Singing in the Rain

Finally, the heat is out of the triple digits and into the high doubles. It's also hurricane season which means rain and my Angel Trumpet Tree is lovin' it!

Cobblestone lined River Street in
Savannah, Georgia.

Pigeons walk everywhere people walk, including in the road. Pedestrians shoo them out of harm's way.

The riverfront is always docked with the yachts of world travelers and the dumpy yet tough tug boats are kept busy keeping the huge transport ships in line.

Even if Global Warming is Not an Urgent Threat

I still think it is a good thing to take care of what I have. There is nothing to lose by being pro-actively grateful. I will be a good steward of Gods Green Earth aka elle's Green Earth and all of it's motivating bounty.

I will not waste water.
I will not litter.
I will plant trees and shrubs and flowers beneficial to my area.
I will recycle more often.
I will try to remember to use my cloth bags for shopping.


to be continued....
...I will turn the TV off before I fall asleep.

A Day at the Lake

A day on the lake is better than a day anywhere else.

The Beautiful Day

The Lake of Dreams

The Vulture That Ate the Turtle

The beauty of the lake pictures at the bottom of this blog are forever etched in my memory.
So are the pictures I took of the vulture up on the bank eating a turtle.

We were riding around enjoying the day and suddenly the scent of death was strong in the air. Slowly we came around the corner of the next cove and we saw them. One upright and alive, one on it's back going through the ultimate vulnerability. I was enthralled in a grisly sort of way.

The food chain on display and I have a camera.

The comparison is surreal. The beauty of the picture below was taken not 100 yards away from the vulture and the turtle.

Click on photos for larger images.

The World Will Keep Spinning Until it Stops

I used to worry about gravity. I could imagine it breaking or malfunctioning for just a moment like the lights flickering off and back on quickly. Just long enough to create chaos (or a rapture...jk).

I decided to stop worrying about gravity. Now I worry about meteors and comet garbage and black holes.

I grew up being told that the black holes are like giant vacum cleaners, get too close and it is all over.

Maybe the black holes are the vultures of outer space. They clean up the place.

Wearing Organically Grown Cotton PJ's to the Dentist

I'm gonna wear my new organic cotton pajamas to the dentist tomorrow. They look like sweats so it's okay. I'll be comfy and when I get home I can just get in bed!

Organic cotton. It's so neat that clothes are made from a plant though I'm not sure how important organic clothing is. I guess not using chemicals on the plant helps the surrounding environment also.

I just looked it up online and one of the catch phrases is, "organic production systems have a low impact on the environment".

So basically I'm helping the environment by wearing soft, comfy clothes!!! I'm glad to do my part!

The Cemetary Telemarketer

The newest marketing approach for cemetery plot sales. They offered to give me one plot free and clear. No catch, no fine print. I'm barely listening at this point and then, the spiel, the hook, the piece De la resistance!

It will help them sale more plots if people see my free one being "used". HUH? Yes, that's right, verbatim. They (family or friend) will see your new "residence" and will want to buy and move in themselves. Yeah right. Let's all move into the new neighborhood. (my paraphrase)

Bury her and they will come.

I wonder why she called me? Hopefully, there would be a very long wait before I would be moving in.

How is this related to my Green Earth?
Because I'm still walking on it!!!

Using the Sun's Energy to Dry Clothes on A Wooden Rack

I put a thick, just washed and very wet bathroom rug on my dusty, unused for a long time, wooden dryer rack and put it on the back deck, in the Southern, three digit air. It dried quickly and looked whiter than usual, even when bleached.

That rug would normally take at least 30-40 minutes to machine dry and a lot of times I just drape it over any surface I can find so I don't have to put it in the dryer with other items or by its self.

The sun dryed it as well as the dryer plus I've read that the sun's rays will kill bacteria which is a good thing. I don't like ickies.

Hybrid Car verses Any Old Car

I was thinking about the hybrids and how much energy they save with regard to natural resources and then I started wondering about buying used cars and how much energy they save with regard to "recycling".

No energy is used to make another new car.

Will the hybrid save as much energy as the used or recycled car? One saves natural resources by using less of them and the other one also saves natural resources by using less of them. But, which one saves the most energy in the long term? Because it's the long term that determines what needs to be done now to help save our Green Earth.

Tips for Making Due With Less Without Feeling the Loss

1. Use water to dilute liquid cleansing products such as laundry detergent, dish washing liquid, even shampoo. They will last longer which saves money and there is less waste. They will also liquefy more easily.

2. Another tip that will save energy and money is to use light bulbs with a lower wattage than 75. Also there is available a light bulb made to use less energy and to last longer than the ordinary bulb.

3. Unplug anything that has a light on it at bedtime. This would be computers, the computer mouse, rechargeables, TV's, satellite or cable boxes.

4. Unplug scented plug ins at bedtime. It will save energy and it will last longer.

The savings in energy and money will add up.

Things with Green

The Green Mile
The Green Green Grass of Home
The Grass is Always Greener on the Other Side of the Fence
Mr. Green Jeans
Soylent Green
Green Eyed Monster
Green Valley
The Green Room
The Green Lantern
Green Peace
Fried Green Tomatoes
Green Day
Green Tea
Green Back
Green Thumb
Green Light
Green With Envy
Green Horn
Greener Pastures
Emerald Green

Tree Hugger Marries Prairie Dog Eradicator

It's true. We are opposites in almost every way and even though we will have been married for 30 years next April we still have our daily struggles in terms of compromise.

For instance, I don't get his love of cartoons and he doesn't get my love of slap stick comedy. I don't get his love of the cops reality shows, he doesn't get my love for the food network (although he appreciates the benefits).

Add to that he is outdoorsy and I can sit still for long periods indoors. He has a green thumb and I have a green blog.

Well, anyway, it can get interesting the ways we try to convince the other to see our side of it all and that the logical thing to do is to do it my way.

Parrot Speak

I've been trying to teach my parrot to make monkey sounds and I've also been calling him monkey so when I walked by his cage on my way to the laundry room and he called out to me,"Hey monkey" it shouldn't have surprised me but it did. I was almost as excited as a mother hearing her child say a new word.
After he said it he made the "oohoohooh" monkey sounds to go with it. They are so good at mimicry.

I like calling him monkey and he likes the attention.

My husband is afraid it'll confuse him. I say he'll be fine. It may even be good for him because he thinks he is the master of the universe so maybe calling him monkey will keep him humble.

Getting Used to the Threats of Terror

I feel grieved that hearing news of threats and chatterings of threats are becoming such a common occurrence that the horror of it is being downgraded to "just another unsubstantiated threat we have to look into" kind of news story.

My country feels so infiltrated by people who do not have our best interests at heart that I hesitate sometimes when I'm walking through an airport or walking down a busy street. What if that news report is true and there really is a truck driving around with radioactive material?

I've been forced to learn a new lingo because of the increased terrorism in my homeland. Terms like: homeland security, internet chattering, terror alert status. I've had to memorize which alert status means what and which color goes with which alert and what I'm supposed to do or feel with each one.

I've had to pay closer attention to the news, national and local when I'm traveling to check for the most recent updates on airport security and what I can and cannot pack and if I need to arrive more than 3 hours early because some terrorist decided today it would be fun to make me wait or rush or be afraid.



It's always something.

To Water or Not to Water? That is the Question.

It's 104. It's VERY hot. How hot is it? It's so hot that my son said he preferred the heat of the desert in Nevada to the heat here in the Atlantic Southeast. It's the humidity. I'd rather have trees than dust devils. But that's just me.

I've heard of people's water bills being four times higher than mine because they are watering the lawn. I know green looks better than brown but aren't earthlings supposed to be conserving our natural resources?

And, it's not only about looks. The green green grass of home is pretty but is it beneficial in other ways too? Does it shelter hidden to us insects and other creepy crawlers that would suffer without the green shade and creating an environmental change for the worse? Does it really matter that much?

Is it survival of the fittest and let the best man or bug win? Mother Nature wins by default and whoever survives with her is still driven by her. Look at Katrina or Hugo. There has always been drought and hurricanes. There is no answer for that except for controlling what is under our control.

I vote for brown and wish the critters well.

Steroid Enhanced Little Leaguers?

The news isn't good. Parents supposedly giving their young ones illegal hormones so they can be the star?
Children cannot make this kind of decision and it's scary that adults can't either. This news really got me down. It's not about the hard anymore. It's about the unearned glory. It's fake and it is unhealthy.

How can you make the playing field level if the rules are not the same or enforced for everyone on the team? Any team?
Weekly testing? On their own nickel? Maybe.

How fair is it to the rule followers to have to pay to get poked to prove they are not users?
It's been said that steroid users are willing to accept the health risks for the glory.

No one asked me but if they did, I would vote against having lots of drug controlled super stars and settle for one or two natural stars with plenty of in-between talent.

The New Cold War?

Apparantly I'm a day late in hearing about Russia putting their flag on the ocean floor at the North Pole/Arctic Circle.

Do you think it's a small step for mankind and one giant leap for Russia?
All for oil?
The race is on.
But, I thought we were on the same team since we're on the same globe!?
How does global warming come into play here?

Frugal and a Little Green

I use a swiffer sweeper to dry and wet mop using the strong, blue shop paper towels. They are much less expensive than buying the wet/dry cloths made for the sweeper and I can use any cleaner I want.
Saves money and time.

Click here: Swiffer Sweeper is Swift - Associated Content

The Perfect Response to a Telemarketer

I've been searching a long time for the most efficient and polite response to the telemarketers that still call my "do not call" number. I suppose there are hidden loopholes in marketing fine print that I cannot do without due to the business nature of my life. Dealing with credit cards, online sites , etc.., Even with privacy policies in place there is usually the excuse/explanation of sharing my "life" with businesses that claim I fall into their demographics or I'm told I would be interested in them for the same reason.

Anyway, since they will still call, yep, you plug it in and they will call, I've decided to try being polite but firm instead of hanging up (which I've done) or listening to their spiel (which hubby has done).
And so, without further ado, here it is...

"We do not like to do business on the phone."

That's it. And, it worked beautifully the first time I used it. Which was today.
I wonder if it will always work?

My List of Childhood Phrases and Songs/Nice and Naughty

Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers!
Nanananana!
Crybaby!
You and Me, sittin' in a tree/k-i-s-s-i-n-g!
Sore Loser!
Don't Look at Me!
Knick Knack Paddy Whack.
B-I-N-G-O.
I see London, I see France, I see teacher's underpants!

I'm Teaching My Parrot to Speak Monkey

I say,"ooh ooh ooh ooh, ahh ahh ahh ahh", until he learns to say it and then I added to that ,"Hey Monkey!" and now when I say, "Hey Monkey!" he says, "ooh ooh ooh ooh". He has not learned the,"ahh ahh ahh" yet but he will.

My parrot's name is Alex and I've always thought his name perhaps has put too much pressure on him and on us because he is named for a famous parrot of the same species and that Alex can do many tricks and say many words and phrases. When I give our parrot a nickname it feels more fun and relaxed. No burden of proof is on anyone to meet unspoken expectations. And, even though our Alex is very well spoken, he is uptight as most of his species are and anything that relaxes us and him is a good thing.

He seems to enjoy the hollow,echoing sounds of the "ooh", maybe it reminds him of the sounds of the green jungle his ancestors are from and from which he is not too far removed.

Angel Trumpet Tree

My beautiful Angel Trumpet Tree seems "flat" lately. I think it is planted in a poor spot for the species. Too much sun perhaps.
It loves the night and the trumpets look best when it is too late to see them well.
Well, for me, it's a good lesson to see the tree do its best even if no one notices.

The Green Thumbed Woman

He said to me jealously, "she could jam a plant into the ground, spit on it and produce prize winning tomatoes".

Yep, he said that. He, the owner of countless seed catalogues and hoes and rakes and peat moss and potting soil mixtures. He who built brick walled flower gardens and made circular flower boxes that went around trees. He who worked and sweated and dug and watered and cussed and even spit. Yep, he was bewildered all right.

How does she do it? Why her? She doesn't break a sweat or even write out a plan or draw a landscape! She even knows the names of all those pretty things that grow for her.

One year, he ordered plants guaranteed to grow as a path, in the shade, without much care. Yep, he believed them.

When I finally told him that I talk to my healthy, tall, full weeping willow tree to make it grow and that I would walk underneath it while telling it how pretty it is and running my hands through it's "hair", he didn't believe me. His weeping willow looked more like a sad willow. Yep, he believes the seed sellers but not me and certainly not the spitter!

Well, he never gave up.
I wish he was here to see his final planting. A hanging cherry tree. It's perfect. He would be proud.