I have recently engaged in debate with some folks that
are angry that the economy has not recovered by now and
are ready to elect a new president that they feel will
"return the country to it's former glory". I am
frustrated that these folks do not understand why we hit
the wall in the first place and how long it went on
until it all went wrong. Sure, to some everything was
drenched in milk and honey and others looked on and were
convinced that if they worked hard and did the right
things they would get a piece of the pie. The truth is
that they were eating from the plates of the unborn.
Our problems will not be solved by going back to the way
it was. The way it was is unsustainable. That was
proven! That is how we got here! duh! We can't cut taxes
and fight an expensive war at the same time. We must
include the cost of damaging our environment in the
price tag when harvesting, so called, cheap energy. We
must educate the population at any cost. Nothing is more
important. We must pay every worker a living wage, no
matter what their employment may be. We should never
reward failure and bad behavior from the poor or the
rich! We are fools if we bet against ourselves even if
it means we profit in the end. We have to look to the
future, not continue to prop up the relics of the past.
No one can fix problems that have gone ignored for more
than thirty years in a mere four years. Every citizen
must work side by side, suffering and succeeding
together. In my opinion, we should be ashamed that some
lost their lives, limbs and sanity fighting a war while
most just continued their lives untouched. I will never
understand why people that do their jobs in the relative
safety of an office make more money than people that put
their lives on the line every day!
I have deep concerns for the working people in this
country. There are some that claim that unions are
corrupt and should be abolished. I try to remind them of
why there are unions in the first place. Before the
workers banded together and exerted their power they
were at the mercy of their employers. They were forced
to work in dangerous situations, long hours, for very
little pay.
In the case of coal miners, they were not even paid
with legal tender, but instead were given company script
that could only be exchanged in the company store! If
the employers had treated these people with respect and
appreciation there would be no need for unions. Instead,
little known wars erupted in this country that ended
only after negotiations with the help of the union.
To this day, the working man/woman needs to unionize to
get a fair shake, but the large companies have found a
way to short change the worker. Technological
breakthroughs have made human workers obsolete. How do
you employ people if all the jobs are done by robots?
Once again, I return to coal mining. Labor intensive
underground mining has been replaced with
mountaintop removal that can be done with less than
half of the workforce. Engineers are developing all
sorts of
machines designed to take the human worker off the
job. Who do they expect to buy their services and
products if no one has a job? It certainly makes no
sense to me!
As far as I am concerned, eliminating the worker only
works if there are far less people in this world, yet
populations keep growing. Now you tell me, how do you
employ all of these people when you have so few jobs?
What do you do with all of the people that can not
afford to educate themselves to compete for these high
tech careers? I guess some of us should develop a taste
for
soylent green. Bon Appetite!
12/31/2011
Ever wanted to make your own peanut brittle? This is the
best recipe! I am lucky, I get some every year! My
ex-sister-in-law works for William Friday. They make
pounds of the stuff every year at Christmas time.
Oliver has injured himself again, this time just a few
scratches, but I am still treating them with this
wonderful product. I placed my order on line, but
instead of just filling my order Buddy, the guy that
makes the stuff, called me to find out how serious the
injury was and suggested a local dealer to save the time
of shipping so that I could start treating him right
away and save on shipping cost. What a great guy! Not
many people would loose a sale just to help a horse.
Although the injury was not as bad as the last one I
treated with this product, I opted to drive 50 miles to
get it, when I was assured that there was something at
my local feed store that was just as good. I was so
pleased with the way this stuff worked last time that I
did not want to take any chances. Yes, it is that good!
Click on the bottle and read the testimonials of some of
their customers. You will not believe the results.
Warning! There are graphic photographs of injuries and
then photos showing the results. You will want to have a
bottle in your barn, just in case, at all times.
Thank you Buddy! You are the man!
For those of you that do not know, when my Ursa
passed last fall I consoled myself with a new puppy. He
is a blue heeler that I call Achillies. I chose a heeler
on the recommendation of my friend Terin. I did not
think that it would be easy to find one around here, but
I did on craigslist, which was a miracle because they do
not allow you to post puppies for sale. I was lucky to
have seen the add before it was taken down.
I drove all the way to Mt. Olive to get him. There were many to choose
from. I yelled hey! and he was the only one to stop
running around and looked at me.
He is so smart and full of energy. Some
times he wears me out! He makes me laugh til I cry! I
can not believe how fast he has grown.
Here he is playing with the horse toy that Oliver will
not play with! Thank you Alix!
I am teaching him to help me round up the chickens when
they get loose, but he still can not resist plucking
feathers from their butts when they don't move fast
enough or get cornered.
I hope that he stops chasing Oliver, before he gets
kicked. Olly threatens and could kick him but hasn't
yet.
The gardens are growing and I have been
enjoying peas and also harvesting and drying herbs. I
have spearmint, lemon balm, sage, rosemary, dill,
tarragon, lemon thyme and oregano in abundance. The
basil should be ready in a few weeks.
If you would like to buy some fresh or dried herbs shoot
me an email at ginacandelori@windstream.net
I also have an abundance of fresh eggs for sale.
I have just finished two commissioned portraits (below)
that I am very pleased with. The woman that hired me to
paint these pictures is an old friend that I have not
seen for almost 20 years! She will be coming to pick up
her pictures in July. I am so excited to have the chance
to visit with her.
Hooooray Anne and Tammy are visiting too! 6/16/2011 and
the Sitlers will be here in August! I am so excited!
4/24/2011
Well that was an education! Last month, my
ex-sister-in-law, Laverne called me and said that she
had spent the entire weekend watching the home movies
that were taken in the 90s when the boys were all
little. All of these movies are on vhs format. She asked
me how these movies could be converted to digital. I
started researching and found a system and program on
Amazon that was reasonably priced and since I had just
gotten some money gifts for my birthday I ordered it. I
gathered the movies from Laverne and both of my
brothers' collections.
The first problem I encountered was an annoying
crackling noise that I did not hear watching the films
on my television. I called honestech (lol) and asked
them what could I be doing wrong. They said that if I
mailed the capture device back to them (at my expense)
they would test it to find out if something was wrong
with it... I already knew that something was wrong with
it! So, I did. They tested it and found I was right and
sent me a new device. Hoooooray! The crackling noise was
gone, but then the picture was jumpy and scrambled.
After several phone calls they agreed to take it back
and refund my money. So, once again (at my expense) I
sent it back and they refunded my money less all of the
shipping fees. After this experience, I started
researching other ways to transfer these movies to
digital and found that if I could get my hands on a
digital camera with inputs that I can attach to my vcr I
can use the camera to create the digital movie files.
Hmmmmm, craigslist?
About 15 years ago, in Fairbanks, Alaska I met a girl named Michelle. She was studying at UAF and lived in the cabin very close to mine. Our dogs were friends and we were too.
We still are.
We shared some great times in the great white
north.
Michelle now teaches people how to fly in Fresno, California. She is a wife and mother,
services and repairs her own aircraft, is involved in
4H, raises chickens and canaries, grows a fabulous garden every year, cans, cooks,
bakes and does some beautiful embroidery. I don't know
where she finds the time!
Click on the image on the right to see more of her work.
Each piece is unique and very reasonably priced. I am
sure you will just have to have one!
01/01/11
I spent the eve of this new year, drinking cheap gin, watching
"Sponge Bob" on Netflix, and listening for the snap of mouse
traps! Three of my little party guests did not see the new year,
but they went out in mousey style. In the wee hours of 12/26 the
snow came down, so did my meter pole. Boy, do I regret not doing
my party dishes before going to bed. Three days of no
electricity afforded enough time for them to become quite
comfortable, even brazen, shooting across the floor in plain
view. The snow was beautiful and if the pole was going to fall
(and it was just a matter of time) it was best that it happened
while it was cold. At least the contents of my fridge did not
spoil.
I am a very fortunate person. Like everyone else, I suffer
hardships, but I have a loving family and good friends and
neighbors. My brother, Steve, came out and dug up the remains of
the old pole with it's concrete foot, set the new pole with our
friend Will. The next day our neighbor, John, came over and
transferred the breaker box and meter to the new pole. All of
this had to be done before the power company could hook me back
up to the grid. If not for my heroes I would still be sitting in
the silent darkness. I love you guys!
I woke this morning with a voice that sounds more like the bark
of a small dog, when it makes a sound at all. The first thought
that crossed my mind was that I sounded a little like
Harvey Pekar. I watched
"American Splendor" recently and Harvey narrated his story
with his squeaky, odd voice. How weird it must be to narrate
your own life story, but he was a strange man. Brilliant and
strange usually go hand in hand.
On facebook today I noted that many of my friends are glad to
see 2010 go. One even proclaimed that the entire year sucked. I
have had some terrible disappointments this year, but I have
also experienced some absolute joys, so I am not going to
complain. What good would it do me anyhow? I look forward to the
new year and all of it's possibilities. I have plans for many
exciting projects and I intend to do and learn to the extent of
my ability. I wish you the same!
