A Quaint Life

Brad Stine, God or Sin?

2011-12-05T12:22:00.001-08:00

Christmas Music

2011-12-01T09:31:00.000-08:00

Christmas has become uber commercialized over the past several years. It's actually gotten to the point where I've been not able to enjoy Christmas music, which is some of my favorite music! Then I heard this on the radio this morning:

But in my house it's not the Christmas season until we hear the "Hippo" song. And low and behold while I'm typing this it came on the radio! :)

Being Thankful

2011-11-25T09:56:00.000-08:00

My family and I were very fortunate this year to spend Thanksgiving with the clergy of our church and their family and friends. It was nice to get to enjoy the meal, be around kind, caring people, and not clean dishes. :)

I'm actually thankful for something quite sad that happened to us recently. We've been attending our church for almost exactly a year now and in that time we've come to love many of the people in the congregation. I've learned a lot from one man in particular, the head usher that attended the mass we go to every Sunday. In this short time span he was more unconditionally loving than anyone I've met on this Earth. This past month he passed away and the hole that he left in so many people's lives is astounding. I didn't truly understand unconditional love until he passed. And while our hearts still ache with missing him, I'm thankful for this gift he has given us.

Another amazing life lesson I learned recently has me counting my blessings. I heard the childhood story of a girl my family knows that was adopted from China. She was adopted when she was only 5 1/2, and the horrible things she endured until that time really put my childhood into perspective. My childhood "abuse" was luxurious in comparison. I was lucky with the emotional abuse I suffered from my parents. And I hope I keep that perspective. While I felt I had been in a life threatening situation, I survived and walked away with a knowledge that common people don't have, recognizing evil.

Most Americans seem to be re-evaluating the priorities in their life as the economy continues to effect more people and families. Tom Mannis, The Homeless Patriot, has managed to keep food in his stomach and a roof over his head. And even more amazing yet, he volunteered his time this Thanksgiving return his thanks to his local VFW. Please read the story here and here.

A Boy's Thanksgiving Day

2011-11-23T07:00:00.000-08:00

By Lydia Marie Child

Over the river, and through the wood,

to Grandfather's house we go;
the horse knows the way to carry the sleigh
through the white and drifted snow.

Over the river, and through the wood,
to Grandfather's house away!
We would not stop for doll or top,
for 'tis Thanksgiving Day.

Over the river, and through the wood-

oh, how the wind does blow!
It stings the toes and bites the nose,
as over the ground we go.

Over the river, and through the wood
and straight through the barnyard gate.
We seem to go extremely slow-
it is so hard to wait!

Over the river, and through the wood-
when Grandmother sees us come,
She will say, "o, dear, the children are here,
bring a pie for every one."

Over the river, and through the wood-
now Grandmothers cap I spy!
Hurrah for the fun! Is the pudding done?
Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!

This song originally appeared as a poem written by Lydia Maria Child. The poem appeared in Flowers for Children, Vol. 2 in 1844.

Why bother working?

2011-11-22T13:00:00.000-08:00

Why bother working when government agencies can lay claim to your profits?

Man catches 881-pound tuna, seized by feds

I'll Probably Get Death Threats for This Post

2011-11-06T19:05:00.000-08:00

If only more suicide bombers were this successful.

PREMATURE DETONATION: Young Suicide Bomber Dies When Explosive Vest Triggers Too Early

I definitely think this young person's attempt falls under:

Donald Duck and the Gorilla

2011-10-29T09:43:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of Halloween and being politically incorrect after all those animals were released.

The Face of Evil

2011-10-21T12:13:00.000-07:00

Bill Whittle from PJTV made an excellent point once. How many people are running to join a communist country? Really. How many people are buying boats and building rafts to escape to Cuba?

If you want to have a glimps of what Evil is willing to do read this article:

NKorean Prison Camp Survivor: Starving Women Cooked & Ate Their Own Children

Evil people will do anything they want to who ever they want to, and they don't need a reason for it.

We've Been So Brainwashed

2011-10-14T12:55:00.000-07:00

I don't know what I find to be more astounding in this film. The amount of people my age that don't know who Hitler is and what he did or how, as a society, we've been trained to have so little reguard for life.

The World is Slipping Into Madness

2011-10-12T09:06:00.000-07:00

     Foiled assassination plots between countries, protests on the streets, and a stock market that can't seem to make up it's mind. These are not actually the things that I find to be odd.
    I've been attempting to read less news, again, due to insomnia, again. But some of these news stories are too strange to be avoided.
    We've got a problem with Amish "gangs", a person dressed as Super Hero acting as Good Samaritan gets arrested, and the EU has banned children playing with balloons.

What the heck?

What if it stops being a joke?

2011-09-30T16:19:00.000-07:00

I consider myself to be a somewhat paranoid individual. When you grow up in a small town and your parents are friends with the police, you learn real quick you can't get away with much. Or if something happens at school, because of small town phone gossip, your parents will know before you even get home the who, what, when, where, why and how of the situation (or least some one's version of it.)

With things like that, I do get paranoid about "Big Brother". I lived it and I know what people will do when they actually are out to get you.

Now our sitting President has a site where people can be turned in for saying mean things about him. Granted, the site has become the laughing stock of the internet and spoofed like you wouldn't believe.

I've definitely enjoyed a hardy laugh over these and the one liners on Twitter. But what happens if it stops being a joke?

People are starting to get arrested for committing crimes they didn't even know they were committing. You can't even go down to a dry lake bed and dig around in the dirt with out risking a chance of having charges pressed against you. I shudder to think what would have happened when we went camping in Yosemite if I had allowed my girls to pick wildflowers.

How much further is our government going to push things? Nancy Pelosi said we had to pass the bill to what's in it. We still don't know everything that is in the Obamacare bill, the Stimulus packages, or the upcoming Jobs Bill. Do I need to worry that I'm going to be retro-actively charged for my thoughts on my blog or the things I home school my children on?

C'mon Get Happy!

2011-09-21T20:00:00.000-07:00

The news is annoy, aggravating, and depressing. Every time a government official opens their mouth the market tanks. Palestine is willing to work with others, as long as they get their way. And there's a giant satellite due to crash who-knows-where. *shrug*

Time for my old fashion way to cheer myself up, Musicals! In this case Judy Garland. I might get real crazy and breakout some hot cocoa. :)

Day of Rage

2011-09-20T16:40:00.000-07:00

In case you blinked and missed it, there was a US Day of Rage. It was suppose to be life changing like the Days of Rage in the Middle East this last spring. Here's a recap of what happened:

Did I mention they had free yoga too?

God of Our Fathers

2011-09-11T13:47:00.001-07:00

Today in church I learned we have an American National HYMN!

9/11 2001- 2011

2011-09-10T16:39:00.000-07:00

This year's anniversary of 9/11 is different from the others. For one things, my girls are old enough to start understanding what happened that day. How people were Hell bent on hurting America and what we stand for just because they didn't like it.

My husband bought a lot of newspapers after the attacks. Pictures of the destruction and stories about what people went through. We've managed to keep them all these years, even with all of our moves and theft from a storage unit. This year we pulled them out for the girls to see.

Another thing that makes it so strange this year is something that happened last week. We were shopping at Walmart. The girls and I stopped to look at the electronics counter, amazed at how the gadgets keep getting smaller. It turns out the woman behind the counter we had started chatting with had survived the attack. She had been in one of the towers and knew a couple of people who had died.

Though not nearly as traumatic or important, here is my 9/11 memory:

The weirdest things happened the night before 9/11. My husband got out his antique gun to clean. He never did that. And while he cleaned it we had a conversation about what would happen if someone from the Middle East attacked us. No lie. Later that same evening I cried myself sick (just about), for no reason.

My husband had left early that morning. He was working at a Firing Center; a place where the train soldiers to shoot tanks. He watched it live at work.

I got up when our nearly one year old daughter woke. She was exactly 11 months old that day. I turned on the TV and saw all the images of the towers and the smoke. I couldn't call my husband at his job. I called my dad. "What happened?" I asked. "Oh, some guys flew some planes into some buildings," he replied. His friends had already discussed sneaking their boys to Canada so they couldn't be drafted. (Yeah, nice people.)

I put our flag out. It was the kind you just stick on the side of your house. I couldn't put it at half mast, so I tied some black fabric to the top of it.

I spent most of the day staring at the TV in disbelief. The local news at noon did a story about the Firing Center my husband worked at; about how security had been tightened.

When my husband finally got home from work. I ran outside and hugged him. It seemed the longest day waiting for him to come home.

Old Fashioned or "Green"?

2011-09-06T15:15:00.000-07:00

There are parts of the "green" movement I don't mind terribly. I like re-using things, it wastes less money. I like to make home made when I can, it wastes less money and it can be better quality. I think this applies to supplying our food. I've read how tomatoes taste better when they're home grown. I'm hoping animals will taste better if they get to live outside instead being pumped full of chemicals and kept in a tiny box until it's time to eat them. Hopefully some day I will get to grow our and own food and raise our own animals and find out.

Stop Looking. Stop Trying.

2011-09-04T13:39:00.000-07:00

I think I've heard it said that if you want to find love, stop looking and it will find you. I think this was true in the case of my husband and I. When I showed up on his doorstep nearly twelve years ago, neither one of us were looking to fall in love let alone get married. He had just had a fiance cheat on him and then dump him (thank goodness for me). And I was an emotional wreck. Yet, four months later I was walking down the stairs to says vows and promises to the man I love.

I finding this philosophy seems to apply to other things as well. I kept trying to have friends. My husband was even trying to find friends for me (He loves me, but I talk ALOT. He needed for me to talk to someone else once and a while). After what felt like many failed attempts, I was started to think maybe I'm just to strange to get along with any one. I was wrong.

We have found honest and truthful friends. People that have sincerity in their hearts. It's been wonderful, and quite honestly, a bit of a shock. No one has any preconceived notions or expectations of us, they accept us as we are. And are always complimenting how wonderful our girls are (that's one of the best parts). The one thing they all have in common is that they attend church on a regular basis and they are real conservatives in their hearts. For all this I am thankful.

It doesn't matter what the circumstances. The harder anyone tries to tighten their grip on something the more likely it is to slip through their fingers. Just let go and life will happen.

If This Was the Great Depression....

2011-08-30T13:54:00.000-07:00

My daughters watched the "Kit Kittredge" American Girl movie this morning. It's based on one of the American Girl historical dolls and accompanying books. Her story line is set during the Great Depression and covers everything from the hobo camps and soup kitchens to the housing foreclosures and the way people made ends meets.

Now during the Depression you could legal rent out rooms of your house. You could legally have chickens in your back yard. You could legally do business from your house and not have the government, local or federal after you.

We currently have an 1,800 square foot house with four bedrooms, two bathrooms and a family room. If this were the Depression I could be renting out the rooms and convert the family room or living room into another rentable space. I could raise chickens and maybe even a goat and sell the eggs and milk, butter, cheese. If the water restrictions weren't in place (among the other laws), I could grow food in the backyard and sell or can the surplus. I could mend clothes, do alterations, and get the financially cheap fabric from Walmart and sell better quality clothes than what is in the stores (have you seen how cheap the fabric and stitching are on those things). I could make cute affordable toys at Christmas, if I wasn't competing with slave made items from China. I could sell homemade baked bread and cookies. My husband could make furniture in the garage on his off hours.

Americans haven't lost our ability to be entrepreneurs, but it does seem we're being denied the chance. The laws are set up to favor foreign goods. There are so many other laws that would apply to what is stopping us that it makes my head spin. I think the politicians need to shut up about all their "jobs bill" dreams and just get rid of the over regulation that is standing in our way.

God Works in Mysterious Ways

2011-08-28T20:07:00.000-07:00

Last Monday we got our car back, finally. I didn't like the sound of it, but it was a used motor. The mechanic had been kind enough to throw in fixing the air conditioner for free and came in at the price he had quoted. We drove around town for a day to catch up on everything we couldn't do while stranded at home for two weeks, such as buy groceries. (Walking for groceries in Vegas is difficult, it's been over 100 degrees and our one city block is about the size of five normal city blocks.)

I had developed the theory over the previous two weeks that sharing any plans, such as moving out of state or a vacation, seemed to fall apart. So I was going to try and keep my mouth shut about what was going on in our life until after we had done something. That theory proved wrong.

We left bright and early Wednesday morning. It took us ten hours to get to a camp site at Yosemite, which in itself was a feat. Most campgrounds wanted reservations to be made, and only so many allowed dogs. We had alot of trouble getting up the mountain. We could only go 30 mph at best in some places. It didn't seem right for the type of car and the type of engine that is suppose to be in our vehicle. We had heated up the brakes after being stuck for several miles behind some RVers who had rented their ride. They hit the brakes way more than was logical.

Camping was not the freedom loving experience we were hoping for. I didn't know so many tourists could exists in the middle of what could have been nowhere. Everyone we met was very nice though. Much nicer than Las Vegas tourists. There were so many rules. All food was to be kept in a food locker, for safety reasons I can understand, it didn't make it any less annoying. We couldn't walk anywhere that wasn't a designated trail. There were no trails that our dog was allowed on. Dogs must be leashed at all times and can not be left alone at your campsite. Again I understand, but our poor dog didn't. He wanted to play with all the dogs that walked by. Trash was to be kept picked up and food put away at all times unless you were preparing a meal or eating it. And I really don't understand having shuttle buses in a forest.

We stayed two nights. It was colder at night than I had researched on the weather online, in the 40s. We did get to walk around and explore a little. I'm sure we would have been in big trouble if we'd been found walking along the stream surround camp. And I found out I'm a mountain snob. Yosemite was amazing and beautiful and a wonderful example of God's creations, but I grew up in the Pacific Northwest. Mountains created by a volcanic ring of fire are more amazing to me. (And there are no food lockers to keep Big Foot at bay.)

Our girls got to see the stars and the milky way. They had no idea there were so many. My husband took them for a walk to get a better view and they even got to see a shooting star. That made the whole trip for them.

We got up bright and early Friday morning ready to make our way to the coast and camp (or maybe get a hotel room) near the beach. We took down camp and had everything loaded within two hours of getting up. Then my hubby started the car. I didn't like the smell of the motor. I knew it wasn't going to hurt us, but I also knew it wasn't good. We headed to gas station twenty miles away. I told my husband I think we needed to go home, I didn't think the car is going to make it. Actually I didn't say it that nice. We had a bit of an argument. I cried, we both yelled some. We decided we would at least try to make it to the beach and have one more night out and see where to go from there.

We head down the mountain and by the time we got the the exit gate the brakes were smoking. It was a very slow trip the rest of the way. It took us four hours total to get down that mountain. We had to keep stopping so we didn't finish off the brakes and head careening toward our own demise.

We got out of the parks areas and into some small mountain towns. We got to a fork in the road and didn't know which road to take. We had pulled into the parking lot of a small restaurant, Priest Station Cafe. Thank God we did. A nice gentleman there asked if we needed help. It turns out the two roads we were both going down the mountain. One of them would have gotten us a $1,000 ticket and finished off the brakes. He could smell our brakes, he told us to take the 120 and put the car into a lower gear. He said that's what he does when he goes down that road with a trailer. He said if we could only go 20 mph than that people behind would just have to wait. He was really nice and I'm still so amazingly thankful we came across him and his advice.

We survived making it down the remainer of the mountain. We had chosen to head towards Modesto, CA and see if we could find a place to look at our brakes. There's a warranty on them and my husband had just had them serviced three weeks ago before we headed out the first time. We couldn't find the company anywhere nearby. The closest was back in Reno.

We were heading down the road again and we heard a rattle. We thought it was a car next to us. And then it happened again. It was a bad sound. Like the kind you hear in the cartoons just before the car pukes it's parts out the back end. It wasn't looking good. Would we even make it home? Okay, we pulled out the map and figured out the "flattest" way home. It was a battle to see if we could make it home with these brakes and engine.

We made it home. Sixteen hours on the road and the only family member happy to be home was the dog. He was thrilled to roll around on the floor and be free of a leash.

Now here's where the whole thing gets "weird". There was an earthquake Saturday morning in California about 30 miles or more from where we were heading. Wow, God must have really wanted us home. My husband just wished he would have sent a talking squirrel instead of messing with the car. And then this afternoon I found out there is a fire just outside Yosemite. On the road we had taken if I had convinced my husband that we needed to head home. Between those two events and that fact that we made home in a vehicle twice now with it being held together by prayer, I really don't need to believe in God. I know of God.

Oikophobia

2011-08-28T18:14:00.000-07:00

Hat Tip The Homeless Patriot

I Gave My Husband a Headache

2011-08-21T11:00:00.000-07:00

I don't like my life not having some sort of sense of direction. Even a downward spiral is something to work with. Our life feels like it has literally been put on hold.

I empathize to some extent for our mechanic. It sounds like he's not use to the string of bad luck that happens as he attempts to fix our car. I just wish he would be a bit more informative about what's going on because I'm also not very patient.

My husband is the patient one and he has had to suffer with my whining and complaining since last week. Then I treated myself to coffee this morning, which tends to lend to me talking and talking and talking.... until he actually, for the first time in our eleven years together, got a headache.

I know there are worse things in the world than having to sit at home with nothing to do for two weeks. My husband can't apply to jobs because if he gets an interview he can't drive there. I can't start a crafting project because I've packed everything up anticipating that we will eventually be moving. (Maybe, kinda, sorta. I have no idea now.) I'm thoroughly ready to move forward with our life even if it means sucking it up and having to live in the ghetto again. (We'll make sure we're better armed this time.) And I know my husband is tired of hearing me talk about all these things repeatedly, especially since he's right next to me in the boat.

So, my Dear Husband, I love you. Thank you for tolerating my bad days.

The Homeless Patriot

2011-08-18T15:36:00.000-07:00

I came across someone interesting on Facebook, Tom Mannis. I really admire his attitude in what he his currently dealing with in his life. He has recently become homeless, but he has the all-american can-do attitude. He's still finding small jobs to help make his way in this world.

Hitting the Road, Homeless But Still Home

...So, I will be homeless in less than 48 hours. Yet, in a funny way I am not "homeless." Let me explain. I am an American. I am still in the U.S.A. So, in that regard, I am home. Perhaps "shelterless" is a better word than "homeless." I comfort myself with this thought, and by thinking that I'm just off to an extended hike across America. Homeless yet still home in the U.S.A. I hope you'll stay with me. I could use some company on this journey.

You can read more about him at his blog The Homeless Patriot.

Tom Mannis despite being homeless and having to sleep on the street managed to find a temporary place to live...and his deadline to move is this Saturday. He's located in Madison, WI at the moment and he's posted an ad on Craigslist looking for somewhere to live.

$300 Help! Writer Needs Room August 20! (Madison WI)

My name is Tom and I am a man in my mid-50's, a native of Madison and graduate of Univ. of Wisconsin (BA Journalism & Advertising).

My current lease expires at Noon on Saturday, August 20 and I am in immediate need of a place to stay for a month's time (four weeks). I like cats and dogs and I have no allergies.

I can pay you $300 up front via Cashier's Check (JP Morgan Chase), PayPal or directly via my JP Morgan Chase online banking. I would pay you in advance, of course, but I do not want to pay extra money such as utilities and deposit as I leave. I would use virtually no electricity and only water for occasional bathroom use, so I hope you'll include that in the $300. However, if you have internet access at home I would contribute something toward usage. I am very clean and quiet, no drugs, drink rarely and then only a beer or two, and would smoke outdoors only. I prefer a place from near the Capitol Square to near the U.W. campus but will consider other locations near good bus line/s. Time is short: PLEASE PHONE ......(click here to see.)

My husband and I have seriously talked about inviting him out west, but we've stopped paying on our house for many reasons. They've just sent the first letter of' "threat, threat, threat.....foreclosure". For all I know we may be in the same situation in a few months. It's all in God's hands.

We Are Slaves

2011-08-17T12:10:00.000-07:00

Since our life is been put a bit on hold, while we still continue to wait for our car, my husband is reading more news one the Internet. This morning he came across Jeffrey A. Tucker, a writer for the Ludwig von Mises Institute in Austria. I love how this guy thinks.

Planet of the Taxpayers
by Jeffrey A. Tucker

......And yet it is true that a form of slavery exists and thrives today, all over the world. We do live in cages. We are prodded by electrical shocks. We are fed gruel of sorts. And they do experiment on us. I'm speaking of the relationship of individuals all over the world to governments all over the world.

They live off us entirely, because governments produce nothing of their own. They extract 40 percent of our wealth in one way or another and use that money to build their castles and their power. In fact, that is our main value to them. Otherwise, we would have no value at all......

Please read the rest of the article.

Horrible Histories, The French Revolution

2011-08-15T10:53:00.000-07:00

This is a bit like Beakman's World for history. Of all the shows we're copying or importing from England, this really should be one of them. My children have learned an amazing amount of history from it.

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to fulfill it" George Santayana

The Car Will Live, After a Transplant

2011-08-12T14:29:00.000-07:00

The car has to have a new motor. For the price, and it's pricey, it's still cheaper to do this than try to buy a new used car in Vegas. The cost of things here is so much due to the fact that we're kind of a desert island. Everything has to be shipped in, the only Vegas can produce is "pleasure". Cars, car parts, food, entertainment, housing, it's all so costly unless you're making a really good income. And we've always shrugged to some degree, hence the reason for us trying to move out of this town. Especially before the economy implodes any further. It wouldn't be so scary if we could at least grow something, but it's next to impossible.

We're still hoping to take this amazing road trip, but for right now it all depends on when this car gets fixed. The "best" we've been told today is that the engine will arrive on Monday, so it might be fixed by Wednesday. My husband and I really don't like to sit around and do nothing, so this is really making us nuts. We can't even go to church now unless we rent a car.

Enough of my whining. Tomorrow is another day. We still have food and a roof over our head. And I still strongly believe that everything happens for a reason. It's all in God's time.

Anonymous Call to New Animal Abuse Hotline Leads to Raid on Woman's CO Rabbit Farm

2011-08-11T15:49:00.000-07:00

HT/ Mike Huckleberry

by Bob McCarty

From BigGovernment.com

Debe Bell will probably never forget Thursday, July 21. It was the day she found herself surrounded by people from her local law enforcement agency, and they weren’t there to help.

Unlike John Dollarhite of Nixa, Mo., and several magicians across the country who’ve been hounded and threatened with massive fines by agents from the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Bell had to go face to face with her hare-brained local sheriff.

An anonymous Crime Stoppers hotline tip led animal control officers from the Jefferson County (Colo.) Sheriff’s Office to descend upon Bell’s one-acre farm at about 10:30 that morning and, before the day was over, remove nearly 200 rabbits from the property. The 59 year old was being accused of 24 misdemeanor charges of cruelty to animals, including charges that she somehow mistreated two meat rabbits already inside her freezer. More on the hotline later.

Bell had purchased the 1.01-acre property 12 miles north of Denver nearly 40 years earlier with plans to raise as much livestock as she wanted. After all, it was zoned for agricultural purposes (“A-2”) and had everything she needed, including a four-bedroom, tri-level home and a 600-square-foot barn. It looked like a great place to raise a family.

About 15 years later, Bell formed Six Bells Farm Candle Company and Rabbitry as a licensed farm business. Launched as an offshoot of a 4-H project via which she taught her four children how to take care of something other than themselves, it grew into an operation that involved raising more than a dozen varieties of rabbits, primarily for personal meat consumption but also for use in educating children — including kids involved in 4-H — and members of the general public nationwide.

As the years passed, Bell’s expertise and reputation grew alongside her rabbit farm. Not only did she become president of the local Long’s Peak Rabbit Club, but she became known as the go-to “resource person” for 4-H kids in Colorado who were interested in rabbits. Her reputation as a top expert when it comes to understanding and caring for rabbits spread throughout Colorado and across the United States. But that was before the raid.

The Day of the Raid

When Bell, 59, woke to begin that day almost three weeks ago, she had no idea government agents would soon swoop down on her tiny farm and effectively put an end to the pursuit of happiness in which she had been engaged for more than 25 years.

An instructor and lab coordinator at Metropolitan State College in Denver, Bell was in Boulder doing research when she was interrupted around 1 p.m.

“My neighbor called and said, ‘They’re seizing your animals! You need to get home!’” Bell recalled.

When Bell asked for more details, the neighbor explained that animal control officers and deputies from the sheriff’s office had arrived around 10:30 a.m. and were preparing to seize her rabbits.

About 45 minutes from home, Bell wrapped up her research as quickly as she could and drove home to find out more about who was taking her rabbits and why. She wanted to save the rabbits, each of which she knew by name, breed, tattoo and sex.

Please read the rest of the story here.

How much longer will small farms be legal? These kind of farms built this country.

Will the car live?

2011-08-10T08:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was spent waiting for the mechanic to call back so we could make an appointment. Right now as I type my husband has hopefully gotten the car to drive a little bit further to the garage to be looked at. I'm waiting for news whether or not we have a car that can be saved or if we need a new one. Depending on which way this goes, affects whether or not we take this trip. Talk about living one day at a time!

Today...My Name is Ray

2011-08-08T19:21:00.000-07:00

I take complete credit or blame in what happened this morning. I was feeling excited about this trip. My husband and I were packing the last minute things into our trailer. I even made the comment to him, "You know we're doing so well right now that if we really had to, and the car broke down on the trip, we could get a new one."

We headed out of town down the freeway. I didn't like the sound the engine was making. I kept thinking, "Oh, no. We over packed the trailer." The sounds kept making me uneasy. We hit the 100 mile mark away from home and my nerves started to calm some.

I thought about all the times when I was growing up we had some serious car problems (and my father was a mechanic.) There were times the cars overheated. There was one time the car had smoke coming up from under the hood. And the day my mother wanted to take a small day trip out of town and we broke down five miles from home and we were stuck all day at a gas station. I was starting to feel good about how well our little Ford Explorer has treated us over the last 9 years. And then....

We were driving through the small town of Beatty, NV and the car smelled hot...and there smoke coming from the tail pipe. It was only 8 in the morning, it didn't even dawn on me that some businesses weren't open yet. The nice lady at the gas station we had pulled into gave us the numbers of the TWO mechanics in town. We talked to a local fireman and found out one of the mechanics was on vacation. A kind man named John, (Thank You!) drove down to the gas station to take a look at the SUV. We offered to pay him for his effort and he declined. I felt better when he said we could make it home, but that was about it. That was fine with me! There was a whole lot of nothin' between Beatty and Las Vegas, and our car has no air conditioning. I've never prayed so much about a car before.

The good news is we made it home by noon. We might attempt camping in the back yard tonight and definitely BBQ the meat we had packed. My husband is more optimistic than I am right now that we might get to attempt this trip again soon. Maybe I'll feel better once I get a good nights sleep.

The Journey Starts Tomorrow

2011-08-07T15:20:00.000-07:00

We're hoping to make the first part of our journey at Yosemite. I'm a bit uncertain of what will happen once we started looking up the camp site information. They no longer allow unrestricted camping because people were trashing the forest. (Isn't are tax dollars helping pay for this?) Many campsites require reservations. (Huh?) Then we have to find which sites allow dogs and campers. Maybe this will just help narrow things down for us. I'm not sure how many people will be camping there with the economy in the state it is. And I'm curious and grateful that we'll be on the road while the markets do their thing tomorrow, so I can't bite my nails as I watch our country's future unfold.

I should let you know now, my husband and I never really get to make tightly laid out plans. Something always happens. The closest we've gotten to plan something out far in advance was three weeks to put our wedding together and two or three weeks to get everything lined up for baptism. We might be spending the first night in a truck stop for all I know. But it should be fun because we'll be together and there will be pottys. Truck stop food can taste really good sometimes (Hmm, then I don't have to cook the first night).

I hope this journey turns out well, I have no idea what to expect. I do know my husband is doing a better job of advertising the whole ordeal though, since his site is getting more hits than mine. And our friend Aaron is not at all Jealous. ;)

You Know You Miss Someone

2011-08-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

I'm fairly certain my younger sister (which I've mentioned in previous articles listed at the side), still has a very strong dislike towards me. But it doesn't keep me from missing her, and sadly, taking pictures of Wal-mart items with her name on them.

Going Galt

2011-08-06T17:00:00.000-07:00

My husband and I have quite probably lost our minds. We've decided to "take this show on the road". There's only so much my husband can as far as filling out job applications so we've decided to go and a vacation, he can fill them out as we.

After watching the market's yo-yo this week, and seeing the plans that some groups have for this fall, we think this may be the last chance to do something like this. If people ever actually figure out the Recession is a Depression, it won't be so safe to travel.

I'm looking forward to hitting local farmers markets along the way and "spread the wealth around" the good old fashion way by patronizing small businesses and other places we like. And we're hoping to meet others who want to join us in Going Galt.

My husband plans on wearing this shirt on the majority of our trip, at least when we're in the big cities. (And as big as he is, he's really his own walking billboard.) If anyone is interested in purchasing the shirts feel free to contact either on of us and we can get you in touch the talented guy who put this together for us. You can read more about our plans at my husband's site SerenityValleyProject.blogspot.com

Rest In Peace

2011-08-06T15:47:00.000-07:00

Condolences to the families of the brave members of Seal Team 6 and the other service members that died fighting for freedom.

Don't You Think He Looks Tired?

2011-08-06T10:00:00.000-07:00

This a clip from the BBC show "Dr. Who". The main character is appaled by something the policitian has done, so he begins the ending of her career with six little words.

Looks like Huffpo is trying to use more.

Goonies Never Say Die

2011-08-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

The Goonies House in Astoria, OR

A huge Thank You to the owners of the house for showing were they stand!

I know the dems, the liberals, the progressives, the socialists, and even some of the republicans love lable Tea Partiers. I would rather they called us Goonies! (Hobbits isn't too bad though. The Hobbits win.)

Changes

2011-08-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year my family started to make plans for moving out of Vegas. We want a farm with our own food and animals. We've had a lovely valley in a nearby state that we've been researching and keeping up with jobs and housing in the area. Everything was looking good, but first we had to save money for the move. The beginning of June we finally had enough money saved up. My husband worked one last big show at the soul-sucking mega-casino. And just in time, the customers went from being rude to down right creepy weird. There started to be incidents involving people forgeting to wear clothes. The corperate ladder was filling up more and more with politics that involved selling your soul, and taking out a second mortgage on it as well. My husband's job was so overwhelming and stressfull, he couldn't find time to even job hunt before he quit/ retired.

It seemed as soon as my husband quit his job, the job market and everything else froze up as the debt talks started to become the center of the national spotlight. We've been taking it one day at a time and up until this week were still dreaming of a farm. But Obama gave us Changes that are making us seriously reconsider our options. There have been news of farms being raided for selling raw milk and there's some laws being set in motion affecting the use of tractors on farms. I don't even know if the Amish can survive the attacks they're bringing on farms. So now we're having to re-examine our goals. And thank God, we got our 401k out just before the markets started their deep plunge. We're sitting okay for now financially, but I don't know where our country is heading or our part in it. Let the adventure begin.

You're Just Mean

2011-08-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

This so one goes out to all the trolls harrassing free thinking bloggers!

Are you ready to Shrug?

2011-08-02T22:32:00.000-07:00

“When you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing; when you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors; when you see that men get rich more easily by graft than by work, and your laws no longer protect you against them, but protect them against you. . . you may know that your society is doomed.” Ayn Rand

Are you ready to Shrug yet? This is going to get ugly.

Here's what they have planned:
A US Day of Rage for September 17th, events are being planned in all 50 state capitals.

I think my family and I just Shrugged. Stay tuned....

Culture Shock

2011-07-28T15:27:00.000-07:00

Besides not being able to blog due to computer problems, the past month I've been recovering from a nasty flu and allergies. This has given me way too much time to sit and watch TV shows on Hulu and YouTube.

We got rid of cable last winter. We were tired of paying for all the channels when we really only wanted Sci-Fi, Fox News, and BBC (for Top Gear and Dr. Who). I've become a calmer person and my family and I are no longer subjected to the commercialism of what we "need" to buy and what we "should" look like. I've been watching lots of Sci-Fi, period dramas, and good old fashion cartoons, which is a nice break from Obama's whining speeches. I get to put in my head what I want to be there and not what the mainstream tries to sell me.

Then last week I felt well enough to go out to dinner. It was a culture shock. The staff was nice, but the hostess was sooo skinny. I just wanted to sit her down next to us to eat something. Everywhere I looked people were either painfully skinny or overweight. And not very many people seemed to be happy.

I realized I've given my self a fairly "safe" conservative hide out. Girls on Sci-Fi shows I watch are a nice healthy weight. They're pretty with out all the make-up and body parts hanging out of the clothes. And most of the period dramas I've been watching have been in Victorian and Edwardian England. You see any shoulders even and the girl is a hussy. The women were normal women, not crying out and bemoaning their lot in life. The men, well, it's nice to see real men again; polite, civil, protecting women if needed.

I also noticed while watching the shows, I stopped feeling "fat" or "unattractive". It doesn't matter how healthy your self image is, if you are daily fed a diet of seeing women that are size two, you're going to feel fat.

So, I may not be living in the "real world". But this mental break of choosing the programing I want certainly makes it easier to deal with the programming that's being sold to the rest of society.

Prayers for Norway

2011-07-22T19:06:00.000-07:00

I pray that Norway finds justice for todays attacks and can hinder future attacks.

Whoohooo!

2011-07-19T16:40:00.000-07:00

I can post again! I've had so much rolling around in my head to blog about too. There will be more to come later, hopefully today.

I can't post. It's the home computer or Google. I don't know.

2011-04-29T15:07:00.001-07:00

What Happened to Being Children?

2011-04-15T12:51:00.000-07:00

From The Blaze:

Is This McDonald’s Kids Commercial Too Racy for TV?

by Jonathon M. Seidl

We all know that McDonald’s is already despised in this country (just ask San Francisco and New York). But the fast-food giant also apparently has some enemies in the Philippines now. That’s because a new commercial in that country was recently yanked after public outcry calling the add too racy for TV. Why? It featured two kids talking about dating and appearing to nudge hands.

The ad features the young couple talking about their possible blossoming romance. According to some interpretation done by the site Adreak.com, “the girl asks the boy if she is his girlfriend, to which he replies: ‘I’m not ready. Girlfriends are demanding. They want this, they want that.’ Eventually he relents when she says she just wants french fries.” Throw in the almost hand-hold, and some Catholic leaders said “enough:”

Read the rest of the article here.

Honestly, I thought this commercial from Dairy Queen was alot more offensive. I haven't gone to Dairy Queen since I saw it.

UN document would give 'Mother Earth' same rights as humans

2011-04-12T14:32:00.000-07:00

Found the link for this story on Drudge Report.

By Steven Edwards, Postmedia News

UNITED NATIONS — Bolivia will this month table a draft United Nations treaty giving "Mother Earth" the same rights as humans — having just passed a domestic law that does the same for bugs, trees and all other natural things in the South American country.

The bid aims to have the UN recognize the Earth as a living entity that humans have sought to "dominate and exploit" — to the point that the "well-being and existence of many beings" is now threatened.

The wording may yet evolve, but the general structure is meant to mirror Bolivia's Law of the Rights of Mother Earth, which Bolivian President Evo Morales enacted in January.

That document speaks of the country's natural resources as "blessings," and grants the Earth a series of specific rights that include rights to life, water and clean air; the right to repair livelihoods affected by human activities; and the right to be free from pollution.

Read the rest of the story here while I pull out my hair.

Boys Band Needed

2011-04-08T20:30:00.001-07:00

We need a boys band. That will solve our country's budget woes.

Be Excellent to Each Other

2011-04-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

We so got gipped! I thought this was the future we were promised!

The Return of the "Mahdi"?

2011-03-31T13:35:00.000-07:00

Glenn Beck has recently been keeping viewers and listeners up to date with what is happening in the Middle East. One is that some of the Muslim religion believe that the return of the "Mahdi" is close at hand.

The Catholics are paying attention to.
From http://www.catholic.org/
Iranian Video Claims 'Mahdi', or Islamic 'messiah' to Appear Shortly
By Catholic Online

3/30/2011
Catholic Online

A recent video implies that the Iranian government views the current unrest in the Middle East as a signal that the Mahdi, or Islamic messiah, will soon appear. CBN News obtained a video produced by the Iranian regime that says all the signs are moving into place and that the nation of Iran believes it will soon help usher in the end times.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Entitled "The Coming Is Near," the video shows that the Iranian regime believes the current chaos is divine proof that their ultimate victory is at hand.

The propaganda footage has reportedly been approved at the highest levels of the Iranian government.

"The Coming Is Near" describes current events in the Middle East as a prelude to the arrival of the mythical twelfth Imam or Mahdi, the messiah figure who Islamic scriptures say will lead the armies of Islam to victory over all non-Muslims in the last days.

"This video has been produced by a group called the Conductors of the Coming, in connection with the Basiji -- the Iranian paramilitary force, and in collaboration with the Iranian president's office," Reza Kahlil, a former member of Iran's Revolutionary Guards who shared the video with CBN News says.

Read the rest of the story here.

What Political Correctness Has Done to Us.

2011-03-30T18:34:00.000-07:00

I cannot stand PC. I am just barely old enough to remember when you could make jokes and not be called racist or hateful. By the time I was out of high school I was constantly adding "no offense" to the end of my sentences. Part of that was because of my mother, but a huge part of it was also due to the PC and feminism being jammed downed society’s neck.

Now I find when I say what I believe I have been called hateful, liar, judgmental, etc. People won’t let my beliefs stand as my personal facts and my moral ground. They’ll take my words and twist them to their advantage because it’s easier to make me look like the bad guy than for them to admit to themselves what they did or what they are doing is wrong. That they are hurting themselves and/ or others in the process. PC is a way for society to scream at you until you return back to the fold the like good little house wife with the black eye telling herself, “He really loves me. He won’t do it again. I really wasn’t being a good wife. I deserved this.” (Or to quote my father about his mother "Some women deserve to be beat.") A lot of this is because people can not stand isolation, and I agree, it sucks. But I rather stand alone with my integrity intact.

Don't let them bully you too.

Zombie Apocalypse

2011-03-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

Zombie Ants Controlled by Fungus

In a bizarre parasitic death sentence, a fungus turns carpenter ants into the walking dead and gets them to die in a spot that's perfect for the fungus to grow and reproduce.

Scientists have no clue how the fungus takes control of the brains of ants so effectively. But a new study in the September issue of the American Naturalist reveals an incredible set of strategies that ensue.

The carpenter ants nest high in the canopy of a forest in Thailand, and they trek to the forest floor to forage. The fungus, Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, prefers to end up on the undersides leaves sprouting from the northwest side of plants that grow on the forest floor, the new study showed. That's where temperature, humidity and sunlight are ideal for the fungus to grow and reproduce and infect more ants.

Once infected by the fungus, an ant is compelled to climb down from the canopy to the low leaves, where it clamps down with its mandibles just before it dies.

Read the rest of the story here.

This is my husband's proof that we could still be facing a Zombie Apocalypse. That or he wants another reason to watch Zombieland or Sean of the Dead.

And by the way Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Another Reason to Homeschool

2011-03-16T16:44:00.001-07:00

Sigh No More, Mumford and Sons

2011-03-15T09:10:00.000-07:00

What We Can Learn From Japan

2011-03-13T16:12:00.000-07:00

My heart goes out to the people of Japan. Granted, I've always found the Japanese animation a little creepy, but I can't imagine any one deserving the Hell they are trying to live through.

I am impressed with what little news I've seen. Their country appears to be pulling together to help one another and attempt to avoid more disaster amazingly.

What concerns me, is obviously they had prepared for what to do if there was an earthquake. There were plans in place to warn people if a tsunami was heading their way. And there were plans certainly in place to avoid A nuclear melt down. But who on earth could have prepared for this?

I hope anyone watching this tragedy unfold can learn what they can to prepare their own lives for an emergency. You can't just think of one, you need to run through all of them in your mind. And most importantly you will need to learn to keep your wits about you. This is where thinking outside of the box can possibly save your life and lives of people (or animals) you love.

Available in Las Vegas

2011-03-11T08:57:00.001-08:00

Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban

2011-03-08T14:32:00.000-08:00

Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban shows that not all French have always been socialists.

From Wikipedia:

.....Dismayed by the inefficiency of the French fiscal system, and deeply impressed with the deplorable condition of the peasantry whose labor he regarded as the main foundation of all wealth, Vauban's 1707 tract, Projet d'une dixme. royale, protested against the unequal incidence of taxation and the exemptions and privileges of the upper classes; the tract called for the repeal of all taxes and the imposition of a single 10% tax (dixme. royale) on all agricultural output (payable in kind) and on income from trade and manufactures, with no exemptions. He backed up his argument with a mass of statistics. His book was condemned by the royal government because it had been published without royal permission. Vauban spent the last weeks of his life trying to collect every copy that he had disseminated privately to friends and acquaintances. Nevertheless, his ideas inspired later Enlightenment economists, such as Forbonnais, Mirabeau and the Physiocrats.

Applecore?

2011-03-05T07:17:00.001-08:00

EvilConservatives.net

2011-03-02T06:45:00.000-08:00

Evil Conservatives

It's early, insert something witty about my Evil friend's cool site. And then click on the link and check it out.

They Have Meetings About Me

2011-02-25T19:27:00.000-08:00

So did I ever tell you about the time my dad and my best friend’s parents got together to try to break up my marriage? Yeah.

So I had reconnected with my best friend’s (who had died in high school) mom shortly after my first miscarriage. What is that phrase? They’ll come at you when you are at your weakest? Remember that.

I had reconnected with her and filled her in on things from my childhood she didn’t know about. Such as, I appeared to be a brat but I was actually doing what my mother had told me to do. During this time she had moved back in with her ex-husband after finally digging herself out of the financial ruin she had went through divorcing him. For some strange reason she didn’t feel like telling me that a few months later she had remarried him. In fact she didn’t tell me until a good six months after the marriage. I’ve never liked him but I tolerated him because I cared about the rest of the family so much.

Oh, did I mention that my best friend’s mom and her newly remarried ex-husband were close friends with my dad? Some how my being friends again with my best friends mom seemed to be worth calling a meeting over. A meeting about how to get my husband out of the picture, because, I don’t know, he’s the problem? A meeting where these low life’s asked there daughter to question why had hung up on my “dad” after they had given out my phone number to him.

Sadly this is not the first time something like this has happened and it will most likely not be the last. I can make a few guesses as to why I tend to piss people of so much. I guessing the biggest one is I don’t fit into the social engineering plan. I don’t behave they way they see fit even though I’m breaking no laws. In fact I think maybe I’ve following some of the truly important ones so closely that I make them uncomfortable.

And that’s my “politically incorrect” article for the week.

I Gave You All

2011-02-25T11:54:00.000-08:00

Walk Like an Egyptian

2011-02-23T07:02:00.001-08:00

I'm tired of the rioting. I think Egyptians should go back to their orginal walk.

Small Town Corruption

2011-02-18T07:00:00.000-08:00

Before my husband and I were lured in by the shiny lights of Las Vegas, we lived in a small farming and college community in Eastern Washington state. The year before we moved the City of Yakima attempted to annex an entire town. There were a lot of uhappy people. I looked up the most recent news on this story with a slight sigh of relief to see that so far West Valley has managed to fight back.

From the Yakima-Herald Republic:

The development plan has twice been delayed by the failed incorporation of a new city of West Valley in 2001 and a protracted legal battle over annexation procedures that was finally settled by the state Supreme Court five years ago.

The city of Yakima, based on requests from property owners, has been aggressively annexing property in the area. Though they have not yet reviewed it closely, city officials say they're anxious to get the plan approved.

"The West Valley plan is critical. Residential development is happening out there. We need this plan today so we can make capital investment decisions in the future," said Bill Cook, the city's community and economic development director.

For the entire article click here.

Chuck's Woodbarn

2011-02-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

Last year the National Finals Rodeo was here in Las Vegas. There was a Cowboy Christmas show with amazing handcrafted items Made in America.

Chuck's Woodbarn

From their site:
Wood chest and trunks are perhaps the most universal and enduring form of furniture, they have been with us throughout recorded history. Not only holding history, but valued possessions. Anything from the most simple wooden box to an extravagant limited edition trunk. Once this piece of furniture is in your family it will always be a valued heirloom.

Hayek Vs. Keynes

2011-02-15T07:00:00.000-08:00

The Most Famous Wedding

2011-02-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

Count Your Blessings

2011-02-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

Old & Interesting

I came across this website that shows just how far we've come in domestic history. Count your blessings that we don't have communal ovens that in some countries were a requirement for baking your bread or washing bats for beating the dirt out of your clothes.

Let's Not Eat Pig Together!

2011-02-10T07:00:00.000-08:00

McDaniel Custom Saddles

2011-02-09T18:40:00.000-08:00

Another fine exhibit of American craftsmanship. Now I need a horse. :)

McDaniel Custom Saddles

Manhattan, AZ

2011-02-09T07:00:00.000-08:00

Another fun find on Hulu. A show that manage to slip in just before "polically correct" got on steriods. I really love the speaches by the actors at the end of the show letting us know, "We're on TV. We know better than you."

Hulu

Similar?

2011-02-08T17:35:00.000-08:00

I watched this first clip on Glenn Beck today:

And it reminded me of this clip from the movie, The Rocketeer:

Valentine's Day

2011-02-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

I'm normally big on holidays, but I really don't like Valentine's Day. It's become so "pressured". THIS day you have to declare you love, with lots of gifts. Ugh. Thank you commercialism.

I've gotten to the point where I don't want anything from my husband until the 15th, because the chocolate is on sale then. I'd rather wait until we can get a good deal.

Planned Parenthood, Not News to Me

2011-02-03T09:22:00.000-08:00

The recent undercover footage of Planned Parenthood, is upsetting, but not a surprise to me.

In my hometown Planned Parenthood was right across the street form the high school. The school counselors were well known for signing passes to let kids go across the street to get as many condoms as they wanted. There was even something called "Super Tuesday" that managed to make it's way into a skit in a school performance. Oh, and did a mention that, as far as I know, the counselors didn't have to inform the parents. And yet with all these "services" we still had a high teen pregnancy rate.

I don't know the stories of what happened to the girls that put them in this situation. I had heard that some of them had been raped by their own fathers. I heard of someone as young as 5th grade being pregnant in this school district. There was one girl in my 8th grade science class that had twin, one year old boys.

I'm so sick of these girls being used and lied too, all under the guise of helping them.

Eat It

2011-01-30T20:23:00.000-08:00

The real problem behind America's obesity problem!

The War They Want

2011-01-27T15:02:00.000-08:00

The power hungry fringe elements won't be happy until they have started a war. This story was posted on Yahoo as:

"Health care fight hearkens to Civil War era"

Lawmakers want to fight health-care law with ‘nullification’ argument

By Liz Goodwin

The ghost of John C. Calhoun must be proud.

The AP reports that Republican lawmakers in Idaho, Alabama, Kansas, Maine, Missouri, Montana, Oregon, Nebraska, Texas and Wyoming are talking about nullification measures--arising from the principle that individual states can reject federal laws they view as unfounded--as a way to battle the new health-care law.

The 18th-century doctrine hasn't had a great success rate when politicians have invoked it in the past.

Calhoun, as vice president, fought passionately in the 1820s and 30s for South Carolina's right to declare certain federal laws unconstitutional and thus ignore them. He based the right on writings by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, none of which were actually included in the Constitution. (Though "states rights" proponents also point to the 10th Amendment--which reserves all powers not enumerated as belonging to the federal government as belonging to the states as justification.)

South Carolina voted to nullify the federal tariff, which state leaders viewed as a burden on its agricultural export, after Calhoun resigned the vice presidency, but revoked the nullification after they renegotiated the terms of the tariff with the federal government in the 1830s. Andrew Jackson also threatened to use force against the state if it didn't fall into line.

The conflict set the stage for secession and the Civil War. Northern states invoked "states rights" defenses to fend off pro-slavery laws that required runaway slaves to be returned to their owners. (The Supreme Court ruled the Northern states were violating federal law, but they continued to resist.) But when President Abraham Lincoln was elected the tables turned and Southern states began to use the argument again.

South Carolina became the first state to declare its independence from the Union in 1860--and indeed cited Northern states' failure to enforce the fugitive slave law as part of the justification for seceding, as historian Paul Finkelman writes.

After Brown v. Board of Education desegregated schools across the country, Arkansas and several other Southern states invoked nullification in the 1950s to say they would not enforce the law. The Supreme Court decided the states had no right to reject the ruling.

The lengthy court precedents upholding the federal law over against the authority of the states to decline its jurisdiction means any nullification measure to fight health-care reform would be largely rhetorical and quickly shot down in courts, constitutional scholars told the AP.
(Calhoun: AP.)

Amish Paradise

2011-01-26T19:14:00.000-08:00

My husband got home from work and had to de-stress after driving through the Vegas traffic. A little of ol' Weird Al lifted his spirits.

Dreamer of Oz

2011-01-25T16:04:00.000-08:00

A movie, until recently, I had only seen once. A very enchanting tale about the writting of the Wizard of Oz books.

Isn't it Ironic, Don't ya think?

2011-01-22T10:03:00.000-08:00

Obama's daughter, Sasha, practices Chinese with Hu

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Talk about a high level language exchange.

President Barack Obama's nine-year-old daughter, Sasha, wanted to test her developing Chinese skills this week while Hu Jintao was in town.

Just whom did she want to practice them with?

The Chinese president himself, according to a White House official who recounted the story on Thursday after a formal state dinner the previous night.

The irony is astounding. Sasha, a second child and a girl, would not even have been ALLOWED to be BORN if she'd been in China.

Peacemakers

2011-01-21T12:44:00.000-08:00

So my husband and I got rid of cable in December. This hasn't stopped us from watching shows we like. I feel like I'm no longer being subjected to nonsensical crap any more. We've taken back our power of what we and our children are exposed to.

We've been spending time on Hulu, and we're finding shows we never even heard of. Peacemakers is like a CSI western with out all the gore. I really wish they could have lasted longer.

Here's the description of the show listed on IMDb:

In the late 1800's a new addition to law enforcement is evolving. Forensic science is in its infancy and the Wild West will never be the same. Enter Federal Marshall Jared Stone, the product of the Old West who has the smarts to know that the times are changing and he has to change with them. With ex-Pinkerton Agent Larimer Finch and local mortician Katie Owen, they make up Silver City, CO's., newest crime fighting team. Written by B. Woolf

If your interested here's the Hulu page.

PEACEMAKERS

Escapism

2011-01-18T12:42:00.001-08:00

I don't know why, but for some reason when I need a "break" from the real world I watch Frontier House. It's nice to remember the simple things in life.

Bacon and Eggs

2011-01-13T19:11:00.000-08:00

New Year's Resolution

2011-01-07T20:01:00.000-08:00

My New Year's Resolution is to STOP being Polically Correct.

I thought I'd start with some old songs. (Note the "ethnic" inflection of their words. I'm sure that's a no-no.)

Shows We Miss

2011-01-06T07:00:00.000-08:00

Remember the 80's and early 90's? When Reagan was cool and so was conservatism? I miss the conservative shows. But now thanks to Hulu I can watch them!

Hulu Link

We've been watching this with our girls and having quite a bit of fun. So far I don't have to freak out about any grown up jokes because they're more innocent than after school cartoons now.

And I have better understanding of my husband.

Navy Vet + ADHD= Derek

That Just Ain't Right

2011-01-05T17:19:00.000-08:00

Clowns Killed in Alleged Drug Gang Hit in Mexico

Found this story Drudge Report

Witnessing History

2011-01-05T07:00:00.000-08:00

My husband and I attempted to watch The Informant with Matt Damon. We kept waiting for a plot to appear. I think Twister had a much stronger and solid plot, story, characters, etc. Matt Damon's character kept going on and on about "price fixing". He'd go into these meetings and taping them and have the FBI doing video surveillance. I kept listening during the meetings and I couldn't hear where he was getting that they were setting up price fixing. And then I realized I had witnessed real price fixing here in the Las Vegas housing market, a few years before everything tanked.

My husband and I were living in the ghetto. It was great. Guns shots every other night, mushrooms growing out of the wall, and roaches in the dishwasher. Very cozy. We'd go out when ever we could afford to. We had gone across town to eat at IHOP for breakfast and one of the major real estate developers here in town was having a nice, loud, breakfast meeting. I wish I could remember the name of the company. The guy running the meeting was arrogant and blatantly talked about how they could pick the prices they wanted for selling the houses. It sickened me at time because here we were desperately wanting to get out of the ghetto hearing them talk about house prices we could never dream of affording. Now I realize the schmucks were at the top of the down fall here for the Las Vegas real estate market. After the meeting the younger people attending were nothing but sycophants to this guy. Ugh.

We had spent at least six years here looking at model homes when we got a chance. We knew the market had tanked a good six months before the sales people did. It was almost amusing to watch. Half of these sellers were stuck up to say the least and not very family friendly. In one week that all changed. We literally had gone out the next weekend after the beginning of the sh*t hitting the fan and they couldn't kiss our butts enough. But the prices were still over the top and still are. There is a set of model homes that have been sitting for at least three years and then they added three new models next to them. We finally went in to look at them (great for decorating ideas.) They were very earnest in getting our name and number. The older three we could tell had been redecorated at least once and they creaked in a bad way under my husband's feet when he walked across the upstairs floors. We both agreed we were happier with our mold problems in the older home we're in then to buy one of these poorly constructed new ones (in a blood sucking HOA).

It's been very strange to sit here witnessing history being made.

E4

2011-01-04T12:00:00.000-08:00

Glenn Beck's newest project.
E4 = Enlightenment, Education, Empowerment and Entrepreneurship

British Television

2011-01-03T07:00:00.000-08:00

For the most part American TV has realllly gone down hill. So I've taken to watching as much British TV as I can get my hands on. The local PBS station plays reruns of British favorites on Saturdays.

Good Neighbors is one of my favorites. It's about a couple in a very posh neighborhood who decide to become self sufficient (and not in that stuck-up, pretentious, smelly-hippy way). There had been a recent attempt to do a remake of this show here in America as a cartoon.

Here's a clip. They're tasting their first attempt at homemade "Peapod Burgundy".

Slow Going

2011-01-02T07:00:00.000-08:00

The first week of December my husband hurt his ankle. The doctors so far say it's his Achilles tendon. Unfortunately we don't know if it's sprained or torn. Long story short, we're waiting for an MRI appointment. Until then my husband is using his vacation time to try and heal up, so my blogging may be limited since I need to play nice and share the computer with my injured hubby.

Shiny New Year

2011-01-01T07:00:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T07:00:00.000-08:00

Two years down, and ("hope"fully) only two more years of Obama!

Secret Footage of the Recent Lame Duck Session

2010-12-30T10:26:00.000-08:00

Thy Will Be Done

2010-12-28T09:44:00.000-08:00

There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, "All right, then, have it your way."

C. S. Lewis

The Kids Know

2010-12-27T13:40:00.000-08:00

The ~~Bees~~ Kids Know

The Great War

2010-12-26T07:00:00.000-08:00

Never Forget.

Merry Christmas Over There

2010-12-25T07:00:00.000-08:00

You can e-mail the the Troops and tell them thank you this Christmas Day!

USO Thank the Troops

Santa Norad Tracker

2010-12-24T07:00:00.000-08:00

Track Santa's trip by clicking on the link below!

http://www.noradsanta.org/en/index.html

Nativity

2010-12-23T07:00:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-22T07:00:00.000-08:00

Soros Funded Poll Says FoxNews Viewers Most ‘Misinformed’ Politically

2010-12-21T14:06:00.000-08:00

Soros Funded University Poll Says Fox News Viewers Most ‘Misinformed’ Politically

A poll conducted by WorldPublicOpinion.org, a “project” run out of the University of Maryland, was the toast of the left-wingers last week for its finding that Fox News viewers were the most “misinformed” during the 2010 election cycle. Sadly, few of the news pieces on this poll mentioned that WorldPublicOpinion.org is funded in part by such far left-wing organizations as the Ben and Jerry’s Foundation, the Ploughshares Fund, the United States Institute of Peace, and the George Soros-backed Tides Foundation.

Read the rest of the story at Big Journalism

We'll Meet Again

2010-12-21T07:00:00.000-08:00

In case Net Neutrality passes and silences the bloggers fighting the fascists. Head into your Anderson Shelter and remember:

Never Give Up, Never Surrender

White Christmas

2010-12-19T07:00:00.000-08:00

Lasso the Moon

2010-12-18T07:00:00.000-08:00

I Do Bite My Thumb, Sir

2010-12-17T07:00:00.000-08:00

The law is not my side. The government is slowly making everything we do a crime. But I bite my thumb at them anyway. And yes, if they quarrel I am Better.

Boss me around some MORE please....

2010-12-16T07:00:00.001-08:00

I am sick and tired of the government telling us how to live our lives. If I don't wear a seat belt that's my problem. If I don't wear a bike helmet, I'm the one that gets hurt. Stop telling me what food I can have and how I treat my body. And MOST of all stop telling me what I can have, use, feed, teach, etc. anything that has to do with parenting my children! If this keeps up we will be looking at being like China. Only one child allowed, any other pregnancies forced into becoming abortions. I'm surprised they haven't tried to make us get a liscense or a permit yet for each child we have.

From the Associated Press:
After dozens of deaths, drop-side cribs outlawed

WASHINGTON – It's the end of the traditional crib that has cradled millions of babies for generations.

The government outlawed drop-side cribs on Wednesday after the deaths of more than 30 infants and toddlers in the past decade and millions of recalls.

It was a unanimous vote by the Consumer Product Safety Commission to ban the manufacture, sale and resale of the cribs, which have a side rail that moves up and down, allowing parents to more easily lift their child from the crib.

The new standard requiring cribs to have fixed sides would take effect in June. The move by CPSC would also prohibit hotels and childcare centers from using drop-sides, though those facilities would have two years to purchase new cribs.

CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum hailed the new standard for cribs as one of the strongest in the world.

"I believe these new standards will markedly reduce crib-related hazards and help to ensure that young children sleep more safely in their cribs," Tenenbaum said after the vote.

Around for decades, drop-side cribs have come under scrutiny in recent years because of malfunctioning hardware, sometimes cheaper plastics, or assembly problems that can lead to the drop-side rail partially detaching from the crib. When that happens, it can create a dangerous "V"-like gap between the mattress and side rail where a baby can get caught and suffocate or strangle.