Friday, April 30, 2010

Top Museums. Pay Day Loans.

Room_of_the_Louvre_museum (Small)"The Louvre in Paris topped the art museum attendance numbers for 2009, with 8.5 million visitors.
Home to nearly 35,000 objects -- and a McDonalds -- the museum houses three of the most sought after art pieces: the "Mona Lisa," the "Venus de Milo," and the "Winged Victory of Samothrace." 
                      
More about Louvre: http://www.goparoo.com/europe/france/ile-de-france/paris/attractions/louvre-museum/
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louvre

"The British Museum in London came in second with around 5.6 million visitors, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art had  4.9 million guests walk through its doors. "
British_Museum_from_NE (Small)








800px-British_Museum_Reading_Room_Panorama_Feb_2006
More about the British Museum: http://british-museum.visit-london-england.com/
and : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Museum
Most Visited Art Museums in 2009
Louvre, Paris 8.5 million
British Museum, London 5.6 million
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 4.9 million
National Gallery, London 4.8 million
Tate Modern, London 4.7 million
National Gallery of Art, Washington DC 4.6 million
Centre Pompidou, Paris 3.5 million
Musee d'Orsay, Paris 3 million
Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid 2.8 million
National Museum of Korea, Seoul 2.7 million
Source: The Art Newspaper
The numbers were released by the Art Newspaper, a British publication who has surveyed art museum attendance figures for 15 years.
The most visited exhibitions were also surveyed, with Japan claiming the top four slots.
Tokyo National Museum's "Ashura" exhibition attracted 15,960 people per day, just ahead of Nara National Museum's "61st Annual Exhibition of Shoso-in Treasures," with 14,965 attendees per day."
More at: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?sid=aB0KREQwXkQ0&pid=20601088
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This was a cloudy goofing off day!  I took Jay to cash his check, and pay off a big bill he had in the next town.  He had borrowed from one of those rip off places that charge you $50 per month for a $200 loan!  You are expected to pay it off with your next check.  If you can't pay it off, they charge you $50 to refinance it, each month!  We are in the wrong business! 

I didn't see the paperwork, so I hope he paid it off.  I'll let his mother check on that.  I was wandering around the Kroger store next door.  I got a great deal on some salmon, so I was glad that I keep the little 12v. fridge in the van.

Then we went to five thrift shops, and the Habitat for PICT0005-1 (Small)Humanity store.  It was raining off and on, but obliged us by stopping every time we had to get out of the van or a store.

Jay bought something at each of them, but I just came home with this 50 cent cute cat scratching mat which hangs on a door knob.

PICT0001-1 (Small) It has a little pocket at the back for putting catnip, and after it was Lysol-ed, Prime took charge of it.





Patches just got to sniff at it. 
PICT0002-1 (Small)




I sure got my walking in today.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Fighting Childhood Obesity. Eat "Brown". Shopping.


"There are many reasons childhood obesity is on the rise. American children have been immersed in the same "supersized" culture that snares adults, surrounded by high-calorie, high-fat food that's plentiful, cheap, and often served in unrealistically big portions.

And today's children and teenagers are  much less likely than past generations to spend free time running around outdoors and much more likely to spend it on the couch watching TV, playing video games, or surfing the Web, often with snacks and sodas right next to them.

Very few children get the 60 minutes of moderate physical activity most days of the week recommended by the Surgeon General.
If childhood obesity trends continue, experts predict they could cut two to five years off the lifespan of the average child in America-making this the first generation to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents.

Right now our country spends $150 billion a year treating obesity-related diseases-nearly 10 percent of all medical spending. Many experts label the current level of childhood obesity an epidemic that threatens our future national health, productivity, and security unless something can be done to stop and reverse the trend."
From: http://food.change.org/blog/view/fighting_childhood_obesity
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Top 'Worst Snack' may be in your kid's lunchbox
"nuggetLunchables may be mom-friendly and child-approved, but it's not exactly healthful nourishing food. In fact, Oscar Mayer's Lunchables (snack size) appears in the top four of WebMD's "Not-so-healthy snack" list, sharing top billing with such obvious selections as chocolate-covered doughnuts, mini doughnuts and snack cakes; snack pies; and "movie theater" popcorn.

Two types of the popular lunchbox filler -- bologna and American cheddar cracker stackers, ham and cheddar with crackers -- "contain about half a day's worth of the suggested amounts of fat, saturated fat, and sodium for someone eating around 2,000 calories a day." In my opinion, this makes the Lunchables worse than the Little Debbie Zebra Cakes, which have less fat (but way more sugar, at 32 grams far more than the AHA recommends your child eat in two days), but actually seem healthy from across the room.

WebMD doesn't mince words. Under fruit pies, this: "The Safeway fruit pies even say 'great snack!' on the package. This makes sense only if by 'great snack,' they mean high in calories, total fat, saturated fat, and sugar, and low in protein, fiber, and other healthy nutrients."

Movie popcorn is targeted not just for its obscene fat content, but its use of trans fats. Cheetos, chips, cheese crackers like Cheez-It brand, and frozen snacks like Hot Pockets, Toaster Strudel and Ore-Ida fries all appear on the list thanks to their high fat content and minimal-to-nonexistent nutrients. A few times, the writer mentions that a package label serving size is one ounce; though most of us snack in two-ounce (or more) portions.

It's worth pointing out, here, that all these foods have one thing in common: they're highly processed, the sort of foods that substitute for real food like bread, homemade pie, sandwiches, ethnic "hand pies" like calzones and pasties and spanakopita. They're also quite expensive, compared to snack foods that appear on any pediatrician's or sports coach's "yes-so-healthy" list such as apples and nut butter and whole grain bread."
More at:
http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/04/14/top-worst-snack-may-be-in-your-kids-lunchbox/?icid=main%7Chtmlws-main-n%7Cdl3%7Clink5%7Chttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.walletpop.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F04%2F14%2Ftop-worst-snack-may-be-in-your-kids-lunchbox%2F
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My thoughts:
People are living longer than ever before now, but that will all change if our kids and grandkids don't wake up to the fact that companies are out to make money, the cheapest way they can.
Companies have proven that they can get people to buy and consume, products labeled "low fat", or "sugar-free", by adding High Fructose Corn Syrup, or sweetening chemicals to them.  So that often defeats the purpose of buying "low fat", or "sugar-free".

They can make more money by selling refined, bleached foods, like white sugar, white flour, white rice, white bread, white pasta.  The real nutrients have been separated from the product, so they can put it in more healthy whole foods, and charge more for it. 

It costs more, but you are at least eating real food, so opt for whole wheat flour, pasta and bread.  Brown rice takes longer to cook, but at least you eating something that will stay with you, not like white rice.  If you must have sugar, use real organic sugar.  But beware, as some brown bread and brown sugars are just white with molasses mixed in to color them brown.

It is all in reading the labels, as always.

About brown rice: http://www.ehow.com/how_2287972_cook-brown-rice-right-way.html
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Jay and I went into the next town.  We got the things we needed, including some 8' lumber for Jay, and even some bargains at a thrift shop.

It was warmer, and we had to run the AC in the van today.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

History Channel. Prairie Dog Day. Trivia. B+ Starting!.

'America: The Story of Us' Premiere Breaks Records for History Channel. It is on again, tonight:
More at:
http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/04/27/america-the-story-of-us-premiere-breaks-records-for-history/
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Bryce Canyon National Park will honor the Utah Prairie Dog on April 30 during a special, first-ever celebration of the endangered animals.
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A Pennsylvania woman has unearthed a 3.17-carat canary yellow diamond at Arkansas' Crater of Diamonds State Park. The park's diamond mine is the only one in North America where the public can search and keep diamonds and other gems.
More at: http://www.craterofdiamondsstatepark.com/digging-for-diamonds/news-releases.aspx
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Actual computer tech support question
Tech support: "How may I help you?"
Customer: "I'm writing my first e-mail."
Tech support: "Okay, and what seems to be the problem?"
Customer: "Well, I have the letter 'a' in the address, but how do I get the circle around it?"
________________

The giant squid, the world's largest invertebrate, grabs its lunch with tentacles up to 40 feet long and gazes upon prey with eyes the size of basketballs. It lives at depths of 985 to 1,970 feet, where it's the prey of sperm whales.
__________________

Fire Safety Tip from Mac McCoy
Invert and shake your dry powder or dry chemical extinguisher monthly to loosen the powder. The jarring of the coach while you travel down the road does not keep the powder loose; in fact, it packs the powder, which may make your extinguisher useless in fighting a fire.
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Like good against evil, there's a constant mini battle going on in your gut -- between good bacteria and bad bacteria.
“Adam and Eve ate the first vitamins, including the package.” - E.R. Squibb (American drug manufacturer)
See: http://www.realage.com/tips/balance-colon-bacteria-with-this-fruit
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Descriptions of RV Items:
Blown Fuse: Electrical device in an unknown place that shuts off everything.
Crank-up Antenna: Device to find low tree limbs.
Dip Stick: Five-foot metal device invented by a urologist.
Dump Station: Bad place to wear thongs.
Inner Dual: The one that goes flat first.
Level campsite: One where the rig doesn’t quite tip over.
Refrigerator: Slightly cool container capable of holding two cans of beer.
Spare Fuse: A blown fuse carefully kept in a small box.
Toolbox: Contains all tools except the one you need.
Tools: Everywhere except in the toolbox.
________________

"As more and more motorized travelers took to the growing roadways, they formed groups for camaraderie. One of the first was the Tin Can Tourists, which flourished in the 1920s and ‘30s. How they got their name is not known, but one popular thought is that they carried with them mostly tinned food that wouldn’t spoil on the road.

Another theory is that the name came from the practice at that time of tying tin cans to the trailers just above the road level. When a tire would go flat, which happened several times a day, the cans would start clinking on the roadway to alert the driver to the problem." 
From: http://www.gorving.org/customsource/NL_Display.cfm?NLID=105

Was this the first Pressure Pro?? 
__________________

B+ is up and running:
Lil-black-wagon.(Small) Jay, the black wagon of pertinent tools, and I, put the starter back on the B+ TranStar this morning.

It is in such an awkward place, that you know Jay was a-bitchin'.  Finally it was installed, and the B+ roared to life just as soon as I turned the key.  Hasn't started that quickly for a long time. 
But it has an auxiliary manual electric fuel pump, and when I pushed that momentary button, I couldn't hear it clicking.  I only have to use that if it has been sitting for a long time, but it sure is handy.  (It worked like a kill-switch one time, when someone tried to steal it, and they couldn't get it started!)

Jim, the mechanic, was going to take the B+ to his shop as soon as we got it going, to fix a transmission leak, so he will track down that wire to the extra fuel pump.
Later, I was glad he took it, as Jay had the starter wires too close to the manifold, and had not put in one of the heat shields.

Lovely, "open windows", "cats on the porch", "no AC" day.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Water going, going.. B+ Repair.

Ogallala_changes_1980-1995_svg "The Ogallala Aquifer, the vast underground reservoir that gives life to these fields, is disappearing.
In some places, the groundwater is already gone.
This is the breadbasket of America—the region that supplies at least one fifth of the total annual U.S. agricultural harvest.
If the aquifer goes dry, more than $20 billion worth of food and fiber will vanish from the world’s markets. And scientists say it will take natural processes 6,000 years to refill the reservoir. "
Key Concepts
  • If spread across the U.S. the aquifer would cover all 50 states with 1.5 feet of water
  • If drained, it would take more than 6,000 years to refill naturally
  • More than 90 percent of the water pumped is used to irrigate crops
  • $20 billion a year in food and fiber depend on the aquifer
More at:  http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-ogallala-aquifer
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"The deposition of the aquifer material dates back 2 to 6 million years to late Miocene to early Pliocene age when the southern Rocky Mountains were still tectonically active. From the uplands to the west, rivers and streams cut channels in a generally west to east or southeast direction.
Erosion of the Rockies provided alluvial and aeolian sediment that filled the ancient channels and eventually covered the entire area of the present-day aquifer, forming the water-bearing Ogallala Formation. The depth of the formation varies with the shape of the pre-Ogallala surface, being deepest where it fills ancient valleys and channels. The Ogallala Formation consists mostly of coarse sedimentary rocks in its lower sections, which grade upward into finer-grained lithologies."
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogallala_Aquifer

Ogallala Aquifer
"A sprinkler sprays a field near Hoxie, Kan.
"Water for Great Plains irrigation comes from the Ogallala Aquifer, a vast underground lake that is being drained at an alarming rate."
___________________

So next time you leave the water running while doing dishes, brushing you teeth or shaving, etc.,  PLEASE remember that our grandkids are going to need that water. 
It is not a renewable source.
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Leo, Claudia's neighbor took her to have a biopsy done on her new liver.  Apparently, they do this every now and then, to see if she needs to be on different medications, and to see how it is doing.

Jay didn't want to leave Maddie, the Yorkie, there alone, so we brought her up here.  They have been having trouble getting her to eat, and I could tell that she had lost weight.   Her spay and teeth surgeries have not slowed this little Miss Priss down at all.    She scampers around like the pup she is.
I got a can of good dog food out of my pet food cabinet, and she ate two helpings, about an hour apart.   (If a pet hasn't eaten well, and they gulp down food, you just see it again.)  So much for Jay's theory that she doesn't like 'pate' type food!

Battery isolator(Small) Back to the 1982 B+. 
Jay and I cleaned all the terminals, including the ones on the emergency start solenoid and battery isolator.  Just trying to do non technical stuff till Jim, the mechanic got here.
When he arrived, he pulled it out of the RVport with his truck so that it would be easier to work on.   Jim took the passenger seat off it's pedestal (easiest way to get the engine cowling off this van), and probed the wire that goes down to the starter.  It was hot.

J.taking off starter. (Small)So our diagnosis was right….it's the starter.  So that is not bad for 15 years of ownership, an alternator 15 years ago, and a starter now.
Jim wasn't really up to taking the starter off, so Jay did it.

As usual, it took the little black wagon to hold all the tools we or rather I,  took out of the workshop.

 
Old-starter (Small)Here is that beastie!
Looks old doesn't it! 
The worst part of the removal was that it has two heat shields.

New-starter (Small)

Jim was going into town, so he came back with the new one.
Isn't that purdy?
With a Lifetime Warranty from O'Reilleys it was $45. 
I did ask Jim why I needed a lifetime warranty, at my age!!

I was 'gopher', so I got my exercise in today.

Monday, April 26, 2010

RV Lingo. B+ Won't Start!

From: RV.Net Blog Admin
http://flickr.com/photos/49462908@N00/3774880523
Ever wondered the real meaning of some of the common RV phrases and lingo?  If so, you need to read the Lug_Nut Whacky Glossary for Recreational Vehicles.  It isn’t quite the “RV Language for Dummies”, but should help you in understanding the real meanings of some of the more common words and phases associated with RVing.

A
Air Brakes:  Useful if awnings deploy during high speed travel. (See Awnings)
Air Horns: Used late at night in campgrounds by Air Heads.
Allison Tranny:  The girl that works the RV show information booth that is married to Joe Tranny.
Awnings: Wing like appendages that can deploy at high speeds in heavy wind to add lift and reduce vehicle weight. (Also see Air Brakes)
 
B
Back Up Camera:  Always a good idea.  Your Canon single lens reflex could crap out.
Batteries:  Black square things that are capable of lighting your coach for about 15 minutes when it is not plugged in.
Boondocking: Being unable to figure out how to plug the RV in to an electrical outlet.
C
Campsite Power Pedestal: A place to anchor your RV using wires and hoses.  Also acts as a bumper if you drive too far off the pad.  Sometimes seen dragging behind a departing RV.
Charger: A small piece of plastic that that is frequently used to fix stuff on your RV that breaks, also called Visa.
Clearance Lights:  Electrical light bulbs on sale.
D
Departure Angle:  A scheme to skip camp before your new found friend, Cousin Eddy, wakes up.
Diesel Engine: Sounding like a herd of knock kneed cattle, it serves as a sign of departing camp within the next hour or two.
Diesel Pusher:   A class “A” motor home with a diesel engine mounted in the rear, thereby pushing it.
Diesel Puller: A tow truck or wrecker attached to the front of a class “A” motor home.
Discount RV Resort: Walmart.  (Note: At this time there are no class “A” only Walmarts)
Docking Lights: Handy for RVing after dark in flood prone regions.
F
Fantastic Fan: Any electric table fan you can find if your air conditioning breaks down.
Fifth Wheel:  Your mother-in-law on an otherwise, nice camping weekend.
Full Body Paint: Great for Halloween, but hard to wash off.
G
GPS Navigation: A video game that is legal to play while driving.
H
Halogen Ceiling Lights:  Good lighting that can illuminate an RV for about 2 hours before the bulb burns out.
Head:  Also referred to as “The John”, “The Great White Thrown”, “The Thunder Bowl”
I
In-Motion Dish:  A round like salad bowl with rubber on the bottom to prevent sliding while moving.  Great for popcorn.  Also a name for a dish left on the counter during a panic stop event.
J
Jake Brake:  Similar to a smoke break but Jake is usually smoked in a pipe.
K
K.O.A.:  Kertainly a great plake to kamp.  You kan usually rely on konsisent kamping servikes.  They kan be found in the U.S. and Kanada. (Also known as: Keep On Adding)
L
Leveling Jacks:  A camping board game played with a level bubble and a dice.  If a player breaks the windshield the other players win by default.
M
Mouse:  Usually accompanied by other ones, thereby better described as mice.  These normally occupy the little inhabited RV basement.
N
No Address Found:  Standard response to any location entered in the GPS navigating.  Usually followed by “Make A U-Turn If Possible”.
O
Outdoor Entertainment Center: Grey screen that provides hours of entertainment trying to determine what’s on during a normal bright sunny day.
P
Pop-Up:  An annoying page that pops up while on your computer.
S
Sewer Hose:  Colorful leaky hose, much like a soaker hose, but smellier.
Shower (RV Shower): It is difficult to express the showering experience felt in an entry level RV, but, perhaps it could be best described as standing naked in a closet with a wet dog.
Service (RV Service):  A mythical belief which its existence is yet to be confirmed.  Much like the Abominable Snowman.
Slide Out:  Great for meeting new people while getting leaks and malfunctions fixed in service shops.
Spring Park Brake:  Actually pronounced “Spring Break Park”, a gathering place for spring breakers near Fort Lauderdale.
T
Tag Axle: An axle on sale at a dealer usually associated with a red tag special.
Trailer Hitch Ball: Wild wedding party in a trailer park.
W
Warranty:  This is a period of time after which the vehicle self destructs.
Wet Hubs:  Found on the front axle.  Most common cause is a large male dog.
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rv-towing-cartoon2 (Small)
Last evening, when I went to start the B+, it wouldn't start.   Now, this the first time in the 15 years that I have owned it.

It had been plugged in while we were working on it, and I keep a little light plugged, so I know when it is getting electricity.  I plugged it back in, went back to the outlet, and checked all the connections, and my night light was on.


This morning, I tried again with the momentary switch to use the back battery to start it, still nothing!  Not even a click!  So I put a battery charger on it, and it showed that the front battery was charged.  So we tried jumping it off the little van, and still nothing.    So it has a loose connection somewhere.

I hope the local mechanic can look at it today.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

America's Toughest Sheriff. B+.


sheriff-arpaio- (Small) "Joe Arpaio has frequently been referred to as America's Toughest Sheriff. "

(But only 15% return to his jail!  Do you blame them?)

"He has also set up the Tent City as a modification of the Maricopa County Jail. As it becomes crowded, more tents are set up.

As temperatures climbed well past 100, Arpaio said to complaining inmates, "It's 120 degrees in Iraq and our soldiers are living in tents too, and they have to wear full battle gear, but they didn't commit any crimes, so shut your damned mouths!”.
From: http://en.allexperts.com/e/j/jo/joe_arpaio.htm



Sheriff Joe Arpaio created the 'Tent City Jail' to save Arizona from spending tens of millions of dollars on another expensive prison complex.
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Recidivism National and Sherriff Joe’s figures: recidivism (Small)
“...Recidivism does occur, but we do have a great drug prevention education program. We graduated five thousand men and women and I tracked those people to see if they reoffend. Only about 15 percent come back, but normally around the nation, probably including here, too, I don't have a figure on it, maybe 50, 60 percent do come back.”
From: http://rightwingnews.com/2010/03/an-interview-with-americas-toughest-sheriff-joe-arpaio/
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Sheriff Joe Arpaio's 'No-Kill' Animal Rescue Shelter
His latest move has animal-lovers all over America cheering:
“Arpaio has moved the dogs and cats who are victims of abuse, or being held as evidence in domestic violence cases, into the air-conditioned, spacious First Avenue jail. And their caretakers? A corps of female prisoners who are busy hugging, petting and looking after these previously unfortunate creatures; painting the insides of the jail with pictures of trees, flowers and fire hydrants, to make them feel at home.

allpets.com is proud to present an interview with a man who cheerfully brags about feeding these animals better than his human prisoners, and who believes that every animal deserves a chance at a good life.” 
______________________

"The MASH location in the First Avenue Jail is air-conditioned, and the cells have been reconditioned to comfortably house animals. Some critics have said that it's inhumane to put dogs and cats in air-conditioned quarters when inmates don't have air conditioning.

A good answer came from one of the inmates assigned to care for the dogs. When asked if she was resentful about not having air conditioning, she gestured to some of the dogs and said, "They didn't do anything wrong. I did."
From: http://clipmarks.com/clipmark/2063248C-5CAE-4179-92D8-08B105BEDD71/

Here is a lot more info about Sheriff Arpaio:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/crime/arpaio.asp
______________________

This morning I drove to Krogers in town, and there seemed to be so many packs (or is that gaggles) of motorcycles there, that I asked a biker what was going on. 
He said, simply  " It is such a pretty day!".
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Windows-done2-1 (Small)
Windows-done1-1 (Small)


Ray finished trimming off the butyl putty and caulking the windows, today.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Endangered Parks. Appalachian Trail. B+ Windows.

"Our national parks system is a thing of beauty -- from the depths of the Grand Canyon to the peaks of the Smoky Mountains. With 285 million people visiting at least one of the 392 parks in 2009, they are also some of the most popular tourist destinations in America.
But the parks are in danger. As Kurt Repanshek, journalist and founder of NationalParksTraveler.com, points out, there are a number of different issues that are contributing to downfall of our most precious spaces."      More at: http://news.travel.aol.com/2010/03/25/endangered-national-parks/?icid=main|htmlws-main-n|dl4|link4|http%3A%2F%2Fnews.travel.aol.com%2F2010%2F03%2F25%2Fendangered-national-parks%2F
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Feds Risk millions if state parks close.
State move to shut facilities draws warning from National Parks Service.
“ALBANY -- Federal officials are threatening to withhold millions of dollars in funding to the state if the Paterson administration pushes forward with its plan to close parks around the state.”
More at: http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/storyprint.asp?StoryID=919967
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Appalachian National Scenic Trail
http://act.npca.org/ct/RpBjilp1JmrY/appalachian
“As one of the most beloved recreational footpaths in the United States, the Appalachian National Scenic Trail stretches 2,178 miles from Georgia to Maine. Every year, the trail provides solitude, quiet, and a wilderness-like experience for nearly two million hikers who walk some portion of the trail, whether it's a mile, the entire length, or something in between. “
View the slideshow > >
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When I picked up Jay, I took my thumb drive with me, which has Malwarebytes on it, and inserted it in Claudia's laptop.   It is so slow that the cable guy who installed her cable modem yesterday, said it must have a virus.  It is so slow that it couldn't crawl out of a wet paper bag, so I just left it running.

Jay and I installed the other two trolley top windows in the B+.  I was outside, up on the ladder holding and positioning them, while Jay was inside lining up the holes, and putting in the screws.   Here they are with the butyl squishing out like it is supposed to:

Butyl-squishing-L (Small)
Butyl-squishing-R (Small)
As I was so close to them, up on an extension ladder, I couldn't take it all in one shot!!  If I had stepped back……. 



Tomorrow, all going well, Ray will scrape off the excess butyl putty tape, and put a fine bead of caulk around them for a finishing touch.

When we got back to Claudia's, I got her router installed.  The whole idea of that was that she wanted to be online in her recliner.  Malwarebytes had found NO virus.  Everything takes forever to do on her computer.  It would drive me crazy! 

lady-growling-at-her-laptop (Small)We got the WiFi going, but it was still so slow it couldn't catch a cold.  I think it is because it only has 192 RAM, but what do I know! 

We deleted some programs that she has not used since she moved back from her daughter's in San Antonio where they had smokin' hot WiFi.  Her computer wasn't slow like this, when she was there.

I got Maddie to hold still long enough to take this:

Another friend of theirs showed up, and he started a System Restore on it, so I left.

After three hours there, I had had enough for today!

Friday, April 23, 2010

What Happened? Maddie. Cat. B+ Windows.

~ These were our parents ~
 
"What in God's name have we let happen ?
I guess we are the last generation to see, or even remember anything like these !
Whatever happened?
Political correctness happened,
Lack of God's name happened,
Lack of personal responsibility happened,
Lack of personal integrity and honesty happened,
Lack of respect and loyalty to our country happened,
Lack of being an American happened.
Did all of these things die along with common sense
I for one am still proud to be an American!"
_________________
 
"The two enemies of the people are criminals and government. So let us tie the second down with the chains of the Constitution so that the second will not become the legal version of the first."  Thomas Jefferson.
__________________

Jay wasn't coming here today as he said he was up all night with Maddie, the Yorkie, who was spayed and had 12 teeth out yesterday.   His mother Claudia said Maddie was fine, and it was just an excuse.   Jay and his friend must have got into something last night!!  Maddie still had some baby teeth in the way of her 'grown-up' teeth, so they had to be removed.
___________________

Their neighbor, Leo, had trapped another cat, and thankfully he has decided to do the right thing, and brought it up here so that Animal Control could pick it up.  As I am at the front of the 169 acre subdivision with very confusing roads, it is easier for the officers, and they all know where I am!

Usually Leo just takes them to another neighborhood, and lets them loose to procreate or infect that area's cats.  So many loose cats carry FIV or Feline Leukemia.  They are checked for that at Animal Control, and spayed or neutered before adoption. It is a shame, but the infected ones have to be PTS, so that they won't die a slow death, or infect other cats.

I didn't get up close and personal with this Siamese cat, as I have been bitten and scratched enough, and it did seem to be a bit feral.  I didn't rub up against the trap to be petted, like a pet cat would. 
But I was still worried that it might be someone's pet, so I took pictures and made posters saying:

"If this is your Siamese cat it is at Animal Control,
(phone, address)                          (photo)
Log on to http://www.petharbor.com/  
Loose cats are being trapped to stop the over-population and spread of deadly cat diseases, FIV and Feline Leukemia. 
Keep your cats indoors. 
SPAY AND NEUTER YOUR PETS. 
EVERY LITTER BIT HURTS.  
One cat makes 400,000 cats in 10 years."

Then I posted them at subdivision's two mailbox clusters.  We have several cat hoarders here, and we know that they just multiplying out of control.    They think they are doing a good thing by feeding and "saving" the cats, but if they are not fixed or vaccinated they are  T H E  problem.   OK, I am a busy body, but I don't like to see animals die from neglect, disease, or run over!
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Ray and I worked on the B+ trolley top windows.

It was drizzling, so I had to drive the B+ back under the RVport to work on it.
Later it turned into a nice sunny, "windows open", "cats on porch" day.

Ray and Jay had re-installed two of the windows yesterday, one on each side, as I was re-solar filming the other two.  But we could see that there was still a shadow of the black tarry stuff that the previous owner had applied, around the windows. 

It was too late to take the installed ones out again, so we had to tape up those windows, and then paint around the outside of them and the two 'holes' where the other two go.


The paint was still to tacky for us to re-install the other two windows today.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Earth Day 22nd. April.

See what is going on this Earth Day where you are: http://earthday.envirolink.org/calendar.html
The First Earth Day in April 1970
"It may be hard to imagine that before 1970, a smokestacksthree (Small)factory could spew black clouds of toxic into the air or dump tons of toxic waste into a nearby stream, and that was perfectly legal. They could not be taken to court to stop it.
How was that possible? Because there was no EPA, no Clean Air Act, no Clean Water Act. There were no legal or regulatory mechanisms to protect our environment."
firstearthday (Small)
"Former EPA Administrator William K. Reilly with Earth Day founder Senator Gaylord Nelson on Earth Day 1990.
In Spring 1970, Senator Gaylord Nelson created Earth Day as a way to “force this issue onto the national agenda.” 20 million Americans demonstrated in different U.S. cities, and it worked!
In December 1970, Congress authorized the creation of a new federal agency to tackle environmental issues, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.."
More about Sen. Nelson and the history of Earth Day

Earth-Day-girl-reading (Small) "In 1970, President Richard Nixon and Congress established the U.S. EPA in response to the growing public demand for cleaner water, air and land. The EPA was tasked with the challenging goal of repairing the damage already done to the environment and to establish guidelines to help Americans in making a cleaner—and safer—environment a reality."
More at:  http://www.epa.gov/earthday/history.htm
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Welcome to Earth Day 2010 Online.

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"The EnviroLink Network has served as the online clearinghouse for environmental information since 1991.

This website compiles a comprehensive list of Earth Day events occurring in 2010, regardless of size, geographic location or organizational affiliation. "

American Lung Assn's message:
http://action.lungusa.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=14982.0&dlv_id=20744


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Celebrating 40 Years of Earth Day Become of a Fan!

earthday-Plant-Trees 








Have a great Earth Day.