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 |   A Journal to impart knowledge and facts |
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July 22, 2015 I'm going to start today to record on a daily basis whatever happens to strike my fancy. So, it is a very cool breezy day. I just posted 5 short book reviews to The Monthly Reading Challenge. I'm suppose to put away some winter wood today from the woodpile outside but I'm playing hookey from work to write so starting this blog will get done. I'm having a daily fight with a flock of English Sparrows that are trying to take over my barn. They are making a terrible mess so they have to go. I have destroyed several nests so far they don't leave but they get out of the barn when I am around. I'm just starting the fight so I guess I don't know how far I have to go to discourage them. I'm trying not to spread myself to thin on WDC because I find so many things that are interesting here and I am trying to work on a new story. I really enjoy sitting at my desk with a cup of tea and reading blogs on WDC. |
What traditional ethnic food dishes from your culture does your family still enjoy? Tell us about how the recipe was passed down and what modifications were made over the years. The word culture got me for a few minutes. I think I've got it now. Baked beans. This is one of my favorite dishes from family gatherings and my grandmother made them just for meals. Now, I cheat. There is a brand called, "Grandma Brown's Beans," that taste just like the ones I remember from childhood. So, we stock them on my pantry shelves, Open and heat. The lazy way.  I buy bagged beans that have 7 or 8 varieties of beans in the same bag and make them the old fashioned way. Soak over night cook slowly all day. They taste scrumptious and it's worth the work.Potato salad is another favorite. For summer, probably like any other potato salad I ate growing up. A recipe I received from one of the Aunts, who was a part of my growing up years is special. She used to make homemade spaghetti sauce and fresh baked bread with spaghetti. She gave me the recipe for the sauce and I've used it for years. The only changes I made were whole wheat spaghetti. And when my children were growing up one of my sons would help me make home made egg noodles from an Amish recipe book I bought. Now, I have a bread machine so the homemade bread is also easy smeeshy. My Sister-in-law taught me how to make home made chili. It is another recipe I appreciate from family. Her recipe is easy, quick, and special. This one I changed. Beside, using kidney beans I also add, crushed green beans to the recipe. And, besides pepper and chili Powder, I add a bit of ground cumin. I made some this week. I was out of green beans so I added ground spinach. Yes, good flavors and you get your daily veggie treat. These recipes cannot be made too large because leftovers freeze and heat up well another day. Which, makes my work load lighter. I'm happy to report I got my computer back. MY relief is extreme. Spring is Springing. It is dancing the temperatures up and down. I can walk the dogs in the fields. Much happiness generated. Have a great day. . |
Imagine you had to create an art piece for a gallery or museum. What would you create?   I recently read a mystery story about an artist who created dioramas. So, I think it would be entertaining to created a diorama. Maybe something about nature or family pets. A little old lady sitting in a chair by a corn stove, with a kindle on her lap, a dog at her feet, and wearing earphones with a health worker wearing a covid 19 patch, knocking on the door, would be a 2020 reminder. ![Merit Badge in Risk Taker
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What qualities do you look for in a friend? Are there any qualities you avoid? What qualities about yourself do you think make a good friend?   Can you look for friends by the qualities they possess? Your talking about friendship here? Google search :What is the true definition of a friend? The definition of a true friend is someone who has your back, no matter what. They watch out for you and ensure you are not in danger. They will never purposely lead you into making decisions that aren't good for you. A true friend will always have your best interest at heart.Feb 5, 2021 The elders of my Dad's family (my aunts and uncles) set out to set me apart from any social aligns. My Grand mother, my dad's mother told me they did not like my mother, but not why or what they had against her. As elder people, two uncles, my dad and my Grandmother all turned against the family alliance, that raised me in solitude. Each in their own time told me some truth that would help me as I grew older. I was in late 20's or early 30's when this happened. More than one person has told me I'm someone's social experiment. Back to the subject. If I have friends they are hidden. Watching my back? Maybe. But, hidden friends can't stop bad decisions made from lack of knowledge. And gut decisions may or may not be the will of God. This definition fits horses, dogs, and even cats I have known, loved and cared for. When I lived in North Dakota, The Panama Canal Zone, and Texas I met and related to people who took care of me, taught me things I needed to know, met me on a level as person to person and were real friends. I never looked for friends by any special quality. I socialized with what ever people were revolving in my sphere of living area. How do you make a friend? I haven't any idea. I went out a few times to find even friendly places. I should write a memoir. The stories I could tell would certainly entertain.  I'm never alone. And, I rarely have people around me. I'll be glad when Covid gives up, because it will. I feel badly for people, who are used to social lives and can't resume their family or social living I know Covid has put a strain on society. Drifter alerted me to a Fisher taking a sightseeing tour of the yard. He has good instincts, because the fisher is not good neighbor. I hope it isn't a permanent resident, living close. It will definitely make some meals of the red squirrels and chipmunks. I always try to be friendly. Bye for now. |
What artist or band do you always recommend when someone asks for a music recommendation?  In all my years I cannot remember anyone ever asking me for a music recommendation. Music, music talent, music types, are so diverse. I would have to know more to even guess. What is the music for? Is it for a wedding, a homecoming, a football game? What people are going to listen to it? Are they fond of Western music, classical, pop, new age, spiritual or worship music? Does the person asking have favorite artists or instruments. Are they fond of listening to certain sounds? Is it suppose to create a special atmosphere? I play a disk of all kinds of bird sounds for the parrots. They really like to listen to it. I have a purple martin disk that attracts Purple Martins in the Spring. I have some artists who sing the Psalms from the Bible. It can soothe it a storm. Off subject: Yesterday while I was blogging a Starling somehow entered the house. It caused a riot. The cats were chasing it. The bird was hitting windows in different parts of the house. I could here it while I was typing, then the group of creatures including dogs made it to the living room. I managed to put the cats in nearby kennels, sent the dogs to chairs to wait, opened a window wide and coaxed the bird to calmly fly out it. Now my question is how did it get into the house? This is one way to create disruption. Music is the sounds of the world repeated in a special sequence.What sounds are you fond of? |
Write about the mythical or science fiction creatures/beings that could actually exist. Imagine a world where there was definitive proof of their existence - how would life be different?  Life will be different as time goes on. Presently reading "Fringe-ology." by Steve Volk. Some of the interesting things have nothing to do with mythical thinking. David Eagleman- about possibilianiam What is Neurotheology? Some science is beginning to wonder how spirituality knew about Neurology before it was a science. I read this somewhere last year, "Miracles are something you never experienced before." Will you believe one if you do experience one. It has been awhile Since I read Michel Faber's "The book of strange new things". When I was finished I thought a lot about the reality it presented and how it may in some form come to pass. The beings described were so real and well thought out. Like living a dream. There are some people in The United Kingdom who have made a film about the existence of fairies. They say they have film proof? When I studied Geobiology, we discussed the possibilities of dragons existing or at least of creatures that are enough like dragons to have created the myth. The Komodo Dragon is a large lizard but, could have started such a myth. There is a large island that is set up to keep them alive as a species.. Myths are based on things people experienced and the experience itself. Stories handed down by families, from parent to child. People hunting Big Foot believe they have pictures of this being. I fear for their experience if they ever actually catch up with one. Or, is it an unusually large ugly bear? ![Merit Badge in Ghost
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Where are some unusual places you’ve been? What was the most interesting or surprising thing you learned or discovered about those places?  I'm not sure what is unusual? I married Young, I was 18. Our first home was on a farm in North Dakota. We rented a 2nd floor apartment. The farm had a large windmill that made it energy efficient. All the energy was provided by their own abilities. The woman of the family was very friendly. She took me to town with her once in awhile. It was a lovely house and home. We used to troll for pike on the Mississippi in a rented boat. That was the most water fun. When I was in the Panama Canal Zone we went exploring small streams along the canal. Once we saw a water hippo, so we left the area in a hurry. because they are known to capsize small water craft. Traveling home from Texas to Pennsylvania for a vacation we drove long hours without a stop. Late one very dark night we stopped along a grassy bank and took a couple hours sleep to revive. I don't remember what state we were in or what route we were on. At dawn I woke up and we were parked beside a large sign that said, " Danger, No stopping or parking in this area, state prison." We quickly moved on our way. I did like driving from place to place in the USA. Because, I saw a lot of the countryside as we past through. |
Write about one of your fondest memories.  I liked living in Texas. I have not been there in 40 years. I was told a couple years ago that it has changed a lot since I lived there. They have a very large zoo there which I would like to visit again. I liked riding horses there, the experience of meeting people there, and competing in one day horse trials. I liked keeping horses and I miss the daily grind of barn cleaning, grooming, and feeding the horses and just having them around I remember spending time in the tree house my brother built for me when I was just a kid. I read Heidi up there and lots of comic books. and, I spent time laying on my back looking up through the large Sugar Maple I was in. The tree was probably 50 plus years old then. I live on the same property now. There was a row of Maples along the road. They are all over 100 years old and decaying more each year. The property will look different when they are all gone. I had access to a large pony one year. His name was Cornel. That year I rode all over the woods and roads in the area. I was 15 I think.? I liked writing for the online parrot magazine for awhile until they stopped the website. I guess another unforgettable experience was college at age of 55 to 60. It took that long to realize I was academically compatible. I took riding lessons in Texas and took courses through the mail in veterinary assistance and kennel management. You think I would have figured academia out before I was 55. Really it was all done on that time schedule because that is when it became a possibility in my life. Right now, I'm trying to figure out how to wrangle some more education in other subjects without incurring expense since I am still paying on college loans. There are lots of other interesting memories I keep stored. This will do for now. New experiences keep us motivated. apondia#1781748 |
What is always sure to get your excited? What makes you irrationally happy?  For me irrational happiness is a spur of the moment thing. A feeling that surprises me with it strength, when I did not expect it. I have had so many unexpected bad things happen to me in life, that very little surprises me on a daily basis. I've always lacked a great deal of emotion in any situation. However, just yesterday, I looked internally at an emotion I was experiencing and I said wow I am really happy about this. I had to take the new dog to the vet for check up and vaccines a month ago. I thought it would be a simple one visit situation. Not so. They were out of chips and one of the vaccines needed a second dose in 4 weeks. So, yesterday I took my rescue dog back to the veterinarian. The chip is good because it provides a way of identification through out the USA should your dog become lost or stolen. I was informed that my 2 year old rescue dog already had a chip which would mean he was possibly strayed or stolen from another home. So, we had to do a quick trace on the chip which proved to be unregistered to anyone. and, upon talking to the people who were fostering the dog we became aware that the dog is truly a rescue from an impossible situation. Also, I was able to register the chip to me. Once the chip was registered we had to make a quick unscheduled trip to the county seat to get a lifetime license which can only be acquired if you dog is chipped. Now the dog is truly mine. HE is about 2 years old. His training is progressing very quickly because he is smart. I discovered he has been in several foster homes and he does not want to get in the car for fear he will not return home with me. This dog has just fit into our home as if he has always been here. My older dog has become his very good friend and the cats play and cuddle with him. So, at the end of the day I found myself experiencing an extreme excitement that everything is now settled. Drifter is a permanent member of our family. It's like birthday party. If you were given five million dollars to open a museum, what kind of museum would you create? This is a real curious prompt. Requiring deep thought. Probably a book museum. It would have different displays of ancient writings and even modern writings. It would explain what makes books important. It would display many different types of literature and explain dates they were born, (if writings have birth). The history of authors would also be delved into. It could get quite extensive if you think about this kind of museum. I'll have to think on this for awhile. Red winged black birds come every day and empty my feeders. Hope warmer weather returns again soon. Suppose to be here again Monday and stay all week. Think good thoughts. |
What is something you started doing during the pandemic that you will continue in the “post-pandemic” world?  I think we are approaching post-pandemic, but it is too soon to leave our masks at home. I also started a knitting a sweater. I need to work on it some more I would like to finish it someday. However I'm not working on it in a steady way. Actually, I've been just muddling along since about the first of December. I'm hoping I'll get more enthusiasm as spring moves closer to us. I have some house projects I would like to complete, but they take financial input so how much I will achieve will depend on financial flow. Started some spring cleaning which will continue no matter what. I have many things to get rid of that just are not needed and will make the house easier to keep clean. Over the years I have moved toward a lighter load of just things that clutter. Working my way year by year through each room in the house. This mentions a few things, but who knows how post - pandemic will play out. The flock of red-winged black birds are emptying the feeders because it snowed this morning. I need to put out more seed. Warmer weather forecast which will be better for returning summer birds. Harder to find cash to buy seed with this year.  |
| Do you have a green thumb? Are you a gardener? Do you want to be? *flowerg* Yes I like growing things. I love eating vegetables and fresh grown products. I like beans, nuts, and fresh fruits. I don't know about the green thumb part? I don't like to be tied to a large garden because I'm not very knowledgeable about how to control weeds. As I grew older I managed to buy a few books on growing edible plants. Then, I tried my hand at raised bed gardening. This is one I have had more success with, raised beds. They are more controllable since I do all the gardening by myself now. Presently my raised beds are wreaked. To use them I will have to rebuild them. I also have had some success with container gardening. Hydroponics is something I think I would like to try. Recently I read that vegetables grown in hydroponic setups taste different? The article did not explain if that was a good thing or not a good thing. I know the flavor of home grown vegetables is better than what is bought in the stores. Nevertheless, eating fresh from the stores is better than canned. I could not even buy seed last year so there was no gardening at all. I like this advertisement: https://www.agardenpatch.com If I can scrape some money from the budget I would like to try this some day. It would add to the flower growing I do on my porch. I love begonias in the summer. I have grown some begonias that lasted over the winter if I bring them inside. This year my house plants suffered from the cold during February. The house warmed up after I found an open window on the East end of the living room. I grow a lot of tropical type house plants inside. They are fine if you can maintain 55 or more degrees, but suffer if it gets colder. Equinox on March 20. We are having a stretch of sunshine. A flock of robins and a flock of red winged black birds arrived at the feeders this week on different days. It is still March and we could have some snow storms but right now the fields are melting off more every day. I took the dogs out for a short walk in the field yesterday. Mostly walked on green grass. Just some patches of snow. The sun is working in our favor. Spring will take over soon. A good time to start seedlings for the garden and think of growing things. Happy trails. |
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