tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41589076124017587052024-02-08T14:43:02.448-06:00Random thoughts from the wrong centuryI like getting comments so please leave me one.novalunaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322590329313747080noreply@blogger.comBlogger166125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4158907612401758705.post-63157088689247950662012-01-28T08:21:00.004-06:002012-01-28T11:06:38.786-06:00A Different PerspectiveI guess I am just one of these people who was born out of time. I believe that hard work pays off. I believe that you should treat people with kindness and respect, not only because God tells us to, but because it is the right thing to do. I believe that the people should support the government, not the other way around. I believe that food and meal time should be a joy, and not just something to keep your body alive. And I believe that every action, every decision, every desire of every person, affects everyone else .<br /><br />Work is hard. Otherwise it wouldn't be called work. If something isn't difficult to achieve, we just don't value it. For instance, 2 people of very different social classes, decide they want or need a barn. The poorer of the two has to build it himself while the rich man hires a contractor to build it. The poor man saves his money, asks for salvaged materials, plans extensively so that the barn will do everything he needs or might need for the future. It takes him several months to gather supplies, prepare the building site, and build the barn. It rains, it is hot, it is cold, he bashes his thumb with a hammer a few times, but finally the barn is finished. It may not be pretty, but it is dry and will do what he needs it to do.<br /><br />The rich man only has to pick up the phone and call a contractor. The contractor comes out with his crew, prepares the site and builds the barn. It takes about a week, then they are gone. The Rich man fills the barn with all of the things that should be in a barn, then stops thinking about it at all.<br /><br />The rich man never lifted a finger to build his barn. To him it is simply a building. To the poor man, it is an extension of himself, something that he provided at his own expense to better himself, his animals, and his property. He works in it every day. He sees the condition of the walls, the floor, the roof. He will repair anything that needs to be fixed. He adds on to it as needed, because you see, it has to last. He cannot afford to build another one. He values the building, not just because he needs a barn, but because his sweat went into the construction. And his barn is probably more solidly built and of better quality than the barn of the rich man who paid someone who doesn't care about it. <br /><br />Hard work creates value and self worth. It makes you feel good about something and yourself. <br /><br /><br />Being kind should be a no brainer. There are many admonitions in the Bible to be kind to others. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. The story of the Good Samaritan. Just to name a couple. But seriously, wouldn't the world be a better place if every one were kind to each other? Smile at a stranger. Help someone who is struggling. Take a meal to a sick friend. Do any of these things hurt you in any way? No. But they help someone else in ways that are beyond belief. That stranger you smile at walking down the street may have just gotten fired from their job and has to go home to tell their family the bad news. That smile may just give them the encouragement to apply for a job on the way home. The person that is struggling may be your elderly neighbor who is having trouble getting the trash can to the street every week. Your little bit of help may be the difference that keeps her from falling in the driveway and hurting herself. That meal you take to a co-worker when she is sick may feed her children so they don't have to go to bed without dinner. None of these things cost you much in either time or money, but by simply being kind, you have brightened the lives of others, who will in turn, be more willing to be kind to the people they meet. If everyone was kind to 1 person each day, it could change the world.<br /><br />This country was created to give the people a nation where individual freedoms were considered an inalienable right. The governments sole duties were to provide security to the entirety of the nation and to provide the structural framework for a free society. And gradually, over the last 236 years, the people have asked the government to do more and more of the things we should be doing for ourselves, mostly because we don't want to be bothered with it. <br /><br />Your granny is old and sick and can't really live by herself any more. So instead of moving her in with you, you sign her Medicare check over to a nursing home and move her in there. She will get minimal care, but they will make sure she gets her meds and someone will check on her every few hours and you will not be burdened by having to deal with her. You live in a small town where there are not many jobs. You have always always lived there and don't want to move or get the education you need to get one of the few jobs there are available. So you get the government to provide you with a welfare check. It pays the bills and provides you with some money for food. Your children see that you get a check every month without having to work for it, so they don't bother working either when they come of age. <br /><br />The people in a small town want want to be able to commute to work in the city a little faster, so the contact their State Legislators to get a better highway. The bill passes and the highway is built. But it also raises their taxes, but only a little bit. The tax money more than pays for the highway but the tax doesn't go away. Then someone wants to upgrade the civic center. So the taxes go up to pay for it. But the tax doesn't go away after the building is paid for. <br /><br />Over time, all of those taxes provide the government with a lot of money to use at their discretion. Some of the money is used for the good of the people as a whole. But a goodly portion of it is used for things that only benefit a select few. Our tax money is being used to support programs that are either not necessary, are beneficial to only a few, or are to the detriment of society as a whole. Our tax burden on the whole is many many MANY times higher than what triggered the Boston Tea Party. And yet, no one complains. It makes me rather sad.<br /><br />As a society, we have gotten away from cooking meals ourselves. With the advent of inexpensive drive thru service, it is easier and faster to just pick up some questionable food from a chain restaurant or pick up the phone for take out. Our busy, hectic lives prevent us from having the time to spend an hour or so making a good healthy meal and enjoying it with family and friends. A home cooked meal has become a luxury. Is it any wonder the Old World countries where meals are prepared at home look down on us for our eating habits?<br /><br />I try to cook our meals myself at least 5 or 6 nights a week, health permitting. I know the quality of the food we eat, and can make sure that we are all getting the proper amount of vegetables and fruits we need. I try to grow as much of our food as possible and what I can't grow, I try to buy locally. I generally do not buy mixes and kits for the things we eat because they are loaded with salt and preservatives. My children had rather eat a meal that I prepare than to spend a lot of money to eat out. It makes me feel good to know that they understand the difference in quality that a home cooked meal provides because the secret ingredient is always Love. <br /><br />And finally...<br /><br />Your actions make a difference. You work hard at what you do. It gives you a feeling of accomplishment. That in turn makes you feel good about yourself and more willing to feel good about the things and people around you. And the effect is viral. The better you feel, the more those around you want to feel that way as well. If you don't work hard, that good feeling isn't spread around and everyone is simply plodding along. If you treat others with kindness and respect, they return the favor. If you treat others poorly, you will also be treated that way. If you tell the truth, no matter how hard that truth is to bear, you will receive the truth as well. When you want only the things you actually need or already have, then you are not wasting your resources for frivolous things. You can focus on Enough, and not on the media driven consumer driven compulsion to buy, you do not need a McMansion that you cannot afford to house all of your things that you don't need or even really want. You don't have to work every second of every day to be able to pay the credit card bills for all the things you have bought. You have time to actually be a parent and spouse. You have time to do the things that make you feel good about yourself. And you have time to sit down at the table to a home cooked meal, prepared with Love. <br /><br />Unfortunately, none of these things are very common in the fast paced society we now live in. We do not have time to sit and think about the things we do and how it effects ourselves and others. We have become greedy with our time, our money, and our feelings toward others. We all want MORE, without having to give of ourselves in return. <br /><br />Well, I for one, will not live that way. I challenge the WORLD to join me.novalunaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322590329313747080noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4158907612401758705.post-40864614233525154132011-12-28T09:04:00.003-06:002011-12-28T10:36:23.523-06:00New Years thoughts....Christmas is over and the New Year is creeping up on us. We generally spend the week between Christmas and New Years trying to de-stress from the frantic gift buying season and cleaning the house for the gathering of New Years revelers. <br /><br />Last year, we went up the hill to our friend's lake house for the holiday. The wife had to work and they wouldn't be able to attend otherwise. I was getting over the flu, and my poor husband started getting a fever on the way up there. So, I spent the weekend nursing him through bouts of fever spikes and soaking sweats, cooking for the crowd, and taking pictures and didn't get to enjoy myself much. This year, the party will be back at our house.<br /><br />Our kids are getting older now and while that thought is somewhat bittersweet, it is kinda nice to look back over the past year and see how much they have grown. My baby boy will be 18 in March. My daughter, 21 in June. I know that I don't tell them often enough how proud I am of them. They have turned into the kind of kids any parent would be proud to claim. And I love them very much.<br /><br />My husbands job is still looking ok for the time being, so we are going to focus on getting the house ready to sell. We still have a lot of work to do around here to make that happen but at least we are not pressed for time or money to do it. We still have to do something with the bedroom and our bath, living room floor and kitchen counters. There are a few outside things that need doing, but they will be easy and inexpensive fixes that can wait until later. I am just ready to get out of this place and into my forever home. <br /><br />The past year has had it's share of ups and downs. We got the house paid off, which is a major accomplishment, all of the vehicles are paid for, the kids both have good scholarships for college, and we have enough saved to be able to do the things we need to do to the house. On the down side, the garden didn't really do well this year and we are starting to feel it in the lack of canned vegetables that are left in the pantry. I may actually have to start buying vegetables from the grocery store again before the first produce comes out of the garden this coming spring. <br /><br />And our smallest family member, Stuart, a 15 year old house cat passed away the first week of December. He was pretty old for a cat, and had been declining for the past few months. I was heartbreaking to see him getting so weak and know that there was nothing to be done about it. He died peacefully at home and was laid to rest with his favorite things in a spot by the back fence. We will be building a flower bed over his resting place as we did when Katie, our 14 year old Border Collie, passed a couple of years ago. He will continue to be sorely missed for a long, long time.<br /><br />For the New Year, we will be starting off with a major celebration. Our Alma Mater had a winning football season for the first time in a very long while and has a Bowl Game that will be played the first week of the New Year. We are very excited about it and will be supporting our team in a grand style. <br /><br />Our son will be graduating from High School in May with very good grades and will be getting ready to go to college in the Fall. Our daughter will be completing her Junior year of college (with perfect marks so far!) and will be starting her Graduate School search. <br /><br />All of our years of scrimping and scraping are paying off. Our children are moving fully into adulthood as productive, well rounded citizens with bright futures ahead of them and we will have an empty nest. It will be a little odd to not have them underfoot but I think the future they will have will be worth it for all of us.<br /><br />This New Year, for us at least will be full of new beginnings. And I am actually looking forward to it.novalunaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322590329313747080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4158907612401758705.post-82813273870297584402011-10-26T08:45:00.004-05:002011-11-18T09:26:04.762-06:00We are all gonna die!Every so often, I get a bee up my butt about things. Generally, it has to do with the state of our government. Or the Economy. Or Big Agri. Or lobbyists. Or our elected officials. All of which are essentially the same thing, when you boil it down to the bare minimum.<br /><br />Today, I am irritated by the fact that we are all going to die. Sounds silly, I know. We all have to die sometime, from some cause or another. But what is bothering me today is the absolute staggering numbers of ways to day that no one is telling you about.<br /><br />Where to begin. Pesticides. That seems to be a given, right? If it can kill a bug, it can kill a person, right? Seems simple. So we all try to limit our pesticide use. Except for Big Agri. See the connection here? To get the increased yields that the GMO (again, see the previous rants about Big Agri) grains and seeds are supposed to supply us with, you have to keep the bugs out of it. So, pesticides are sprayed over the fields. Supposedly, they can't be used within so many days of harvest so that the effective half life of the chemical of choice is degraded enough to be safe for consumption. That all sounds lovely, doesn't it? In reality, only part of those chemicals have degraded enough for the arbitrary levels that the EPA sets to fall within the "safe" limits. The rest of it is still on the product. Well, we all wash our fruits and veggies to make sure we get rid of the rest of it. The problem is that if it has rained at all during the growing cycle, and we all know it has or the crop wouldn't grow, that pesticide gets washed into the soil where it is taken up by the root system and deposited into what ever the crop is. So that beautiful tomato that you wash so carefully, probably has pesticide residue inside it that can't be washed off. So all of that careful washing, while it will remove anything left on the surface, is irrelevant to the overall picture.<br /><br />And another overlooked fact is the that when Big Agri first started it's boom in the 1950's and 60's, there wasn't a lot of research on the long term effects of some of the pesticides being used. DDT for instance. DDT was wonderful for vector control of insects, like mosquitoes, but had the disturbing side effect of hanging around long after it was sprayed. DDT has been linked to diabetes, cancers, hormonal changes in both men and women, miscarriage, developmental problems and hypothyroidism. And all of that isn't even counting the enviromental effects on wildlife. Thankfully, DDT was banned for use in agriculture in 1972 in the U.S. but it wasn't until 2004 that it was restricted to vector control worldwide. So most of use who are at least 40 years old probably have come in contact with it at some point in our lives.<br /><br />These days, other less persistent insecticides are used yet the long term effects of these poisons are being overlooked or deliberately withheld from the general public. Even pesticides labeled for use in "organic" crops haven't been sufficiently tested because the companies that make them make billions of dollars from them and will not allow anyone to say they are bad.<br /><br />OK, Enough on pesticides. <br /><br />Another way we are all gonna die is from the food itself. Lets say you know about the pesticide issues so you grow all of your food organically, including grains, for your family. You have the 5-10 acres and the time needed to do that. First off, that makes you part of the extreme minority. But lets say you do it anyway. That is Great! You eat a lot of fresh fruits and veggies, eat a hot multigrain cereal for breakfast every day, bake all of your own bread, eat less than 4 ounces of lean meat a day if you eat meat at all. OK, lets look at what you are eating. Look at all the carbohydrates you are consuming every day. All of that cereal and bread. Every bit of those carbs turn into sugar in your body. If you are not a highly active person who actually uses all of those calories you are eating, all of that sugar will do one of two things. It either gets stored as fat or it gets burned as fuel. If you do not burn all of the calories, you will get fat. Seems simple right? Well, there is another problem. If you are constantly, consistently, eating too many carbs, you will run the risk of diabetes. And that is just from all the bread, grains, and starchy vegetables. <br /><br />Most of us do not get the right mix of vitamins and minerals from our food. We just don't eat a varied enough diet. Even if you think you do, you probably don't. We have a tendency, as a society, to eat maybe 10 different vegetables on a regular basis. Peas, carrots, corn, green beans, potatoes, tomatoes, with a couple of more thrown in on the individual basis. And we have a tendency to load those few up with butter or other fats to make them tasty. Then we eat more of them than we actually need. There are micro-nutrients in things like squash and leafy greens (which most people won't eat) that we just won't get from our normal diet. And if you don't cook or use highly processed mixes and "kits" to save time, or eat fast food a lot, your diet is even more lacking in nutrients. <br /><br />All of this boils down to high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, etc. and the associated diseases like heart disease, arthritis, gall bladder issues, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, the list goes on and on. <br /><br />So the food we eat will kill us even faster than the pesticides. <br /><br />Then there are the environmental factors that we can't control. A little over 6 months ago, there was a devastating earthquake and tsunami to hit Japan. It severely damaged the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power plant and they lost containment. Radiation poured into the ocean because they were having to use ocean water to put out the fires. Radiation poured into the air through the smoke from those same fires. The land around the plant has been so thoroughly contaminated that the people who used to live there will probably never be able to go home. In the days after the accident, people in the U.S. were very concerned about airborne radiation being carried by the Jet Stream. The folks in California got down-right panicked about it. But after the first month or so, the media thought it was a non-story anymore so the coverage stopped. You have to really look to find any stories about it, even on the internet. But there are stories out there. Radioactive iodine 131 was found in milk collected in the South Central parts of the United States. Radioactive rainwater was collected in California that contaminated reservoirs used for drinking water. And again, the list goes on. But the government doesn't tell us these things because it would just cause panic and there is nothing we can really do about it anyway. <br /><br />Then there is the fact that rice from the Fukushima Prefecture has been banned for export because of the high radiation levels found in the rice grown there. Has no one thought that maybe the world might need to know these things? What about all of the radiation that is falling in California as rain? What will that do to the crop land there? All of those strawberries we all gobbled up last spring probably came from California unless they were from a verified local source. But you know what? It rained here too. Hmmm, makes you wonder, doesn't it? There are places in Scotland that still cannot sell their sheep as meat because the grass they eat was contaminated from the Chernobyl accident back in the 1980's. Kind of a scary thought.<br /><br />But the big concern here is that the Fukushima Daiichi plant is STILL releasing radiation. They <span style="font-style: italic;">hope</span> to have it contained by the first of the year. So all of that radiation that made the news back in March and April is still floating around us, unseen and unreported. Pleasant thought, huh? <br /><br />What this all boils down to is the fact that we are all going to die. Not necessarily because we are just old and worn out, but because the Powers that Be either don't want us to know they are poisoning us, don't want us to know what is going on around us, or they give us mis-information so we cannot make informed choices. <br /><br />None of these things make me trust the media or the government.novalunaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322590329313747080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4158907612401758705.post-29082211748741578752011-09-30T08:54:00.005-05:002011-09-30T11:00:57.079-05:00Alternative EnergyI have been researching again. Sustainability, off-grid, alternative energy, all of the things that would be necessary if something happened to society as we know it. Want to know what I have discovered? It is really expensive and none of them are good for general purposes.<br /><br />If you do a web search on these things, you will find millions of pages, most of which are simply common sense things, to reduce the amount of energy you consume. You can use solar PV systems, but they are expensive, bulky, and if you live in an area that doesn't get optimum amounts of sunlight year round, not really the way to go unless you have a huge amount of battery storage and/or another source as a backup. Wind turbines can be a good solar backup, but you have to have open space, a good steady wind, and they can be noisy if they are too close to the house. Micro-hydro is another good source for solar backup. If you have a creek, stream, or spring with a high enough flow rate. Again, you have to have the right local conditions. <br /><br />Then there is the whole biomass thing. Essentially, it all boils down to a wood stove of some sort. Yes, you could rig up a way to use the wood stove to boil water, to create steam, to run a turbine, that is connected to a generator, to produce a current. Is it efficient? Not really. You would have to really, really like cutting firewood, and have a large patch of woods, for this to be a viable option. But...there are things you can burn besides trees, provided your stove can handle the different types of fires and still be efficient. Corn cobs, waste paper(ie cardboard, rolled newspapers, etc) sawdust (either loose or pellets), broken shipping pallets, construction waste, basically anything that is cellulose based and will still burn. A wood stove in the home would be a great alternative to being strictly electric since you can use it to heat the home, cook on, and heat water, but this would be mainly limited to cool or cold weather seasons. But as a supplement, it is a great option.<br /><br />Lets say you have 5 acres and a small (1000 sf or less) house and it is just you and your significant other. One of you works outside the home and the other stays on the property and gardens, tends the livestock, etc. For this setup, 4 to 6 solar panels with the associated battery bank, a wood stove, and maybe a small wind turbine (if you really use a lot of electricity, like for a separate chest freezer and a small ac unit) would be a good set up. The main problem would be that the equipment would run you over $10,000. Plus the batteries would have to be replaced every 5-8 years and that can get expensive in the long term. <br /><br />You could go really old school and do without electric completely. Have 2 wood stoves, one inside and one outside, candles or kerosene lamps, and live without an AC unit. Here in the hot humid South, not really a viable option. It can be done but you have to have the right layout on your house or you would just be living in a oven all summer. Good airflow through out the house and a 3 sided wrap-around porch with windows (and screens) facing the prevailing winds. This is how our grandparents lived. And it worked out fine. <br /><br />So, I guess the bottom line on this is really how much do you want to spend, and how many of the modern luxuries can you give up to do it. If it is a survival situation, I can personally give up a LOT of things. If it is just a sustainability issue, I am not gonna give up my a/c. <br /><br />So until we have our 5 acres, or life as we know it comes to an end, I will just keep researching options. Maybe something new will be developed that will eliminate the need for multiple systems and battery banks. Maybe...maybe...maybe. <br /><br />It does give me something to think about though.novalunaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322590329313747080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4158907612401758705.post-63396894739245553612011-08-30T13:58:00.004-05:002011-08-30T14:18:56.852-05:00Summer 2011OK, Almost 3 months without a blog post. I know. I keep saying that I will try to do better but it has just been so busy.
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<br />I think I am just about finished canning for the year. Hopefully. Peaches, nectarines, apples, potatoes, meat, tomatoes, salsa, soup, beans, corn, jams, relishes, etc. Not enough, but it will have to do.
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<br />And I have been hurting. Alot. My rheumatoid arthritis has been giving me fits all summer. I went to the doctor last week and he upped my meds again. Hopefully it will help. Fall will be here soon and the rain and cooler weather don't help my hands and feet at all. Let's all hope that another surgery isn't needed on the other hand.
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<br />We got our daughter moved back into her dorm room with minimal fuss for once. She seriously downsized what she took with her this time and that helped tremendously. Unfortunately, that means she left most of it here. But it is all neatly packed away.
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<br />The economy is looking bad so we are cutting back on the spending again. We moved some things around and started looking at what all we will need to do if we have to sell the house quickly. We have a lot more work than money at this point so it will take a while to get everything fixed up and sell-able. Sigh. It is always something.
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<br />I have started making lists for things that have to be done. Some things are a given. Dishes and laundry are a daily chore, but things like mowing the lawn and sweeping the floors I can pass off to other family members. Why does it always seem like my list is longer than everyone else's? Then there is the long term list. Getting gutters, paint the bedroom, getting new kitchen counters. That is the ugly list. And getting new floors. The bare concrete in the bedroom is really starting to get old. And the dryer is starting to go out. Yet another expense, and one that we can't put off to boot. We are headed back into broke time.
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<br />Well, my feet and hands hurt, but laundry waits for no one.
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<br />novalunaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322590329313747080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4158907612401758705.post-74987073097365119142011-06-10T08:29:00.005-05:002011-06-10T08:56:05.409-05:00I am scared, and you should be too...There are so many things going on in the world that we just tend to overlook either because it doesn't immediately affect us or because we are just happier not knowing what is going on in the world. In this age of instant news, we are more concerned about who will win American Idol than who is leading our country. We over look the laws that are being passed in Washington that restrict our freedoms, restrict our rights, and restrict our choices because that isn't as entertaining or funny as the new LOL Cats or a Youtube video of some stupid teenager taking a faceplant doing a bicycle stunt.<br /><br />There are things happening in the world that we should be concerned about. Each new piece of legislation that is voted on limits the rights of someone in this country. Whether it be the small farmer who has no choice but to use pesticides and GMO seeds because the government tells him that he must or he can't sell his crops or the small business owner who has to close his doors because he cannot afford to pay the fees, and sometimes penalties, for not providing health insurance and other benefits for his 2 part-time employees that are already covered by Medicade or some other government service.<br /><br />The news media is being very closed-mouthed about world events. Did you know that a few weeks ago there were riots in Spain because the government could no longer afford to provide the services their Socialist government had been handing out and the Unionized workers revolted? Probably not, because the media didn't want us to know that Socialism is not sustainable in the long term. Did you know that the Bilderburg Group is meeting is Switzerland as this is being posted to decide, well, no one actually knows what they talk about because the meetings are secret. Did you know that your water can be contaminated with "proprietary" chemicals that even the local water departments are unaware of because the gas drilling companies are not legally required to disclose that information to the public? What about the radiation levels from the Fukushima Nuclear plant in Japan? They still do not have that reactor shut down and it is still releasing radiation into the atmosphere. Where is the news on that? And what are the health effects for us?<br /><br />And the Economy? Well, do you feel safe in your job? The unemployment numbers that are being published are still hovering around 10%. 10% isn't that bad, you think? Those numbers, if you listen closely, are only "New Jobless Claims". That number doesn't count those who have been unemployed long enough to no longer qualify for benefits. Think of it this way, if there is 10% unemployment, that means that of every 10 people you know, 1 of them is out of work. And that isn't counting the people who have taken what ever job they can find just to be able to pay their mortgage and put food on the table. 10% is a very misleading number. There simply aren't any jobs available in this country any more because they have been shipped overseas where corporations can find literally millions of workers willing to do the job for what would be starvation wages in the US.<br /><br />Public safety is another issue you don't hear much about. Were you aware that in Illinois it is illegal to film or photograph a police officer without his permission? So if you see a cop beating the crap out of someone, for whatever reason, you had better not take a photo or video with your cell phone or you could get 15 years in prison for it. Why would the Illinois Legislature pass that law? They are protecting their power to enforce unconstitutional laws. Did you know that a man in California was awakened a couple of mornings ago, by the Department of Education of all people, had his door broken down, dragged into the front yard in his underwear, handcuffed, and held in a police car for 6 hours while his house was being searched, while they were looking for his EX-WIFE'S student loan papers that she supposedly defaulted on? Does this sound like we live in a free society?<br /><br />What ever happened to Free Speech? What about the right to be free of illegal search and seizure? For that matter, what about the rest of the Constitution of these United States?<br /><br />This has got to stop. It will soon come to the point where we will all be living in a society that is wholly controlled by the government, told what to think, what to say, what to eat, where to live, and how to live our lives. All for the good of the whole.<br /><br />I personally do not think they have the right to tell me what to do.<br /><br />I fully expect that I will be in jail.novalunaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322590329313747080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4158907612401758705.post-25312681682343350962011-05-28T12:42:00.001-05:002011-05-28T12:45:40.200-05:00Memorial DayFor most of us, Memorial Day means grilling out with friends and family, going on a camp out, the first dip of the year in the ole swimming hole, or just enjoying a day off. We have forgotten about the men and women who have fought, and sometimes died, so we can have a day of rest. <br /><br />These people have made the personal decision to protect and defend our nation from all threats, foreign and domestic, to put their very lives on the line, so that others, that they do not even know, can enjoy a barbeque. <br /><br />We know these people. They are your fathers, and grandfathers. The paper boy. The nice clerk at the grocery store. Your neighbor's kid that used to mow your lawn. The old geezers who sit all day in the coffee shop. And in some cases, our own children.<br /><br />And it isn't just the Armed Services. It is the police officer who stopped you from speeding so you would not endanger yourself or others. It is the Firemen who saved your next door neighbor from a burning house. It is the Rescue worker who got you out of your wrecked car when someone on their cell phone ran a red light. All of these people put their lives on the line, EVERY SINGLE DAY, so that we all are safe, comfortable, and can live our lives without worry.<br /><br />When was the last time you thanked a soldier? Or a Police Officer? Or a Park Ranger?<br /><br />Or even the old geezer at the coffee shop?<br /><br />This Memorial Day, thank someone who protected you. Remember those who gave everything so we can have our burgers and hot dogs. But most of all, never forget that these people live and die for you. And they should be honored for their sacrifices.Memorial Daynovalunaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322590329313747080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4158907612401758705.post-62997557870961093082011-04-13T08:43:00.004-05:002011-04-13T09:12:16.333-05:00A few random thoughts for the dayWell, we have the bathroom remodel finished and it just looks great. We spent a lot more than I had originally intended, but I think it is money well spend. And we should be able to recoup some of the costs when we get ready to sell next year. And it won't be a day too soon.<br /><br />My garden is doing well so far. The green peas are blooming so we will have fresh peas in the next couple of weeks. And I noticed this morning that my tomatoes have several bloom buds on them. Hopefully I can start picking tomatoes by the first part of June. Strawberries are just starting to come in season so it is time to start thinking about what I want to do with those as well.<br /><br />I have found a lady that has LOTS of canning jars that she doesn't plan on using again and she is willing to sell them to me for $4 a case. I may go ahead and buy them all. It won't hurt to have them around if I can clean out the shed enough to have a place to store them.<br /><br />I need to get serious about cleaning house. The whole place is covered with construction dust from the bathroom. And it will feel good to have everything clean to go with the nice new room. <br /><br />I am getting really worried about the safety of the food supply. Radioactive Iodine 131 has been found in our local milk supply. It isn't in dangerous levels yet, but it doesn't bode well for the future. If they don't get that Japanese nuclear plant under control, it will only get worse. I can only imagine how bad it is for the folks living in Japan. I pray for them.<br /><br />Death and taxes. Well, no one we know has died yet, and the taxes have been filed. We had to use the refund from one to pay the other. Sigh. But at least that chore is over with for the year.<br /><br />I am still keeping an eye on properties in the area we want to move to. There aren't many for sale that will satisfy our needs, but the ones that are have been on the market for a while now. Maybe they will still be available when we get ready to move and the price will be more negotiable. Or maybe something more desirable will show up. Either way, here is hoping.<br /><br />These chores will not get done by themselves. I had better get busy.novalunaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322590329313747080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4158907612401758705.post-27521498060181844182011-03-24T09:04:00.003-05:002011-03-24T09:40:50.492-05:00Japan, the Economy , and FoodThe more I watch the world news, the more concerned I am for the state we will soon all be in. The earthquake in Japan has fallen from the top stories, but is it still of grave concern for all of us. There are still large amounts of radiation being emitted from the Fukushima plant and it doesn't look like it will be ending any time soon. It has now contaminated the water supplies in Tokyo, but unless you are paying close attention to the news, you miss it in the mass of reports about Libya. The people of Japan are in grave danger. And we in the US are as well. The radioactive plume, that was reported as being less than a single chest x-ray when it made landfall last week, is continuing. What the news isn't telling us is that radiation is cumulative, meaning that while a single exposure is less than a single x-ray, this is still continuing, building up to be a lot of x-rays every time you go outside. And anything that lives outside, cows, chickens, vegetables, fruit, etc., will all be exposed to a concerning amount in the long term.<br /><br />I will not be buying any food produced in California any time soon.<br /><br />Japan owns or operates a lot of the US manufacturing. Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Sony, Hitachi, Samsung, all of these and many more like them are all based in Japan. Japanese companies have a general rule about production. They do not like to keep and warehouse large amounts of parts for the items they produce. They manufacture just enough to keep production in full swing. If something happens, like an earthquake and subsequent loss of power, there are no more parts to build with. So the factories in the US that build stuff for these companies are having to shut down due to lack of parts. Toyota has announced this week that they are having to shut down at least one of their plants in the US. That is a lot of jobs that will be lost. Another problem with items from Japan is that the products are contaminated with radiation. Most every ship coming from Japan lately has some at least some contamination. That means that even if we can get the parts, we can't use them. Again, this isn't really being reported except as an afterthought. <br /><br />Have you actually thought about everything that you own that has a semi-conductor or processing chip? What will you do if you have to get it repaired and the only chips available are from radioactive Japan?<br /><br />Now, back to the radioactive plume. It is hanging over the US. Yes, most of the radioactive materials have fallen out over the ocean. And yes, the levels that are hanging out over us are small, comparatively. But remember the cumulative effects. That is building up. There are places in Scotland where they still cannot sell their sheep for human consumption due to the contamination from Chernobyl back in 1986. That was 25 years ago folks. Yes, we are farther away from Japan that Scotland is from Chernobyl, but if they do not get this radiation stopped soon, everything on Earth will be contaminated with low levels. Everything we eat, the air we breathe, the clothes we wear, everything. Remember the cumulative effects. And the real problem will be food. There will be no getting away from it. Until there is a way to grow food, in large quantities, without exposure to soil, air and water, we will all be getting it. Expect a rise in cancer rates across the US in the next 20 years. <br /><br />If you think what happens in Japan doesn't affect you, you are mistaken. It affects us all. And on more than just the humanitarian scale.novalunaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322590329313747080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4158907612401758705.post-10692058537651486042011-03-18T16:04:00.003-05:002011-03-18T16:37:49.338-05:00Is it the End Times?With world events spiraling out of control, things are going to be getting really bad, for every one. People are dying by the thousands in Japan, either from the earthquake/tsunami or they will soon be dying from radiation poisoning. People in Africa are being killed by their own governments. And this is not just in Libya, but all over the continent. Disease, famine, wars, gang violence, thousands are dying every DAY. And what are we doing about it?<br /><br />Nothing.<br /><br />Everyone has been taught by society that we should all look out for ourselves first and others second. How can we learn and grow as humans if we look out for ourselves first? It is just insane to think that we can succeed by only looking out for ourselves. Do we not learn compassion by seeing, not looking but really seeing, those who are less fortunate? Do we not learn what love is by loving others unconditionally? Do we not learn, well, anything important, by doing for someone else? Is it really surprising that most of us don't even think to donate to charities until there is a disaster of some sort?<br /><br />Most of us do not see how current events will affect us in the long term. We are not prepared, none of us, for a global tragedy. We, as a society, have exchanged the ability to provide for ourselves for convenience. Take out is cheap so we no longer cook our own meals and in many cases wouldn't even know how. We do not know how to make clothing, grow food, preserve food, build a shelter, find water, protect ourselves and our families. We think Survivor is an entertaining show, but not anything we would ever have to do ourselves.<br /><br />I am afraid that we will all have to be Survivors in the near future. When there is nothing left in the stores, will you be able to either do without or make it your self? You know where to look to see what is happening in our world and what it means for humanity. Will you be part of the problem, or part of the solution?novalunaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322590329313747080noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4158907612401758705.post-31405666309641332792011-03-17T08:58:00.004-05:002011-03-17T09:47:42.470-05:00The State of the WorldI know that I haven't posted in a while, and I apologize. There has been so much going on around here that I just haven't had time to sit and collect my thoughts.<br /><br />There are a lot of things going on in the world these says that are very worrisome. Civil wars in the Middle East, the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster in Japan, the instability in the global economies. All of these things will affect us in the months and years to come. It is rather frightening just how little most of us understand how all of these things together will affect our way of life. <br /><br />Fuel costs are going up, with no end in sight. This will effect the price of everything we purchase. It will cost more to produce goods, from agricultural products to clothing and everything in between. It will cost more to get to work every day as we fill up our SUV's with gas. It will cost more to heat and cool our houses. Businesses will have to cut costs, either by cutting salaries or cutting jobs. Rising costs of production will be passed on to consumers who are already cash-strapped. Your dollar will not buy as much as inflation takes off. And that is just from fuel prices.<br /><br />The disaster in Japan will have a whole different effect on us in the United States. Japan is the 3rd largest economy in the world, but at the moment, their economy is shut down. Their factories are not producing, their already produced goods are very limited and possibly contaminated. The population will soon be having food and water shortages as they deal not only with earthquake and tsunami damage, but rolling blackouts and contamination from the nuclear disaster. The Bank of Tokyo has been pumping trillions into the Japanese stock markets to keep it from completely collapsing, but there simply isn't enough yen available to maintain this. <br /><br />And since every nation's economies are tied globally, it will affect every nation on Earth. <br /><br />Food costs are going to be the biggest problem in my opinion. People will stop buying luxury food items, like steak, in favor of cheaper cuts and ground meats. We will stop eating out so much in favor of eating at home. Generic canned goods will become more popular choices causing a drop in sales for the name brands. Big producers will have to lay off, causing more economic problems for the US as a whole. And with the legislation being pushed through Congress that favors Big Agri, the small farmers and small producers will have no choice but to go out of business causing even more food issues. <br /><br />And that is supposing that there will even be enough food to feed the country. If there appear to be shortages, a lot of people will begin hoarding food, causing even more shortages on the store shelves. Depending on just how bad it gets, there could be food riots. Yes, this is a worst case scenario, but it isn't outside the realm of possibility. <br /><br />And then there is the fact that the radioactive plume being produced by the Fukushima Power Plant will reach the West Coast of the United States tomorrow. No one is really sure just how that will affect us. There is so much dis-information being thrown out on the airways it is difficult to know just what is true and what is executives playing CYA.<br /><br />Are we prepared for this sort of situation? The answer for most of us is NO. As Americans, we have gotten complacent in our land of plenty. We have come to believe it is our God Given Right to have a Starbucks just around the corner and strip malls full clothing and food and closets full of shoes. <br /><br />We should all be asking ourselves What If?novalunaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322590329313747080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4158907612401758705.post-43597729291097442132011-02-08T13:29:00.001-06:002011-02-08T13:32:13.828-06:00State funding linked to graduation ratesOur illustrious Arkansas State Legislature, in all of their infinite wisdom, have decided to discuss the possibility of linking the funding provided to State colleges and Universities to the graduation rates of the individual schools. What they are saying is that the schools who have the highest grad rates, get the most money. <br /><br />Now, that being said, the University of AR at Fayetteville is the most exclusive State University in Arkansas. It is in the area of the state that also has the Walton Family (Wal-mart headquarters), the Tyson Family (Tyson Chicken), JB Hunt Trucking, and has been the only Republican area of Arkansas for the last 150 years. They have the highest graduation rate in the state because you have to have a higher GPA and test scores to even be accepted.<br /><br />But there are also 2 Universities in the Delta region of the state, aka the poor folks. These are Arkansas State University in Jonesboro (where DD goes) and University of AR at Pine Bluff.<br /><br />ASUJ( Northeastern region) has a history of being a "regional" college but they have recently been focusing on helping students stay in school and graduate with a useful degree. They also have a network of "feeder" schools, aka junior colleges, that offer 2 year degrees and let the students transfer into ASUJ after the first 2 years. <br /><br />UAPB on the other hand, is a 4 year college that focuses on giving minorities a chance to get an education. They are in the poorest(Southeastern) section of the state, and in Arkansas that means the least educated. Their graduation rates have a tendency to correspond to the general education of the region. <br /><br />This legislation is specifically designed to keep the rich, well educated area of the state, well educated and rich, and keep the poor, uneducated areas, poor and uneducated. <br /><br />This is absolutely not what the legislature is supposed to do. They are supposed to educate the poor, economically depressed areas so they are not so poor and economically depressed. This is a classic example of the rich getting richer while the poor get poorer. The Democrats want to keep that minority voting block on the public dole. <br /><br />It is just so counter-intuitive.novalunaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322590329313747080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4158907612401758705.post-85463726158148278972011-01-27T10:51:00.002-06:002011-01-27T10:56:42.096-06:00Aquaponics/hydroponics/greenhouseThis morning, I have been reading up on the biosphere aspect of the fish farm, basically an aquaponics/hydroponics set up where, in a greenhouse dome of 3 levels, fish ( in this case, carp of various species) are grown in above-ground swimming pools, they eat surface level vegetation on the pools, solar panels are used to run pumps that take the accumulated wastes from the fish and pump it to grow beds for vegetables and fruit on the upper levels where the now filtered and oxygenated water is gravity fed back to the fish pools. The solar panels are also used to run the ventilation system in the summer as well as a small heat source in the winter.<br /><br />Between the fish eating vegetation and the compost and waste products from the fish to fertilize the plants, it is pretty much a closed system that supports itself. Another variation I read about had a worm farm incorporated into it and the fish being used were catfish that ate the worms and the castings were leached to fertilize the garden beds.<br /><br />This particular system was built in Canada and maintained a temperate zone climate pretty much all year. <br /><br />If I had to guess, I would think the cost for something like this would be somewhere between outrageous to astronomical. It would be interesting to see if it would be possible to do something similar using scavenged/reclaimed materials on a smaller scale. <br /><br />Just a thought.novalunaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322590329313747080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4158907612401758705.post-81022915320175860652011-01-18T16:11:00.001-06:002011-01-18T16:16:09.902-06:00Am I just weird?Last night, I asked my husband a relatively banal question. "Do you know what would be good?" I was thinking about a fried peach pie.<br /><br />"A thousand dollars?" he replied.<br /><br />His answer stopped me cold. Would a thousand dollars be good? And I could not for the life of me think of anything I would need a thousand dollars for. We have plenty of food, all of the bills are paid, I have a little bit of mad money if I want it. What would I possibly use it for? <br /><br />Am I the only one who is happy and thankful for the things I ALREADY possess and really don't need anymore? We watched a television show the other evening about greed in the United States. I was simply appalled! The things people would do to other people all for the sake of money and power. <br /><br />I guess I just don't understand those folks who can't get enough money, power, possessions....anything. I don't need "stuff". I have more "stuff" than I know what to do with as it is. And if you don't need "stuff", you don't need the money to buy the stuff or to upkeep the stuff.<br /><br />And I have NEVER understood the power thing. Why would I even WANT power? I have enough trouble just keeping the laundry done. What would power get for me? <br /><br />I just don't get some people.novalunaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322590329313747080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4158907612401758705.post-8011891260991295822010-12-23T09:21:00.003-06:002010-12-23T09:59:35.729-06:00The Reason for the SeasonIt is Christmas time again, the time for Peace on Earth, Joy, and Love for all Mankind. And Road Rage. And Debt. And fighting over that special item that there is only 1 of in the county and, Danggit, your kid is going to have it!<br /><br />Why is it that all you have to do is mention Christmas shopping, and all common sense completely disappears? People will spend hours in a mall wearing out a credit card buying expensive gifts for people they barely know, but they will not spare a dollar's worth of change for the bell ringers by the door?<br /><br />We hear, "Remember the Reason for the Season" and hear Christmas carols praising God and announcing the Birth of Christ, and we might even sing along with them, but the words are just words to us. We are too caught up in the search for the perfect gift or some other such garbage. Do we really think Jesus cares whether or not your Mother-in-Law gets a cashmere sweater for His birthday?<br /><br />Most of the time, the thing most people would prefer to get would be the money you spent on the gift they don't want or need. All of us, and I do mean every single person, have more crap laying around the house than we care to admit. And I would be willing to guess that if you opened up that back closet that you only use for storage, you would find several items that were given to you at Christmas. We spend hundreds of dollars every year swapping crap. <br /><br />Instead of buying hundreds of dollars worth of future yard sale fodder in Jesus's Name, why not take the money you would have spent and donate it to cancer research? Instead of buying 2 games for your child's new gaming system, only buy 1 and give the other $50 to a community charity. Or buy $50 worth of food for the food bank. Or buy blankets for the homeless shelter. <br /><br />Or...spend the time you would have spent Christmas shopping and volunteer! <br /><br />If we are truly celebrating the Birth of Christ and all He teaches us, do what he wants us to do! Give to those less fortunate. Help those in need. Give joyfully of ourselves. Spend time with friends and family. Celebrate God's love for us and be joyful! <br /><br />It isn't about who gets the biggest present or who spends the most money. And it most certainly isn't about the corporate profits. <br /><br />Christmas is about loving and giving. Joyfully and without hesitation.novalunaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322590329313747080noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4158907612401758705.post-7649656467406112582010-12-07T09:12:00.005-06:002010-12-07T10:50:06.633-06:00What ever happened to ...What ever happened to the freedoms guaranteed to U.S. citizens in the Constitution? Lets take a look.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Free Speech</span>-- We are finding ourselves controlled more and more by Political Correctness and Homeland Security. Our media is telling us what the Powers That Be want us to know and nothing else. And if you do not subscribe to those beliefs, you are subject to investigation and possible arrest. If you do not believe me, look up the WikiLeaks scandal. An Australian citizen is being harassed by the U.S. government because he gathered information (in a legal way, even) that is embarrassing to the government and told everyone about it on the internet. Now the government is putting pressure on foreign agencies and governments to shut him up. Today he was arrested for some absurd sex charge (rape due to a broken condom?) because it was the only thing they could find to charge him with. His assets have been globally seized, and U.S. contractors have been told that if any of their employees access his web page, either at work or at home, they will be fired. Kinda makes you wonder just how far the government will go to protect their dirty little secrets?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Right to Bear Arms</span>-- No, I am not talking about the forelimbs of a woodland creature here. In the U.S., every citizen has a Constitutional right to own firearms. Gun control has been a hot button topic for 30 years. It seems like every time there is an election, the media starts spouting non-sense about crime being on the rise because of the number of guns available. They want to scare people into believing that guns are the cause of crime. Trust me, there are a lot of easier ways to kill someone than to shoot them. The government wants people to be afraid of guns so we cannot protect ourselves, either from criminals or from an oppressive government. They actually remember that the American Revolution happened because a bunch of American colonists with squirrel rifles got fed up with an oppressive government and demanded to be free. Not just once, but twice, we defended ourselves against the British for the right to rule ourselves. The Powers That Be do not want that to happen again, so they are limiting our right to even possess weapons. They demonize anyone who will fight to protect themselves by calling them "radicals" or "gun-toting lunatics". <br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Unreasonable Search and Seizure</span>-- This one is essentially gone from memory. The Department of Homeland Security has conveniently forgotten that this right exists. For those who are interested, it is #4 in the Bill of Rights. It says, and I quote, "<span style="font-family:Baskerville,Georgia,Oxford,Palatino,Times,Times New Roman;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized</span>." In the name of Security, the government has managed to violate </span>this right in so many ways it might as well not exist. All it takes for DHS to decide you are a risk is one single tip. They can tap your cell phone, search your garbage, use infrared detectors on your home, X-ray your vehicle while you are driving, monitor your habits, prevent you from getting on an airplane, look at your credit report to see what you are buying, all without a search warrant. Although, these days, getting a probable cause warrant is absurdly easy because judges are willing to grant them in hopes of being promoted up the food chain into the Federal Court system. If they think you have a gun, and you are known to disagree with governmental policies, they can claim probable cause for weapons charges and arrest you. Just the threat of governmental harassment is enough to make most people cower and comply. Does this feel like Freedom to anyone?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Amendment 9</span>-- <span style="font-family:Baskerville,Georgia,Oxford,Palatino,Times,Times New Roman;">"<span style="font-style: italic;">The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.</span></span>" This statement, in and of itself, states that the people have rights that are not enumerated in the Constitution. But the Government doesn't want us to think we have any rights unless they give them to us. We are much easier to control if we can only do what the government wants us to do. Let's all be good little slaves, mindlessly handing over our wages to the Tax Authority, for the good of all Americans. We are endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights, the right to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Regardless to what the government thinks.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Amendment 10</span>-- "<span style="font-family:Baskerville,Georgia,Oxford,Palatino,Times,Times New Roman;">The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."</span> This is just an extension of #9. We the People have RIGHTS! If we do not exercise them, and exercise them regularly, they will be taken away from us. One, by one, until we are nothing less than a police state run by those who do not have our best interests at heart.novalunaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322590329313747080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4158907612401758705.post-11007758476298010192010-11-03T15:54:00.002-05:002010-11-03T16:50:00.530-05:00The more things change...Well, the election is over, my hand is healing, and the leaves are falling from the trees. And change is in the air, on many different levels. <br /><br />We the People have shown the Powers That Be that we didn't like the way they were doing business on our behalf and fired a good many of them. What that means for the future is anyone's guess. It could be that we will be hopelessly gridlocked and nothing will get done. Or it could mean that we will have a brand new set of problems. No one can predict the future, but it will be a change, regardless.<br /><br />I finally got that club of a bandage off of my hand. Now I am in a brace full time, except for bathing, and I start physical therapy on Monday. Should be interesting how that goes. I am fairly certain that I will be in the brace at least until after Thanksgiving. The brace bugs me, but it is still better than the bandage. My hand is still peeling from that thing. So that is another change, hopefully for the better this time.<br /><br />And Fall is falling. The days are getting shorter and cooler. High school and college football are starting to wind up their seasons. Most folks are starting to think about Christmas gifts and special meals with family and friends. The harvests are done. I have been doing some of my shopping online so I don't have to fight the crowds or the weather. We don't have a lot of gifts to buy anyway, but at least online, I can find the best prices and actually get something unique and not the same old stuff the local stores offer. I am not able to make gifts like I have in the past because of my hand, but that is OK. There is always next year.<br /><br />So, change is coming. For good or bad.novalunaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322590329313747080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4158907612401758705.post-8686912841393938842010-10-24T16:03:00.003-05:002010-10-24T16:48:45.479-05:00God in our lives, even when we don't know itI generally don't talk much about God or the effect He has had in our lives, but today I just felt the need to do so.<br /><br />My husband and I got married a few months over 20 years ago. We were both working low paying jobs, but my husband was in his final semester of college so things would be looking up. He graduated in May and he started looking for work. He had a few interviews, but no offers, so we continued to work our minimum wage jobs. Then in late October, be discovered the birth control pills didn't work and thaI was pregnant. <br /><br />We were happy, but at the same time deeply concerned about just how we were going to pay for the doctor and delivery. The week before Christmas, we got a call. He was offered a job in the central part of the state (we lived in the NE corner at the time, where both of our families were) and he would start on January 7th.<br /><br />God was looking out for us.<br /><br />We stayed in a hotel for a couple of days and while my husband worked, I looked for us a place to live. We signed lease papers on Wednesday afternoon. The rent was affordable and we had the option to buy. So we did. Signed the mortgage papers in mid-May before our beautiful daughter was born the first week of June.<br /><br />God was providing for us.<br /><br />A couple of years later, we discover again that birth control pills still don't work. I was pregnant. We had wanted to wait another couple of years and we just were not ready for another child. After the shock wore off, we were happy. It was a difficult pregnancy, with a lot of swelling and blood pressure that just would not stay under control. And in March, our son was born. By mutual consensus between us and the doctor, it was decided that we really didn't want any more children and that birth control pills obviously were not the best option for me. So during my second C-section, I had a tubal.<br /><br />Then in 1997, when my daughter was 6 and my son was 3, I got sick. Rheumatoid Arthritis. And in 6 months I went from one inflamed joint to barely being able to walk or hold a pencil. It took almost 2 years to find a combination of meds that worked for me. I had to take a pregnancy test to prove that I wasn't because the side effects would have been devastating. 90% chance of miscarriage and a 99% of massive birth defects if carried to term.<br /><br />God knew when I needed my children, even if it wasn't on our timetable. <br /><br />During all of this time, we had been trying to keep up with the Joneses, but now with medical bills to added to the burden, we knew that would have to stop. We refinanced the house and cashed out enough equity to pay off the credit cards. We haven't picked one up since. We have paid off all of our debt except the house. Then my RA finally got bad enough that I just couldn't work any more. I was a hard decision to not work any more, I felt useless and like a burden to my family, but it gave me the time to do things I never had time to do. I finally decided, after not working for over 2 years, that I needed to apply for Disability. I took 2.5 years of paper work and worry, but in March of my daughter's Senior year, I was approved. My husband's job had gotten iffy due to lay-offs, so with the back pay, we recast our mortgage, again, and got the payment down so that we could live on my disability if we had to.<br /><br />Again, God was looking out for us. He has provided for us and watched over us, even in we had almost given up hope.<br /><br />Now, my husband is concerned about his job again, but when our son graduates High School and goes off to college, we will be free to move back to the NE corner of the state to be with family as they get older. And our home will be paid off, so when we sell, we will get to keep the money and pay cash for the next one.<br /><br />God is indeed good. In every way.novalunaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322590329313747080noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4158907612401758705.post-26003993179431761472010-09-24T08:09:00.003-05:002010-09-24T08:40:25.247-05:00Will gardening be illegal?There is a certain amount of idiocy you expect from city governments. And it seems, the larger the city, the more idiocy there is. Backing up heavily traveled streets for months to put in bicycle lanes, poorly timed traffic lights, ordinances on how often you must mow your yard, etc. Most of these do have some sort of reason behind them. <br /><br />But when city governments start placing heavy fines on otherwise law-abiding citizens for having a food producing back yard garden, you are crossing over to the realm of the absurd. A gentleman in Atlanta has been fined almost $5000 for planting part of the 2 acres he owns in vegetables. These food crops are for his own personal use, he gives some to his friends, and any extra he will take to the farmer's market to sell. He isn't using his yard to grow cash crops, it isn't a business, and he isn't annoying his neighbors with heavy farm equipment. He has a garden as a hobby for his own enjoyment and just happens to have a bounty to share. <br /><br />The City's stance on the issue is that his property is not zoned for agriculture. So this past Spring, after getting the citations in January and February, He applied to the city to have his property re-zoned. It was approved. The Code Enforcement officials are saying that he still owes the fines, and now the penalties for not having paid them, because there were food crops growing while the rezoning was still under consideration. And they are suing to get their money.<br /><br />I am not sure exactly what their problem with this gentleman actually is. Did someone complain? Is the zoning commissioner some sort of Nazi who wants complete control over what the citizens do on their own property? Is this just a way for the city to collect money they otherwise are not entitled to? Or is it something bigger?<br /><br />It is bad enough that the Big Three agri corporations (Monsanto, Cargill, and ADM) are trying to control the food supply through genetically modified food and the availability of heirloom seeds, but trying to prevent individual citizens from having a backyard garden is going too far. The vast majority of people who do have a backyard garden only do so to either have fresh produce during the summer months or maybe to can, or because they just enjoy gardening. They don't do it for money, because there just isn't enough money in it to justify the costs. They do it for the food and the love of getting dirty. <br /><br />I worry about what this means for all of us in the long run. I guess I will have to get a fancy trellis for my tomatoes and call them landscaping.novalunaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322590329313747080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4158907612401758705.post-45857452283661964032010-09-17T17:44:00.001-05:002010-09-17T17:47:48.612-05:00I have been busyOur local big chain <span style="cursor: pointer; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1284763443_0">grocery store</span> (coughkrogercough) has 8 lb bags of chicken leg quarters on sale this week for $3.47 a bag, so I got 2. Keep in mind this is before I knew that I would have weekend guests (10 people total in my house). That is 16 pounds of chicken, counting the bones. So this morning I got up, started the coffee, started the laundry, and last night's dishes.<br /><br />Then I proceeded to debone all that meat. I canned 8 pints. That is somewhere between 10-16 meals for us. <br /><br />I threw all of the bones,skins and fat into a pot and added a couple of gallons of water and boiled it for the hour 15 the chicken was in the canner. <br /><br />By this time, DH was home for lunch. I took a few of the bones out of the pot and scraped enough meat off of them to add to a box of stuffing mix (generic, for 89 cents) to have "dressing" for lunch. <br /><br />After lunch, I strained the rest of the bones, skin, etc off of the pot of broth, skimmed the schmaltz off of it (got about 3 cups of that now in the fridge) and canned 7 quarts of broth. <br /><br />Then I spent the next hour getting all the little remaining bits of meat off of the bones (did you know that the tiny bit of meat in the tail is <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1284763443_1">white meat</span>?) and with the rest of the broth, I am making up some <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1284763443_2">chicken soup</span>. I should have between 4 or 5 quarts when it is all said and done.<br /><br />So...for $7 worth of chicken, I have at least 15 meals for my family. <br /><br />Now I just have to clean the kitchen back up and take a shower before everyone gets here. But I have to get all of this done before the hand surgery. Dreading the 6 weeks of a cast.<br /><br />I am beat.novalunaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322590329313747080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4158907612401758705.post-11753913940004666832010-09-07T08:08:00.003-05:002010-09-07T08:33:00.316-05:00Fall is "Falling"?Now that the Labor Day holiday is behind us, it is time to start thinking about Fall chores around the house. Winterizing the windows, changing the curtains, maybe add more insulation in the attic, weather stripping, the list seems endless. I need to wash and dry the heavier bedding, get the furnace cleaned out, we need to replace one of the ceiling fans, change out a light fixture in the girl's closet, paint 2 rooms, and on and on.<br /><br />This Summer was just so hot and dry that we didn't do as much outside work as I would have liked. We did finally get a new roof put on, so at least we don't have to worry about that this year. We also got the siding replaced in a spot that was rotting from rain splash, but we haven't gotten it painted yet. <br /><br />I still need to get a fall crop planted, but that will mean that I need to finish cleaning out the garden of the dead or dying peas, carrots and okra. All of the squash plants are gone already (they did so poorly from the heat I ripped them out over a month ago) so those beds are empty already. I am thinking about putting greens, either mustard or turnip, there. I need to plant some more Green Peas since we like them so well. Maybe some lettuce and radishes in the main garden since they grow so fast. <br /><br />But today it is raining, so no outside work will get done. I will probably just do some laundry and maybe bake some bread. I haven't done that in a while so it is time. I need to make some more soap too. I am down to 3 bars.<br /><br />I have a couple of beef roasts in the freezer so I am thinking I will dig out the crock pot and start some dinner as well. <br /><br />It will be one of those lazy, catch-up days where it will all get done, just not very quickly. <br /><br />And I will start thinking about what I want to have ready for the holidays and for next Spring.<br /><br />So much to do, but...not today.novalunaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322590329313747080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4158907612401758705.post-1423024229087425882010-08-27T08:09:00.004-05:002010-08-27T08:37:17.564-05:00The cost of eatingLast night, my husband and I had to make a trip to the grocery store for a few necessities, like milk, tea, lunch meat, etc. and I was just appalled at how much prices have gone up in the last few weeks.<br /><br />The sale price for chicken breasts was $1.99 a pound! On Sale! That is simply insane. Generic canned corn was 79 cents a can. When did that happen? Granted, I do not buy a lot of canned vegetables since I put up most of ours, but the last time I looked they were around 50 cents a can. Some times, if the store is having a case sale, you can get them 3 for a dollar. But almost 80 cents a can is insane. For generic. I didn't even look at the name brand. I was afraid to.<br /><br />All of this is convincing me more and more that I am not putting up enough food. We need to be able to eat out of jars or the freezer and not have to make bi-weekly trips to the local grocery store. I have canned some chicken and beef, but I am thinking I need to do more. I need to find a couple of bags of chicken legs and thighs for 59 cents a pound (sometimes I can still find them for that) and can them up. 10 pounds bags will make around 8 or 9 pints of meat and 7 or 8 quarts of broth. So for $5.90, that is a minimum of 8 or 9 meals, but really closer to 12 since I don't always use a whole jar of meat per meal for the 3 of us. And the broth is quite useful for a lot of things too, not just soups.<br /><br />I have canned a lot of fruit this year. Mostly peaches and plums but I have done a few blueberries and some cherries. I think I have enough beans to last the year, but you never really know. I didn't put up enough corn this year but that is one of those things that sometimes we eat a lot, sometimes we don't. I don't know, I guess we will be OK.<br /><br />I plan to start curing some more Canadian bacon today. My son really likes that for sandwiches in his lunch bag. And it freezes well so I might as well. And the pork loin was on sale for less than $2 a pound, which is quite a bit cheaper than over-processed lunch meat.<br /><br />I really don't know how people on fixed incomes or low incomes with families can afford to eat. I realize the over-processed convenience foods are cheaper, but you don't actually get much food value out of those.<br /><br />There has to be a balance somewhere in all of this.novalunaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322590329313747080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4158907612401758705.post-37302595352598535372010-08-25T15:02:00.003-05:002010-08-26T08:16:37.057-05:00Americans these days are concerned, or downright fearful, of what the future may hold. With the current economic situation and all of the unrest around the world, we have a reason to be concerned. This is not 1950 any more. We do not have a lot of confidence in our leaders, our economy, or even that we will have a job tomorrow. The era of "buy what you want, when you want it" is over.<br /><br />Most people aren't buying big ticket items any more. Existing home sales are way down. Car sales are down. People are not eating out as much. Everyone is trying to find ways to save money.<br /><br />For businesses, that means not hiring any new employees or in some cases, laying off. For the working class, that means eating more Mac and Cheese instead of grilling steaks every weekend. We try to find less expensive ways to entertain ourselves. The big problem with this is that it is a vicious cycle that just feeds into itself. Say you own a moderately priced, sit down restaurant and you have 12 employees, 3 cooks/chefs, 6 servers, 2 busboys and a hostess. You have owned this business for several years and have always managed a reasonable profit. Suddenly, the banks are not issuing small business loans and you need a new grill. You have the choice of doing without the equipment, buying it from your own salary, or getting it fixed as best you can. You decided to get it fixed and hope you have enough profit in the next couple of months to be able to buy a new one. Then one or two of the major employers in your community begin to lay off portions of their work force. Those people will have a hard time finding new jobs in the current economy so they will stop eating out. Your business drops off. You change your server scheduling because you don't need all of the wait-staff standing around getting paid with nothing to do. They all get fewer hours and fewer tips. So their personal spending is affected which affects other businesses. Your business slows to the point where you have no choice but to lay off 2 of the servers and 1 of the cooks. So now you have 9 employees. During the busiest prime time rush, your service is slower because you have less help. This causes customers to not come to your restaurant as often. Less business means you either have to raise prices or lose money. Raising prices causes fewer customers, who are also trying to save money, but losing money means that you cannot afford to upkeep equipment, buy quality ingredients, or pay a decent wage. You have no choice but to close your doors. Now there are 9 more people out of work.<br /><br />All of these things are inter-dependent with every other business in the community. If even 1 business goes under, it effects everyone. And this is happening all over the country. And small communities are being hit the hardest. They are the ones who can least afford for a business to close it's doors.<br /><br />People are scared that if the economy doesn't get better, all of the jobs in the US with the exception of teachers, public safety(police and firemen) and union jobs (which are protected by the big wigs in Washington) will simply go away. The jobless numbers that we hear about on the news are ONLY the new unemployment claims, not those who have been unable to find a job for the last 18 months.<br /><br />But even so, you think 10% isn't a bad unemployment number. But think of it this way. That is 1 out of every 10 people you know has just gotten laid off. You know 30 people? 3 of them got laid off this month. And the next month, 3 more get pink slips, and so on. Eventually, most of the people you know will be without a job. Some, maybe half, will be able to find a job of some sort, but it will probably not be for the same pay they were getting before and it probably will not be in their chosen career. It is just a job to keep the bills paid. And it will take them longer to get that job because employers do not want to hire over-qualified people for entry level positions. And there is a lot of competition for every job opening.<br /><br />Is it any wonder people are nervous? According to the US Department of Labor, 14.6 Million people in the US, and 6.6 Million of those have been unemployed for more than 27 weeks. Don't believe me? Here is the press release from the DoL dated Aug 6, 2010. http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm .<br /><br />Does anyone honestly think that 14.6 million jobs will miraculously appear in the US so these people can go to work? Not very likely.novalunaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322590329313747080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4158907612401758705.post-60469895356415211572010-08-13T11:18:00.003-05:002010-08-13T11:37:47.275-05:00End of SummerSchool will be starting next week, but it seems that I still haven't finished with the canning thing for the year. <br /><br />Last weekend I stopped by a farm market for some tomatoes to can. While I was there, I also picked up some new potatoes, early apples, a cantaloupe, zucchini, corn, and a box of over-ripe peaches. <br /><br />Let me tell you something about peaches. They are best if you go out to the trees, cup your hand underneath it, and it falls off in your hand. That is how you know if it is ripe. The next best thing is to find a farm market that sells peaches and buy a box of their over-ripes. You can get them for almost nothing, and with the exception of a few bruises, they will be the best thing you have ever put in your mouth. They are the "bite-into-it-and-juice-drips-off-of-your-elbow" ones that those in the know will fight over. These peaches are the proof that the fruit you get at the grocery store is a joke. <br /><br />I picked up a "lug" (about 1/2 a bushel) of these over-ripe peaches for $10. We ate several of them fresh and I put the rest in the freezer. There were only 3 out of the whole box that I had to throw out because they were too damaged. I still had 9 quart-ish sized bags for the freezer. My husband had never really had a "good" peach before and was simply amazed. Now I need to get some more.<br /><br />I told my dad about them. He wants to do a swap of canned peaches for canned pears. He has a buddy with pear trees that gives him 5 or 6 5 gallon buckets of pears every year. So Dad is going to can up some pears for me and I will can some peaches for him. We are already swapping plum jam and preserves for purple hull peas, so the fruit swap is just a bonus. <br /><br />But it will keep me busy for a few days. Not that I have a problem with that.novalunaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322590329313747080noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4158907612401758705.post-7031727331682866072010-08-03T12:13:00.001-05:002010-08-03T12:16:19.839-05:00Morality and the ConstitutionI am not by any means a Constitutional attorney nor am I a theologian. But I am a moderately intelligent individual who reads and knows how to listen. So here goes...<br /><br />Morality can mean different things to different people. It generally depends on the values you were raised with. <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1280855628_0">Compassion</span> is another one of those things that has to be taught, you aren't born with it. When you have a government, or any other type of "leader" be it a CEO, President, Congress, Pastor, or Parent, that does not place any value on morality or compassion, they will corrupt the values of every person "under" them simply by communal morality. If it isn't seen as wrong for a business to overcharge for a product or service simply because they can, every employee learns how to get that extra dollar from the customer. Other businesses see that company making money, so they implement the same doctrine. Pretty soon, the entire industry is overcharging for their products. <br /><br />It is the same for all aspects of our lives. If it is permissible for teens to dress in a provocative manner and behave in certain ways, then ALL teens will do so due to peer pressure. <br /><br />On the other side of that coin, if we encourage our children to be modest, kind, caring and helpful of others, it too will have a ripple effect.<br /><br />The problem is that the media does not help us to encourage <span style="cursor: pointer; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1280855628_1">family values</span> and is actually counter-productive of our efforts to raise our children. We are encouraged to buy things we do not need, therefore reinforcing the "need" for more money. How do we make more money? By working for companies that are not as concerned with the morality of their actions, just the bottom line. We are told that it "takes a village" so parents do not take the time to raise their children (they are too busy working to make enough money for the things they are told they need) because the teachers at school will raise their kids for them. <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1280855628_2">Corporal Punishment</span> hurts a child's self-esteem so we cannot teach our children that actions have consequences or some "well meaning" busy-body neighbor will report us to Child Services. <br /><br />When you have an entire generation of kids who see the rich getting richer off of the backs of others, of course they will want to be the ones getting money. And they will teach that same morality to their kids. <br /><br />As for the <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1280855628_3">Constitution</span>, it was written to protect the citizens FROM the government. Read the <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1280855628_4">Bill of Rights</span>. That is what the Founding Fathers wanted to emphasize. <br /><i>Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.<br /><br /></i>We have the right to say what we want, worship how we wish, gather in groups, and tell the government they are wrong.<br /><br /><i>A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1280855628_5">free State</span>, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed<br /><br /></i>We have the right to protect ourselves, even from the government, if we feel threatened.<i><br /><br />No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.</i> <br /><br />We do not have to let the military into our homes without our consent. Not that big of an issue now, but at the time, it was a major issue. The British government forced landowners to house and feed military units at their own cost instead of the government having to pay for it. It bankrupted and starved many families.<br /><br /><i>No person shall be held to answer for any capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Jury" title="Grand Jury" class="yiv1078125582mw-redirect"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1280855628_6">Grand Jury</span></a>, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1280855628_7">due process of law</span>; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.<br /><br /></i>This one is abused a lot these days, all in the name of <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1280855628_8">public security</span>. <i><br /><br /></i><i>In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1280855628_9">public trial</span>, by an impartial jury of the State and district where in the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.<br /><br /></i>Speedy trials are a joke with the overburdened justice system, and <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1280855628_10">Public Defenders</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>are the least knowledgeable and least effective of all criminal trial attorneys. But we do have a right to them.<br /><br /><i>In suits at <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1280855628_11">common law</span>, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1280855628_12">trial by jury</span> shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.<br /><br /></i>Trial by jury, even when the jury is stacked, doesn't really seem like a good deal, but compared to the trials in good old England at the time, where all trials were before a panel of the ruling class and the poor were punished simply for being poor, was a major step up for justice.<br /><br /><i>Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.<br /><br /></i>What! No torture in the jails? No fines designed to put you in debtors prison? But I digress....<br /><br /><i>The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.<br /><br /></i>The government only has the rights the people give it. Those rights the people do not turn over to the government cannot be infringed upon by the government. It says so right there on #9 of the Bill of Rights. It also says that you have any right that doesn't infringe on anyone else's rights. <br /><br />and finally..<br /><i>The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.<br /><br /></i>The States have rights too, that the <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1280855628_13">Federal government</span> cannot, by Law, infringe upon. And the people of those states also have rights that the federal and state governments cannot infringe upon. <br /><br />None of these articles in the Bill of Rights are really, truly valid any more because we as a people have turned over most of our rights to the government. Subsequent amendments and precedents established by interpreting judges have severely limited the rights of normal citizens, but the fact remains that the Founding Fathers were trying to limit the amount of interference the government could inflict in our daily lives. <br /><br />My personal take on the whole thing was that the federal government was designed to be a regulating body for the states, not the other way around. As it stands now, the States are subservient to the Federal Government, and the people have become dependent on a strong <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1280855628_14">centralized government</span> that was not designed to be be that way. It creates waste, abuses, and wide loopholes for corruption. <br /><br />OK, enough soapbox preaching. This is too long as it is.<br /><br />Again, these are just my opinions. Take them as such.novalunaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322590329313747080noreply@blogger.com1