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.