Hello to all my friends!  I am the new me, because I can't remember who I used to be.  I live alone with two 100 lb. dogs, who keep me moving by needing to go out every now and then.  They also provide exercize for me, making me step over them to go anywhere in the house.  I have developed a hand-hold system of bracing myself as I go, holding on to furniture as I high-step along my way.  I still think about my old black chicken, Suzie Q., my grey striped cat, Kitty, and the older dog, Arnie, that lived here long ago, before these two darling dogs, Pepper and Arnie Jr. 

Arnie "talks" like other sled dogs, and they both understand everything I say.  Our lives have taken on a quality of precognition, since they know everything that I intend as I speak it.  Finally! I've taught the dogs to understand humanese. 

Days go by and a fire is not needed for extra warmth in here, but then, like yesterday and today, it is needed and enjoyed.  My supply of firewood seems to be lasting appropriately enough to get me through the winter. 

My doctor retired from medical practice, and I've acquired a new doctor to bore with my silliness.  The past two times I've gone, the suggestion has been that "old age" is the only thing I'm suffering from.  Well!  How come we weren't warned about this?  The fat's in the fire now, kids!  Old age....the last and worst enemy we must face.  And the only one we can't possibly win against, either. 

This IS the year 2012, and watching the sky at night has been my favorite thing to do, lately.  The incredible changes proceed seemingly at a slow pace, but sure and swift, moving across the night sky. 

What will I do this year?  I will try to have a garden again, but not the same kind of garden.  A smarter garden, protected from devastating insects and weeds.  I want to plant a wild flower garden for butterflies and their insect friends.  I want to put up bat houses, bee houses, and bird houses.  I want to put down toad shelters, and I'm going to get a round plastic swimming pool.  First, I'll use the plastic swimming pool to soak/wash my kitchen chairs and table, laying them down sideways and backwards and even upside down to soak and get scrubbed clean.  Eventually, the pool will be filled with soil and I will have a greens garden, that can be covered with tent-like gauze to protect from devouring insects.  I'll have to punch holes in the pool bottom so it doesn't get soggy. 

Of course, I'll still put out food for the birds, deer and the bears, to mention the heavy hitters at the feeders.  Right now, I'm feeding deer with corn, apples, rutabagas and sunflower seeds.  The birds get sunflower seeds, home-made suet, and real suet from beef.  And there's a scattering of millet, and cracked corn, etc. for the rest of the gang.  One notable thing is that the mourning doves have increased in numbers quite a bit.  It all began with one dove calling mournfully some distance away in early spring.  By mid-summer, a few more had joined in, and by last fall, quite a few were feeding daily in my yard.  Now, when I come up to the house, startling the whole flock, there is an explosion of noise from their wings as they take to flight. 

I live alone now, and John comes by frequently (a couple of times a week) to take his dog for a run, then brings him back home when the run is over.  I am not lonely, and enjoy being the only human here.  It amazes me how happy I am to be living alone in the woods with all my animal friends.      

My son plowed my driveway and what a beautiful job he does!  I don't even worry about backing up or driving forward - what difference does it make?  I am able to negotiate without any more concern than in summer.  So that's a big relief, knowing that I shouldn't worry about getting stuck in my own driveway. 

I have Yak Trax for my chore boots - wire ringlets that fit nicely and securely on my feet for anytime I must go outside.  Which is quite frequently nowadays.  To take the dogs in and out - (should be out and in), to feed and water the birds, squirrels and deer, to get in a piece or two of firewood at a time, to go for a walk with my dogs, to go and get my mail, or just to go out and admire the weather.

Which turned much colder and windier for the New Year....I had been smelling a horrid fume coming from my wood-burning stove, and not wanting to die of carbon monoxide or whatever, I used a mirror to look up the chimney and saw a glob of something stuck to one side of the chimney interior.  So I didn't have a fire for a couple of days, but this morning, the glob was gone, and I think the wind may have loosened it and made it fall during the night.  I have a fire going now and it's becoming very comfortable in here. 

I have been writing to all concerning my brother's passing.  It is impossible for me to comprehend....I miss him so much already.  His weekly phone calls, his loads of advice about what to do about this or that, the many friends and family members who are in the same situation that I am....difficult to comprehend or accept. 

But on we must go.  And I am going to begin giving as much as I can to Good Will or make other donations.  Let me start today, and don't hold back, thinking I may need this later.  Later?  Never comes, until it's too late.     

I've been off the computer for quite awhile now, and I've finally gotten back on....my son has given me a new computer and hooked it up for me.  And I'm back on-line again....everything seems to be still working.  I am looking for a new website to transfer my blog to, but nothing works, so far.  Is it because I'm still here, on this one?  Don't know....

I'm getting used to being on my own.  It's amazing how a person changes into another lifestyle mode just because another person is living with you.  And I'm finding myself, the real, exact me, now that I'm alone.  I LOVE IT.  Of course, there's the worry (for my children) of me falling down, unable to reach the phone or get help.  But I am not afraid.  At my age, 72, dying is just inevitable, and I am grateful for every day. 

My younger brother died on December 8, 2011, almost 3 weeks ago, of an abdominal aortic aneurism.  He was just 64 years old, the same age that my father was when he died.  I console myself by saying that he is with the woman he loved, and who loved him, who passed away earlier.  It seems to me now that we are all on a treadmill moving along to the inevitable end....each one of us caught up in the rigors of his own circumstances. 

Really, the only thing new around here is ME, that is how I feel.  As I recapitulate my life, I need only to gather in the little girl at the places she was hurt and left crying, saying "there, there now," and let's leave all that behind.  Let's just be well and strong now, and not cling to anything that was hurtful.  And the healing continues with ever-newer revelations about the person that was myself. 

I think now that every one of us, no matter who, has been given one or more of life's problems and for each of us, it is that challenge that we face, deal with, attempt to resolve, and win over to the good, solved side of life.  This is why God gave us the task of making the world a better place to live.  He gave us brains, hands, and the ability to walk upright.  But most of all, He gave us CHOICE.  We choose to resolve the problems or not.  We get to make it better, and if and when we do, God is happy and so are we.  But if we can't resolve the problems, we get to face the same problems over and over again, in the hopes that the lightbulb will go on and we will win at last.  But if the problems we have are insurmountable, God does not blame us.  The only thing that matters is that we wanted to do it, we tried hard, and if we failed, we can say we gave it our best effort. 

I love animals, they have developed to live in the natural world, and they don't ask questions WHY?  We humans ask.  Animals don't commit sins or crimes either, they just do what comes naturally.  It is humans who impose their own moral judgments on the world and animals around them.  And you can tell when you associate with animals and birds a lot, how free they are of the judgmental burdens humans carry around....

I've blogged on a lot this time, I've been off so long.  Of course, I'll continue to try to get another blog site (hopefully a free one) and continue to stay in touch with the rest of humanity.      

I'm still here, and I've been reading my own blog to see what I've been doing...I note that the home-made suet cakes I made did not hold up in the weather or to the birds' pecking.  I didn't have enough animal fat to render and had to use vegetable shortening, so the cakes don't hold together well.  Don't last, though the birds still bang away at them.  Today, I remelted the remaining cakes with more vegetable shortening and they are congealing in the freezer to see if this will be better.  I need beef suet or deer suet!  I had some before and the cakes held together better than these.  I'll see if more vegetable shortening will do it for now. 

The cost of sunflower seeds has skyrocketed!  The money-hungry ?XI*@#^% are targeting my chickadees and nuthatches and woodpeckers!  Anybody who asks me what I want for Xmas is being told "sunflower seeds!"  Everything else continues to rise, especially the Holiday food prices.  I'm disheartened.  It makes me want to grow a garden this year again, but after the devastation of last year's beautiful garden, I wonder if I will be able to produce even enough for my own needs.  I won't be using last year's "straw" again, that's for sure.  Red plastic sheeting?  I don't like it, but whatever works.  I may not be able to do the work, or afford the seeds.  And to protect every row with a cover?  Must plan....

I had a dream, very reality-like.  That huffy black bear came into my porch, talked to me and said he still loves me, he's not mad at me, and we hugged.  But I told him, smiling, that my insistence on his obeying "my" rules is still important, and it's because I'm on his side that I can't be too close with him.  Other people have guns and traps and will harm him if he starts getting too friendly.  It was just a brief dream encounter, and I think it's a real communication between us.  He understands and accepts my rules.  (I think he knows that my beef suet peace offering came from me, and I put it out, far away from my house.)

Today, my plans are to vacuum walls and ceilings, as well as floors, and to dust and wax the sides and backs of furniture as well as the tops.  One room at a time.  A lot of furniture moving will occur.  My plant stand at the picture window is loaded with plants.  They are all healthy and thriving, and some of them are very old (my mother's plants). 

My dogs are getting old....so am I.    

It's been awhile since I blogged last.  John and I have had to go our separate ways, for financial reasons.  So I'm alone, coping with the cost of living in my own shack....  My brother and his lady friend are giving up on the cost of living in their own privately owned/operated place, and are moving into a very nice retirement apartment complex with all the amenities...shoveled sidewalks, laundry facilities, mail delivery to your door, and who knows what else.  Probably a huge fireplace in the main "lodge" room with a pool table/swimming pool... I can only imagine.  My aunt also lives in a place like that, but I am here with my large dogs that will not be allowed in those kinds of places.  Even the dogs are not mine, they just passed on to me because mom died (Pepper and Daphne) and Arnie can't climb the steep stairway at John's new place.  But John comes to get his dog to go running with him every day, and we still are good friends, living our own separate lives. 

So I had to give up my blog and even my internet service for awhile, to see if I could make it financially.  Things are coming together for me, so I got back on the internet, and voila! - this blog is still going with Shackhappy in tow.  But since they will be closing soon, I will have to move on, and this time to a blog site that is free for me.   I will post the new internet address as soon as I'm attached. 

I like living alone in the woods, the snow falling heavily, then melting away in the warm temperatures....My daughter and her husband had a load of firewood delivered to me, so I could use the fireplace if  the weather turns very cold, or if the electricity goes out.  I've got it neatly stacked in a pile that is 5' wide by 5' deep by 4' tall, covered with tarps, sleds for hauling it inside, and all I want for Christmas is a push snow shovel that I can manage to clear a path with.  My son plans to plow my driveway when needed, so I am well cared for.  My hot water heating system has been brought up to par and is keeping me warm on the very lowest setting.  And John helped me get in about 2 more cords of wood that I and he collected from my nearby woods.  We put that wood in my porch, and it's a good feeling to have that much wood available if I need it.  John also cleaned out the chimney, and I'm ready to go on for awhile by myself.  I like it!  I feel good!  I can make it alone, though my finances are scraping the bottom of the barrel. 

I have weaned myself off of all the meds that were prescribed for me because of the stroke, and I am determined to be as healthy and independent as possible. 

I will blog again when I have a new address to go to. 

Well, the galloping bigger creature came in the upstairs last night, and I didn't get much sleep - he chewed here and he chewed there, and then he chewed over there, all night long.  I'll bet it's a gray squirrel, he made so much noise.  This month, September, is the month I start animal-proofing the attic, and I imagine it will best be done with a finer-meshed, heavy-duty wire net - oh, what is it called?  I will insert the proper words when I think of them.  (Later - Hardware cloth?) 

The weather continues beautiful and calm, very warm right now, but cool-down is expected any time.  I have brought in all my houseplants that have done very well outside, and will repot them and trim them back, wash away any infestation of bugs, and give them new soil to spend winter in. 

John is in the process of cleaning, reorganizing his stuff, and getting ready to clear out, more or less.  Then my kids can come in and take over where I need help.  Although it's sad for things to move on in this way, it's inevitable, and I'm looking forward to seeing my children here, more than they have been. 

I have a list of outdoor work that I need to do before it gets cold, which is when I won't want to work outside.  So on I go, today's effort will mostly be continuing to take down my greenhouse, which needs to be rebuilt with sturdier lumber, and emptying my water barrels and turning them over for the winter. 

Aha!  The bear, or a bear, came last night and took down and ate everything from every feeder out there, completely destroying the hummingbird feeder, even chewing the glass up, and leaving unmistakable big pawprints under the wire (which was sagging down, anyway).  Berry season must be getting old, eh? 

So the world around me is quiet as can be.  We've had a city neighbor come up and stay awhile and he shoots his gun and shoots his gun, a hundred shots at a time, several times a day, and into the night.  I thought at first he was sighting his rifle in for hunting season, but at night?  Is he just gun-crazy?  I don't know - his cabin is nearby. 

I slept until 6:00 a.m., got up and did some things (?), went back to bed and slept until late.  Got up and made a good beef soup, then outside to gather firewood.  It was cold in the house and reminds me that winter is coming.  I gathered a lot of sticks and small branches for fire-starting, piled them across from my door on a flat piece of plywood, and will cover them before dark to keep the drying process going.  My daughter is going to send me a big pile of regular firewood, delivered by truck.  I only need firewood for very cold weather, or if the power goes out.  Or at least the months of December, January and February.

I've learned my lesson, NOT to burn pine!  I had chimney fires doing that, and will only burn oak and some birch.    

Well, here it is, and the realization that this summer is just about gone....much to my regret.  Cold weather is coming, with all the difficulties of that.  I have been making blackberry jam for a few days, and the freezer is becoming full with the results.  And eating blackberry jam every day on top of rice cakes or bread.  I don't mind the seeds - good fiber. 

I have been so sore of body for the past week, and of course, it's because I have been trying to construct little things on the outside of my house.  I am in the process of repairing a broken piece of plywood on the porch wall.  If only I could get that first screw in, the rest would be possible.  Then on to the next project.  So that is my chore for today, but if I can find someone else willing to do it, that soreness of broken old body will be averted.  I am realizing that I have my limitations nowadays. 

The other chore that has continued to elude me is getting rid of the sour stomach that developed from taking those meds I was on.  The doctor has only suggested (several times now) that I should take Tums, which suggestion almost makes me feel sicker, for some reason.  But I will continue to fix my tummy myself. 

My daughter is grieving over a doe who seems to have two broken or lame front legs.  She thought this deer should be humanely euthanized, but another neighbor has a garage that this doe beds down in and gets fed in, and he won't shoot her, and the police decided not to pursue her, either.  So I can only suggest that my daughter should not grieve overmuch, as it will affect her own health adversely.  But it is hard to know that this animal is suffering and not much can be done for her at this point.

It's a grey, gloomy day, after the rain last night, and I will try to get something done... 

What with all the cleaning and repairs to the house I've been doing, naturally I have overdone it and hurt my back-shoulders-etc.etc. and now I am paying the price with a sciatic nerve injury.  It just about makes me cry to think I may have to go through that again.  But after a day of rest, a good night's sleep, and taking another day off here, I feel much better already.  I am doing the sciatic nerve injury routine.  Standing parallel to counter with left hand on counter edge, lift left leg straight ahead as far as is comfortable, then (and this is important) lift left leg straight back as far as possible a few times.  Then turn and do the right leg.  Not difficult to do, but it is quite effective.  Then I went for a brief walk with the dogs, 750 steps out and back again, taking tiny, quiet steps carefully.  Try to build up number of steps. 

The air out there smells delicious, like ripe berries, fruit and flowers.  The trees are in full leaf, and I am very impressed with them this year, more so than any other year.  I believe the trees have grown very tall around me and have reached a peak of perfection.  Warming climate?  But the nights are cool and the days are also very nice.  The weather here has been perfect, as the hurricane rakes the Eastern Coast. 

I have a new tape to listen to - it's a drumming tape from Peru, and it is repetitious and I like it a lot.  No voices, just drums, whistles and gourds.  I have been reading "One River" by Wade Davis, again, or still.  A long book, many descriptive phrases, that are enlightening and keep me reading on and on into the night.  But I finished it last night, even the end pages with all the names of people who helped him.  This book is a keeper, one I will read again.  I love books that I can turn to like old friends. 

Time to construct supper.  Tonight's dish will be Hawaiian/Oriental Chow Mein - I've been creating the last two times I made it, and by now, it's my very own thing.  It is so delicious and one of my favorite meals.  Must go now... 

And today, I have the window open so I can hear the restless breeze wandering through the trees.  I haven't heard this particular sound of the breeze in the trees for some time, and it is capable of transporting me back in time to my childhood, when I often laid in my bed, listening to the wind in the trees.  A magical feeling, and the air temperature is superb, both warm and cool. 

But I am not the only one complaining about the attacking bugs here.  Other people are complaining too, and the bites they are getting are difficult to heal.  My arms look like raw meat from the middle of my forearms, down to my hands.  And we don't know what insect has bitten us like this. 

My daughter has forwarded to me a warning about some sort of microbe in warm water lakes and streams that gets into your brain and destroys it.... what, me worry?  Most lakes around here are very cold already, getting ready for ice cover. 

I went out to lunch with my schoolmates yesterday and enjoyed a fish sandwich, sans bun.  My daughter and I are really getting into gluten-free foods now.  Today, she found gluten-free beer and says it is very good.  I can hardly wait until my next shopping trip....

So today, I am not doing too poorly, and need to get out there and work on the porch, going through boxes of old stuff that I put out there because I didn't want to deal with old stuff.  Now the time has come and I must decide what to do with things like teeny-tiny baby bottles for feeding baby bunnies, wind chimes, boxes of nails and screws for who-knows-what, soil testing meters, and all the rest that just got pushed aside somehow.  I can listen to the breeze while I work on it.  

My doctor called me yesterday to discuss what I've been doing with regard to meds he prescribed...specifically, me not taking them.  I told him I feel so much better on the natural food remedies, but he warned me that there's no proof that things like cranberries, blueberries, and all the rest, actually work.  Of course, he prefers the well regulated synthetic drugs....at least I'm still taking metaprolol, which helps and doesn't seem to bother me, now that I have the timed-release kind.  No comment from him, except to up the dosage of aspirin to keep my blood thin.  I have now created a whole new chart to list all meds, food pills, and aspirin doses.  I have them bunched into four groups - breakfast, lunch, supper and bedtime.  Take them all with food, unless they are specifically for an empty stomach.  I'm not as dizzy as I was before....and all the other improvements.  I feel pretty good, but after all, I am getting old(er).

John is away, going up north to the Big Top Chitawqua (sp?) to hear John Pryne, one of his favorite performers.  Arnie went with him, at his own insistence.  I am so much more aware that dogs and all the animals know and understand our language. 

My daughter and I spent yesterday recovering from our outing the day before, and I'm ready to keep on with whatever has to be done here at home.  I am looking for my book on electrical wiring, which contains a chart showing what all the circuits are in the electrical box....where oh where has it gone!  Naturally, I'm finding many things I don't want or need anyway; meanwhile, I have to keep stepping over the electrical cord to my refrigerator, etc. which circuit needs to be rewired.  So that's my chore today.

The weather has been beautiful beyond belief.  It's heavenly out, day and night.  Summer is in full magnitude, and I hope it lasts a long time.  I'll keep cleaning and organizing the porch to enjoy it. 

Every day I think "I need to sit down and blog" but the day passes and nothing gets written.  The weather is fine, warm and sunny days, or cool and rainy.  Nights are comfortable with the window open.  Dogs are content to lie around all day, but are eager to run in the cool evenings or nights.  The bears must be enjoying a berry merry summer in the deep woods.   The young male that I offended by clapping my hands at a deer has only come around at night, no longer my best, loving friend.  Now he avoids me, and I think that is inevitably a good thing...he is stronger than me and eats raw meat.  But I am still sad that I offended his feelings. 

My children are wanting to become my helpers, getting this house fixed up, ready for winter.  John has decided to move off a ways  and let my younger ones have a go at home repair and improvement.  John does not have time or energy to do it (and neither do I).  We have been busy for the past few weeks, picking up and hauling away all the "things" that have come to be "our stuff."  Can it all be done before winter?  The house needs to be worked on too, to winterize it, and my children will have to be the ones to do it.  John will still be my emergency care-giver, in exchange for my continuing care and feeding of his dog.  A good deal for both of us. 

My continuing refusal to take coumadin (warfarin) and lovastatin (statin) drugs has left me feeling healthier than I have felt in a long time.  But of course, I wonder if I will be able to NOT have another stroke....  I am taking natural herbal drugs that should keep my blood thin, my hair thick (haha!) and I can only think "I'm on the natural path my body was made for" and "We all gotta go sometime!"

Today, I am continuing to focus on the porch, and that project is a big one that needs to get done before it gets cold out.  Then the inside of the garage, now that I am able to get in it.  I will try not to get too many bug bites, as they are fierce and last for days. 

My suet cakes are a hit with the birds!  I got to use up a lot of stuff from my cupboards that was getting old and still unused, so all of the suet cakes I made cost nothing, really. 

But last night, something happened to the last good apple tree I had.  It was a Haralson apple tree, loaded with green apples, and last night, either it got pulled down by a bear or large raccoon, or the weight of the fruit caused the tree to shatter and fall.  The break was high up where the trunk gets skinny.  I just don't get enough sunlight here in the woods to grow good fruit trees. 

I have been mowing my lawn (weed patch) and it looks nice.  Think I'll plant some grass seed out there.  And I'm serious about ending the book nightmare.  I have too many books and I'm going to give away the ones I don't really enjoy anymore.  And another thing is that I have been cleaning again, and with renewed fervor, I am determined to lighten the workload my children will have when I am gone.  And of course, that brings up the nagging realization that my papers may not be in exact order.  I'm talking Last Will and Testament here, and it's time to be absolutely sure it's all done properly. 

One thing that makes me feel really good is the rave reviews I am getting from people who are reading my book.  It makes me so happy that I wrote it, that I may finish writing another one this coming winter.    

I went out into the garden at noon to see what I could see.  I saw an enormous stand of very green, tall grass growing solidly, waist-high, throughout the entire garden.  I began pulling, and it is easy to pull up, but not one single vegetable plant remains.  Not stunted, small, crowded, or bearing produce within the giant grass.  I have never seen such growth of grass, to the complete loss of anything we call vegetables.  No - wait!  Some celery has survived, small small potatoes for seed, garlic has survived and thrived, and the marigolds almost grew like in the past, but did not flower.  And tobacco is still growing, bearing flowers.  The rest of the garden has been decimated by devouring insects.  Right down to the soil.  No trace of tomatoes, beans, peas, cucumbers, and all the rest.  Not a trace!  What a strange year this has been!  Only giant, enormous grass.

Of course, my health problems have prevented me from pulling that grass as it came up, and I saw the enormous spiders out there that were living in the straw I laid down thickly as mulch.  I don't know where those spiders came from, and I think maybe these giant grasses and the bugs came from the straw.  Who knows where "straw" comes from?  But every year is a new gardening experience, and I have learned from this year, as well.  I will get all that grass pulled now, laid down flat.  It will die and become soil, and next year, I will have row covers on everything.  That's next year.  It is so strange....even my box of beans, that contained no weeds, just Miracle Gro potting soil, even the beans that grew there were completely eaten down to the soil.  I still am glad for those gardeners who have made good gardens in cities around the country....

I have taken myself off coumadin (warfarin) and off statins (lovastatin and simvastatin) and I am slowly coming back to life.  My life that I loved, was healthy (except for the strange thick blood condition, or so they tell me...) and felt like a human being.  I am coming back.  I can feel myself...."slowly I turned, and step by step, inch by inch"...But it's still scary.  Sometimes I feel very strange, my nerves chittering, skin crawling, bad thoughts.  God knows the way.  Death is the end, when we get to find out how we did.  Good enough for me.   Life is but a dream, so go merrily down the stream. 

I also know that this nation's food supply has been tainted, interfered with, chemicalized, fattenized, and genetically altered.  It's not healthy for us to eat it.  We need to get back to basics.  I feel that I'm more sensitive to what I eat now.  When I was young, I ate like a wolf.  Or a sparrow, depending on what there was.  I was never fat, and my body was healthy.  I am going to become that person again. 

I made bird, bear and squirrel suet cakes this morning: 

Low heat, melt 1 cup vegetable shortening, 1/2 cup bacon grease, 1/2 cup peanut butter.  Turn off heat, stir until blended.  Add 3 cups cornmeal flour (I used Instant Corn Masa), 1/2 cup quinoa flakes and 1/2 cup quick-cooking oatmeal.  Stir.  Lastly, add 1/2 cup dried fruit, chopped.  I used raisins, but dates, apricots, cranberries, blueberries, etc. - any and all are good.  I just chopped them up small; 1/2 cup chopped nuts - unsalted.  I used almonds; 1/2 cup thistle seed or other bird seed, and 1 cup sunflower seeds.  Stir and press into flat containers.  (Those small plastic containers that suet cakes come in are perfect for reusing for this.  Or larger flat containers, you can cut the suet up any size you want.  Or tie yarn around pine cones, dip in suet while still warm.  Freeze in pans, or put in refrigerator until set.  Hang cones up on branches, put cut suet in holders.  Mine is in the refrigerator still.  I haven't hung one up yet.  I'm eager to see if the birds like these. 

This is Saturday, and I've survived a hectic, work-filled week, with many social commitments besides.  And I've sold a few more books.  I am beginning to think I may have ordered too many books to sell.  It's pretty hectic and I'm never going to have any time for writing another novel.  It's been a lot of run-run-run. 

But the experience has brought good changes to my mental outlook.  I am busy every day, so today, with no social commitments, I am taking the day off and just resting.  One thing I did accomplish was getting the chest freezer cleaned up with vinegar/soapy water and a shop vac to reach all the way to the bottom.  Plugged it back in, turned it on half way, and now it is freezing bread and dog food meat.  It is ready to receive the summer's bounty of produce. 

I got an email that showed how people are growing gardens in the cities, and in seemingly "waste" places - they are successful!  I am so inspired!  People are doing the good things that they know are better for them and the animals.  I am heartened. 

In a few days, the election will be held here in Wisconsin that will show if the people can win against a corporate giant.  I hope that  people will show that corporate power won't be allowed to dominate the land that I love. 

Remember when Congress raised their pay levels?  Remember when Congress voted themselves the nicest health care package?  How quickly they moved, no questions raised, they need the money and the perks. 

By the way, the tax cuts for the rich have been in effect since President Bush ushered them in, and for all this time of President Obama's term....Mr. Boehner, where are the jobs?  The whole defense of keeping all the money over on the right has been that jobs will suffer if the rich can't create jobs.  They have not created the jobs, and what jobs they have created have gone overseas. 

That brings up the Republican logic of asking these questions that attempt to put the blame on Obama - last night we heard that President Obama has run up the national debt like a maniac.  The debt is all his fault!  Those jobs he created, using all our money, for instance, is seen as the reason this country is in the hole.

And by the way, who is the Tea Party?  Who funds them, and who is instrumental in getting them elected?  And what are the financial resources they have access to?  Who are they paying off to do things their way? 

I may be looking up the history of the "Filibuster."  What exactly is it, how is it supposed to be used, and etc.  Will write more later...right now, a big storm is coming.  It sounds like a big freight train heading right for me, so I must go now.

The country is in dire straits.  The Republicans and Democrats should join forces against the Tea Party, who don't know how to run a country, and get something passed, TOGETHER.  And next election, we should all vote the Tea Party out, altogether.  This country needs all of us to cooperate and do what's right for the main body of the American people.  Okay?  Okay! 

John is away on his run, and last night, I thought Arnie was dying, he was so sick.  I had no medicine to give him, probably a good thing.  I might have killed him with anything.  He drank one bowl of water all day, all night.  Then I started getting sick, back on my warfarin.  The misery!  Me and Arnie had a bad night.  He was completely lame in both back legs.  This started out with him being lame in one front leg.  He thrashed around until he was stuck in a corner by my bed, so I got up and gently pushed him back onto his bed, at the foot of my bed.  I stayed up with him all night, gently petting him all over his back and sides, talking very quietly, comforting him, and he looked up at me appreciatively.  At last, he fell asleep, but I continued to watch and worry.  I finally fell asleep at 5:30 a.m. 

But my daughter has convinced me to stay on my med until a new plan can be formulated.  I agreed to that, but I want to feel as good as I did when I was off that stuff.  My only problem was that I felt so good, I remember wrestling my father's headstone around so we could get it glued back on its pedestal.  I hurt my back wrestling a tombstone!

Yeah, I need a med that leaves me so wretchedly sick I refrain from lifting tombstones!  I keep my eye on the dogs and Arnie has been resting comfortably for hours.  Maybe he just ate something naughty in the great outdoors.  A legbone caught crosswise.... some antifreeze at the neighbor's....

My daughter is researching my latest medical needs.  I really believe that if I could lose weight, I wouldn't need meds at all.  That will be the focus of my efforts.

I am selling books out of my cardboard box, and people seem to like the story.  I am on Amazon and other places like Barnes/Noble. 

But I have had to return to taking warfarin, the blood thinning pill that I have been on for 2-1/2 years.  My blood test showed that my blood is perfectly normal for a normal person, so the doctor knew I was fibbing when I said I must have eaten some spinach.  Well, I tried.....I'm back on it, and I feel like half a person again.  I was feeling just like my old self, very happy about that, but the doctor said I have that unusual blood factor that causes clots to form, so I better stay on it.  But I am not ever going back on steroids!  Absolutely, I refuse. 

I am home alone with the dogs, feeding the birds, that is my life.  John has gone on a running marathon again for a couple of days, and I am too punchy right now from taking the warfarin again to do anything I would like to do.  I did go out to see the garden again, and am dismayed at the extensive, violent spurt of the quack grass.  I lie in bed, imagining myself with a weedwhacker, cutting the impressive grass down to size.  Why can't we get vegetables to grow like quack grass?  It just isn't fair....

The haircut I gave myself has become my new look, a short pageboy cut that resists being tied into a ponytail with any success.    

I saw President Obama last night, with a reasonable-sounding plan to bring our country back into line and keep things going into the future.  But I also see Mr. Boehner practically skipping to the microphone, humming, laughing, full of himself, as he spins out the half-truths and outright lies that the very rich are using to crush our people, our government, and the economy.  The rich don't have to worry.  They live in gated communities, upwind of the pollution, with their own police force, and all their treasures. 

May I ask how many people die each day in this country now?  How many of them are poor people?  How many are rich people?  I wonder what the statistics would show....  I can't help but think that our enemies around the world are very interested in seeing the destruction of our country play out, seemingly (but only seemingly) from inside.  Yes, it doesn't seem that outside enemies are hurting us, but in fact, they are.  Because our very rich have gone international now, and the great middle class here have been targeted.  Our form of government; of, by, and for the people, is being targeted by the very wealthy.  This country has already turned into something else, a different country than what we grew up in.  A different country than what I pledged allegiance to as a child. 

I keep thinking about the cosmos, our galaxy spinning us to the end of the current time/space zone, things lining up for who-knows-what end game, Jesus telling us, as Christians, to care for the poor, well over 60% of the population, no longer having a voice in determining our laws or our future, the right wingers, practically spitting defiance of President Obama, treating him openly as an enemy, rather than dealing honestly with the problems of our country.  The love of money, being the root of all evil....we are in for a bad time of it.  But honestly, we can only blame ourselves.  We have elected these men and women in Washington.  We believed them when they lied, saying that the bad economy was President Obama's fault.  Not a peep of protest when Bush was running up the bills and the national debt, and giving the rich their tax breaks. 

I know I won't be able to get through to my elected representatives.  The phone lines are tied up.  I'll have to confine my rants to this blog, but I am suffering from the way things are going now.

Yesterday, my daughter picked me up and we spent the afternoon tending the graves of our relatives who have passed away.  The afternoon spent in cemeteries, placing fresh (plastic) flowers in urns, gluing one broken headstone back on its pedestal, remembering them, sitting under a tree eating our lunches we had packed.  We also made a trip to the landfill and unloaded bag upon bag of recyclables; cardboard, tin cans, paper, glass jars, and plastic things - quite a load.  We have decided to spend a day at our once-favorite beach and just relax.  Probably on Friday.  Today, I go to lunch with my old school chums, and tell them about my book!  I'm still excited about that.

As I sit here swaying back and forth, my eyes closing involuntarily, I suddenly realize that I still need to move my blog over to some other place before long.  I have been so busy lately that I need to make a list of things to do.  1) Make a list of things to do.  But my eyes are closing, and I need to take my nap.  Later....

I've had my nap, watched my shows about the political future of our Country, and my own life seems to be on hold while waiting for the situation to be resolved.  My question remains - who is Grover Norquist and how does he get so much power over our elected representatives?  Our elected representatives are paid by the people to do the people's business, and have signed some promise to Grover Nordquist pledging to do things as he has dictated.....well, I suppose that is the way things are going nowadays.....they have had the K Street gang subverting some of our politicians, now this new group of pledge takers are threatening the future of our country, and I don't understand why nobody else finds this completely unacceptable.   Why the few can use this scheme to overpower the many....

I fully support President Obama and am completely dismayed that he must battle this dragon all by himself.  Although he has many allies in Congress, he must know that the poor people of the country are on his side and hope that he can prevail, but the toll on his mind, body and soul must be terrible to bear up under.  Most of the people in the USA are on his side, hoping that he will win against the greed and tyrrany of the glittering, moneyed-eyed Dragon that refuses to do right for this country.  Well, there, I've said what I feel is the true situation we are all facing. 

I have been busy selling my book....my hope is that I can make enough to at least pay for the publishing costs.  Postage and the cost of the envelope are over $3.00 each book, in addition to the production costs, which have not all been calculated yet, but it is well over $1,000.  But the book itself!  Yes!  It is a joy for me to lie on my bed and read it - I think it's a good story.  I'm glad I did this in my lifetime - it's something I have always wanted to do. 

The heatwave continues in our country....I'm glad it isn't as bad here at home as in the middle of the country.  I don't have air conditioning, but I do have trees...trees can help cool the air quite a bit, and I appreciate that.  No air conditioning in my truck, either, so I go to town early in the day to mail out my books and do some shopping, get home before noon.       

I am, or was, sick.  I have been complaining to my doctor that I seem to be feeling poorly because of the meds he has me taking.....but he just laughs and says that thousands of people are on these meds and THEY ARE NOT SICK.  My daughter looked up my symptoms on the internet and I have the same symptoms that people get from taking these meds.  Two of my meds, Warfarin and a statin drug (Simvastatin and then Lovastatin), have been wreaking havoc on me for some time.  I have, lately, been thinking that I am dying, I really feel that bad.  My daughter advised me to stop the statin drug immediately.  After a week or two of not taking it, my feet have come back to me - I can feel my feet! 

So then she told me (after researching on the internet), that I should stop taking the warfarin also, which I have now done.  I have replaced the warfarin with supplements that are known to thin the blood, and hopefully, they will do the job and relieve me of symptoms.  I have been off warfarin (coumadin) for a couple of days only, and I have been sleeping a lot more.  Not being able to sleep, especially at night, was another of my problems.  I have been sleeping off and on for a couple of days, just catching up on my rest. 

My dog has piddled on the rug by the door, unwilling or unable to wake me up, and I feel like I've been asleep for a long time.  I sprinkled baking soda on the rug and spritzed it with SHOUT and it doesn't smell much anymore already.  I have a rug shampoo-er and I will use that later - much later.  I am still too groggy to do housework. 

My daughter has me on a regimen of  natural supplements like Kyolic garlic, turmeric, chamomile tea laced with pomegranate juice, ginger root, vitamin E, fish oil, and one baby aspirin at bedtime.  She wrote out a schedule of 3 times a day and I feel so much different, just like "I'm B-A-C-K."  My daughter is also her own doctor, since there's no real cure or treatment yet for her ailment - multiple sclerosis - and she is managing it pretty well.  

I had to absolutely stop taking policosanol, the sugar cane wax derivative.  I broke out in a horrible rash from it, and that was my first attempt at getting rid of the statin drug I was taking.  I'm still getting over the breakout from policosanol.  But I'm getting better....   

The Tea Party painted the Republicans into an untenable corner, and President Obama quickly responded with a brilliant move, making them choose between three options, all of them bad, all of them with dire consequences for the Republicans....they had to back down and it was the best evening in a long time, here on the homefront, cheering at the good news.  President Obama, I'm so glad I voted for you! 

And on the State of Wisconsin front, the primary election yesterday, filled with fake Democratic candidates, did not work at all for the Republicans.  The real Dems won!  That means that we have a chance to undo the damage that Gov. Walker has done to fair play in Wisconsin. 

And UPS delivered my books to my driveway, at least.  They were such heavy boxes that I had to load them onto a sled and drag them up to the house.  I was rather depressed at the thought that I would never be able to sell these books, and they would just lie about cluttering the house up, but I get down about bringing in a lot of anything these days.  I've already sold 2 books!  Anyone who might be interested, can find it on Amazon, et al.  It's called

         An Unsolved Murder by Anna Bain-Marie

The publisher has advised me to open a PayPal account, though I am not sure what that is for.....this whole process is taking up much of my time and making me learn new things at every step.  I could have written another book by now!!! 

And my health is slowly improving....my daughter and I realized that one (at least one) of my meds was/is making me very ill, and she went on Google and found out some things about it.  One of my meds is a steroid? and it is killing me.  She also found a natural medicine, made from sugar cane stalks, it is called policosanol.  I've stopped taking the statin? drug and am taking the sugar cane derivative called policosanol.  I actually slept last night, slept I tell you.  My health is slowly improving and I could just cry from relief...night before last, I cried because I thought I was dying. 

So yesterday was a very good day for me.  Off a killer med, President Obama's strategic move, my first sale of my book, Wisconsin fighting back strong.  My only problem now is bug bites!  I have been bitten so many times by a number of vicious bugs and I scratch away until I'm bloody.  My arms, wrists and hands, my ankles, my waist, face and neck and even the top of my head - all need relief.  The best remedy John has come up with is salt, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar mixed together in a small bowl and dabbed on the bites seems to relieve the itching. 

I went out to the garden yesterday, after the rains of the day before, and was shocked at the tall grass growing there in spite of my efforts with straw mats.  If only vegetables could grow as well as the quack grass!  In the heat, with the jumping spiders, no-see-ums, black flies, mosquitoes, deer flies....my skin is crawling just thinking about getting out there.....but well, the results will have to be good.  This year has been bad with bugs. 

My book, my little bitty book, has arrived!  I had to look all around in my driveway to find it wrapped in a plastic bag.  I think the UPS driver is afraid of either me or the dogs.....but it's here, 127 pages of a very good story.  Now the marketing part of this very long process can begin, and it's another whole new thing to learn. 

I've also spent the afternoon cleaning up my files and putting a new ink cartridge in my printer.  I can't believe the things I have learned to do in my old age. 

I still have not been able to move this blog - I got to the first line, filled it in and then screamed "What the **** does that mean?"  And so it goes.  I will have to have help to move my blog anywhere. 

I am reading my feng shui book and am actually learning something new here, too.  The reasoning behind feng shui is sound, and I now will change my lifestyle and become a minimalist.  But where to begin....

Well, I'll have to settle down and spend some time changing this blog to the other site.  Meantime, I made up this pretty good recipe....

                               Chicken Chimichangas

2 tsp. mixed cooking oils in frypan (my latest acquisition is Grape Seed Oil, so I use a bit of that and add to other oils), 1 or 2 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless.  Start frying the chicken, add 1/2 cup of rice around the chicken, turn chicken over when browned and add 1/2 tsp. Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime seasoning and 1/2 cup of water to pan.  Cover and turn heat to low, add more water when/if necessary.  When chicken is done, add 2/3 cup Picante Sauce, 1/3 - 1/2 cup green onion slices, 1/4 - 1 tsp. cumin, 1/2 tsp. oregano leaves and 1/2 tsp. salt.  Remove from heat and shred the chicken with a fork and knife on a cutting board.  Return chicken to pan and mix well.  Heat small amount of oil in pot (1/2 cup or less), place proper amount of filling  in a row on tortilla, add 1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese and/or Monterrey Jack, roll up filling into tortillas, fold edges and fry one at a time in little pan, turn over when brown and fry other side.  Drain on paper towel-covered plate.  Serve with guacamole, more picante sauce, sour cream, salsa, and strips of red and green bell peppers. 

I'm allergic to cooked peppers, or I would put the peppers right in the filling.  I made up this recipe using cooked rice right in the filling instead of beside it to make the filling go farther.  The Fiesta Lime seasoning is superb added to the rice/chicken.  (I could stop there and eat just that for supper.) 

Now to change this blog over to the other site.  Hope I don't have trouble doing this.          

It seems summer has begun officially here, with very warm temps, lots of bugs, allergies aplenty, big leaves on all the trees, and I have experienced a lack of desire to get into the garden and do what is necessary.  It seems that I will have to do a few things today, however, if I want to have radishes and beets.  Yes, I will get out there and cultivate with a teeny tiny cultivator to bring more soil up around each teeny tiny plant.  I'll probably bring some potting soil out there to make sure I get plenty around each one.  The rain barrels are full up with rainwater, and that is a distinct blessing.  I just pump it out with a sump pump into a hose that goes to the garden and gets everything watered.  No more back pains from carrying a sprinkling can. 

But today's the Fourth, and fireworks are banging and popping these evenings.  One neighbor from quite far away came by with a printed flyer regarding his little black and white rat terrier, who became frightened by the noise and ran off.  Of course, I know how that feels, and we are hoping that his misery ends soon and little Louie will soon be safe at home.  My Pepper is no longer afraid of the constant explosions and is easy to keep quiet.  But thunder still causes her to panic. 

John's family has all come up north, and are busy driving to Lake Superior and beyond, and today are going to attend parades and political rallies to support their favorite candidate.  Guess which party their favorite candidate belongs to.....(Jim Holperin). 

I made red wine, finding the easy recipe in my father's cookbook...a compendium of oddball recipes, such as smoked crappie filets,  balloon wine, and horrid-sounding stews probably made by starving people in Europe (pickled eyeballs).  But I made the wine in my iced tea jug, because it has a cap with a loose pour spout, and can be decanted via the side spout.  One can of frozen grape juice, thawed, one package of yeast, and about 5 cups of sugar, fill the jug with 7 cups of water and put the cap on loosely.  Left in a cool place (top of fireplace stove) for 3 weeks.  I had saved wine bottles that were too pretty to throw away and had screw tops.  These I have washed and filled with the wine, which has been fermenting for 3 weeks, and the caps placed on loosely.  I've tasted it and it tastes like alcoholic sweet red wine.  Ta Da!  It made 4 bottles.  I will check it every few days to see what may happen in the future.   

My garden has produced lilacs, peonies, poppies, garlic and rhubarb.  The rhubarb has been washed, cut into lengths and frozen until it will be used.  I like that about rhubarb - the easiest fruit to save.  I've gone shopping for groceries yesterday, and since I've put my big freezer on vacation for a few months, I've managed to get everything into the frig freezer - no small accomplishment!  The refrigerator has barely stopped running though, so I think it's not saving much electricity to do it this way.  But I try. 

The damp weather (I suppose) caused a shelf to break down in my bookcase of art and craft books, which now are piled on an end table until I repair the shelf.  But I think I'll view this as an incentive to donate craft books to some worthy library.  Spent many hours poring over feng shui advice and pictures of uncluttered homes, became upset when I read that having a knitting project lying about is a no-no - from the first cast-on stitch, it is lying around!  Should I give up knitting?  The idea!  Grrr.  I'll give that book away, take that!  And on to another book called Rustic Retreats - dream on about building a rustic hideaway - oh yeah, I'm already living in one.  So the night passes.   

John and I have been sick with flu for a couple of days, not getting much done, then.  He was sicker than I was.  Just lying down, moaning whenever I have to get up, blaming food unnessarily, but eating what I had been cooking, nevertheless.  I made a huge potato salad, turned out very good, but blamed the potato salad, then I made chicken chow mein, ate almost all of it myself, as John was too sick to eat, and I enjoyed it immensely.  It made my stomach pains feel better.  Today, I will try to find a recipe for chicken chimichangas and see what happens there. 

So Pepper and Arnie really were excited and eager to get outside this morning, and she promptly rolled in a big pile of porcupine poop; after John bathed her in vinegar solution, she is lying here now beside me, and I can almost feel sick again from how she smells.  The combination of vinegar and porcupine poop very electric, dazzling the senses.....

And the raccoons have been raiding the bird feeders every night.  I can hear them chittering away, and last night, they knocked over the step ladder, which was just close enough to the feeders for them to break them down and make a mess.  I got up this morning at 5:30 and cleaned and filled all the feeders and hung them back up - the hummingbirds were chittering around me.  They have raised a family again this year and they drink a lot of fluids. 

John and I want to be well enough to make a few dump runs, to bring down the quantities of recyclables we have been saving up.  Today, being the last day of June, would be a good time to get the job done before the heat of summer begins in earnest.  It is supposed to be in the 90's tomorrow. 

I am now waiting for my novel to be done printing and sent to me for my final approval.  I can hardly wait to get it in my hands.  What a long haul it has been!  Next time, I'll be more experienced and the process should go smoothly.  I keep thinking about books I would like to write, but not in summer.  Too busy!  Winter is good for writing. 

President Obama finally came out there and sounded angry!  Just what I have been wanting him to do for a very long time.  No use playing meek and mealy-mouthed with men who should be in prison for their obstructionist (and I think, illegal) tactics.  How horrible to have men so much more interested in politics than in doing what they would have no trouble doing if they were in power.  But many in politics are serving only their greed and would see poor people die of need.  Not the Christian way!  

John went to a run at Florence, Wisconsin yesterday and won 3rd place for his age group, 50-59 yr. olds.  He got a bottle of real maple syrup as a prize, from Maas Sugar Bush.  We had pancakes just now, with blueberry-flavored cranberries, real maple syrup, and little pork sausages, fresh coffee.  He did all the cooking.  He loves the runs and always enjoys the beautiful trails. 

I stayed home and took care of the dogs, the garden, and did some spring/summer cleaning.  I'm in the mood to get rid of much stuff that I've kept for way too long.  We have a new Good Will store and I can make some hefty donations there.  I notice that I never see "my stuff" in the local store.  I think for the sake of people's feelings, all donated things are sent to a different outlet, so there are no hurt feelings in your town.  That's a good thing.

The weather has turned warmer now, like real summer, but to go out in the garden, I always have to dress for bug protection and tuck my pant legs inside my socks.  There are many spiders living in the straw I have laid thickly between rows.  They jump onto your legs and head upwards, until hitting your waistband(s), where they viciously bite.  These bites don't heal very fast, are very painful and last a long time.  And they are right where they will continually be irritated and activated (elastic bands).  My right arm is a mass of bites from replanting the peas and beans.  I didn't even notice them around me, concentrating on planting.  My right arm is hugely swollen and peppered with bites.  Some of the plants are being eaten by insects, not deer.  Replanting has to be done to keep my spirits up, but I am still happier with the garden than I've been for several years.  Now I have to put in tall poles with wider fencing for tomatoes.  At least that should keep the deer from jumping in.  When deer are grazing in your yard, I feel safe and that there are no bears around.  Deer don't run away from me. 

The bears come around at night now, and take whatever they can get to eat.  Now our latest visitor is a young, smaller female with cubs.  I think she and the small male that was hanging around here are "teenage" children of the big mama with the missing paw.  Of course, the big daddy does not show himself at all.  That's normal for the adult males, I think.  They are out there and know everything that's going on, but don't like to be seen, unless they have a point to make. 

Raccoons still show up, after dark, when it's really dark out.  They don't want to be seen, but if I step outside, I can hear them chittering away.  Last night, I had left the suet/hummingbird fluid out, because the birds were still coming around when I went out to bring the feeders in, and of course, as soon as it got dark enough, the animals pounce on the feeders, so I was too late to save them last night.  I just have to be tougher and not leave the feeders out too long. 

I am eagerly awaiting my book to be sent to me from the printers now.  The publishing company keeps sending me emails, wanting to know what I think about this or that, but I can't render an opinion until I see the book!  Come on already, send it to me!  I never realized how time-consuming this whole process would be.  Next book I write, I keep telling myself, I'll know what to expect.     

We finally got rain, very much needed and appreciated by all.  It's been raining much of the time, but yesterday it stopped long enough for me to go shopping and get chores done in town.  I always make a precise list of what to do, in order of convenience or importance, and show how to pay for each purchase, so I don't make mistakes and run out of money.  That's very necessary these days, as everything has to be watched most carefully. 

I have been buying alcohol lately, when I can afford it, and want to experience drinking as a pleasant and maybe even healthful benefit.  Yesterday, I got orange-flavored Triple Sec for less than $5.00, and it made a delightful aperitif with supper of sloppy joes on a fresh bakery hard roll.  What a pleasant taste!  The trick is not to overindulge, that would ruin the experience.  In my mis-spent youth, I overindulged with fervent gusto, thinking "Cool!  Drinking!"  but that's youth for you.  Eventually, I had to stop drinking altogether (to prove I could stop).  Now, with wisdom (hopefully) in place, I should be able to enjoy a drink a couple of times a week (or even every day, if.....sure I could), but I don't even want a drink every day.  Overdoing it could be fatal. 

My garden is fully planted, yet there is a space here or there if needed.  I've used the Ruth Stout method of gardening (after rototilling), spreading thick sheaves of straw down each row and along each bed.  I've used up 3 bales of straw, and still have plenty of straw to toss on top of any weeds that show up.  All the fenceposts have been replaced with sturdy 5' metal poles, but of course, that won't be enough to keep the deer out.  Yesterday, I found a deer track or two in the garden, and amazingly, the bean plants were untouched.  Could the deer possibly have thought "She's been so nice, feeding us all winter, that we'll just let her have these beans...."  Nah, I don't think so, but the beans were untouched.  Nevertheless, I covered the beans and peas with white row cover last night.  John has promised to install his electric fence all along the top of the fencing......I've never used electric fencing, so it would be a new experience for me.   

Although I have no experience with Hawaiian cooking or recipes, I plunged ahead with a recipe that I made up as I went along, and it turned out very well, I think.  It may or may not be authentic, but it was good.

1 pkg. pork loin ribs (4), 1 tsp. each of canola and olive oils.  Brown the meat in the oils over high heat, adding 1 tsp. sea salt, 1/4 tsp. lemon pepper, 1/2 tsp. paprika, then turn the ribs over when they have browned a bit.  Add one stalk (or more) of celery, cut into 2" pieces, and 1 medium size onion, chopped.  A tiny bit of water and cover the pot, turn the heat to low.  In another pot, put 2 cups of water, a pat of butter, a pinch of salt.  When the water is boiling, add 1 cup of brown rice, cover, turn heat very low.  To pork, add 1 tblspn, molasses, 1 tsp. ground ginger, or chopped ginger root, 1/3 cup soy sauce (I use Kikkoman's), 1 tsp. oyster flavored sauce, and some of the juice from a 15 oz. can of unsweetened pineapple chunks.  Peel one sweet potato and cut into chunks or slices, add.  Put lid on pan and cook over low heat until sweet potato is done and ribs are tender.  Combine one big tablespoon apple cider vinegar mixed with 1 tblspn. white sugar and add to pan.  Mix 1 or 2 cups water mixed with 1/3 cup corn starch.  Stir in and simmer gently, adding more of the pineapple juice, if desired.  Add the pineapple chunks when the dish is cooked, serve over rice with a bottle of hot sauce. 

The garden work is getting done, making me feel that it is time to move on to other projects.  The so-called lawn has become a jungle meadow very suddenly, and I don't like it.  I need at least a walkway mowed so bugs can't jump on me from the bushes.  This morning, after scratching the new, big mosquito bites on my arms and hands, from overnight attacks, I decided to take action and got out a spray bottle, put some Listerine and water in it and sprayed around the doors.  As far as I can tell, this sure-fire dissuader of mosquitoes is only attracting more, but the day is young...

I very much want to get working on the house, which needs attention, to put it mildly.  So I made up a list of things to get done immediately!  I wonder how long this fever to accomplish will last.  There's a financial lack, which will probably slow things down.....

I feel good!  I think being outdoors, working in the garden, has made me stronger and happier.  The trick is not to overdo.

Well, why doesn't "our" side tally up some hard-core numbers that could show a sizeable decrease, or at least a sensible allocation of what we want in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid?  And get the numbers out there, so the voters can see what the situation is all about?  I'd like to know....

Then, let's put the numbers out there that could be shown to have a positive effect on our economic growth by doing the same thing to military spending, tax gifts to corporations, and all the usual big giveaways on the other side.  Come on, isn't it about time to get honest with the people who will vote and determine, hopefully, our country's economic future?  We, the People, have done a good job in the past, making collective decisions about our economic future.  Both sides can chip in and make a big difference. 

There are some things that cry out for change.  The greed of Wall Street, and the so-called new rules they have adopted, to the People's detriment....

This guy, Grover Nordquist, who has caused the Republicans to sign an illegal, immoral promise never to raise taxes on the wealthiest individuals and corporations.  That activity is anti-American, anti-government, and should be prosecutable. 

Let's hope that the Weiner thingie is just about over now....and the news media can finally get back to reporting on some actual news that's important.