Monday, January 31, 2011

Valenki




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????










Sunday, January 30, 2011

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


Saturday, January 29, 2011

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.


Friday, January 28, 2011

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!

Thursday, January 27, 2011

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.
:)





Wednesday, January 26, 2011

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

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

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.

Monday, January 24, 2011

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?

:)

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Those Were The Days and then some



Be sure to refill the ice trays, we're going to have company.
Watch for the postman, I want to get this letter to Willie in the mail today.
Quit slamming the screen door when you go out!
Be sure and pull the windows down when you leave, it looks like a shower is coming up.



Don't forget to wind the clock before you go to bed.
Wash your feet before you go to bed, you've been playing outside all day barefooted.



Why can't you remember to roll up your britches legs? Getting them caught in the bicycle chain so many times is tearing them up.
You have torn the knees out of that pair of pants so many times there is nothing left to put a patch on.



Don't you go outside with your school clothes on.
Go comb your hair, it looks like the rats have nested in it all night.
Be sure and pour the cream off the top of the milk when
You open the new bottle.
Take that empty bottle to the store with you so you won't have to
Pay a deposit on another one.



Put a dish towel over the cake so the flies won't get on it.
Quit jumping on the floor! I have a cake in the oven and you are going to make it fall if you don't quit.
Let me know when the Fuller Brush man comes by, I need to get a few things from him.
You boys stay close by, the car may not start and I will need you to help push it off.



There's a dollar in my purse, get 5 gallons of gas when you go to town.
Open the back door and see if we can get a breeze through here, it is getting hot.



You can walk to the store, it won't hurt you to get some exercise.
Don't sit too close to the TV, It is hard on your eyes.



If you pull that stunt again, I am going to wear you out!
Don't lose that button, I'll sew it back on after a while.



Wash under your neck before you come to the table, you have beads of dirt and sweat all under there.
Get out from under the sewing machine, pumping it messes up the thread.
Be sure and fill the lamps this morning so we don't have to do that tonight in the dark.



Here, take this old magazine to the toilet with you when you go, we are almost out of paper out there.
Go out to the well and draw a bucket of water so I can wash dishes.
Don't turn the radio on now, I want the battery to be up when the Grand Ole Opry comes on.



No, I don't have 10 cents for you to go to the show. Do you think money grows on trees?
Eat those turnips, they'll make you big and strong like your daddy.
That dog is NOT coming in this house! I don't care how cold it is out there, dogs don't stay in the house.



Sit still! I'm trying to get your hair cut straight and you keep moving.
Hush your mouth, I don't want to hear words like that, I'll wash your mouth out with soap!
It is time for your system to be cleaned out. I am going to give you a dose of castor oil tonight.
If you get a spanking in school and I find out about it, you'll get another one when you get home.



Quit crossing your eyes, they will get stuck that way.
Soak your foot in this pan of kerosene so that bad cut won't get infected.
When you take your driving test, don't forget to signal each turn.
Left arm straight out the window for a left turn;
Left arm bent up at the elbow for a right turn;
And straight down to the side of the door when you are going to stop.



It's: 'Yes Ma'am' and 'No Ma'am' to me, young man, and don't you forget it!
Y'all come back now, ya hear.

Bring back any memories? It sure did for me!

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Little Things Make a Difference


Now I found these little things cleaning cupboards and
still think they make for nice conversation pieces.

Not many people smoke today so not many homes put out
ash trays. This little shoe you can carry around in your purse
or pocket and use it for ashes or to lay a cigarette on for a few minutes
to do something

The Iron reminds us of the good old days when coal heated Irons were
heavy and hot to use. No wonder women were strong in those days.

and the little tray is full of refreshing drinks for when one gets thirsty.
I think all these things are made of bronze .
--------------------------------------

A Newfie went hunting one day in Ontario and bagged three ducks. He put them in the bed of his pickup truck

and was about to drive home when he was confronted by an ornery game warden who didn't like Newfies.


The game warden ordered the Newfie to show his hunting license, and the Newfie pulled out a valid

Ontario hunting license.

The game warden looked at the license, then reached over and picked up one of the ducks, sniffed its ass, and said,

'This duck ain't from Ontario. This is a Quebec duck. You got a Quebec huntin' license, boy?'

The Newfie reached into his wallet and produced a Quebec hunting license.

The warden smelled the third ducks ass and said this duck is from Manitoba. Do you have a Manitoba huntin license?

The Newfie took out his wallet and again showed the warden that he did.

The warden got a little frustrated and asked

Where are you from anyway?

The Newfie took down his pants, bent over and said

Guess. You got the other three right.



Thursday, January 20, 2011

In Korea Door Handles do not break




His instructor "Chun" was a master of shinanju. Shinanju was the predecessor to all martial arts. Kung fu, Karate, Wrestling, ... all come from Shinanju. Shinanju is a village in Korea, that makes his money by it's citizens being professional assasins. All monies raised by the assasins (minus expenses) goes to the village. Shinanju assasinations are "perfect".

(this is fiction of course)


Lala The King Penguin

Soeul Korea 2

Click to enlarge 2x
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Olympic Tiger. I have him at home

Folk Village salt water taffee maker

Demo of Korean Wedding Ceremony

Korean Tiger magpie and pine tree.
Pine tree = symbol of first month of the year
magpie bringer of good news and Tiger who chases away evil spirits.
The Ajaeng is a string instrument with strings of twisted silk.
A stick made out of forsythia wood is scraped against the strings like a bow. The instrument has 7 strings. Some have up to 9 strings.It sounds like a cello

Ahn choong kun Patriot
http://www.japanarmy.com/english/e-ahn.htm

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Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Seoul, Korea



I found some Pics of when we went to Soeul, Korea.

It seems like a dream today that we've actually been to so many places.

It was so exciting to see how people shopped and what they bought, from
what we used to call, going to bazaars.

When I came across the material section, I almost died seeing the wide selection of
so much I would have loved to buy and bring home . But we had no time and had to hurry.

These were taken on the way to Canada. Coming back we took the same route because from Canada to Korea and vs was almost an empty plane and so we could stretch out on the seats to sleep. Either it was day and day and day or night and night and night lol
Then they loaded up the plane in Korea to go to Hong Kong and Singapore.

One our way back we stopped in BC and ate a Burger King in down town Vancouver and my son got food poisoning . He was quite ill on the plane. Then we had to stay inside our Korean hotel room, till he got better poor guy.

The swing you see, is from the old folk village. The man was trying to make a loop around it I think, because he was going sooo high. It was all made out of rope and had no chains.

The seafood was everywhere in abundance and if not displayed the way you see it, then live in tubs on the floor. They had many eels and continuously told people to stay away from the tubs because they could jump out at you and bite.
We didn't need to be told twice lol

It was so exciting to walk around from section to section of this place we were at and we bought a lot of presents for family and friends in Montreal.
The food is grown on human manure and so many people who know this would not eat much while visiting lol
We even saw pigs in the old village eat peoples poop from the bathrooms.
I wonder what they did with these pigs ???


Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Charlie's Chocolate Factory


This is Charlie and I have to say I love him.
I have never had so much fun going to a chocolate factory, the likes of his.
He has a river of chocolate flowing to entertain children and Willy Wonka, from the movie, probably got his idea from Charlie here, in Burnaby, BC.

What is more fun is that you can see the chocolate being made in front of you and you can order
your own logos and designs for weddings, valentines and even Chinese New Year which is coming real soon on the 4th of February.

You can even rent a fountain, flowing chocolate ,for your guests to dip their own straw berries in, for good luck.

Charlie is in his 80's . He will always be known for his kind, fun loving spirit and I think he makes coming to BC one of life's pleasures.

Ever since I visited his place some odd years ago with my sons' class, I can never forget the experience and if you come to BC, this sure is a place to stop to have a look see.

I mean, anything your heart desires, can be found here in chocolate. His employees must have a ball coming to work each day. I know his customers do especially if this man is there to greet them.
Charlie really makes a difference in the selling of Chocolate .
I wish him all the best!!!
:)

Charlie has a new factory up in Coquitlam as well as Burnaby.

http://www.charlieschocolatefactory.com/
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“It's not that chocolates are a substitute for love. Love is a substitute for chocolate. Chocolate is, let's face it, far more reliable than a man.”
Miranda Ingram

Chocolate causes certain endocrine glands to secrete hormones that affect your feelings and behavior by making you happy. Therefore, it counteracts depression, in turn reducing the stress of depression. Your stress-free life helps you maintain a youthful disposition, both physically and mentally. So, eat lots of chocolate!”
Elaine Sherman, Book of Divine Indulgences

Catty Lear.





This girl I know lives on the 4th floor of an apartment, and even
though it is a fairly good neighborhood, she has been having
trouble with a Peeping Tom that lives next door.

Every time she goes out onto her balcony to catch a bit of sun
while wearing her bikini, this Peeping Tom looks over from his
balcony as soon as she removes her top, and stares at her all the
time she is there.

She has complained to the superintendent about this Peeping
Tom, but he says she must have positive proof before he can do a thing.

She FINALLY got a picture (above)of him, while he was staring at her.

Peeping Tom.
Nice guy lol

I had a cat that did the same in the bathroom.
Every time people would go, he'd push the door and look inside to watch you.
It got to be eerie and I'd yell at him to leave cause after all, this is private stuff lol
Eventually he put two and two together and I caught him going into the bathroom to do his number 2.in the toilet and to pee he'd go in the hole in the bathtub.

Cats are smart.
Sure saved me a lot in kitty litter.

Here is another fun clip to enjoy. Now we know why we love animals.


Monday, January 17, 2011

Did you Know?


I never knew how they cut logs before but this gives me a birds eye view of what part of a log I am buying next time I shop for wood. They make like 14 different cuts from one log.
Before they ship a log it has to be cut to a certain length so all the logs are the same length when they are loaded onto a truck for shipping.

cork flooring planksCork has a multitude of green characteristics. The material is acquired by stripping most of the outer bark from the cork oak tree. This regular harvesting does the tree no harm, and the bark grows back, to be stripped again every nine years.

The trees live for 200 years or so, and the forests, called Montados, are highly prized and passed down through generations of families in the cork-producing business.

Even cork processing is relatively straightforward: The cork sheets or pieces are cured, boiled and pressed. Scraps are collected for reuse, so almost nothing is wasted.

http://newvisionfloors.com/flooring/cork/


Cork flooring seems to be very attractive since it doesn't seem to hurt the tree.

Cork Flooring at Home Depot

Like bamboo, cork is environmentally friendly, since no trees are cut down when it's harvested—cork is actually bark, and is harvested from "living" trees, and the bark re-grows in roughly 8 to 9 years.

Cork flooring comes in tiles or interlocking planks to make a floating floor. It also comes in a variety of colours—not just brown— and in patterned designs.

The benefits of cork flooring are numerous: an insulating floor that is soft and cushiony, it's as durable as wood, doesn't hold indentations, and is never cold like tile. It's easy to clean and won't trap mildew or rot — making it suitable for bathrooms and kitchens.

It's something I am going to look into.

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Joke:

A panda walks into a restaurant, sits down, and orders a sandwich. He eats the sandwich, pulls out a gun, and shoots the waiter dead. As the panda stands up to go, the manager shouts, "Hey! Where are you going? You just shot my waiter, and you didn't even pay for your sandwich!""Hey, man, I'm a PANDA!" the panda shouts back. "Look it up!"The manager opens his dictionary and reads: "Panda: a tree-dwellingmammal of Asian origin, characterized by distinct black and whitecoloring. Eats shoots and leaves."





Thursday, January 13, 2011

Sarah Palin on Arizona Shooting




















Sarah Palin made a nice speech here

But I must go back to what an Arizona Policeman said about people being balanced.
Freedom of speech is good and I support it, with limits.
I find it degrading to see women behave obnoxious on television just because they can.
I do not like bad language in music.
I don't like men disrespecting women and vs.
I don't like society saying it's ok to behave like animals, because even animals have restrictions
laws and limits.

I am glad Sarah Palin mentioned God here because the new generation doesn't know him.
When we speak to these kids
about our founding Fathers, they do not understand what this all means,
because they do not understand the men who wrote the constitution.
There is a wide gap here.

Saying people have rights and freedoms and taking God out of Government, means exactly that.
It takes law out of the land.
Government can't make laws, if God can't.
Just think about it.
How outlandish this all is.
Our democracy is supposed to defend minorities.
So we make laws against the status quo to defend them.
If man is equal to man then government consists of men equal to men and minorities rule.

So if a minority kills someone, how is he to be judged, if there is no supreme being above
and unequal to man, to judge him?
Man cannot judge man. Only God can judge man and his laws are stricken from the court system and government,
so there is no basis to build law on.
A house needs a foundation. Without one, it will fall. So will a country and it's laws.

Man's laws do not need to be obeyed and most of our problems stem from that today.
Our law courts are full and no one can get compensation for all the damage caused to the victim.

I never thought in my life, that I would be talking about God, as much as I seem to be doing today, but I feel God,
whether he exists or not being irrelevant, is getting a raw deal and so is man.

Man needs God to exist. Man needs his laws, to base ours on.
Something or someone needs to be master of this thing we call life and existence.
and man cannot do that, because all men are created equal.

When discussing a violent act, we have to take responsibility for not raising our children properly.
Freedoms can only be given to people who are educated and have a brain to think with
to make sound decisions.

Otherwise, it would be the same as giving matches to a child or sending a child to play in traffic.
It's just asking for trouble and someone has to take responsibility for this.
Without God to make the basis for the rule of law, no man is guilty of allowing another to die.
No man needs to be his brothers keeper and no man is responsible for another's woe.

This is why people always revert back to God, no matter what the Government says.


Thanks

Doin It Doin It Doin It



Genoa Salami is the favorite in my house. We just can't seem to get enough of it and it's the first to go before ham and chicken and turkey breast cold cuts.
It seems to be a very popular salami because as opposed to pepperoni, which we can buy as a whole salami for 4.99 , Genoa goes for over 10 dollars and even 15.00.

I made a few whole salamis a long while back but today I am finding a hard time finding beef casings.
They are usually sold in butcher shops for sausages, since butchers like to make their own sausages and therefore they are much smaller than what you would need for a 3 inch diameter salami. I found sausages do not need curing or casings since they taste the same from the freezer when you fry them and you can make them in any shape you like. lol
For Genoa,
You would need the following ingredients and usually two people for stuffing them.


5 pounds Beef chuck, round or shank
3 pounds Lean pork butt, cubed
2 pounds Pork fat, cubed
5 tablespoons Salt
1 cup Brandy, good quality
1 1/2 tablespoon Sugar
2 tablespoons Whole peppercorns
1 tablespoon Ground white pepper
1 teaspoon Coriander seed-finely ground
2 teaspoons Garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon Cardamom
1/2 teaspoon Ascorbic acid
1 teaspoon Saltpeter
4 Feet large beef casings

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The beef and pork and fat are ground separately coursely then mixed together and chilled in the fridge for half an hour. Then you regrind it again through a smaller grinder disk.
Then the other ingredients are added and mixed my hand after which you put it into the refrigerator in a plastic bag and let it marinate in the seasonings overnight. (24 hrs)

Then you need a nozzle to place on your grinder and the casings need to be a little wet so they slide over the nozzle. You tie one end then you place the meat into the grinder and grind it into the the casings tightly packing the meat inside with no bubbles.
If you get casings 4 ft long this should make 4 salamis.
After each foot you tie the casing off and continue to the next foot.
After you tie them off and cut them and have 4 separate salamis, its a good idea to roll them and smooth them to get rid of any trapped air pockets.

It takes 8-12 weeks to hang dry the salami but then you will have something really good that will take a while to eat and once you get good at it, they make for great presents for family and close friends. :)

I covered mine with cloth and hung them off the ceiling in the garage. This way they stayed
clean and out of the way. If you have a basement that is good too.

:)

Now this is interesting. Zodiac Sign changes. Think you are a Libra? Nope. You are a Virgo. Signs changed to one month back. But most people decided they will stay what they are. lol Video is found at address below http://rah.posterous.com/new-zodiac-sign-2012

Mary Mary Quite Contrary





Mary Mary Quite Contrary How does your Garden grow? I always liked this little poem. It is also my Mom's name.
My Dad had a HUGE garden he loved to work in.
Whenever I would say to him I wanted to do the same he would say have you any idea how much work it entails?
It was as if I fell from the sky and never saw what he did lol
What I did see is how much he enjoyed it.
Every day he and my Mom would go out and check out their babies and fuss over them and this is what plants like. To be fussed over, trimmed, weeded and for people this exercise is a lot more profitable than going to the gym.

Everyone eats potatoes and how many potatoes did I begin from the potato peels.
They just want to sprout and grow.
Potatoes take about 90-150 days to grow depending.
Cabbage , which is very good for you in cabbage soup - takes 4 months.
Peas take 60 days
Onions take 50-60 days
tomatoes take 55-65 days
pumpkins 90-105 days
beets 40-70 days
corn 72-90 days green beans 50-55 days
caulifour 4-5 months small hot peppers 65 days
brussel sprouts 90 days
carrots - 90 days
shallots 90-110 days
garlic 3 months

If you build a hot house and plant new things halfway before you harvest your first crop, you could have vegetables all year round.As long as there is no frost.

Take carrots for instance.
In 365 days a year, you could get 4 crops.
If you need about 2 carrots a day for soups, salads, etc.....
You would need to plant 730 carrots a year
Divide that by 4 crops and this makes about 182 carrots per crop.
Or make two crops and parboil and freeze them for the year.
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Shallots - They take 90- 110 days. These are popular and will be eaten fast but then they grow in bunches so you would need at most 365 bunches per year even less.
4 crops - would make 365 divided by 4 making about 91 bunches per crop.
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Tomatoes - 55 - 65 days.
Lets say you get 6 beef tomatoes from each plant.
Tomatoes can be frozen whole or made into juice or chopped and boiled and canned for stews. This makes for 5.7 crops a year if you want that many.

12 plants yielding 6 beef tomatoes per plant, gives you 72 tomatoes.
24 plants would give you 144 tomatoes.
12 plants, doing 5 crops of tomatoes, would give you a yield 360 tomatoes.
24 plants, 2 crops, would give you 288 tomatoes.
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Beans take about 60 days to grow.
Now I don't know how many beans you would get from a plant.
Lets say 25 per plant enough for 4 people a day.
you could have 6 harvests per year.
All you would need is 365 plants per year .
6 crops of 68 plants, a year would feed a family of 4.
Since you would not eat green beans every day there is enough to parboil and freeze.
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Lettuce - 70 to 90 days. This I would not grow much of cause it spoils fast and is cheap to buy.
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Cabbage is a very healthy thing to grow but tricky because of pests.It takes 120 - 150 days to grow.
You would not eat cabbage every day but it is great salted and then fried with onions or eaten washed and grated with fresh onions and olive oil or in cole slaw.It also can be kept for a while in a cool dry room for soups and cabbage rolls
Some people freeze it for cabbage rolls cause then its easier to peel the leaves off once defrosted.
I usually boil the head and fight with hot leaves to peel them off.lol
So it can be frozen as well.

You would not need 365 heads a year unless you were feeding an army.
50 heads would be more than enough and if cut into two crops, that makes for 25
heads a crop.
You could get about 2 crops a year.
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Eggplants are wonderful if you are like me and like to make my Russian Caviar out of.
You bake them, skin them and fry them with grated carrots,onions,tomatoes,and garlic.
While frying I squish everything together with my fork and the eggplant makes it look like it has tiny seeds inside or caviar.lol Thus the name.
You season with lemon juice and black pepper and salt to taste and then you can put it into sterilized jars for winter condiments.
It is so tasty on bread or as a side dish for turkey etc...Very healthy for kids to snack on on crackers as an after school snack.
My husband likes to stuff them. You cut them lengthwise into 4 pieces and then make slits and fill the slits with mince meat and rice filling.A pot of that mixed with stuffed tomatoes is sooooo delicious either baked or steamed in a pot on slow low heat cooking.

Eggplants also take about 4-5 months to grow or 150 days so you can have a yield of two crops a year. So again depending on what you want to do with them and how important eggplants are in your life lol......

Each plant can give you 6 eggplants. 12 plants give you 72 eggplants.
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Well this exercise gave me a lot of perspective as to how much, of what, I need to plant to make it worth the trouble. Usually when I go to buy plants to plant,
I never know how many to buy. lol

Usually my parents went all out especially on green beans but they had a lot of cabbage and eggplants and zuccinis.
The zuccinis my Mom would grow real big. She would empty them, cut them into rings and freeze them. Then she would put the rings into a baking dish , about 6-8 rings, with the meat filling of her choice in each ring, cover with slices of tomato and bake them.
Her food was always gobbled up.

Come winter my parents were never scared. They had a well stacked freezer in the cold garage, a basement full of homemade preserves, and cold cuts they got, also home made, from this german fella in a nearby town, who had his own large smoke house.

In case of a storm when they would lose electricity, their home was always warm and friendly
and full of things to eat and cooking was done on a small franklin stove which also provided light and they were always glad to share.
Sometimes you look forward to snow storms for a reason to stay home lol


Hope you enjoyed this blog. :)