I Am A Winner (and you could be too!)

Isn't this great!  I entered one of Pete's great giveaway's over at Patriots Against The NWO.  Guess who was the winner!  I just  love free stuff.  Especially free stuff that helps me with prepping.  Double bonus. I think when I am finished reading it I just might pass this one on to another lucky reader!  Stay Tuned... 
As luck would have it Pete is having another give-away right now!  So head on over there right now and sign up to enter. You might be the next Lucky Winner!
                   ~~~ Hey ... I'm Just Sayin' ... ~~~

You Just HAD To Go There

In the last post one of the comments left was from SkippyMom. She made this very wise observation:

"My point-don't feed the trolls.  You give him a stand to make an issue out of something that he knows nothing about in regards to you."

Boy was she right! Life is way to short to have to defend yourself over things that matter so little in the general scope of things. The last time I checked this was still my blog.  I am who I am and I don't feel the need to make apologies to anyone for that. 
This never has and never will be a "political" blog. I occasionally go off on a rant but again, its my blog and I can do that if I want to.  What I don't have to do is to deal with personal attacks or even having to "explain"  my reasons for the content of this blog.  If that  ticks you off then I guess you can just get glad in the same pants you got mad in!  There are plenty of other places out there where I'm sure you can do this but it's NOT going to happen here in MY little part of the blogosphere.  You don't go to someone's "home" and act like that, and it is not going to happen here.  My blog, my rules.
Because of asshats people like "The Troll" I felt I had to make a decision regarding comment moderation.  I could have just set comments not to accept anything from those who post as Anonymous.  The problem with that is that I have lots of folks who leave comments here that don't feel comfortable signing up with Google. I can understand that.  The only other option I have is to moderate all comments.  So that is what I have decided to do. 
               ~~~ Hey ... I'm Just Sayin' ...~~~

My Very Own Troll

Well it has finally happened. I must have finally made the big time.  I have my very first troll. Yep, you read that right, I have a troll!   Of course it took me over two years to do it. I'm not sure whether to take that as a compliment as to my ability not to "rock the boat" too much or that I rocked it just enough to finally warrant my very own.  I do find it a bit disappointing that trolls don't have names.    It would be much more satisfying to have one with a "real" name, like Bill or Bob or Sue. Yet they tend to go by "Anonymous".  Somehow that takes alot of the fun out of actually having one of my very own.
Back in November I re-posted a letter that has made its way across the internet.  It was called "I Am the Democratic Liberal-Progressive’s Worst Nightmare".  I'm still not sorry to have posted it. I'm pretty sure the title might have had something to do with the anger my new troll seems to have, and possibly why he/she crawled out from under its special rock.
An anonymous comment, left I am sure to try and make me see the errors of my ways.  Unfortunately, as trolls often lack the ability to actually read what was written, they  had superimposed his/her own beliefs  into it.  Mind you I only re-posted a letter, I didn't write the dang thing!
I am sure it was a surprise when he/she (no name remember- so I can't even give credit to either sex) actually saw their comment "in print" as it were. I will admit that I struggled with myself a bit over posting it,  but in the end I figured what the heck. This is America and even a troll has a right to an opinion. I found it sad that someone could be so passionate about something and yet not be passionate enough to read the post OR leave even a made up  name.  
Now leaving one anonymous comment does not a troll make.  I realized I actually had my very own when I was left another comment by the very same person in this post. !  I  chose not to reply to the comment there but will do so here instead.  The italics are my response.

Anonymous said...

LOL! You are a real piece of work! Well thank you very much. I DO try. One of the first blogs I ever read of yours; Yet after being so offended you came back again   you attacked all liberals/democats for loving socialism!  If you would care to show me exactly where I did the attacking I would be obliged! Meanwhile your applying for an FHA loan and social security!  I worked for over 30 years paying into this system and before it is snatched from us you are dammed sure right. I intend to get at least some of what I paid in back and I don't care if it hairlips you OR the devil ! LOL You are something else all right. Enjoy MY tax dollars while you rail against socialism. lol  Actually if you think living below the poverty line is enjoyable, I ask that you think about that one again. Meanwhile I gotta' go to work!  Thank you for your input. As I have said before if you are offended by the things that I write here you are more than welcome to take yourself somewhere else. I have an even better idea.  How about you try starting your own blog?  If you can't figure out how to do that then do me a favor (after all you are MY troll, right?)   Get a real name! Those who hide behind curtains of secrecy  must surely have something to hide.        Hey ... I'm Just Sayin'...

I Don't Know...

I'm not sure what happened the first time around that I tried to post the article below.  I think things are straightened out now.  One can hope....

http://baconandeggs-scifichick.blogspot.com/2011/02/current-article.html

Time To Start Your Garden

I haven't been doing a lot of "prepper" stuff on this blog lately. With all the things going on in America and around the world these days I should be screaming from the rafters PREPARE NOW!!!!  Things are getting scary and for some reason, now that things are starting to fall apart, I feel almost frozen in place.  Which happens occasionally.  I'm sure I'm not the only one.  I believe we are living in what will be looked back upon as historic times.  Take notes boys and girls, this will be one to tell your grandchildren about.  Let's just hope we can tell them while still living in a Free America and not just about "the good old days" when we lived in a place we used to call America, the Beautiful.

Ok, now that I have identified the reason for my "dismal mood" and realize that my general outlook has been sucking... (sucking? I'm pretty sure that's not really the word I was looking for but it certainly fits)  It is now time to pull up my proverbial "big girl panties" and get on with it.  After all, spring is right around the corner and there are things we can be doing to get ready for what is sure to be an "interesting" summer.

One of the things we CAN do about getting ourselves more prepared for the inevitable higher prices we are going to see in the grocery stores this year is to plant a garden. Even if you have never tried growing one it's really  not that hard to do.  There is no time to waste.  This is the year you MUST start growing your own foods.

So lets talk about some gardening!  After spending most of the winter looking out the window and wishing for warmer weather, nothing makes a person feel better than to start planning your garden.
 You will first have to figure out just what you have to work with. No excuses either!  Even if you live in an apartment you can grow something.  Container gardening can produce lots of vegetables in small amount of space. You just need a few containers, some good dirt, and some seeds.  Heck, this year, instead of planting those seasonal flowers in your flower bed, how about using that space to grow edible plants!  You would be amazed at how many vegetables are not only good to eat but are pretty to look at!

You can use most any kind of containers as long as they have a way to let the water drain off the soil.  Even old 5 gallon buckets will work.  Just drill some holes in the bottom and you will be ready to go.  Your choice of containers is only as limited as your imagination.   You can easily grow tomato's, peppers, lettuce, cucumbers, etc in containers.

I am a big advocate for shopping local and your local nursery is no exception.  You can pick up most everything you need there as well as your seeds.  You can also purchase some vegetable starter plants at your local nursery.  They are a great resource for information about planting in your area.   If you don't have a nursery near you then even your "big box" stores will usually carry starter plants and seeds.  I personally would rather not shop there but if there isn't another option for now then by all means go for it.  Planting something is much better than not planting at all!

If you still have time to do it, then another option for purchasing your seeds is to  shop online for them.  Places like Baker Creek Seeds, Seeds of Change and the Seed Savers Exchange  all carry heirloom and open pollinated seeds.  There are many other places that carry heirloom seeds as well. Just be sure that they are truly not Genetically Modified seeds.  And be sure to ask if they are affiliated in ANY way with Monsanto.  Those seeds are a big no no in my personal opinion.

With that being said I personally think that most plants are just as easy to start from seed, but if you are more comfortable starting out with seedlings then go with that!  Remember, this is your garden and it is supposed to be fun and lots of us find it pretty relaxing too! So don't let the little things stress you out.  Find a  spot somewhere that gets maximum  sunlight. Some morning or afternoon shade is ok but you will want to have at least 6 hours or so of direct sunlight. 

  Do you have a garden spot already? Then it's time to get your dirt turned over and tilled up. Now would be a good time to take a soil sample to your local County Extension Agency. Some of them still offer this service for free or at a really nominal rate. They can tell you what, if anything, your soil might be needing.  They are also a great source for information about what AND when to plant in your specific area.  And now is a great time to do that.


Here is the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone map. Click here to find out what zone you are in.  Most vegetables can be planted between April 15th and June 1st, depending on the zone you are in. The Vegetable Garden is a super website  that lists the planting schedules and extension agencies for your area.  The information there is invaluable to both the new gardener and those with more hands on experience as well.

Planting a garden of any kind can be lots of fun. Make a summer kids garden while you are at it.  Teach your children gardening this year and create a lifetime of memories.  And face it, there isn't anything much better that fresh, right out of the garden vegetables on your dinner table.  You will be amazed at what you can do.   With food prices out of control in the stores, you can save a ton of money this summer.  So get out there and get started.  The only thing stopping you is you!