Birds of a Feather

click to enlarge

These bird houses are quite a few years old now too.
I never put them outside lol
They decorate under the tree at Christmas.
It is things like these that are home made, which make
holidays special and personal. I think it makes you feel good
to see things you made, appearing around this time of year.:)
The big house was made by my first son at Cub Scouts.

The two little ones were made by my other son and one day
they shall find the outdoors or be hung on a
tree or porch or shed where birds can lay eggs undisturbed by
cats and other critters.

We have a big commotion going on right now in BC
whereby song birds are being eaten by stray cats.
People are complaining but then they also complain when birds
damage their houses and become noisy, which they do. lol
We also have eagles and owls swooping down to see if they can get a grip on puppies
or small dogs and then we hear the other birds nesting in the area shrieking and flying around the predator and attacking it from all sides.

Well, what is treasure for some is not for others and vs.
I happen to like to work with nature and would love my kids
appreciating it as well.
==========================================

The Dead Sea

Ay the dead sea

Dead and bereft of life

I stand watching the waves roll in

And the beautiful orange sunset

That has never changed

Once there were dreams of life at sea

and now all is dead.

We search the planets for evidence of life.

Has there been life somewhere else?

Or are we creatures designed

so Gods can play out their whims?

Will the truth come out when it is too late to do anything about it?

We say the universe is expanding.

Is that a good thing or a bad?

And what happens to the center once the waves

disappear out of sight?

Once the waves drift out into vast oceans of space,

where will our music and our stories go?

What will our heroes say…..we died for nothing?

We fought for nothing?

We cried for nothing and suffered for nothing

And wept for nothing? Exploded for nothing.

A macabre comedy

Or are we projecting sounds and history into space for some one else to discover for some one else to relive

Eon light years away as our famous people heard and saw them from space to enlighten this world.

We are all forgerers, all copyrights. People, born of people.

People learning from people

People eating off of people.

Man is a boring entity.

We smile and laugh at the same mistakes, the same jokes and books and

Caricatures.

And babies.

All babies born so beautiful innocent and free.

Just to be taught and raised to enslave and be enslaved.

What is the answer ?

To whose tune are we dancing to

and where is the Pied Piper leading us?

A Lady's Life

George Carlin television mind control

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdSKM5IBZW8&feature=related

Salute!

This little red nosed guy is around 70 years old, from Egypt.
We had him since we got married and he was old then.
lol

He still makes you smile because he has never lost hope
or his will to live. He takes his bumps and shrugs them off and keeps on truckin.

Always cheerful. Always showing how life should be lived, simply, happily, sans regret.
Life is but a fleeting moment in time .
A snap of a finger .....and it's gone.

So be joyful and merry as they say, while you can.

:)

The Lion Man

Painting on Wood

This is a painting I am doing on wood. It's quite large.
I have adapted my original artist, Renoir I believe, to another world, closer to the red
mountains of Kamloops, BC lol

I could just picture this scenario happening today, far far away from France.
How would these women and children fit in, is the question?

Would they walk the same? Sit the same? Play the same?
The little girl has a hoola hoop We played with hoola hoops.
Seems I bought my children hoola hoops.
The hats are all coming back in style, feathers and all if you look at
British Royalty. Furs will come back in style as well once weather gets cold enough to warrant them.

Seems time changes nothing. We all go back to square one.
It's a good thing fashion is not copy written, because there
would be nothing to sew or sell. lol

The women in the back ground are faceless, as time is faceless ...as God is faceless.
:)

---------------------------------------------------------------
Want to go solar?

how long do solar panel last?

http://www.solarpoweristhefuture.com/how-long-do-solar-panels-last.shtml

How long do batteries last?
:
http://www.essortment.com/hobbies/energyinnovatio_sleh.htm

what to power with solar panels?

http://www.rain.org/~philfear/how2solar.html

Inverters changing to ac power

http://cosmossolarenergy.com/?gclid=CJ7Zkdz7-6YCFRg8gwodlAmuHA

making solar panels for 300 dollars as opposed to buying for 2,500.00
Watch video

Collections Over the Years

Over the Years you collect stuff.
Elephants for good luck
Fishermen for tons of luck. Those are from Bali.
Vases for a picture you like From ingapore. They had an outdoor pottery.

The Elephant on the left is from India and smells of sandal wood to this day.

Each article has a story to tell. A tiny bit of memory attached to it, of history.

These are a lot of things to pass on to your children and or grand children
if they should so desire to value them and learn history as it happened by the people who sat to make these things.

Children today see it as clutter. lol
They are into other stuff because our society does not raise them to value the same things as we did in our time.
Some how, by over protecting people with laws,which do not protect but give a false sense of security, we do not raise them to be tough enough to ride the storms life will present them.

I think the best thing to do with this stuff, is to put them all away in the attic, so no one sees them and then one day when we are gone, they can open boxes and find little treasures . lol

As I am writing this, on the 7th of Feb. 11 am. the wind has picked up to storm level.
Wonder what's up?

:)
-----------------------------------------
You are driving a bus. Four people get on, three people get off, then eight people get on and ten people get off, then 6 people get on and 2 more people get off. What color were the bus driver's eyes?
----------------------------------------

Wow Increase your Gas Mileage Is this True?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHAUsGlfbx8

Chime Clock

I bought this clock for my parents 25th Wedding Anniversary.
You wind it up and it chimes on the hour and half hour.
My Dad diligently wound it up every day.
It's a good idea cause when you sleep, it saves you from getting up to look at the time
All you need to do, is listen to the number of chimes and that is the time.lol
It also takes discipline to remember to every day, wind the clock but it's fun with a key.

Now I have it and I don't wind it at all and it sits waiting for my Dad as a center piece.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Trying to control my dry hair, I treated my scalp with olive oil before washing it.
Worried that the oil might leave an odor, I washed my hair several times.

That night when I went to bed, I leaned over to my husband and asked,
"Do I smell like olive oil?"

"No," he said, sniffing me. "Do I smell like Popeye?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Why did the man hit the clock?

Because the clock struck first!

-----------------------------------------
A college student had some friends over to show off his new apartment, when one of them asked, “Hey, what’s the big gong and mallet for”?

“That’s the talking clock!”, he replied.

“How does it work?”, asked the friend?

Without a word the college student took the mallet and hammered the gong as hard as he could. A voice then immediately rang out, “Knock it off! It’s three in the morning!!!”

More Memories of My Life

These vases were also bought in Korea.
They are made of wood and Mother of Pearl.
and then laquered .
It takes a lot of work to create one such piece
They are quite beautiful.
Behind it is my honey moon.
We had exactly the same ocean to walk on
at the same time of the evening.
I have very fond memories of this oil painting.

------------------------------------------------------

A workman was killed at a construction site. The police began questioning a number of the other workers. Based with past brushes with the law, many of these workers were considered prime suspects. They were a motley crew:

The electrician was suspected of wiretapping once but was never charged.

The carpenter thought he was a stud. He tried to frame another man one time.

The glazier went to great panes to conceal his past. He still claims that he didn't do anything; that he was framed.

The painter had a brush with the law several years ago.

The heating, ventilation and air conditioning contractor was known to pack heat. He was arrested once but duct the charges.

The mason was suspect because he gets stoned regularly.

The cabinet maker is an accomplished counter fitter.

The autopsy led the police to arrest the carpenter, who subsequently confessed. The evidence against him was irrefutable, because it was found that the workman, when he died, was hammered

-------------------------------------------

Two blonde carpenters were working on a house. The one who was nailing down siding would reach into his nail pouch, pull out a nail and either toss it over his shoulder or nail it in.

The other, figuring this was worth looking into, asked, "Why are you throwing those nails away?"

The first explained, "If I pull a nail out of my pouch and it's pointed toward me, I throw it away 'cause it's defective. If it's pointed toward the house, then I nail it in!"

The second blonde got completely upset and yelled, "You moron! The nails pointed toward you aren't defective! They're for the other side of the house!"

:)

Korean Music Box

Click to enlarge

This is one of my favorite pieces.
A Korean Music Box
It plays such a nice sad melody.

It''s made of cherry wood using their special way
of designing with mother of pearl inlay.

It has pictures of butterflies and rabbits and flowers

Its old now as well.
(sigh)

Teaspoon the Chin

This is Teaspoon my Black Chinchilla


I raised him from a squirt and he is a very intelligent little critter.
They eat these little guys in South America and their fur is prized because it is as soft as silk.

They come in various colors and you never will know what color you may get if they breed.

He eats a spoonful of alfalfa a day and I also give him a carrot and apple for water intake and vitamin C.

Chins do not need much care but they do not like to get wet. Once he gets used to you he will run around your body and sit in your hand. They are very friendly and clean.

The babies are born ready to go go go with teeth and scamper around, which means you need a cage with very small holes or they will climb through.
They nurse like kittens and Mama's keep Papa's away since Papa's could kill the babies.
When you hold them they get nice and warm and sleep on their backs with their mouths open, like real babies. Sooooo cute! :)

It takes about 1000 of these little guys to make one fur coat. A litter born to a cage is usually 2-4 kits.

The chin farms use two electrodes to kill them.
One end they insert into the mouth and the other into the other end.

Horrible end to this sweet squirrely rabbit.

I had a baby which had a twisted intestine and when I took it to the vet she put it down and asked me if I wanted it for the fur. It was a nice champagne color.
Even a small piece like that is expensive. This black baby cost me 300 dollars but it is rare to find and he is living with me for quite a few years now. When my husband comes downstairs Teaspoon chirps good morning to him and he likes that.
Of course I said no to the body. How can you skin a pet????

The chin farms raise them in separate cages so as to keep the fur intact.

My kids are grown but the chin is still here. I would give it to another child if I knew they would not abuse it. They are quite entertaining, cost little to maintain and do not smell like rabbits do.

:)

19 50's Fur Fashion

These things are from another box I opened and belonged to my Mom.

Fur was treasured and loved by women in her time. I remember all the conversations women had about fur and how envious one was in front of another when they did get something in fur.
Mink , fox, possum, coon and sable
was on every womans' list for Christmas presents.

The hat in the center under the collar, is totally made of tails.
When I count how many tails, I get shell shocked.

My Uncle worked in furs in New York but he never bought his wife a fur coat and she was very angry at him lol
Finally she went with her friend and they each got the same black mink coat, when the prices went down.

My Dad got my Mother a few things but she treasured them and hardly ever wore them.

When they did have a special occasion , she was always so happy to know she was ready for them.
Later she would not wear them for fear animal activists would throw paint at her.lol

Knowing she never wore her things, many people tried to get her things away from her by asking her to donate them to other relatives who could not afford fur lol
She would get extremely upset with them and say why don't they donate their fur?
Why are they so obsessed with my stuff? They had a lot more stuff than she did.
But this is the way people were in those days.

Sometimes it doesn't pay to buy things like this for reasons other than killing of an animal.

I don't think anything can ever compare to animal skins.

Bikers wear them and I remember we had one farmer who would walk along the highway in 90 degree weather with a fur coat made of buffalo over him.

Apart from the fact buffalo skins stink when wet, people thought he was crazy, until, that is, we found out that he stayed cooler in that coat than we did without it.

One thing about farmers, is you can't under estimate them.lol

Fur, love it or hate it,it has its' uses. In freezing weather, we know why animals can survive outside, when man gets frost bite.

============================================================
Why do cats eat fur balls you might ask?? - Well might be because they love a good gag!
----------------------------------------------------------

A mother and a daughter went shopping, when the mother sees an expensive fur coat in a store window.

She said, "I think that I will buy my own present this year for Christmas, instead of making you and Dad shop for me."

The daughter nods OK sounds good.

"And I think this fur coat would be perfect too." the Mother added.
to which, the daughter's eye brows raised said, "But Mom, some helpless, poor, dumb creature has to suffer for you to have this."

"Don't worry, honey," says the mother. "Your father won't get the bill for a couple of weeks."
--------------------------------------------------------------
A man in a bar has a couple of beers and the bartender tells him he owes $6.50.

"But I paid, don't you remember?" says the customer.

"Okay," says the bartender, "if you said you paid, you did."

The man then goes outside and tells the first person he sees that the bartender can't keep track of whether his customers have paid.

The second man then ruses in, orders a beer and later pulls the same stunt.

The barkeeper replies, "If you say you paid, I'll take your word for it."

Soon the customer goes into the street, sees an old friend, and tells him how to get free drinks.

The man hurries into the bar and begins to drink highballs when suddenly,

the bartender leans over and says, "You know, a funny thing happened in here tonight. Two men were drinking beer, neither paid and both claimed that they did. The next guy who tries that is going to get punched right on the face."

"Don't bother me with your troubles," the final patron responds. "Just give me my change and I'll be on my way."

Kung Si Fai Chai! Happy Chinese New Year!

This is such a fun holiday and do the Chinese know how to celebrate.
Every year I look forward to the Chinese New Year and I am not even Chinese.
I love the decorations and remember when my own tree was full of them.
Red Packets were given out to children and over dinners they would give out door prizes
for fun. It's always nice to get a little souvenir of a night out celebrating a new year with
new eyes.

This year is the year of the Rabbit and hopefully it will be a good year and people will
have a chance to nibble on goodness and stay out of trouble.

This is the time also to tell people all over the world to celebrate life as life is the best present
anyone can get, be it from the soil, or birth or a sprout from the ground.

Man was created to live in God's garden in peace and to share in its' bounty.

So A Lady's Life wishes All My Chinese Friends a Very HAPPY NEW YEAR!
May they have life joy and prosperity and above all else PEACE.

:)

May the Dots be with you...O B ONE

http://technabob.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/village_people_pixels.jpg

How the Internet Started

Now this is truly worth a resend.

A revelation with an Incredibly Big Message (IBM):

Well, you might have thought that you knew how the Internet started, but
here's the TRUE story .....

In ancient Israel, it came to pass that a trader by the name of Abraham Com
did take unto himself a young wife by the name of Dot.

And Dot Com was a comely woman, broad of shoulder and long of leg.
Indeed, she was often called Amazon Dot Com.

And she said unto Abraham, her husband: "Why dost thou travel so far from
town to town with thy goods when thou canst trade without ever leaving thy
tent?"

And Abraham did look at her - as though she were several saddle bags short
of a camel load - but simply said: "How, dear?"

And Dot replied: "I will place drums in all the towns and drums in between
to send messages saying what you have for sale, and they will reply telling
you who hath the best price.

And the sale can be made on the drums and delivery made by Uriah's Pony
Stable (UPS)."

Abraham thought long and decided he would let Dot have her way with the
drums. And the drums rang out and were an immediate success.
Abraham sold all the goods he had at the top price, without ever having to
move from his tent.

To prevent neighbouring countries from overhearing what the drums were
saying, Dot devised a system that only she and the drummers knew. It was
called Must Send Drum Over Sound (MSDOS), and she also developed a language
to transmit ideas and pictures - Hebrew To The People (HTTP)

But this success did arouse envy. A man named Maccabia did secrete himself
inside Abraham's drum and began to siphon off some of Abraham's business.
But he was soon discovered, arrested and prosecuted - for insider trading.

And the young men did take to Dot Com's trading as doth the greedy horsefly
take to camel dung.

They were called Nomadic Ecclesiastical Rich Dominican Sybarites, or NERDS.

And lo, the land was so feverish with joy at the new riches and the
deafening sound of drums that no one noticed that the real riches were going
to that enterprising drum dealer, Brother William of Gates, who bought off
every drum maker in the land.

And indeed did insist on drums to be made that would work only with Brother
Gates' drumheads and drumsticks.

And Dot did say: "Oh, Abraham, what we have started is being taken over by
others."

And Abraham looked out over the Bay of Ezekiel, or eBay as it came to be
known. He said: "We need a name that reflects what we are."

And Dot replied: "Young Ambitious Hebrew Owner Operators." "YAHOO", said
Abraham. And because it was Dot's idea, they named it YAHOO Dot Com.

Abraham's cousin, Joshua, being the young Gregarious Energetic Educated Kid
(GEEK) that he was, soon started using Dot's drums to locate things around
the countryside.

It soon became known as God's Own Official Guide to Locating Everything
(GOOGLE).

So, that's how it all began. Now you know.
Of course this story is true;
its source is uh....................the internet.
lol


UFO over Israel.

http://www.nowtheendbegins.com/blog/?p=1126

Are Giants returning to Israel?
http://www.theforbiddenknowledge.com/hardtruth/ufo_israel.htm

Cover up - Very Inspiring Sermon

"The Church is disrespected today" Brother Dollar said ......because of the Cover Up.

http://www.creflodollarministries.org/
Repent and Receive Mercy part one.



( http://streaming.worldchangers.org.edgestreams.net/archives/daily/2010/Feb_02_repent_and_receive_mercy_56.wma )
===================================================

I have never heard of this Ministry till last night on Vision TV.
I was on my computer when this man began to speak and it caught my ear enough to make me stop and listen and I was inspired by what he said because he spoke the truth without being flashy or even funny.

He really knows how to reach his public I thought and everyone sat very quiet listening to him.

I thought it was worth sharing this particular sermon, if you can get to it on the link
given. It's a bit different from other sermons.

http://www.creflodollarministries.org/

Under repent and Receive Mercy
======================================

Economy - How Art Thou? :)

TRADITIONAL CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You sell one and buy a bull. Your herd multiplies, and the economy grows. You sell them and retire on the income.

AMERICAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You sell three of them to your publicly listed company, using letters of credit opened by your brother-in-law at the bank, then execute a debt/equity swap with an associated general offer so that you get all four cows back, with a tax exemption for five cows. The milk rights of the six cows are transferred via an intermediary to a Cayman Island company secretly owned by the majority shareholder who sells the rights to all seven cows back to your listed company. The annual report says the company owns eight cows, with an option on one more. Sell one cow to buy a new president of the United States, leaving you with nine cows. No balance sheet provided with the release. The public buys your bull.

AN AUSTRALIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You sell one, and force the other to produce the milk of four cows. You are surprised when the cow drops dead.

FRENCH CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You go on strike because you want three cows.

JAPANESE CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk. You then create clever cow cartoon images called Cowikimon and market them worldwide.

A GERMAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You re engineer them so they live for 100 years, eat once a month, and milk themselves.

AN ITALIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows, but you don't know where they are... You break for lunch.

A RUSSIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You count them and learn you have five cows.
You count them again and learn you have 42 cows.
You count them again and learn you have 12 cows.
You stop counting cows and open another bottle of vodka.

A SWISS CORPORATION
You have 5000 cows, none of which belong to you. You charge others for storing them.

CHINESE CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You have 300 people milking them.
You claim full employment, high bovine productivity, and arrest the newsman who reported the numbers.

A BRITISH CORPORATION
You have two cows... both are mad.

A NEW ZEALAND CORPORATION
You have two cows... and the one on the left is kinda cute...

Lapti - or Bast Shoes

Since I was on the topic of Valenki boots, I remembered another kind of foot wear I heard
about reading Tolstoys' books. Peasants used to wear lapti, even in winter, when they would wrap their feet up with cloth.
I never knew exactly what Lapti looked like so I decided to look it up and came up with this picture from Google.

Apparently they were very comfortable but I could never see them being worn in winter. I could see the Dutch wooden shoes being worn in winter before these.

Lapti were made from bast of linden or birch bark or some other tree materials. To make them, 7 pieces of 2 meter long bast was needed. They took a wooden plank the size of a woman’s or man’s foot and then bent and twisted the bast, until lapti were ready. The technique is the same as in the modern bread basket, only more complicated.I wonder if our American Indians made them or did they stick to leather and fur?

The bast shoes didn’t last very long. 60 pairs could be used in 1 year. To wear lapti you had to use a foot wrap. People wrapped a piece of cloth around their foot and lower part of the leg, then put on bast shoes and wrapped these sort of bast braids that were attached to the back of lapti around their legs. It was similar to what ancient Romans wore. I can see the need for a foot wrap before putting them on. Otherwise you would end up with huge blisters. So why do they say they are comfortable?

Nowadays, lapti are a part of Russian folklore: childrens' folk stories mention them, and in the colloquial language lapotnik means an uneducated person. Maybe that’s because lapti were mostly worn by peasants, who were thought of as stupid.Then again, how are you stupid if you could design a pair of shoes like this? It's Ingenious.

Bast shoes are not worn now, except for some dance or theatrical performance. They are still available as souvenirs in Russia.

Interesting. Where there is a will, there is a way.
And
Nothing is impossible
:)

----------------------

Two Mexicans are stuck in the desert after
crossing into the United States, wandering
aimlessly and starving.
They are about to just
lie down and wait for death, when all of a sudden Luis says...

"Hey Pepe, do you smell what I smell. Ees bacon, I theenk."

"Si, Luis, eet sure smells like bacon.
With renewed hope they struggle up the next sand
dune, & there, in the distance, is a tree loaded with bacon.
There's raw bacon, there's fried bacon, back
bacon, and double smoked bacon ... Every imaginable kind of cured pork.

"Pepe, Pepe, we ees saved. Ees a bacon tree."

"Luis, maybe ees a meerage? We ees in the desert don't forget."

"Pepe, since when deed you ever hear of a
meerage that smell like bacon...ees no meerage, ees a bacon tree."

And with that, Luis staggers towards the
tree. He gets to within 5 metres, Pepe crawling
close behind, when suddenly a machine gun opens
up, and Luis drops like a wet sock.

Mortally wounded, he warns Pepe with his dying breath,
"Pepe... Go back man, you was right, ees not a bacon tree!"

"Luis, Luis mi amigo... What ees it? "
"Pepe… ees not a bacon tree. Ees

Ees

Ees

Ees

a ham bush..."

40 cm Porcelain Hobo Clown -Worker Who Wanders

I pulled this little guy out yesterday from a box to check out and he seems to still be in excellent condition. He came from Scottsdale Arizona from Heritage Mint. Ltd.
He's made from Bisque porcelain. I don't know if that's good or bad but I like him. He kinda grows on you lol.
I have his friend I still need to find. I should give him a name but can't think of one. The box says Wilbur.A group the Traveling Wilburys sing train songs so I guess Wilbur is famous name in the Hobo world.

Usually I collect dolls to display at certain times of the year. I have always wanted to make some dolls but the farthest I ever got was making Raggedy Anne.
I love Raggedy Anne dolls and maybe will go back to making her one day.

Right now I am in dire need of display cases so one day this will be my project. Once I take the dolls out to display I can put them away, easier with the display case. The only thing is It would have to have a place for the original box the doll came in as well.

I hope the weather coming your way is not too cold. Here in BC it is chilly but we have no snow.
I sure do not envy people having to go to work today. lol Most of the battle is to get there and to come back home.

Our stereotypes of the tramp as being lazy, stupid, alcoholic, freight train jumping bums has much to do with vaudeville, comedians, and clowns.

Yet there did develop a tramp or hobo culture in the late 1800's, and well into the tramps of the1900's. This culture had a lot to do about railroads & developed it's own sign and spoken language, music, poetry, customs and rough justice system. Americans were on the move, leaving farms, traveling north, south east and west.

The Great Depression saw many young people leaving home and hopping trains.

They wrote letters you could read:

How Americans Survived the Great Depression

-----------------------------------------------------------
Father Delany was walking home after his sermon late one night when he came upon this intoxicated tramp on the sidewalk. Wanting to help, he asked the man, "Do you live here?"

"Yesh," the man slowly replied.

"Would you like me to help you upstairs?" the father asked.

"Yesh," the man slowly sputtered.

When they got up on the second floor he asked, "Is this your floor?"

"Yesh," again the man replied.

Then Father Delany got to thinking that maybe he didn't want to face the man's irate wife because she may think he was the one who got the man drunk. So, he opened the first door he came to
and shoved him through it, then went back downstairs.

But lo and behold when he went back outside, there was another tramp lying on the sidewalk. So he asked that man, "Do you live here?"

"Yesh."

"Would you like me to help you upstairs?"

"Yesh."

So he did and put him in the same door with the first tramp. Then went back downstairs, where, to his surprise, there was another tramp.

So he started over to him. But before he got to him, the tramp staggered over to a policeman and cried, "For God's sake, offisher, protect me from thish man. He'sh been doing nothing all night long but takin' me upstairsh and throwing me down the elevator shaft!"



Norman Rockwell - Hobo

And that's the long and short of it.:)

Valenki

lithuania.balticnordic.com

Valenkis' were worn by peasants and we would read many stories about how these poor people would trudge through heavy snow in frigid weather and yet who would have thought these valenkis were so warm.
They are good up to -40C and excellent of circulation, rheumatism and arthritis
Felt is easy to make if you want to make slippers. Just throw an old wool sweater into the drier and voila.
My boys did that with two new sweaters after having been told how many times??????
NOT TO DO THAT?????? (sigh)

Valenkis' are not cheap today any more than designer dogs which used to be called worthless mutts.
Times have changed. People have become smarter and do not just look for style but for comfort and health.

Now I can't make boots for the outside but I have enough felt from sweaters to make boots for the inside which can be sewn or made from one piece.
The arms can be used as leggings for hockey skating and soccer games or sewn onto other sweaters to make them designer like the dogs mentioned above . Then you can wear a winter vest and still have warm arms.
See... I can either sulk or find other things to do and make my life easier.
It also is an idea one could experiment with, to do a niche market in indoor slippers.

MADE IN NORTH AMERICA????

How to make the boots.

How to make a foot mould

How they are made in Russia

Japanese Candy/Peanut/Cookie Bowl

This is something I found I never knew I had.
It's from Japan and has a number on it.
The Roses and leaves stick out from the bowl just a tiny bit.
You can feel the outline over a very smooth surface.

So now it will go and hide again in a box till I discover it again.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejJQj-JNV8Y&feature=related

Onion - Savior or Killer

The Power of the Onion is amazing and here is what some people have concluded.

PS: If you have a question whether a mushroom that you picked is safe to eat, just place it in a pan of water with a chunk of onion leave for a couple hours & if the onion turns black the mushroom is poisonous

ONIONS -- Who Would've Thunk it

In 1919 when the flu killed 40 million people, there was a Doctor who visited many farmers to see if he could help them combat the flu. Many of the farmers and their family had contracted it, and many died.

The doctor came upon one farmer, and to his surprise, everyone in the household was very healthy. When the doctor asked what the farmer was doing that was different, the wife replied that she had placed an unpeeled onion in a dish in the rooms of the home (probably only two rooms back then). The doctor couldn't believe it and asked if he could have one of the onions and place it under the microscope. She gave him one, and when he did this, he did find the flu virus in the onion. It obviously absorbed the bacteria, therefore, keeping the family healthy.

Now, I heard this story from my hairdresser in AZ. She said that several years ago many of her employees were coming down with the flu and so were many of her customers. The next year she placed several bowls with onions around in her shop. To her surprise, none of her staff got sick. It must work... (And no, she is not in the onion business.)

The moral of the story is, buy some onions and place them in bowls around your home. If you work at a desk, place one or two in your office or under your desk or even on top somewhere.. Try it and see what happens. We did it last year, and we never got the flu.

If this helps you and your loved ones from getting sick, all the better. If you do get the flu, it just might be a mild case...Whatever, what have you to lose? Just a few bucks on onions!!!

Now there is a P.S. to this, for I sent it to a friend in Oregon who regularly contributes material to me on health issues. She replied with this most interesting experience about onions: Thanks for the reminder. I don't know about the farmer's story...but I do know that I contracted pneumonia, and needless to say I was very ill. I came across an article that said to cut both ends off an onion. Put one end on a fork, and then place the forked end into an empty jar...placing the jar next to the sick patient at night. It said the onion would be black in the morning from the germs. Sure enough, it happened just like that...the onion was a mess, and I began to feel better.

Another thing I read in the article was that onions and garlic placed around the room saved many from the black plague years ago. They have powerful antibacterial, antiseptic properties.

This is the other note: LEFTOVER ONIONS ARE POISONOUS! I have used an onion which has been left in the fridge. Sometimes I don't use a whole one at one time, so I save the other half for later. Now with this info, I have changed my mind. I will buy smaller onions in the future.

I had the wonderful privilege of touring Mullins Food Products, makers of mayonnaise. Mullins is huge, and is owned by 11 brothers and sisters in the Mullins family. My friend, Jeanne, is the CEO. Questions about food poisoning came up, and I wanted to share what I learned from a chemist The guy who gave us our tour is named Ed. He's one of the brothers. Ed is a chemistry expert and is involved in developing most of the sauce formula. He's even developed sauce formula for McDonald's. Keep in mind that Ed is a food chemistry whiz.

During the tour, someone asked if we really needed to worry about mayonnaise. People are always worried that mayonnaise will spoil. Ed's answer will surprise you. Ed said that all commercially-made mayo is completely safe. "It doesn't even have to be refrigerated. No harm in refrigerating it, but it's not really necessary." He explained that the pH in mayonnaise is set at a point that bacteria could not survive in that environment. He then talked about the quintessential picnic, with the bowl of potato salad sitting on the table and how everyone blames the mayonnaise when someone gets sick.

Ed says that when food poisoning is reported, the first thing the officials look for is when the 'victim' last ate ONIONS and where those onions came from (in the potato salad?). Ed says it's not the mayonnaise (as long as it's not homemade mayo) that spoils in the outdoors. It's probably the onions, and if not the onions, it's the POTATOES.

He explained, onions are a huge magnet for bacteria, especially uncooked onions.. You should never plan to keep a portion of a sliced onion. He says it's not even safe if you put it in a zip-lock bag and put it in your refrigerator.

It's already contaminated enough just by being cut open and out for a bit, that it can be a danger to you (and doubly watch out for those onions you put on your hotdogs at the baseball park!)

Ed says if you take the leftover onion and cook it like crazy you'll probably be okay, but if you slice that leftover onion and put it on your sandwich, you're asking for trouble. Both the onions and the moist potato in a potato salad will attract and grow bacteria faster than any commercial mayonnaise will even begin to break down.

So, how's that for news? Take it for what you will. I (the author) am going to be very careful about my onions from now on. For some reason, I see a lot of credibility coming from a chemist and a company that produces millions of pounds of mayonnaise every year.

Also, dogs should never eat onions.. Their stomachs cannot metabolize onions.

Please remember it is dangerous to cut onions and try to use it to cook the next day. It becomes highly poisonous for even a single night and creates toxic bacteria which may cause adverse stomach infections because of excess bile secretions and even food poisoning.

Egypt - WOW!

Egypt = Wow! The cradle of civilization.......!
Look what happened to Iran after the Shaw was deposed?

Mubarak has been given a lot of US ammo.
Iraq was also given a lot of ammo.
This is how the US knew they had weapons of mass destruction because the US gave them these weapons
and
they were used against Iraqis.

Now people are protesting in Egypt, wanting freedom.
What does this mean exactly?

Under Mubarak
Egyptian law prohibits the formation of political parties based on religion.
Yet these religious groups do exist and if Mubarek leaves, will they get elected to replace him?
And if they do get elected, what freedom would the people get under democracy?
Nothing will change under Islamic laws.

Who will replace Mubarak?

What freedom does Iran have today after the Shaw?

When will the US learn that you cannot give freedom to people who are brain washed by a religion of hate?
You cannot be modern,if you believe in a book that dictates Jihad against everyone that is not Muslim.

Why does America continue to give arms to unstable countries who are known to turn against her and every infidel, which is the rest of the world?

And why would Canada help here?
We have 60,000 Egyptians here who do not say Canada is their country. Egypt is.
So why are they here? Are they Expats? Expats do not get to vote in other countries and yet they vote here, in Canada.

The answer to dictatorship, does not lie in civil disobedience alone, if they have no other ruling alternative.
They just open doors for Iran or some other dictator to take over and begin all over again.

With friends like this, who needs enemies? lol

Who are these young Egyptians and what have they been trained to believe in?
Do they hate Israel? Do the love Palestine? Are they Shiite?
Will they keep American Ammo and how will the US take back her arms from a regime
that's to replace Mubaraks?

Very messy all this.
Very messy.
I hope they did enough in Egypt to teach people, to understand not to involve religion in government.

Although I do not see how it can be avoided in Muslim lands, believing in the intolerance, found in the Quran, especially when Christians are forced to live in
garbage dumps with rats and not allowed to make a living, in Egypt. Reporters said the people want democracy and they are not impressed with Mubarek firing his government.

Well, hello. Political parties do fire their people.
In Canada, Chretien did , when he demanded MPs support everything he wanted in spite of the fact the MP's were elected to represent the people.
In Canada, it's not kept in the forefront but maybe it should be. You elect your MP to represent you. If he is not allowed to do this, then why elect him?lol

They said there are no Islamic groups in Egypt.
They say this is an opportunity for Egypt to free itself.
It remains to be seen, because right now,
no one seems to know what this all means exactly .

Wow!

Pearls of Wisdom.

One thing I loved about Asia was their roosters.
There were so many of them, all so colorful, free and bright,
blending into a peaceful and oh so quiet farming environment.

It reminds me of an old fable which applies to todays' world.

I believe this fable was written by an author named Krilov.

A rooster came upon a pearl in a yard compost mound.
Amazed, he cried out: What's this?
It has no use for this world.

What fools men are to treasure such tough grains that no one can digest.
Now Barley.. does not shine so much....... but fills the stomach.
Decide..........Which is best?

Upon reflecting, we find often in the world of men,
a fool deems useless, what he cannot understand.

Wise words.
:)

Collector Stamps from China

click to enlarge 2x

Since George had the last batch of stamps I put on, he must have this batch as well.
This is so exciting to know.
What a small world.

I do find these stamps to be extremely pretty.
I don't have much info on them .
They just came in a nice folder.
Maybe George can supply more info on them????

I have a lot more in boxes but they have to wait to be found. lol

Enjoy! :)

George said:
I'm going to go out on a limb with these, but I believe I can identify some of them.
The stamps in the middle two columns are a set of Guilin landscapes, issued in August,1980.
The last four stamps in the first column are a set called "Scenes from Tarrying Garden" issued in October, 1980. I believe that the first stamp in the first column is one from a set also issued in October, 1980. The set honored a UNESCO Exhibition of Drawings and Paintings.
The stamps in the last column are a set of Taiwan landscapes, issued in October, 1979.
I hope these identifications help (and that they are correct!)

Thanks George.:)

Adelaide

Adelaide

I met a girl from Adelaide
Natasha was her name
She sang a song with me on stage
On a hot, sunny, Christmas Day.
A Donkey drove ol Santa in
Who laughed at our huge green glasses
Golden, brown eyed, she stole my heart
and then left with her grand mother.

Now in Brisbane I do live
So close and yet so far
I have a little beauty of my own
I named her, Annie Rose
Her hair is gold and her eyes are brown
and her smile is sweet and bright
And when we play with hermit crabs
Natasha comes to light

And I sit remembering
How time does fly each day
How easy love is found,
Lost and found again
In the face, of my beloved child

The little girl , who ran away
In her dress of white
Today, she sits before me.
Annie Rose is my delight.
She was born in Brisbane,
Not far and not so near from,
The one I lost in Bali,
Who lives in Adelaide.
A Lady's Life

Qi Baishi 1863 - 1957

click to enlarge

Qi Baishi 1863 - 1957 Ex Chairman of the Chinese Artist Aociety

During World War II, many traditional art works and culture were being destroyed and no longer things of value, but Baishi was still respected and was “elected to the National People’s Congress and made honorary Chairman of the National Artist’s’ Association, he represented a continuing commitment to traditional cultural values in revolutionary China” (Xiangtan, p. 1). He died at age 93.

click to enlarge

prices are shown here of the stamps sold at that time.
The booklet was obtained from China after Nixon opened the doors to China

Interesting.
------------------------------------------

Why did the chicken cross the road? SARAH PALIN: The chicken crossed the road because gosh-darn it, he's a maverick! BARACK OBAMA: The chicken crossed the road because it was time for change! The chicken wanted change! JOHN MC CAIN: My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road. HILLARY CLINTON: When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure right from Day One that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn't about me. GEORGE W. BUSH: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here. DICK CHENEY: Where's my gun? COLIN POWELL: Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road. BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with that chicken. AL GORE: I invented the chicken. JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it. AL SHARPTON: Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens. DR. PHIL: The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on this side of the road before it goes after the problem on the other side of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his current problems before adding new problems. OPRAH: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a NEW CAR so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens. ANDERSON COOPER, CNN: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road. NANCY GRACE: That chicken crossed the road because he's guilty! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks, unleash the lawyers. PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American. MARTHA STEWART: No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmer's Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information. DR SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told. ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die in the rain, alone. JERRY FALWELL: Because the chicken was gay! Can't you people see the plain truth? That's why they call it the 'other side.' Yes, my friends, That chicken is gay. And if you eat that chicken, you will become gay too. I say we boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the Liberal media whitewashes with seemingly harmless phrases like 'the other side.' That chicken should not be crossing the road. It's as plain and as simple as that. GRANDPA: In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough. BARBARA WALTERS: Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish it's lifelong dream of crossing the road. ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road. JOHN LENNON: Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace. BILL GATES: I have just released eChicken2010, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your checkbook.. Internet Explorer is an integral part of eChicken2010. This new platform is much more stable and will never reboot. ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken? COLONEL SANDERS: Did I miss one?

Magic or Miracle

Some innocent fun with the kids.

This is a house of cards and as all houses made of cards, a small wind can blow them down.
This deck of cards is glued so it is moveable

Amazing what a little glue does with cards and also with families.

What glues your family together?

Love?:)

I loved Obama's State of the Union speech, especially where he told kids they have to study and teachers have to teach to stay competitive.
Problem? They have education but the country is bankrupt and there is no money or jobs to hire them.
Today I talk to Americans and companies fire people and then overwork the employees they keep, to death. If they don't come in to work they lose their jobs and there are 20 people who will work for less, to grab them.

I liked Rep. Paul Ryans speech better about a smaller government and less spending to avoid not ending up like Ireland. Right now in my opinion America needs jobs and to get her deficit down.

As always, we have the right man, doing the right things, but..... at the wrong time. lol
If it wasn't for the economy, I think Obama 's speech was inspirational but I don't know how he plans to create miracles, without money.

It seems his stimulus has failed and resulted in an explosion in spending. Is Obama there to bankrupt the US? I know how many countries would like to see that. lol
Poverty is not acceptable for most Americans.Neither will they like to see their children taxed to death.
Doesn't sound good all this. :(
Under Obama, the United States of America might be looking for a miracle very soon or resort to magic and Jeanies' in a bottle or maybe a lot more glue on his house of cards.

World Without Poverty - Miracle.

http://blog.wer1family.net

http://wer1family.wordpress.com/2007/11/19/creating-a-world-without-poverty-micro-lending-and-the-battle-against-world-poverty/


This graph is from 2003 but it clearly shows how imbalanced the world is and why organizations like Al Quaida can recruit suicide bombers. People who have nothing to live for, decide they should make their lives useful to someone else they love. They do not see Islam as a creator of needs, poverty and suffering.

This is why many people in India also donate their organs to the rich who need them. They have families to feed.

It doesn't make it right .

In a free world, people have a right to do these things but in a free world, they also have a right to live with self respect, to work and to enjoy their families and life. Living, seeing breathing touching eating are all pleasures given to us to enjoy. Along with them come emotions feelings which make us either enjoy or suffer but those can be controlled. No one needs to suffer.

Instead pf enjoying, people are all on the street yelling, screaming, which means they have nothing, to keep them busy. A working man has no time to do these things .

Why should not the world involve itself to help such people free themselves so they can live productive lives? Why should their lives be controlled by those with ill will to wards their personal beings?

If one was to conclude, that all poor people who lack a will to live, were going to join a self destructive group, then one could also begin to assume, that it is ok to destroy them before they can destroy others, with a will to live to enjoy life.

Life is there to enjoy and it is not a sin to enjoy.

We have a case right now in Canada where a man is fighting not to be deported but why should he not be? If he is a security risk. If he has ill will towards other peoples lives. If he is associated with terror groups, why should any one risk his own life helping to save him?

It makes it all alright then doesn't it, to give him up to a country with no human rights?

It is the same in medicine in our countries ........with human rights.

I remember one time when my grandmother was very ill with cancer.

They kept her on a ventilator for a long time and students would come in at night, when no one was there, and go down this ventilator with tools to obtains lung samples etc...thus also torturing her more and stopping air flow. Family would come in the morning, to find her eyes rolling around in her head.

They were quick to tell the family she was dying and that they did all they could do.They were quick to tell us, that they asked her and she told them she wanted to die so we should unplug her because it was merciful and because it was her will.

No family member saw or heard her ask and even if she did, being tortured like this, would make anyone want to die but it doesn't mean it is so. It just means to be forced to suffer, is not a life.

A good samaritan , told the family what they were doing to her each night which made her a take a turn for the worst and we were astonished and stood up and made a stink.

Well, she died twice the next night but she had a doctor ordered to sit beside her to revive her, because they knew what they had done and what an autopsy would reveal .

This resulted in a miracle of her getting well and going home to live another 10 years.

Miracles do happen and right now the Middle East needs a miracle. People should not listen when someone tells them you have nothing to lose but your life especially when they are the cause of the suffering.

People have to fight to live. Life is a gift and should not be thrown back into God's face. This would be viewed as an insult and I don't see anyone getting rewarded for giving or taking a life this way.

A world without poverty would be a miracle. Is man capable of it?

Why not? He's done so many unheard of things already but why not share the good fortune with others instead of building more outlandish buildings, very few will use. Would not this bring peace to the world?

Instead the wealth makers hoard and promote war and scandal to hoard more.

This is what they do and no one should listen.

The Good The Bad and the Ugly

We listen to the news each day and it is pretty depressing.
Suicide bombers killed 30 people in a Moscow Airport and wounded 130
France getting advice from Bin Laden , a man we were supposed to have caught a long time ago.
Floods, earthquakes, droughts......desperate, unemployed people lashing out at the system, dazed children walking this planet wondering what this is all about and why are they here?

And most of all regular people looking for someone to arrest and blame.

This world is full of the good the bad and the ugly.
We label them as we see them but what we do not see is that each of these persons was born for a reason.Each was born for the role he/she plays in the theater called life.
And
Each, like an actor on a stage, can one minute be a lover, the next a murderer, an angel, a saint, a teacher, a detective, a burn victim, a paraplegic, insane.

If each person could be seen as an actor on a stage, then how are we to discern
if he is good, bad or ugly?

With each story line the actor changes.He is at the whim of the writer who fabricates a plot to entertain people.
The writer sits with..... what if...... this happens?

Is it possible to have a good story line to live by or would it be too boring for people to watch?
And if people were to be entertained by good story lines, would it change things for the actors playing out the scenes
in the world theater of life?

I don't know. We are all on a journey and each day is a surprise. We do things we sometimes never expect to have to ever do.

I mean, I hooked many worms in my life and never once thought about their feelings or even if they had any. It was a thing to do. Everyone did it and the reward was a fish or many fish.
It is somewhat the same with Muhammad offering of virgins as a reward for self destruction.
But the fish today are polluted and eating them results in a bad end as it does for people buying into this audacity of self destruction.

When I hooked my Mom's ear, with the same hook, I stopped and thought about it and never fished since. lol

I think it would have to be a darn good story written, for people to change and I wonder how many story writers could pull it off?

What if.... Bin Laden Changed?

What if he came out to the world and said:
I forgive you.
Allah forgives you?

This would be somewhat poetic wouldn't it?

Would we then forgive him?
And what if......we forgave him?

What a story that would be.
Then, how do we justify all the killing?

:)