tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49064853345669205972024-03-05T06:41:58.426-07:00Blah, blah, mirth, blahMirthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02036224287445141051noreply@blogger.comBlogger579125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906485334566920597.post-57431659363354081482014-09-08T10:51:00.001-07:002014-09-08T10:51:46.363-07:00Hello?I can't believe it's been so long since I've been on here. Where has the time gone? More importantly, what have I been doing with that time? I think this might have to be an catchup post at this point...<br />
<br />
In the new house, the biggest thing is I'm supposed to be painting the complete interior. That I've hit a wall and not picked up a brush in a month is a little depressing but I'll get back on it. Eventually. Actually, I need to get on it sooner than later since my finishing the painting is the only thing stopping us from getting new flooring. After I spent eighteen months removing the grout from the tile a few feet at a time (and never did get it completely done), Mister C decided that we should just go ahead and get new tile instead of re-grouting. Let it be noted that I originally wanted new tile but <i>someone</i> (ahem) said it would be better just to replace the grout. If that someone had agreed with me up front, and then told me I needed to paint everything first, we would have been sitting here with new tile and fresh paint for the past year. But whatever. I'll get it done. <br />
<br />
Outside the house, the chickens are starting to produce again after a long, hot summer. After losing eight of them last year on the hottest day of the summer, we got ten new chicks, five production reds and five barred rocks. One of the barred rocks turned out to be our rooster, Darth. They started producing in about February, but then slowed way down as soon as it heated up. Yesterday I finally got a dozen eggs (out of 18 hens), which was the most I've seen in months. Hopefully now that the monsoon is here and it's cooling off, this will become the norm. Unfortunately along with the monsoon comes the rains. I lost one of my girls last night with the torrential downpours. She was older and always roosted on the floor. The floor got flooded with six inches of water and she drowned. She was one of the last two original hens I had. <br />
<br />
As far as real estate, not a whole lot going on there right now. I sold two homes in April and that's pretty much been it. I'm still staying licensed and keeping an eye on the market. <br />
<br />
The herd has expanded by two dogs, one of them unintentional, and been downsized by two fish tanks. I'll have to come back another day to introduce the two newest members of the crew. Suffice it to say they fit in rather well with the crazy that is our home. Mirthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02036224287445141051noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906485334566920597.post-5292704079744943032013-05-23T19:43:00.002-07:002013-05-23T19:44:36.725-07:00It's been way too long since I posted anything...this Craigslist ad I wrote is the most I've done in months. Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>About a month ago my husband told me he was planning on going to an
auction with a few of his buddies. I figure that's a pretty safe place
for him to hang out for a Saturday, I mean how much money could he
actually waste there, right? The day arrives, his friends show up and
they all pile into his pickup truck and head out to the auction.
Woo-hoo! A few hours to catch up on some housework (lol!) or read a
book, whichever. <br />
<br />
Several hours later finds me out in the yard watering my trees when the
hubby pops out the back door and lures me in with his excited "Come see
what I bought for you!" What could it be? Did he find me a beautiful,
1940s waterfall bedroom set for some amazingly low price? Maybe he
bought me some cool fish tank stand so I can expand my aquatic hobby.
The excitement is simply overwhelming, so I rush inside to see what he
found.<br />
<br />
Well, my hopes were dashed upon entering my kitchen to find my beaming
husband standing behind a vacuum cleaner. An old, used and very
chrome-y looking vacuum cleaner. Um, thanks? But I'm not a complete
meany so I say "Oh, it's a vacuum cleaner. Okay, is it better than the
one I already own?" And my overly proud of his purchase husband begins
to extol me on the virtues of this amazing machine. <br />
<br />
This, he informs me, is a KIRBY!!! vacuum cleaner. The very best of the
best of vacuum cleaners. Why, all the women whose homes he has admired
for many years use KIRBY!!! vacuum cleaners. Nothing less will do.
And look at all the attachments, he says. There are some that we'll
probably never even figure out what they're for, but certainly they are
very important to have. AND, it has extra bags! So we don't even have
to worry about buying new bags for a long time ("longer still because my
wife rarely vacuums" was thankfully left out). He briefly mentions the
shampoo attachment (for when the idiot cats throw-up, again!) and then,
he pulls out an attachment and with a reverence usually reserved for
vintage whiskey or especially beautiful revolvers, he intones "And this
brush...this brush is so you can clean the blinds!"<br />
<br />
I'm duly impressed with his sales spiel, but he's not done yet.
Because, like any good vacuum cleaner salesman would do, he insists on
showing me how it works. As an aside, I've been around vacuums for a
very long time and am fairly well versed in how they work. Evidently
hubby has forgotten this and I hate to ruin his moment in the sun so I
go along with him. It should be noted that by this time, our twelve
year old son has joined us to watch this new wonder do it's magic.<br />
<br />
My husband carefully adds the attachment to the long hose and plugs the
machine in. He wheels the whole thing over to the blinds on the back
door, looks at me with a smile and says "Watch this!" Hitting the "on"
switch, the KIRBY!!! comes to life with a "RAWR!" of power. You can
feel the surge of adrenaline pulsing through it's chrome-y parts. The
cats scatter to the far corners of the house and the dogs look on it
with horror. It is an animal. It is power, and virility and beauty all
wrapped up into one amazing machine. And then...our son says "what's
that smell?" <br />
<br />
Hubby continues to run the brush over the blinds only looking over his
shoulder long enough to say "That's raw power son" before going back to
obliterating the dust from the slats. I have to say that the speed with
which that dust was sucked into the KIRBY!!! was a sight to behold. It
never stood a chance. About four slats in, our son again says "what's
that smell?" and I realize that I am starting to smell something as
well. Something...burny...electrically...electrically burny...and then
Hubby smells it too. He turns around and looks down at his amazing
machine and says "OMG! It's on fire!" And I dumbly reply "What is?"
My husband's eyes get huge and he shouts "The vacuum cleaner is on fire!
OMG! It's on fire! Holy sh!!!t! Unplug it!"<br />
<br />
I dutifully unplug the raging monster and my heroic husband picks the
flaming beast up in one massive fist and carries it outside. Upon being
released from the source of fuel, this cousin of the Kraken (land
version) loses steam and puts itself out. The stench of it's fury
permeates my house and now, my back patio as well. The neighbors may or
may not now believe they live next door to a long time sailor. Our son
stands transfixed on the patio, staring at his father in what I can
only assume is awe at his heroic acts.<br />
<br />
Once the emergency is over, our hero stands in defeat, looking at his
beloved KIRBY!!!, still slightly smoking at his feet. Lifting his eyes
to mine, he says sadly "I guess I'll have to throw it away...I'm sorry
your gift sucked." It breaks my heart to see him so destroyed. He
wanted to badly to bring me this wonderful machine that he knew would
make me the happiest woman in the world. So I tell him that he
shouldn't throw it away. It's too GOOD to throw away. I mean, it's a
KIRBY!!! for goodness sakes! They don't get thrown away! I promise him
I will salvage the parts and sell them to the good people of
Craigslist. People who appreciate what a wonder a KIRBY!!! is, people
who will want it's parts to replace the ones on their own KIRBYs!!! Not
because they broke obviously (because KIRBYs!!! don't break), but
because sometimes the parts on their own KIRBYs!!! can just no longer
stand up to the raw power of the machine.<br />
<br />
So, with all of that in mind, I'm offering the remains, no, the
strongest parts, of my husband's loving gift to me. I'm asking $30
(obo) for everything you see in the foreground of the first picture.
For you highly technical folks, that doesn't include the background
items, desk, empty box, carpeting or any animals that may have slipped
into the shot (well, the cats might be negotiable) Cash only and you
must pick up.</i></b></span>Mirthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02036224287445141051noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906485334566920597.post-77889501426340830832012-12-18T06:36:00.000-07:002012-12-18T06:42:53.457-07:00Don't Tread On MeThis is a guest post, written by my husband...<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 9;"> </span>17
December 2012</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Family, friends, and fellow
Americans, there is no doubt the shootings of the last week in Oregon and
Connecticut are horrific and evil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
are a national tragedy and a wound to our nation that will be slow to heal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For some, no healing will ever be
possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have the most profound
sympathy for these who have suffered the greatest loss of all, their husbands,
wives, children, and parents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pray for
them and their families.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Certainly we
all would do something to bring them back if we could!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Some of you will not like what I
write here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean no disrespect nor do
I wish to minimize the events that have occurred for any of the victims
involved but we must be thoughtful and deliberate when we start talking about
taking rights from all current and future generations of Americans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over the last 250 years, many patriots and
veterans paid the ultimate price for us, the average citizens, who have done
little or nothing to earn our precious freedom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We must honor those who won those freedoms for us by not just giving
them away in an emotional moment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">There is much talk in the media and
among the politicians about the weapons involved and the relevance of the 2<sup>nd</sup>
Amendment to the Constitution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For those
who have not recently read their personal copy of the Constitution, the 2<sup>nd</sup>
Amendment states:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“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”.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Those commas are in odd places but
that is how the amendment was written.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">If you do not have your own copy of
the Constitution, please let me know and I will make sure you get one as
quickly as I can get it for you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am not
kidding about this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All Americans should
have their own copy and know what it says. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">With all the news hype and political
rhetoric going on, it is easy for normally rational people to become
emotional.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We feel anger, sorrow, and
grief.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We feel that something must be
done to right this terrible wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If only
it were that easy?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">First of all, let’s get one thing out
in the open right away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>AUTOMATIC
WEAPONS ARE CURRENTLY ILLEGAL and have been since the 1934 National Firearms
Act.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one used an “automatic” weapon
in any attack anyone is talking about on TV right now.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">We must be aware that we are not
getting the whole story on these matters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There is a longstanding position of the “left” to desire the removal of
many if not all firearms from the possession of the people who legally have
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today, these tragedies are being
used as tools to manipulate us into making that irrational decision.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What! How could I level such an accusation?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, simply put, there are two facts that
seem to be ignored when all the dramatic reporting is going on about these events.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First, with respect to the mall shooting in
Oregon, here is a little reported fact, quoted from: </span><a href="http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/crime/item/13946-china-school-knife-massacre-why-no-media-coverage"><span style="color: #386eff; font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/crime/item/13946-china-school-knife-massacre-why-no-media-coverage</span></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I strongly suggest you read the whole
article)</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Also largely unreported by the
national press was a would-be massacre stopped in a Portland-area mall by an
armed citizen with a concealed-carry permit. 22-year-old Nick Meli was carrying
his Glock 22 at the Clackamas Town Center, a mall in a town outside of
Portland, Oregon, on the same day as the Newtown massacre. The contrast between
the unarmed victims in Newtown and the Clackamas shooting was stark. Meli,
seeing suspect 22-year-old Jacob Tyler Roberts shooting random shoppers with
his AR-15, pulled his gun as Roberts' gun jammed. Meli never even had to fire
his gun to stop the shooting spree, which ended in the death of two innocents
and the shooter himself. Meli held his fire because of the risk of shooting an
innocent person. "As I was going down to pull, I saw someone in the back
of the Charlotte move, and I knew if I fired and missed, I could hit them,"
Meli </span></i></b><a href="http://www.kgw.com/news/Clackamas-man-armed-confronts-mall-shooter-183593571.html"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #ac0007; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">told </span></i></b></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">the local television station. “I know
that after he saw me, I think that the last shot he fired was the one he
used on himself.” </span></i></b><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">(Thanks Bill for showing me this)</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Do you hear NBC or the President
talking about this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hell no!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are being manipulated people…wake up!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Secondly, there has been much talk
about the assault weapons in the school shooting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What could have been done?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well in fact, in 2011/2012, the Obama
administration purposefully cut about $1 Billion (with a B) dollars from the
federal budget that was targeted toward school safety. </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Government officials told the <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Washington Guardian</span> on Friday night
that two Justice Department programs that had provided more than $200 million
to schools for training, security equipment and police resources over the last
decade weren't renewed in 2011 and 2012, and that a separate program that
provided $800 million to put police officers inside the schools was ended a few
years earlier.</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></i><a href="http://www.washingtonguardian.com/washingtons-school-security-failure"><span style="color: #386eff; font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">http://www.washingtonguardian.com/washingtons-school-security-failure</span></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> (thanks Matt for
pointing this out!)</span></div>
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Uh oh, I bet that little tidbit plays poorly if the mainstream gets ahold of
it!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">What would Jefferson say about these
gun free school zones?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good news, he
actually made a relevant statement:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><b><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">"</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Laws that forbid the
carrying of arms...disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to
commit crimes...Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for
the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for
an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man."</span></b><span style="color: #000087; font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">-Thomas
Jefferson, quoting Cesare Beccaria.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">In other words, by
declaring gun free zones, we have simply told the criminals where they will
find the easiest targets.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">If only there was a law that would
prevent the shooter from obtaining the weapons to commit such a crime?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Utopia right?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Well guess what, the young man who
did this shooting in Connecticut was in violation of numerous laws.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s review a few of them:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">He was under 21 and thus not a lawful possessor of a handgun</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">He murdered his own mother in cold blood</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">He took these weapons to a “gun free school zone” in violation of EXISTING
federal law</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">He murdered 27 innocent men, women, and children. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I ask you, what additional law would
have prevented this massacre?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How about
a gun ban you say?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ok maybe, but then my
memories revert to the April 1995 and the Federal Building in Oklahoma City where
Terry Nichols and Timothy McVeigh used a rented moving truck and a bunch of
fertilizer to blow up the Federal building killing 168 including 19
children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was there any action taken
outlawing moving trucks or fertilizer?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Would such action have been prudent?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">For those of you who know me, I am a
data driven person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like to look at
facts and figures to help me make decisions with some sense of certainty and
wisdom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lets look at some data.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Starting with the Columbine High School
tragedy of April 20, 1999, there have been 31 “mass shootings”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Certainly 1 is too many but we must look at
them to understand what we are talking about here.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">April 20, 1999 – Columbine High School – 13 Killed, 21 Injured</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">July 19, 1999 – Atlanta Day Trading Firm – 12 Killed</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">September 15, 1999 – Wedgewood Baptist Church – 7 Killed, 7 Injured</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">December 26, 2000 – Edgewater Technologies – 7 Killed</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">July 8, 2003 – Lockheed Martin Plant in Meridian MS – 7 Killed, 7 Injured</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">March 12, 2005 – Living Church of God Shooting – 9 Killed, 4 Injured</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">March 21, 2005 – Red Lake Senior School – 11 Killed, 5 Injured</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">March 25, 2006 – Capitol Hill – Seattle WA – 7 Killed, 2 Injured</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">October 2, 2006 – Amish Schoolhouse – Lancaster, PA – 5 Killed, 6
Injured</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">February 12, 2007 – Salt Lake City Trolley Square Mall – 5 Killed, 4
Injured</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">April 16, 2007 – Virginia Tech Massacre – 32 Killed, 24 Injured</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">12.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">December 5, 2007 – Westroads Mall – Omaha, NE – 9 Killed, 4 Injured</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">13.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">February 7, 2008 – Kirkwood MO City Hall – 6 Killed, 2 Injured</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">14.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">February 14, 2008 – Northern Illinois University – 6 Killed, 21
Injured</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">15.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">March 29, 2009 – Pinelake Health and Rehab, Carthage, NC – 8 Killed</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">16.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">April 3, 2009 – Binghampton, NY Immigration Center – 13 Killed, 4
Injured</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">17.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">November 5, 2009 – Fort Hood Army Base Shooting – 13 Killed, 29
Injured</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">18.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">August 3, 2010 – Hartford Beer Distributor – Manchester,CT – 9
Killed, 2 Injured</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">19.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">January 8, 2011 – Gabriel Giffords Shot in Tucson, AZ – 6 Killed, 13
Injured</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">20.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">July 7, 2011 – Grand Rapids, MI – 7 Killed</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">21.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">September 6, 2011 – IHOP – Carson City, NV – 5 Killed, 7 Injured</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">22.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">October 14, 2011 – Salon Meritage - Seal Beach, CA – 8 Killed, 1
Injured</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">23.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">February 27, 2012 – Chadron High School - Chadron, OH – 3 Killed, 3
Injured</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">24.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">April 2, 2012 – Oikos University – Oakland, CA – 7 Killed</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">25.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">April 6 2012 – Tulsa Oklahoma – 5 blacks shot by 2 whites – 3
Killed, 2 Injured</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">26.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">May 29, 2012 – Café Racer Espresso – Seatle, WA – 5 Killed</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">27.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">July 20, 2012 – Aurora, CO Movie Theatre – 12 Killed, 58 Wounded</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">28.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">August 5, 2012 – Sikh Temple - Oak Creek, WI – 6 Killed, 4 Injured</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">29.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">September 27, 2012 – Signage Systems, Minneapolis, MN – 5 Killed</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">30.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">December 11, 2012 – Clackamas Town Center, Oregon – 2 Killed</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">31.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">December 14, 2012 – Sandy Hook School Shooting – 27 Killed</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Each of these events is a tragedy for
sure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the individuals involved no
doubt these were final life events that will forever change the survivors and
the towns they happened in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel bad
even saying it but I am going to have to for the greater good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All total, if I added them correctly, these
add up to 275 deaths and 249 wounded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Again, each of these individuals is forever impacted by what has
occurred and I do not mean any disrespect for their loss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, is the loss of 275 lives a reason to
sacrifice one of our most basic freedoms?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Does the injury of another 249 and the potentially hundreds more who
morn these victims?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we estimated that
each of these had a family that loved them, I would offer a total sacrifice
made by about 3000 people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, there
were 275 deaths, each significant in their own right for sure.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">However, when I contrast this to
other issues in our society, I have to ask myself why we have all the “concern”
about this one issue?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example,
consider the following facts:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">As of 2001, about 550 people have died visiting the Grand Canyon</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">According to data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data
System, 51 States reported a total of 1,537 fatalities. Based on these data, <b>a
nationally estimated 1,560 children died from abuse and neglect in 2010. </b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">(I have no idea where the 51<sup>st</sup>
state is but I assume the US territories are included in that number?)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">In 2009, there were 33,808 total traffic fatalities in the US.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of those, 10,591 were related to speeding</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">In 2003, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported
that approximately 4,700 pedestrians were killed and another 70,000 injured due
to pedestrian-vehicle crashes</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">In 2008 there were still 13,846 fatal alcohol related crashes</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">So I ask you, Are Guns really the
most serious problem we need to solve today?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Do they really represent the grave danger to society that all the
Liberals were on TV talking about this past weekend?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Maybe we could be facetious here just
a moment…. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Based
on the logic of the left with respect to banning “Assault Style Weapons” we
should also be banning trips to the Grand Canyon, Poor Parenting, Driving,
Crossing the Street, and Alcohol, all of which are far greater threats to the
population than these “Assault Style Weapons”</span></b><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">In 2011, 368 people died crossing the
border illegally from Mexico into the United States.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is more than all of the mass shootings
cited above.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Furthermore, the government
is legally authorized and obligated to protect that border.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Doing so would not violate anyone’s
constitutional rights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet the
administration appears to be going soft on illegal immigration, a problem
approximately 10 times more deadly than mass shootings with “Assault Style
Weapons”.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Also, please note that each of my
counterpoint statistics is for individual years, not a sum total of years for
1999 to present.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By contrast the
shooting related numbers are totaled over a 13-year period.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">So again I ask you to be rational and
ask yourself the question, do these events justify removing weapons of any kind
from about 88 million law-abiding citizens?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">These law-abiding citizens do not
pose any threat to society but rather they simply provide a counterbalance to a
potential future tyrannical government.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We must not be too quick to give away our freedom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">What did I just say?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tyrannical Government?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not Here!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No way!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Why do you think that is?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Could it be that the 2<sup>nd</sup> Amendment
is the major contributing factor to us not having an overly oppressive
government in this country?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am certain
our founding fathers planned it this way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">To quote Thomas Jefferson: </span><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">"Experience hath
shewn, that even under the best forms [of government] those entrusted with
power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny." </span></b><span style="color: #000087; font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">-Thomas
Jefferson, Bill for the More General diffusion of Knowledge (1778).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Benjamin Franklin rightly stated:<span style="color: #000087;"> </span><b>"They that can give up liberty to obtain
a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #000087; font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">-Benjamin Franklin,
Historical Review of Pennsylvania.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">It is my opinion that these statements
reflect that the true purpose of the 2<sup>nd</sup> amendment is allow the
people to be properly armed so as to protect themselves from a future
tyrannical central government.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After
all, was this not what the American Revolution was all about?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Paul Revere rode proclaiming, “The
British are coming!” he was warning the colonials that the British were coming
TO CONFISCATE THEIR GUNS!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I am disgusted that our President and
his socialist cronies are using this terrible tragedy to advance their
political purposes. This is a tragedy and we should not use it to grossly
manipulate public opinion to convince people to give up any portion of their
right to bear arms based on the emotions of the moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What will be next?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Possibly Mayor Bloomberg’s “proactive police
work”, which essentially amounts to illegal searches of “suspicious” looking
African American males in New York City will catch on in all 50 states.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t see how this doesn’t violate the 4<sup>th</sup>
amendment but somehow they keep doing it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">For those of you with no constitution
handy, the 4<sup>th</sup> amendment states: </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The right of the people to be secure in their
persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and
seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable
cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place
to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The second amendment is in part about
self-defense but our founding fathers also wanted to be sure that citizens
could protect themselves against a tyrannical government. Should a ban be
passed, all the pieces are then in place to subjugate the rights of the American
Citizen and our Constitution. Consider an assault weapons ban coupled
with the Patriot Act and the National Defense Authorization Act. (You can
read about them at </span><a href="http://bordc.org/"><span style="color: #386eff; font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">bordc.org</span></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Essentially, these laws allow the President
to declare anyone a terrorist and suspend their constitutional rights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who knows, he may do it to me if this paper
spreads far enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sure hope
not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, there is another
amendment, specifically, the 1<sup>st</sup> Amendment, that addresses this
issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have the right to speak out, to
dissent, and to attempt to convince others to join me!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">You know I can’t resist!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For those of you who don’t have your own copy
of the constitution yet, the first amendment states:</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or
abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people
peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of
grievances</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Will we become the next Weimar
Republic?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not if I can help it!</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">"To preserve liberty it is essential
that the whole body of the people always possess arms and be taught alike,
especially when young, how to use them..." </span></b><span style="color: #000087; font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">-Richard
Henry Lee writing in Letters from the Federal Farmer to the Republic
(1787-1788).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">DON’T TREAD ON ME!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Chris </span></div>
Mirthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02036224287445141051noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906485334566920597.post-64684346235876384752012-10-20T10:11:00.000-07:002012-10-20T10:11:36.008-07:00I. Have. Had. Enough!So I've heard rumblings from the complaint department about the lack of posting lately. It's not for lack of fodder, I assure you. I've been sort of busy doing stuff I can't really talk about yet because it's not set in stone, but I don't want to disappoint my three readers so I will regale you with a tale...<br />
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For the past week, we have been hosting Lola while my sister and Music Man are overseas making music in Belgium and other various locales. Lola, if you remember back, is their absolutely adorable long-haired miniature dachshund. This is her as a puppy...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGC7nKkQixf5rUqevq9C9lfI7P63hVTxjr9wMoNWNLujx6IBnrcY2DQu3YAHcJdz_hRgsN4NR-pDWQP9-YUxZKbPBzn1pMilYJG3lJZAAIZSJGAcZhpkvSatXTmPB-oJYLsfl9KVf-TOl2/s1600/DSC_0115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGC7nKkQixf5rUqevq9C9lfI7P63hVTxjr9wMoNWNLujx6IBnrcY2DQu3YAHcJdz_hRgsN4NR-pDWQP9-YUxZKbPBzn1pMilYJG3lJZAAIZSJGAcZhpkvSatXTmPB-oJYLsfl9KVf-TOl2/s320/DSC_0115.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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So cute. But I digress.<br />
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Lola, as cute as she is, is in love with terrorizing my cats. She does not have cats in her home so they are one of the novelties and best parts about staying with Auntie Mirth. But she doesn't terrorize all of the cats, just the one. See, The Hooligan has enough sense to make himself scarce. He doesn't come out until after bedtime when Lola is safely kenneled. He's surprisingly self preserving for a cat that is of questionable IQ. The Antagonizer is flat out lazy and just refuses to run from Lola. So while Lola would like to chase her, it's really hard to chase a furry lump that just lays there. But Tiberius, oh Tiberius you poor thing, he runs like the devil himself is chasing him. And maybe, just maybe, she is.<br />
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The typical situation plays out like this...<br />
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Tiberius is minding his own business, walking from one nap spot to another, when Lola spots him. She immediately heads full bore in his direction. Tiberius panics and starts running towards any perceived safety. Lola follows, looking absolutely gleeful. Around and around they go until either Tiberius figures out to jump up onto something tall enough that she can't follow or I am able to capture Lola and put her in time out in her coop (fenced in area in my kitchen.) Lola calms down, gets released from prison and spots the cat again. Lather, rinse, repeat. All day long.<br />
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I've tried explaining to Tiberius that he doesn't need to run. He outweighs her probably 2-1, he has longer arms and faster reflexes. He clearly has the advantage. But no, every day for four days we had the same scenario being played out. Clearly something needed to change. And it did.<br />
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On the fifth day, Tiberius was laying in the kitchen next to end of the cabinets. Lola came around the corner, spotted him and immediately headed towards him at top speed. But Tiberius just looked at her and didn't move. She kept running but suddenly a really confused look crossed her face as she realized he wasn't running. She hit the brakes. Since she has furry feet and was on the tile, this just served to make her slide. Right smack into the cat. Who refused to move.<br />
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Lola scrambled to her feet and gave the cat a poke with her nose. Tiberius responded by growling at her and raising a paw at her head. She backed up, tilting her head in confusion at him. He didn't get up and he didn't stop growling. But he did put his paw down.<br />
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I figured we were done. The cat finally figured out the secret to dealing with little skippy dogs that like to chase. You don't run, they don't chase, everyone is happy. But Tiberius wasn't quite done with his stand.<br />
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About fifteen minutes later I put Lola in her coop to eat her meal. As a side note, I don't usually separate my dogs while they eat but Lola doesn't have a whole lot of sense in the dealing with other dogs department and doesn't realize that sticking your head into the dish of another dog could be dangerous. I'd like to return her to her loving owners in one piece thank you very much. So I separate her from them during meals. Moving on.<br />
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So Lola has just been put into her coop to eat and I go sit on the couch about five feet away to catch up on some very important thing that the Internet has to offer. About a minute later I hear a Thump! and look over to see that Tiberius has jumped into the coop with Lola. Hmmm, this is interesting. Wonder what's going to happen? Apparently so did Lola as she backed warily away from Tiberius.<br />
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After looking at the dog for about fifteen seconds, Tiberius reached a paw out, hooked the edge of her food dish and pulled it towards himself. He never broke eye contact with her while he did so. Then he settled in and starting eating her food. Lola sat in the corner looking very concerned. After he had eaten enough, Tiberius stood up. Lola cringed, but he wasn't going after her. Instead, he reached his paw out again, hooked her water dish and dragged this towards himself. He continued to stare at Lola while he got a good long drink. Lola stayed in her corner. Then the cat sat next to her food and water dish and stared at her until she lay down and looked away. Then, and only then, did that rotten cat jump out of her coop and walk away.<br />
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Today is day eight and while Lola has attempted a few halfhearted runs towards Tiberius just to see if he'll run, it's been greatly reduced. He doesn't run and she gives up. Now she has moved on to trying to ferret out The Hooligan from his hiding spots. The Hooligan, who spent his formative years attached to either of the dogs necks, doesn't prefer to be harassed so I'm sure it will be interesting if she ever actually manages to corner him. Don't worry though, I've got lots of ice pack, plastic bags and a cooler...I'll try to save the severed limbs for re-attachment.<br />
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<br />Mirthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02036224287445141051noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906485334566920597.post-65920571746830251292012-10-03T21:56:00.002-07:002012-10-03T21:56:20.235-07:00Banned Book WeekSo we're halfway through Banned Book Week and I haven't even mentioned it once. Hmmm, I must be slacking on my game (a lot) lately. <br />
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As an avid reader, this is a subject that's close to my heart. I remember being appalled the first time I learned that people in towns across America still actually held book burnings. I couldn't believe that people still felt the need to burn a book. But evidently they do and so, an idea was born. Since that time I have periodically (no pun intended) tried to add to the collection of books in my personal library at least a few books that have banned. They don't need to be current books, in fact most of the books I have acquired have been what I would consider classic. Think Dickens, Twain, Caldwell or Steinbeck. At one time I started a list but it got so big that I kind of gave up on it (for now.)<br />
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The thing I figured out is that most books that have been banned aren't "bad" books, they are simply books that make some people uncomfortable. The problem is that just because someone is made uncomfortable by something, it doesn't mean that the something is the problem. So, I will continue to peruse the list of banned books in search of new reading material. Or in search of old reading material that I just don't have on my shelf. <br />
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I've put the list of 2011's ten most challenged titles below...two things should be noted: <br />
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1.) Brave New World should be required reading for every citizen of the US today and<br />
2.) Within the last six months, my child has read #3 (the trilogy) and #10. I'm probably a bad mother, but I'm okay with that.<br />
<br /><ol>
<li><em>ttyl; ttfn; l8r, g8r</em> (series), by Lauren Myracle<br />Reasons: offensive language; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group</li>
<li><em>The Color of Earth</em> (series), by Kim Dong Hwa<br />Reasons: nudity; sex education; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group</li>
<li><em>The Hunger Games</em> trilogy, by Suzanne Collins<br />Reasons: anti-ethnic; anti-family; insensitivity; offensive language; occult/satanic; violence</li>
<li><em>My Mom's Having A Baby! A Kid's Month-by-Month Guide to Pregnancy</em>, by Dori Hillestad Butler<br />Reasons: nudity; sex education; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group</li>
<li><em>The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian</em>, by Sherman Alexie<br />Reasons: offensive language; racism; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group</li>
<li><em>Alice</em> (series), by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor<br />Reasons: nudity; offensive language; religious viewpoint</li>
<li><em>Brave New World</em>, by Aldous Huxley<br />Reasons: insensitivity; nudity; racism; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit</li>
<li><em>What My Mother Doesn't Know</em>, by Sonya Sones<br />Reasons: nudity; offensive language; sexually explicit</li>
<li><em>Gossip Girl</em> (series), by Cecily Von Ziegesar<br />Reasons: drugs; offensive language; sexually explicit</li>
<li><em>To Kill a Mockingbird</em>, by Harper Lee<br />Reasons: offensive language; racism</li>
</ol>
Mirthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02036224287445141051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906485334566920597.post-91778617236094611282012-09-28T16:21:00.001-07:002012-09-28T16:21:11.364-07:00Angelfish BabiesAbout a month ago, maybe a little longer, the angelfish in my tropical tank laid a bunch of eggs on a plastic plant. For the record I do have real plants in this tank. In fact, about half the plants in there are real and I'm working towards increasing that amount. The real plants are lush, healthy and on the complete opposite end of the tank from the filter, which is the safest area in the entire tank. I only mention all of this so you can understand my consternation at my fish for deciding to lay their eggs as close to the filter as possible and on the spindliest plastic plant they could find. As expected with a first batch of eggs, these were unfertilized and the parents ended up eating them within about two days.<br />
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Fast forward to a week or so ago and I discover another batch of eggs from my angelfish. Of course, my fish didn't get any smarter in the interim and ended up laying them in almost the exact location. I figured there would be about a 50/50 chance of these eggs not being fertile as well so I wasn't getting too excited about them. But by the end of the first day I realized that none of the eggs was turning white (which would indicate they were infertile.) Then I realized that if in fact any of the eggs actually managed to hatch into fry, I had nothing to feed them. Which in turn caused me to make a panicked trip to various stores in the area only to find out that none of them carries brine shrimp eggs anymore. What the heck? <br />
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By the second day, still no white eggs and mom and dad are vigorously defending the nest. I had given up finding any brine shrimp eggs locally and went online to order some. It wasn't until after I hit the "buy" button that I realized that he delivery date wouldn't be until some time next week. Awesome. So back to the store I went to try and find something to tide my babies over on the off chance they actually hatched into something. <br />
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By the end of day two I notice the eggs appear to be vibrating. It's kind of cool to watch the entire batch shimmy, but I try to avoid doing it frequently as it gets the parents wound up.<br />
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By day three I'm seeing little tiny tails hanging out of the eggs. They are still vibrating and shimmying and I can also see two little eyes on top of their heads. I want to hug them they are so cute.<br />
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Yesterday I noticed a few of the babies starting to launch off of the leaf. This sends mom (or dad, I honestly can't tell the difference) into a frenzy of sucking up the wayward baby and spitting them back onto the leaf. Kind of like when you chase your kid out of the pantry and set them back in the room where all their toys are repeatedly. Apparently kids of all species pull the same stunt. Anyway, they're not completely free swimming at this point but I knew they would be by today.<br />
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I got up this morning to see a cloud of babies swimming around their parents. I fed the other fish at the opposite end of the tank and then put a little fry food in over the babies. They came right up and started eating, which was awesome and short lived. Mom (or dad) decided I was trying to poison their babies and proceeded to swim around sucking up the babies and spitting them away from the food. What the hell mom (or dad)? Eventually they gave up and let the babies feed, but it's been a repeat of this same procedure each time I've fed them today.<br />
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I don't know if any of the babies will actually survive to adulthood. Their chances are pretty slim considering they're in a tank with multiple members, all of whom have mouths big enough to fit a baby in. But you never know, one or two might survive. And in the meantime, it's pretty cool to watch the parenting of the adults. <br />
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So I don't know which fish is mom and which is dad, but you can see they are both parenting the fry which I think is pretty cool. <br />
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<br />Mirthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02036224287445141051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906485334566920597.post-37919623385488670722012-09-22T09:45:00.001-07:002012-09-22T09:46:15.742-07:00Update Post (because you can never get enough of those)So yeah, where the heck have I been? Apparently not on here, updating all three of my followers who actually read this. I will set that to rights immediately...<br />
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Master J: Well, the child is his own worst enemy. He's enjoying his new school and sixth grade immensely. Homework however, is the bane of his existence. If his grades were solely dependent on his test scores, he would be a straight A student. Because they are at least 40% dependent on his homework, he has two Cs. Which kind of sucks. Because the kid is in 7th grade math and reads at a 12th grade level, but he struggles to get his homework turned in on time. And the worst part? It's not that he doesn't do the homework, it's that he doesn't remember to turn it in. Yeah, my brilliant child can't pull it together long enough to turn in the homework he did so he takes a 25% deduction in the grade. Part of the issue is he is visual like me, if he can't see it he doesn't think he has it. So we're trying a new thing where instead of putting his completed homework into the "turn in" folder, we've paper clipped it to the outside of the folder. Voila! Friday's homework got turned in. We'll see if it continues.<br />
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Mister C and I are trying to do a real estate deal with my parents. We want to buy their home that sits on over an acre and sell them our home that's low maintenance and would be extremely cheap for them to live in once my dad retires in a few months. It's a win-win for both of us, if it all works out (knock on wood.)<br />
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At this point we're just waiting for the appraisal to be returned in order to qualify for the loan. I was really hoping to hear by Monday, but the lender sent Mister C an email yesterday saying she expects it around October 10th. I'm not sure in what universe it requires a full three weeks to get an appraisal report back but that's her version of events. <br />
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Our gardens from this most recent season worked out well in some respects, not so well in others. I finally harvested the last of the cantaloupes and pulled the vines out. It looks a lot bigger back there all of a sudden. I got rid of the cucumbers a few weeks ago, they pretty much sucked. I only got two cucumbers that were edible, the rest of them went huge and yellow almost from the moment they appeared. The watermelons did well and produced quite a few melons, but the heat got to them and they started rotting on the vine before ripening. I pulled them all out a few weeks ago, but one new plant has started coming back. The cherry tomatoes did really well, and one of them even reseeded itself so we have a new plant growing. The red and green peppers really took off once we removed the dying tomato plants. So far we haven't had any harvest ready peppers but I'm hoping we will soon. The strawberries got pretty well overwhelmed by the cantaloupe and stopped producing, but the plants themselves look good and are continuing to vine out and get stronger. I'm hoping they'll start producing again soon. Still no luck from the berry patch. The blackberry plants look fantastic but they haven't produced but one actual berry. The raspberry plants look less good, they've struggled the entire time they've been back there. They did produce three rather sour berries that did not please Mister C. The blueberry plants are mostly not robust. I pulled one of them out and potted it in the hopes of saving it. It seems to be surviving, but not thriving. The two grape vines are growing like crazy, they're all the way up the trellis and starting to curve over the top of the pergola. There are currently five tiny bunches of grapes on one of the vines. They are so adorable I want to pinch them, but I suspect that will not be a good thing. And finally, we went ahead and planted two apple trees and a peach tree. They are too young yet to be producing anything but they seem strong and managed to survive our brutal summer so I have hope.<br />
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In anticipation of our next growing season down here, I have started a bunch of seeds in my kitchen. I am highly disappointed with the green bean seeds I bought as they have yet to start growing. Since it's been a few weeks, I'm pretty sure they're duds and I'm going to have to restart some different ones. Having said that, everything else seems to be trying. The peas are at least four inches tall and the spinach, romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes and onions are several inches high. I have high hopes for a productive season.<br />
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The Jeep diet is still working, slowly but steadily. I've now lost fourteen pounds and after sitting at a plateau for at least six weeks, I think I'm back on track. I did a six week challenge of push ups, dips, squats and crunches that wrapped up about a month ago. I was aiming to hit 100 push ups, 150 dips, 150 crunches and 200 squats. The last day I did the challenge I managed 125 push ups, 175 dips, 175 crunches and 300 squats. And then I went and whimpered about my hip hurting for the next two days. I now try to incorporate a more moderate 25 of each exercise into at least three days a week. And I've just started a couch to 5k running program. It's ugly. I suck at running big time, but I've found a walking trail that runs in the greenbelt and dead ends. Nobody is ever on it because it doesn't go anywhere and all the houses that line it are one story. So basically, nobody can see me dragging along and stumbling on air while I make my pathetic attempt at running (think zombie on meth and you have the general picture.) I'm pretty sure the running will be a boost to my fitness quest, no matter how I look doing it.<br />
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I think that about wraps it up, I'm heading into get some breakfast. Mirthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02036224287445141051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906485334566920597.post-30122569092247085462012-08-22T20:12:00.001-07:002012-08-22T20:13:28.531-07:00It Was A Dark and Stormy Night...It's monsoon here in the valley of the sun. Yay for the monsoon! So far this week we've had two really nice storms come through and dump a good amount of water on our exceedingly dry, scorched earth. Although gutters are still a little ways off, I was able to collect about thirty gallons of water just in buckets from yesterday's downpour. And it was a downpour...<br />
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The worst of yesterday's storm occurred in the late evening. Just in time for me to go over to my parent's house to take care of their two dogs for the last time before they went to bed for the night. I was hoping for a reprieve from the rain at least long enough to run the dogs out, but I was denied this basic request. When I pulled up in the driveway, the rain was fairly light. By the time I walked in the house, locked the door behind myself, got the first dog out and opened the back door it had increased tenfold.<br />
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The first dog I took out was Desi, who apparently had a clue last night. He stepped out into the rain, realized it sucked and hurried up with his business. We were out there less than a minute. Good boy Desi! <br />
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The second dog was Lucy, who had a different take on the rain. She stepped out into the rain, looked like she realized it sucked....and then blinked a lot. She stood there, blinking in the rain, for eternity. I tried encouraging her to "hurry up!" but she seemed more concerned with running in circles on her leash and blinking. Five minutes later she finally decided that she should probably take care of business and get out of the rain. Not so good girl Lucy (frowny face).<br />
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With both dogs back inside, I headed out to put my chickens up for the night. The girls were pretty much sleeping on their roost when I walked out anyway so it was just a matter of shutting them in the coop. As I was moving the rock that holds the door open a huge flash of lightning lit up the entire area. And I realized that I was standing in a ten by twenty metal cage that surrounds the largest tree on the property. And I'm standing in water. Yay me!<br />
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I head back to the house and lock everything up for the night. At this point I'm pretty wet, but not completely soaked to the skin and all I have to do is get to the Jeep. Except as I'm locking the front door I realize that it's Tuesday. And garbage pickup is really early Wednesday morning. Which means I have to put the garbage and recycling cans out tonight. The cans that are currently in the backyard. Ugh! <br />
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I stand there for a second to try and think things through. Now I realize pretty quickly that the very first thing I need to do is get my gun into the vehicle so I don't accidentally drop it in a mud puddle (not that it would hurt it as it's a revolver, but still). In case you're wondering why I feel the need to carry a weapon to my parent's house, I've been taking it with me on the last run over at night because my folks live out where there is open desert backing to their property. At night is when the predators come out and for sure we know there are coyotes and bobcats out there. I've heard and seen the coyotes myself and at least one of the close neighbors has had a bobcat attack her dog on the back patio. And lets face it, if I get confronted by some wild animal I am 100% sure that neither of those dogs is going to defend me. A best case scenario is if I can hang on to the leash long enough to get dragged back to the house as they're running in fear. So anyway, the gun needs to get to the dry interior of the Jeep before I go about my last task. And then I need to get the cans from the backyard to the street. Well, nothing to do except start I guess...<br />
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I push the unlock button and run to the driveway. Toss my gun into the passenger seat and slam the door shut. Then I really start moving. From where I'm at, it's about forty feet to the back gate, it doesn't take long to get there but once I do, the latch decides this is a fantastic time to get clingy. It takes me more than few seconds to get the gate open. After it finally gives in, I fling the gate open but before I can get the cans, I must remove the barricade that my dad has put there to keep the rabbits out of his yard. With a clear path finally available, I grab the first can, drag it through the gate and then leave it a few feet beyond. I repeat the procedure with the second can. After I have both cans out, I shut the gate, grab one can's handle in each hand and start moving towards the street.<br />
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By this time the rain is coming down in torrents, I can barely see five feet in front of me. And the street is at least 100 feet away. So I start running as fast as I can. Which, considering I'm wearing a pair of Tevas, dragging two huge garbage cans and sliding around in the water, isn't very fast. And then I hit the end of the driveway. Did I mention that my folk's driveway ends? It does. Rather abruptly when you can't see I might add. So then I'm not so much running as scrambling through the muddy mess in my Tevas, dragging my now even more cumbersome huge garbage cans whose wheels apparently don't like mud at all. And I still can't see. And the rain is actually coming down harder.<br />
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Eventually I find what I believe to be "close enough" that the garbage trucks can pick up in the morning. But I can't just drop the cans and run, because they are backwards to the street. They need to face the street in order to get emptied. I grab the garbage can first and by half dragging, half rolling it I am able to get it somewhat pointing in the correct direction. But now it's too far back from the road. So I tilt it back on it's wheels in order to push it forward. And that's when gust of wind comes up and lifts the lid, rather rapidly, and slams it directly into my face. I have to say here that while my reaction time is generally pretty good, it slows substantially when the same wind that blew the lid into my face is busy holding it there. It was a good ten seconds before I could peel that stupid lid off my face and force it down onto the can where it belonged. Thankfully the recycling can didn't give me as much trouble and I'm soon on my way back to the driveway and the relative comfort of my Jeep.<br />
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By the time I get there I am soaked completely to the skin. My hair is completely drenched and hanging in my face. My jeans and shirt are stuck to me like glue. And I'm having trouble seeing because my eyebrows and lashes have five gallons of water each in them that's now streaming into my eyes. Oh and the window is fogging over. Perfect.<br />
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So I blast the heat (yeah, it's August in Phoenix, it's all good) and head home. I would really like to drive faster than ten miles an hour but unfortunately the roads suck big time. The dirt and gravel roads are like a mud bog, but the paved roads are actually worse because there are huge puddles across most of them. At first I was like "Hell, I drive a Jeep! Jeeps are meant to drive through puddles! Screw you puddles, I'm driving a Jeep!" This was quickly followed by "What the hell? I can't see a damn thing when the water comes crashing over my windshield!" So yeah, that worked out well. Ten miles an hour it is. Eventually I arrived home, dripping wet and looking like a drowned rat. I give Mister C credit for holding it together when he got a look at me. But I don't kid myself, I could totally see the grin he was holding back and the gleam in his eyes. <br />
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So that's the story of the monsoon in Arizona. And it's supposed to rain again tonight and tomorrow again as well. Hopefully not until after I get home from taking care of the dogs. But that would require some sort of good luck that I seem to be lacking in. <br />
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<br />Mirthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02036224287445141051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906485334566920597.post-42988768153299797792012-08-13T17:13:00.001-07:002012-08-13T17:13:47.358-07:00Marked WomanI need a less conspicuous vehicle, my Jeep is too easily identified. Also, the drop off and pick up procedure at Master J's school completely sucks. Big time.<br />
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On day one at the new school, I did what I have done for the past five years on school mornings, I tried to drop my child off at school. For five years I have driven up, kicked my child at the curb and then continued on through to the exit. For five years I have never had an issue with this. The new school does not allow this. The new school insists that you drive all the way to the end of the parking lot and ONLY drop your child in an area about ten feet long. I did not know this. So I pull up in line, kick my child out at the curb and try to continue driving only to see a lady running towards me frantically. I roll down my window and she explains that I'm not allowed to drop my child off there, that I must instead drive way the eff down to the other end. Okay, whatever, I'll do my best to follow the rules. That's strike one.<br />
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On day one after school, I park in the parking zone and get out to wait for my child. No problems. On day two, I drop him off in the proper place in the morning and don't get in trouble. After school I park in the parking zone and get out to go wait for my child. No problem. On day three, which was Friday, I drop him off with no issues. After school, I park in the parking zone to wait for my child. I see him coming towards me and then he disappears. My thermometer is registering 118 degrees so I opt to wait in my car until I see him at the curb, with the intention of getting out of my vehicle to get him as soon as I see him. I don't see him. Ten minutes goes by and I'm still waiting. Where the hell is my kid? Another five minutes pass. And then I see the principal making her way over to my car. Uh oh, now what did Master J do? Turns out, nothing. One of the teachers saw him and sent him to wait at the end of the parking lot. Why? Because they assumed (incorrectly) that my intention was to wait in my car and allow my child to cross three lanes of cars to get into mine. Um, no. I was waiting until I saw him to get out of my car because it's miserable degrees out right now. So now my child has been waiting at the end of the parking lot in the sun and heat for fifteen minutes. Awesome. That's strike two.<br />
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This morning I dropped Master J off at the end of the parking lot just like I was supposed to. I had told him on Friday that if he didn't see my car parked, he was to go to the end of the parking lot so I could pick him up. After school today I pulled into the lot about a minute after the bell rang. I saw him standing on the curb but knew I would not be able to pick him up there so I rolled down my window and told him to go to the end and I would pick him up. When I looked up from telling him this, I could see both of the parking demons at the end of the lot staring at me. Obviously they were waiting to pounce on me should I make the tragic error of picking up my child from the wrong location. I drove on through, under surveillance. <br />
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At the end of the lot there was a traffic jam with about five cars parked along the "correct" curb and another two in front of me waiting to get there. Master J was standing next to another child at the end. The parents in the two cars ahead of me waved their children to them. One of them was the kid standing next to Master J, so I also waved Master J over. As the children were getting into the cars in front of me, and Master J was getting into my car, the parking police ran over and opened my front door to tell me that he couldn't get into my car there. The reason? Because there was a garbage can nearby and that was "gross". I'm not even kidding. And that's strike three.<br />
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I'm officially going to be a marked woman for the rest of the year. You know damn well that every time I pull into that lot they're going to be watching me and waiting for me to make one wrong move. And then they will pounce. Folks, I am nothing if not a law abiding citizen. I don't go out of my way to break the rules or cause problems, especially at my child's school. But seriously, if you're going to let kids get into two cars in front of me, but get after me because my child is five feet closer to the garbage can, I'm going to have an issue. And I'm going to start pushing the limits of rules to the very edge. See ya tomorrow!<br />
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<br />Mirthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02036224287445141051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906485334566920597.post-90478097541108155792012-08-08T11:53:00.000-07:002012-08-08T11:54:29.041-07:00First Day of Sixth Grade.<br />
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<br />Mirthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02036224287445141051noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906485334566920597.post-64026120716354541342012-08-07T16:32:00.001-07:002012-08-07T16:32:27.657-07:00Drunken Kangaroo...I knew I shouldn't have said anything about the divers... <br />
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<a href="http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/diving/highlights-german-diver-lands-on-back.html">Ouch</a>Mirthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02036224287445141051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906485334566920597.post-20656379185513318242012-08-06T09:02:00.000-07:002012-08-06T09:02:02.440-07:00Olympics 2012I am sadly unappreciative of the Olympics lately. Not the athletes, they are awesome. Not the venue, London did itself proud with that one. No, what I am so disappointed in is the coverage. Specifically the time delayed, Americanized media coverage.<br />
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So the first thing is obviously the time delay issue. I fricken HATE the time delay. Why? Because it means that I can't watch the news, read a newspaper, look at the computer or talk with anyone without fear of hearing the results of some event that I haven't yet watched. So recognizing that time moves on and technology improves, there was something to be said for only being able to watch the events as they happen. As far as I'm concerned, it showed your dedication to a specific sport. Like the discus throw but they're competing at 3:00 am your time? Suck it up and take at nap earlier in the day so you don't miss anything. <br />
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The second issue also relates to the time delay...let's call it half arsed coverage. If it's live, you get the whole shebang. From the worst competitor to the best, you got to watch all of it. How cool would it have been to be just as surprised as the rest of the world to be watching the women's gymnastics at the 1972 Munich Olympics and watch Olga Korbut do her famous back flip off the high bar? I'll wait while you google that little gem...done yet? How cool was that? Anyway, there was none of this bs of only seeing the top three or four competitors. I want to see all the dives of all the divers of all the countries. Don't just show me China and their scarily perfect dives. I want to see the guy that looks like a drunken kangaroo going off the board as well. Because how can I judge how fantastic the winner is if I can't see who all of their competition is?<br />
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Which leads us to all the competition...why are there so many damned sports in the Olympics these days? Is badminton even a sport? How about handball? Really? And don't get me started on the heated ping pong competition. But seriously, the absolute worst has to be the slalom canoeing. What the hell is wrong with you people? And as a side note, it only makes it worse when you find out that the badminton teams are deliberately trying to lose in the preliminaries so they can get matched with an inferior team for the finals. Here's a hint: there's not that much glory in winning gold in badminton in the first place, don't make it worse by cheating. I know, it's devastating to hear that, but it's the truth and someone had to tell you. <br />
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And finally, how about those life stories? Can we wring anymore emotive dances out of these broadcasters? Sob stories, tragic lives leading down the path to Olympic glory, poor kids making good. Don't get me wrong, I think each of these athletes has greatness in them, proven by the fact they are at the Olympics in the first place. But I don't need to know every detail of their lives. I don't want to hear five minutes of what they've overcome to watch them swim a two minute race. Seriously, I don't care, I just want to see them compete. And over-sharing mom of fantastic swimmer? Please, stop. Just stop. <br />
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<br />Mirthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02036224287445141051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906485334566920597.post-46872249608467323072012-08-02T10:26:00.005-07:002012-08-02T10:26:55.692-07:00The Garden of Impending DoomWe have several gardens that we put together last fall and planted this spring. Prior to our vacation in July, the gardens were producing beautifully on a daily basis. At least as far as the cherry tomatoes go. Those things were crazy prolific. I'm talking three or four dozen tomatoes every day. And they were awesome. I don't know about you but I've never thought store bought tomatoes were all that great. They're okay, but they're fairly nondescript. But these things were downright spicy (comparatively speaking). Long story short, Mister C was thrilled with his daily allotment of cherry tomatoes and I was eating them every time I walked through the kitchen (which is apparently a lot since my weight loss is at a standstill, but that's another story.) <br />
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Anyway, other than the cherry tomatoes, the only other pre-vacation producers were the cantaloupe and watermelon plants and there were just a few of those. The strawberries had been fairly choked out by the cantaloupe vines from hell by this point. The red and green pepper plants were about three feet tall and had several small peppers on each plant. The day before we left on vacation I had decided to pick the sole cucumber even thought I didn't think it was quite ripe. My assumption being that since we were going to be gone for nine days it would go to waste if I didn't pick it. It was actually pretty good, although fairly small.<br />
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Upon returning from vacation, the first thing I did was head to the garden to see what remained. I gleaned several dozen cherry tomatoes, two cantaloupe and several watermelons. The peppers weren't doing well at all, most of the fruit had rotted on the plant. There were also several cucumbers. Or at least what were supposed to be cucumbers. <br />
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Instead of the cucumbers being a nice, dark green and of reasonable size, they were huge, yellow, slug-like things. I'm not even kidding, I was looking at those things trying to figure out where their eyes were. They were downright horrifying. So I pulled them off the vine and brought them into the house for an autopsy. <br />
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I've been watching a lot of "Dr. G, Medical Examiner" on the Discovery channel and I'm pretty sure I know what I'm doing here. So I take my alien cucumber and I make the classic Y incision in it's...chest...in anticipation of figuring out what went wrong with the little bastard. Instead of nice, firm, cucumber flesh, I have mushville (it's a word.) An "off" scent came rolling off the deceased (I can only assume the cucumber was using some sort of illegal fertilizer) almost knocking me off my feet. And then my beautiful Y incision kind of collapsed on itself due to the mush factor. I'll be honest, I didn't see a need to continue the autopsy at this point since the end result was that this particular vegetable was uneatable (and that actually is a word.) So, into the compost it went.<br />
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We've now been home for just over three weeks. I've pulled a few more cantaloupes and watermelons off the vines and they've been awesome. Nothing else seems to be producing right now (no berries, no grapes.) The cantaloupe plants current have a half dozen more melons getting ripe which is great, although their vines have gotten much more aggressive. Several of the vines are aiming for the air conditioner (it has been consistently over 100 degrees lately) and one pioneering vine has made it's way over to steal nutrients from my orange tree. But that's not all...<br />
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This morning I went out to see if anything was available and after picking another dozen cherry tomatoes, I thought I would check to see if any new cucumbers have shown up. They have...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpf13G78hGD9O3SSVnBtQiMSV1B1_EDLQWecWc9QW5Ngk1REYJxsGLOQSAyD25O-rioK4xrVE-yUOI7isqIvyWw4u4p0iRP7n1zup4gL9Jo86bS5iNQu-1ji15n5oMBdrsJX9AUFukdiep/s1600/DSC_1649.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpf13G78hGD9O3SSVnBtQiMSV1B1_EDLQWecWc9QW5Ngk1REYJxsGLOQSAyD25O-rioK4xrVE-yUOI7isqIvyWw4u4p0iRP7n1zup4gL9Jo86bS5iNQu-1ji15n5oMBdrsJX9AUFukdiep/s320/DSC_1649.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Thank goodness we have them caged!<br />Mirthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02036224287445141051noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906485334566920597.post-79412155549018414002012-07-27T19:18:00.000-07:002012-07-27T19:18:51.876-07:00Stupid Time Waster That Made Me SmileSo this is apparently a "thing" to do on at least one site out there. Here's the rules:<br />
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1.) Go to Wikipedia and chose "Random Article". Whatever comes up is your new band's name.<br />
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2.) Go to Wikiquotes and chose "Random Article". Pick a quote from the article and use the last 5-8 words as the title to your new album.<br />
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3.) Go to flickr and go to the "Last 7 Days Interesting". The fifth picture is your album cover art.<br />
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Here's the results for my new (imaginary) band, Laigin, and our groundbreaking album "Method of the Nuclear Bombardment". <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2VWpYc7UGtWHU1YCmiZ_vtV9Gp42-Tur3TX4eQOo4rXajwtn8U_QLD2d6pPxJfevy-fj4MNrokx5h9QQvGpV30htFY2senzkyUCLlWMOGpfuzcbMGdK7SUr6ucZ1Ksyc8nbBA9-UmQJf1/s1600/Album_Cover_Text_C.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2VWpYc7UGtWHU1YCmiZ_vtV9Gp42-Tur3TX4eQOo4rXajwtn8U_QLD2d6pPxJfevy-fj4MNrokx5h9QQvGpV30htFY2senzkyUCLlWMOGpfuzcbMGdK7SUr6ucZ1Ksyc8nbBA9-UmQJf1/s320/Album_Cover_Text_C.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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Kind of makes you want to bang your head, huh? In a good way of course.Mirthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02036224287445141051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906485334566920597.post-64272431708038167732012-06-18T16:10:00.000-07:002012-06-18T16:10:11.136-07:00So This Was A Nice Surprise<br />
A while back I finally got around to planting some bulbs that had been in my pantry for way too long. They'd been in there so long that I wasn't sure if they would even grow, let alone what what they actually were. Well they did start finally start growing. Turns out they were lavender calla lilies.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNWikOsSFskQQE5e5aQQSjtmnG9RgP1sIVKMbYY2etAW765u5JX7ZgUuAlvqlbm6BOp3zgzhsGqVUKFRlChKd5ZM9J9Z9MCKpb8dTZJ67fdGSZvrk3JPSOQDSpfvpuvNs5DP0qGZHS0Qx-/s1600/DSC_1486.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNWikOsSFskQQE5e5aQQSjtmnG9RgP1sIVKMbYY2etAW765u5JX7ZgUuAlvqlbm6BOp3zgzhsGqVUKFRlChKd5ZM9J9Z9MCKpb8dTZJ67fdGSZvrk3JPSOQDSpfvpuvNs5DP0qGZHS0Qx-/s320/DSC_1486.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<br />Mirthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02036224287445141051noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906485334566920597.post-70714154014122304082012-06-17T11:17:00.000-07:002012-06-17T11:17:02.798-07:00Speaking of the Jeep...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So there I was, minding my own business....</div>
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I took my dad over to the airport this morning so he could fly back out to the east coast for work. Not that he was doing a whole lot a home anyway since my Mom is out of town already, but it's still kind of sad to have to fly for work on Father's Day. But I digress...</div>
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Pretty much as soon as we hit the highway after I picked him up my gas light came on. I knew it was low since Mister C and Master J had just gotten back from their camping trip late last night and hadn't filled the tank. But I thought I had enough to get me there and back before the light came on. Since I was kind of on a tight schedule, having arrived about ten minutes late to pick my dad up in the first place, I decided to get him to the airport and then stop for gas on the way back home. But of course, once I dropped him off I knew I didn't want to get the gas right away since it's always more expensive the closer to the airport you are. So I drove a little further down the road. I finally saw a station that I figured was far enough away to have reasonable prices and stopped in. This is not the interesting part of the story in case you're wondering. No, that's the part that's next.</div>
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After I filled up I got back on the highway and continued driving towards home. I was in the right hand lane, there was a beat up pickup truck in the middle lane in front of me, another car in the middle lane just slightly behind me and an on ramp on my right with traffic. Up ahead, I see a huge tire tread, the kind that fall off of semi trucks on a regular basis, laying on the right side of the middle lane. I'm thinking that it's certainly avoidable. After all, the guy in the pickup has nobody on his left and the tire is all the way to the right side of the lane. But no, he still proceeds dead ahead and manages to hit the tread at about 75 mph. Which flings the tire tread up in the air and in a direct path for me.</div>
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In horrified slow motion I watch as the tread arcs towards me. With cars on either side of me, I have nowhere to go but straight ahead. I briefly debate slamming on my brakes but the thought occurs that maybe, just maybe it's trajectory is actually slightly over my roof. I've been driving Mister C's Honda Civic all week. It's low to the ground, I have clearance between my head and the tire in it. Annnnd I'm not in that car. I'm in my Jeep for the first time in ten days. There's a whole lot more height in this vehicle and unfortunately for me, the trajectory of that tire tread is straight into my windshield. </div>
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With a huge BOOM! the tread hits my windshield and goes flying over the roof. The windshield is instantly a spiderweb of shattered glass with a basketball sized area punched in behind and just to the right of where the rear view mirror hangs. The mirror that is now pointing at my lap. My gps holder lands on the dashboard. The passenger seat visor slams into the passenger door and bounces back halfway. And tiny shards of glass rain down in my car.</div>
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And the beat up pickup truck continues on like nothing happened. Asshat.</div>
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I immediately headed for the next exit, I had only been on the freeway for less than two miles when this happened. As soon as I was at a stoplight, I phoned Mister C to let him know the good news of the day. And then I drove on the surface streets all the way home to assess the damage. </div>
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Broken windshield - check</div>
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Dented frame around windshield - check </div>
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Sadness reigning supreme - check and check</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlBJFEx-BiMoFP-3IJS-acr0ZwiL7dVB47FHKMi-MXOplpHSt1HpP0s2qVuYQE1ggJ-UH-2qHNGYCH3M9sKAY43_bV7RETtCCGmuz3R-6S3sHiI6S8tzP7NTlS9ITwfuKQL3X48XKTSlKT/s1600/DSC_1488.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlBJFEx-BiMoFP-3IJS-acr0ZwiL7dVB47FHKMi-MXOplpHSt1HpP0s2qVuYQE1ggJ-UH-2qHNGYCH3M9sKAY43_bV7RETtCCGmuz3R-6S3sHiI6S8tzP7NTlS9ITwfuKQL3X48XKTSlKT/s320/DSC_1488.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A view from the inside....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVlw1RUjBg0ybZfZVkShH8858Nl9EHSPjLqU8FGO72dJT3et84Z2DQiMz5QnTsmxxnLRkDV8Kx-4Acw5VORZt6LXzuuj8U2uK_1zWY1HP-0-A9aGnrFf1wmgUwIE21DX6BRefPze22NzAD/s1600/DSC_1493.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVlw1RUjBg0ybZfZVkShH8858Nl9EHSPjLqU8FGO72dJT3et84Z2DQiMz5QnTsmxxnLRkDV8Kx-4Acw5VORZt6LXzuuj8U2uK_1zWY1HP-0-A9aGnrFf1wmgUwIE21DX6BRefPze22NzAD/s320/DSC_1493.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And hey, I thought this was kind of pretty. In a warped, sad, wtf kind of way...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_HgT6eUykm7QWdFYwEthcmFsz1PtvpRpz64jUFGYaZHBhSebht9UW8pRr88dK4SZbtXLqGoqrwaNsbc-KdJJieFqXCmBxM0hqqyP8YfA7A9-eZglacO-LC_8cPBHqM2r2zCBT3CJNug-1/s1600/DSC_1495.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_HgT6eUykm7QWdFYwEthcmFsz1PtvpRpz64jUFGYaZHBhSebht9UW8pRr88dK4SZbtXLqGoqrwaNsbc-KdJJieFqXCmBxM0hqqyP8YfA7A9-eZglacO-LC_8cPBHqM2r2zCBT3CJNug-1/s320/DSC_1495.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And finally, it should be noted that usually Jeeps end up getting beat up on some off road trail, climbing rocks or crossing rivers. There's no glory in getting a tire tread slammed into you at 75 mph on the highway. Just sayin'.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_HgT6eUykm7QWdFYwEthcmFsz1PtvpRpz64jUFGYaZHBhSebht9UW8pRr88dK4SZbtXLqGoqrwaNsbc-KdJJieFqXCmBxM0hqqyP8YfA7A9-eZglacO-LC_8cPBHqM2r2zCBT3CJNug-1/s1600/DSC_1495.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />Mirthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02036224287445141051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906485334566920597.post-57216481289250895682012-06-16T09:01:00.000-07:002012-06-16T09:01:49.897-07:00Jeep Diet, Update<br />
Hey all. Well, it's been about two months since I announced I was going on the <a href="http://blahblahmirthblah.blogspot.com/2012/04/update-post.html">Jeep Diet</a>, and it's been six weeks since I started it in earnest. <br />
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The first few weeks I spent logging everything I ate, but not changing anything*. I did this to get a grip on what I was actually consuming on a daily basis so I could understand better what I needed to change. As expected, my daily calorie intake wasn't substantially huge. But my fat and sodium were higher than I'd like and my protein was sort of low. Additionally, the number of minutes I was averaging daily with exercise was pretty pathetic. It's not that I never exercised, just that I did it so inconsistently that the workouts I did were reduced in efficiency by the number of days in between them. <br />
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In May, specifically on May 5th, I started in earnest trying to change my diet and exercise. I started going to the gym or working out at home more consistently. I made better choices in what I was eating. I didn't give up any one particular or group of foods. I just made a different choice sometimes (and greatly reduced the "white group" as previously discussed <a href="http://blahblahmirthblah.blogspot.com/2012/06/avocado-chicken-salad-on-tortilla.html">here</a> ). I continued to keep track of all of my numbers just to see what would happen. At the end of May, I calculated out the average daily numbers for both April and May.<br />
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Here's how they looked in April (4/17-4/30):<br />
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Calories: 1634<br />
Carbs: 147<br />
Fat: 78<br />
Protein: 81<br />
Sodium: 2081<br />
Exercise: 11 mins<br />
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Here's how they looked in May:<br />
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Calories: 1449<br />
Carbs: 169<br />
Fat: 51<br />
Protein: 88<br />
Sodium: 1560<br />
Exercise: 24 mins<br />
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Obviously the average calories consumed didn't drop that much, but
the fat was cut by 35% and the sodium by 25%. Exercise was easily
doubled. The result so far is that I've lost ten pounds.<br />
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Here's how it looks so far in June (6/1-6/15):<br />
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Calories: 1452<br />
Carbs: 150<br />
Fat: 59<br />
Protein: 81<br />
Sodium: 1615<br />
Exercise: 41 mins<br />
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So, looking at my numbers so far for June, I can see that while I'm doing fine on my calories, the fat is creeping up, as is the sodium. It's not by much, but I think I need to adjust it right now in order to stay where I want to be. The increased exercise is a good thing. I'd like to see it hit a solid 45 minutes daily but since it's already almost quadrupled from April, I won't complain too loudly. And while I know it will get harder as I get closer to my goal, I think with a few minor tweaks I will continue making progress.<br />
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*Keep in mind that while I wasn't making better choices consciously, I do believe that the mere act of writing down what I eat makes me subconsciously better behaved so my best guess is that the numbers are slightly skewed to the good.<br />
<br />Mirthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02036224287445141051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906485334566920597.post-74069630088805995702012-06-15T08:45:00.000-07:002012-06-15T08:45:58.347-07:00Chaos Unleashed (the canine version)So this past weekend I had the enviable pleasure of hosting Lola, Miss Lee and Music Man's beloved miniature dachshund. She arrived on Friday and stayed through Sunday evening. <br />
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You all know my household is stuffed full of pets and you would think that adding an extra eleven pounds of fur wouldn't be that big of a shift in chaos. Oh but you would be so wrong. There's a lot of chaos packed in Lola's little body.<br />
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For example, here is Nora, our decently sized mutt being followed by Lola...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAxNagoN5k6V5fn5OTAZsPYu7uUF-_0m5AGE1mZfiP1LgsIHAY8QgCvWec0Bdw_BMepcGxHlVpFS5aaXxhnjz0Hvb8Q4_c9NGzvh2onLVxr23MeMWLpzKosIGV0fDKjVTLo8qtvIDLC-MN/s1600/DSC_1445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAxNagoN5k6V5fn5OTAZsPYu7uUF-_0m5AGE1mZfiP1LgsIHAY8QgCvWec0Bdw_BMepcGxHlVpFS5aaXxhnjz0Hvb8Q4_c9NGzvh2onLVxr23MeMWLpzKosIGV0fDKjVTLo8qtvIDLC-MN/s320/DSC_1445.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Nora has about a five to one size advantage over Lola. Evidently she is not aware of this as she is terrified of Lola. This is the closest Lola managed to get to Nora. Usually what happened is that Nora would see her coming and get up and move away. Several times she got cornered and would leap over whatever was around to avoid having Lola actually touch her. This included toys, instruments and other animals. <br />
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Izzy actually wanted to "play" with Lola but I stopped that in it's tracks. Izzy likes to poke things into running so she can chase them down. Her prey drive is just a tad bit developed for leisurely play dates with small, furry animals (including dachshunds apparently). They did lay together nicely in the house, but outdoors all bets were off. Lola seemed to realize this and would generally stick close to me when we were all outside together.<br />
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The cats however were a totally different game for Lola. Oh my goodness the cats. <br />
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The first thing that happened on Friday when Lola arrived is that Tiberius wanted to come see the new guest. Ti is a very good host and greets everyone that comes through the front door. He's very outgoing and very much a busybody. So he was about five feet from the kennel when I opened the door. Apparently in the short time that she was in the house prior to me opening the gate, Lola noted and locked on to the this new creature. As soon as the door was open, she BURST! out of the kennel and straight for the cat. Tiberius, he of the even temperament and generally lazy demeanor, didn't know what to do with this flying furball but instinct kicked in and he started to run. Only, not really run.<br />
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I'm not sure if he was just confused, didn't really care or was really just too lazy to run full speed but he was more loping than running. He went around the table, around the couch, into other rooms and back again. The problem was that Lola could fit in all the places that are generally considered "safe" because our two dogs are too big to fit. So Ti would come loping out from behind the couch looking slightly puzzled and right behind him would be Lola, looking absolutely ecstatic. Around and around they went, Ti looking progressively more "what the hell?" and Lola grinning behind him, ears flying in the wind and tongue hanging out. Eventually I was able to safely corral Lola and pick her up. Tiberius stopped, looked at us with disgust and walked away.<br />
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But from that moment on, Lola's sole purpose in life was to find (and hopefully chase!) the cats.<br />
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The biggest issue is that Lola is still a baby, she just turned one, so her hunting skills are less than stellar. Case in point: here is Lola searching for the Antagonizer in Master J's messy room...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi4NVfhor7xdyviksvssQU47i1Own0a5huLfYpkXHWxUX_zQBFsiSJ9vkJC6ScS87uFNWd5wGhbY_qxwO_1ycEsJ9EkGsNXGQBChE4XsrwH8GU3xtWOjXReP9lgnkGWbHWzK7lh1GsC7ED/s1600/DSC_1465.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi4NVfhor7xdyviksvssQU47i1Own0a5huLfYpkXHWxUX_zQBFsiSJ9vkJC6ScS87uFNWd5wGhbY_qxwO_1ycEsJ9EkGsNXGQBChE4XsrwH8GU3xtWOjXReP9lgnkGWbHWzK7lh1GsC7ED/s320/DSC_1465.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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As you can see, the cat is about two feet away, in plain sight, but Lola can't seem to find her. It took her a solid three minutes to figure out where the cat was. And then this happened...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlQmWeOKQ5h4BDyDueuTwr3v_xRQmN36N0Njerlte9_zkUO8w3cXvDBKBxBFLmQI3l5bH4t0H8H3OYkBVmTOFbwm6h4iKWXi6yM497wyiptRLIIPYwZglo1f14cCcGDptM0yRKUXd4eKM/s1600/DSC_1472.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlQmWeOKQ5h4BDyDueuTwr3v_xRQmN36N0Njerlte9_zkUO8w3cXvDBKBxBFLmQI3l5bH4t0H8H3OYkBVmTOFbwm6h4iKWXi6yM497wyiptRLIIPYwZglo1f14cCcGDptM0yRKUXd4eKM/s320/DSC_1472.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Even closer...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj28vEwdBRnUWxArUv1OC4rnVZj9qKCV5VbkyrcmYj8XMJd8vKQcEw2H2JcgyUE0Navws6y68Zgh9eWgXo9n-M40HkTZXgdShQIpKEvgGwyY4zKuxUi9MjMWPxMJXa8d-FfIVI8I4ls30PB/s1600/DSC_1473.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj28vEwdBRnUWxArUv1OC4rnVZj9qKCV5VbkyrcmYj8XMJd8vKQcEw2H2JcgyUE0Navws6y68Zgh9eWgXo9n-M40HkTZXgdShQIpKEvgGwyY4zKuxUi9MjMWPxMJXa8d-FfIVI8I4ls30PB/s320/DSC_1473.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I gotta give the Antagonizer credit for putting up with this invasion of personal space and not panicking. As obnoxious as she generally is, she's very good natured for the most part.<br />
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As for Finnegan,<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXNEsTlDZbM9jAXscVPIeiRtyiy8iv6wPaazKVouOLVHhJe0nKJmAv7yurt5aKBbJRXOb3T2I7dv0tD_KMutsd9JnpQoJO2y2L_lYUFYPgdi6jLKkKLgAOaHY9e09bV-qVRk4aVA9dsiuV/s1600/DSC_1462.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXNEsTlDZbM9jAXscVPIeiRtyiy8iv6wPaazKVouOLVHhJe0nKJmAv7yurt5aKBbJRXOb3T2I7dv0tD_KMutsd9JnpQoJO2y2L_lYUFYPgdi6jLKkKLgAOaHY9e09bV-qVRk4aVA9dsiuV/s320/DSC_1462.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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well let's just say he spent his time praying that Lola wouldn't notice him.<br />Mirthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02036224287445141051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906485334566920597.post-10851302042513629932012-06-06T11:52:00.001-07:002012-06-06T11:52:14.615-07:00Avocado Chicken Salad on a Tortilla<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is my lunch today.</div>
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As part of my move towards a healthier lifestyle, I've determined that I need to greatly reduce foods from the White Group. Now, my White Group is probably not your White Group. Usually when I say this I get "Yeah, I avoid potatoes and white rice too." Yeah, that's not what I mean. My White Group consists of the really good stuff, like mayonnaise, sour cream, whipped cream and butter. You know, the REAL White Group. Anyway, in trying to reduce the aforementioned foods, I need to replace them with something comparable. Or, in this case, something even better. </div>
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And so I bring you my new version of the chicken salad sandwich.</div>
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4 oz white meat chicken, chopped or cubed</div>
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1/4 cup mashed, fresh avocado (NOT guacamole!)</div>
Dash of sea salt<br />
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5-6 fresh, raw cherry tomatoes</div>
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Tortilla </div>
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Mix the chicken and avocado together with a little sea salt. Put on a flour tortilla and sprinkle with the tomatoes.</div>
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That's it. Eat it. Enjoy it. Revel in it's awesomeness. And know that it's really not unhealthy. I've put together a quick comparison...</div>
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Typical chicken salad sandwich (made with 4 oz chicken, 4 Tbsp mayo, on 2 slices bread):</div>
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Calories: 640</div>
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Fat: 45</div>
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Carbs: 28</div>
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Protein: 32</div>
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Avocado Chicken Salad on a Tortilla:</div>
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Calories: 378</div>
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Fat: 15</div>
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Carbs: 35<br />Protein: 31</div>
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I do lose one gram of protein by going this way, but I also save 262 calories and 30 grams of fat. I'm pretty sure that's a good trade. And it really does taste a lot better. Additionally, the cherry tomatoes came from my own garden and the avocado came from Bountiful Baskets (so they're local). I'm going to try and find an avocado tree the next time I'm near a garden center so I can grow those myself as well.</div>
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So there you have it, good food that's good for me. Can't beat that.</div>
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<br />Mirthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02036224287445141051noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906485334566920597.post-91229021491140955502012-06-05T08:59:00.001-07:002012-06-05T08:59:42.333-07:00Good Morning Little Guy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBpP8YBjKqU6IRmdpdyGJWuzVXVw2Rd416KrU8LOYGo8IE_zh6GUCMOASLPSNtRcgzJuuQtQw3K38AaWsbjVne8Pps7HwJ1UM1oAF4_4jec6F2xnwMoeLxHDqf20Br81QafSnyyBMDC53a/s1600/DSC_1437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBpP8YBjKqU6IRmdpdyGJWuzVXVw2Rd416KrU8LOYGo8IE_zh6GUCMOASLPSNtRcgzJuuQtQw3K38AaWsbjVne8Pps7HwJ1UM1oAF4_4jec6F2xnwMoeLxHDqf20Br81QafSnyyBMDC53a/s320/DSC_1437.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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My peaceful reading on my patio this morning was interrupted with a sudden burst of chaos by the door. On the inside of the door was my cat, the Antagonizer, jumping wildly. On the outside of the door were two dogs, flailing about wildly. In the middle of this bastion of idiocy was the little bird you see above, trying like heck to get some altitude. I yelled "NO!" Both dogs immediately stopped jumping and came over to sit by me. The cat shot me a disgusted look and turned her back to me. The little bird flew about ten feet away and landed next to my hibiscus. And I went and grabbed my camera. He let me get within about two feet of him to take his picture and then walked to the other side of the hibiscus. The best I can do as far as identification is to guess it's some sort of common finch. He sure was pretty though.<br />Mirthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02036224287445141051noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906485334566920597.post-45999447497438593862012-06-04T22:08:00.001-07:002012-06-04T22:08:21.849-07:00Cool MoonMister C and Master J were out getting new hiking boots for Master J this evening and on the way they called me to tell me about the moon. They said it was copper colored. Now of course I rushed right outside to see this copper moon and was sorely disappointed to see no moon at all. They must have been driving out in the open to see this moon because my view was blocked by my neighbors houses. I kept checking back and front until eventually I saw it creeping over a nearby rooftop. Unfortunately by the time I saw it, the nice copper color was gone. But it was still a pretty neat moon. So I put on my telephoto lens and set about trying to take a decent pictures. After nearly thirty shots, I ended up with two that I didn't hate.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0nWjKmdbEXjAGKLHs8weKnn3qKK3ySNe_TZ7uXJ121UA3TTkfINgoLd_-IRKFPNNpUJMjPGqETAxHF4EWo7s3iG2si_QZeFzMq1BkpFv7etgCYkYORmHThI8Zz50kjGecoKxoka-p7p_2/s1600/DSC_1433.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0nWjKmdbEXjAGKLHs8weKnn3qKK3ySNe_TZ7uXJ121UA3TTkfINgoLd_-IRKFPNNpUJMjPGqETAxHF4EWo7s3iG2si_QZeFzMq1BkpFv7etgCYkYORmHThI8Zz50kjGecoKxoka-p7p_2/s320/DSC_1433.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It really was much better in person.<br />Mirthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02036224287445141051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906485334566920597.post-86245310504910811362012-06-03T11:58:00.001-07:002012-06-03T11:59:18.523-07:00Back to Her RootsMister C and I purchased a half a cow from a local rancher at the end of last month. We're really trying to eat better, healthier food and since removing beef from the menu isn't going to happen, we figured that free range cattle is the next best thing. No hormones, no antibiotics and no gmo grain in our food has to be an improvement. We ordered it in March and our beef was ready to be picked up last Friday. One of the bonuses of getting beef through this particular ranch is that they also have on hand a bunch of beef bones that they will give you if you ask. Some people use them for soup and such, some people get them for their dogs. We picked up a few to give to the girls. Fast forward to this morning.<br />
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I was still sleeping when I heard a fight break out in the back yard. By the time I rolled out and headed towards it, the ruckus was ended. So I stopped at the coffee pot before heading out to the patio. When I got there, Mister C was sitting in his chair drinking his coffee, Nora was pacing around with a bone in her mouth and Izzy was in the grass with hers. Apparently the ruckus was because Nora decided it wasn't good enough to have the bone she had been given, she wanted Izzy's as well. And that didn't go over real well. What ended up happening was that Nora got Izzy's bone, which was about half the size of hers, and Izzy got the bigger bone. So yeah, good planning there Nora. Further, she didn't really seem to know what to do with the bone she had. So she paced.<br />
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She walked around with the bone in her mouth, looking at Izzy, looking at us, pacing some more. She wouldn't lay down and chew it, she just paced. Eventually she disappeared around the side of the house where, we assumed, she was chewing the bone in peace, out of sight of Izzy. Turns out she was actually burying it in Master J's sandbox. Yet another good plan Nora. Mister C dug it up, washed it off and put it back in the fridge. Evidently Nora is way too domesticated to figure out to eat the meal that's currently available. <br />
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But Izzy, oh Izzy, you insane little feral beast. Izzy gnawed the hell out of that bone. Now keeping in mind that this bone is actually some kind of large joint from a cow, it was almost as big as her head. But that did not stop her nor slow her down in the least. We sat watching in disbelief as that little dog tore that bone up. It was like watching a wild African dog in action. National Geographic in our own back yard. She gnawed. She chewed. She ripped off chunks. She never used her paws, just her jaws. And she ate the whole damn thing. In under thirty minutes. And when I say "she ate it" I mean there was not one scrap left of that bone. And then she went looking for the one she knew Nora had buried. Obviously this is a dog that can fend for herself if need be. One that would survive the zombie apocalypse with us.<br />
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I would say she made us proud. I would, but then I sat there and thought about the fact that my dog just reverted back to her wild ancestors and ate a large cow bone without much trouble. And I started thinking that maybe I should be extra careful not to become maimed within range of her. At least not unless I have a weapon close at hand. My suspicion is that she might conveniently "forget" where the majority of her meals have come from recently.Mirthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02036224287445141051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906485334566920597.post-77465790315161558602012-06-02T07:17:00.002-07:002012-06-02T07:17:47.504-07:00Bountiful Baskets<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUZdCPDGtGc4Aftrf_z0MKlriqjjPrdrDUQxkNYTlS8s401JOjZa2cWbImwe7jtBBQ_8TmVfQHsGuRxR7BIWxtyK2Dqhd4Ac1e47Gc07yMq14PGvJaLhc2ohYWBapmMp2Z4mmxL5aYX1Ft/s1600/DSC_1402.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUZdCPDGtGc4Aftrf_z0MKlriqjjPrdrDUQxkNYTlS8s401JOjZa2cWbImwe7jtBBQ_8TmVfQHsGuRxR7BIWxtyK2Dqhd4Ac1e47Gc07yMq14PGvJaLhc2ohYWBapmMp2Z4mmxL5aYX1Ft/s320/DSC_1402.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I ordered a basket again this week and it came in looking pretty fruity. One of their specials this week was eight pounds of strawberries for $10 so I went ahead and got that as well as the regular basket. Of course when I got there one of the fruits was more strawberries. So now I have ten pounds of them. Looks like I'll be freezing some portion of that haul.<br />
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Between our own gardens and today's basket I should have enough fruits and vegetables to keep my family in real food for the next week, which is awesome.<br />
<br />Mirthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02036224287445141051noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906485334566920597.post-40840255994249265982012-06-01T20:54:00.001-07:002012-06-01T20:55:38.344-07:00Where did the time go?It looks like I somehow missed the month of May, hmm, wonder where I put it? Ah well, I guess I needed a break from my ever so busy life of loafing around reading the internet. That's not entirely true, I've also been reading a big stack of library books. And working out at the gym. And making trips to California to visit friends. So yeah, pretty busy. Much too busy to check in with my blog. So how about that eclipse? That was something right? Yeah, couldn't look at it. I started thinking about the viewing possibilities about two hours ahead of time. Evidently most people planned better and bought up all the special glasses. We improvised and did the pinhole thing to project it onto a piece of poster-board. I tried to take some pics with my pinhole camera but have yet to drop them in chemicals to see if I got anything. Probably not, I think I left the shutter open for too long. <br />
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Our gardens are going gangbusters. I'm getting at least a dozen cherry tomatoes every day, usually much more. The biggest issue with them is that I didn't cage them so I had to leave the chicken wire up around the garden to keep them upright. Which means I am either reaching over the top or scrounging around underneath with my face pressed into the wire. It's a look.<br />
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Here's a picture of the first real day of cherry tomato harvesting:<br />
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The strawberries finally started producing as well and when I can get them ahead of the birds they are quite good. We've gotten two (tiny) raspberries that Mister C said were "okay". The lone blackberry wasn't as good. I have eight sugar babies (mini watermelons) that are about the size of softballs and several smaller ones. I'm really excited about those, cannot wait for them to be ready! The cantaloupe vines are taking over more than their half of the garden they're in. I have to keep untangling their spindly runners from my strawberries to prevent strangulation. I am finally starting to see little bulb like things that I think are future cantaloupe. Another one I am really excited about. The cucumbers have four little (about two inches) babies starting to grow. And the grapevine is all the way up the trellis and heading for the overhang. So, gardens are going pretty well and we've learned a ton. Next year the tomatoes will be caged and the cantaloupe will have their own garden.<br />
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On other healthy fronts (see how my segues have improved in my absence?) I've been working out. I work out no less than five times a week, usually at the gym, but sometimes I do it at home. Mostly I do it at the gym though. And I've been logging everything I eat for the last month. That was sort of eye opening. Not in a good way either. Anyway, through the magical pill of diet and exercise I've managed to lose nine pounds since May 5th. So, about 19% of my total goal and just under 5% lost off my starting weight. And I'm starting to look a little better in my Jeep, so that's a positive.<br />
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So speaking of the Jeep (damn these segues just keep coming!) I still have the doors and hard top off and am driving around with just the bikini top on. It was 111 degrees today. Sitting at stop lights is kind of like sitting in a convection oven, the heat comes from all sides. But you know what? I don't even mind for the most part. So long as I'm moving, it's fine. And, I don't have to deal with it being 150 degrees when I get back to my car and it's been sitting in a parking lot for an hour. Whatever the temp is outside, it is inside. I also think it makes me more appreciative of air conditioning when I am in it. And also, the disbelieving look on people's faces when I pull up next to them is awesome. So for today, the doors and hard top stay off and I'll put up with the heat.<br />
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I'm all out of segues. And I'm all out of updates. I'll try really hard to be more on top of this blog in the future. And I promise I'll get some more pictures in the next post. <br />
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<br />Mirthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02036224287445141051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906485334566920597.post-19372396028371142612012-04-28T13:10:00.001-07:002012-04-28T13:10:05.182-07:00Remembering the Good instead of the BadTwenty years ago the riots were in full swing and L.A. was self destructing with racial tension that had melted into uncontrollable violence. Probably the most vivid memory I have is seeing the live broadcast of truck driver Reginald Denny being dragged out of his truck and viciously beaten. But there were heroes that day as well. <br />
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Titus Murphy, Terri Barnett, Lei Yuille and Bobby Green were four that came together to save Mr. Denny even though he was a complete stranger to them and they were strangers to each other. Four black strangers risking their own lives to save a white man in the midst of riots that were based on race. We need more people like this in our world, heroes who don't think of themselves as such. Remember the heroes instead of the evil when you think back on this piece of our history.Mirthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02036224287445141051noreply@blogger.com0