Drill Baby, Drill?

"Drill Baby, Drill" doesn't sound so fun now does it? The oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico is making it's way north where it will soon coat the shore, the plants, the animals. There is reportedly a stench hanging over New Orleans--the smell of the oil coming. Fishermen are scrambling to gather shrimp while they still can.

Here's John Lee Hooker watching the waterfront for his baby. It seems appropriate.



I cover the waterfront
Watchin' the ship go by
I could see everybody's baby
But I couldn't see mine
I could see the ships pullin' in
To the harbor
I could see the people
Meeting their loved one
Shakin' hand
I sat there
So all alone
Coverin' the waterfront

And after a while
All the people
Left the harbor
And headed for their destination
All the ships
Left the harbor
And headed for their next destination
I sat there
Coverin' the waterfront

And after a while
I looked down the ocean
As far as I could see - in the fog
I saw a ship
It headed this way
Comin' out the foam
It must be my baby
Comin' down
And after a while
The ship pulled into the harbor
Rollin' slow
So triple (?)
And my baby
Stepped off board
I was still
Coverin' the waterfront

Said "Johnny,
Our ship had trouble - with the fog
And that's why we're so late
So late
Comin' home
Comin' down"

Earth Day 2010!

The Earth

It's Earth Day! Normally this holiday gets me mad. I think it's a time for people to try and do a couple of things, and then forget about the earth the next day--it seems far more symbolic than real to me. On the other hand, maybe it gets people thinking. That's always a good thing.

Food, Inc. was on PBS last night and I watched it. Wow. If you don't already buy any food directly from a farmer, look around to see if it's possible in your area. The more people who are both buying real, untainted food (no GMOs or pesticides or herbicides or synthetic fertilizers), and supporting small family farms or CSAs (Consumer Supported Agricuture--co-ops of a sort) the more the corporate hold of our food supply starts to crumble a little. That's also always a good thing.

To celebrate today, I am going to go out and buy the latest and best of all of the Green products I can find!

No, I'm not. Joking!!

People keep forgetting, "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle" We mostly have a hold on the recycle bit, but reusing things (hand me downs, garage sale and thrift store finds), and reducing in the first place seems to elude a lot of us.

If you need to replace something, see if you can get it used. If you can't then buy green. Buying green to replace perfectly usable things you have doesn't really help anyone or anything--except the Green manufacturers. That's OK except stuff still ends up in the landfills, doesn't it?

Go do something gentle for the earth today--even if it's as small a gesture as not buying something. Just skip it. You'll be OK, really.

Then, think about doing something tomorrow, and maybe all week. If you survive that, try it for a month. You may surprise yourself at your ability to forego stuff you don't need any way.

Try it and see how strong you are. You are woman!! (Or man, depending...)

The Positive Side of Global Warming!!

When you attempt to scale Mt. Everest, you need to bring a lot of stuff: tents, sleeping bags, food, ropes, pick axes, clothes, and perhaps most importantly, oxygen tanks. The air is so thin, at some point it contains a third of the oxygen of lower altitudes. A climber can only survive for up to three days in such conditions. Many have not survived and have left their bodies behind in addition to all sorts of litter--tons of it.

Mt. Everest is a holy place for the Nepalese people and some of the Sherpas who guide climbers up to the topmost peak are able to now clean up the mountain top because the snow melt has allowed them to see the garbage to clear it.

Enough snow is now gone, it is worth it to climb up and retrieve tons of litter and several bodies of dead climbers.

So, there's an upside to global warming!!

Written in Reverse

Written in Reverse, by Spoon.

Ever remember seeing a relationship fall apart in front of your eyes?

Here it is...

Homeschooling--What?? Are You Crazy?!

Have you encountered naysayers, critics, overly worried relatives who question your choice and or ability to homeschool your kids? You are not alone. It can come up a lot.

You know what you can offer them in response?

Bean Dip! (AKA how to set boundaries with your loved [and not so loved] ones.)

Yummy, yummy bean dip.

Here's how the bean dip offer might be put into action. Shhh. Let's listen in:

Your father and I are very worried about you guys homeschooling. Children belong in school because that's just the way it is and always has been and we think... What's that delicious looking treat? Bean dip, you say... Yes, I'd like some, thanks. Mmmmm. *chewing noises as she relishes the tasty party treat* As I was saying, we don't think you should be homeschooling the kids, because... Yes, thank you, I would like a drink. Sangria!! I love it! Homemade! Wow, the fruit in it looks so appealing! Kids should be around their peers all day long *big sipping noises followed by Mmmmmms*--you guys just can't supply the needed *drains glass*... OK, I'd love another one... Wait, what were we talking about?

My Husband Amazes Me

My husband has done it again. He grabbed victory from the jaws of defeat. He looked the enemy in the eyes and did not blink.

He is amazing, I tell you!

See the picture above? That is the wrong amp. but it looks like the kind of fuse that blew out of our washing machine as I was putting in a load of clothes. Clothes, that if you must know (and you must, because this bit adds import) had not a few of my dirty underwear. I needed to do a load of laundry STAT!

The lights came on showing me that the washing machine was running--but there was no water sound. The tub wasn't filling. There wasn't any kind of sound whatsoever. It didn't work!

I called my husband at work, and when he came home he opened up the machine.

That is an action that just never occurs to me. Does it occur to you? Do you think, "Hm. I think I'll just take a peekie boo and see if I can't SEE what the problem might be." I don't think to do that because I don't know what I'm looking for or if I would recognize it if I did see it. "Oh, you mean there aren't supposed to be blown fuses in the workings of the washing machine? Huh." * blink, blink* * blink, blink*

I went to Radio Shack and got the replacement fuse.

My husband just put it in and the washing machine is washing my clothes as I write this to you. It is amazing! But, that's not all...

On the way to work, my husband felt that his bike tire was low. He had a slow leak and was able to stop at a gas station and fill it up enough to get him to work. From work he brought home a battery operated pump and used it as needed on the way home.

When he got home, he fixed the computer that was saying telling us that there was a virus. But, there really wasn't--just spam; it was very urgent, insistent spam. Seemed real.

Isn't he the greatest?

Yeah, he is.

I know it's all a bit of white man's blues. It's first world problems we were facing. Those kind of minor, frustrating things that pop up and must be dealt with and solved and corrected. No one's health was in jeopardy. No one was hungry. The problems only lasted a day.

I just am pleased that my partner knows how to take care of stuff and does.

He is amazing.

Words

I just used the word "constancy" during a conversation with my husband. He thought that was pretty funny and told me that the word is actually "constanconcy".

Some people have a way with words. Others, sort of, not have way...

Time to Shake Things up Around Here

See the new colors? This blog was looking soooo boring. Blah. Soft greens, greys, with a white background--BORING!!

Also, I think I might go buy a bunch of stuff today, just because.

I did go and buy a new cardigan that I wore at the homeschooling conference, and I think I might just throw off this yoke of oppression--this "We Don't Buy It" crap. Who needs that kind of limitation in life?! If I want to go out and get myself a little something, something, why not?!

I DESERVE IT!

Enjoy this April 1st.