backwards thinking

Why is it that there are towns in this state that are willing to close up a library and cut the staff of the police and fire, yet they will approve monies to build a playground, when there are already two in the town?!!!!!!!
COME ON PEOPLE! Another playground? Another spot for bored local teens to do drugs and have sex after dark? Oh, yes, of course there are the few children who bounce around the equipment during the day, until someone finds a used condom or needle and everyone stays away. Most people have some kind of giant plastic toy in their own yard or keep the kids parked in front of the tv (where they are "safe" haha).
Libraries enrich a community like nothing else can. The gift of books and programs that are accessible to the entire community, from babies to the elderly. Playgroups, book clubs, books on tape, museum discounts, helpful information, community support, large print books, magazines and newspapers, history, art, life!
SAVE OUR LIBRARIES!!!!!!
(it's not even my town and I'm pissed as hell! Orange cannot afford this loss!)

Osteospermum

Spoon Daisy
Isn't she a beauty?

*warning: graphic miseducation*

I met an old lady yesterday who told me she "can't have spices". We were standing over the thyme admiring it, offered her some for her cooking, and she said "Oh, no, I can't have any spices. No salt, no pepper, nothing! It's because of my medicines."
Is this true? Could it be possible to eat food with no seasoning at all?!
Shock!
Horror!
Who has told this woman such a thing? And, the awful thing is that you can never convince an old lady that what she thinks is right could be wrong.

Here's what they did to you

They had loud fast moving commercials during your favorite television shows that told you to "turn up your doing dial". You ran down to the giant orange store and bought all the plants you could fit into your car. You got those suckers right into your dirt and stood with pride at the end, sweat and soil across your brow, just like the guy on tv.
Then, May in NE carried out the usual punishment for your miseducation. And, the big orange store will get another handful of your hard earned cash. Just like they planned.
Sorry, man, I told ya! You looked at me like I was a fool for waiting and now your plants are dead. Will ya listen to me now?
Don't buy anything from the box stores. You're bringing disease to your garden and to your neighbors, too. That blight last summer? Didn't start at your LOCAL greenhouse. Those plants you bought spent time in a shipping container with thousands of other plants. No one was checking them to remove a diseased plant right away before it infected other plants. At a small, local greenhouse you can be assured that someone is walking up and down those aisles checking plants on a daily basis.
Get the farmer's almanac or similar calendar. The calendar doesn't lie! Here in MA, we can't plant tenders until the end of May. Period. It does not matter if we have hot weather in May, we will always have a frost before the end of the month. If you put tomatoes out before the last week of May, you better have a really good cover system (and even the best are not foolproof).
Turn off your tv. Seriously, turn it off and get out.

Jumping in

Well, hell, why not?
I'm unemployed. They're underemployed. Might as well use what you know and give it your best effort, right? I'm taking my unemployment compensation this week and investing it (small as it is) into the possibility of once again owning my own business. I can run it like nobody's business, crunching numbers and solving problems, but I will need some push to stay motivated in bringing in new business. That's where I tend to flounder. I get comfy, even lazy. When I was selling greeting cards, I did well and then just stopped. Bored. Next!
Attention span issues aside, we're going to give it a go and see what we're capable of.
After all, I am a "Certified Dirt Worshipper". Can't go letting that education go to waste. (thanks, Dad)
Giddyup!

True Story

Yesterday, when I lifted the rear door of the Jeep to put the recycling bins in, I saw Dedee Pfeiffer's boobs. No lie. There they were, scarcely disguised behind a pair of heart suspenders. The word PLAYBOY is neon pink/orange nearly blinds me. What the hell?
Yep, and upon closer inspection, I discover three more mags just like it, all from 1998-2002. So, I wonder, why are there four Playboys from Jeremy's collection in the back of my Jeep? Was this a conspiracy to embarrass me, a practical joke? I hope so! It would have been very funny if someone else had discovered them... like my mother, or one of the kids. Ha ha funny stuff. I text Jeremy to ask why he put them there. He has no idea what I'm talking about. Uh oh. Who did it then? I ask N and he says he doesn't know. He's a pretty stealthy liar, so I walk away doubtful that I got the correct info. J is already at school, so upon being asked a second time, N say J did it. Hmmm.... throwing it J's way could get you a nice round bruise on your arm... could this be the truth?
In the end, it was N who did it. Apparently, the J and N had a stash of their father's mags in their bathroom and D found it. He was making a lot of noise about them (I never heard a word, but then again,. there are so many words to hear) and had to be silenced. So, N was to hide them from D. J and N decide this is the only way, because the mouth of D cannot be silenced, even with duct tape and threats. (they've tried both) N thought it a good idea to throw them into the back of my Jeep. Why? I don't know. He doesn't know. He's 14 and his hormones have taken over. It's kind of funny to watch them be so ridiculous. And, a little scary.
In the end, Jeremy didn't notice the mags were missing and didn't care to get them back. "too many fake blondes with fake tits. no tiny asians."
Great, there's another 5 years of therapy.
Isn't family life fun?

a couple of points I'd like to make

First. I think the ERA has ruined women and families. Anybody want to compare jouvenile crime rates from 1950 to those of today? There's no point. Divorce rates? Depression? Those equal rights are so not equal because the creator made us different, not equal at all. Anybody who says men and women are the same is just plain wrong.
Do you know what that amendment really did to us, ladies? I'll tell you. It allowed us to a man's job AND a woman's job. Now we get to do both. Oh, joy, twice the responsibility and work.
I know, I know. I wouldn't take it back. I like that I'm a tough broad who can dig a ditch (literally) and whip up a home cooked meal that'll leave you licking your chops for days. The ERA changed America for the good and the bad. I know that the good is REALLY FUCKING GOOD, but the bad is REALLY FUCKING BAD, too.
Second. I want to tell my girls who are in the throe's of drama and anxiety that it's going to be ok. We're going to get through it all together. Before you know it, we will be looking back at this time and be proud of all we have conquered and risen from. It's going to take time and it's going to feel like forever, but it will happen and it will be so worth the wait. Make a list. Check it a billion times. Look forward. You're a badass and no one can take from you what you truly want and deserve. I love you!