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........

I feel so stupid.

NO pictures today.

I left my camera at home.

The girls and I took a trip to Orlando to visit Universal for the day.

8 hours of fun in the glorious Florida sunshine.

Nice cool balmy spring weather with no rain.

I was really bummed. I left my camera at home.

Digging through my purse guess what I found.

In the little pocket where I always keep it is My Camera.

I had it with me the entire day.

Thankfully, I will carry the memory of the awesome day with me forever.




P.S. My daughter and I had a conversation that made me cry. She will be 18 in 15 months. I had to share this. Let me know if you need tissues.

My Orchids.

 

When we moved into our home more than several years ago, we inherited a house with assorted fruit trees and hanging plants. Due to the age of the trees and a Hurricane, we have lost all our fruit trees. The last of the hanging orchids were gathered and stuck in a corner after our tangerine tree was cut down and hauled away last year. We have no more trees in our back yard to hang them on and somehow they have survived with no help from me.

 

I have nothing but good intentions. The poor things have run amok and there roots are plastered to the sides of their containers.

 

Dead branches from years of old blooms.

 

I gathered my supplies and dig in.



Who needs dirt when you can use wood chips and little styrofoam balls



I pulled out my little OneNote so I could follow the replanting instructions to the letter..... Okay maybe not to the letter but the instructions were helpful.



Eventually I gave up the fight of trying to peel the Orchid gone wild from its plastic home and just hung it back up on the tree. It may live longer than the ones I transplanted.



Here is one of the poor Orchids I transplanted...... Please pray it lives.