It's Wednesday, January 18, 2011, as I write this.
Last night the President of the United States gave his State of the Union Address. I'm sure the political pundits are all over it today. I also suspect that they are picking apart what was said about the health care bill, spending cuts, and 'investments' among other things.
What did I pick up on? What did the President say that had me jumping up and down and yelling "You GO, guy! Do it! DO IT!" Well, none of the above, for one thing.
What got me going was that little statement about investing in clean, renewable energy research, and funding. He wants to get the money to do it by ending the government payouts to the gas, and oil industry's. I agree with Obama on what he said next, "They seem to be doing alright." I especially liked that little grin he had when he said that. Gas and Oil company profits are, what, in the billions range? And yet, the government is still giving them all kinds of hand outs and monetary breaks!
Yeah, I know. They, the oil and gas folks, really like that billion dollar plus profit line and will do what ever is needed to keep it growing. Especially raise the prices you know who has to pay.
What do I think we should do about that?
Start a write in campaign to Chevy, Nisan and every other car maker you can think of demanding truly usable, AFFORDABLE electric vehicles and hybrids. A striped down model with out all the high priced widgets and do dads would be nice. Maybe suggest to small town governments that it become legal to drive slower electric vehicles like golf carts on city streets where you should go slow anyway.
Enough of my favorite hobby horse.
The thing is, if the new guys in congress get their way, there will be cuts to spending all over the place. You all know who is going to be hit first.
Yep, you likely got it the first time. Us po' folks.
Some reason is going to be found that we don't really need what ever we have been getting. I really won't be too surprised; pissed as all get out, but not surprised, if I have my disability payments cut. I know I haven't had a 'cost of living' increase in two years now because, ah-hem, "the cost of living has not increased." (Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha! Where are these fools living? I wanna go there so I can afford to live off what I get from the government!)
What do we, should we, do about this? Well, I may be dipping into that IRA I have stashed in the bank, the one that keeps me from getting food stamps because I "have too much money on hand." I'll use it to do some things around this place to cut energy costs, and hopefully, start actually raising some of my own food. Maybe try to find a way to actually make some regular money off of my goat hobby. I do have idea's. My biggest problem is implementing them and in some cases carrying through with them over the long stretch.
I am hopeful, however. I'm finely losing weight and, if I can keep it off, maybe this new found energy will also hang around; so I can manage to actually do the organic vegetable gardens, rain water harvesting, and other sustainable things I've been wanting to do. Heck, maybe I'll even sell some of my stories to a publisher, who knows.
The way I see it, we all need to stop sitting on our hands waiting around for Uncle Sugar to "do something about" whatever problem we are faced with. Most of us usually know what the solution is. Haven't you ever suspected that maybe a home grown solution just might be better? After all, we wouldn't be applying a big box, cookie cutter answer like the government would. We'd be solving the problems at hand with what we had on hand.
We should start doing that sort of thing now. Before the big boys in DC decide we don't need whatever pittance they have been giving us.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Vehicle Blues
As some of you here in Lone Oak may already know I am in need of a new, uh, excuse me, better than the one I have now, vehicle. This has resulted in a lot of sighing as I pass truck dealerships and soulful searches of used car ads.
Unfortunately, I know what I really want, and I doubt they will ever make what I really want. What I want is an all electric pick-up truck with at least a 50 mile radius (that’s how far it can go on a full charge). One that can go up to eighty MPH (so I don't get rammed in the rear on the highway) and still go that distance. I don't need a satellite radio or one of those with fancy speakers. AM and FM radio is all I need. I'll add a CB if I decide I need one.
I certainly don't need an "entertainment package" either. What? I’m gonna watch Oprah on my way to the feed store?! A heater for winter and an AC for summer is all I'd really need other than the battery, tires, electric motor and those other bare essential.
Oh, yeah, one last absolute requirement. The sucker has to be priced so that I can afford to pay for it out of my Roth IRA without cleaning it out!
I was looking at some of the current electric cars on the market and salivating, wishing they were trucks. I even started considering demoting my old pick-up to "farm truck" status and getting one of those Chevy Volts, or, I think it‘s from Nissan, the one called the Leaf to run around in.
Don’t you just love the way the motor companies play to what they think we want to be with the names they come up with for these cars. Anyway, as I was looking at the stats I was getting excited. Yeah boy! This is what I want alright! Long range per charge; and with the Volt at least, an on board gas powered generator that can charge the lithium ion battery in the thing while it's running in case you have to go further than a single charge will take you. With the amount of driving I do I could go months without having to buy gas! Okay. My electric bill might go up some, but the charger thingy it comes with is supposed to be programmable so that it only charges the Volt during the off peak hours of the electric use day.
Then I got a little further into the stats. Sigh. The charge rate, that's how fast it recharges, depends on the temperature where this charging takes place. So does the rate at which the battery in the thing discharges. That last sentence makes sense as, if you are using that battery to either heat or cool the inside of the car, it will naturally leave less oomph to turn the wheels. Okay. That was a downer. The temperature impacting the charge rate also means that if I did get one of these neat cars I'd have to spring for the price of an enclosed garage that I could at least heat in the winter.
As I went further down the stats I started fuming at the stuff that was loaded on that I could easily live without, and would not want. But that's how the thing comes from the factory. It's standard equipment. I mean who needs some of that stuff. Oh, I’m sure it’s nice to have, but it also costs. A lot. A lot of money I really don't have.
When I reached the end of that list I was shaking my head, but I still whistled at the final cost: Forty, yes "4", "0" PLUS, THOUSAND dollars!! My first, blasphemous reaction to that amount was, "Hell, I could buy half of Lone Oak for that!"
So, you aren't going to see me cruising around town in a Volt, a Leaf, or any thing with a fancy name, or price. However, there are those places I’ve found online that retro-fit regular gas guzzler's like mine into all electric.
And for a lot less than fourty thou.
Unfortunately, I know what I really want, and I doubt they will ever make what I really want. What I want is an all electric pick-up truck with at least a 50 mile radius (that’s how far it can go on a full charge). One that can go up to eighty MPH (so I don't get rammed in the rear on the highway) and still go that distance. I don't need a satellite radio or one of those with fancy speakers. AM and FM radio is all I need. I'll add a CB if I decide I need one.
I certainly don't need an "entertainment package" either. What? I’m gonna watch Oprah on my way to the feed store?! A heater for winter and an AC for summer is all I'd really need other than the battery, tires, electric motor and those other bare essential.
Oh, yeah, one last absolute requirement. The sucker has to be priced so that I can afford to pay for it out of my Roth IRA without cleaning it out!
I was looking at some of the current electric cars on the market and salivating, wishing they were trucks. I even started considering demoting my old pick-up to "farm truck" status and getting one of those Chevy Volts, or, I think it‘s from Nissan, the one called the Leaf to run around in.
Don’t you just love the way the motor companies play to what they think we want to be with the names they come up with for these cars. Anyway, as I was looking at the stats I was getting excited. Yeah boy! This is what I want alright! Long range per charge; and with the Volt at least, an on board gas powered generator that can charge the lithium ion battery in the thing while it's running in case you have to go further than a single charge will take you. With the amount of driving I do I could go months without having to buy gas! Okay. My electric bill might go up some, but the charger thingy it comes with is supposed to be programmable so that it only charges the Volt during the off peak hours of the electric use day.
Then I got a little further into the stats. Sigh. The charge rate, that's how fast it recharges, depends on the temperature where this charging takes place. So does the rate at which the battery in the thing discharges. That last sentence makes sense as, if you are using that battery to either heat or cool the inside of the car, it will naturally leave less oomph to turn the wheels. Okay. That was a downer. The temperature impacting the charge rate also means that if I did get one of these neat cars I'd have to spring for the price of an enclosed garage that I could at least heat in the winter.
As I went further down the stats I started fuming at the stuff that was loaded on that I could easily live without, and would not want. But that's how the thing comes from the factory. It's standard equipment. I mean who needs some of that stuff. Oh, I’m sure it’s nice to have, but it also costs. A lot. A lot of money I really don't have.
When I reached the end of that list I was shaking my head, but I still whistled at the final cost: Forty, yes "4", "0" PLUS, THOUSAND dollars!! My first, blasphemous reaction to that amount was, "Hell, I could buy half of Lone Oak for that!"
So, you aren't going to see me cruising around town in a Volt, a Leaf, or any thing with a fancy name, or price. However, there are those places I’ve found online that retro-fit regular gas guzzler's like mine into all electric.
And for a lot less than fourty thou.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Tuesday 23, 2009
Parts of this have been edited so it makes more sense as a blog. i.e. the reference to my stats at the end.
I’m writing this on Tuesday 23 of June. It’s almost 10 P.M. and I just got back from a Permaculture/ organic gardening Meet-Up at the Half Price Book Store in Dallas. For those who might not know a 'Meet-Up' is where a bunch of folks with similar interests who've met each other online through this meet up web site get together face to face and talk about the interests they share. Two guesses what interests I share with these folks.
Yep, these are folks who also tend to agree with me about sustainable life styles as well as sustainable gardening and agriculture. Now, if only this meet up wasn't so far away that going to it totally blows any eco friendly points I might have earned going to it by polluting the air all the way to Dallas and back.
I keep finding my self wishing that I could meet with local folks who felt the same. Folks whose first answer to any bug infestation in the garden was NOT some chemical bug killer, or who did NOT firmly believe that the only way to get anything to grow was with some oil based fertilizer. You know, someone who was at least willing to try to grow food without bowing to the chemical companies or the big time seed companies.
Why do I want to avoid both of those? Well, basic economics if nothing else. With the big time seed companies you have to buy their seeds year after year. If you even attempt to grow the same plants from seeds saved from the previous year you get either a whopping big law suit or some scraggly looking whatzis that looks nothing like whatever you grew last year. As for the chemical companies. Well, chemicals are an important part of our life today, but really now, why go to the expense of buying chemical fertilizers when most of us out here in the country have all the fertilizer we really need in our horse barns, cow barns, chicken coops and most importantly in our compost piles.
Yes, yes, I know. "That stuff in the barns is animal poop! It’s nasty, smelly and full of germs!!!" That's where composting comes in. I have a huge pile of horse manure and if I had a way to turn it at least once a month I'd have some of the cleanest, best smelling high grade DIRT you ever want to see. Fact is, even now, if I dig down to just the right place in the unturned pile I have, I can find nice moist, rich, black stuff that smells not at all like horse poo but more like something dug out of a rich garden.
And about those germs everyone is so fearful of now days. I believe that problem has more to do with so few people ever really bumping into those germs any more. Everyone is so paranoid about germs that they insist on killing them off with antibiotics, and other chemicals. Therefore,we and our kids, never come into contact with them. So instead of anyone building up an immunity to these germs they curl up and nearly die when ever they do meet a germ. They get sick because their immune systems have forgotten how to work. The really bad part is that while we were letting our immune systems get weak, and lazy, by never letting them be used we have also forced the germs to evolve into something that antibiotics can't help us against.
So basically we are screwed unless we start rebuilding our immune systems, possibly by playing in the dirt and eating a varied organic diet.
Anybody out there want to get together and talk about Permaculture, organic gardening or sustainable farming or such? Contact me by the e-mail address in my stats.
I’m writing this on Tuesday 23 of June. It’s almost 10 P.M. and I just got back from a Permaculture/ organic gardening Meet-Up at the Half Price Book Store in Dallas. For those who might not know a 'Meet-Up' is where a bunch of folks with similar interests who've met each other online through this meet up web site get together face to face and talk about the interests they share. Two guesses what interests I share with these folks.
Yep, these are folks who also tend to agree with me about sustainable life styles as well as sustainable gardening and agriculture. Now, if only this meet up wasn't so far away that going to it totally blows any eco friendly points I might have earned going to it by polluting the air all the way to Dallas and back.
I keep finding my self wishing that I could meet with local folks who felt the same. Folks whose first answer to any bug infestation in the garden was NOT some chemical bug killer, or who did NOT firmly believe that the only way to get anything to grow was with some oil based fertilizer. You know, someone who was at least willing to try to grow food without bowing to the chemical companies or the big time seed companies.
Why do I want to avoid both of those? Well, basic economics if nothing else. With the big time seed companies you have to buy their seeds year after year. If you even attempt to grow the same plants from seeds saved from the previous year you get either a whopping big law suit or some scraggly looking whatzis that looks nothing like whatever you grew last year. As for the chemical companies. Well, chemicals are an important part of our life today, but really now, why go to the expense of buying chemical fertilizers when most of us out here in the country have all the fertilizer we really need in our horse barns, cow barns, chicken coops and most importantly in our compost piles.
Yes, yes, I know. "That stuff in the barns is animal poop! It’s nasty, smelly and full of germs!!!" That's where composting comes in. I have a huge pile of horse manure and if I had a way to turn it at least once a month I'd have some of the cleanest, best smelling high grade DIRT you ever want to see. Fact is, even now, if I dig down to just the right place in the unturned pile I have, I can find nice moist, rich, black stuff that smells not at all like horse poo but more like something dug out of a rich garden.
And about those germs everyone is so fearful of now days. I believe that problem has more to do with so few people ever really bumping into those germs any more. Everyone is so paranoid about germs that they insist on killing them off with antibiotics, and other chemicals. Therefore,we and our kids, never come into contact with them. So instead of anyone building up an immunity to these germs they curl up and nearly die when ever they do meet a germ. They get sick because their immune systems have forgotten how to work. The really bad part is that while we were letting our immune systems get weak, and lazy, by never letting them be used we have also forced the germs to evolve into something that antibiotics can't help us against.
So basically we are screwed unless we start rebuilding our immune systems, possibly by playing in the dirt and eating a varied organic diet.
Anybody out there want to get together and talk about Permaculture, organic gardening or sustainable farming or such? Contact me by the e-mail address in my stats.
An embarrasment in April of '08
Okay, this is going to be a 'little' embarrassing for me, but it can’t be helped. I mean, who’d a thunk I could get lost in Down Town Greenville for cryin' out loud.
This situation I got into actually started a couple of weeks ago when this company called CLA (no, not CLR, that's for cleaning up stuff and this is for financial planning) sent me an invite to an Estate Planning seminar. Well, of course I ignored it! Me? An estate! A little more than 12 acres in bad need of mowing and upgrading isn't an estate…is it? Needless to say a few days later this real nice person called up and wanted to know if I'd got my invitation and how many were coming with me. I tried to explain that no way did I have anything remotely like an estate, then I was talked into going anyway.
After all they said the two magic words: Free Food.
These nice friendly folks even called up to remind me at least twice. And, what the hey, I didn't have anywhere else to go or anything else to do besides feed my horse and dog and clean the litter box and then go feed a vacationing friends dog and clean her cats litter box so why not? I just neglected to do 2 things: 1)write down the directions, or even pay real close attention when they gave them to me, or 2) write down the name of the restaurant where the shin dig was to be held. After all I still wasn't really planning to go.
The day of the seminar arrives and I get all my chores done. I realize I haven't any real plans for lunch and nothing I'm interested in cooking. That's how I find myself in down town Greenville driving around in circles and all I can remember is that it's supposed to be 'about one block' from the court house and that the name of the restaurant is a little unlikely sounding with the name of a woman and the term 'catering' included in it. Not being a man I finely stopped, and asked someone for directions. I'd wasted some gas driving around "about a block" from the Greenville County Court House looking for this unlikely sounding restaurant before I gave up and asked. I kept thinking I'd see something that would trigger that rusty computer inside my head.
I'm sure I left a lot of people scratching their heads and wondering who let the crazy old fat lady out of the loony bin. By that time I was also having trouble retrieving the word 'catering' from my rickety old memory bank. I had to define it for them. Of course they didn't know what the heck I was talking about but one nice gentleman said that there was a county tax office just down the street and that they might be able to figure this out for me. Made sense. So I park and then walk over to the place, and go into the indicated door. "The second door!" he called after me as I stopped at the first.
Well, it wasn't a tax office, but you could register to vote there. I'd already registered so what really got my attention was this big rack of hand outs from the County Extension Service. I had finely found where they were hiding!! I started loading up on hand outs. I was already late for the estate planning thing anyway I thought, so why not make the trip worth my gas. I was also looking to see if they had anything on my favorite subject -Permaculture. Of course they didn't. So I decided to bug the lady behind the desk. The extension agent wasn't in but the nice lady looked up Permaculture on her computer and was blown away by how much was on the Internet about it. I told her that what I wanted to know was if the county agent knew of any local courses or classes on Permaculture that weren't on the net. She kindly took down my name and phone number to leave a message for the agent. [It is now 2011 and I still haven't heard anything about Permaculture from the County Extension Agent.]
Oh, and after my stumbling description of where I wanted to go, she also knew the restaurant I was looking for and where it was.
So I did get my free meal, some good ideas about how to get around inheritance taxes should I ever have anyone to leave my land to, AND some interesting hand outs from the extension agent.
Oh, the estate thing? As I expected I’m several thousand short of having an estate. No surprise there.
This situation I got into actually started a couple of weeks ago when this company called CLA (no, not CLR, that's for cleaning up stuff and this is for financial planning) sent me an invite to an Estate Planning seminar. Well, of course I ignored it! Me? An estate! A little more than 12 acres in bad need of mowing and upgrading isn't an estate…is it? Needless to say a few days later this real nice person called up and wanted to know if I'd got my invitation and how many were coming with me. I tried to explain that no way did I have anything remotely like an estate, then I was talked into going anyway.
After all they said the two magic words: Free Food.
These nice friendly folks even called up to remind me at least twice. And, what the hey, I didn't have anywhere else to go or anything else to do besides feed my horse and dog and clean the litter box and then go feed a vacationing friends dog and clean her cats litter box so why not? I just neglected to do 2 things: 1)write down the directions, or even pay real close attention when they gave them to me, or 2) write down the name of the restaurant where the shin dig was to be held. After all I still wasn't really planning to go.
The day of the seminar arrives and I get all my chores done. I realize I haven't any real plans for lunch and nothing I'm interested in cooking. That's how I find myself in down town Greenville driving around in circles and all I can remember is that it's supposed to be 'about one block' from the court house and that the name of the restaurant is a little unlikely sounding with the name of a woman and the term 'catering' included in it. Not being a man I finely stopped, and asked someone for directions. I'd wasted some gas driving around "about a block" from the Greenville County Court House looking for this unlikely sounding restaurant before I gave up and asked. I kept thinking I'd see something that would trigger that rusty computer inside my head.
I'm sure I left a lot of people scratching their heads and wondering who let the crazy old fat lady out of the loony bin. By that time I was also having trouble retrieving the word 'catering' from my rickety old memory bank. I had to define it for them. Of course they didn't know what the heck I was talking about but one nice gentleman said that there was a county tax office just down the street and that they might be able to figure this out for me. Made sense. So I park and then walk over to the place, and go into the indicated door. "The second door!" he called after me as I stopped at the first.
Well, it wasn't a tax office, but you could register to vote there. I'd already registered so what really got my attention was this big rack of hand outs from the County Extension Service. I had finely found where they were hiding!! I started loading up on hand outs. I was already late for the estate planning thing anyway I thought, so why not make the trip worth my gas. I was also looking to see if they had anything on my favorite subject -Permaculture. Of course they didn't. So I decided to bug the lady behind the desk. The extension agent wasn't in but the nice lady looked up Permaculture on her computer and was blown away by how much was on the Internet about it. I told her that what I wanted to know was if the county agent knew of any local courses or classes on Permaculture that weren't on the net. She kindly took down my name and phone number to leave a message for the agent. [It is now 2011 and I still haven't heard anything about Permaculture from the County Extension Agent.]
Oh, and after my stumbling description of where I wanted to go, she also knew the restaurant I was looking for and where it was.
So I did get my free meal, some good ideas about how to get around inheritance taxes should I ever have anyone to leave my land to, AND some interesting hand outs from the extension agent.
Oh, the estate thing? As I expected I’m several thousand short of having an estate. No surprise there.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Second issue
Here we are. This is the second issue of this newsletter for 2011. Oh, by the way, is it this year or next that the world is supposed to end? Doesn’t matter. Like a lot of other things, I’ll believe it when I see it. Things like UFO’s and honest politicians in DC.
Speaking of politicians and things political, a friend and sometimes contributor to this publication has suggested that we might get more folks to write in and express their own opinions if I start expressing a far leftward leaning.
I could do that I think. Except, when it comes to things political I’m not real sure which is “left” and which is “right.” I do know that neither of them seem right to me when they get very far out there. When they start doing that it seems they are both trying; to use an old, and hackneyed term, “throw the baby out with the bathwater.” It always seems that their solutions to what they see as a problem usually come with as many unintended side effects as those meds you see advertised on TV. You know the ones I mean. They say they will help lower this or that or increase this other thing but, oh yeah, it just may kill you too.
That’s why I like to think I’m more of a middle of the road kind of gal. You know, take a little of this from over here on the left, some of that from, maybe, just a little far over on the right and hopefully a nice big dollop of that most uncommon of things, common sense. Of course if it makes more sense we could take just a little from the right and reach a little ways further over into the left.
Now if I could just figure out which way is which. Yeah, I know. Way over on one side folks say let any one into the country who wants to come, while the opposite view is to not let anyone in at all, unless of course, they are just like us. (That’s one I’ve never figured out. Just which “us” are they thinking of? Northern European, I’m guessing, but are they thinking English, Irish, Scottish, Danish, Norwegian, what?)
Yeah, I know, I’m laying it on a little thick here. But really now. Haven’t we had enough of this rabble rousing, blood in your eye’s, “There will be NO COMPRIMISE!” political attitudes and talk. Look what happened out in Arizona at that shopping mall. People dead. Americans dead. One of them a young girl who was born on 9/11. Hasn’t all this “my way or the highway” gone a little too far?
Yes, there are things worth fighting and dying for. Things like Freedom of speech so that we can verbally take potshots at the fools in DC, but never, ever, ever with bullets, arrows or anything of that sort. Freedom of religion is another thing worth fighting for so that we can go to which ever church, temple, or whatever we feel the need to attend without someone taking pot shots at us or telling us we are un-American. The only thing we have to remember with that freedom is that it applies equally to that fool over there who refuses to believe what our particular preacher has to say and insists on going to that heathen church across the street even though we are sure it will lead them straight to that place down below. It even applies to the one who thinks you are an idiot for believing in anything!
I could go on with this list of things worth fighting and dying for but I think you’ve gotten the idea. Anything else, and well, the best thing to do is just shrug and walk away. Let them find the hot place in their own hand basket, and hope that they aren’t a nut case that will go get a gun and try to take you with them.
Speaking of politicians and things political, a friend and sometimes contributor to this publication has suggested that we might get more folks to write in and express their own opinions if I start expressing a far leftward leaning.
I could do that I think. Except, when it comes to things political I’m not real sure which is “left” and which is “right.” I do know that neither of them seem right to me when they get very far out there. When they start doing that it seems they are both trying; to use an old, and hackneyed term, “throw the baby out with the bathwater.” It always seems that their solutions to what they see as a problem usually come with as many unintended side effects as those meds you see advertised on TV. You know the ones I mean. They say they will help lower this or that or increase this other thing but, oh yeah, it just may kill you too.
That’s why I like to think I’m more of a middle of the road kind of gal. You know, take a little of this from over here on the left, some of that from, maybe, just a little far over on the right and hopefully a nice big dollop of that most uncommon of things, common sense. Of course if it makes more sense we could take just a little from the right and reach a little ways further over into the left.
Now if I could just figure out which way is which. Yeah, I know. Way over on one side folks say let any one into the country who wants to come, while the opposite view is to not let anyone in at all, unless of course, they are just like us. (That’s one I’ve never figured out. Just which “us” are they thinking of? Northern European, I’m guessing, but are they thinking English, Irish, Scottish, Danish, Norwegian, what?)
Yeah, I know, I’m laying it on a little thick here. But really now. Haven’t we had enough of this rabble rousing, blood in your eye’s, “There will be NO COMPRIMISE!” political attitudes and talk. Look what happened out in Arizona at that shopping mall. People dead. Americans dead. One of them a young girl who was born on 9/11. Hasn’t all this “my way or the highway” gone a little too far?
Yes, there are things worth fighting and dying for. Things like Freedom of speech so that we can verbally take potshots at the fools in DC, but never, ever, ever with bullets, arrows or anything of that sort. Freedom of religion is another thing worth fighting for so that we can go to which ever church, temple, or whatever we feel the need to attend without someone taking pot shots at us or telling us we are un-American. The only thing we have to remember with that freedom is that it applies equally to that fool over there who refuses to believe what our particular preacher has to say and insists on going to that heathen church across the street even though we are sure it will lead them straight to that place down below. It even applies to the one who thinks you are an idiot for believing in anything!
I could go on with this list of things worth fighting and dying for but I think you’ve gotten the idea. Anything else, and well, the best thing to do is just shrug and walk away. Let them find the hot place in their own hand basket, and hope that they aren’t a nut case that will go get a gun and try to take you with them.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Population Explosion
Can you say “population explosion?”
The Monday before the last day of the year I had six, count them, six goats. Five nannies and one Billy. Four of the nannies looked really, really fat.
Well. They don’t look that fat anymore, and I now have twelve goats! As far as I can tell there is a three and three split on the sexes of the cute little woolly buggers. At least I don't think I’ve picked up the same one(s) twice to check. I've already sold one male to an enterprising young man who was willing to part with a goodly portion of his allowance in order to get one and all the stuff he would need to take care of it. That means I have two more baby boy’s who need homes.
Come and get'um while they're still cute.
The folks in charge of the Lone Oak Newsletter decided to take a holiday break so there was no issue last week. So this is my first Alternative Opinion of the 2011. I'm not going to go over last year's trials and tribulations, joy's and good news. You were there, same as me, you know what happened.
The thing we really need to pay attention to, to focus on is . . . Now. Not tomorrow, not yesterday, not the 'short term' writing class I plan on taking next month. It is now, today, this hour, this minute, this very second as I type these words that is important. It is the only time that really is.
Yesterday is dead; gone beyond recall. Tomorrow is only a dream or a hope. Right now is all that we really have. Look over at your friend while you read this, or your spouse. Really look at them. When they look back, smile and let them know you love them, now. When your kids come home from school, let them know you are glad to see them, glad that they are your kids. Maybe even put down the cell phone or the TV remote and talk to them. Okay, sure, I know the only answers you are likely to get are grunts, shrugs and monosyllables, but at least they will know you tried.
Do it now.
If you meet a friend, do the same. Focus on them; then, and there in that all important instant of now. When your phone rings, take a moment to smile before you answer it and hold that smile as you say hello. Especially if it is a friend who is calling. Try keeping that smile in place even if it is a sellsman or bill collector. Who knows, if you’re smiling maybe you can talk the sellsman into not calling you anymore, or the bill collector into giving you a break.
Yeah, I know. This likely sounds like some of that woo-woo stuff you hear about on Oprah or read in some of the more esoteric books. The ones on how to become enlightened and all that. Thing is. If you think about it, the stuff I've mentioned above is fact. The only time we really do have is now. Not that we shouldn't plan for the future. We should. Now (see how I worked that in!) more than ever.
The economy is rocky, the environment is in trouble, and personally, I have a feeling it’s all getting ready to come to a head. That may not happen for some time. But it could happen next week, or never. I’m not a fortune teller. But I was a Girl Scout. I really do believe in being prepared.
How do I think we should be preparing? With gardens. Gardens that do not depend on chemical fertilizers because we may not be able to buy them. Those of us here in the country should be making sure we have the kind of live stock we can feed and use even if there are shortages of the things we are used to buying for them. I’d say we should all lay in supply’s of heritage type seeds but that may be going a bit too far. Maybe.
Dang. I’ve left the NOW.
The Monday before the last day of the year I had six, count them, six goats. Five nannies and one Billy. Four of the nannies looked really, really fat.
Well. They don’t look that fat anymore, and I now have twelve goats! As far as I can tell there is a three and three split on the sexes of the cute little woolly buggers. At least I don't think I’ve picked up the same one(s) twice to check. I've already sold one male to an enterprising young man who was willing to part with a goodly portion of his allowance in order to get one and all the stuff he would need to take care of it. That means I have two more baby boy’s who need homes.
Come and get'um while they're still cute.
The folks in charge of the Lone Oak Newsletter decided to take a holiday break so there was no issue last week. So this is my first Alternative Opinion of the 2011. I'm not going to go over last year's trials and tribulations, joy's and good news. You were there, same as me, you know what happened.
The thing we really need to pay attention to, to focus on is . . . Now. Not tomorrow, not yesterday, not the 'short term' writing class I plan on taking next month. It is now, today, this hour, this minute, this very second as I type these words that is important. It is the only time that really is.
Yesterday is dead; gone beyond recall. Tomorrow is only a dream or a hope. Right now is all that we really have. Look over at your friend while you read this, or your spouse. Really look at them. When they look back, smile and let them know you love them, now. When your kids come home from school, let them know you are glad to see them, glad that they are your kids. Maybe even put down the cell phone or the TV remote and talk to them. Okay, sure, I know the only answers you are likely to get are grunts, shrugs and monosyllables, but at least they will know you tried.
Do it now.
If you meet a friend, do the same. Focus on them; then, and there in that all important instant of now. When your phone rings, take a moment to smile before you answer it and hold that smile as you say hello. Especially if it is a friend who is calling. Try keeping that smile in place even if it is a sellsman or bill collector. Who knows, if you’re smiling maybe you can talk the sellsman into not calling you anymore, or the bill collector into giving you a break.
Yeah, I know. This likely sounds like some of that woo-woo stuff you hear about on Oprah or read in some of the more esoteric books. The ones on how to become enlightened and all that. Thing is. If you think about it, the stuff I've mentioned above is fact. The only time we really do have is now. Not that we shouldn't plan for the future. We should. Now (see how I worked that in!) more than ever.
The economy is rocky, the environment is in trouble, and personally, I have a feeling it’s all getting ready to come to a head. That may not happen for some time. But it could happen next week, or never. I’m not a fortune teller. But I was a Girl Scout. I really do believe in being prepared.
How do I think we should be preparing? With gardens. Gardens that do not depend on chemical fertilizers because we may not be able to buy them. Those of us here in the country should be making sure we have the kind of live stock we can feed and use even if there are shortages of the things we are used to buying for them. I’d say we should all lay in supply’s of heritage type seeds but that may be going a bit too far. Maybe.
Dang. I’ve left the NOW.
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