A Great Song From My Past...!

Guess it's really just a sign that I am, indeed, getting older...but certain songs are getting stuck in my mind lately!

That's why I just had to look this song up on YouTube. Not only is it a beautiful song, but it is done by a group that made more memories for me in my younger days than any other That I can remember!

I probably fell in love more often to songs by the Lettermen than any other group of my day.

Keep in mind, though, that this was in the 1960's...and during that time I couldn't tell you how many times I fell in love, except that it was a LOT!

This song, and the way that it's done, has always been one of my favorite songs. It seems to lift me up when I need it, calm me down when I'm tense, and gives me pause to reflect when I need it. We all have a song or two like that, I'll bet!

I hope you enjoy this version of a marvelous classic tune!



Beautiful, isn't it? Man, it's really true that they just don't make songs like that...sung by groups like the Lettermen, any more! That's truly a shame, don't you think?

Now, my friends, let's get some fresh coffee and sit on the patio for a bit! The birds are singing this morning!

A Preview Of Things To Come...?

Talk about being held hostage by the folks with the goods!

I know that many think something like this can never happen to us...but you know what? It could! In fact, in slower increments, it is happening as we speak!

Like it or not, this could happen as long as we continue to be reliant on fossil fuels to power our vehicles. something like this only shows that somehow we must find alternatives to powering our lifestyle, or else we all could wake up some day and find ourselves in the same boat!

High gas prices fuel anger in McGrath, Alaska

© 2010 The Associated Press
April 28, 2010, 1:11PM


ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Residents in the town of McGrath went to bed Friday with the price of gasoline at just under $6 a gallon.

When they drove to McGrath's lone pump the following day, the price was $9.20, prompting shock in the Kuskokwin River town 415 miles northwest of Anchorage.

"Outraged would probably be the best one-word description," said Kas Healy.

The spike follows a winter that nearly drained the city's unleaded fuel supply. Crowley Petroleum Distribution had to fly in a supply Friday, and a company official said the cost increase reflects the difference between flying the fuel and shipping it on a barge.

"When I get a bill from the company that flies in the fuel and it says what the price is, I at least have to pass that on or we're not going to be in business," said Bob Cox, vice president of sales.

The earliest Crowley would be able to send a barge is early June, so the high prices will likely stick for some time. The barge could also be delayed by the same shallow river levels that prevented it from delivering its final load of fuel last fall.

Angry residents have formed an anti-Crowley Facebook page and are trying to boycott the company.

"For people who basically are living at subsistence levels, I think it's criminal that this is not regulated," Healy said.

Mayor Dustin Parker said he hopes McGrath will find a way to fly in fuel at a lower cost.

"Yes, we expected a little bit of an increase for sure, around a dollar, but no one expected over $3 a gallon," Parker said.

I can't blame the supplier, really! After all, everyone is entitled to make a profit. However, it just seems to me that there is a hint of "profiteering" going on here.

I can only wonder if the folks in the town, or at least the leaders of the community, were given any notice of such a hike? One thing about it, being the only pump in town sort of gives you a captive market, don't you think?

I don't think I'll complain too much about the 25 cent increases locally for a while...but we all know it's not only possible, but probable this will happen in some form or fashion in the future!

And the Future, my friends, may be a lot closer than we think!

Now, let's have some fresh coffee on the patio. We'll try and NOT think about the next winter's cost of heating fuel, right?

A Story About Freedom...!

Just wanted to share this with you today!

A story like this is always good to brighten up the morning, I think!

Freedom And Jeff

Freedom and I have been together 10 years this summer.She came in as a baby in 1998 with two broken wings. Her left wing doesn't open all the way even after surgery, it was broken in 4 places.

She's my baby.

When Freedom came in she could not stand and both wings were broken. She was emaciated and covered in lice. We made the decision to give her a chance at life, so I took her to the vets office.

From then on, I was always around her. We had her in a huge dog carrier with the top off, and it was loaded up with shredded newspaper for her to lay in. I used to sit and talk to her, urging her to live, to fight; and she would lay there looking at me with those big brown eyes.

We also had to tube feed her for weeks.

This went on for 4-6 weeks, and by then she still couldn't stand. It got to the point where the decision was made to euthanize her if she couldn't stand in a week. You know you don't want to cross that line between torture and rehab, and it looked like death was winning.

She was going to be put down that Friday, and I was supposed to come in on that Thursday afternoon. I didn't want to go to the center that Thursday, because I couldn't bear the thought of her being euthanized; but I went anyway, and when I walked in everyone was grinning from ear to ear. I went immediately back to her cage; and there she was, standing on her own, a big beautiful eagle. She was ready to live. I was just about in tears by then.

That was a very good day.

We knew she could never fly, so the director asked me to glove train her. I got her used to the glove, and then to jesses, and we started doing education programs for schools in western Washington . We wound up in the newspapers, radio (believe it or not) and some TV. Miracle Pets even did a show about us.

In the spring of 2000, I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. I had stage 3, which is not good (one major organ plus everywhere), so I wound up doing 8 months of chemo. Lost the hair - the whole bit. I missed a lot of work.

When I felt good enough, I would go to Sarvey and take Freedom out for walks.. Freedom would also come to me in my dreams and help me fight the cancer. This happened time and time again.

Fast forward to November 2000, the day after Thanksgiving. I went in for my last checkup. I was told that if the cancer was not all gone after 8 rounds of chemo, then my last option was a stem cell transplant. Anyway, they did the tests; and I had to come back Monday for the results. I went in Monday, and I was told that all the cancer was gone!

So the first thing I did was get up to Sarvey and take the big girl out for a walk. It was misty and cold. I went to her flight and jessed her Up, and we went out front to the top of the hill.

I hadn't said a word to Freedom, but somehow she knew. She looked at me and wrapped both her wings around me to where I could feel them pressing in on my back (I was engulfed in eagle wings), and she touched my nose with her beak and stared into my eyes, and we just stood there like that for I don't know how long. That was a magic moment. We have been soul mates ever since she came in.

This is a very special bird!

On a side note: I have had people who were sick come up to us when we are out, and Freedom has some kind of hold on them. I once had a guy who was terminal come up to us and I let him hold her. His knees just about buckled and he swore he could feel her power coarse through his body. I have so many stories like that.

I never forget the honor I have of being so close to such a magnificent spirit as Freedom.

Hope you enjoy this.

Jeff
____________________________________________________________






Now, my friends, after that I think some fresh coffee is in order...we can sit outside on the patio and enjoy the morning sun!

Good News And Bad News...!

My eyesight has been getting worse and worse here lately, so I decided it was time to go get an eye exam.

Good news is...I got in the Doctor's office without any problem. Bad news is...cataracts in both eyes. Right eye is really bad, he said. If not taken care of pretty soon, it could be so bad in a couple of months that I may not be able to see out of it!

So, it looks like I'll be contacting the hospital and getting some idea of what the next step is going to be. I want to go through the V.A., since they are already taking care of the problem with my heart and have all my medical history right at hand!

Let me just say that I have complete faith and confidence in the folks at the V.A. and they have always treated me right! This is NOT what I wanted to hear or to deal with, but it has to be done...that I do know!

I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to cut this one short today and go hide in a corner for a bit while I feel sorry for myself.

Actually, even though I might want to do just that, I actually need to put certain things in order...just in case, ya know?

I'll update things a little more as soon as I know more. In the meantime, coffee is fresh. Let's get some and go sit in the sunshine for a bit, OK? Nothing like some morning sun and some birds singing to make things seem better, know what I mean?

The roses smell really good from the patio as well!

Shaking Things Up In Texas...!

Well, I have found just one more reason to be ready for anything!

This is a very good example of why we should continue to prep and try to be ready for ANY disaster! This one could have been a lot worse...and if nothing else, I'll bet that it opened up the eyes of a LOT of folks, if you know what I mean!

Small quake hits near Alice in South Texas

ASSOCIATED PRESS
April 25, 2010, 2:08PM

ALICE — A small earthquake has rattled awake some residents in South Texas.

The U.S. Geological Survey reports that a 4.0-magnitude earthquake hit an area near Alice, about 50 miles west of Corpus Christi, around 9:10 p.m. Saturday. No damage or injuries have been reported.

But numerous residents felt the quake. The Alice Echo-News Journal reports that calls flooded the Alice police department in Jim Wells County and the sheriff's office in neighboring Nueces County.

A 3.8-magnitude quake was reported in Jim Wells County in March 1997.

This is getting pretty close to home, folks! Pretty close to home, indeed! In fact, Alice is only about 240 miles from Houston!

I can only wonder what would happen with the local freeway system if this had been in the Houston area, ya know? Scary...!

Now, my friends, let's get some fresh coffee and sit outside for a bit. We can speculate on what could happen next time...!

Folklore For The House And Home...!

Well, this is the time of year everyone starts thing about Spring cleaning, gardening, and taking care of the repairs needed around the homestead!

In keeping with that train of thought, let's go back a bit in history and explore some of the superstitions and folk lore regarding the health of your household. I dug these little tidbits out of the Almanac...and they are timeless!

There are many superstitions and old wives tales about the house and home. From our collection of folklore, here are some sayings for good luck in your home.

* Scatter Solomon's seal on the floor to banish serpents and venomous creatures from the room.

* To protect your house from lightning, gather hazel tree branches on Palm Sunday and keep them in water.

* Add caraway seeds to chicken feed to keep poultry from wandering. Feed the seeds to homing pigeons to help them find their way back.

* Stuff fennel in your keyhole or hang it over your door to protect against witches.

* Never carry a hoe into the house. If you do so by mistake, carry it out again, walking backward to avoid bad luck.

* Never walk under a ladder, which is Satan's territory. If you must do it, cross your fingers or make the sign of the fig (closed fist, with thumb between index and middle fingers).

* If you give a steel blade to a friend, make the recipient pay you a penny to avoid cutting the friendship.

* Never give a knife as a housewarming present, or your new neighbor will become an enemy.

* Never pound a nail after sundown, or you will wake the tree gods.

* Nail an evergreen branch to new rafters to bring good luck. An empty hornets' nest, hung high, also will bring good luck to a house of any age.

* When you move to a new house, always enter first with a loaf of bread and a new broom. Never bring an old broom into the house.

Well, my friends, there ya have it A few timeless tidbits to start your Sunday!

Now, how about some fresh coffee on the patio this morning! I just cleaned the patio, so it's alright to sit anywhere, OK?

Want To Buy A Lifestyle...?

If you want a complete solar homestead...and I mean COMPLETE, then check this story out!

Seems like these folks are making it easy to start living the "off-grid" life as soon as you can come up with the purchase price!

Catalog offers mail-order home: This one's solar

© 2010 The Associated Press
April 22, 2010, 12:25PM

BOULDER, Colo. — Real Goods Solar Inc. has been selling solar panels for homes for years, but its latest mail-order catalog goes one step further: The Louisville (LOO'-iss-vil), Colo., company offers a whole solar house, with a choice of traditional or cedar siding.

The factory-built, one-story house by Boulder-based Solar Village Homes goes for $90,000 to $120,000. It has energy-efficient and energy-producing features, including solar electrical and hot water systems. Setting it up could cost $40,000 to $100,000 extra.

Solar Village co-founder Mark Kostovny says it's possible for solar home owners to have no energy bills, depending on their consumption.

Well, it's nice to know that a total package can be bought from a catalog. Now, if someone wanted to loan me the small sum of $140,000...I could jump right in! (the extra is for the set-up)

How about some coffee on the patio, my friends? We can plan where to put our new "solar home"...and how we are going to pay for it!