Texas Is Watching you

Really? Come on people... what next?
How far are we going to let this go?

http://www.infowars.com/texas-senate-endorses-freeway-spy-cameras/

Richard Gageon KMPH Fox 26

Just listen.... hey I'm just sayin....

Maybe

1. Maybe. .. .we were supposed to meet the wrong people before meeting the right one so that, when we finally meet the right person, we will know how to be grateful for that gift.

2. Maybe . . . When the door of happiness closes, another opens; but, often times, we look so long at the closed door that we don't even see the new one which has been opened for us.

3. Maybe . .. . It is true that we don't know what we have until we lose it, but it is also true that we don't know what we have been missing until it arrives.

4. Maybe . . . The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.

5. Maybe . . . The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; after all, you can't go on successfully in life until you let go of your past mistakes, failures and heartaches.

6. Maybe . . . You should dream what you want to dream; go where you want to go, be what you want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you dream of, and want to do.

7. Maybe . . . There are moments in life when you miss someone -- a parent, a spouse, a friend, a child -- so much that you just want to pick them from your dreams and hug them for real, so that once they are around you appreciate them more.

8. Maybe . . . The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch and swing with, never say a word, and then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you've ever had.

9. Maybe . . You should always try to put yourself in others' shoes. If you feel that something could hurt you, it probably will hurt the other person, too.

10. Maybe . . You should do something nice for someone every single day, even if it is simply to leave them alone.

11. Maybe . . Giving someone all your love is never an assurance that they will love you back. Don't expect love in return; just wait for it to grow in their heart; but, if it doesn't, be content that it grew in yours.

12. Maybe . . . Happiness waits for all those who cry, all those who hurt, all those who have searched, and all those who have tried, for only they can appreciate the importance of all the people who have touched their lives.

13. Maybe . . . You shouldn't go for looks; they can deceive; don't go for wealth; even that fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile, because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright. Find the one that makes your heart smile.

14. Maybe . . You should hope for enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, and enough hope to make you happy

Maybe. . . You could send this message to those people who mean something to you, to those who have touched your life, to those who can and do make you smile when you really need it, to those who make you see the brighter side of things when you are really down, and to all those whom you want to know that you appreciate them and their friendship.

And if you don't, don't worry; nothing bad will happen to you. You will just miss out on the opportunity to perhaps brighten someone's day

A good friend sent this to me ... Just wanted to share!

This and That

We have been so busy lately that finding time to blog is sometimes hard. All sorts of things going on around here though. The water pump on the Dodge Diesel went out. Mars (DH) had been expecting it as the truck had been sitting up for a few years. He had been putting off changing the serpentine belt until it did. He had to take the day off to do repairs. I'm so glad that he knows how to do all this stuff.

I had to run errands in the "Big City" yesterday. I always dread the trip just because it involves getting into real traffic!!

I had to make a run to the Pipe and Tobacco shop. We have been rolling our own for a few years now. Just alot less expensive all around. And now that they have jacked up the taxes on ciggarettes it makes even more sense to DIY.

Oh, on that note, I found some tobacco seeds at the local nursery and am trying to start some. I had a few started in my "baggie" greenhouse but Mars decided it was time for them to have a "little more sun". Which would have been fine except the temps that night were down in the 50's. So we start again! LOL Life is a learning process. Every time I mess something up I think.... Hmmm... OK. Let's have a do over! Chalk one up to experience.

Mars set up an outdoor stove for the canner. He just rigged it up for now. He wants to make a stand for it but it worked just like it was supposed to. The only thing it cost was propane as the rest of the stuff was all free. Ya can't beat that price!
The garden's are both coming along great. We should have ripe tomato's before long. The potato bags are looking good. I'm really excited to find out how well this method will work. I will keep ya'll posted. There are about 6 baby cantaloupes in the garden now. I don't have a clue as to what we are going to do with all that cantolupe!! LOL
Check out my fat kitty!! She's about due for her first (and Last) litter. It's so funny to watch her try to do the things she did before....she's just too fat now!

Another Day In Paradise

Today was my day "off". My workweek doesn't come with weekends off. It makes for some interesting tradeoffs with Mars(DH) and myself as he actually has a normal workweek. This can sometimes be a challenge but we do the best we can.

First order of the day was to sleep in! Always my favorite part of being off work!! I finally got out of bed about 8:30 or so and made a cup of Earl Grey. I sat on the patio, enjoying the beautiful weather, listening to the birds and the squirrels chattering away. I love my little patio. Then it was time to wash the dishes and started some laundry.

After that it was down to the garden to do some watering and weeding. Everything is looking great. I picked a big mess of speckle beans and a few cowpeas. Mars (DH) had to take the day off to work on the diesel.
Which kinda worked out nice as we have different days off and don't spend much time together other than in the afternoons. We added more dirt to the potato sacks. They are looking good ! Then back to the patio to snap some beans to get ready for my very first canning experience. We have been planning since Saturday to can today. We had a pretty good mess of speckled beans then and figured by today we would have a buttload! We did! I found another good job for the FoodSaver too. I vaccum sealed the beans from Saturday and they were fresh as could be today. Cool , huh!

You all know how days off are.... there are always errands to be ran. I was off to the Pipe and Tobacco store for a pound of tobacco. The parts place had the water pump but had to order the belt. So I swung by there on the way back from the "Big City" to pick it up.

Then it was off to Wally World. I finally picked up my canning tool kit with the jar lifter, funnel,etc.. I also picked up a timer and some dill seed. Mars had made a comment the other day about...."Aren't you thinking your gonna need dill for pickles!" Geesh! And then it was off to the local grocery for a couple of sale items. The bakery there saves their foodgrade buckets for me but I have to check daily or they toss them at the end of the day. Score for today was one 3 1/2 gallon bucket! Finally, all done, and back to the house.

During all this, Mars replaced the water pump on the truck. Then he proceeded to set up an outdoor propane DIY stove for doing the canning outside. Living in an RV, one of the first things we thought about was the heat generated by any fire in the trailer. It's just too hot in the summer here to make it worse. It kind of goes the same with the cooking in the summers here. Most is done on the grill, or in the microwave or its cold meals like salads and such.

He replaced the serpentine belt and I finished up watering the "second" garden while the jars were sterilizing. Then it was time for my virginity to be taken. WE CANNED!!!!
We ended up with a full canner load. 4 quarts of speckled beans and 2 quarts of yellow squash.
I know there are lots of people who say you can't can yellow squash but I remember it being done when I was a kid. I raw packed it and if it don't kill us then it outta be good right?

By this time its like 9 PM and dinners still not cooked. We decided to make taco's on the little propane grill. We didn't have lettuce so we used baby spinach instead. Pulled up a fresh onion outta the garden, some cheese and salsa... Yummy!

As I sit here tonite I think that its going to be one very long and very interesting summer.

It's On!

I love Our garden. DH is much more dedicated than I am but we are working out a rhythm . I am not used to coming home from work with a few extra hours attached to it. But it's not like I didnt know on the front end of all this. I am excited...I now have to find my rhythm.

We are now moving into the part where the payoffs start! We are experimenting with the Foodsaver by putting up the squash in a large vaccum bag and will be reopening and resealing until Thursday. (my day off and my now to be known as "food storage" day.)
If ya have a better name to call it... It would be welcome!! LOL I can see this as my waterbathing, pressurecooking, vaccum sealing day. It won't work for long as things will start coming in faster and faster. But for the next couple of weeks it gives me time to "mentally adjust" to the new schedule.

We are already enjoying squash, spinach, beans, radishes, and peppers. It makes my day when I go out and see what has been accomplished and what is yet to come! The weeds of course suck...but I'm thinking with the square foot gardening we are trying, this may become a nonissue. We will see soon enough!
I am already seeing where this is bigger than I thought it would be. I think its gonna be a busy summer. What more could ya ask for?

Hey I'm just sayin....

Shout Out

I wanted to give a shout out to The Survivalist Blog - Live better, live Cheaper and survive when things get tough.
I visit almost daily and have found some great information there.

16 Things it Took Me 50 Years to Learn

Things it took me 50 years to learn.

By Dave Barry, Nationally Syndicated Columnist

1. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative
on the same night.

2. If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race
has not achieved and never will achieve its full potential, that word
would be 'meetings.'

3. There is a very fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness.'

4. People who want to share their religious views with you almost
never want you to share yours with them.

5. You should not confuse your career with your life.

6. Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

7. Never lick a steak knife.

8. The most destructive force in the universe is gossip.

9. You will never find anybody who can give you a clear and compelling
reason why we observe daylight savings time.

10. You should never say anything to a woman that even remotely
suggests that you think she's pregnant unless you can see an actual
baby emerging from her at that moment.

11. There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to
make a big deal about your birthday. That time is age eleven.

12. The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age,
gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that, deep
down inside, we ALL believe that we are above average drivers.

13. A person who is nice to you but rude to a waiter is not a nice
person. (This is very important. Pay attention. It never fails.)

14. Your friends love you anyway.

15. Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur
built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic.

16. Men are like fine wine. They start out as grapes, and it's up to
women to stomp the stuff out of them until they turn into something
acceptable to have dinner with.

On the Back Porch

Sitting out this evening, watching the garden grow, I found myself wandering down memory lane.

I was taken back to the times as a kid when the first things started coming in from the garden. The excitement that a kid has for something new. The first beans coming in were wonderful. I remember the first cantaloupe of the season was almost like a mini party! It would be sliced and ice cold and the best dessert in the world to us kids.
Mind you I am talking about spring firsts. The strawberries finally coming in (it seemed they always took forever!) The first strawberry shortcake. Sigh!

We are now actually harvesting the first raddish from the garden. The first of the spinach is sooo tasty. Oh and the first squash has been picked and fried as is appropriate in the south! And the first of the beans are now bubbling on the stove with a bit of bacon and some onions.
Back when I was a kid I used to get so excited bout the spring firsts and I still do!

You still weren't thinking about how many evenings would be spent later in the summer with a pot full of peas to be shelled or corn to be husked. But that time was always spent sitting with the family. We had some wonderful talks out there . I learned alot about life on that back porch.

Sick,,,,Just Sick

Despite Reports, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Was Not Waterboarded 183 Times - Presidential Politics | Political News - FOXNews.com
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/28/despite-reports-khalid-s...

The Bailout Bubble

The Bailout Bubble - The
Bubble To End All Bubbles

By Gerald Celente
5-14-9

KINGSTON, NY -- The biggest financial bubble in history is being inflated in plain sight, said Gerald Celente, Director of The Trends Research Institute. "This is the Mother of All Bubbles, and when it explodes," Celente warns, "it will signal the end to the boom/bust cycle that has characterized economic activity throughout the developed world." Either unwilling or unable to call the bubble by its proper name, the media, Washington and Wall Street describe the stupendous government expenditures on rescue packages, stimulus plans, buyouts and takeovers as emergency measures needed to salvage the severely damaged economy. "All of this terminology is econo-jargon," said Celente. "It's like calling torture 'enhanced interrogation techniques.' Washington is inflating the biggest bubble ever: the 'Bailout Bubble.' "This is much bigger than the Dot-com and Real Estate bubbles which hit speculators, investors and financiers the hardest. However destructive the effects of these busts on employment, savings and productivity, the Free Market Capitalist framework was left intact. But when the 'Bailout Bubble' explodes, the system goes with it." The economic framework of the United States has been restructured. Federal interventionist policies have given the government equity stakes, executive powers and management control of what was once private enterprise. To finance these buyouts, rescue and stimulus packages -- instead of letting failed businesses fail and bankrupt banks and bandit brokerages go bankrupt -- trillions of dollars are being injected into the stricken economy. Phantom dollars, printed out of thin air, backed by nothing ... and producing next to nothing ... defines the "Bailout Bubble." Just as with the other bubbles, so too will this one burst. But unlike Dot-com and Real Estate, when the "Bailout Bubble" pops, neither the President nor the Federal Reserve will have the fiscal fixes or monetary policies available to inflate another. With no more massive economic bubbles left to blow up, they'll set their sights on bigger targets. "Given the pattern of governments to parlay egregious failures into mega-failures, the classic trend they follow, when all else fails, is to take their nation to war," observed Celente. Since the "Bailout Bubble" is neither called nor recognized as a bubble, its sudden and spectacular explosion will create chaos. A panicked public will readily accept any Washington/Wall Street/Main Stream Media alibi that shifts the blame for the catastrophe away from the policy makers and onto some scapegoat. "At this time we are not forecasting a war. However, the trends in play are ominous," Celente concluded. "While we cannot pinpoint precisely when the 'Bailout Bubble' will burst, we are certain it will. When it does, it should be understood that a major war could follow." © MMIX The Trends Research Institute®

William Cooper

I found this very interesting interview and thought I would share. Remember that this was done in 1999 as you watch it. William Cooper was killed on November 5th 2001 at the hands of our government. He was a true Patriot.

Alex Jones Interviews Bill Cooper @ Yahoo! Video

My First Peaches

Well I finally did it. I put up my first peaches!! Not the prettiest job but I can only improve from here! I should have let the peaches ripen another day or so....but it's all good. I'm happy!

DH has been working on another garden spot. Our neighbor (who is hardly ever home) has given permission for us to use his yard for a second garden spot.

There are four 4 foot beds 25 foot long and another shorter one we will be transplanting some squash, cucumbers, and peppers out of the containers in. The back row is all corn, next is blackeyed peas, the third will be green beans, and I'm not sure about the rest just yet. I will let ya know when I find out! The corn is already coming up. The peas should be coming up soon.

This is just getting bigger and bigger. We will be going later this week for a load of mulch for first garden spot. We have baby squash coming in now. Which reminds me.....I have another use for my handy dandy FoodSaver. DH picked 3 squash today, as it isn't quite enough for a meal, I popped them in a mason jar and sealed them till another couple are ready!

The cantaloupe are blooming like mad too. And on another note.... I've got those herbs and things going in the baggies. I noticed today that everything is sprouting!
Is that cool or what?

Stuff

The garden is coming in great. We are using the square foot gardening method so it is really starting to look "filled-in". Some of my herbs didn't come up and so yesterday I started some more seeds. I am trying the "baggie" method I learned about over on the American Preppers Network forums. I am trying my hand at some serrano peppers, rosemary, thyme, cilantro, some more marigolds, and oregano. I'm hoping its not to late but I think it will be fine. If not I'm out a few peat pellets, a few seeds, and some baggies. Not a big deal.

Work has been pretty slow which isn't good since I depend on tips for my money. You can sure tell the economy is hurting people. More and more people are staying in for meals rather than dining out. Just a reminder though folks, the next time you are eating out, your server makes $2.13 an hour. 15% gratuity should be applied, 20% or more is a great tip. If you can't afford to leave a tip try McDonalds, or some place that doesn't have servers there to wait on you.

I stopped by our local thrift store to look around this week and found a couple of good finds. I found a home Merk Manual for 75 cents and a Practical Encyclopedia on Natural Healing for a buck. I also found a cool camping kit. It has 3 pots , a skillet, 4 tin plates, and two handles. 6 bucks!! We camp alot (I know, I know , your thinking"they but theylive in a RV") It's just not the same to me. We like to take the tent and all the camping gear just to get away and go fishing.

What a wonderful and insightful speach this was! I thought I would share it with you all.

Spring

I love springtime.It's not turned all hot and humid yet. My star jasmine is in bloom and the air is sweet with the fragrance. Even my next door neighbor commented on how good it smells wafting through his window.

Ok , I need some input here. This plant ( there are several in the park) has me puzzled. It also amazes me that no one noticed the big asparagus looking sprout until now. Go figure. This thing is HUGE. The regular part of the plant is well over 6 foot tall. That "sprout" has to be close to twenty foot high and 2 foot around. Anyone know what it is?

The peach trees are full this year. The one's in my girlfriends yard are this year mine to pick as she is out of the country until July. Woo Hoo!! I will be trying my hand at canning peaches this year and I am actually looking forward to it. I was a little nervous thinking about it but I know that if I have any problems at all I have a network of good people to help me. The Forums over at the APN boards are chock full of people with lots of wisdom to share. And trust me, I'm not afraid to ask! Anytime you want to chime in here with help or comments they will be appreciated.

Tonight we are having freshly picked baby spinach salad. I will have to add a few fresh radashes as well. First food out of the garden!!

Garden Pictures

I have been out in the garden this morning doing the obligatory weeding. It has been overcast most of the day. What a nice way to spend my day off. I love getting my hands in the dirt. I found my first tomato and first pepper of the year. Exciting to say the least.