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Before I get into the joys of blowing things up to celebrate American freedom, I'd like to briefly implore anyone who has access to a child to:
A - Keep them safe around fireworks, fires, flammable things ... you catch my drift. A local grade-schooler here on the river just did himself some serious damage by being allowed to handle gasoline near an open fire.B - See if they really know what the words in the National Anthem mean. Otherwise it ends up being the Star Mangled Banner with lines like "Jose, can you see?" and "the home of the Braves." Personally, I have sang it at so many baseball games that I often hear a phantom echo of the words "Play Ball!" at the end of it. But really, how many kids have ever seen a rampart anyway? You can enlighten them as to the meanings of words in that first verse (we never sing the others) and then all they'll have to deal with is the near impossibility of hitting those high notes in the latter part of the song. It's not necessary to share that the melody is actually from an old drinking song. Save that tidbit of information for when they're older.
So ... back to blowing things up. Being born and raised in Southern California I never got my hands on many legal fireworks. It took a move to Oregon to give me that access. Yay, Oregon! Some organizations make their budget funds for the entire year just by throwing up a tent and waiting for folks to come empty their wallets there in pursuit of explosive bliss.Then came a trip to New Mexico. Who knew that Texas chasers really chased you? Or that fireworks could bounce up into the air and off the ground several times and maybe end up on someone's roof? You could walk into a shack, plunk down your money and walk out with a firework that shot way up into the sky and massively exploded! What really blew me away was how everything there was just like tinder and yet extremely dangerous fireworks were, in fact, totally legal. Cool.
Our neighbor down the road just happens to have his Oregon Pyrotechnics license. While we will still be lighting off our own stash of fireworks in our yard at some point in the evening this 4th, we also want to pitch in for his display this year and watch him ignite it. Good times.
Finally, I just want to convey blessings and gratitude to our military and their families at this time - you are appreciated!
Yeah, yeah, we’ve all heard that phrase “food for thought” and possibly even taken note of what came before it. Case in point: Corn is being used to produce ethanol and worldwide hunger is increasing; now that’s food for thought. Still, how much do we (the not-so-hungry) take thought for our food?First things first, just how should I define food anyway? There’s an old saying: If Nature made it – it’s good for you, if Mother made it – it’s not. That’s a quaint way of saying that raw, whole foods are best for our health. Does this mean that if Frito-Lay or Pepsi made it, I can almost be guaranteed some harm? Probably, if all I eat is Cheetos and Mountain Dew.Moderation is most likely the key here. There are good reasons for making sure that much of my food is… well, real food. Food like berries, yogurt, broccoli, beans, almonds, spinach, oatmeal, lean proteins, onions, garlic, carrots, walnuts, tomatoes, tea, herbs, and more – all of which have beneficial properties!
Recently, scientific researchers discovered that there is a flavonoid called Luteolin found in abundance in celery and green peppers that impedes inflammatory response. This discovery could lead to better treatments for Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer’s and even plain old aging.
Another recent discovery points to a compound called emulin, found in the skin of citrus fruits. It could be the next big thing in the prevention and management of diabetes as it speeds the removal of excess sugar from the bloodstream, reduces the amount of carbohydrates absorbed after meals and also reduces the amount of glucose that is manufactured by the liver.
Dark chocolate has long been touted to have health benefits. Now Mars, Inc. has funded scientists to study their own concoction, a cocoa flavanol-rich drink that is shown to “positively impact the blood vessel dysfunction associated with diabetes.” It may even help improve skin condition, age-related blood vessel dysfunction and cognitive performance as it improves vascular health.
Dang, I can just go out right now and buy celery, green peppers, citrus, and dark cocoa, incorporate them into my family’s diet and we can get these health benefits directly. All those advantages could be ours, without waiting for science to put the isolated compounds in a pill at an exorbitant cost.
So, how do you like them apples?
As I look out my back window, I see a glorious sight. Dozens of tree swallows are swooping and gliding, eating insects and perusing the newly refurbished nesting boxes located around our property. Whether you have several acres or a small plot, there’s good reason to make these birds welcome.
“What?” you may ask. “They’re cool and all, but why bother to attract them to nest?” Well, here’s a reason – mosquitoes! Here’s another one – no-see-ums! These birds will eradicate most, if not all, of these pests from around your home.
Imagine, sitting outside on a summer’s evening not covered in Deet. Leaving your windows open and waking up welt-free. Plus, they’re pretty. What more do you want?
So how do you do it? What does it take?
Not much, really. They will happily settle in an old tree cavity, so almost any nesting box will do. We’ve even picked them up at garage sales. We have 18 boxes now and they will all be used at least once this spring and summer. Often a second pair of birds will nest in the box once the first pair is finished with it.
It’s good if they are hinged, so that you can clean them out later if you want to. They need to be several yards apart; we have one or more on each side of our buildings and some in trees. Place them about 8-feet off of the ground. We like to attach tree branches or dowels so the birds have a place to perch and we can get a good look at them. Our cats enjoy looking out the window and seeing them, too!
In a short amount of time, a few weeks, you will hear little babies trilling in the nest and the parents will be feeding them like crazy. Congratulations! Your pest control brigade has just tripled in size.
Here’s to an itch-free summer.
Photo 1 (c) Boris
Photo 2 (c) TrilbyKat
I’ve always been fond of robots as far back as I can remember. Maybe it was the prepubescent exposure to Isaac Asimov. Maybe it was my fascination with mechanisms of all types. Or maybe it was because I didn’t envision the kind of future that Fred Saberhagen proposed in his Berserker novels, but one rather more along the lines of I, Robot - the book, not the movie – please!
My dad just had robotic surgery. Ironically, I had discovered the da Vinci Surgical System some years ago and applauded the effort and concept of it. Thanks to Robert Heinlein’s Waldo story, I was long familiar with the concept of human manipulation of objects and tissue via remote control. This surgery probably not only helped save my dad’s life and functions, it did so with minimal invasion. He was extremely lucky to have the machine available locally and to be operated on by a doctor who trains others in its operation. How cool is that?
Robots will someday enable the elderly and disabled to have and retain their independence. They will be our companions, caretakers, workers, servants, entertainment, warriors and lifesavers. They will enable us to care for the planet, explore its depths, heights and breadth and reach out for a foothold on other worlds. In the future I envision, robots will do so much more than care for our floors, act as geeky toys, or battle in an arena. They will be our helpmates, instilled with the programming and AI to do for us more than we can do for ourselves. Give me The Door Into Summer and I will gladly go through it.
I never know what to put on those forms. You know, the ones that ask you to label your ethnic background? What to choose, what to choose? Do I go by skin color? How about by largest percentage of heritage? Do I take into account the trip to Mexico my parents took when I was little? They were stopped at the border coming back into the States and detained to make sure I was really theirs and not some orphan waif. Personally, I think we need a new form, and so I have invented this:
Please Self-Describe Your Ethnicity:
100% this ethnicity:
50% this ethnicity:
50% that ethnicity:
Approximate percentages of multiple ethnicities:
Any possible ethnicities that you have no proof for:
Any suspected ethnicities that your family won't talk about:
Ethnicities that you would like to be:
Ethnicities that you lay claim to from a past life:
Species that you lay claim to from a past life:
Note: Genetic testing for ethnic markers will in no way invalidate your self-described ethnicity and is merely for medical risk factor associations only.
Really, the only reason for these kinds of forms is for the gathering of statistical data or for identifying medical risk factors. Someday soon it may be possible to trace every person's ancestry down to the last little detail, but for now, self-description will still have to do for most of us. In the meantime, when confronted with a form of this type, I may just have to write in a description or add the choice: All Of The Above.
I’m ridiculously fond of Topix right now. It gives me news, lets me edit and I can blog there to my heart’s content. I highly recommend checking out some of the 360,000 plus categories they have.
Speaking of ridiculousness, there’s an invention coming soon to a restroom near you. It will dole out toilet paper just like those automatic paper towel holders do. Sorry, but you’ll only get 5 sheets with each wave of your hand. This company just wants a little piece of the $1 billion away-from-home toilet paper market.
Robots are always cool. They can perform surgery, clean my floors, poop out bricks of snow while clearing the streets and entertain me in so many ways. I will need a robot of my own soon.
The International Space Station is getting some Japanese food this year. Yummy. How have they managed without it?
There is a gorgeous Japanese website that has the most elaborate bento box food I have ever, ever seen. It is way too pretty to eat, but I would.
Sanrio has made some bodacious Hello Kitty products – even a sushi bar – but I’m not too sure where I stand on the Hello Kitty Urinal Target that I saw at Hello Kitty Hell. It seems wrong to pee on her, you know?
There’s this guy I discovered named Baron Bob who will sell you the most ludicrous crap in the most entertaining way. Do you doubt me? Just watch him sell you on this Singing Dancing Tequila Worm.
Here’s something to do. Determine if you are left-eyed or right-eyed. It really works and you’ll be so proud. It’s like you joined a special club.
When I want to get my cute on I go to the purveyors of the adorable, the folks at Cute Overload. There’s more fun to be had at Stuff On My Cat and of course, the LOL cats at I Can Has Cheezburger?
