So, the other day, the weather was so nice, I went for a walk in a nearby park. I enjoyed tramping around in the small woods (some of it was still too squishy to walk thru), saw a few bumblebees and a few wildflowers, heard a woodpecker that I couldn't spot. I also walked around in the open areas. I think I spent at least an hour walking around. There were thousands of dandelions in bloom. Very pretty. Then, I noticed something that disturbed me very much...no honeybees. Not a one. A friend of mine said that honeybees don't do dandelions, I was sure I've seen honeybees on dandelions, he's usually right about things, so I had to look it up. Turns out, he was half right. Dandelions are an important food source in the spring. After other flowers (and trees!) start blooming, bees move on from dandelions.
What can _you_ do to help honeybees? Here's what I found: http://www.gooserockfarm.com/gpage1.html
Even if you can't plant anything for the bees, you can at least support legislation aimed at helping beekeepers/honey producers.
What can _you_ do to help honeybees? Here's what I found: http://www.gooserockfarm.com/gpage1.html
Even if you can't plant anything for the bees, you can at least support legislation aimed at helping beekeepers/honey producers.
I dunno about anyone else, but I'm getting pissed off about the seemingly excessive commercials on TV. If I channel surf away from the commercials, I'm likely to run into more commercials. It's like almost all of the channels take a commercial break at the same time! I'm gonna start looking for something else to do besides TV.
This was recommended, by a reader, in Playboy, May 2013. It's for adult-oriented video games:
http://www.seducemegame.com
I haven't looked at it yet myself. I just put it in here now, so I don't lose/forget the addy.
http://www.seducemegame.com
I haven't looked at it yet myself. I just put it in here now, so I don't lose/forget the addy.
If you've never heard of The Residents, perhaps it's time. Here's a review of their
recording, The Residents Play Wormwood. Not something you listen to once, then put away.
The review is from Amazon.
....................................................................
5.0 out of 5 stars The Residents tell it like it is. February 18, 2009
By Dennis York
Format: DVD
Thank You, Residents, for stripping all the BS away from Judeo-Christian religious myth.
This video exposes for all to see the stupidity and ridiculousness of the Bible and it's
pet stories. It's about time.
The only (minor) objection I have is that sometimes the singer's voice is so grating and
strained that it detracts from the performance and message.
A better singer or the same one with a rested voice would've been better, IMHO. But no
matter, this concert video should be seen by everyone.
It counters the blatherings of Christian evangelists, the Religious Right, The Pope, etc.
I wish the Residents would do the same to Islam.
Last week Saturday, about 8:30 pm, I walked over to the nearby convenience store and bought a Powerball, MegaBucks and SuperCash ticket. The drawing is at 9 pm. The next day I checked the drawing results.
Powerball, nothing. MegaBucks, nothing. SuperCash, however, turned out to be worth $500.00!!!
Well, I made an extra payment on my two credit cards and then didn't really know what to do with the rest.
Linda, with whom I live, suggested I get a Kindle Fire. I thought that was a brilliant idea, so I did. The 7" model. It's OK, I'm still getting used to it, of course. I can download books to it, but then, how do I go about lending a virtual book to someone? How do I go about highlighting a sentence of paragraph? Or, fold down a page corner? Just some things you can do with a physical book you can't do with a virtual book, I guess.
Gotta go.
Powerball, nothing. MegaBucks, nothing. SuperCash, however, turned out to be worth $500.00!!!
Well, I made an extra payment on my two credit cards and then didn't really know what to do with the rest.
Linda, with whom I live, suggested I get a Kindle Fire. I thought that was a brilliant idea, so I did. The 7" model. It's OK, I'm still getting used to it, of course. I can download books to it, but then, how do I go about lending a virtual book to someone? How do I go about highlighting a sentence of paragraph? Or, fold down a page corner? Just some things you can do with a physical book you can't do with a virtual book, I guess.
Gotta go.
Yesterday, the 14th, I got a call from my brother saying that our mom died, about 5 pm, CST. I'm not certain right now just how old she was, but I know she was close to 90.
I'm not feeling too bad about it (yet). She had to spend the last years of her life locked down in a nursing home 'cos of dementia. Or Alzheimer's. Pick one. She tended to just wander away...
Her mother was a rather talented pianist, so of course, mom got lots of piano lessons when she was young.
Mom went to Perdue University to pursue a career as a secretary. I dunno what Perdue is like these days, but back then, it was one of the top secretarial schools in the country. All of those piano lessons made banging on a typewriter a breeze for her. (Remember, this was well before electric typewriters came along.)
In her senior year, she realized that in order to graduate, she needed another year of a foreign language. She really didn't want another year of Spanish, so she took everything else and then WW2 started and she went to work for the Federal Gov't and started her career as a secretary. A damned good one, too.
My dad got off the farm in southern Illinois and joined the Army/Air Force and they met at a mixer at the YMCA in Chicago. They married after the War and the rest is history.
Being an only child, she didn't know much about how to rear children, so she studied up on it. Thank the gods, Dr Spock was in vogue by then. Child rearing techniques before Spock would be considered child neglect these days. Even child abuse.
She didn't know how to cook, either, so she studied up on that, too. She found Adelle Davis and we ate very well, indeed. Plus, her mom was a good cook, and they corresponded, weekly.
All in all, she took her roles as wife, mother, secretary, etc., seriously and she did the best she could do. I've no complaints. No complaints about her or my dad.
Compared to a lot of others I've met, personally and online, my childhood was rather uneventful, even boring, and I'm glad for that.
Thanks, mom and dad! I miss you!
I'm not feeling too bad about it (yet). She had to spend the last years of her life locked down in a nursing home 'cos of dementia. Or Alzheimer's. Pick one. She tended to just wander away...
Her mother was a rather talented pianist, so of course, mom got lots of piano lessons when she was young.
Mom went to Perdue University to pursue a career as a secretary. I dunno what Perdue is like these days, but back then, it was one of the top secretarial schools in the country. All of those piano lessons made banging on a typewriter a breeze for her. (Remember, this was well before electric typewriters came along.)
In her senior year, she realized that in order to graduate, she needed another year of a foreign language. She really didn't want another year of Spanish, so she took everything else and then WW2 started and she went to work for the Federal Gov't and started her career as a secretary. A damned good one, too.
My dad got off the farm in southern Illinois and joined the Army/Air Force and they met at a mixer at the YMCA in Chicago. They married after the War and the rest is history.
Being an only child, she didn't know much about how to rear children, so she studied up on it. Thank the gods, Dr Spock was in vogue by then. Child rearing techniques before Spock would be considered child neglect these days. Even child abuse.
She didn't know how to cook, either, so she studied up on that, too. She found Adelle Davis and we ate very well, indeed. Plus, her mom was a good cook, and they corresponded, weekly.
All in all, she took her roles as wife, mother, secretary, etc., seriously and she did the best she could do. I've no complaints. No complaints about her or my dad.
Compared to a lot of others I've met, personally and online, my childhood was rather uneventful, even boring, and I'm glad for that.
Thanks, mom and dad! I miss you!
The Ancient Art of Burning Sage
Many who eschew the burning of incenses and herbs as a cleansing method and think the only purpose in this tradition is to make dwellings smell nice, have perhaps never smelled sage burning. No one who has smelled the distinct acrid tang of burning sage would say that it could only be for 'aesthetic' olfactory purposes.
The Latin for sage, Salvia, stems from the word 'to heal.' The other qualities of sage, when burned, such as giving wisdom, clarity and increasing spiritual awareness, are also indicated in the name. Do you think it's any accident that we refer to wise people as sagely?
The benefits of burning sage can be harnessed very simply by burning sage in your home, office or any other place in need of cleansing.
How to burn sage properly. Sage-burning cleansing rituals can be as elaborate or as simple as you want them to be, but it's of the highest importance that your intention be clear before you begin. If you are burning sage to purify a space, or a person (even yourself), then this needs to be clearly planted in your mind before you even the light the sage and while taking the smoke around a home, or through a space.
The best sage to use for such purposes is white sage, although if you have garden sage, then this will work fine also (just make sure it is dried). Any local farmer's market or health food store should carry it, as well as New Age shops. Of course, you can order it online as well.
The process is simple enough. If you have a heavy earthenware pot (something heat-proof), then place the bundled sage into the pot and light it for a few seconds before extinguishing the flame and letting the smoke billow up. Really dry sage will catch fire quickly, so watch your fingers.
Focus burning sage on gateway and high traffic areas. Be careful not to breathe in the smoke directly and not to fill the area too thickly with smoke – this is not a fumigation, just a cleansing, so no need to go overboard. Then slowly walk around where you are and take the smoke to each area you would like to cleanse. Concentrate on `gateway' areas, such as windows, doors, closets and hallways. Also concentrate on the corners of a room. Most importantly, use your intuition. If you allow it, your space will usually inform you as to which areas need to be cleansed.
You may want to focus on particularly busy areas, both foot traffic-wise (kitchen) and mentally busy (computer workstation). You may even hear a song, hymn or chant bubble up from your unconscious, this is perfectly natural. Look at Hindu priests who often chant sacred sounds while purifying their temple halls (usually with incense and a loud bell in hand).
Try burning incense immediately after a saging session. Sage has a more masculine/yang aspect and is nicely coupled to the feminine/yin aspect of incense. Also experiment with bell ringing or hand clapping in between saging and incense burning for a total cleansing effect.
If you can at least burn sage in your living space on a weekly basis, then you will notice a lightness of energy and calmness descend into your home from this practice. It can be a way to cleanse the old energy from the previous week and welcome in the newly beginning week and all the possibilities it holds.
