Pre-Obama Gas Prices

This morning a local radio station, WRVA 1140 was offered gasoline to the first 150 lucky drivers at $1.84 per gallon. The average price for gasoline before Obama took office.

What an eye opener! Here we sit today with gas prices nearly double with no sign of the price coming back down in the near future.

Sure would like to see the US utilize more of our energy resources and drive the price down even further than that, maybe back to under $1.00 per gallon. We can only hope!

The line put me in mind of the gas lines of the 1970's. I still can remember the odd and even days method of gas rationing. But back then gas was under $0.50 per gallon.

More Photos of Those Waiting

Fiery Friday

It has been some kind of crazy week and threats and violence has broken out all over. One local DJ called it "The World On Fire Friday". Just looking over the headlines that are on the Drudge Report make one wonder if he isn't right.

Let’s see what do the following have in common:

• Terror scare in Kansas City 
• University of Texas - Classes Canceled by ‘Al Qaeda Threat’ 
• North Dakota State University Bomb Threat 
• Threat at Valparaiso University 
• Nuke Reactor Evacuate in Austin 

Word is that these threats are not connected. Then there is the US Embassies Under Seige, as reported on Drudge & Fox News, in....

• Casablanca, Morocco 
•  Tel Aviv, Israel 
•  Tunis, Tunisia 
•  Benghazi, Libya 
•  Khatoum, Sudan 
•  Cairo, Egypt 
•  Sana’a, Yemen 
•  Baghdad, Iraq 
•  Tehran, Iran 

Hmm.... and the official word on this that the protest are not directed at USA.

Borrowed from a Facebook posting.

Obviously something is going on and leadership is lacking. We all need to be vigilant and prayerful.

A Word from Ben Stein...

Paradoxical Quote of The Day From Ben Stein: "Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... But not everyone must prove they are a citizen." Now add this, "Many of those who refuse, or are unable, to prove they are citizens will receive free insurance paid for by those who are forced to buy insurance because they are citizens."

Remembering

National Empty Chair Day

Labor Day 2012

Remember to keep your chair out on the lawn from now until Election Day. Let's remind everyone of the lack of leadership that we have had for the last four years; and the millions of jobs that have been lost during that time.

Weekend at the Lake

The weekend started early on Friday afternoon. I hopped in the car and head out to the lake for the weekend. The further south I went the cloudier it became, by the time I had arrived at my destination, it was sprinkling rain.  No worries, it was time to relax.

We headed out to a local restaurant for dinner. It was a great evening of food and conversation. A really awesome start of the weekend together.

Saturday morning we were greeted with a downpour early in the morning. I enjoyed listening to the rain hitting the skylight. Very peaceful. With the rain came a drop in temperature. I was sure glad that I had taken jeans with me. Brr.  Of course as the skies cleared the temperature rose to a more seasonable level. We did get down to the dock for a while in the early evening, just long enough to let Borla chase a few balls in the lake and I even saw an Osprey across the lake.

The sun rose Sunday morning shining brightly. The sky was only slightly cloudy and promised us a day of sun and fun. We were able to spend a good portion of the day swimming, hanging out of the dock and riding the jet ski. Borla had a great time retrieving the tennis ball from the lake, over and over again.

I'm just a little sun kissed this evening it should be all good in the morning. The ride home was uneventful, although I don't think I ever make the trip down and back the same way. Some day I maybe able to make it using the same route. All in all it was a great weekend at the weekend with friends.

Lake Photos 

Brownie for One! Yum!!

I've been searching around on Pinterest lately and came across several different recipes for cakes, brownies, and such in a mug. There are a multitude of variations on this basic recipe theme.

I tried this one this evening and it came out pretty well. The original recipe calls for a scoop of ice cream. That might have made it a bit more "gooey" but if I had thrown in a Hershey Kiss or two and it would have been awesome!

Mug Brownie 

1 egg
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup powdered sugar (a little bit more would give it an extra punch)

In a mug, whisk together the egg, cocoa, and powdered sugar until a batter forms. Zap the mug full of batter in the microwave for 60 seconds (can be up to 90 seconds). The key is to watch it through the window of the microwave door, cake is done when it rises to the top of the mug and then just begins to fall.

Great Lightroom Presets

Mom passed on this link to a great set of Lightroom Presets by Matt Kloskowski. Here's a before and after using just one of them.

Before

After

Congratulations Dr. Goldberg!!

My dear friend, dentist and author, Dr. Michael Goldberg was interview by dLife about cosmetic dentistry and about the various types of cosmetic dental procedures and the potential risks they may have for a person with diabetes.

His interview is full of information for the diabetic.

Read Dr. Goldberg's Interview Here

A Hunting We Will Go

I had a wonderful morning, albeit a very early one, with Dad today. We headed out to the middle of no where for him to help judge a dog competition. I thought that it would be good opportunity to get out and get some different types of photos.

We headed out bright and early this morning, at 2 a.m.!!! The temperature was nice for a drive without AC. I never thought that we would ever get there. We twisted this way, turned that way, and a couple of times seemed to be making a circle. We even saw nine deer on the side of the road as we were on the last leg of the journey to our destination.  Thought there for a few minutes we were going to be taking home a deer with us (they were very close to the edge of the road).

It was amazing how long these dog kept at it trying to search out what they were looking for. A few of them reminded me of Bounce, with their ears flapping as they trotted along and their tongues all lolled out seeming to be four times their normal length.

At one time several came trotting along in a line when they were passed by a dog going in the opposite direction - they seemed to question why he was going that way. Then a couple popped out of the woods acting like they had found something, that was until they hit the road. There they had that look of "Where did it go?"

Although we didn't see a whole lot of activity at the corner where we were sitting. I did get some nice pictures of the flowers (aka weeds) and the sunrise.

On our trip back home, Dad spotted a turkey - he even turned around so I could take some photos of it. Finally there were some calves, who came right out to the fence for photos. One even "mooed" at me.

I really enjoyed spending the time with Dad, it is something we haven't done in years.

Outing with Dad Photos

Thank You

I would like to thank my daughter for all the love and kindness that she has shown to me over the past few years.

How much I have looked forward to sharing the grandchildren growing up and reaching those developmental milestones. First words, first steps, birthdays, school plays and the like. They are just some of the things that make being a grandparent such a joy.

Knowing just the things that will bring a sparkle to their eyes. Having them on out on little day trips or overnight. Sharing with them the things that once were shared with her. Learning about them and being able to be there for them as they grow up.

Not to mention how much she has enabled our family to draw closer to one another.

How painful would it be to be cut off and totally disassociated with. Without the love of your children and grandchildren. Being alone. What a horrible way to go through life - knowing that your child and grandchildren are there just out of reach. Knowing that others know the joy of spending time with them yet are unable to share this because of the pain and torment that it can cause.

How hard a callus must have to develop to withstand this knowledge and rejection by your own flesh and blood. Such sorrow and sadness.

Happy Birthday Alec!

Happy Birthday Alice!

Special Offer from Adobe

SCAM Alert

WARNING: I received a call this evening from a person stating that she was from Feldman Mead and Associates and that they wanted to know if someone was going to be home tomorrow because they were going to be serving papers. I inquired as to who the were looking for, so I could let them know whether they had the right address or not. They asked for "X", and I informed them that the person that they were looking for did not nor had they ever lived at our home.

I was told that my name was on the file associated with this person and that I would need to have them return their call to have my name removed. I reiterated to them that no such person lived or had lived at our home. She asked me to check with other members of the household and have them give the message to "X" so that they could return the call and have my name removed from the file associated with "X".

I told them I would take their name and number, but that we had only had this phone number for a couple of years and had no idea of who had it prior to us.

THIS IS A SCAM!

I did a quick search for Feldman Mead and Associates with the phone number of 866-378-833, and found several sites that have this company listed as a scam.

• Did you get a call from 866-378-8333
• Did you get a call from 405-233-3382
• Posts here give the company's contact info 

When you analyze this a whole lot of things about the calls in general just don't add up:

1. They do not call before serving papers. How dumb would that be?
2. They called our house line, which generally only gets calls from political committees and pollsters, or just plain old wrong numbers. We just don't use the number for anything at all if someone wants us they know how to reach us. We've only had the house phone for a couple of years - and who know who had it before we did!
3. I didn't push it, but should have found out what address they were going to try to serve. It would have been interesting to find out if they were actually going to try to serve our house.
4. They never did ask my name or tell me my name, so I don't know who's name it is that they have associated with that file number they gave me.

With the economy in the state that it is in, I can see why someone may fall for this. Who would want to have their a lawsuit filed against them for whatever the reason. From what I read on the various boards, it appears that this group is just out to scam people out of money - by pressuring them to make a settlement on some alleged past debt.

REMEMBER:

• Never volunteer any information to someone that calls you.
• Check them out.
• You can always call the local police to check if is a SCAM.

Steampunk Jewelry

Cassie and I have had a great evening of steampunk jewelry making.

We started the evening off with a trip to Michael's for supplies. So many choices, so little money. I truly believe that we could have spent a couple of hundred dollars easily. We probably should have picked up some resin, but...maybe next time.

Cassie & I are going to be keeping an eye out for interesting pieces to add to our collection of stuff.

Steampunk Jewelry Designs

Camera Malfunction

I whipped out my camera to take some shots of the whiteboards at the office and was met with an error message. WHAT?! After some 5-6000 pictures an error? I didn't even have my PowerShot in my bag to fall back on.

After a meeting I grabbed the manual and did a little trouble shooting only to discover that his particular error message was not covered in the manual. A quick call to Canon set me up with instructions to ship it back for warranty repairs.

Then while out at lunch, what did I see but a Jeep all decked out like it could have been right off the set of M.A.S.H.  I reached over to grab the camera and then proceeded to pout!

I haven't been without a camera at hand for almost eight years. And here I am at the beginning of a third 365 Year Project. I've got my fingers crossed that the backup doesn't have any problems while T2i is off at the repair shot. I know I'm sure going to miss shooting in raw.

Can I Go Home with You?

We are looking for a home.

These adorable guys and gals are looking for a home. They are an English Setter-Pointer mix. FREE! to their new family.&nbsp If you have room for a new hunting partner, playmate, or just a new friend please contact us by email.

To My Daughter

May you always be warmed by each other's smile,
Always take time to walk and talk a while,
Always know deep down you're each other's best friend,
And enjoy the kind of love that grows and knows no end.
Wishing you an 'always' kind of love!
Happy Anniversary!

Love,

Mom