Stevia: Good Or Bad?

Sugar is one of the most dangerous ingredients on the market. It's addictive, added to almost every processed food, and will make you overweight, depressed and sick if you eat too much. Americans eat close to 100 pounds of the stuff per person per year, likely because it is so addictive. That's why it's exciting to know there are alternative sweeteners made in nature, like stevia. Stevia is 200 times sweeter than sugar. I am going to buy the plant and grow it myself and dry the leaves.

KY. Derby Festival Marathon

Rain or shine, thousands of runners pounded the pavement early Saturday morning of which our daughter was one. Chances of rain were 70%. Fortunately no rain fell during this event. We arrived at the 20 mile marker cheering Jennifer on. We traveled to mile 23, but with all the traffic missed her. Getting to the finish line was impossible for us in a car. Meanwhile at mile marker 20, Kevin got in and ran with Jennifer to the finish. Jennifer had some leg issues and found her knees locking up starting at mile 23. Kevin cheered her on and she finished the race in 4hrs.15min.25sec. We finally hooked up downtown at 7th and Market. She was a sight to behold. Poor thing had such pains in her legs, but the day after she is talking about next years marathon. Go figure

A Cruise Ship Is Like A City: Completely Dependent On The Outside World For Survival

Here's why all this matters: A city is a lot like a cruise ship. It relies on outside inputs to keep its inhabitants alive. Without the power grid, every city in the world becomes much like this "sewage adventure" Carnival Cruise ship known as Triumph. Without food, every society quickly devolves in savagery. Every city in the USA and around the world is just 96 hours away from a complete breakdown. People who live in cities today are, in essence, living on islands of delusion, thinking that food is abundant and electricity is always present. But this all is a mirage. In reality, cities have no food production capacity, and electricity is delivered from remote locations over a complex system of electrical transformers and cables.
If you live in a city right now, you are metaphorically riding on a cruise ship, placing yourself just 96 hours away from total chaos and a mass breakdown of civility. It's just one more reason to get out of the cities and seek a more sustainable, self reliant life in the countryside.

This fall, millions of already cash-strapped Americans will apply for taxpayer-funded government subsidies to help pay for their mandatory Obamacare coverage, which is set to begin next year. But according to new reports, individuals who incorrectly predict their future income on the subsidy forms, or who end up having lower income in 2012 than in 2013, will end up having to pay back some or all of the subsidy money back to the government, which could come as a major surprise for many people. But the majority of American taxpayers have no idea that this is the case, and will be unpleasantly surprised when, on top of having to purchase government health care, they learn that they owe even more money back to the federal government for the ridiculous program.  

 Dylan spent Sunday afternoon with us. We stopped at Lowes to pickup some mulch and stepping stones. Dylan said he needed some gloves for out in the yard. The picture above shows his choice. 

 Home Depot had a special on Chimineas. I put some stepping stones down and placed the chiminea on top. I figure it will be great this summer to set by a fire in the early evening. Come on hot weather!

My chickens needed a place for a sand bath. I bought some sand at Lowes and picked up a bucket to place the sand in. At first, they ate it. As you can see one is trying it out. It helps to get the mites off them and the parasites. Everyone has to be involved. They are too funny.

Earth Day

Earth Day is usually celebrated with outdoor performances, where individuals or groups perform acts of service. Planting trees, picking up roadside trash, etc. It's not a public holiday, so businesses and schools are open. I think I will go out in the yard and plant some flowers to make my space beautiful.

The day our house burned, during that virtual walk down memory lane, no one asked about the wall of volcanic rock. Nobody mentioned the low ceilings, the lack of windows, the endless carpets, the slant in the floors etc. Of course that wouldn't have been polite, but I'm sure it didn't even occur to anyone, if they even ever noticed. I bet most of the people who were welcomed there over the years were focused on being with friends and having fun.
My dad had a saying to describe what mattered and what didn't. It'll burn" he'd say to dismiss something that wasn't worth stressing about. I fretted and clucked over all the ugly finishes in my home for so many of the years we lived there and spent thousands and thousands of dollars making it as beautiful as I dreamed it could be, and in less than an hour it was consumed by fire. What survived was destroyed by water and smoke. I wish I had spent less time worrying about what my house looked like and more of it purely enjoying my family and all the people we welcomed there. I did get that right. Just as my parents showed me, and despite my concerns, I did fling open our doors and allow my home to be a haven.
It's so easy to get hung up on how we want our house to look. It's tempting to think we can't have anyone over until it looks just so, but I'm here to tell you, whatever it looks like; your nightmare or your dream; it could all be gone in a flash. But if we open ourselves, the memories we make can outlast us.    

It's Not A Haircut-It's THEFT

Obama's daughter of 13 is on spring break in Mexico. She took 12 of her friends and 25 secret service men, in two jets mind you. You know who is paying for that. Absurd!
There's so much hair cutting going on these days that it almost feels like we are trapped in a demonic salon. It's time the people of the world to wake up.

Honey Bee Losses

Honey bees are a massive global business, responsible for a third of the world's food production. Honey bees provide $15 billion in added U.S. crop value each year, and as the USDA reports,"About one mouthful in three in our diet directly or indirectly benefits from honey bee pollination."
It's difficult to overstate honey bee significance to the planet's food security. And since 2006, after the bulrush onset of Colony Collapse Disorder, scientists and beekeepers have looked for a source of blame, a cause to explain millions of abandoned hives and billions of dead bees.

Boston Marathon

It's now becoming clear that members of the Boston bomb squad had advanced notice of the horrific bombing that took place at the marathon yesterday. As an eyewitness reports, once the bombs went off, officials began announcing, "this is just a drill". This logically means they were all enformed of the "bomb drill" beforehand. Otherwise, why would they respond with, "this is just a drill"? According to Local 15TV said there were bomb sniffing dogs at both the start and finish lines, long before explosions went off. "They kept making announcements on the loud speaker that it was just a drill and there was nothing to worry about.. It seemed like there was some sort of a threat, but they kept telling us it was just a drill. The official story of the bombing is that terrorists detonated two bombs at the marathon finish line and that the Boston bomb squad magically located  the third bomb one mile away. Absurd.

Nothing like that first whiff of spring to make you want to tone your arms a little. A lot of yoga poses have you bearing weight on your arms, but if you want to take it a little further try the lizard push up. Skip the step where you come down to the elbows. The starting position is with the arms straight and palms flat on the floor. From there, it's nose to the mat and back up. Try ten times.

The Life Of Your Deams Part 2

Support individualism! The individual is the fundamental unit in society. Families, communities and nations are made up of individuals. Respect for the individual is the hallmark of a healthy family and a fair society. Without individual rights, no one is safe. Work on relationships! We are all conected and interdependent. In fact, it is impossible to reach individual maturity without ability to stand in another's perspective and imagine how he or she must be feeling. Free your inner beast! Given all that is going on in the world today, good people are angry. With so much chaos, destruction and injustice, how can a good person not be deeply resentful? The key is to turn that anger into determination.Create that world among those closest to you, and then begin to branch out.

I went to McNeil yesterday after Pilates class and had lunch with Alex. Landen was there too, but didn't want his picture taken. Six more weeks of school and the little tikes will be out. The boys are estactic about it. Counting down!
On another subject; In a world gone mad, there are those among us who still believe in an ideal-that you can live out your individual dreams. Yes, there are forces in the world that are hell bent on squashing your dreams, too. Face reality; we live in a world at odds with itself. There are individuals who shoot, stab, kill and maim. There are governments who would steal everyone's freedom in the name of protection. Prepare for the worst. Learn to protect youself and become self reliant. Respect your dreams of the good life. Write them down. Get realistic with them and allow yourself to believe they are possible in the real world. Get specific; Ask the right questions about your dreams to turn them into goals. I will be talking more tomorrow on "The Life Of Your Dreams".  

Can't Figure This Out

Well last night I decided to put my hen that was setting on 6 eggs in a cage that someone gave to me, and let her set and finish hatching her eggs. I noticed this morning she was off the nest and running around the cage. I give up! I can't get any eggs to hatch with a hen. I don't know how people do it, but I haven't had any luck.

Escalating colony losses are making replacement difficult. In the meantime, without bees, The Honey Farms are unable to fulfill pollination contracts or make honey. Beekeepers are not alone, growers of almonds, cherries, apples, pears, berries, melons, and other fruit, vegetables, and field crops stand to lose as well, since their yields will be lower without good pollination. Almond growers are paying a premium price this year for bees. The supply isn't enough to ensure good pollination and fruit set. The industry's ability to pollinate almonds this year is severely compromised because of colony failures. Many beekeepers will just not be able to recover from these losses.
May YOUR bees add blessings to your life.

 I have had a hen setting on about 6 eggs for 21 days today. Every now and then she gets down to eat and drink and another hen gets up and lays an egg. This is so frustrating. I can't tell the new eggs from the old. I marked an x on the first six , but that has long worn off. Look at this situation!

My baby chicks are in the walk about today. Aren't they precious? I am getting them used to the other hens. Hoping the adjustment won't be too much for them. I noticed the rooster, Benjamin, was all over them. He is such a bully!

What Is A Lady's Maid?

A lady's maid is a type of domestic servant who providws personal assistance to the lady of the household. She is comparable to a valet or getleman's gentleman, and is considered of higher rank than most other domestic servants. This maid should not be confused with a lady's companion, a position for a more well-educated woman who entertains and accompanies her employer.

This is what I want. A lady to assist me when I want some tea or coffee. Or how about if I am not feeling up to par. In addition a lady's maid would style her ladys hair and manage accessories such as jewelry, bags, and fans. I can handle that! 

Flowers, Trees and Greens

One doesn't have to be a chef to be a gourmet, does one need to be a garden designer to grow pretty edibles? Obviously not. Yet a few clues from a designer and plantsman might help make your potager that much more interesting. As a kid, I loved flowers. We had a very small yard in the city, but it was jammed packed full of roses, lilacs, snowball bushes, bleeding hearts, and of course mom always planted pansy's.I guess that is why I love flowers today. Dad was an outdoor person and would always take me hunting with him. He would shoot squirrel and rabbit and bring them home for mom to cook. Excuse me, I am getting off the subject. Let's have a look at edible plants as yummy as they are pretty. Kale is an ideal crop to grow in the cool of spring and even improves after frosts. A tasty dish full of vitamins.Nasturtiums and herbs such as, chives, parsley, sages and basil just to mention a few are all edible and beautiful to the eye. Vegetables and flowers mix in beautiful edible gardens. By integrating edibles and ornamentals we get beauty and bounty.

We used to live in Owensboro, and went back yesterday while Jennifer and the boys are on Spring Break for a visit. We dicided to go take some pictures by the river and were pleasantly surprised when we saw the new park. It is a very nice place to go for a walk, or take the kids to play. This isn't an amusement park or a theater or a museum. This is a park. A very nicely designed park. We spent at least 2 hours just enjoying it for the beautiful day that it was.