Reflecting 2009.

This seems to be an ongoing theme with me which is odd because I like to think of myself as an optimist so reflecting on the past may not seem so optimistic however, I know that before I move on I need to learn from the past so I choose this day to reflect and embrace all that is good in my life.

I am grateful to my children and adopted children who have made my life so rich. The fact that my children have grown so much this year really scares me. They are turning into wonderful adults and I have had to face the fact that they will soon be leaving me. I contemplate more often what my life will be like when they are all on their own and it’s just me, hubby and the dogs. I know with the support of my husband and best friend, I will somehow survive. Of course there are grandchildren to look forward to in the coming years. Just not Yet!!!!

I am proud to say that I have actually completed a few things this year. I did lose my projected 10 pounds for the year but managed to gain it back. However, I can’t stand the taste of coke anymore and I rarely eat candy bars. I still love my ice cream but I eat it less frequently than before. (We won’t discuss my chocolate milk shake issue.) I still love my Starbucks but I settle for Grande instead of Venti. I occasionally skip the appetizer when we eat out. I prefer to be full and not stuffed. I eat lots of tuna and have added more dairy to my diet. We created a home gym this year now I need to use it. I am trying to be more careful with what I consume as diabetes is right around the corner and it scares me.

This year, I have learned a lot about Aquaponics and have succeeded in creating a small but successful water garden. I can grow arugula and oregano like nobody’s business. My fish are healthy and happy but I really need to clean out the tank. I am checking into composting seems it goes hand and hand with gardening. I all can say to that is Yuk worms but we’ll see.

As for work–my job-my chosen profession, I still have those days when I would rather pull out my fingernails than go to work although they seem to get fewer and farther apart. I am trying harder to think of the pain in the ass issues as a challenge to be overcome. I can see that there are some issues that I cannot overcome now so I have put them way and will save them for another time and another battle. I am learning to play the game in my own way I guess. I am also trying to be nicer and more understanding but have noticed my patience often correlates to how much over time I work. Too much over time leaves me tired and cranky which is not a good combination. Tired, cranky and sick makes for a bad day all around and means I should stay home in bed instead of dealing with idiots. I may keep my job longer too. Write ups suck and too many will get you fired. Nuff said.

To my co-works, my shift in particular, thank you for a wonderful year. I am so looking forward to another year of friendship and camaraderie in 2010.

I have found some wonderful friends this year. It is not so much that I found them but that I have finally allowed myself to let them in. I want to thank all my friends for making 2009 a great year for me and thank you for including me in your life even if it is only on the internet. I love Facebook it makes me feel more social but on the other hand I’m on the computer all the time playing games. Sigh…. Thanks in general for being there and supporting me when I felt all my hard work was for nothing. Thanks for letting me know that even in a small way I am making a difference. Thanks for making me take the photography class. It was a little disappointing for me at the end but I learned so much.

I have discovered a lot about myself and that I am not so much detail oriented as I thought but I can learn to be depending on the project. It’s like any other learning experience I should say. Practice makes perfect, so I will practice more. I am still a little set in my ways but I am working on improving that. I am still a stickler for rules but it is more obvious that sometimes rules were made to be broken and sometimes you have to. Sometimes you have to improvise to make sure what is suppose to be right is also fair. I am trying hard to look at both sides of every problem. It has made me more cautious of late and gives me time to think instead of react. Not always but more often. Being “fair” is so important to me lately.

I know I have a difficult and challenging year ahead of me. Our life will change drastically and I am doing my best to prepare for it. All I can do is hope that all I have done in the past will make it easier and that in the end everything will turn out the way it is suppose to. Fate can be a bitch sometimes.

Happy New Years!

The Wheel of Time still turns.

Robert Jordan may be gone but his story still lives. This is the first of the last 3 books of the series I have been reading for over 20 years

I will be very busy this weekend.

Pioneer Woman Cookbook

Yeah my cookbook arrived today. It is such an awesome book. The colors, the pictures, the stories and the recipes make a wonderful combination that makes this book so much more than just a book of recipes. Thak you Ree!

Making Risotto

Instead of potatoes .

And Aquaponics continues....

GeoTagged, [N27.42030, E80.34631]

This poor cilantro is all that survives from my last attempt. The spinach was a bust. My tomatoes are potted but not doing so well.

I have purchased some new seeds. Sage, thyme, true lavender, caper and bietola de coste (a green leafy veggie). I'm not sure if I will try them all but diffinately starting some sage , thyme and the leafy stuff.

Testing Photo Attachments

GeoTagged, [N27.41997, E80.34609]

This so cool.

Remote Blogging

Have I mentioned how much I love my phone. I just down loaded a new app. That allows me to post remotely. This should be cool.

Testing testing.....

Now how do you add pics?

Obama wins the Nobel Peace Price?

I try very hard to stay in the middle of the road when it comes to politics. But I don't feel this at all. I like President Obama, he gives uplifting and compassionate speeches. He is working very hard to make changes. He is our first minority president. He has done some amazing things in the past year but he has also made a lot of mistakes and tends to waffle on his own policy. I very much want to be proud of my country for its accomplishments and know that I should be proud of our president for winning this award but I sincerely can not. It makes no sense intellectually nor do I feel it in my heart. There are more deserving candidates.

There were 205 Nominees: among them Zimbabwe's Morgan Tsvangirai former trade union activist and opposition leader current prime minister in a national unity government with Mugabe since February 2009, jailed Chinese dissident Hu Jia, Colombian senator Piedad Cordoba who has campaigned for a peaceful solution to the almost 50-year-old conflict in her country, Afghan doctor and women's rights activist Sima Samar, French-Colombian ex-hostage Ingrid Betancourt , Jordan's Prince Ghazi Bin Muhammad Bin Talal, an advocate of inter-religious dialogue, Vietnamese Buddhist monk and democracy advocate Thich Quang Do, Chechen human rights lawyer Lidiya Yusupova, and Russian activist Svetlana Gannushkina.

This is the same president who snub a visit with the Dah li Lama, the most peaceful man on our planet so as not to offend China. A national with some of the worst human rights violations. I know how important global unity is and President Obama has made some very energetic speeches but not Nobel Peace Price Caliber. I look at all Jimmy Carter has accomplished in his life time and know this man deserved it but I am not so sure about Obama.

Neandercon - What does it mean?

I keep seeing this term used by some of my Democratic friends and not wanting to look like a stupid Republican, I decided to research this term Neandercon on my own.

Of course the first thing I do is Google Neandercon. No luck it apparently has no definition as it is not a real word. So next I Wiki. No luck. Several web references but nothing that has helped me define this word.

I go through Twitter were I first noticed Neandercon no luck their either. Dems are using it liberally but no clues to what it means.

Then I found this.

Ten signs you've been seated next to a family of Neandercons.

1. As you enter the restaurant you notice a family getting out of a car that is plastered with dozens of pro-life bumper stickers…..but through most of your meal, you get to hear them bitch about how girls like your very young, apparently single, very pregnant waitress shouldn’t be allowed to have kids and that illegal immigrants, foreigners, gays, liberals etc, etc, should be lined up and shot.

2. When the meal arrives, the family bows their heads and the man at the head of the table leads the family in prayer, which begins with, “Dear Lord, we thank you and George W.”

3. A man stops by their table to say “Hello” and upon mentioning that’s he’s about to leave town for a fishing trip, he’s immediately asked “Casting or dynamiting?”

4. One of the children at the table asks “Daddy Joe” for the steak sauce.

5. After a child spills his milk at the table, he is told not to worry about it, it is Bill & Hillary Clinton’s fault.

6. While talking to his wife and children about the sanctity of marriage becoming the “Jack” of family values in America. “Daddy Joe” can’t keep his eyes off the large breast of the very young, very pregnant single waitress as she passes behind them on her way back to the kitchen. You suddenly grateful that after your experience with him at the urinal, he didn't pinch your ass too!

7. Your children learn more graphic details about gay sex from over hearing the parents rant against gays and “what they’re teaching kids in public schools these days “ then they would have learned watching 'Brokeback Mountain'.

8. By the end of your meal. You’ve heard a more complete list of who’s going to hell that God himself has yet to oblige and you’re on it at least 7 times.

9. After bellowing loudly for a full 30 minutes about how they could do a better job of regulating social security than the government their debit card is declined.

10. After requiring more service from your waitress than any other three tables in the restaurant they leave a $2 tip for the very young, very pregnant waitress.
(This is not an exact copy of what I found on the web. I cleaned it up a bit a re-phrased a few of the sentences and used language that I thought was a tad funnier.)

Tote bags I copied from for sale at this web site.

http://bags.cafepress.com/item/neandercons-tote-bag/60989184 -

I am so relieved to discover I am not a Neander-con family. I do not fall into this category at all. Maybe a little bit. We do joke from time to time about fishing with dynamite but what good old southern fisherman hasn't had thoughts about that method of fishing.

If I was to take an educated guess Neandercon is the word used for uneducated, hypocritical backwoods sometime Christian male which apparently to some Dems represent a large part of the Rep party????? maybe??

What do you think?

Then I found this - Extinction of the Neandercon
.....this is funny.

The two most important events in all of mankind's history were:
1. The invention of beer by Liberals and...
2. The invention of the wheel (by Liberals again)
The wheel was invented to get man to the beer,
and beer to the man. Prior to the invention of the wheel,
beer was lugged about by Conservatives in hollowed out
stones
These two events formed the foundation of modern civilization and
together were the catalyst for the splitting of humanity into two
distinct subgroups:
1. Liberals
2. Conservatives.
Once Liberals invented beer , it required grain which
led to the beginning of agriculture.
Neither the glass bottle nor aluminum can were
invented yet, so while our early human ancestors were sitting around
waiting for these items to be invented, they just stayed close to the
brewery.
That's how villages were formed.
Some men spent their days chasing and killing varmints
so they could have varmints to eat. But not for this simplistic
endeavour, these men would have starved to death.
This was the beginning of what is known as
the Conservative movement.
Other men who were more intelligent learned that they
could use the beer they invented to get the simple
minded Conservatives do almost anything. Unfortunately,
fetching, varmints was about all that the Conservatives were
good for.

Extinction of the Neandercon

Source: http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Alt/alt.guitar.amps/2008−02/msg00648.html

Then this

The Neandercon oath - First, do harm.

From: humbubba@xxxxxxxxx (Rick Hohensee)
Date: Fri, 06 Jan 2006 08:51:53 -0000

Apparently there is a NeanderConLand but... 'you can't find a neandercon in a haystack without the proper coordinates' ..... — The Gazetteer

But I finally found my answer in this article....a Canadian explanation.
http://wwefreakjon.blogspot.com/2009/06/rise-and-fall-of-neander-con.html

Definition - The neo-conservative movement.

Okay maybe I am a bit of a Neander-con but I am always open to new ideas just not ones run by the government.

President Obama's Speech Sept. 8 2009

Read article Attached.......

I am a little puzzled by all the hoopla on this one. As far as our president giving a speech to our school children and encouraging them to work harder and succeed as adults, I am all for it. President Bush did something similar years ago along with Mrs. Bush to encourage education and reading. I remember this and was all for it. Children need this type of encouragement and I am sure Pres. Obama will do just as good a job if not better. He has two children and he understands the worries and responsibility of raising children in our world today. However, not all children have the luxury of two parents and those children need someone to look up to. They need a role model and I see nothing wrong with looking up to our President as a model of what a good education can accomplish.

I am a little puzzled by the reaction of some of the members of the Republican party. Being a registered republican and not always agreeing with our President's policies, I am very confused by all the doom and warnings of a presidential brainwashing. I know there are some shady propaganda programs being pushed by some pro-Obama groups but I have to tip my hat to there ingenuity and thinking outside the box to push there agenda. Is it illegal? I don't think so. Are they using public funds to push this propaganda? Possibly but until I see proof I will with hold my opinion.

Personally, as a registered republican my party needs to make me happy by finding cures to improve the government mismanagement. Unfortunately mismanagement needs to start at home with our local governments and at the top at the federal level. We can't keep throwing money at a problem and expect it to work unless of course it is education. If the government wants to throw money at our children and young adults to better their education. Go for it. In the mean time I wait anxiously for Sept 8 for our Presidents speech.

I broke my iphone.

I really loved my phone. Its at a friends house and he is trying to fix it but I am pretty sure its done. I only had it maybe three weeks but it was a wonderful device. It was a hand me down and didn't cost much but I still loved it.

I am back to using my Pantech and oh boy what a piece of technology this phone is. It wont let me access the internet or my mail.

I guess I'll live.

I did this to myself. I lost my temper something I haven't done in a long time but I did and my phone which I love is now broken.

Why do men have this unbelievable ability to shut down rational thinking and turn a happy women into raging psychotic who then breaks her phone.

It made a horrible cracking noise when it hit the wall.

I miss my phone. I may trade my man in for a new one.

City lays off 8 police officers.

I am stunned I am having a really hard time understanding the logic behind this.
I have watched my husband train some very promising young people. It is breaking my heart that the City I live in has betrayed these young people and fired them before their careers have barely begun.

I googled "laid off police officers" and I am shocked by how rampant this has become. Our society has sunken so low that we are now getting rid of our first line offense. Our first responders are becoming the first to go.

I have been scanning reads comments when I saw this comment "911 is next."

How close are we to listening to 911 phones lines ring unanswered and when the line is finally picked up then who is going to respond?

I know it is not that bad yet but think about it. What if our economy doesn't improve. Whats next?

60 days

Today I have decided to harvest. I wont actually do it until tomorrow I think but I am definitely going to take make a huge salad in the next day or so.



Nice Oregano going on in the background.



Arugula, I think. A little spicy I found out the hard way.



This is just 23 days in the Aerogarden. I'm thinking about trying some spinach. I could have a nice batch of baby spinach every 20 days.



A little oregano. It was buried under the loose leaf lettuce that's why the lettuce is squashed.

Fourth of July

I worked all weekend but I was lucky enough to be able to enjoy the fireworks downtown.



Even better we enjoyed the show on a dock on the river.

These are the only 2 pictures I can share they are the best of a bad lot but I will try again next year. I hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th.

Aerogarden - Day 32

I feel safe to say that my little project is doing very well. I have been anxiously waiting to see if all my fish were going to die. They started dieing off not too long after I put the plants in the water. This was also about the same time my hubby added more fish to the tank because I did not have enough in it. I just knew it was because of the nitrates. Then I decided it was ick or some other fish disease but I was afraid to add medication to the water because of the plants. I did not want to kill the plants in the process of trying to save the fish.



I waited it out and all seems to be well. What ever it was has run it's course. I think the last batch of fish had a sick one in it because the plants are doing great. It is definitely not the water.



The plants are not as thick as I thought they would be but they are growing very well. The tall plant in the back is the basil.



The oregano is on the right and is still a little small but doing well.



Nice leafy lettuce.



Now back to the beginning. More leafy Lettuce, Basil and Oregano.



The only thing I did different this time is add more seeds to the containers and I did not separate the leafy lettuce seeds. Can't wait to see how this next batch turns out.

Areogarden - Day 14

Today, I decided to make the leap from aerogarden to aquaponics.



Using an old styrofoam cooler I traced a pattern using the medium cups.




In hind site, I should have left the lid in tact and floated it on the aquarium. I ended up having to use tooth picks to add a bit more buoyancy to my float.



I found a local hydroponics store in Vero and purchased the medium cups and the clay balls I needed.



Now to transplant these poor buggers.



Almost done.



Ready to float my raft.



TA DA!



View from below. Fishies seem to like it. The plants are sitting a little low in the water so again I used tooth picks to pull them up out of the water a bit.



For light I am using my hubby's photography light set using a regular light bulb.

Now we wait and see...... Next installment Aquaponics Project.

Flower and Fly

Playing around with camera on my patio. I never saw the fly until I pulled up the pic. Cool......

Aerogarden Project - Day 12

Today is day 12 of my project and everything is doing well so far.



Lettuce



Basil



The Oregano is still very small but growing just fine.



And a shot of my tomatoes that I am growing on the patio in the back yard. They are so pretty.

I am such a Geek.

 

I borrowed my son's monitor and hooked it up. This is so cool.

Dualing Monitors..................Hulu and WOW. Life is good.

Areogarden Project - Day 6

The oregano has been a little slow in coming up but it's there.



Not too shabby.

I have my rebel back up and working so pics should be a lot better from now on. Camera phones are nice in a pinch but that's about all there good for and My Canon SD is great but its not a rebel.

Aerogarden - Day 5

Aerogarden Experiment - Day 1

I have been reading up on hydroponics the last several weeks. I bought a 55 gallon aquarium 2 weeks ago as a start up project. I have a few fish in it making plant fertilizer; I plan on floating lettuce/leafy greens in the aquarium as soon possible. I borrowed this unit from my mother and I am using left over nutrient she had left over.



The old Aerogarden machine cleaned up easily and it's ready to go.



I did not have the filler for the hydroponics cups and the holes are to big for standard clay or gravel filler.



So I used what was available. A bunch of orchid moss I had left over from my last gardening adventure.



I soaked the moss in tap water. (Note to self use distilled water next time.)



I picked Basil seeds because they are very easily grown in hydroponic systems.



I placed the seeds in the little nest I made.



My Basil is now ready to go.



I also planted Oregano because I love it.....



and an assortment of green leafy veggies for salads. If these grow they will be floating in my aquarium in the very near future.



Everyone is snug in their nice little green houses. I now get to wait and see if anything grows. Wish me luck!

Happy Mother's Day!!

I slept all day and back to work at 7pm. My children cleaned the house and made dinner.
My husband brought home an orphan bunny and a red rat snake. We will keep the bunny but the snake goes back to where he came from. The life of a busy MOM.

Happy Mother's Day to all!!!!!

The 2nd Ammendment..

I am going to skip the 1st amendment for the moment. It is very important but today I felt more inclined to focus on the second amendment. "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." It is more of a topic in my part of the world than anything else right now.

We are not card carrying members of the NRA (National Rifle Association) but my hubby and I both grew up handling and shooting hand guns and rifles. He of course is a lot better at it than I am but it also a part of his livelihood. Rumors have been around for years that the government wants to take away a citizens rights to keep and bare arms. Again it is just rumor and the Constitution is fairly blunt on this subject, however it has not stop law makers from imposing laws and taxes on firearms and who is allowed to legally carry them.

It is a fact we need laws that govern firearms and it is not necessarily the current laws that I have issue with. It is the increase of rumors that threaten gun owners with higher taxes, the talk of making homeowners carry liability insurance for accidental discharge and the banning of ammunition that troubles me. Again these are all mostly rumors but based on current and past legislation in our United States that have touched on all these issues.

I am pro hand gun safety. I have had guns in my before I had children. Our children have grown up shooting and handling guns as soon as they were old enough to hold a gun. Like many children in the U.S. mine too have been desensitized by T.V. and video games but they have a healthy sense of respect and awe when it comes to guns and gun safety. They know the power and understand the damage a firearm can cause and it has made them cautious. Knowledge is the key to gun safety. It worked for me and my parents as I grew up in rural America and it works for me and my children in the Suburbs.

My worry at the moment at least is the price of ammunition. It's not that we can't find ammo to purchase however the price is ridiculous. Peoples fears have them stock piling the stuff. We enjoy target shooting every once in a while but with the price of ammo we can no longer afford it. Shotgun shells are still relatively cheap but even those prices have gone up. Thankfully I can hit the broad side of a barn so I really don't need that much target practice. I like clay shooting but I wont be doing much of that until I get the proper equipment.

My point is that millions of Americans are responsible arms owners. There are a few people who spoil the privilege for every one else by being careless. I however do not blame the vehicle for the accident. It is the driver that is to blame. I am not saying that sometimes there is a mechanical failure but a skilled driver can usually overcome the handicap. I firmly believe that guns do not kill people do. If guns did not exist people would find something else to use as a weapon. I should know I see it almost daily what people will use to harm themselves and others. It is usually not a gun although people in general use the threat of guns very often. In my experience, the most common form of death is old age or disease.

Unfortunately, the only cure for violence would be the dissection of aggression from human nature. I know this sounds cliche but it has always made sense to me. If the government manages to legislate and tax its citizens out of the ability to own arms; the only people who will have guns will be the police/military and the bad guys. I personally do not want to rely on the response time of a police officer when the bad guy is busting down my door.

A nations whose citizens can not protect it self from its government is usually referred to as a military state or a dictatorship.

Just some food for thought.

My husband's latest obsession!!!

Not that I mind. I had a good time and as soon as I get a shotgun I can shoot comfortably, it maybe my new obsession.



My hubby has always been very handy around guns and rifles but he was recently introduced to sport clay shooting and he really likes it.



Our son enjoyed it too and gave his father a run for his money.



I only hit 27 clays out of 100 but I am amazed I hit any at all.



This is a very nice shotgun but it turned my chest and arm into mush. The bruises are just starting to fade. If only it had a shorter stock life would be sweet........