Anecdotes, Antidotes, and Anodes

Boxers 1 Birds O

Most of my days begin early in the morning with a cup of something hot and a stroll out to the garden to see what's popped up during the night . . . or to see what's been eaten by the critters during the night.

This is what I encountered on my way to the garden . . .

 

 

"Ginger, do you know anything about this carnage on the driveway ?

"Lola, did you happen to witness what happened ?"

June Bug seems to be saying, "WHAT BIRD?"

There is good news and bad news associated with this post.

The bad news is . . . the bird didn't make  it.

The good news is . . . the dogs did not bring the bird into the house to pluck it, skin it, and devour it.

On three different occasions,  (that we know of) our Boxers have brought their prey inside the house to consume it.

Memory #1:

Early one morning, about 4:00 a.m. early,  Bubba was lying on the floor by the bed.  He was lick lick licking incessantly.  I reached down and tapped him on top of  the head.  He stopped.  For about two seconds.  The lick lick licking ensued.  Once again, I reached down to tap him on the head, but this time my fingers found a cold, sticky, gummy substance.  At 4 o'clock in the morning, the brain just doesn't process information too quickly.  My first thought was I was touching Bubba's nose.  My second thought was, "This isn't Bubba's nose."

As my inquisitive fingers explored this clammy, gooey mass, they then discovered something round and fuzzy.

My brain finally kicked in and alerted me that  I might be touching a dead animal.

Because it was 'can't-see-your-hand-in-front-of-your-face' dark, I reached for the lamp switch.

My brain was correct.

Bubba was savoring the bottom half of a bunny rabbit.

Memory #2:

Early one morning, before sunrise, I stumbled downstairs with bare feet. 

Both of my nekkid  feet encountered something cold, stringy, and sticky.  They stopped dead in their tracks.

Because it was dark, and the rug I was standing one was patterned, it was difficult to discern just exactly what I was wading in.

Upon closer examination, theHansMan determined it was the innards of some animal, possibly the viscera of a rabbit.

Being the 'scientist'  'biologist'  curious man that he is,  he found the stomach and cut it open with his handy dandy Swiss Army knife.

And what to our wondering eyes should appear ?

A bird.

Unless we have carnivorous rabbits here in Colorado, it was apparent our Boxers had ridded the neighborhood of some type of cat.

(Just earlier that month, they had ridded the neighborhood of a coyote.) 

Memory #3

theHansMan and I were on our way home from the airport when we received a call from the dogsitter, Cullen. 

He said, "There's good news and there's bad news."

We asked him to give us the good news first.

"Junior and Bubba didn't get sprayed by the skunk they killed."

What's the bad news ?

"They dragged it through the doggy door, through garage, down the hall, into the living room, through the entry, up the stairs, across the balcony,  into the guest bedroom, and it's quietly resting between them on top of the futon."

The house was deep cleaned, fumigated, and new carpet was installed immediately.

March Madness . . . How to Pick 'Em

My love for sports is probably because of this man.

My love for sports is 100% because of this man.

He was a great athlete...and once he didn't play football or baseball or basketball, he officiated football and baseball and basketball...and once he didn't officiate football and baseball and basketball, he was the announcer for the Antlers Bearcats Football Team for many years !

My earliest memories of watching sporting events with him was when we lived in the boondocks of southeastern Oklahoma.  We had an antenna and could receive two channels on our itty- bitty black and white TV:  KXII TV out of Ardmore-Sherman-Denison, and KTEN out of Ada.   To change the channels meant going outside and using a pipe wrench to twist the pole so the antenna faced a certain direction.  I knew it was facing the right way when Daddy or Mom would yell, "That's it. Stop."

It was always a sad day when one of those "wind comes sweeping down the plain" kind of storms would blow the antenna over, landing it on the roof of our house or sending it sailing into Wren Shaw's pasture.

As long as I can remember, Daddy would always have the TV on with ANY kind of sporting event and the radio on at the same time listening to another event.  There were many Saturdays when he had the TV on, the transistor radio on, and the car radio on, too.  Sometimes it was my job to sit in the car and then come into the house to report the latest score.   I loved it.

Once I was old enough, he 'taught' me how to run.  Yes, there is a technique of running and he coached me.  I can still see him running up and down the football field or basketball court in that striped zebra shirt.  There was hardly a high school player who could out run him, even though he was several years older.  He had those broad shoulders, tiny waist, and legs that were strong and churned like pistons.  Emmitt Smith comes to mind.

He taught me sports etiquette.  To this day, I have never booed a call and it sends me up the wall when the crowd does that.  It also irks me that fans applaud unforced errors in tennis.  In my tennis-playing-days, we just didn't do that. 

So, what does all this about my dad have to do with March Madness ? 

It means that the love he instilled in me for sports lives on today.  Whether it's college basketball or football, the World Series,  the Super Bowl,  or Grand Slam Tennis, I'll be watching, if possible.  Even though he's been gone almost thirty years, sometimes the urge hits me to reach for the phone, call him, and ask, "Hey, did you see that play?"

While filling out my brackets for The NCAA Basketball Tournament, there were those memories of when Daddy and I would predict scores for just about anything.  He was usually the winner 90% of the time. 

One of my strategies for choosing my teams was very scientific...watching Bracketology, taking notes,  comparing what the experts said, and listening to Dick Vitale, which, for me,  is like hearing fingernails scratching on a chalkboard.

But, my youngest daughter has the best strategy of all. 

Here it is how she chose her teams for this year's March Madness Brackets:

I like Missouri and St. Louis because Natasha went to both.
Indiana will go far because they had that basketball movie.
UNLV beats Baylor because Vegas is cooler than Waco and there's more glitter in Vegas.
I have friends in Michigan so Michigan and Michigan St will win the First Round.
They make good baseball bats in Louisville, so I think they'll win.
Any team that shares my love for orange will get past the first round, so count Syracuse in for Round 2.
Kansas State will get to the Elite 8 because I love to see Jake and Hilary jump up and down and yell alot.  EMAW
The President likes Harvard, so I'm rooting for an upset!
In a fight, a Seminole would slaughter a Longhorn, so sorry Texas you go down in Round 2.
Gonzaga goes far because I like to say GON-zaaahhh-GA!
Ohio State, the OTHER OSU. I guess I gotta make them get past the First Round. I can pretend it's my team in the tourney right?
Georgetown beats Belmont because last time I checked, Belmont was a horse race.
Even though I love Hardcore Pawn, I gotta go with Kansas in the First Round.
Wisconsin = cheese and I love me some cheese.

...and that is how I chose my bracket!

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Her granddad would be so proud !

Hey Peeps

Before we get to the post below, here is a paid political announcement from this cute little Girl Scout. 

My grand-daughter is 6 years old and a Girl Scout  selling cookies for the first time this year. She would like to donate boxes to the Blue Star Mothers to pack in boxes and send to our troops overseas. 

Girl Scout Cookies are one of the most requested items from our U.S. Troops while they are away from home. Girl Scout Cookies remind them of home and bring smiles to their faces.

Please help her raise money to purchase cookies for our troops. 100% of the money collected will be used to purchase cookies to pack in boxes for our troops.

As most everyone knows, there are boxes and boxes of Girl Scout Cookies stacked on most everyone's kitchen table and in their freezers.

So, if you're up to your elbows in cookies but would still like to help out this organization send cookies to our troops, please clink the link below.

The cute little Girl Scout pictured here will appreciate it.  So will her Gammy.   But most importantly, so will our troops !

Please click here.

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Have you ever noticed that a certain song can take you back in time to the place where you were and what you were wearing and who you were with and what you were doing the first time you heard it?

This happens to me every time I see Marshmallow Peeps.

And because Easter is on it's way, these little tidbits of  marshmallow, corn syrup, gelatin, and carnauba wax are popping up everywhere.  

They take me back to a time in my life at  Grandmama and Granddad's house, full of cousins.

There were ten of us cousins, and there were many occasions when we were ALL together.  Those memories just give me warm fuzzies all over.

Grandmama always had Peeps at her house for all of us.  Seems as though we never ran out of these yellow chicks.  They seemed to just multiply like rabbits chickens.

She may have had other colors, but I only remember the yellow chicks.  Grandmama must have bought case-loads of them, because no matter what time of year it was, you could always find these in her cabinet. Stale peeps are good, too.  A little crunchy, but if you hold it in your mouth long enough, it will eventually dissolve into a thick yellow syrup.

Now that I'm into remembering yellow-sugary-good-for-you-food, let's talk about Juicy Fruit Gum. 

Grandmama's purse always smelled like Juicy Fruit Gum.   That's because she always had packs and packs and packs of it hidden away in all those zippered compartments.  Seems as thought every little nook and cranny of her purse had a pack of Juicy Fruit in it.  I can remember sitting beside her in church just inhaling the fumes wafting through the air from her purse.  Knowing that when church was over,  I could fill my mouth with as many sticks as I could force in.  As long as my mom didn't catch me.  Grandmama didn't care.  Because there wasn't always a trash can handy, she would let us just put the wrappers back in her purse.  There's no telling how many empty Juicy Fruit wrappers she would find in her purse after a day of grandkids at her house.

She also had Yikes Stripes Fruit Stripe Gum in her purse, also contributing to its very plesant aroma.

The flavor of this gum was very strong for about three minutes.  After that it was like chewing on a piece of plastic.

Hence the need to chew the whole pack to get the full impact of the flavors. 

Thus contributing to the dull ache in your jaw.  The pain was worth it.

There are so many memories of those days with my cousins.  Our grandmama made those memories ever-so-special.  She loved us all just the same.  We were treated equally.  We were loved equally.  We were punished equally.  Oh wait.  I don't think she ever punished any of us, no matter how badly we probably needed it. 

Here are my  girls with Grandmama.

On one visit to her house in Lampe, Missouri, I walked in with a handkerchief cut skirt.  You know the kind with a very uneven hemline.  The first words out of her mouth when she saw me were, "If you'll bring me a pair of scissors, I'll fix that skirt for you."

theHansMan really, really, really like Grandmama.  She liked him, too.  I love how she placed her hand on his arm. 

This was the chair she sat in for so many years of her life.  She loved to watch sports on TV.  She especially loved to watch The Dallas Cowboys.  She did NOT like figure skating because of the costumes the girls wore.

It just seemed you couldn't hug her enough.

She loved to quilt.  Even after she lost part of her thumb, she figured out a way to continue to hand-quilt.
Here she is explaining to me the number of stitches per inch that should be used.
(Fashion statement with the overalls. Hey, I'm from Okrahoma and was visiting her in Missouri.  What else is a person to wear ?)

This was one of the visits when she felt pretty good.

I would always ask her if I could give her a pedicure and she would always say, "No." 
Finally, one time she decided she would give it a try.  From that time one, I always gave her a pedicure.

This was one of her most favorite places to be.   She  was a wonderful cook and some of my favorites  were homemade yeast rolls, chicken 'n dumplings, stewed potatoes, apple caramel cake, and plum rolls.  No matter how hard I've tried, none of my attempts have ever measured up to hers.  I just never could figure out a pinch of this and a dash of that.

Like I said before, hugging her was the best.

One  of those visits when she just had to stay in bed.  Her bedroom always smelled like fresh laundry that had dried outside on the clothesline.

Here she is trying to explain to theHansMan what a thimble is for.

There is no telling how many quilts she has made.  Probably 100's.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Grandmama.  She had spent the better part of the afternoon trying to teach theHansMan the techniques of quilting.  I've never heard her laugh so much.

Here are eight of the ten cousins I mentioned above at Grandmama's funeral service.
Please notice how well we follow instructions from the photographer.
It was like trying to herd cats.

Please notice in this photo the only one,  ONLY ONE, who is following instructions.

Finally !
Monica, Rusty, Randy, Carolyn, Kathy, Bart, Carla, and Brad.

Oh, the stories we can share. 

And the love we shared with Grandmama.

And the love she shared with us.

 

Just Sayin'

For the last week, there has been ample time to let my mind wander wonder wander.

The topics are random.  Imagine. Randomness here !

In my attempt to 'organize' random, I have categorized my thoughts.

Pet Peeves:
  For instance, these beauty pageants for kids.  Not so much the pageants, but the Moms.  What are these mothers thinking ?  Annoyed doesn't even begin to describe how I feel when just seeing a promo for one of those shows.  No, I don't watch them.  And then there's a show called Dance Moms.   Out of curiosity, I watched for about 3 minutes before my blood pressure shot straight  to the ceiling and I feared for my TV that I might just shoot it.  Is this person for real ?  What kind of parent would pay to  subject their little girl to this kind of abuse from a person monster named Abby Lee Miller ?  There should be an episode showing her in one of the tutus.  No. No. Someone should charge her with child abuse. 

Another pet peeve of mine is dogs dressed in clothing.  Now, I understand the need for those sweaters to keep the animal warm.  The sweater  has a purpose.  What is the purpose of dressing a dog in a tutu or putting a wig on your dog ?  Really people?  I just have to wonder what the dog is thinking...  "Does this blue tutu make my butt look big ?" "Maybe the pink wig wouldn't make my eyes so buggy-looking. "

Political Ads !  When is the Presidential election ?  November 6, 2012.  That's approximately 230 days give or take a week or two. Next question:  How many political ads will be aired between now and then ?  How much money will be spent on this propaganda ?  If the candidates applied  all that money to our deficit, it would bring it down considerably. There should be a law concering these ads.   Actually, there should be several of them, but one should say something like:  No candidate can mention his opponent's name, elude to his opponent in any way, shape, form, or fashion.  The End.

Situational Awareness:
I spend an enormous amount of time in airports, and I people watch.  It helps to pass the time.  But, it never ceases to amaze me that some people think their coats, carry ons, backpacks, etc. have a need to 'sit' in a chair.  Most waiting areas in airports don't have enough seats for everyone anyway, but when I see people standing because one-fourth of the chairs have stuff in them, I just seethe. Especially when I'm one of the ones standing.  Well, that's not exactly true because I never hesitate to ask if it would be possible for the backpack to sit in the floor.

While we're on the subject of traveling, another example of S.A. is the people who stand in the aisle of the plane, take off their coats, dig in their carryons they've placed in the overhead, dawdle around while 100 of us wait either in the jetway (if we're lucky to have a covered one) or outside the plane waiting in sub-freezing temperatures with our hair about to blow off our heads while these people do what-ever-it-is-they're-doing-which-should-have-been-done-earlier.

Warm Fuzzies:
Thinking about funny things my grandkids do. 

For instance, while visiting them in Okrahoma, my glasses had been misplaced.  Imagine that !  Just in passing, it was mentioned, "If anyone sees my glasses, please tell me."  This was met with a very adamant six-year old, standing with feet apart, hand on hips, with a very stern voice, who said, "Gammy, it's not MY job to keep up with YOUR stuff."

Ok, then. 
Pretty obvious she's heard these words before.

Then there's the story about her two-year-old brother.  Mom noticed he was on the futon, almost asleep.  So, when the gutter guys came to the door to ask some questions, she just stepped out onto the front porch to show them what to do.  As she was doing this, she heard the door close behind her.  And lock.   She immediately asked one of the guys if he had cell phone on him, which he did.  She called my son-in-law who works about three minutes from the house to hurry home with the garage door opener.  In the meantime, she peeked through the window at the top of the door.  This is what she saw:   BabyDubYa, dressed only in a diaper and a rabbit fur hat on his head,  wielding a three foot long sponge sword, running back and forth through the entry yelling,
"ARRRR ! I a pie-wat.  ARRRR,  I a pie-wat."

Miscellaneous:
Just not sure how to categorize these.  Maybe:  Buffoons Making the News.

New Orleans Saints players and at least one assistant coach maintained a bounty pool of up to $50,000 the last three seasons to reward game-ending injuries inflicted on opposing players, including Brett Favre and Kurt Warner, the NFL said Friday. "Knockouts" were worth $1,500 and "cart-offs" $1,000, with payments doubled or tripled for the playoffs.  The NFL said the pool amounts reached a height of $50,000 or more in 2009, the year the Saints won the Super Bowl.
Reports indicate that Gregg Williams, former defensive coordinator, was 'in charge' of the bounty.  My thought is he should banned from the NFL for coordinating such egregious acts.   Do you have a thought ?  What is it ?  My other thought is that this probably isn't the only team doing this.

Moving on to this Bozo, the person who thinks if you used or use a contraception as a single woman you are a slut and possibly a prostitute. Wasn't it Rush Limbaugh who was caught returning from the Dominican Republic with illegally obtained Viagra. But, he doesn't really mind, he just wants to view the videos if the sluts and prostitutes have them. 

aHansMan Story
No post of this nature would be complete without aHansMan Story.  It will be cryptic, so just read between the lines.

Made an unexpected trip to Okrahoma for a funeral service.  The date for the service was very close to another function happening there that we both agreed I should attend.   So, theHansMan booked my flight.  The conversation went something like this:

Me:  Did you book the flight ? 

Him:  Yes.  You'll be coming home the morning of  Thursday, February 23.

Fast Forward to Wednesday, February 22.

My daughter and I are out running errands.  I'm driving, so I ask her to be sure and check the location of the awards ceremony.

She does.   Here's the conversation:

Her:  Yup. It's at the Hilton Garden Inn.

Me:  Good

Her:  But it's on the 23rd.

Me:  What's today ?

Her:  The 22nd

Me:  Are you sure ?

Her:  And tomorrow is the 23rd !

Me:  But theHansMan booked my flight for 9:00 a.m. on the 23rd.  How does he expect me to attend the awards ceremony if it's tomorrow night ?

Her:  Er, your guess is as good as mine?

Next phone conversation:

Me:  Hey.  What's today ?

Him:  Wednesday, the 22nd.

Me:  What's tomorrow ?

Him:  Thursday, the 23rd

Me:  When do I fly home ?

Him:  In the morning.

Me:  When is Becky's award presentation ?

Him:   Tomorrow night.

I waited for something to connect . . . Earth to Hans ? 

Me:  How am I going to attend the ceremony tomorrow NIGHT if I'm on a plane home tomorrow MORNING ?

Him:  I didn't know you wanted to go to the ceremony.

DEAD SILENCE

Me:  Do you remember the conversation we had when we discussed my return date ?

Him:  Uh-huh.

Me:  Do you remember us agreeing it would be fun for me to go ?

Him:  Uh-huh.

Me:  Do you remember me telling you I called Allied Arts asking if I could buy a ticket even though the deadline had passed for making a reservation ?

Him:  Uh-huh.

Me:  Do you remember me telling you I even made a donation because the director said I could have a seat at Becky's table ?

Him:  Uh-huh.

DEAD SILENCE

 You can write the ending to this one yourself. 

Makes me tired just thinking about. 

And, I know, you're probably thinking, "Why don't YOU make your OWN reservations."

My answer is, "It's more fun this way."

How Do You Eat an Oreo ?

OR,  Happy 100th Birthday, Oreo Cookie !

In life, there are those comfort foods that just seem to hug you.  Especially if you're not feeling just great (see post below), whether it's the flu, a cold, a virus, or maybe just feeling a bit lonesome, sad, or blue.

I have several of those comfort foods . . .banana pudding that's still warm with lots of vanilla wafers and very few bananas . . . any kind of  sherbet with 7-Up poured over it served with a straw and large spoon . . .bacon. . . baconbaconbacon, and it must be crispy so that when you hold it by the end of the slice, it stays straight and doesn't bend.

And then there's an Oreo cookie with a glass of cold, cold, cold milk. Well, maybe not just an Oreo cookie but quite possibly a whole row of Oreo cookies.  Served with a knife.  Yes, you see, I'm not a fan of the filling.  It's so sweet, it hurts my teef.   So, I break open the cookie, scrape off the icing and then pop the entire one-half cookie in my mouth, crunch on it, and then get a big gulp of milk.  After savoring that, complete with a rush of adrenaline, I pop the other half in my mouth, and repeat.

And repeat. And repeat. And repeat. 

I would never think of biting into an Oreo as illustrated. See what's happened to that cookie ?   See all those crumbs ?  What a waste.  With my method of inhaling eating the cookie, there is no waste of crumbs. I've always wondered how I could use all that filling in another recipe so that it wouldn't be wasted, but so far I haven't.  My dogs are grateful for that.

Now, I shall digress for a minute and discuss Oreo/Nabisco/Kraft/Nestle.  I realize there are those of you out there who diligently followed my posts concerning Better World Shopper and Nestle.  And that I boycotted Nestle products because of their involvement in child slavery.  Those of you may be wondering, or not, that there may have been some discussion about Nestle purchasing Kraft, who owns Nabisco who owns that cookie up there.  After doing a bit of research, I found this:

On March 1, 2010, Nestle concluded the purchase of Kraft's North American frozen pizza business for $3.7 billion.  This includes DiGiorno, Tombstone, and Jack's brands in the United States and the California Pizza Kitchen trademark license. 

With that bit of information, I decided my Oreos were safe from Nestle, for now.  WHEW !

Now back to the question at hand:

How do YOU eat an Oreo cookie ?

Oh the Things You Can See on TeeVee

I'm not one who sits and watches TV.

I'm not one who sits, much.

But for the last 8, count them eight, I said E-I-G-H-T days I've pretty much been flat 'o my back.

Now, there's no need to share all the guts and gore of congestion, green snot, possibly coughing up a lung, topped-up sinuth cavities, earache, sore throat, sneezing, and a migraine. 

Not to mention, my taste buds and smell buds have been kidnapped.

So, I won't share all that.

But, when it hurts to even blink, there aren't many activities that are considered fun.

Enter:  Remote Control

I have learned so much this past week.

There's this gal named Tabitha who cusses like a sailor and goes in to these businesses, mainly hair salons, but sometimes yogurt shops and restaurants, and takes over.  This is because the business is on the verge of going out of business, and Tabitha bursts through the door with a plan. She starts with the owner's behind and kicks it.  Then the kicking spree continues with most all of the employees.   It' great.  I think I've seen every episode of Tabitha.  I think I would like to introduce Tabitha to theHansMan.

On to cupcakes.  This show causes much apprehension for me.  Each week on Cupcake Wars, four of the country’s top cupcake bakers face off in three elimination challenges until only one decorator remains. The sweet prize: $10,000 and the opportunity to showcase their cupcakes at the winning gig.

How in the heck can anyone bake, frost, and display ONE-THOUSAND cupcakes in two hours ?  It takes me two hours to find all the ingredients I need to bake ONE DOZEN cupcakes.  Yes, I find myself almost hyperventilating with every countdown of minutes to seconds.  Hurry...Hurry...I keep thinking. 

But my apprehension isn't what concerns me about this show.  It's the fact that I want to reach through the screen, grab the two judges by the throat, and choke them. 

Candace Nelson, owner of Sprinkles Cupcakes,  and Florian Bellanger, French chef and co-owner of online macaroon company MadMac, serve as permanent judges with a third rotating judge each week, and Justin Willman hosts.  Sometimes, I want to choke Justin, too.  Just for the fun of it.

Here's a blip of an episode . . .The contestants are given a list of ingredients that have to be included in the recipe.  For instance, bbq sauce, anchovies, cayenne pepper, molasses, etc.

My thought is, "Are they making cupcakes or Pasta Puttanesca?"

Other ingredients . . . oysters, hot sauce, basil, are you kidding me ?

The contestants have to then concoct three different kinds of cupcakes complete with frosting using a combination of the 'suggested' ingredients.

Once the cupcakes are placed in front of the judges, who by the way, are sitting there steely-face, looking at the contestants as if they are criminals,  taste-test them.

Candace critiques each cupcake and then says, "Your ingredients are a little confusing."

Ya Think ?   How in the world could they not be ?  Look at the ingredients you gave them to incorporate into the batter.

Now it's Florian's turn.  Remember, he's French.

Well, zee cayenne pepper wazforzeemostpart
a leetle beet overwhelming and I'm notzure
that you conseedered zeebarbeeque zaus
vould affectzeeconzeestencee of zeebatter.

WHAT ?  What did you just say ?  The least this show could do is provide sub-titles when he speaks.

By the end of the show, I'm craving cupcakes and wanting to beat someone up.  Since I'm not in any shape to do either, what do I do ?

Eat a sleeve of Girl Scout Thin Mints. Yes, I said sleeve. All of them. 

But, there are more shows that need to be watched.

Have you ever heard of Storage Wars ?

And what's the deal with all these Housewives of Orange County, Atlanta, New Jersey ?  Who are these women ?  Are they for real ?  How do you spell bitchslap ? 

That's enough blogging for now.

So, please excuse me while I go International House Hunting in Melbourne, Australia. 

Stay tuned for Rattlesnake Republic and Hillbilly Handfishin' . . . oh yeah, the things you can see on teevee.

 

Why Do Brooms Stand Up on End ?

Reposted from October 14, 2009.

This topic seems to be quite popular . . . lots of people out there in the universe "Googling" it.

So run, don't walk to see if your broom is standing up in the closet.  Who knows?  It might be.

I found mine standing up in the middle of the floor.   See below . . .

 

Question: How/Why do brooms stand up in the middle of a room ?

First thought: This song comes to mind:

When the moon is in the Seventh House
And Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets
And love will steer the stars

This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius
Age of Aqaurius
Aquaruis ! Aquarius ! 

Swampy's Version:
(with apologies to: James Rado, Gerome Ragni, Galt MacDermot and The 5th Dimension)

When the moon is in the Seventh House
And the Earth aligns with Mars
My broom will not sweep the floor
You will find me at the bars

This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius
Age of Aquarius
Aquarius!  Aquarius! 

During my school teaching years, one phenomenon was that none of my middle school kiddos ever threw one of the eggs we used to stand on end during the Autumnal and Vernal Equinoxes. It was pretty amazing to see two dozen eggs standing on end in my classroom. It was even more amazing that not ONE, no not ONE egg was ever broken. We're talking middle school kids, people ! Even though this feat can be performed on any given day, supposedly, it is easier during these two times of the year.

All I know is that my students loved Egg Day !

But this post is about brooms and just how much time I've wasted on it !

So  now, for the first time I hear about a broom standing straight up in the middle of the room. Please note that the broom pictured above has very "bent" bristles, and I doubted that it would work. Much to my surprise, last night IT DID !  (For those of you wondering, yes, this is the same broom that I travel on.)

One explanation for this is that the Earth aligned with Mars...another explanation...something about gravity...

No where on the Internet could I find an explanation for this...

 

Evidently, not only does the Earth aligning with Mars cause brooms to stand up ! It seems to have the same effect on dogs like Lola Cherry Cola !

H-m-m-m-m...next thought...erectile dysfunction...

  
 

 

Fair Trade Event: Break the Chains of Modern Slavery

The previous three posts have been leading up to this post !

For anyone who lives in the Norman, Oklahoma area, or who will be in that area this Sunday, March 4, this is an event that will change your life.

It could also change the life of a young person. 

It might just SAVE the life of a young person.

It will be held at The First Presbyterian Church (555 S. University Boulevard)  in Norman from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m.

Mark Elam of O.A.T.H.

After learning about human trafficking in 2005, Mark Elam traveled to India, South Asia and the Philippines to work with organizations that rescue girls from sex trafficking. His international organization, Angel Eyes, helps support safe houses and prevention centers in Thailand, Cambodia and the Philippines with teams on the ground working to rescue and restore victims of sex trafficking.

While raising awareness and support for the global problem, Mr. Elam discovered that human trafficking and child sex trafficking is happening here in America as well. At that time, Oklahoma was recognized by the Dept. of Justice as a key state with this problem.

Mr. Elam visited several of the Dept. of Justice Task Force cities to learn from them what our federal government is doing to combat this problem here in America… and then implemented that plan here in Oklahoma July 2008, forming the Coalition O.A.T.H. – Oklahomans Against Trafficking Humans. In the first two years of operation O.A.T.H. has partnered with over 200 federal, state and local organizations to service victims of trafficking found here in Oklahoma. In February of 2009 O.A.T.H. was asked to become the state-wide coalition to bring awareness, education and training about the subject of human trafficking and to assist in networking law enforcement agencies, service providers, NGO’s, business leaders and the faith community in providing care for trafficking victims.

Additionally Mr. Elam schedules and moderates the Central Oklahoma Human Trafficking Task Force that meets monthly in Oklahoma City and the Tulsa Human Trafficking Task Force where they are currently working active cases within our Oklahoma boarders. Recently Mr. Elam was honored with the “2010 FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award” for his tireless efforts in exposing and combating human trafficking. Mr. Elam is available for awareness 101 presentations and conducts human trafficking training workshops around the state for law enforcement, DHS, OJA, shelters, health clinics, social workers, college campuses, schools as well as faith presentations for churches.
  (Taken from Crime Stoppers Training Conference Las Vegas 2012)

FBI Names Mark Elam Oklahoman of the Year 

 

 Chong Kim

Handcuffed to a doorknob for months by a man she originally thought was her boyfriend. Then handed over to a middle-aged woman who transferred her to traffickers in Las Vegas. Held there with other victims in an abandoned warehouse and forced to work as a teen prostitute. Taken back and forth across the country for the same purposes.

This is Chong Kim’s dramatic story from 1995 until the day she escaped in 1997. In the interview found below she provides chilling insight into how organized crime runs its sex trafficking operations in the US. Women and children are being enslaved to satisfy the twisted desires of clients and others (via pornography). It’s about a grotesque need for power and control, Kim says.

Chong Kim is now a conference speaker, writer, wife, and mother living in Texas. Listen to the podcast and read more of Kim’s story in chapter 8 of Not in My Town  by Dillon Burroughs and Charles Powell. The book and companion DVD (included) comprise their look into the secret world of America’s modern slave trade. There is also a chapter on international human trafficking. 

 

Face of Tears Blog

I Am Korean American Blog

 

Norman North High School -
Helping Oklahomans Prevent Exploitation  H.O.P.E.

This  link will take you to H.O.P.E.'s Facebook Wall.

Here is the Norman Transcript newspaper article about this club.