My friend Anna is working on assembling pages for her homeschool nature notebooks. She has some listed but thinks some might be missing & asked for some help. Here is her list:

1. Hail
2. Thunder
3.  Lightning
4.  Blizzard
5.  Earthquake
6.  Tsunami
7.  Flood/Monsoon
8.  Hurricane/Cyclone/Typhoon
9.  Tornado
10.  Gale Winds
11.  Volcanic Eruption

Here are other suggestions:

1. Fire
2. Drought
3. Meteor Strike

Here are my additions:

1. heatwaves
2.  landslide/mudslides
3.  famine
4.  plagues/locusts
5.  dams breaking
6.  limnic eruption
7.  wild fires/bush fires
8.  avalanche
9.  excessive cold
10.  sink holes
11.  solar flares
12.  storm surge
13.  lahar
14.  sandstorm
15. ice storms ; )

Any other suggestions?

After a day of errands a pleasant surprise was waiting in the mailbox – garden seeds!  Usually the orders are sent through the mail in January or early February but the ice storm has really gotten me off track. After reading that garden seed sales are up over 30% causing delays at many seed companies I decided to order on-line and am very glad I did.

The first advantage to on-line ordering was variety availability. Unfortunately several of the varieties we would have like to grow were sold out. Fortunately we did not have to wait weeks & were able make necessary adjustments.

The second advantage was the calculator. It was very lovely to have the total + shipping right in plain sight. No surprises at the end of the order, no erasing either.

The best advantage was speed. In less that a week we have received our seeds from two companies and received an email that the third company had sent our order today. This is the height of seed season and a weeks turn around is amazing.

The quick companies were:

Bountiful Gardens This is the second on-line order and both were fast. Heirloom seeds, reasonable prices and reasonable shipping.

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds This is the company I had to make the most seed changes as many of the varieties I wanted were sold out. The shipping is very reasonable. This company is in my zone (depending on the chart) and that is a big consideration. If a variety grew well for them it should grow well for us. If it needed a bit more time – well we do have a few more days, again depending on the growing chart. And one variety was sold out, stapled to my receipt: two one dollar bills and an envelope containing a quarter. No trying to remember to cash a small check.

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange: Sent the email that the order was mailed this morning. Seeds for the south. This company sells several varieties that were developed by the University of Arkansas – as taylor made as possible. Also good shipping prices. The garden seeds are shaping up nicely. Between the on-line orders, one regular mail in, and local seeds we are in good shape.

Now if the ground would just dry enough to till, though it will…sooner or later.

I would like to be thinking deeply thoughtful thoughts but that condition seems to be elusive. Wondering better describes my thoughts. Wondering:

How can anyone throw up in, on, and around the bathroom trashcan and not know? Evidence on the floor, the can, and the toilet but no one will admit to having been sick.  Strong reassurances that no one is in trouble,  the patient only needs their temperature taken and to answer a few questions: ”how are you feeling now?”  ”why didn’t you wake me up?” Everyone is fine, no one is sick, there is no patient, I am cleaning.

Why would anyone ask their sleeping spouse, still cozily curled up in the blanket, “Did you see the mess in the bathroom? I think it is puke…at least it smells like it is…I’m not sure, you might want to check…”

Who builds a house with two bathrooms but no windows or ventilation system? Products that slow down or speed up, soften or firm,  testing to check for proper consistency based on gender & age, personnal cleansing products galore including air freshing devices - good ventilation: a well known need… 

Where do you go to get answers to life’s lingering questions?

That quote is about as deep the thinking gets today. 

Today I went back to the old hometown for the funeral of one of our elderly members. If only one word could be used to describe him the word would be kind. The past few years his health has been a real trial: diabetes, kidney failure and the woes of old age. Despite it all, he remained a lovingly kind man.

Jimmy was one of the first people we met when we moved to Arkansas. He was the first landlord we met that was not phased at a family with four children. He did not mind of the rent had to be paid over two paychecks as long as it was paid. He was a fine, fine man. A Christian man using the old fashioned definition.

But Jimmy also had a mischievous side. His mother had a quirky sense of humor and passed it along to her children. There is a favorite story that people like to tell. This story was told at his wife’s funeral,  today at his own funeral and several times between.

On the day his wife Tix turned forty Jimmy found himself down at the local small town radio station. He knew the announcer & wanted to surprise Tix by wishing her “Happy Birthday” over the radio. He was also tweaking her at bit as Tix was a Southern lady and lived the ideal that one’s age was one’s own business. Everyone in town would know that today Tix was forty!! Seeing as it was a small southern town, everyone already knew but that was not the point.

There is Jimmy down at the radio station to wish his wife “Happy Birthday” In the spirit of the Birthday tweak, the announcer calls Tix and leaves the line open for all the listeners to enjoy. The announcer has Tix on the line & lets her know who he is and:

“Jimmy down here wanting to wish you a Happy Birthday…is it true that this is your fortieth birthday?”

“Yes, yes it is…”

“And how are you doing on this day…your fortieth birthday?”

“Fine, fine as frog’s hair…”

“Well Tix, I’ve been standing here talking to Jimmy about wishing you a happy fortieth birthday. And he was telling me that he’s been doing some thinking….”

“Oh he has…”

“Yes, he has been doing some thinking. He’s been thinking that now that you are forty it might be time to trade you in for two twenty year olds”

“Well, that’d be alright but he ain’t wired for two-twenty.”

That was how it was between the two of them. It’s been a few years since Tix passed. Now Jimmy is gone.

Surely goodnes and mercy shall follow him all the days of his life. May the stories live on … 

This in an ad:

i am looking for a fish tank of any size with or without ass.

enough said?

An online friend suggested googling “Stephanie+needs” for  more Google silliness. Here’s a baker’s dozen.

1.  Stephanie needs some help. Yes I sure do, especially in the spring when the to-do list runneth over.

2.  Stephanie died from Ritalin. That’s news, could explain why I need help.

3.  Stephanie needs to be in a family where there are no other children or animals. That would be very lonely & boring. Plus I’d be missing some very good friends.

4.  Stephanie needs a date for Valentine’s Day! That’s a surprise for the dh, he was more than ready for a night out.

5.  Why Stephanie needs rhinoplasty surgery. I no longer worry about my nose. That money has better things to do, besides my nose gives me character.

6.  Stephanie needs to get the women together in an alliance. Maybe. Sounds like more trouble than it would be worth.

7.  Stephanie needs boost after relative’s death. Perhaps. With mil & Grandma M. gone I’m going to have to start talking to the rest of dh’s family. Quite a change after 28 years together (nearly 26 married, two dating/engaged).

8.  Stephanie needs life on the farm. Amen! Only wish the farm was really a large farm BUT it is paid for so not going to complain. Sometimes we make our own heaven or hell.

9.  Stephanie needs to pay attention. To what?

10.  Why Stephanie needs a sound proofed home to protect her.  Really? What gives you that idea?

11. Stephanie needs to come back home!! Yes I do. We have had a running kind of week and even the kids are ready to stay home.

12.  Stephanie needs a training bra. About 35 years ago…unless they have invented one that encourages the girls to migrate north and stay there.

13.  Stephanie needs chocolate!!! Dark please…and plenty of it.

Read a flair on facebook and just for fun decided to play along. The flair read: Go to Google, search “Find Chuck Norris”, click “I’m Feeling Lucky”.

Search Results:

Google won’t search for Chuck Norris because it knows you don’t find Chuck Norris, he finds you.

No standard web pages containing all your search terms were found.

Your search – Chuck Norris – did not match any documents.

Suggestions:

• Run, before he finds you
• Try a different person

I had done this before with “French War Victories”

Did you mean: french military defeats  

No standard web pages containing all your search terms were found.

Your search – french military victories – did not match any documents.

Suggestions:

- Make sure all words are spelled correctly.
- Try different keywords.
- Try more general keywords.
- Try fewer keywords.

Cute isn’t it?

For those who might worry or wonder I normally use Scroogle for my searches. Scroogle homepage features cute jokes too.

We are still here and still breathing. So far we have:

Caught up on laundry from nearly a month of no electricty or no water. Now would be a good time to break into a song & dance routine. 

Finished totally unpacking the girl’s room. Only three tiny boxes in the closet & one is holding out of season flip-flops.

Opened Jesus Christ Super Star. The kids are cute. The hanging scene is amazing, pictures after Thursday’s rehersal.

Sold some of my seed potatoes to a friend. Had several small bags from Walmart & then found a deal in the produce department of the local grocery store. Two 50 pound bags – yukon gold & red pontiac. The friends dh thinks I am crazy. Safe enough to be her friend but crazy none the less.

Finished the 4H meeting. We tie-dyed…with the kid from hell. Surely this earns brownie points somewhere…I am the only one who even tries with him…should own stock in Excedrin though.

Is it wrong to want to poison the neighbor’s dog that is allowed to roam at night & gets into my trash? I think it is the same one that had chicken tartar awhile back.

Dug out the worm compost bin plans – coming this weekend to a blog near you.

Just read Rawles. His featured writer is in my general area…maybe a lead on some big water barrels. (please let those brownie points be spent here)

Might have a lead on goats…maybe…

That’s about all. So much done but so boring to write about. If maybees are going to be common here I need to get a hive don’t I? (have plans for that too)

Life gets busy…Sooner or Later.

 THE   1 0    C O M M A N D M E N T S    

The  real reason that we can’t have the Ten  Commandments posted in a courthouse is this:  
You cannot post

‘Thou Shalt Not Steal,’  

‘Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery,’

and ‘Thou  Shall Not Lie’

in a building full of lawyers,  judges and politicians…

It creates a hostile  work environment.

humph…this stubborn thing won’t work so go to my backup site & see the song.