Sunday, December 30, 2012

Read Before You Eat Another Onion

In 1919 when the flu killed 40 million people there was this Doctor that visited the many farmers to see if he could help them combat the flu... Many of the farmers and their families had contracted it and many died. The doctor came upon this one farmer and to his surprise, everyone 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. 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. Try it and see what happens. We did it last year and we never got the flu. 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 contacted pneumonia, and, needless to say, I was very ill... I came across an article that said to cut both ends off an onion put it into an empty jar, and place 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. Lots of times when we have stomach problems we don't know what to blame. Maybe it's the onions that are to blame. Onions absorb bacteria is the reason they are so good at preventing us from getting colds and flu and is the very reason we shouldn't eat an onion that has been sitting for a time after it has been cut open. LEFT OVER ONIONS ARE POISONOUS I had the wonderful privilege of touring Mullins Food Products, Makers of mayonnaise. Questions about food poisoning came up, and I wanted to share what I learned from a chemist. Ed, who was our tour guide, 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 summer 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 in 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 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. Also, dogs should never eat onions. Their stomachs cannot metabolize onions. Please remember it is dangerous to cut an onion 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.

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Hobby Lobby Appreciation Day

Hobby Lobby like CFA is being lambasted by the left for being a Christian company. In case you had not heard recently Sotameyer screwed them over and said they have to provide things they dont believe in for their employees or face a $1.3 million fine/day. She has a lot of nerve after the lefty unions and businesses got a reprieve. So to support HL like we did CFA, Jan 5 is HL Appreciation Day. Since I got a gift certificate for my retirment I plan on being there. See you there.

Christmas Gifts

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I got some books for Christmas. The Goth doll book I thought make great dolls for Halloween. The cinnamon roll book will get used every monday as I work my way through the book and the Vintage cake book will get used everytime I host knit group. The eagle book is from this year's nest at Decorah and since we lost 2 of the 3 babies it has a special meaning. The ripple book will come in handy when I need to make an afghan for some reason. The knit kit is great for a beginner wanting to learn how to knit. There are a pair of small straight needles and 4 skeins of yarn, enough to make 2 kettle holders as they call it, potholders for you and I. Did you know Larry the Cable Guy made food now, must make some chili next week and make up the corn bread and let you know how it turns out.

Monday, December 24, 2012

Christmas at the Rainbow Bridge

To all who have lost a furbaby to Rainbow Bridge...... You might need some tissues handy THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS AT RAINBOW BRIDGE T'was the night before Christmas, at Rainbow Bridge too. We Bridge kids were thinking as always of you. We'd seen how the holidays weren't bright this year, Heard you whisper so often, "I wish you were here!" We know how you wish you could just stay in bed And sleep through the holiday lying ahead, When all celebrate with their loved ones so near... Unless they have loved ones on this side this year. But we're no less alive here, on the other side. If you could just see us, you would've laughed and not cried. The dogs all in harness, pulling the sleigh. The cats all in Santa hats pointing the way. The pet birds all flying back over the rainbow, Bound homeward in spite of Earth's darkness and snow. All the pets that you've lost, pets for whom you've cried, Flying home on this Christmas to be by your side. If you feel warm fur brush you when no pet's around, Hear a soft bark or purr, just a ghost of a sound, We're trying to tell you we're visiting this way, And our visits, even rainbows, can be on any day. But for Christmas we have something special to do, A sleigh full of happy dream visits for you. On doggy, on kitty, on winged friend and ferret! The love that you lavished, we mean now to share it! We're fetching that love home, the way we once played, With the closeness we shared and the memories we made. Our Earth lives with you were too short for us, too, And on this Christmas Eve we have so much to do. So all through this night as you sleep in your beds, Sweet visions of fur babies dance in your heads. This one special night we can bring you Home for a while, Your true home in Heaven, where again you will smile. Over the rainbow you'll fly, for a short while this night, Hours that you'll be happy, hours that will feel right, Hours to cuddle and hug us, to run and to play, Before the return to Earth in our magic way. And when you awaken and face Christmas Day, We pray you'll remember your trip on our sleigh, But in case you forget, just remember our love. Remember us watching you, your angels above. Sending love wrapped in rainbows, shining and bright, Love that will guide you through the darkest night, Love found in each memory unwrapped through the year, Replacing dark sorrows with Christmas cheer. Leave the toys to St. Nick, we Bridge kids bring dreams, Sweet visits to remind you all is not as it seems When you look all around you with tired Earthly eyes. If you saw as we do, there'd be joy and surprise. There are fur angels waiting by those Christmas trees, Always there for you and hearing your pleas. We're never more than a thought away from your home, You're never forgotten, you're never alone. Nor are we alone here, with our Rainbow Bridge friends. We know only joy here, the celebrating never ends, And after our reunions with you Christmas Eve, We Bridge kids will party like you'd never believe. But we'll slip away often to be by your side. Sitting there watching you, eyes open wide, Praying you'll be able to catch a glimpse of us, too. But whether or not you see us - Merry Christmas to you! Cindy Morgan

You are gonna be lunch soon

I heard churbling and noticed dad (editing to the right parent) on the Y branch, he had something in his talons. He must have been calling to mom although she never came. He had a trout and before I could find my camera 3 large crows came and went trying to steal his lunch. What they dont' know is they could have been his lunch if they got too much closer. He finished the fish and then moved to the higher of the Y branch and sat for about an hour. A squirrel started up the branch, and then like a deer in the headlights, quickly scampered off. I have seen too many of them become a snack. Isn't he beautiful. Sorry the pictures were taken with my cell from my laptop.

Friday, December 21, 2012

First Snow

Yesterday we woke to 50mph wind and blowing snow. It started out with rain so that of course turned to ice and we ended up with 2.5" snow on top of that.

Wednesday, December 05, 2012

Saving The Eagles

✰✰✰✰✰ SOAR (Saving Our Avian Resources) lost another Bald Eagle to lead-poisoning. A senseless and preventable death, that could have been avoided by hunters us ing non-lead ammunition.... ❖From Kay Neumann (SOAR): “The lead from a scavenged meal damaged his liver and kidneys, bound to his red blood cells making them unable to carry oxygen, and caused seizures and death. There are no more excuses. If you hunt use non lead ammunition, if you know someone who hunts make sure they are using non lead. Causing this kind of suffering is unacceptable. Be responsible. Be ethical. Respect the resource.” As we have seen with D12 and D14 from Decorah, raptors face a myriad hazards everyday, trying to live a natural life in a non-natural world. Through the Deer hunting season, we will see more deaths from lead ingestion... ❖From Bob Anderson (RRP): [a statement made concerning D1, the 2011 juvenile eagle from Decorah] “I am a little concerned about D1’s safety and will be following her on a daily basis. We are half way through deer season and I’ve already heard of several lead poisoned eagles. I’m hoping the total number of poisoned eagles will be down this year given the publicity surrounding lead poisoning. Last week, a friend from Decorah stopped by my house to ask where he could obtain non-lead/non-toxic shotgun slugs. He told me that the copper clad slugs were all sold out at our local Wal-Mart store. This is a good sign." PLEASE SHARE THIS. Especially with those who do hunt and fish. Please ask them to consider using non-lead ammunition to help to stop unintended harm to both scavenger animals AND humans.....A simple change that can have a huge effect

Sunday, December 02, 2012

Je Suis Finis

The stockings are FINALLY done, now I can move on to other things. I give you the Angel and Soldier.

Friday, November 30, 2012

Biggo

A couple of weeks ago I place an order from Knit Picks,ok dont roll your eyes, I know another order from KP but I love them, I needed some yarn for my mom's birthday present so it was not a frivolous purchase. Not 5 minutes later I get an email to get a free skein of one of their new yarns with any purchase. Really you couldn't have sent it out 10 minutes earlier. Well I contacted them and they put it in my order. The color is Carnelian Heather which is very pretty. It is washable merino and acrylic. It knits great, thought it would be splitty but it's not. I did a variety of stitches and like the stitch definition. There is only 110 yards so wil make myself a pair of slippers out of it. I would not buy it because of the price, but it is a nice yarn. http://www.knitpicks.com/cfyarns/yarn_display.cfm?ID=5420217

More on D14

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20121128/NEWS/311280068/1024/time/?odyssey=nav&nclick_check=1

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

D14

We lost D14, one of the 3 Decorah Eagles born this year, to electrocution. He was found near Rockford, Iowa. It breaks my heart again as I feel like I have lost a pet. He was the one with the transmitter, which is how they found him. I know this is just nature but it sure sucks. We lost D12 earlier in the year for the same reason and now to lose another one is this year's hatch. We have to get the power companies to fix the power lines so this does not happen more than it does now. D14 we loved you and now you can be with D12 again. RIP D14.
We are sorry to announce that Bob Anderson found D14 dead yesterday near Rockford, Iowa. D14, a 2012 hatch year bald eagle from Decorah, Iowa, was electrocuted after landing or trying to land on a power pole. Bob immediately notified the utility company. D14's body will be sent to the National Eagle Repository, where his feathers and other parts will be distributed for use in Native American religious ceremonies. Bob and Brett Mandernack did a close examination of D14's body. He was healthy and butterball fat. There were no signs of wear from the transmitter or backpack.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Book Reviews

My fav local yarn store is closing and therefore she is having sales and I had a gift certificate to use. I love books and magazines, I admit it I am addicted. I picked up several books and have to say it is a good thing I am retiring because there are tons of things I want to work on in these books.
Knitting From the Center Out: This is one skill I need to work on, knitting in a circle from the center. My centers need the work. There are hats, scarves, socks, afghans, shawls/capes, and toys. The socks start in the middle of your heel and work around the foot up to the top of the sock, this is the first pattern out of this book that I will be making. The explanations and pictures are great and kind of a cryptic sketch which makes them all the more "real" to me. I look forward to making a lot out of this book. Knitting In Circles by Nicky Epstein. Again this will help me with my centers in knitting circles. While most of the items I would never wear, just not my style, there must be about 100 different patterns for circles which I will definitely make if nothing else as dishcloths and for the practice. She does have 2 afhans made out of circles which I will definitely try. Easter Knits/Knitted Dolls/55 Christmas Balls to Knit: I love to make toys and they are fun. They also give you practice on small projects before you tackle a larger project. These are fun books and I have a garden in the front of my yard that I want to decorate with knitted items. I want to yarn bomb my redbud tree and the two books with decorations will definitely help in that area. The doll book is a book to let your imagination go wild. I give them all a double thumbs up and look forward to enjoying many hours working on the projects.

Friday, November 16, 2012

Bye Bye Twinkies

If you are a Twinkie lover you best go stock up and prepare to say goodbye. Due to the *&^%$# unions they are closing. I hate unions but that is for another post. While I am not a Twinkie or Ding Dong fan, snowballs have a special place in my heart. When I was a kid we used to have a dessert supper occcassionally on Sundays. Mom made everything from scratch and a store bought cookie or loaf of bread was considered a treat for us. We would go to the store and get a half gallon of ice cream and 3-4 packages of store bought cookies. We always got snowballs. I love the chocolate cookie, the coconut and the squishy peep-like marshmallow. I need to find my Wal-Mart list and put snowballs on them. My heart goes out to the employees who are caught up in this. Shame on you unions.

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Angel

I posted that I am making stockings for someone. I have the angel part of one of them done, the rest will be like a foot in a sock so it should go quickly, then on to the soldier.

Fire Before the Storm

There is a rainstorm brewing but the sunset looked like the sky was on fire.

Saturday, November 03, 2012

Sky at Halloween

This was the sunset for Halloween, just beautiful.

Birds

I feed whatever birds come in my yard and have several feeders scattered with different types of seeds in them. I have 3 sizes of woodpeckers. Last night I heard a familiar sound and found it my baby woodpecker makes it, here he is at the suet feeder.

Spinning Wheel

I bought myself a spinning wheel for my retirement present. It arrives next week. In the meantime I received this box today as my free gift. This should give me plenty of practice in spinning and then I can practice dying it as well. I am gonna wait and finish all my xmas gifts before I start on this or I will never get them done.

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Another Christmas Gift done

This afghan is a free pattern from Red Heart made with Vanna's Choice yarn. It was easy to make, a 4 row repeat.

The Stockings

Remember the stockings I said I would make well I am finally ready to settle down and work on them. Avery is getting an angel and Jake is getting a soldier with a rifle. As soon as we settled on the angel and snowman I got my Mary Maxim catalog and they had 4 books with the old time stockings in them so off we go. Wish me luck.

Happy Halloween

The best day of the year is here again. I love Halloween because it is a day of fun and there is candy. You can participate or not, no one cares either way. You can pretend you are anyone you want to be and did I mention there is candy? It is also my parents 58th anniversary. Happy Anniversary mom and dad. Let the candy fest begin.

Friday, October 26, 2012

Decorah Eagles

The camera has been turned back on the nest. You can see how the crib rails have been built up, however... We found out mom and dad are building a new nest. They just put up 2 new cameras so we would have 4 this year to view them. I know the RRP had mentioned that the nest was in danger of falling because it was getting heavy. We dont know which nest they will have the eggs in so we wait. I was so looking forward to having the nest to watch but nature knows best and we have to trust mom and dad that they are doing what is right for their family. I have to wonder if they know D12 was electrocuted and they dont want to live there any more. Whatever reason I hope we get to watch them and witnes the birth of the little fuzzballs this Spring.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Pocket Pillows

I got 3 Christmas gifts done this weekend. I made these pillows, they have a zippered pocket in the backand a stomach pocket in the front under the face. They were fun to make but a lot of work and a lot of pieces. It took me 2 whole days to get these three done, but these are 3 gifts checked off my list of things to make.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Sunsets

Sometimes you just have to take a picture of the sky because it is too pretty for words:

Gifts

I have a few gifts done, here they are, an afghans approved by the girls,
and a shawl for my niece.

Shades of Red

I have several of those bright red maple trees in my yard complements of the city planting them several years ago. With the sun out today my house has a cast of red inside, it is really pretty. There are other darker red trees that are just now turning and many of the trees are half red/half green. Wasn't sure we would have any color with the drought but here they are:

Monday, October 08, 2012

2016

I saw this movie a few weeks ago and it still haunts me. If you have not seen it you need to. If it is not showing in your city get the book The Root of Obama's Rage by Dinesh D'Souza who also did the movie. Dinesh was raised in India pretty much with the same anti-colonialist ideas that Obama was. Only Dinesh came to America for the freedoms this country gives. This movie will give you a real good view of exactly how Obama wants to destroy America simply because his father and pretty much his mother as well were very anti-colonialist. The movie also talks about the race card that the D's love to throw around. It is sad when the D's cant run on anything positive Obama did in 4 years so they use the race card as if all white people had some guilt for being white. Well dear D's, I dont feel guilty for being white, God made me this way and I did not vote for Obama because he is black, he is not good for this country, I dont like Hillary either for the same reasons and if he were all white I would not have noted for him either, but you can't see past your own guilt and hatred. Anyway go see the movie or read the book and if you still feel you have to vote for him then God help us.

Friday, September 28, 2012

Prayer Request

There's a lady I've known forever. She's very sick. On top of that, she's being abused by those to whom she has given everything..... Lies about her abound, and seem to come from all sides. Just breaks my heart. Seems there's nothing I can do alone but maybe, if we join in and lift her up together, we can heal her. She's well over 230 years old, but way too young to die. Her name is ' America '... And I love her and have always been proud of her... Please take time to say a prayer for her - even if it is a short, simple prayer like, "Lord, please heal our land. Amen." Thanks! PLEASE KEEP THIS GOING! Requesting 40 days of prayer for our country, beginning September 28, 2012 and through Election Day! "If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14) REMEMBER 40 DAYS OF PRAYER BEFORE THE ELECTION --- IT STARTS SEPTEMBER 28, 2012! Why not start now

Tuesday, September 25, 2012