Are any of you missing two peacocks? We think they are young male, no tail feathers yet.
They showed up at my house (farm) yesterday morning and act like this is their home now. We got a sheep once when a herd passed by, but I didn't notice a herd of peacock passing lately. Geese migrate every fall, but it isn't fall and I haven't noticed any flocks of peacocks overhead. No groups of wild peacocks roaming the parts lately that I recall. We sometimes end up with hunting dogs during hunting season, but it isn't hunting season, so I doubt they are hunting peacocks.
We are thinking that someone just dropped them off here, thinking they were puppies or kittens, like we usually get that way. If you hear anything, let me know. Mary
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Jerky
I'm the enrichment leader in our ward and as usually, I've made a mountain out of a mole hill. We started losing our connections with one another and felt like we needed to meet together as a whole on a regular basis. So we have a once a month get together.
This month we are doing canning, food preservation, etc.
I volunteered to do beef jerky and fruit leather. (I never really do them, they just sounded like the easiest assignment....wrong).
I called the butcher and got him to slice two roasts for jerky. Never asked the price, the slicing was free, but I ended up with $25 worth of skinny meat. I have a microwave, 2 hour and 12 hour versions.
I may let you know later how everything goes.
This month we are doing canning, food preservation, etc.
I volunteered to do beef jerky and fruit leather. (I never really do them, they just sounded like the easiest assignment....wrong).
I called the butcher and got him to slice two roasts for jerky. Never asked the price, the slicing was free, but I ended up with $25 worth of skinny meat. I have a microwave, 2 hour and 12 hour versions.
I may let you know later how everything goes.
Trees drink from the toilet
I really, really like trees, but they shouldn't drink from the toilet; that's for the dogs and cats. It's not like the trees come through the window then bow down and take a sip or a long nice draw. They've mastered a lazy way of doing it, staying right in place. They just send their little roots out, find a tiny crack for their tiny root then make their way up through the toilet. Those tiny little roots multiply, get bigger and eventually take over the whole place, making it rather unpleasant when you try to use the toilet for its traditional, maybe even original purpose.
Happened to us a couple of years ago in our basement twa - lay.(makes things not so urgent to take care of until things get way out of hand.)
Called the plumber who came over, reamed the pipe out then put something right into the system to kill the little intruders for a year.
A few weeks ago, a plumber man came to our house to do a yearly update of putting the "stuff" in.
Same company, different guy. Said he couldn't put it into the basement toilet, couldn't get to right plumbing, yada, yada, yada. Ended up in the main bathroom. Turned off the water supply, vacuumed out the water (would never have thought that one up on my own!) then dumped the stuff in. It bubbled up with a vengeance over the top, all over the floor. He drizzled a bit of water in to control the stuff....it didn't work. Then I taught him a trick I learned from my mother-in-law-whose-toilet-never-worked-right. Dump a whole bucket in at once. He tried it and VOILA! it worked. A Couple more times of that and we were in business........ to the tune of over $200 just to dump stuff in the toilet (should have charged HIM for the new trick I taught him) ......
OH, and the plumber guy told us when he was done that we couldn't use any of the water in the house for 2 hours!!!!! We had company! We were going somewhere! What even happened to fair warning?
.........until my husband came home and told me that the stuff would end up in the septic system where we didn't have roots and miss the toilet system which did.
On top of that, because of extremely hard water, our toilet water supply line was now leaking all over the floor, into the basement and threatening to mess up some electric wiring.
Then we started smelling smoke. The boys slept upstairs for a few nights, the hard water eventually sealed off the leaks again, we replaced the valve anyway. I got the clean up a lot of floors and wash a lot of ickly towels, we got to righteously use a few cuss-type words (any word used with the right intonation and decibel level is a cuss-like word.)
'Nuf said. We are back to happy flushing.
PS Please forgive the broken thought lines....I think they are normal, but not everyone does.
Happened to us a couple of years ago in our basement twa - lay.(makes things not so urgent to take care of until things get way out of hand.)
Called the plumber who came over, reamed the pipe out then put something right into the system to kill the little intruders for a year.
A few weeks ago, a plumber man came to our house to do a yearly update of putting the "stuff" in.
Same company, different guy. Said he couldn't put it into the basement toilet, couldn't get to right plumbing, yada, yada, yada. Ended up in the main bathroom. Turned off the water supply, vacuumed out the water (would never have thought that one up on my own!) then dumped the stuff in. It bubbled up with a vengeance over the top, all over the floor. He drizzled a bit of water in to control the stuff....it didn't work. Then I taught him a trick I learned from my mother-in-law-whose-toilet-never-worked-right. Dump a whole bucket in at once. He tried it and VOILA! it worked. A Couple more times of that and we were in business........ to the tune of over $200 just to dump stuff in the toilet (should have charged HIM for the new trick I taught him) ......
OH, and the plumber guy told us when he was done that we couldn't use any of the water in the house for 2 hours!!!!! We had company! We were going somewhere! What even happened to fair warning?
.........until my husband came home and told me that the stuff would end up in the septic system where we didn't have roots and miss the toilet system which did.
On top of that, because of extremely hard water, our toilet water supply line was now leaking all over the floor, into the basement and threatening to mess up some electric wiring.
Then we started smelling smoke. The boys slept upstairs for a few nights, the hard water eventually sealed off the leaks again, we replaced the valve anyway. I got the clean up a lot of floors and wash a lot of ickly towels, we got to righteously use a few cuss-type words (any word used with the right intonation and decibel level is a cuss-like word.)
'Nuf said. We are back to happy flushing.
PS Please forgive the broken thought lines....I think they are normal, but not everyone does.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
This blog is a repeat of an earlier one. I switched dates on two books I was reviewing and ended up doing this one early. So once again, here it is.
Preparedness Principles book review
Preparedness Principles
Trade Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Cedar Fort Inc. (August 1, 2006)
ISBN-10: 0882908065
ISBN-13: 978-0882908069
Amazon.com Sales Rank: #328,423 in Books
Preparedness Principles by Barbara Salsbury is subtitled: The Complete and Personal Preparedness Resource Guide for Any Emergency
True to its name, Preparedness Principles is a comprehensive guide to being prepared for those scary times when things are just not going well, whether because of natural disaster or a challenge such as job loss.
Ms. Salbury draws on her own personal experience to give the reader a practical look at what is important in times of disaster.
Items covered include:
saving for a rainy day
building a pantry system based on buying the family’s favorite foods while on sale.
Emergency heat,
cooking,
first aid,
food storage,
72-hour kit,
water purification,
sheltering in place,
natural disaster
and much more.
A 16- subject appendix in the back has instructions as diverse as making newspaper logs, filling an oil lamp and preparing for terrorism. Specific natural disasters are also presented in the appendix section.
.If a person could have only one book on preparedness, this would be the book. Because of its wide scope of subjects and practical nature, the reader could feel confident that he could find the help he needed within these pages. The information was not limited to major natural disasters, but gave advice to cover personal disasters and every day emergencies.
One of the more practical sections for preparedness that translates well into every day living even when there is no disaster is the Pantry Principle chapter. Many home storage systems require large investments of time and money, often put into food items that becomes old or never meets the family’s tastes and preferences. The Pantry Principle introduced in Chapter Fourteen is based on “Stocking up when the price is right on all the food and non-food items you use on a regular basis... The Pantry Principle is not just food storage. It is much more than that. It is an effective money-management program that also enables you to be prepared for almost any emergency situation that could arise. It provides a personal buffer against outside forces (economic, political, natural and so on.)”
Although snippets of disaster experiences were sometimes included, it would have been nice to have a few more in depth accounts of real life disasters to give the reader more than a gentle nudge to get his own house in order and make preparations for his family’s security and well being.
While the retail price is fairly steep at $26.99, Preparedness Principles has enough information to fill several books. With so much useful, practical information, it is actually a bargain.
I would recommend this book to every family who wants to be prepared for the rainy days in life. Isn't that all of us?
Author's Interview
Barbara Salsbury was kind enough to answer some personal questions for me.
Mary: This book came out two years ago. Why are you promoting it now?
Barbara: Ironically the very week this book went to press my husband was diagnosed with malignant cancer. The last several years have been an unbelievable roller coaster ride. I am just now joining the land of livng and trying to function as an author. Miracle of miracles and many blessings later and one year out from horrendous surgery Larry has survived.
Mary: Why do you think a book of this type is appropriate today?
Barbara: All one has to do is to read the newspapers or watch the nightly news to immediately realize that there is a dire need for many kinds of preparedness; dealing with Mother Nature as well as the unruly economy.
Mary: You speak from experience. What disasters have you weathered? > Which was the hardest one and why?
Barbara: I grew up in the tornado country of Ohio, along with the severe thunderstorms that are constantly there, but probably the worst and most frightening was the 7.2 Loma Prieta earthquake. We lived 10 miles from the epicenter and our house was trashed - still standing but trashed. When it hit I was home alone in my office. It was devastating to the soul as well as to the houses, etc. Emotionally it was a very trying experience even though we were prepared with lots of "supplies".
Mary: We have been talking about disasters for years. Do you think that people are more aware today than 30 years ago or less?
Do you think people are more likely or less likely to be prepared
today than they were 20 (or 30) years ago?
Barbara: People may be more aware because of the media, but I feel that we still have to feed them doses of reality and enthusiasm to encourage them to realize that they can be prepared to take care of themselves - even a little bit at a time. I also feel that so many "preachers" of preparedness have taught hell fire and brimstone along with doomsday and the end of the world that some think they don't want to hear about it from a practical point of view.
Mary: How prepared for disasters, natural and personal, do you think that people actually are today?
Barbara: For the most part I would suggest that there are not a great number who are sufficiently able to take care of themselves for more than a day or so. we are conditioned that the supermarket on the corner will always be open 24/7.
Barbara: What do you think the single most important thing we can do to get
prepared for an emergency? Why?
Probably the most important thing is to acknowledge that there is really a need and that the government, whether city, state or the Red Cross is not going to rescue us as individuals or families. Once that recognition is established then the acceptance and actions of personal responsibility will set in.
This is especially true if people realize that it can be a fun challenge and that it can be accomplished. They just have to remember the chocolate :]>
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About Me
- Mary
- I'm a city girl (OK, I'm really a small town girl) who moved to the farm and have only partially adjusted. I miss people, stores and cleanliness.
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Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Caught in the Headlights book review
Caught in the Headlights
Trade Paperback: 116 pages
Publisher: Cedar Fort (June 2008)
ISBN-10: 1599551675
ISBN-13: 978-1599551678
Website: www.barrykphillips.com
Purchase book here
When I agreed to review “Caught in the Headlights” by Barry K. Phillips, I was expecting (and hoping for) a scathing political satire. Sadly, I was disappointed. It was not a scathing political satire at all. Happily, it was something more. I think I would classify it as a “self-examination” book of lessons to be learned in life and suggestions on how to learn them.
Subtitled: “10 Lessons Learned the Hard Way,” Caught in the Headlights covers the topics of happiness, self-esteem, pride, freedom, control, tolerance, forgiveness, success, the big event and the perfect body.
Each chapter begins with a satirical t cartoon (done by the author himself) with captions that are snappy and display a tight grasp on human nature. Examples and lessons follow and a poem by the author ends each chapter. Mr. Phillips great poetic strength lies in the messages he imparts.
Mr. Phillips uses sarcasm and self-deprecating examples to point out to the reader that when he thinks he is seeking happiness, he is really only seeking inner peace. Or that self-esteem does not come from compliments, but rather from competence.
My favorite chapter is about tolerance. My father once told me “Don’t be so open minded your brains fall out.” Mr. Phillips takes the same approach in his view of tolerance.
“One of the unspoken truths is that people who want tolerance do not really want tolerance. They may start out that way, but they quickly move from wanting tolerance to wanting acceptance, then endorsement, and finally domination.” ... “I think that being tolerant is a good thing, but it does not mean I have to agree with everything and everyone.” The lesson for this chapter was “Tolerance does not mean we can’t have an informed opinion. There are values worth defending.” This chapter is filled with a lot of other really good stuff and like the rest of this book, much of it isn’t even politically correct. Bravo! It's about time someone called it like it is.
Mr. Phillips was kind enough to answer some of my questions.
Authors Interview
Mary: What inspired you to choose to write this type of book, or even to
write a book at all?
Barry: Well, I got the confidence to write the book after writing for Glenn Beck's Fusion Magazine. I figured if they liked my stuff enough to use me, I might as well give a full book a shot. I've always wanted to combine my cartooning with writing, and this gave me a chance to do just that. This type of book just suits my personality.
Mary: Your book is not an especially mainstream genre and your publisher,
Cedar Fort, generally plays it safe in the type of books they publish.
What approach did you take in successfully pitching your book to them?
Barry: I really didn't have to pitch too hard, they just seemed to really like the book. Who knew? I think the different approach was interesting to them, because they really didn't do drastic edits like you here horror stories about with most publishers. They were great to work with.
Mary: It sounds like you have had some interesting experiences in your
life that you use as bases for your book. What is the biggest challenge that you have encountered and how did you deal with it? (The biggest you want to share with us.)
Barry: Well, I've run a lot of my own businesses and you can really get wrapped up in that. I'll never forget when my first company went down. I was devastated. The next morning after the whole thing was gone, my wife just looked at me and said, "so what's next?" She didn't mean a new business, but she was committed to our future together. I started to realize what really mattered most... my family and others that I love. Business not longer defined me, it was just a part of what I had to do to keep the family moving. That was a great lesson to learn, and learn before it was too late. I had to remind myself of what was really important and what I wanted to make of myself.
Mary: You have a "Top Ten" list of pursuits. How did you come up with your list?
Barry: I was amazed at how many people have dealt with these same issues, but so many never figure out how to learn the lessons. You know the old adage, "if you keep doing what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got." Breaking the cycle of repeating the same old things is pretty hard to do, so I thought others might benefit from what I've learned. These 10 seemed to be the most common.
Mary: Do you personally know Glenn Beck?
Barry: I have met him and talked with him about some of the things I've written for him, but I wouldn't call us great friends. He's very busy these days. He was kind enough to write the foreword, for which I'm very grateful. And I always get into his shows for free! I'm actually pretty good friends with the original editor of Fusion. He is now a producer for Glenn's TV show.
Mary: Your ten pursuits can be used by a broad range of people, including politicians, I assume. Speaking of politics, which of your 10 pursuits do you think America is having the most trouble with? Do you have a suggestion how to cure that trouble?
Barry: I assume you want a suggestion besides "throw all the bums out!" Frankly, most politicians have really lost touch with what it is like to be you and me. Pride, is a big issue as well as duty. If they truly wanted to do what is best for us, and not for getting and keeping their power at all costs, I suspect we wouldn't have most of the problems we face today in this country, because they'd function by logic, not their political agendas.
Mary: Why did you choose the title, "Caught in the Headlights"?
Barry: Have you ever seen how deer get frozen in their tracks when headlight's hit them? This book is about those "caught in the headlights" moments that I've experienced in my life - moments that I think we all experience - where I've realized I was after the wrong things. The thing is, even if you get those things, you come up wanting. The ten lessons in the book are about very common things that we think we want, but we really don't. "Caught in the headlights" was often how I felt when I finally realized I was on the wrong path and needed to change course.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Preparedness Principles book review
Preparedness Principles
Trade Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Cedar Fort Inc. (August 1, 2006)
ISBN-10: 0882908065
ISBN-13: 978-0882908069
Amazon.com Sales Rank: #328,423 in Books
Preparedness Principles by Barbara Salsbury is subtitled: The Complete and Personal Preparedness Resource Guide for Any Emergency
True to its name, Preparedness Principles is a comprehensive guide to being prepared for those scary times when things are just not going well, whether because of natural disaster or a challenge such as job loss.
Ms. Salbury draws on her own personal experience to give the reader a practical look at what is important in times of disaster.
Items covered include:
saving for a rainy day
building a pantry system based on buying the family’s favorite foods while on sale.
Emergency heat,
cooking,
first aid,
food storage,
72-hour kit,
water purification,
sheltering in place,
natural disaster
and much more.
A 16- subject appendix in the back has instructions as diverse as making newspaper logs, filling an oil lamp and preparing for terrorism. Specific natural disasters are also presented in the appendix section.
.If a person could have only one book on preparedness, this would be the book. Because of its wide scope of subjects and practical nature, the reader could feel confident that he could find the help he needed within these pages. The information was not limited to major natural disasters, but gave advice to cover personal disasters and every day emergencies.
One of the more practical sections for preparedness that translates well into every day living even when there is no disaster is the Pantry Principle chapter. Many home storage systems require large investments of time and money, often put into food items that becomes old or never meets the family’s tastes and preferences. The Pantry Principle introduced in Chapter Fourteen is based on “Stocking up when the price is right on all the food and non-food items you use on a regular basis... The Pantry Principle is not just food storage. It is much more than that. It is an effective money-management program that also enables you to be prepared for almost any emergency situation that could arise. It provides a personal buffer against outside forces (economic, political, natural and so on.)”
Although snippets of disaster experiences were sometimes included, it would have been nice to have a few more in depth accounts of real life disasters to give the reader more than a gentle nudge to get his own house in order and make preparations for his family’s security and well being.
While the retail price is fairly steep at $26.99, Preparedness Principles has enough information to fill several books. With so much useful, practical information, it is actually a bargain.
I would recommend this book to every family who wants to be prepared for the rainy days in life. Isn't that all of us?
Author's Interview
Barbara Salsbury was kind enough to answer some personal questions for me.
Mary: This book came out two years ago. Why are you promoting it now?
Barbara: Ironically the very week this book went to press my husband was diagnosed with malignant cancer. The last several years have been an unbelievable roller coaster ride. I am just now joining the land of livng and trying to function as an author. Miracle of miracles and many blessings later and one year out from horrendous surgery Larry has survived.
Mary: Why do you think a book of this type is appropriate today?
Barbara: All one has to do is to read the newspapers or watch the nightly news to immediately realize that there is a dire need for many kinds of preparedness; dealing with Mother Nature as well as the unruly economy.
Mary: You speak from experience. What disasters have you weathered? > Which was the hardest one and why?
Barbara: I grew up in the tornado country of Ohio, along with the severe thunderstorms that are constantly there, but probably the worst and most frightening was the 7.2 Loma Prieta earthquake. We lived 10 miles from the epicenter and our house was trashed - still standing but trashed. When it hit I was home alone in my office. It was devastating to the soul as well as to the houses, etc. Emotionally it was a very trying experience even though we were prepared with lots of "supplies".
Mary: We have been talking about disasters for years. Do you think that people are more aware today than 30 years ago or less?
Do you think people are more likely or less likely to be prepared
today than they were 20 (or 30) years ago?
Barbara: People may be more aware because of the media, but I feel that we still have to feed them doses of reality and enthusiasm to encourage them to realize that they can be prepared to take care of themselves - even a little bit at a time. I also feel that so many "preachers" of preparedness have taught hell fire and brimstone along with doomsday and the end of the world that some think they don't want to hear about it from a practical point of view.
Mary: How prepared for disasters, natural and personal, do you think that people actually are today?
Barbara: For the most part I would suggest that there are not a great number who are sufficiently able to take care of themselves for more than a day or so. we are conditioned that the supermarket on the corner will always be open 24/7.
Barbara: What do you think the single most important thing we can do to get
prepared for an emergency? Why?
Probably the most important thing is to acknowledge that there is really a need and that the government, whether city, state or the Red Cross is not going to rescue us as individuals or families. Once that recognition is established then the acceptance and actions of personal responsibility will set in.
This is especially true if people realize that it can be a fun challenge and that it can be accomplished. They just have to remember the chocolate :]>
Monday, July 7, 2008
This is the second blog for today because the one I actually wrote yesterday vaporized.
I am going to write something different, though.
A few years ago I compiled a book about the history of Lynndyl, a very, very, very small town. Yesterday, two ladies came by to try and buy one of the books. I am out, but I do have CD's of the book. I showed them a copy of my book and they were so excited to find the names of their relatives all through the book. They found a picture of their mother as a young girl and just had to run to the car to show her. The book was a labor of love. It took me thousands of hours of work and I received no pay for it. The excitement and appreciation of people when they read it are my pay.
Right after they left, I mean within 5 or 10 minutes we heard a great big noise coming from outside. All we could do was see dust. When that settled, I called 911. I was afraid it was the ladies who had just left.
Luckily for them and unluckily for the real driver, it was a man going toward Tooele. He had rolled his vehicle several times and had cut his leg and head.
After a bit, we got him back to our front porch when he could sit down and we could check him. Luckily, a nurse was one of the first on the scene.
It was a busy Sunday afternoon.
I am going to write something different, though.
A few years ago I compiled a book about the history of Lynndyl, a very, very, very small town. Yesterday, two ladies came by to try and buy one of the books. I am out, but I do have CD's of the book. I showed them a copy of my book and they were so excited to find the names of their relatives all through the book. They found a picture of their mother as a young girl and just had to run to the car to show her. The book was a labor of love. It took me thousands of hours of work and I received no pay for it. The excitement and appreciation of people when they read it are my pay.
Right after they left, I mean within 5 or 10 minutes we heard a great big noise coming from outside. All we could do was see dust. When that settled, I called 911. I was afraid it was the ladies who had just left.
Luckily for them and unluckily for the real driver, it was a man going toward Tooele. He had rolled his vehicle several times and had cut his leg and head.
After a bit, we got him back to our front porch when he could sit down and we could check him. Luckily, a nurse was one of the first on the scene.
It was a busy Sunday afternoon.
Yesterday, Sunday, we stood and sang the Star-Spangled Banner in Primary. Actually, I got to sit because they don't require the piano player to stand. Anyway, we handed out copies of the song to all of the older children and proceeded to sing all three verses. I wish would we do that more often. I think the third verse is awesome. I am going to put it here for your enjoyment.
Oh, thus be it ever, when free men shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation!
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserved us a nation1
Oh, thus be it ever, when free men shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation!
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserved us a nation1
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8 comments:
Great review and interview, Mary. I take a look at the world today and realize that there is so much uncertainty facing people today whether it be job losses, extended illness or disease, disaster or war . . . it seems most of the world is facing one of the situations. Preparedness Principles has been a wonderful guide for me.
Mary,
I have this book as well, and after reading it, I'm considering buying a stack of them for Christmas gifts.
Every family needs one.
Great interview.
Nichole
Thanks for the review! Loved seeing you guys. Annika has been waving to anyone and everyone who will look at her, but I think she's disappointed that no one's attention span is as long as her grandparents'!
Mary,
Loved the review and interview. The more I read about this book, the more I realize I need to buy it.
And as Nichole said, it would make a great gift.
Mary,
Great review. My wife and I have been talking a lot about this very subject. Reading your review has been very timely. I'll be purchasing this book in the very near future.
Thanks for sharing!
Randy
Great review, thank you for the insight.
Nice Mary.
I hadn't heard about this book.
I guess I need to get out more right?
It really sounds interesting. Putting it on my 'up north' list.
Hope I can find it at Barnes and Noble. Thanks
Eva
Thanks so much Mary. I appreciate you taking the time to review the book. It is so nice to know that it can be really helpful to people. Yes, itis big, but you can read it a bite at a time or come back again and again. barbara
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