Friday, December 7, 2012

First .... I Apologize

I apologize for taking so long to get back to writing.  The last thing I wrote about was Hurricane Sandy and haven't written since.  I am alive and well the worst thing that happened to us was lose of power for 5 days.  You will not here me complain! Though I do thank God that I shut off the cable a month earlier.  My children didn't complain about having nothing to do they were already getting use to not having TV to watch.  They pulled out some board games and books and kept themselves busy.

 My heart goes out to everyone who lost loved ones!  I donated a half a garage full of stuff to the local Cub Scouts who were collecting good for those who lost everything else.  

We did have some local damage a friend of mine had a tree fall over on her house.  The garage took the brunt of the damage so they only have to get the roof repaired on the house and no one was hurt.  Though no trees fell over on my street this one the next street over was worrisome.


When I walked past it to pick up my car, that I had parked at a friends house, I could smell a gas leak.  Even with the strong breeze that was blowing I could smell it.  I flagged down an officer that was going by and told him the problem and he called it in.

As for the lines for Gas it should never have happened.  If you don't need to be out stay home!  You would not believer the number of people we had come to our store, not to buy anything but just cause they were bored and wanted to get out of the house.

  If you have enough gas to sit around for three hours waiting for gas then you didn't need it in the first place.  I drove to work once that was to help evacuate the reptiles in our store to one that had power.   It was too cold for them in our powerless store and they would have died.  I walked to work every day to feed and clean the rest of the animals.  When the power came back on and I wanted to replace some of the groceries we lost I walked over to the store.  It took me 15 minutes to get there but that is a lot less time then 3 hours waiting on gas.  I never had to fill my tank the whole time because I used hardly any of what I had.

Well that's it!  That was our Hurricane Story.  Lost power and lots of walking!  I wish everyone had been so lucky!

Monday, October 29, 2012

Watch The Trees Dance

The wind is really picking up.  Listening to it howl outside prompted me to get another short video shot.  It's only 40 minutes until the front of the hurricane force winds hit us (according to weather.com



After watching the trees sway so vigorously, it makes me wonder ...Where have the birds and squirrels are hunkered down

Hurricane Sandy First Power Outage For Us

Well we had our first power outage  it lasted about 20 Minutes and already the kids were complaining.  I would say play a game they would say we don't want to.  Play with the dogs ...No that's boring etc...

It's going to be a long couple of days when the power goes out for good.  You would think they would be use to it by now with not having cable and all.  Though I did let them play extra video games today because when the power goes out they will not be able to.

If all else fails and they can't pick something to do.  I'll make them help me clean house till they stop complaining how boring Board Games are and start entertaining themselves!

Hurricane Sandy Continues

Well the wind is picking up and you can here the gusts shaking the windows.  Almost every hour the fire station sirens go off and I find myself hoping its nothing serious...I guess it probably is or why would they call the fire station.


What should be Fall's beauty is being ripped from the trees to litter the ground

As the storm picks up, these bright dressings from the trees will soon clog the storm drains.  The streets will fill with water and then so will my basement.


If I'm lucky the power will stay on and I can vacuum and dump the water into the basement sink.  Lets face it though they are predicting the power not only to go out but to be out for a good long while.  In this case I will have to haul buckets of water up the stairs and dump them into the kitchen sink since the basement drain doesn't work with out it's electric pump to push the water up.

Hurricane Sandy Continued

According to the Weather Channel the worst won't get to us until 6 P.M.  It is suppose to last until Midnight.  Right now we have tropical storm strength winds which looks like this:






Kind of scary to think its going to get worse!

Hurricane Sandy Update

Right now we have some gusty wind and light rain from Hurricane Sandy.  So far not enough to cause the basement to flood.  Knock On Wood!!

Hurricane Sandy Hoarding?

Right now The Hurricane has me feeling like a hoarder.  All the stuff I brought up from the basement to keep it high and dry is stuck in every nook and cranny.  I guess this is a good opportunity to remove the clutter my house.

Fixed my Blogs

Hi all you may have noticed the last couple days my new posts have been showing up but when you click on it you go to a sight called Ping Blogspot.  Some how the scammer of this sight managed to get a code into my software.  The malicious code has been removed and now you can once again access my sight.

 If you have a blogger blog and are having this problem look for this line in your code
  It will be in the body of the code and have ping blogspot in it

Sunday, October 28, 2012

The First Drops

Well I was outside with the dogs ..getting them one more vigorous playtime before the storm hits.  As I sat there watching them play tug of war with a fleece rope, I felt a spattering of water on my arm...  Just a little and probably not the first to have fallen but the first I noticed.  Given the size of the monster baring down upon us its an inconsequential amount the first drops of many many to come.

But there sitting on the back steps with gusts of wind blowing my hair .. I wonder to myself ...Have I done everything I can do to get ready?

I've done all the laundry, the dishes, cleaned everything off the floor in the basement and cleared a path to the sink so I can dump the shop vac.  I've moved the dehumidifiers up onto a counter top so they stay high and dry.  I've fill the camping jugs with water, and filled many many freezer bags with more water.  If the power goes out it will preserve the food a little longer and if necessary give us more water.

I've cleaned up and tied down everything in the back yard.  Moved our little car to higher ground and put our truck at the highest point of our driveway facing forward so that if we have to drive through the flooded street we don't have to back up first.  The first aid kit has been checked and everything that can be charged has been charged including some solar lanterns  which will give us 8 hours of light without killing any batteries.

If I'm lucky the storm drains will stay clear and will drain as they are suppose to but I don't think I'll have that kind of luck.  Since its Fall all those leaves are just waiting to fall into the road and get washed right into the drain.  I got a feeling it's going to be a long night tonight and an even longer day tomorrow.

The Down Side Of No Cable

Well as I have been battening down the hatches I have come upon the down side of no cable.  Hard to get updates on the bad weather.  I have been checking the internet as often as possible but its alot easier to have the TV on and listen to it while you do everything else.  What I'm picking up with the antenna is very disjointed and hard to follow.

If I owned the house I could put up a roof top antenna which is suppose to get better reception but I don't so I can't.  I'll just have to keep listening to the radio which I hate to do.  Normally I listen to Pandora a free music service with NO foul mouthed DJ  spewing whatever filth they feel like spewing.  I was in the car the other day and had the radio on and the DJ's were talking about how some people go over board with their dogs.  But nothing like this one lady.  Sooo I listened on ....MY mistake!  I will not tell you what they said ..you can probably Google it but I like to keep things family friendly around here.  Needless to say it was an after Midnight conversation that was on at 7 O' Clock in the morning with my 15 year old daughter in the back going EWWWWW Mom why would she do that.

Anyway I got off topic ...sometimes Cable TV does have it's advantages!

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Reality Check

To say I have big dreams is probably an understatement!  Some time  my ideas so over reach my financial reality its not even funny.  For Example :  The Source Mall right down the street from us is up for sale.  OH the things I could do with that mall just the way it is no need to demolish it.  I could bring it back to life and fill every store in the place.  But who has 100 million laying around they are not using.  Like I said Big Big Ideas.

Well the other day I was flipping through an old magazine my hubby bought called The New Pioneer.  Its for people who want to be self reliant.

Well hiding in its pages was an ad that I hadn't notice the first few hundred times I had flipped through.  It was a for sale ad in Florida.  The property for sale was The Woodland Springs Wildlife Refuge.  Wondering if it was still available I pulled up the web page and there it was still for sale.  As I viewed the property it literally brought tears to my eyes.  Wouldn't that be the most marvelous place for my hubby to retire to once he got out of the military.  The peace and quiet would be wonderful.  Now how would I afford the 1. 6 million they were asking for it.

Pond #1
Woodland Springs Wildlife Refuge
My mind was running around for days wondering what other bills I could cut to save up for such a jewel.  Then my brain finally had a reality check the stopped my dreaming and no it wasn't the 1.6 million though that is still a toughy.  It was my kids!  Not that this wouldn't be a splendid place for them to finish growing up but what about the schools???  One of the things we do before we move to a new base it check out the schools to see which town has the best school within commuting distance.  When you move alot you want to make sure the schools can meet your children's needs.  Well it turns out that Quincy Florida, where my kids would go to school if we moved there, only got a 4 out of 10 on Great Schools and didn't even rate on Newsday's list.  Given the general needs of both my children there is no way I could see moving them to a school that can't meet both of their needs. 

I do hope this beautiful property goes to someone who appreciates the land for what it has to offer and not some developer who will bulldoze its splendor to the ground.  Good Luck Woodland Springs! 

Monday, October 15, 2012

Multi-Use Monday

Hello All  

It is in the nature of all cheapskates, frugalista, penny pincher, close-fisted misers, and thrifty people of the world know that one of the best ways to save money .. (and the environmentalists who want to save the world) is to find a way to use what you have to solve your many needs.  Dont run out and buying a single use item which wastes money, clutters up your life, and uses up our ever shrinking resources! Instead lets find items that has many uses. Just close your wallet and get creative.  Lets get started shall we...

I'm going to post a Monday Top 10 List of everyday an everyday item used in different ways.  Now many of these items may have lots more then 10 ways to be reused but I'm just going with ten ways I use them to keep it short useful and easy to remember.

Lets start with an Item found in everyone's kitchen ...Good Old Fashion Salt.  Its not just good for seasoning your food it has many other uses.
Here are some ways I use Salt around the house:

1. Soak Your Feet:
         After a long day on my feet nothing feels better then a nice foot soak.  If you have a foot bath then go ahead and use it I just use my bath tub ...It makes clean up easier.  Just take 1/4 cup Salt and 1/4 cup Baking soda and fill the bottom of the tub with very warm water.  Mix well and Soak for 15 minutes.  have your favorite read available to pass the time.  When done just dry off and drain the tub.

2.  Cheap Air Freshener:
      I love this one.  I can't stand the chemical smell of commercial air freshers, they give me a headache.  So I use this idea instead.  I got it from a friend years ago.  Take an Orange and cut it in half, scoop out the guts and give them to the kids for breakfast.  Fill the peel with salt and place it in the room you want freshened.

3.  Chill Wine Quickly:
      When the hubby calls and says chill a bottle of wine I just stick the bottle in a bucket of ice and sprinkle on a half a cup of salt.  Add a little water and let set for 10 - 15 min.  Just like in an ice cream maker the salt helps keep the ice extra cold and speeds up the chilling process.

4.  Put out Grease Fires:
     I always keep the salt close to the stove so if I get a grease flare up I can smother it with salt.

5. Clean up Oven Spills:
  If your food bubbling food overflows onto the floor of the oven just sprinkle some salt on top of it.  When it cools you should be able to wipe it right up.   

6.  Sooth a Sore Throat:  

Dissolve salt in water and gargle to ease your throat pain.


7.  Scouring Away Grime: 
     Salt makes an excellent scouring powder and helps with deodorizing as well.   I use to use it on our bath tub when I had to put the turtle in there to clean the tank so I wouldn't have to worry about harmful chemicals that would make Rex ill.

8.  Clean Sink Drains:
Pour salt mixed with hot water down the kitchen sink regularly to deodorize and keep grease from building up.

9.  Better Peaks From Your Egg Whites:
Add a tiny pinch of salt when beating egg whites or whipping cream for quicker, higher peaks.

10.  Relieve Stings, Bites, and Poison Ivy:
Stung by a bee? Immediately wet the sting and cover with salt. It will lessen the pain and reduce the swelling. Of course, if you are allergic to bee stings, you should get immediate medical attention.
For relief from the itching of mosquito and chigger bites, soak the area in salt water.
When poison ivy erupts, relieve the itching by soaking in hot salt water.



Sunday, October 14, 2012

Day Off Declutterathon

Today is my day off.  I feel like I haven't had one in a while even when I have the day off there is always something to do.  Like today for instance... with all the running around I've been doing I haven't had the chance to give the house a good cleaning.  Yes I've been able to do all the dishes laundry etc... the things you need to keep going, but the vacuuming, dog poo clean up (sorry neighbors) dusting, sorting through the junk mail (yes I know I should do it every time it comes in)  all the other things necessary to make your home comfy gets pushed to the side.

There goes my day off as I wade through the massive piles of "extra" chores that have to be done.

Well I've come up with a plan to help manage the chores that get left behind.  I'm bring back the chore jar only this time it will be populated with all the mini chores that add up to my lost day off.  Today as I"m going around the house I will write down each little chore to add to the chore jar.  I plan on breaking up any big chore into little chores ...trying for 5 to 10 minutes each chore.  Then during the week between running to work, dog walks, and children after school activities, when I have those little moments that aren't  long enough to tackle big jobs the kids and I will grab a little chore and get it done.

So hopefully I can get my days off back and do more
interesting things on the weekend.




Best Easy Day Hikes Long Island


We got this book when we moved to Long Island and haven't done a single one.


I would really like to do some of them before we leave next year. So getting the house clean before my days off is necessary to free up the time to get hiking.  Hopefully I'll be able to share some beautiful pictures with you all next week.

How about you my readers?  How do you find extra time in your schedule to get the things done that you need to do?

Saturday, September 29, 2012

First Weekend With Out Cable

Well I made it through the week with out the TV.  I went to bed early a couple nights, did some extra house cleaning, and kind of wandered around wondering what to do with myself.  Hopefully this will pass as the TV addiction passes out of my system.

I know there are plenty of things to do.  I have shelves of books, hobby stuff I've bought and haven't used yet, videos on learning Sign language that I've wanted to learn, Even stuff to help me learn how to create my own website ( a future dream of mine).

I think the habit of sitting down to watch TV in the evenings has become an ingrained habit that keeps me from focusing on other things which is a shame because there is so much more worth wile things to do with my time.  Well hopefully time will help that too.

I think I'll make up a list of small things to do to help me get started.  Little things that don't take up much time so they won't feel overwhelming but will keep my focus off the TV.  I've always been a list person ...Give me a list and it will get done... Ask me to do things and I will forget to do half of it LOL.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

First Morning With No Cable

Well the first morning with no cable has come and gone and this is how it went.
Sam: Mom there is something wrong with the TV Remote it wont work.

 Mom: I told you it wouldn't.

 Later.. After Billy got up

 Sam: Mom Billy is being a jerk.

 Billy: Mom Samantha Called me Stupid.

Sam:  Did Not
Billy:  Did Too

Ect

Mom:  Shut up and get ready for school.

Peace and quiet for about 2 minutes....

Sam:   MOM Billy is just sitting there.

Billy:  No I'm not I"m eating Breakfast

Sam:  No your not your just watching the fish.

Billy:  That's not True  MOM Samantha is LYING!!!

Mom:  Shut Up and Get Ready For School...AND No More Talking To Each Other!

Sam whispering:  jerk

Billy whispering:  nuh uh your the jerk

MOM:  I SAID... SHUT UP AND GET READY FOR SCHOOL.  I SWEAR I BROUGHT YOU INTO THIS WORLD I CAN TAKE YOU OUT!!! (yes I started channeling Bill Cosby there for a bit)

Sam out the door and ready for school.

AHHH peace and Quiet .....

Billy:  MOM I'm ready for school and have nothing to do.....



Monday, September 24, 2012

ARE YOU FRICKIN KIDDING ME

It's not even October yet...

No More

Today I did something that the kids are going to hate and I will probably Hate at first too.  But I think it will make our lives better in the long run.



I've disconnected the cable.

  Yep its all gone.

After weeks of flipping channels and finding NOTHING worth watching.

I've called the cable company and told them to shut it down.


Dont get me wrong there are a few shows I think are wonderful.  I"m a Hard Core Doctor Who.  I loved BBC America until they started running old American shows.  If I watched them on American channels why would I tune into BBC America to watch them again...I'm just saying...

Anyway ... I'm not a big reality TV fan all they show is greedy self centered people, drunk people acting stupid, or rude arrogant people going out of their way to crush the dreams and hopes of others all in the name of the all mighty ratings.  The tv shows they do bother to create all seem to go out of their way to out vulgar each other or show such horrible acts that it can give a sane person nightmares.  The worst of it all is the commercials.  The TV shows have ratings  (sort of)  but the commercials can be shown anywhere.  Imagine sitting down to a kid friendly show and have a commercial for  House at the End of The Street or Resident Evil pop up.  Been there done that!  Not to mention the ads directed at our Children.  How many times do I have to watch Toucan Sam and his Nephews assault and steal Fruit Loops from others.  What we are trying to teach our kids that if you REALLY REALLY want something GO AHEAD and take it from someone else!

Well you know the saying:  If you Don't like it Don't watch it!

  
SO I'M NOT GOING TO WATCH ANYMORE!



I'm keeping the internet and that's it.  My Bill is going from $179 to $54.  Sorry Doctor your not worth $125 a month and with the money I save I can just buy the series when it comes out on DVD.  Better yet I just watch it on Netflix and keep the house clear of extra clutter.  Humm I should add that into my costs  ... lets see Netflix is 9.99 a month so 63.99 a month ...NOPE still come out ahead without cable.

It's going to be rather interesting to see how things go now that its gone. I may get a set of rabbit ears to get the local channels ... do they still use those?  It would probably be a good idea so I can keep an eye on the local news and weather.  But no more zombie kids and more time to get where I want to be seems like a definite plus.

What do you think?  Have you cut the cord ..so to speak?  Have you considered getting rid of cable?  If you have gotten rid of cable how has it effected your life?

Just wondering...

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

: Shell begins offshore drilling in the Alaskan Arctic

Take an austere location with extreme weather add a short dead line then Get ready for the Next Big Environmental Disaster:

: Shell begins offshore drilling in the Alaskan Arctic

With the approval of the Obama Administration, Royal Dutch Shell began drilling into the ocean floor of the Chukchi Sea off the coast of Alaska yesterday morning.  The controversial operation, which has been vehemently opposed by environmental and Native groups, Will likely only last a few weeks this year until the Arctic winter sets in.  The U.S. government has said that Shell much complete operations by September 24th, however the oil giant has asked for an extension.

Read the rest at ENN.com

Monday, September 10, 2012

My Dad's 70'th Birthday

Ok Need a good reason to start saving up money. How about so you never have to miss moments like this ...




I didn't get a video of myself but I did take the leap too. So did the kiddies...


So if you ever need a reason to tell a co-worker No thanks I brought my lunch Well this is a good one.

Monday, September 3, 2012

Beware Post Disaster Scammers

There will always be those in need of help in some form or another.  There will also be those who prey on the generosity of those wanting to help.  These rather nasty people will send you e-mails, call you, send you letters they may even bug you on the street.  All looking for a way to jiggle your conscious into parting with your cash.

Don't Fall For It

I'm not saying don't be generous and help others in need I"m saying do it they right way.  There are plenty of legitimate organizations set up to help get donations to those who need them.  So if some unknown person starts begging you for cash to help the victims of which ever current natural disaster hits all you have to say is:     
 I already gave to the : 

or

There are many other legitimate organizations to help move donations to where you want them to go.  IF you are not sure about the charity you are thinking of donating to then go check out the


They have a very comprehensive list of honest charities looking to help others.    So be as generous as you want and keep the scammers out of your wallet.  

Good luck to all those people in Louisiana! 

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Come Hell or High Water

 Well I've had the high water I guess I better start praying so I don't get the Hell!

Steps under water

Who's bright idea was it to try and drive through the river?

My new indoor water fall

The flood water is rising! 
 Thanks Long Island Railroad... Your clear cutting of the trees across the street and leaving the debris behind has left us with twice the noise and a lovely river when it rains.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

A Long Walk

I was feeling very restless last night.  It was horrible... nothing seemed appealing.  The Television was filled with crap I didn't want to watch, I wasn't in the mood for video games, I have plenty of good books but didn't feel like reading them.  I even took a look at what was in the movies and nothing was there that couldn't wait till it came out on video... Sorry Batman I'll wait!

Finally the restlessness got to be too much and I had to do something so I took the dog for a walk.

 I have to tell you it was the best choice ever! 


The temperature outside was perfect and the humidity was low and a light breeze kept the mosquitoes at bay.  The neighborhood was so quiet you might think there was no one left if not for the occasional train going by.   It was a wonderful time to think about nothing or anything.  Even the squirrels were laying low so Cricket just padded along beside me.  It was one of those moments when everything seemed at peace ...though I know that its not... it was a very restful moment. 

When I got home I found something on TV that was worth time to watch.  It was a sneek peek of a show coming out in September Called Farm Kings.  About a family of brothers taking on the life of farmers together.  Now I am a true hater when it comes to reality TV.  I think it is dehumanizing as people try to out asshole each other...excuse my language.  But this is a show about family coming together and I think that is something that is sorely missing from America today.  The ability of a family to pull together and work toward making everyones life better. 
 Here is an even smaller sneek peek from Youtube. 


Come September I'll be watching I hope you will to.  This is a show that should be number 1 on the Neilson rating.  I know it won't be cause it will hopefully be a show that shows what a family should be, not how much hurt someone can pour on one another. NO fashion diva's who treat others like SHIT,  No pick on out of 20 to a relationship that will never work, no Judges crushing the dreams of hopeful people.  Just a Hard working family sticking together.



Sunday, July 29, 2012

Just A Little Bit Lucky

Ok I probably should be knocking on wood right now ... but if you've been watching the weather you've seen that Long Island has been getting knocked around a bit.  Here in this little nook we call Carle Place we have just been geting the rain and lighting.  The worst of it seems to have been going around us.  Plenty of water for my container garden ...no trees knocked down on my front lawn. 

I hope that all who have been affected by this bad weather gets the help they need as soon as possible. 

This has been one crazy year so far with the weather.  I probably could have started my container garden in January.  I'm starting to get so many tomatoes I might have to pull out the canning equipment.  I haven't used them in years and years.  So long that I may have to read up on them again.  Good thing the libaray is not too far away!

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Vegetable Container Garden

Check out my First Harvest of the Year

First tasty bounty from my container garden

Which lead to the most beautiful salad every.  Why do I think it's the most beautiful salad ever? 

Thats easy Everthing in this salad I grew myself!

Release The "Hounds"

In This case the "hounds" are 400 aphid eating machines we know and love as Ladybugs.

 







Hopefully they will stick around long enough to consume any and all pesky bugs then spread out and do the same for my neighbors gardens.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Save Time Money and Eat Healthy

Its a lovely Sunday Morning and time for me to work my money saving magic. This little trick also saves time and help you eat healthier. What you need. A large pot of boiling water, Steel cut oatmeal and a very lightly greased bread pan. Cook a large batch of steel cut oatmeal according to the directions. I cook enough for 8 servings. After dishing yourself out a portion place the rest in the bread pan. Cover it and place in the fridge. Enjoy your oatmeal any way you wish. I like a dash of brown sugar and frozen berries. The frozen berries cool off the hot hot oatmeal while the hot hot oatmeal thaws the tasty berries. Tommorow pullout your bread pan and slice off a protion of the oatmeal for breakfast once again topping however you wish. If you want you can even flavor it before you put it in the bread pan to save more time but then you have to have the same flavor all week.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Vegetable Container Garden

Skip the flower garden and grow vegetables. You will get just as many lovely blooms then you will get tasty vegetables. Don't believe me ... let me show you.





Wednesday, June 20, 2012

A Penny Saved is Not Always a Penny Earned

Take for example the new purchase one of my co-workers made for work.  We needed new sponges and I had requested a certain type.  She came back with these...

She said I know these are not the ones you wanted but they were THREE FOR A DOLLAR!  So I couldn't pass them up!

Three days later....
The scrubbing part of the sponge is worn down and useless. 

The sponge (not real sponge and doesn't absorb and hold liquids) is already falling apart.


This is what is left of the type I requested.  This is after a year of use.  The sponge part has fallen away after tons of hard use but the scrubbing part still carries on the fight against grime.

You can get a two pack of these for a couple bucks more then what she paid for the three pack and will get much more use out of them.

When making a purchase for anything you need you need to keep in mind quality as well as cost and find the balance between the two.  Just because it's cheap doesn't mean you will get your moneys worth. 

Monday, June 18, 2012

Computer Overhaul

My Hubby has been disassembling and reassembling our computers.  Not one to throw things out ... we now have 4 computers up and running on two screens.  Over the years we have had a number of computers and they have been sitting in our basement. Over the last few weeks the Hubby has been taking out the useful parts and using them to upgrade other computers to help them run better. Each computer has a different use.

Our newest one (a never been used tower that was on clearance) will be used for financial  uses and will only be connected to the internet when needed.  The hope being this will help secure our cyber money info. 
\
The Second (this one) is for my blogging and the kids school work.

The third is for internet surffing only.  This will help keep our computers safe from hackers trojans and other malevolent attacks conducted daily against good people.

The last and the oldest computer is to be used for some of the older software the kids have that they still enjoy.  Stuff that is too old to use on the newer computers but still useable.

Reusing our older computers this way will hopefully save us money by helping to secure our private information and give longer live to games the kids like to play which will help us spend less money spent on entertainment.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

HOLY CRAP





I have been in the biggest funk lately... I haven't felt like doing much.  It has been a deep funk coming from many places.  I have to spend another year here in Long Island,  Land of the self centered drivers.  The slow rate at which my little container garden is growing ... while others seem to be popping up at miraculous speeds.  My lovely children growing up and away every day.  On and on.

Now I try very hard to look on the bright side.  I really do have a pretty good life.  My kids are healthy,  I have a roof over my head, part time job that I enjoy and a hubby I love.

But once in a while .... every once in a while the blues descend ...putting me in a deep lethargy that is hard to shake.

Well this weekend I discovered the secret to defeating the blues.  Not the only way but it certainly worked for me.

This Sunday on a routine drive to Grandma's house ...somehow or another I missed a turn. Because my new GPS doesn't use the "RECACULATING" statement (it doesn't say anything at all when you miss a turn)  I didn't realize I had missed it until I saw a sign that said MID TOWN TUNNEL.

  This was a major HOLY CRAP moment for my because hate ...no ... DESPISE driving in city traffic!  I grew up in Colorado in a small town there is no such thing as a traffic jam. 

Since I missed my usual turn my GPS was sending me to the Lincoln Tunnel.  Through the whole drive All I thought was Crap crap crap... Stop Cutting me OFF .... Crap Crap Crap!

Now my daughter was in the car with me and what she heard was..

LOOK SAM THERE'S THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING


Photo borrowed from Why the Empire State Building is Awesome.  I did NOT take a picture while I was driving.


I don't want my daughter to have my phobias so I try really hard to keep them inside so she can form her own opinions of life.  So despite my desire to pull over have a good cry and call the hubby to come and get us.  I kept going!


When I finally reached the Lincoln Tunnel I was so relieved ...  THEN the GPS DIED.  No I'm not talking about a lost signal... my GPS is pretty good about that when you lose the signal it pops up with turn by turn instructions to keep you going until you get a signal again.  I'm talking completely dead screen.  Nothing Nada Nix Zero Zilch...

I really really did want to cry then.   Lucky for my when I got out the other side of the tunnel I was the sign for the New Jersey Turnpike and having lived in New Jersey I knew how to get to Grandma's house from the Turnpike.  

Despite how I was feeling ... I was actually very luck .. The amount of traffic I had to deal with was really very lite for NYC and I got in and out of the tunnel with no traffic jam.

At the end of this harrowing experience I felt ELATED... really I had faced one of my worse fears and came out without a scratch.  How can you feel blue after THAT! 


Maybe next time I"m feeling down in the dumps I'll try and take on my fear of Spiders.

 



Ummmm.... Maybe NOT 

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Back Pains Gardens and Jealousy

BACK PAINS

Well it's been a little too long since my last post.  I've been in a rather large amount of pain ... and of course its my own stupid fault.  A couple weeks ago we to a little weekend trip up to the Herkimer diamond mines.  Nope not really diamond ya have to go to Arkansas if you want to mine those.  These "diamonds" are double-terminated quartz crystals that you can go looking for.  I of course convinced myself that I was in better shape then I was went about breaking open the small boulders looking inside for the diamonds with a 10 lbs sledgehammer.  Of course I'm in no shape to go throwing around such a tool but there I was pounding away like a happy fool. 



 Fool being the operative word, as I have spent the last two weeks with a sore back.  It's finally working its was back to normal, and it was fun but next time I'll stick to the little hammers.  



If you decide to visit there are some things you should know. Ignore the hyped up video on the web site cause unless they are seeding the ground it is very hard to find them just lying around.  There are rocks everywhere and finding those little pieces of quartz among them is going to take some moving and shaking to find them.  





 

Other wise if hammering away at rocks.  Forget about finding them in the rock face those have been picked clean by the pro's who spend weeks on end there finding the pockets.  Lastly of the two we visited the The Ace Of Diamonds will give you a better chance of finding them then the KOA Campground.  The Ace of Diamonds takes part of the hill side and leaves the multi-sized boulders in big patches for the regular person to go to town on.  The cliff face is still left to the pros who have tons of time on their hands but the piles are stripped off the same place leaving you with plenty of places to find small pockets.  Make sure you look for the ones with lots of little holes on the surface.  They are the most likely to have bigger pockets.


GARDENING

I've finally gotten around to cleaning out the containers, mixing the soil and replanting them.  I've pulled my first batch of fresh compost out of the bin and used the compost tea in the bottom to add some nutrients to the plants that are a part of the permanent landscape here.

 
Fresh Compost



 
Mixing the compost with the old soil from the containers

We took all the old potting soil out of the containers and mixed them with the new compost to add back precious nutrients that last years vegetables took from the soil.  Then fill the containers again.
First Plant popping through
 I started some seedlings a few weeks prior and this is the first one we planted.  It's  pumpkin plant.  I haven't had much luck with them but my son loves them so I keep trying.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST


 FLAMING HOT JEALOUSY

One of the the blogs I read on a regular basis is called Cold Antler Farm.  I was introduced to this blog by a book called Made from Scratch.  I picked up this book from the local library as I was looking for a good book on making more food from scratch.  Well it wasn't really what I expect but I found it to be a wonderful informative book about the author,  Jenna Woginrich, and the beginning of her journey into farming.  After reading her book I found the link to her blog and have been hooked every since.  She tells of her own personal joys and trials as she figures out how to do what she truly wants to do.  

So you might ask where does the Flaming Hot Jealousy come from?  Well on the 17 of May Jenna announced  her next step in self sufficiency.  She is leaving her office job and working her farm full time.  That is where the Jealousy comes from.  I would love to have a little farm of my own but can only do my little container garden until the time my hubby finally retires from the Air Force.  You can't have a farm and animals that depend on you if you have to move every two years.  So I will have to sit here reading about it and tending my little containers until the time comes to settle down.
 

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

First An Apology



Dear Lucky Lady I'm sorry it took so long to send you your prize.  I'm glad to see you got it and it's already in use.  I meant to send you the nectar recipe too but forgot to pack it in the box.  Its very simple... 1 part sugar to 4 parts water.  No artificial color needed.  Thanks for posting the picture and for those who haven't been to Lucky Lady's blog here is the picture of her prize in use.


Isn't she just the cutest little thing you've ever seen?

Second an apology to all my reader for not posting sooner.  I had to make a trip down to North Carolina and have been rather exhausted since.  More emotionally the physically.  We took a weekend camping and now I'm feeling loads better.  Its amazing what a little peace and quiet will do for you.

Now if I can just get the hang of this horrible new format that blogger has decided to install.  Its so barren and boring looking and I have to spend so much time searching for everything.  Oh well that's life huh?  I suppose I'll get use to it eventually.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Happy I'm A FOOL Day .... And the Winner is.....

Happy I'm A  Fools day Everyone.


  (Get it ... It's April first .... I'm April )

Any way... The winner of the Humming Bird Feeder is

Drum Roll Please



She runs a lovely picture blog so hopefully she will have plenty of wonderful humming bird pictures to share with us.  Congrats Lucky Lady!

Friday, March 30, 2012

Just Two More Days

April 1st is right around the corner.  If you haven't entered for the Humming bird feeder now is the time.  It couldn't be easier.

1 Follow
2 Comment
3 Spread the word

It's that simple.

If your wondering if you have humming birds in your area.  I looked up range maps for the little hummers and between the Ruby Throat and the Black chinned they pretty much have the U.S. covered.

By the way if your buying that store humming bird food STOP!  Those poor birds don't need that crappy artificial red dye you will find in the stuff in the store.  As long as your feeder has little red flowers the birds will come.  Use this recipe and drop the dye and expensive cost of store bought sugar water.

1.  Boil 4 cups water  Add 1 Cup sugar   Stir Until dissolved.  Let cool then fill feeder.  Enjoy watching Humming Birds

Monday, March 26, 2012

More Of Springs Beauty






Hope you enjoy them, and don't forget to enter for the humming bird feeder Click HERE to see how!

Friday, March 23, 2012

Fun Humming Bird Fact

Since I'm giving away a humming bird feeder I figured I'd let you in on some humming bird facts.

1.  Hummingbird are the smallest bird and also the smallest of all animals that have a backbone.
2.  Hummingbirds have no sense of smell
3.  Hummingbirds can rotate their wings in a circle which makes them they the only birds that can fly forwards, backwards, up, down ,sideways and  hover in mid air.
4.  To conserve energy while they sleep or when food is scarce, they can go into a hibernation-like state (torpor) where their metabolic rate is slowed to !/15th of its normal rate.
5.  During migration, some hummingbirds make a non-stop 500 mile flight over the Gulf of Mexico.
6.  During courtship dives a hummingbird can reach speeds up to 60 miles per hour and can average speeds of 20 to 30 miles per hour.

7.  Hummingbirds are the second largest family of birds with 343 species.
8.  Hummingbirds can beat their wings up to 80 times a second during normal flight and up to 200 times per second during a courtship dive.
9.  Hummingbirds have a heart rate that can reach up to 1,260 beats per minute.
10.  Percentage wise, the hummingbird has the largest brain of all birds (4.2% of its total body weight).
11.  Hummingbirds have very weak feet and use them mainly just for perching.
Google