Ever Get the Feeling...

that the whole world is sort of holding its breath right now?

Waiting to see what is going to happen next?  Wondering when, exactly, the other shoe will drop?

There is just so much going on across the globe that one can hardly keep up.  Naturally, MSM is failing to put the most important things at the top of the reporting list but that is nothing new.  Throw a bit of celebrity gossip at the masses and bury the stuff that will (rather: should) get the masses riled.  The ones that are waking up are edgy, angry that they've been kept (allowed themselves to be kept) in the dark for so long...but not angry enough yet to act.

The whole thing is just a tinderbox waiting to go up in flames.

Surprise, Surprise....

well, not really.

Not to any of you that have been reading here (or any of the other like minded blogs) in the past 4 years or so.

Headlines as I signed into Yahoo! this morning are MSM panic inducing...to a lot of folks...hopefully not to you (the usual suspects).

They go something like this:

NASA Civilization Collapse Study
Your Dollar isn't Buying (and isn't going to) Much at the Grocery
California to Farmers, "No water for you!" (sorry, it's a Fox link)
Ukraine (and the EU), Ukraine (and their Navy) and a little Turkey Talk (3 separate ones there)

And on it goes...people are shocked...well, at least some of the folks rolling about in my FB feed.  They genuinely did not see the food price hike coming and are angry.  "First my heating bill nearly triples and now this!"

Welcome to the New Age folks.

Get thee prepared.....

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One Step Forward....

well, you know the rest.

Been scrambling hard to pull together the fundage to get into the new place thanks to the whole "hey, we overpaid you and we're taking it back now" thing.  Add to that stressor the landlady implying that she'd be more than happy if we backed out because she's "had several offers" on the place.  Um, you have a good faith deposit...why was it still listed?

Throw into the mix that Tanker pretty well acknowledged yesterday having PTSD but not wanting to do anything about it right now as it will set his MEB back...but he told his 1st Line (the SGT that is "in charge" of him who just so happens to be a Medic by trade) that he just wanted to be left alone and not be required to do the fun day things that they have the WTU do because he just doesn't like people anymore and crowds contain people.  Way to throw up a red flag...but honestly, I do hope they have him see someone even if it delays the paperwork.  I can't make him, but they can.  He's a sensitive (not that way), easy to stress guy and I've been privy to only a few things he experienced downrange...very little of it good.  I know it's affecting him more than he let's on.  Especially when he's said quite a few times lately that he's glad the eldest screamer is deaf and the youngest screamer's eyesight isn't the greatest because it means they are/will likely be exempt from service.  Definitely not the same Hooah guy he was pre-deployment.

On a lighter note...this upcoming move is letting me get a better idea of things to keep, things to sell and things to just toss.  I do have to point out however that we Americans love walls...even when they are useless and take away from the living space in the house.  That's one thing I miss about the place in Germany...walls had a purpose and weren't merely there to be there.

And now I leave you...gotta get some acceptable clothing on and make a run to UPS and the Post Office...these boxes won't mail themselves!!

What Is This!?! (x-post)

Depression, PTSD?

I don't know...the "symptoms" are so similar.  I don't know.

Tanker is not himself 90% of the time.  Crowded places were never really his thing but he used to be able to tolerate them...not any more.  He was the look at the bright side kind of guy once...not any more.  He's sharper now, more easily irritated.  He jumps on the kids quicker, is intolerant of loud noises, more withdrawn.  He's tired but can't sleep...the pain is worse on days when he's most withdrawn.

It isn't to the point where I worry about him and the kids when I go to work, but I do worry about him period.  He seems so hopeless now, so uninterested in things and life in general.

I brought up all of this the other day and he just gave me a blank look.  He doesn't really even notice, I think.

What is THIS!?!

Every Little Bit...

supposedly helps; I've been told.

I don't see it right now...feels like the light at the end of the tunnel is a train coming on.  Work is work; 4 and 5 hour shifts that I usually get sent home from about halfway through because they are overmanned.  I swear, if this 1st paycheck breaks $100 I'll be surprised.  Using gas, buying "approved" work shoes...welp, there went that check.

And we're still reeling from being "overpaid" during our move from Germany.  It only took a month for them to get the pay straightened out to begin with while we were forking over tons of cash on things that were supposed to be reimbursed but are now not eligible (Danke, very much).  Then we get the bombshell of "hey, we just realized that we overpaid you almost $700 when we finally paid you all that other back pay and moving expenses stuff and you were supposed to realize it even though we never gave you an exact amount of what to expect to be paid"...yup.  So we dig ourselves out of a debt hole over the past year just to be dumped right back in one...all because of military pay issues.

We'd apply for help from some of these charities that assist military families and Veterans, BUT that route is dangerous.  We can't get a loan from our preferred loan place because Tanker doesn't have enough time left on his contract.  We can't get aide from a lot of the other organizations anyway because 1.) Tanker isn't "hurt enough", 2.) he's still Active Duty, 3.) he has no official VA rating (there is one, we just are not yet allowed to know what it is) or 4.) the debt need isn't "valid" because we've paid the bills that needed paying and the problem lies in a negative bank balance.  So we do what we do best and soldier on.  Man, it's stressful.

The upside is that we saved enough to be able to send in and secure the house and land.  It's not everything that is needed, but it takes it off the market and allows us to have the stress of whether or not it would be sold out from under us gone.  Now to scrape the barrel bottom for the next 2 months and gather the rest while attempting to straighten out the mess we've been handed.  Nothing new...which is kinda sad.

Positive of the day:  The tomatoes, peppers and cukes in the "pot garden" are thriving.  My rescued apple tree and raspberries are finally sprouting new growth.  AND I've not yet killed the carrots.

Such is Life at the Nut House.

"How ARE You Walking?"

Funny question...one posed yesterday to Soldier by the VA doc doing his paperwork...and he was dead serious.  Seems that there is WAY more going on in Soldier's spine than we were being let on about.  And the VA doc is a little on the furious side.  This could be a good thing I guess, but leaves us wondering what else we don't know about.

There comes that "adventure" from the previous post...good thing I've learned to roll with the punches I suppose.

No News...

is good news...right?

Well, we got news and it isn't so good.  Soldier is more damaged than originally thought, which means the land in Nevada is a no-go for right now.  No-go as in we won't be going there and starting from scratch.  Instead we will be heading home to MO, finding a place there and starting from not-so-scratch.  Soldier won't be doing any heavy lifting, building of big things or the such for quite some time.  He will be getting Medical Out, we just don't know when that will start or how it will work with new regs.  They (Garrison, I think) are trying to get a new regulation written that all Med Boards get sent back to the States to finish out.  That means homeward bound we shall be...eventually.

We've found a few places that have caught our eye...small homes, acreage, areas with no to few restrictions...not all that close to family but closer than we are now and not as far as Nevada.  We will be keeping the Nevada land...just in case.  It'll make for a nice backup and/or long family camping trips (really long).

Since we are now aware of the inevitable, the waiting is horrible.  Soldier has it the worst...unable to do much of anything...morning walks to the company (because he can't drive with the meds he's on and refuses to wake us all up at 0dark30 for me to drive him) wipe him out for the entire day.  The meds are pretty heavy and he's tired/hurting all the time regardless.  There is very little I can do for him to help, so we just plug away at the time we have left here.  I'm keeping an eye on him...watching for signs of depression and the like.  But I know what he's thinking...'what good is a Soldier that can't soldier?"  Not sure how much it's affected him, he talks but not a lot.  The good news is that he has a fantastic doc that really cares and goes to bat for her Soldiers.  This woman is an original and I adore her.

Alas, that's all the news from here for now...chilly night air is creeping in (we're having an Indian Summer right now) and the dog needs to pee.  

Done...

that's it...I'm done.  Ready to be outta here and on the land.  Ready to get this ball started rolling in a rapid manner.  Unfortunately, we kinda stuck here until the Army decides whether or not to keep the Soldier in or give him the old Medical Retirement boot.  Sweet.

Yeah...I watched the markets today...probably not the best idea for someone that was feeling a bit doom and gloom to begin with.  Just made me want to puke.  Nice debt deal...we're so set now...no worries what-so-ever.

Once again, how's that "change" coming along for ya?  Given up "hope" yet?  Have a nice big slice of reality and get back to me.

The What Ifs...

we all have them. What if I had done this instead of that...blah, blah, blah.

The what ifs are really bugging me right now. This week we take the oldest screamer to the ENT to get a second opinion/final diagnosis. I don't even know yet if the hearing loss is genetic or birth trauma...but I have a sinking feeling it's the latter. His entrance into this world was wild and quick....once the doctor got there and the nurse stopped pushing him BACK IN....that's right, you read that right. Ten minutes of my body trying to push him out with the nurse pushing him back in. So I'm left to wonder, exactly what the f**k she was thinking...just catch, that's all you had to do...catch.

Anyway, you can see (I hope) why the what ifs are bugging me. What if I had just gone with my initial reaction and kicked the b***h in the face and delivered the boy myself? What if the doc had taken longer to get there? If it isn't birth trauma, what if it's genetic? What if the youngest screamer starts having issues? (I know the answer to the last two...but they run around my brain all the same)

What ifs suck...in more ways than one.

Oh...Really?

~~Warning: the following post is chock full of intense sarcasm and downright snarkiness. No apologies are made for hurt feelings or trite comments.~~

We got our "money's worth" did we?  Whatever VP.

Glad you think so in your bunker hidden beneath...wait, we aren't supposed to know, remember. Open mouth, insert foot Biden...you do that incredibly well. Be sure to say that line again when the estimated 5 million folks currently depending on unemployment get cut off in a few months. We got our money's worth alright...wonder how all those that voted FOR you and the Prez are feeling right about now...wonder how many of them are set to get cut off come June?

This year is shaping up to be a doozy. A big fat wake up call for millions of folks that have been happily floating along in a daze of sublime bullshit. It's not yet too late to do a little something that will help in the lean times to come (maybe a few months), but seriously at this point how many are going to listen...after all, the government will save them. Oops, forgot about Katrina, Ike and Haiti (which really isn't our responsibility but there is that whole damned if you do, damned if you don't thing) already haven't they? Yep, government will save you alright...save you right into non-being. How many less mouths to feed is that now? (I can see them asking one another over their lattes in a bunker filled with everything they themselves need to survive.)

Keep right on believing that folks, keep floating along on your lazy dazy river of bullshit...you are safe, secure and nothing can touch your serene little lives that are wrapped up in bubble wrap. Yep, believe it.

For those that are just waking up...welcome to the real world. You know, the one were a big chunk of us have been living for quite some time now. Paycheck to paycheck sucks...having one doesn't. No credit cards sucks...but no credit card bills doesn't. Take that $$ that you would spend on some new gadget (coming from a self-professed gadget lover whose last purchase of that sort was MONTHS ago...aka the laptop) and buy some long lasting staples (beans, rice, flour, sugar, yeast, etc). Oh, and do try to learn to cook with them...or don't if you feel like having food that you don't know how to use. Or buy a bunch of overprocessed, packaged crap with instructions on the outside of the box then enjoy the chemicals coursing through your ever clogging arteries and veins. Up to you.

Frankly, watching the oncoming train wreck is giving me a migraine. Worse is watching so many that refuse to see what's coming. "More things, must have more useless things" I can practically hear them chanting as they checkout at Big Box store. Go on, go ahead...I give you permission...more things. After all, it is the American consumers' fault that we are still in a slacking economy and the jobless rate is going to stay high. Spend, spend, spend your way out of debt...it obviously works.

This is tiring and disheartening. This watching the ever spiraling swirl as the whole mess circles the drain. We've come so far in the past 100 years, but we are no better off now (as a country/nation/species) because honestly...how many know how to do for themselves (aka grow food, cook food from scratch, survive on the real basics, etc)?

Watching the train/swirl is like watching history repeat in slow motion...you see it coming, you know it's on its way but seriously there is nothing that you as one person can do other than shout "don't you see it" to people who refuse to listen. I feel like a tornado warning siren in a trailer park...letting you know it's there, it's coming but watching as you seek shelter in the worst possible place. Disheartening.

Well...DUH!

That's pretty much all you can say about the last paragraph of this article.  For posterity's sake, I'll post it in italics so you don't have to go look if you don't want (don't ever say I wasn't nice).

Analysts in Moscow think what Mr Putin really wants is a commitment from Washington to only deploy a small-scale missile defence system, that would be effective against Iran and North Korea but would not neutralise Russia's nuclear missile force, he adds.

Well, duh...of course that is what he wants.  Why wouldn't he want that?  Why in the bright blue marble of a world that we live on would Mr. Putin WANT a defense system in place that would neutralize his nuclear missile force.  He wants to be able to use them, effectively...just like we want to use ours effectively.  Why would he not protest?

No, I am not on his side...not in the least.  If we have the capabilities to eliminate a threat, then by all means eliminate it.  I'm just saying...me thinks the Mr. Putin doth protest too much, me thinks his truer intentions will be known way too soon.

At this very moment....

I'm watching something that is more than a little disturbing. I am watching streaming video from NASA as they crash a $79M rocket into the moon...$79M...and that's not really the most disturbing part.

The part that bothers me the most is this: Doesn't the moon affect our planet? Tides, weather? Is it really so vitally important to find water on the moon that you risk screwing up the order of nature and the universe?

I guess so. I hope, beyond hope, that they find what they want without too much damage....but I won't be holding my breath. It could take weeks, months, years to truly see the effects of this little science experiment...disturbing.

Edit to add: Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize

Seriously!? For? Lousy explaination for reasoning in my opinion...it's all based on what he wants to do, not what he's actually done. Again....disturbing.

OMG....

a familiar online/text term...but I'm not using it "that" way tonight. Tonight, OMG stands for Oh My Gallbladder!!

Attack of the great green bile producer! I've been under attack for a few days now, got so bad that at one point I was convinced I was having a heart attack...oy. No, I didn't run to the ER, no insurance would have racked up some serious bills. Besides, it was all brought on by stress over money (I know, I shouldn't stress over paper). Slowly getting better now, at least I can do more than roll on the floor in pain. The liquid diet I've been on has done wonders with the weight loss...7lbs in two days. Not really the way you want it to go, but hey.

All of this of course got me to thinking...what if? Sure my herbals were great help in mixing up some nice teas and muscle relaxing baths, but I had to actually hunt down info on what was going on....online. Of course, WebMD scared the bejesus outta me because it kept popping up with aortic dissection (it's scary, look it up) but never once mentioned gallbladder. That took a little prompting from Mom and Grandma. So now I'm looking at books that are good to have on hand for matching symptoms with issues (taking suggestions, btw). I know, I know...there's the internet, but please let's be honest...do you really, honestly think it's going to last forever? Yeah, me neither.

Off to drink some more tea and maybe, just maybe, eat some crackers.

Alas...

Time to be the DT again (see lovely bannerish thingie to the right, just below the blogroll sections) or if you rather “political dissident”.

Like a lot of you, I’ve been following the goings on overseas. Kind of frightening if you sit and think on these things a little too long. Iran, North Korea, Israel…it’s ugly and things haven’t even hit the boiling point yet. There is a part of me that says “step away from the arena and don’t get involved” but we all know that won’t happen. Noses will be poked in and likely put out of joint. Then something will be said/done that will cause a massive brouhaha up on the Hill and once again we (US) will be trying to play savior or referee in a pissing match.

All of this will of course set off the rest of the world. With the “where do they get off” and the “can’t just tend to their own business” lines being thrown around (sometimes I do agree, btw). But you know as well as I do that IF the US did not poke a nose in or make an effort that there would be the “how could they not” and “self-center, self-absorbed” crap being said. It’s a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation. These things just piss me off.

The mom in me wants to dig a hole to hide the screamers in, but we all know that it’s pretty much useless to try to do that. The dissident in me is screaming at the top of her lungs to let them burn, also useless. The realist in me sees that history is about to repeat itself yet again. We now have my generation’s Vietnam with Iraq, we’ll soon be witnessing a new style French revolution in Iran if things keep going the way they are and as for the US…hello, you know this man…once he was called Hitler and made lots of changes to the German government “for the good of the people”.

I was watching one of my favorite movies last night, The Fifth Element, and I have to agree with Leelu…there isn’t much, on the surface, about mankind that is worth saving. It is unfortunate that after all these millennia, we have still failed to learn to live with one another without constantly trying to tear one another apart over things like skin pigmentation, belief or disbelief in a certain religious entity, land…the list goes on and on and everyday gets longer. I’m not saying life on Earth should be living in one giant utopia, just that perhaps the governments of the world should take this dissident mother’s mantra in parenting to heart….Pick Your Battles.

Breathe...

it's safe now, we can all breathe a sigh of relief. I know you were all waiting on tenderhooks to see if I could pull off finding lodging on the cheap...well, I did. (bwahahahahaha)

Finalizing details with arrival and such tomorrow, but as of right now I gots me a nice little pad in a finished basement. Complete with fridge, microwave, bed, shower AND it's close to all the transit I could want or need.

Yep, I'm one resourceful chick. Eat your hearts out, lol.

So in just a little over a week and a half I'll be dropping onto Texas soil for a brief (VERY brief) visit, then onward to Oregon (go west, young...er...well, go west). Any Portlanders dropping by feel free to point me in the direction of a good coffee house (nyuk, nyuk).

HJ, Cyg...I'll wave at ya from the airport...I promise!

Now back to our not-so-regular schedule (schedule said like the British with the whole funky ssshhced thing).

Are ya freakin' over the whole swine flu thing like the WHO? Just wondering...I don't really have an opinion on it yet, too early...but I tend to err on the side of "we ain't seen nothing yet" just cause I know that the numbers are probably higher than they even think/know/guess...not everyone goes running to the doctor when they start getting sick, some can't afford it (ME!!) and some have a massive fear of doctors. Should be interesting, non?, to see how this plays out...containment is a goner, too late...prevention, fat chance because this puppy is new and a mutant (not the hot kind like Wolverine or Cyclops either). Just gonna keep an eye on this one, 'bout all one can do at this point.

Well, that's it for the night folks...gotta pull the bread out of the oven and spend a little time sippin' some ginger tea (just about have this cold licked). Catch ya tomorrow...maybe!

Unthinkable...

I have done the unthinkable. No, not picked up and walked away from the mess around here (I did say unthinkable, that's always a thought)...I took the oldest screamer to 'Kindergarten Roundup' tonight AT HIS REQUEST.

Yes, I realize he is five. Yes, I realize what I have done. He's not registered yet...there is the 'placement' test first. No worries there, my boy will blow them out of the water. He did tonight. Not to brag at all...it's the truth. He left several aides and two teachers with their mouths hanging open when he A.) gave them the complete playground rules before they asked B.) spelled his name for them without a pause C.) colored a very colorful version of Sponge Bob, then wrote out the word Sponge Bob as I spelled it to him and told them that he dreams in color so his Sponge Bob is colorful and not just yellow (gotta love 5 yr old logic).

The kid is a sponge (like most start out being) and got it into his stubborn little head (thank you Mom...intense sarcasm there) that he NEEDED to go to "school in a building"...I said fine, knowing full well that the first time the school tries to tell me he is too hyper that's the end. I will jerk his not hyper butt out of there so fast their bobble heads will pop right off. He is five...that is what five year olds do...get crazy, play, pretend, talk, not pay attention, etc.

I'm disgusted by two things already...well one really but it's two things about that one thing that drive me batty.

"Recess" (and I use that term VERY loosely) is two 15 minutes sessions. Two 15 minute sessions. I'll repeat that once more for those that skipped the first two times or simply can't believe what they read...two 15 minute sessions. One in the morning, one in the afternoon. Oh, did I mention that this is an all day kind of thing? Yeah...what happened to half days?

Anyway, in these two 15 minute sessions the boy and his classmates will either play outside on a playground OR play in the gym with weather demands. During these two 15 minute sessions there will be approximately 100 (see that? 100) children supervised by 2 teachers. 2 teachers. I will not repeat that since it makes my stomach twist. It should be noted that there are class aides, but I heard no mention of them in the supervisory roll. You can see where my problem lies, right?

My child is the most accident prone creature I have ever in my life met. He had his first set of stitches due to an accident BEFORE he was a year old (did you know that a waxed candle wick can and will pierce and rip skin? I didn't until then). His second Christmas (first walking Christmas) he sported a massive black eye for all the pictures and went by 'Bruiser' for the two weeks that followed. The boy has been to the ER more times in his short 5 years than I've been my entire life. Now, the past two years (almost) have been good, no ER visits since the battery swallowing episode. But still...you have to see why I'm a little iffy about 2 teachers.

Let's not even get into the whole 15 minutes of exercise. Excuse me, you will not be able to contain my child with so little exercise. I really do apologize ahead of time for the trouble it will cause you dear teachers...no, not really. You ask for it when you ask a five year old to sit in a chair and be a worker ant. Newsflash: You have your work cut out for you if you intend to crush that kid. He won't be crushed, his Momma won't let you drug him...you, my friends, are SOL. Good luck trying to make him fit the mold. I can't even get him to write his alphabet in order...the letters are all there, just scattered all over the page like a giant find-a-word puzzle.

I've had this child with me for five (LONG) years...I'm sorry that he wants to go, but I won't deny him the opportunity to see. I don't have it in me. He's so different from his little brother that it is night and day. The youngest will probably never ask to go, but I won't tell him no either should he want to. The oldest has always rushed into life headlong heedless of direction...he is a true force of nature that will not be denied.

So it is with great sadness (and a fake smile, as exampled tonight) that I relinquish my oldest child to these people. These people that will not enjoy the wonder in his eyes when he learns something new, not the way that I do. These people that will try to make him be something he isn't. I know that I can say NO. But I take the blame in saying yes...and hold out hope that he hates it, though I know he won't. I take comfort in knowing that I am giving him an opportunity (for what I don't know yet) and that it's only until December (one way or another).

(It should be noted that the spousal unit is incredibly torn up about this. He is scared for the fearless one. I'm not so scared as disappointed that he wants to go...after all he didn't get the idea from me.)

Can this be an "I told you so"?

Not in so many words, as I really didn't do a direct say of "He will take over the auto industry", but well....I told you so. Call it what you want: socialism, facism, corporatism, communism, etc. It's here.

Please tell me you've read some of these today, at least the headlines.

From the WSJ...'Detroit's Fate Sealed': "They also set a deadline -- one month for Chrysler, two months for GM -- after which the government might force a bankruptcy restructuring of both companies and break up two of America's business icons."


An excellent entry over at Powerline: "Unfortunately, however, today's power grab is only one of several fronts on which President Obama appears determined to extend the long arm of government into American business, and American life generally. How far he will succeed in doing so, and at what point the American people will rebel, are shaping up as the key questions to be answered over the coming months and years."

And the coups de gras for me (Dad is a GM retiree, btw) also from th WSJ: "But the union leader who represents GM workers warned if the auto makers step back from their obligations to retired workers, the remaining cost of their health care will not simply go away. "Someone is going to have to pay for health care," Mr. Jordan said. "If it's not the companies, it's going to be the taxpayers in some way, shape or form." (probably the most honest quote I've heard from a Union guy in a long time)

I really don't have much else to say on this other than: If you've hanging out on the fence trying to decide whether or not this nutty chick has a point behind all of the "stock up and be ready" talk, this should really honestly be the tiny push you need to fall on over to the darkside with me. The banks are falling in line somewhat quietly, the veterans are looking at being screwed even harder, the economy is slowly (not as slowly as before though) folding like an origami swan and now...now the most public move at control has been made. Come on over, there is a whole network of us ready to hold your hand and show you the way...plus, we have cookies.

Feeling Contraversial Today

so I'm going get opinionated on ya! Likely you won't like some of it, but tough...it's my blog after all (seems I've said that before). I'll link ya to the article, you go look at it if you want, then I'll drop my bomb of an opinion on ya.

Really? Really? I can support this to a point...make the 17 year olds (and under) get a prescription. Seriously. Make them HAVE to go to their parents/doctors/guardians that way the 'adults' have to pay attention to the situation. Will it stop teen pregnancy? Uh, no...have you MET a teenager? Massive bundles of hormones, if you can't remember what it was like. Sex on the brain, hormones rushing through the body, mind unaccustomed to rational thought, no concept of consequences...remember? Now, I'm not saying that bringing in the 'adults' will stop them from having sex, but if the 'adults' would actually pay attention (not likely) to what is going on and the fact that the 'child' is asking for the morning after pill...well, maybe a bell will go off somewhere with a few 'adults' and they will have a real conversation with their 'child' about sex, responsibility and repercussions. I know, wishful thinking.

(Oh, let's not get into the 'moral' discussion on the whole plan B thing...your morals and mine are likely to be at massive odds and I must limit my logical arguments to Thursdays only...we can pick it up then if you REALLY want to.)


And now on to this...Scary. Simply scary...not really much else to say since we all know that I'm not a fan of total government control. And this is control in the most public sense of the word...yeah, glad the actual bank account is sitting at nada right now.

Finally, this...not that I'm a big fan of spending money you don't have, but really...with ALL the technology we have and ALL the volcanoes/fault lines/general earth science coolness out there to be studied...why did this moron even gripe? Oh, I see...it's Bobby Jindal.

Comment away...I'll be here all day...may not answer ya, but I'll be here for the laughs all the same!!

Visions...

of the future...just a short post for now, with linkage. Read it, mull it over...for many this could be the future...for many it is now.

Gives a whole new meaning to my favorite phrase of 'have tent, will travel'...doesn't it?

Go read it. Now.

Then go double check the preps, finances and your BO plans and gear.

Someday...

I will share with you all the BEFORE pictures of this 'get in shape' adventure I'm on. Not until I'm happy with the AFTER pictures though...gimme until just before the May hike, k?

Let's just say...they ain't purty and I can't believe that my used to be a hot mama self got into this kinda shape. Ugh!

But I'm doing things the right way folks, I love food too much to starve myself with one of those crazy fad diet thingies. It's all about portion control and sayin' bye-bye (for the most part) to all those fried things I was living off of. Don't get me wrong...I still love me some fried chicken (really, who doesn't?) but now it's not every week.

Instead, I've been chowing down on Cajun chicken dippers and experimenting with less butter (except on the baked potato...drown it please) and fats. Let's just say that the stores will stretch even longer on this type of eating routine than they would if I hadn't had a mental/physical breakdown and decided it was 'time for a change'...bwahahahaha!

So what was once a six month store of goodies is now well over ten, if my figuring is right. Not to shabby, I didn't spend any more precious paper on expanding it...just changed the way I looked at food in general. The change does leave me at a bit of a loss in the fresh veggie department though. Having no real place of our own to grow them has set me to looking at container gardening on the upper deck.

Problem there is no sun except in the afternoon, then it's just a few hours. I'll have to put tomatoes on the lower porch, where the creatures can get to them...ugh. Then again, if Mom plants a gajillion of them again this year, I won't have to worry about tomatoes. She will, so I'll skip that. Guess I'll drive the landlord batty with cukes, eggplants and spinach in window boxes then! 'Course, this is all moot if the spouse re-enlists before June...now isn't it.

See, can't win for nothing. Guess I'll spend tonight rethinking the veggies and checking out my new Baker Creek catalog for something quick growing that doesn't ask for much.