Vegetarian

Vegetarian

Let me set the disclaimer first.
I love meat. Hamburger, hot dogs,
chickens, fish, turkey, well you get the idea.

But if the idea of e-coli in the meat keeps
up and if the pump up shots for quick growth,
and the possible side effects on humans
keeps coming.. well, it makes you start to look
at exactly what are you eating. Being most of
us don't raise our own anymore.

So we feed (no pun intended) into the idea that
being a vegetarian is the way to go, what would
happen if we ALL became vegetarians. Worldwide.

First would be the lost of cattle ranches, as I doubt
they would raise them for pets. Same for pig farms,
and chicken farms.

Then there is the feed stores for all of those animals
we are no longer eating, so no longer needed, so don't
need the feed. So down the tubes goes the feed ranches.

Next up is the butchers and slaughter houses. The trucking
companies will see a decline in their need. Fast Foods will
have to down grade their grills and etc.

Next would be the Fish and Game money. As there would
be no need for license and tags for deer, elk, and bears and
the rest. No ducks, turkey, pheasant and other bird hunting.
As there is no way the public is going to let the hunting go
on for just the trophy hunting.

Up next is all the leather products. No jackets, belts, and
all the other things that are made out of animal hides and
other byproducts.

I suppose some ranches could raise cows, pigs, sheep and
etc. for pets or maybe like a zoo of domestic animals. Kind
of a gentlemen's ranching. Would their be retirement ranches
for animals?

And what happens to the fishermen? The whole fishing fleet?
Crab trappers and lobster trappers. And all the little business,
that they support. Marina's and etc.

These are just what is on the top of my head, of the side effects of
everyone becoming a vegetarians. Sorry guys, I have to help
support all these people out of work because of it, so I will
keep buying my hamburg, chicken, and fish. Some one pass
the butter for my lobster.

PIZZA HUT OUTSOURCING CALLS

YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE THIS...
I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT....

My daughter was telling me about one of the gals who
works at the place she works. The gal called Pizza
Hut for a pizza delivery... and it went down hill from there.

She lives 1 and half miles from Pizza Hut. Yet the person
who is on the other end of the phone is FROM OVERSEAS!!!
Yes, I said Pizza Hut call was answered overseas.
She had to spell the name of the street 5 times. It was
Brittany St. The man never heard of it. This took at least
15 minutes, and finally he has it right. Then he tells her
they don't deliver there. She said WHAT? The man repeats,
Pizza Hut doesn't deliver there. He had Googled her address,
and it wasn't there. She told them she lived a mile and half
away and had pizza delivered there before.. Sorry, ma'am,
it isn't on Google. She hung up.

Can you believe that? Do you doubt me? Then check this out.
As I Googled Pizza Hut outsource calls and this came up.
http://boards.kusports.com/printthread.php?Cat=0&Board=smack&main=1255345&type=thread

A loose ends...

The weather is at a lull of sorts.
Some rain, some snow, but not much
of either. That is not a complaint, it is
a fact.

So here we sat off and on thru the
weekend...watching movies and etc.
Feeling like we should be doing more.
Even after church, we would come home
to shovel, or snowblow. Or do the neighbors.
It has gotten to be a way of life. The thing
to do, just another winter day in Idaho.

So here we are, not having to shovel,
the roofs are clear. Which we are grateful.
Even the leak we got from the snow raking is
taken care of.

We just seem off kilter here. Not that there is
anything wrong with that. And I am sure that we
will be at it again in a week or so.

Gardening, lost art?

When I was young, I had to pull duty in
the garden. Pulling my fair share of weeds.
My brother continue the job even after I
left.

Over the years I have had some gardens,
but most of them have been flower gardens.
With veggie gardens sprinkled here and there.
The King is the one who does the veggie garden.

I remember my first year in Idaho, where I built
a green house with the kids help. And started
corn in there, fairly early. By the time it came
safe enough to put them in the garden, they
were almost 2 feet high. They did great. I was
so proud of them, I had my picture taken with
them. Standing so tall, about 2 feet above my
head. And they said you can't bring corn to full
growth in Idaho.. There they were ...tall, green,
and nice size cobs growing on them, not quite
full size yet. The next day after the picture was
taken, I took another. There they stood, kind of.
Yellow, and drooping. It had froze the night before.
And down they went.

When I was a kid there was a place called
Victory Garden. The field stood empty as the
years went by. But in its glory, it was a sight
to behold. In the 1940's the government encouraged
Victory Gardens. Some you did yourself, or as in this
case it was tilled for families. The Vanderbilt's had it.
Yes, Cooper Anderson, grandfather had this for the
public. Now I hear it is a housing project.

In the 1970's I remember community gardens. It would
be a lot that someone would rent out tilled sections to
families. The owner would water it, but the renter had to
do their own weeding. It was mostly for people who had
an apt. and didn't have an area to do gardening.

There are still a lot of people who garden yet, but they
seem to be 30 and older. Will gardening be a lost art?
Will the younger generation take it up? Or will they be
so use to fast food drive thru windows, that they won't
know or want to know how it is grown?

micro wave ovens

Sometimes, microwaves are dangerous to your
health.

Couple years ago, when we got Misty, I got
a stuffed black cat and put it in the microwave.
The point was, her sister who went to someone
else was black. We figured if we put a warm
black soft object in her bed with her, she would
sleep.

I put the black cat in the microwave oven, and
turn away to get a drink of water while it warmed
up. All a sudden I heard crackling, and looked at
the microwave, and saw the cat on fire. I open the
oven, and threw the cat into the sink and sprayed
it with water. Seems the cat's tail had a wire in it.
Cut off tail, snipped burnt parts off and put in the
dryer, which I should have done in the first place.

Then Monday, I was thinking of how to get the
peanut butter out of the jar, as there was only a
little bit left. I had a small piece of fudge left from
the holidays. So of course as a good Reese piece
person, I thought I would throw the fudge in the jar,
and melt the two together. Best laid plans of mice
and men... After 60 seconds in the microwave oven,
well, you see the results... below...
it still tasted good.

Invitation....

I am inviting you to join me at.......
MySpace,
Face space,
Reunion space,
Family space.

These are all nice things, but I am not
a joiner. Never been good at clubs and such.,

Goes back to the Brownie bit. Remember,
I used my Brownie dues for the Penny Store.
I shared my bubble gum with the girls, but
that didn't count. And I got kicked out of Brownies.

Which was a bummer as it was just getting
interesting. We were just learning how to put
a screen over a paper and a leaf. Then take a
toothbrush ...dab it in the ink and brush the
ink back and forth over the paper. Which gave
a neat outline of the leaf on the paper. I never
got to keep mine, as I got kicked out before
they were dry.

So I am not good at joining anything. I tried
a couple times, and it didn't work out.
Even when I started out with the computer,
I joined ICQ (remember that one) and there was
something about being a Buddy and a few others.
I had so many passwords, that I had to write them
down in a book.

So while I appreciate the thought of you asking me
to join you at one site or another... I can only handle
one. My computer must sense this, as every time I
have tried to do Yahoo, it goes thru the motions and
then notifies me it didn't work out and went into error.

I am just not a joiner

A View from the Mind

Pictures in my mind are not on paper.
You know when you are talking to someone
and it brings back a memory. And then
your mind goes to that time, with your
eyes open or closed you can picture
what you saw then.

Do you know what a "Thank You Ma'am is?
As the words roll off my mind, I picture the
Y.M.C. A. in Newport, Rhode Island. It was
used for the Navy. And coming from one side
street toward the other, crossing the main street
of Broadway, pass the Y.M.C.A and down around
the corner. And the words were said was ..
"Thank you, Ma'am."
Do you know why?

When President Eisenhower's name is mention,
my mind goes to a day in the 1957 when he came
to the War College and Newport, R.I. Naval Base.
We had protested our supervisor when he said we
could not take our lunch time, when the President
arrived. Before the time of protesting was common,
we all in unison walked out and stood on the side
of the road that was thru the Naval Base we work on,
and waited. The first view, was the big black car, with
small USA flags flying on each corner of the front of the
car. My mind still sees the grille with the flags flying.

Miami Beach brings the look of standing on white sand.
Ours in R.I. was grey. And looking out to see blue water.
Ours was, well, it wasn't blue like this. It was more green/brown.
And then standing in the water up to my waist and looking
down and seeing my white feet. It was winter. I had left
R.I. to go take care of my grandfather. I left -08 and arrived
in 65 degrees. Which they called cold.

It is a wonderful thing, the brain, that can bring a view to your
mind, with a mere mention of a time. Or bring smells to your
nose, of a particular day.

BUDDY, I HARDLY RECOGNIZED YA...

When all of this stuff was going on in Chicago,
with Blagojevich, I would think back to my old
state of Rhode Island. It wasn't the governor.
But the mayor of Providence.

It was the 1970's and Providence was being Providence.
For those who don't live on the East Coast, R.I. had
a reputation of being the little mafia state. There was
a mafia guy who was always being taken into court.
He would show up in a wheelchair, or even a gurney.
When he finally died, I told my mother they should
have on his stone..."See I told you I was sick".

There was constant newspapers articles of investigations
in to the government programs and kickbacks, with names
like Rocco, and several other nicknames.

But during this time there was one Buddy Cianci Jr.,
mayor of Providence. He was actually in there twice.
There was always stories about his life. Seems he beat
up a guy who he thought was messing with his wife..and
even hit her or something like that.
Buddy was quite a character in all the meaning
of the word.

He WAS Mr. Providence. And in spite of all of his shady
doings, he did do good by Providence. He brought up the
city by its bootstraps and did a fine job of it. It was by all
means, by the time he was ousted and jailed, a city to be
proud of. The hotels, the buildings, the park and the river.
Probably the best city, money could buy.

But today I got my Yankee magazine and there was a short
article on Buddy. Was I ever flabbergasted. Not by what he is
doing. After getting out of prison for racketeering conspiracy,
he is now the of the talk of the town again. He is a radio show
host. A talk show host for Providence. Who better to talk about
the town. And there is going to be a movie about him. Prince of
Providence.

But what surprised me is ... He is old and baldheaded.
See Buddy use to look very much like Blagojevich. You know
the young, full head of wild hair. The cockiness of him.

Boy, Buddy, I hardly recognized you...

Surviving Northern Idaho Winters 101

I would say this is for those who moved here in the
past year or so, but I think you might be getting the
idea of it...but maybe you can use the list for the
next year. It is too late for this year, as most is
out of stock. But you can try.

For those of you out there, thinking of moving
to the great wonderful winter land called North
Idaho, yet only visited during the Spring, Summer,
and Fall or early winter... this is for you.

Upon moving here, there is a few things you will
need to make it thru the winter. So make a copy
of this list. All of these supplies must be bought
as soon as you move into your house or apt. It
does not make any difference if you are renting
or buying.

In your garage, you need the whole wall to have
hangers of different sizes. So go to Home Depot
or the one of your choice, but who has a good supply of
hangers. Those can be large nails, or the big red
hooks, or even the little metal do hickeys that will
hold a handle of a tool. Also get a clip board that
will hold hand tools for you.

Now, what are you going to hang there? Many
things and sizes.
If you get here in the Spring and we still have
snowblowers in the store, buy one now. Because
after October the price goes up. And after November
there may not be any in the stores at all.

Also look for snow rakes. For those from the south.
That is a 20 foot long aluminum handle with a 2 foot
by 6 inch flat sheet of aluminum with braces at the
end of this handle. Google snow rake on internet.

Next is shovels. You will need several of these. Not
just your everyday shovel, but a snow shovel. They come
in several sizes and shapes. Go for a couple light ones.
And one really good metal one. You will need at least
6 of these. They break, sometimes from the heavy snow.
Sometimes because you threw the shovel off of the roof,
and it hit the car and broke.

Also make sure you have good insurance for your
vehicles. Especially for all winter problems. Because
the guy who slides into you, with his 1970 truck probably
doesn't have insurance. Also for flying objects. (see shovel
breakage above).

Next you need a very high ladder. One that makes it to the
roof of your house with room to spare. As you will either
be climbing up on the roof or you will hire someone to do it.
Usually the neighborhood kid, as he is cheaper. Also make
sure you have good homeowners insurance for such worker.
See if you can add yourself to that insurance plan.

If you are buying a house or renting one, chose one that has
large garage doors. Make sure it is wide enough for your car to come
and go, and still park your snowblower next to the car. Without
it getting hit when your wife parks the car inside. You need this
space, so you can go to the garage, open the door (make sure
it is well greased so it doesn't freeze up) and start your snow
blower and head out into your driveway.

So there you go, hangers on the whole wall.
snow blower
snow rake
minimum of 6 shovels of different sizes and weight.
(metal shovels get heavy after the first hour)
several sizes of wrenches and other tools
(for repair of snow blower and repair of snow rake,
if you are not mechanically inclined, put a mechanic
of small tools on retainer so he will be available for you
at all hours or days)
Insurance paid up for the winter...
(homeowners, vehicle, and lawyers)
Lawyers for the time you threaten the plow driver.
And maybe a case of beer or whiskey.
They won't keep you warm, but it may keep you
calmer as you repeat the use of the tools on this list.

Also the best time to gather this list is in the Spring.
As I said it is cheaper at this time. As these are still
left from the over order in February from your local
hardware store, that arrived in April.

If you don't have the luck to be coming in the Spring,
try to gather as much as you can from yard and moving
sales. Moving sales are the best source, as they were
here the year before and just want to get out of here. They
will sell fast.

Worse of it is, if you move here in the Fall, you will
need to be at the store as soon as the fall supplies
start coming in ...usually in August. Ask your local
store dealer when the supplies will be coming in.
Show him your list. He will laugh, but will tell you
to be there as they sell out fast. Especially in November.

Cost for list about $3,000 and up...
Cost for someone to do all this for you, $5,000 and up
depending on how long the winter goes on.

And if you are thinking of leaving in October and returning
at the end of April, the cost is still $5,000 and up to have
someone else do it. Or you will come back in April to a
house that has the roof caved in, the garage door smashed
in from the snow, and water all over from the pipes that froze.

Oh, yea, add plumber in there too, forgot about the frozen
pipe ordeal

Also you need 4 mailboxes to store up, for when the plow
knocks it off the post and smashes it in the snowl

And WELCOME TO NORTHERN IDAHO...
you will love our winter wonder land. (you will wonder
when will it all stop)

THIS IS THAT OR IS IT?

I was watching the Rose Parade and
really enjoyed it... In fact I was surprised
there was not any entertainment injected
between what they call lulls. There weren't
any lulls that I saw... the bands marched right
along, and the floats kept coming... very
enjoyable.

Then in my search to find something not football,
I came across Channel 7 (PBS) with a show about
folk music and Pete Seeger. And was really surprise
to hear that one of my favorite groups of my childhood,
was considered communist. Our family use to sing
On Top of Old Smoky, and Good Night Irene to the top
of our lungs... Never heard mom or dad speak of them
being communist. I barely remember them watching
Joe McCarthy, and Mom thinking he was a nut case.

And who of us did not dance or sing the songs of Seeger
Guthrie, Mommas and Poppas, and alike. I can remember
going to the first Newport Jazz Festival with Louie Armstrong.
They thought the town would be run over by riots and etc.
And then it was shortly after that the Newport Folk Festivals came,
that we watched from our boat. And one of my favorites was Arlo
Guthrie...Alice's Restaurants.

In today's paper ... the Daily Bee, there in the For the Record..there
is a report... now get this.. first I have to tell you, that Samuel's Road
is in the country... but there it is in the Record... a complain of dogs
barking...at (are you ready?) at turkeys. Turkeys can you imagine that,
Turkeys in the country and dogs barking at them.... AT 8:50am.. dogs
barking at 10 to 9 AM...folks... at turkeys in the country... and this person
reported it to the SHERIFF''s office... what the heck did they want the sheriff
to do, chase off the turkeys so the dogs didn't bark? Or chase off the dogs.
Really, I think the sheriff's office has more important calls coming in.

And then there is yesterday's Spokesman Review. A short sideline item.
Woman's grip stops naked intruder... God Bless You, Granny. Another one
for the elderly... You see she is 88 years young. And he is 47 years old.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-odd-naked-intruder,0,915737.story

and for this year we can remember.....

The Original 1944 Lyrics of Woody Guthrie
This land is your land, this land is my land
From California to the New York Island
From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me.
As I went walking that ribbon of highway
I saw above me that endless skyway
I saw below me that golden valley
This land was made for you and me.
from......
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Land_Is_Your_Land#Original_1944_Lyrics

MAY 2009 BRING EVERYTHING WE HOPE IT TO BE