The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 1,200 times in 2011. If it were a cable car, it would take about 20 trips to carry that many people.
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Thank you everyone!!
Jeanne & Joe
Hope all finds you well! I’m doing much better, was very sick Sunday to Wednesday.
Rachel came over last night. Was great seeing her! She has been working 2 jobs to save up for a car. Joe will help her look for one in January 2012. I gave her a cool game to play with her friends.
We were supposed to go to his brother’s for Christmas to visit his family, but yesterday sister-in-law decided to take kids to see her mother. I’m upset about it; seems his mother got into a yelling match with her about it too. This is the first Christmas in 5 years Joe has had off and she decides at the last minute not to be there so he can see his nephews!
I hope Joe likes his Christmas gift! Peace, Joy & Love to all!
Today I start training with Ruby Tuesdays. Wish me luck!
Gearing up for Turkey Day! Joe is off, turkey is thawing, oysters are ready to go, bread has been cubed and dried, veggies are cut and ready to go! Can’t wait to start cooking tomorrow!
Gotta work tonight. I should be home to get some good sleep to start cooking and FOOTBALL!!!
Hope you and your family enjoys a wonderful day and meal!
Been working 2 jobs.Sorry for long between posts.
My father died August 11th. Was unable to attend the funeral in Louisiana due to finances and distance. Then Joe’s grandmother died October 6th; exactly one month before her 92nd birthday! We were able to attend her memorial and funeral.
Rachel got a 2nd job also; but Michae’ls has made feelers about her going full-time. I told her to take it if offered. I’m working at Zibibbo 73 in Stafford. I was a bartender; but was taken off the bar because a woman complained I didn’t ‘pay enough attention to her.’ A co-worker said he saw her and she was on her iPad the whole time! Nice, eh?
I’ve had several regulars contact me to say they’ve been asking for me back behind the bar AND on Yelp! I had a review that said because me (Rio) they came back! So, lets see what the manager does!
I’ve been to ER twice since my dad died. Don’t know whether it’s my heart or gallbladder. Need to make some Dr appointments: a stress test for my heart and a sonogram for my gallbladder. *sigh*
Will let you know update! I promise!
Jeanne
We are selling our pop-up. Joe found the deal of a lifetime. A pull-behind camper! We’re pulling the funds together now. If anyone knows someone who’s interested, please pass on my info!
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/580265483JOTyRd
Photos of Pop-Up
1998 Damon Camp-Lite
This model is the only one with BOTH a shower and Cassette toilet. It also has a hard door; which means it is additional support. If for some reason the wench should start to unwind; the door will hold the roof in place.
• Slide Out
• Title – Free & Clear
• Solar Panel Battery Charger w/Converter
• Plumbing recently serviced
• Lots of Storage
• Sleeps 7
• 3-Way Ice Box (LP gas, 12v, or 110v)
• 13 Gallon Fresh Water Holding Tank
• New Electrical Contact Under Sink
• City Water Hook-Up
• 2 Propane Tanks; soft cover is cracking
• 2 Deep Cycle Batteries (New)
• 2 Brand New Tires
• Skylight w/motorized fan w/reverse intake
• Removable Faceplate Radio w/CD Player
• Customized Air Conditioner
• Microwave
• Fold-down hook for hanging clothes
• Stabilizer Jacks
• Table Folds into a Large Bed
• Cassette Toilet AND Shower
• Roll-Down Awning and sides to make an outside room
• Camper shows wear
• Canvas in good condition; will need zipper & canvas work before too long.
• 3 Burner stove, Can be used inside or out
• 2 Queen beds
• Receipts of work done will be included
Uses a 2″ Ball & 7 Plug Wiring Harness. This model is an older model; it is sold AS-IS. The solar panel holds enough charge to power one item; i.e., a laptop. I just want the money back I charged for the upgrades.
Instruction Manual is a PDF that the manufacturer sent to me. I will forward it to your email. I will also send all information I found online for caring for a pop-up.
Been working and commuting. We’re going on vaca friday. Joe got tickets to the Nationals game on friday. SO, we go to the game, then KY.
we are preparing the land for our retirement. I surprised Joe with 2 small black walnut and 2 6′ black walnut trees; also, 4 (different types) blueberry bushes, 10 hedge bushes, a pampas grass, horseradish and spearmint. I’ll get a list of plants later, but now it’s going to be wonderful! I’ve got two apple trees on order at Lowe’s there.
Gas right now is $3.93 a gallon! Joe is getting into stocks. He’s doing research. I’m so proud of him!
We’ve brewed our second batch of beer, Whiskey Barrel Stout. Joe has been sampling it. *sigh* I got another Witber kit, our first. I’ve copied the ingredients list. I plan on ordering the ingredients for future brews!
Well, gotta run. Will keep you updated!
Joe’s Jeep died. Power-steering is leaking into everything; and the head gasket blew. So we did our taxes and found out we’re 4K short. We sold all our stock, not much only $2500; but it’s going to the 2007 Tundra he found at CarMax. Hopefully the cash will be in our account so we can get the truck Thursday.
But I doubt as my hours were cut to cover the hours i could work as I have to commute with Joe. Tomorrow my new supervisor will be with me so I can talk to her about the hours. One of the co-manager said she expects one of us to be there 7 days a week; but the position is truly M-F! We’ll see.
Rachel got her day off to be Wednesday so Joe can use her vehicle on Wednesday morning. If its not one thing it’s another!
WOW! It’s been a heck of a year! My daughter is doing much better from her accident. She was able to transfer from her job in New Orleans to Fredericksburg. So she is very happy. As a matter of fact, she is driving up here Friday with my baby brother!! I haven’t seen him since Thanksgiving 2006!!
I have a full-time job now. That’s been what’s eating most of my time. I was offered a job two weeks before our vacation, they were okay with it. We spent a week on our new property on my birthday week!! But….we got poison oak! Egads, but it was horrible! It took two courses of steroids to overcome it! 
ugh!
I had to quit school, my work schedule is very difficult. I change the prices in the grocery store I work at. That means I go in at 8pm on Tuesday night and am there until noon on Wednesday! That’s a 16 hour shift, with 30 minutes for lunch!
Been feeling depressed. One reason is Joe’s hurtful remark when we were watching a telly show and the gal said “he sang me a song.” I turned to him and said you’ve never sung me a song; his reply? “And I never will.” That hurt. I get tired of him telling of others he sang to, but not me. I’m not worth it. My other issue? I want a baby. I’ve tried bringing it up but he’s cut me off. I’m beginning to feel we’re just going in opposite directions. He wonders why I’m depressed. I try and bring it up, but he doesn’t want to hear it. *shrug*
Anyway, I got Joe a beer making kit for xmas. Our first attempt was Witber; kinda like a Blue Moon. We opened a bottle; now it’s supposed to be opened tomorrow, but we couldn’t wait. Carbonation was good; the aroma was strong. The alcohol content is high. Joe thinks he didn’t put in enough water to make 5 gallons. And, he thinks it would benefit from a secondary fermentation. For our first attempt it’s not bad. I’ve gotten him a Whiskey Barrel Stout for his next attempt. He wants to get a wort chiller and second carboy (fermentor) before trying the second batch. We did have a heck of a time trying to cool down wort!
Joe got me a pressure canner for xmas. I’ve been canning up a storm. Joe figured out we have almost 100 jars of food in our pantry. I’ve got turkey chili, salsa, chicken marsala, New Orleans-style red beans, black eye peas, ham broth and caramelized onions. Can’t wait for farmer’s market to open to start adding more to the pantry. I still have 6 2# tubes of Jimmy Dean Sage sausage I need to can. I’m waiting for Joe’s store to have their thick-cut bacon on sale again. I’ll can that too!
Well, we’ve got vacation time in for last week of April and first week of May to start working on our land. I’ve got to call the local nursery to see if they have or can get the trees we want. I’d like to start planting walnuts for him. PLUS it takes up to 5+ years to start producing. I’d like to put in some almond trees and blueberry bushes for this visit. I’m going to start putting some ginseng if I can, but I’m not sure if they’ll be available now. Someone suggested walking onions; going to look those up! I’ve got ramp bulbs on my list. I’m looking for plants I can let grow and when we move there they’ll be ready. Fruit trees will be next.
We’re going to talk to the old farmer we met. He used to own the land back in the 60′s. He’ll know the low spots. We’re going to mark off the low spots and try to figure out a spot to put in a pond. I’d like to have a spot to fish; both for pleasure and a food source.
Making a list of plants we can start planting. My only worry is the deer. Looking into some form of either enclosure or some deer off product. We found some at Lowe’s but it has to last 4+ months as we won’t be back until September-ish.
Well, that’s all for now! Got to start cleaning up for Rachel’s return!!
Saturday, September 25, Rachel was involved in a car accident. She came to a stop sign, passed through and was hit.
A picture of her car:
She sent me a picture of her the day after the accident:
She had a couple of stitches and a bruised wrist. She was wearing a seat belt and the air bag deployed. She’s sore as heck, but doing better.
Now she really hates being in Louisiana. She’s stuck without a car in the middle of nowhere. Hopefully her sister will give her a ride to my brother’s so he can take her to and from her new job. She’s working in the framing department of Hobby Lobby (like Michael’s).
I start a new job on Monday. I was hired by Harris Teeter’s to do file maintenance (change price tags). Finally a full-time job!
Joe has inventory tomorrow. But as usual, his manager is defeating him. I wonder if the guy is just stupid or deliberately making more work for him?!?! For instance, a large pallet of candy was in the back with an inventory sheet (paper with what and how much was on pallet) all wrapped up in plastic. The manager undid the plastic, tried putting some on floor, which wouldn’t fit and isn’t on current weeks paper. THEN he unloaded the rest and put it on the FLOOR in the dairy box!! Which is a health violation in and of itself! Two night stockers found it and told Joe it took them almost an hour to put all boxes on another pallet! PLUS the manager mixed the bags of candy up! NOW, it needs to be re-counted. Saboteur or idiot?! He comes home so frustrated!
I’ve applied to several merchandiser companies. It’s what I’ve been doing for almost 10 years, but no call back. When I speak to team members they are desperate for workers. *sigh* More waiting!
I finished my course on Torts:
I passed with an A!!
I did get my first F in this class, but I made sure it was my last. The instructor isn’t very good nor does or would she tell you the corrections. She just grades. The paper I flunked was to be used throughout the course. I had to go to another student to get a correct version. Why? She said “I’m worried that the answers will be circulated to other students.” It’s an online school, who else do I know?!?!
Well, need to go feed the beasts!!
Food Safety: The Worst of Both Bills (HR 2749 & S 510)
http://www.farmtoconsumer.org/news/news-foodsafety.htm
Pay special attention to
* Section 3 which is the definitions portion of the bill-read in it’s entirety.
* section 103, 206 and 207- read in it’s entirety.
Red flags I found and I am sure there are more………..
* Legally binds state agriculture depts to enforcing federal guidelines effectively taking away the states power to do anything other than being food police for the federal dept.
* Effectively criminalizes organic farming but doesn’t actually use the word organic.
* Affects anyone growing food even if they are not selling it but consuming it.
* Affects anyone producing meat of any kind including the processing wild game for personal consumption.
* Legislation is so broad based that every aspect of growing or producing food can be made illegal. There are no specifics which is bizarre considering how long the legislation is.
* Section 103 is almost entirely about the administrative aspect of the legislation. It will allow the appointing of officials from the factory farming corporations and lobbyists and classify them as experts and allow them to determine and interpret the legislation. Who do you think they are going to side with?
* Section 206 defines what will be considered a food production facility and what will be enforced up all food production facilities. The wording is so broad based that a backyard gardener could be fined and more.
* Section 207 requires that the state’s agriculture dept act as the food police and enforce the federal requirements. This takes away the states power and is in violation of the 10th amendment.
The FSA’s (Food Safety Act) mandate would encompass both the responsibility and enforcement power to keep our food supply safe by enforcing rigorous scientific standards on every food production facility, which “means any farm, ranch, orchard, vineyard, aquaculture facility, or confined animal-feeding operation.” (Sec. 3, 14.) Restaurants and other entities directly serving prepared food to consumers are explicitly not covered. (Sec. 3, 13(b).
H.R. 875 is only meant to apply to those engaging in “interstate commerce” that small farmers and organic gardeners will actually fall outside its reach. Remember that the Supreme Court in Wickard v. Filburn (1942) defined growing food on your own land for your own consumption to be regulatable interstate commerce. Similarly, in Section 406, H.R. 875 declares: “In any action to enforce the requirements of the food safety law, the connection with interstate commerce required for jurisdiction shall be presumed to exist.” Rep. Rosa DeLauro’s (D-Conn) office says they are working on language to make the small garden exception more explicit.
Anti-875ers quote chapter and verse, feeling as embattled as some in the organic community do by the specter of agri-business—is this sort of talk from Section 203 (b): “The Administrator shall, upon the basis of best available public health, scientific, and technological data, promulgate regulations to ensure that food establishments carry out their responsibilities under the food safety law….the Administrator shall promulgate regulations that require all food establishments…—(1) to adopt preventive process controls that—(A) reflect the standards and procedures recognized by relevant authoritative bodies; (B) are adequate to protect the public health; ( C) meet relevant regulatory and food safety standards;( D) limit the presence and growth of contaminants in food prepared in a food establishment using the best reasonably available techniques and technologies.”
What if the regulatory bodies—which will be filled, to be sure, with agribiz reps—decide that organic techniques are not the “best reasonably available techniques” that are “adequate to protect the public health” because they don’t use certain pest control techniques?
Section 206 (c) (3), which says that regulations will “include, with respect to growing, harvesting, sorting, and storage operations, minimum standards related to fertilizer use, nutrients, hygiene, packaging, temperature controls, animal encroachment, and water.” It is not inconceivable that the government’s bodies of experts may decide that certain organic practices don’t meet the “minimum standards” they decide are appropriate in things like fertilizer and animal encroachment.
Here is article from ABC News showing Poor Ethics at the CDC (this is just ONE agency; it’s worse at FDA & USDA): http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=9376591
Panel members are supposed to disclose whether they have been paid by — or own stock in — drug companies or other entities that might have an interest in the panel’s decisions.
Almost none of the 250 advisers that year properly or completely filled out forms in which they were required to state potential conflicts of interest, according to the report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General.
The report concluded that the CDC failed to follow-up with some of the experts who disclosed potential conflicts: 85 because of jobs or grants, 28 with stock ownership and 13 who received consulting fees.
The Office of the Inspector General has been examining conflicts of interest at several federal health agencies, including the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration.
Look at Provenge! 82,000 MEN DIED NEEDLESSLY OF PROSTATE CANCER! Once the FDA finally approved Provenge® in April 2010, the news media hailed it as a miracle new cancer therapy. What the media failed to convey was the fact that Provenge® was not new. It had been discovered almost a decade earlier. Despite the impressive study results you are about to read, the FDA denied it for eight long years. http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2010/nov2010_FDA-Delay-of-One-Drug-Causes-Lost-Life-Years_01.htm
Look at those FOR the bill and those AGAINST:
SupportConsumers Union
Center for Science in the Public Interest
Food Marketing Institute
Consumer Federation of America
National Restaurant Association
General Mills
National Association of Manufacturers
International Dairy Foods Association
American Public Health Association
Grocery Manufacturers Association
American Bakers Association
International Foodservice Distributors Association
National Consumers League
American Frozen Food Institute
National Confectioners Association
Snack Food Association
Trust for America’s Health
Produce Marketing Association
United Fresh Produce Association
American Beverage Association
American Farm Bureau
American Veterinary Medical Association
Kraft Foods North America
Safe Tables Our Priority (STOP)
Center for Foodborne Illness Research and Prevention
National Fisheries Institute
Pew Charitable Trust
International Bottled Water Association
National Coffee Association
Oppose
American Grassfed Association
National Family Farm Coalition
Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund
Weston A. Price Foundation
Raw Milk Association of Colorado
Farm Family Defenders
Small Farms Conservancy
National Independent Consumers and Farmers Association
Carolina Farm Stewardship Association
Just look at the list, HUGE company’s are for the bill, SMALL independent farmers, mostly organic, oppose! WHY? The rules and regs will put them out of business! Then ALL we’ll have to choose from is BIG corporate farms. Only one case (Raw milk made 3 people ill, but MD feels it may be from after it left farm) of Organic Farm foodstuffs. Outbreaks are from corporation farms and their subsidiaries.
Senate bill 510 does not have one provision that would make food safer. To make food safer all you need is to decentralize and localize the crops, herds and processing facilities. Or how about a healthy environment for animals used for food where they do not live in their own feces 24/7. Or how about farming methods that do not include fertilizing with e-coli infected manure and saturating fruits and vegetables with poisonous insecticides.
Every provision of S-510 gives 1 person, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, sole capricious discretionary authority to seize, detain, block imports, destroy crops and herds,shut down business operations, of any person who manufactures, processes, packs, distributes, receives, holds, or imports food based on “Reasonable Probability” that a pathogen may exist OR incomplete, inaccurate documentation OR being 30 days late paying the $500 per year registration fee. Plus that every day they don’t comply is a separate offense subject to more fines of up to $100,000!
Call you congressman and stop this bill! If big business gets their way, we will have no true organic foodstuffs or farmer’s markets. Think about it, do you want that?
