mine I turn it off at night and crawl into a nice warm bed.

Because I am lazy or just can't...won't...get out and about, there isn't much to write about.

END

What? Snow?

It has been raining all day and has now turned to snow. Let it snow. I'm staying in. I did get an e-mail from Ray. He is in Virginia getting brakes on his big rig and watching the snow fall.

We may get 2 to 3 inches here, but it looks like the government got out of Dodge. Like...did they have to? Couldn't they tough it out like the citizens...you know...the poor folks that pay the taxes that pay for the tickets so they can jet on out of there?



I am wondering what has happened to Al Gore's global warming? I believe we are in a natural cosmic cycle. It has happened before and will happen again. The earth will warm and than cool, warm and cool, like some romances. We will adapt or become an endangered species.

I wish someone could tell me why the curser jumps all over the place. I spend more time correcting than I do posting.



END

Sleepy

I'm sleepy tonight. Maybe it's the weather. Anyway I don't have much to post this eve. I think I will go to bed early and get up late.

I went to the store and picked up a few items...just in case. I intended to get gas, but had a "gas attack." Gasoline jumped 20 cents overnight. You don't suppose that all the government checks in the mail yesterday had anything to do do with the sudden rise, do you? I drove on by and left the gas in the pumps.

I am yawing away, so I am going to bed.

END

lighting the darkness

CNN and the Weather Channel are indicating a massive snow storm moving across the plains
and heading for the East coast. It should miss this area where I sit by about fifty miles north of here. Even so, we may get 2 to 4 inches of snow-rain-ice, or maybe all of the mentioned.

Last year Kentucky was hit very hard by an ice storm that left whole cities in the dark and without heat for several weeks. No one expected what they got, but they had to endure. We are not the hardy pioneers and settlers of yesteryear. A lot of Kentuckians had a difficult time of it. No power-no heat-no food-no water-no fun.

I consider myself lucky even though I was recovering from a surgical repair of a very badly fractured elbow. I had it all: electricity, heat, TV, phone and food. Across the street and behind me...well, they had a few problems. Now you know why I stock up and prepare the best I can for whatever may come my way.

In the photos are shots of one oil lamp; one of many that I have. They are filled and ready to lite. The one in the picture has a reflector behind the lamp chimney. It reflects more light into the room. The lamp chimney is frosted and cuts down the light, but I have a clear chimney to replace it. Kerosene lamps need daily maintenance for optimal light. The glass chimney should be cleaned every day to remove any soot. Don't try removing the chimney while it is hot or you may spit out a few words your mother never taught you. The wick should be trimmed daily...you know...that black stuff on the end of the wick where the flame is. To keep the soot down, turn the wick down. Turn that little wheel on the side of the of lamp. That little wheel will regulate the size of the flame. You don't want a big flame. Look at the photo; that is big enough. Kerosene...buy some. Get the qt. containers for your lamp(s). Above all, use caution. Place lamp(s) on a level, sturdy, non-flammable surface. Keep little fingers away and be careful of your own.

You can make your own reflector by covering a non-flammable material with aluminum foil with the shinny side out and placing it behind the lamp. Don't make it too heavy and knock over the lamp. Look at the photo. If you get real industrious you can make one out of metal with tin snips. Cut metal can cut fingers, so be careful.

Because we never know what Mother Nature has in mind I guess a trip to the store for eggs, milk and bread wouldn't be too outrageous. I just need to get there fairly early before the wild rush starts and everyone panics and starts yelling "Snow!"

Now, wasn't this a nice informative post...hmmm?

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Herbs

When I went to Lowe's about a week ago I bought these ready to plant herb kits. There are six different kinds of herbs in the two kits, three different packets of seeds in each kit and six little planters to plant in. Included are six grow disks for each kit. There is another plastic container under under the main kit that can be used as a green house . When I plant the seeds there should be 12 plant of six verities.

I have never tried growing herbs this way so I don't know how the will turn out. I need to put a shelf up in a sunny window and watch to see what happens. I will let you know.

Last year I planted potatoes in a bucket. I got a few potatoes, but not enough for the effort. This spring I will try something different-like planting in dirt.

I also planted tomatoes in the Topsy Turvy containers that are advertised and sold on TV. There were some tomatoes, but I would rather let Mother Nature work her wondrous ways-in dirt. Ain't nothing' better than good old fashioned rich soil unless it is a heaping' dose of cow manure. Fish emulsion is good, too. Stinky, but good.

The snow is going fast, but there may be more to come. The weather is predicted to be below normal next week. But we know that, don't we.

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Fire Starter

In these days of unsettled weather and trying times I think it is a good idea to put together a fire-starting kit. This one is pretty easy to make and you can carry it in the glove box of your car

Two empty medicine bottles, one stuffed with ordinary cotton. Add 2 teaspoons of oil-any kind of oil- to the cotton and seal.

In the second bottle add wooden striking matches and seal. I used duct tape to seal both containers. I recommend sealing with wax, also, just to make sure moisture can not enter the containers. Put the fire starters in a small tin or sealable bag.

You will note there is a pile of matches in the picture. These are old matches that were in the the original kit. They have lost their magic, fizz, fire. Don't throw them away Wrap them and seal them, too. Even 'though they have lost their spark they will ignite if a good match is applied to them. It is like having instant tinder. Also, I have added a Bic Lighter to my small kit as additional option or backup.

Call me paranoid, but I try to be ready or prepared for whatever comes my way. This is so simple and easy to do: everyone should make one and keep it in their car or in a safe place in the house.

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