ML's stuff

For reference: These are NOT paranormal

2012-01-24T11:04:00.000-08:00

Here are some experimental photos that could be mistaken as paranormal.

Sorry they're not in order but I can't get them to move around. The captions state what they actually are.

Eventually I will add photos of moths and gnats, but those aren't around this time of year. I tried dropping tiny bits of paper instead, but since they don't hover like insects, and just drop quickly down, they don't appear orb-shaped. They still look kind of cool though.

There are pictures of dust, hair/strap/finger in front of lens, steam/vapor, smoke and photographer's breath in cold weather.

Breath

Hair

Reflection (taken through window)

Breath

Hair

Overhead Light

Vapor

Smoke

Rain

Vapor

Reflection (taken through window)

Camera Strap

Vapor

Reflection (taken through window)

Steam

Dust

Tiny paper dropped

Tiny Bits of Paper

Tiny bits of Paper dropped

Dust (after shaking out rug)

Hair

Finger (looks transparent)

dust

Hairs (not animal spirits)

Dust (after shaking out rug)

2011-12-22T20:24:00.000-08:00

Old-fashioned Christmas Caroling in Poway

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Some pictures of distant relatives

2011-09-10T12:19:00.001-07:00

Find the hummingbird nest

2011-07-17T23:44:00.000-07:00

hint: look towards the middle of the picture

Tick

2011-07-17T23:36:00.001-07:00

I know this is gross, but I'd never seen a tick like this before. Got it off our poor Angie dog the other day. It's huge and it's disgusting. Her bite seems to have healed up ok and she's fine. But it gave me nightmares.

.

Headless Dog?

2011-06-11T18:45:00.000-07:00

Scottish Tablet

2011-06-11T18:38:00.000-07:00

My first attempt at making Scottish Tablet. It's not really a fudge, as it's harder and crumbly compared to the creaminess of fudge. It tastes exactly like what it is: Sugar, real butter, and condensed milk. Although it's supposed to be crumbly, mine came out a bit more grainy than I hoped. I figure this must be because the condensed milk I used was fat-free. Still, so yummy!

And to balance that out, health food!

Silly dogs!

2011-06-11T11:06:00.001-07:00

2011-05-24T08:51:00.000-07:00

Poway Walmart expansion.
Some interesting information:

Poway traffic lies

More Poway mention

--

Poway Walmart is big enough already!

2011-05-23T21:18:00.000-07:00

As it is now, it can take as much as five minutes to get through a single intersection in the area of Poway Rd. and Community. Traffic backs up for several cycles at the lights, and there's gridlock. There are residents nearby who can't leave their homes without traveling through these busy intersections to get out.

Yet Walmart wants to expand and bring in even more traffic to this mostly residential area. They should do it elsewhere, away from homes who won't be thrilled to hear the 24-hour noise.

Of course many residents who don't live within a short distance of Walmart might be thrilled at the thought of being able to buy cheaper meat that's injected with saltwater, since they don't have to travel through that traffic every time they leave their house.

Does Walmart care about nearby families whose children play outside and seniors trying to cross a busy street? Does Poway's City Council care about the quality of life for all Poway residents?

We shall soon find out.

.

Which is which?

2011-04-29T19:35:00.001-07:00

Angie's xray

2011-04-25T10:32:00.000-07:00

Springtime flowers

2011-04-02T23:33:00.001-07:00

Iris

Dandelions are flowers too!

Sweet little dolly?

2011-04-01T19:38:00.001-07:00

No wonder I had nightmares.

Poway Housing

2011-03-14T12:03:00.001-07:00

Let's make those trees disappear and replace them with a low-income housing project, like this one on Brighton in Old Poway. Peeking right over the western-style shop buildings adds so much country charm... NOT!

And then be sure there isn't enough space for the kids to play.

Speaking of housing, where are the slums in Poway where people are forced to live?

Now here's a redevelopment dream come true:

Vanilla Sugar

2011-03-12T14:58:00.000-08:00

Throw some vanilla beans in a container of sugar and forget about them. It preserves the beans for later use, and you have vanilla flavored sugar for coffee.

Peanut butter

2011-02-10T12:18:00.000-08:00

Choosy moms choose generic store brand peanut butter!

One year checkup after Lasik

2010-12-29T21:25:00.000-08:00

Left eye - 20/20
Right eye - 20/30

That's a HUGE improvement for both!!! Still need reading glasses as expected, but distance and mid-range is great. It was all worth it.

Poway Walmart doesn't need to be bigger

2010-12-07T23:45:00.000-08:00

Right in the middle of our residential neighborhood, it wants to grow even bigger and stay open 24 hours.
Do we need this?

Brown Widow Spider

2010-12-04T13:14:00.001-08:00

I have never heard of a Brown Widow spider! They are shaped just like the Black Widow and make a similar web. They are brown with an orange hourglass, instead of black with the red hourglass. They're also poisonous. Their eggs are all spikey, while the Black Widow's eggs are smooth.

Inside a telescope that's been in the patio for quite awhile...
Black Widows love pipes, boxes, wood, anything they can crawl into and hide while their web does the work. Apparently so do Brown Widows.

One Fish Two Fish Red Fish...

2010-11-27T16:05:00.000-08:00

BLUE FISH!

Babysitting my neighbor's fish named Frank...

Waiting for the turkey...

2010-11-26T19:33:00.000-08:00

Praying Mantis

2010-11-08T19:45:00.001-08:00

He even looks kind of like Zorak...

.

Newly re-elected Poway Mayor won't listen

2010-11-03T09:19:00.001-07:00

Poway Mayor, in his own words, states that he can't make commitments to the people of Poway.

"I've never made a promise in 24 years up here, because it's difficult to do."

Listen here:

No promises to Poway

So, it's too hard to do? Then maybe being mayor is too hard to do, too.

Poway Mayor tells people of Poway he doesn't want to hear from them.

"I don't want emails from you, from your buddies, from your friends..."
"What I don't want is a barrage of emails, it won't do any good. In fact, it will probably turn me the other way.... I'm just tellin' ya."

Listen here:

Won't listen to Poway

Thank you Merrilee for correcting him:

"Last time I checked, our job was to listen to the input of the people!"

--

Stavros for Mayor of Poway

2010-11-01T23:30:00.000-07:00

Stavros4Mayor.com

Nick Stavros is the best choice for Poway Mayor.
He cares about Poway and its people. He Listens.

Unlike our current mayor:

24 years and still can't commit

Mayor doesn't care what citizens have to say

Poway deserves better!
So..

Stavros4Mayor.com

Poway Election Choices

2010-11-01T17:56:00.000-07:00

Since this is my blog, I can say whatever I want.

Poway has reached a stage where it has a choice to either drop the word "country" from the phrase "City in the Country,” or to preserve what "country" still remains. This crucial decision is in the hands of Poway's voters.

We can continue in the direction we are going, with more traffic, pollution, crime, empty retail spaces, and housing projects with insufficient open areas for families with children. Or we can strive to put a stop to this gradual erosion of Poway's "country" charm and instead preserve the quality of life for Powegians.

Drive down Poway Road and think about it.

Electing incumbents assures us that current trends towards crowding and congestion will continue. Fresh ideas of a new mayor and council members can provide Poway with the opportunity to change this course.

Stavros, Grosch and Babich can give our City in the Country the best possible chance to thrive.

-

PUT POWAY FIRST

2010-10-29T23:29:00.000-07:00

Put Poway PEOPLE First!
Vote for Stavros, Grosch and Babich.

Vote out incumbents Higginson, Mullin and Kruse

--

MORE Marzipan

2010-10-05T09:48:00.000-07:00

Newest attempts, this time the recipe is different:

First the stuff was too sticky and the blobs flattened out, so I added more sugar like the directions say. That seemed to help a little. The eyeballs were an afterthought, and I just dabbed some food coloring on with a toothpick.

ooooh, thunder!

2010-09-30T16:07:00.000-07:00

During a big thunderstorm Jem was shaking and hiding under my chair.

POOR BABY!

..

Wig for Burning Man

2010-08-17T23:45:00.001-07:00

I decided to make crazy hair to wear at burning man...
Never did this before... and it started out to be just a little hair piece but I got carried away.

It has some strings and lots of beads that glow!

Baby doves

2010-07-28T23:46:00.001-07:00

Discovered a nest in our back yard!

Off with his head!

2010-07-28T23:43:00.000-07:00

This was darned freaky to find in the front yard!
We have owls nesting in a palm tree and find all sorts of weird things under it, but this??

Jem and the Flowers

2010-07-16T21:30:00.000-07:00

Smells nice, but can I eat it?

Then can I eat these?

Then what's the point of flowers?

Mailman, bring me steaks!

Sunflower and a Carnivore

2010-07-16T21:25:00.000-07:00

Oliver and Joey

2010-06-27T20:10:00.000-07:00

Tail of Two Doggies

2010-05-05T20:38:00.000-07:00

Dog kisses! Bleah!

--

Fibromyalgia Awareness Time Again

2010-04-28T20:37:00.000-07:00

May is the month for fibromyalgia awareness. Many of us are aware of
it all the rest of the time as well. It touches the lives of family,
friends and co-workers.

Imagine waking up in the morning after a short, restless sleep. Your
body aches like the flu is coming on, yet there is no flu.
You can't move your head without feeling stabbed in the neck, and your
lower back aches when you roll over.
You get out of bed and take a pill for pain, have a little decaf, and
wait to feel like a human being. In a couple of hours, you're
already exhausted and need to rest. On top of that, you feel kind of
useless and guilty for not accomplishing nearly as much as you feel
you ought to, and this makes you feel sad. Welcome to a day in my
life when fibromyalgia is in full bloom. It may vary from person to
person, but one thing in common is pain.

Fibromyalgia can cause depression and anxiety. It's what's left after they rule out everything else. I had just about every test imaginable.
There is no cure, just management of symptoms. The cause is unknown.

It can come on alongside another condition, like arthritis or lupus.
I have osteoarthritis in all sorts of places, and am too young for that.

On a good day, I can get some things done. But if I do too much, I
pay dearly the next day.
On bad days I have to ration my energy out to basics, and take naps.
The dust will wait. Prioritizing is important, and things-to-do lists
are mandatory but flexible. I find that I'm becoming more forgetful
all the time, and that does scare me.

As far as I know, most fibromyalgia sufferers do not want pity. But
we'd gladly accept some help with the housework, cooking, a shoulder
massage, or just a friendly visit.

Family comes first, even if it's only a phone call or email. There's
never too much pain to hear news like my son(s) buying a new car or
getting a promotion at work, or to have time with my husband or sing
with my grandson.

Love is not enough. But sometimes it's the best one can do.

----------

Fibromyalgia Awareness Day
May 12, 2010

Fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder characterized by widespread
musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, and multiple tender points. It may
cause sleep disturbances, morning stiffness, digestive disorders,
anxiety, TMJ, cognitive or memory impairment, visual disturbance, and
other symptoms.

My shoes

2010-04-20T13:42:00.000-07:00

A woman's shoe collection is important, even if it is made up of mostly flip-flops and athletic shoes.

President Obama Mocks Death of Grandmother

2010-04-02T14:05:00.000-07:00

"Nobody had pulled the plug on granny" spoke our president on April 1, 2010 soon after he signed the new health care bill.

Is this the way the President of the United States, so very lacking in tact, speaks to us about the death of our loved-ones?

Having recently been a part of the most painful decision my family has ever had to make, I can certainly say that it was not humorous at all. It was heartbreaking when my family had to make the decision to stop life support in the hospital and put my mother in hospice care to be kept comfortable until she slowly slipped away from us. It was not funny at all.

We brought her home to die.

Her grandsons sat for hours by her bedside, their hearts broken at having to let go of their dear grandmother who gave them nothing but love and kindness.

"Pull the plug on Granny" indeed.

How dare the President of the United States so heartlessly mock us about the death of someone we love so dearly.

Shame on you, Obama. That was pure cruelty and evil. When your time comes to make such a decision about a member of your own family, I wonder if you'll think it's a laughable subject then.

Puppy Love

2010-03-15T10:46:00.000-07:00

I think that every child could benefit from growing up with a furry friend.
Aside from being a loyal protector which is so important in today's world, dogs teach important lessons... responsibility (even if it's just putting out some food and the grownups do the rest)... respect (pull my tail and I won't play with you right now)... unconditional love... and eventually saying the painful goodbye...

And it's just plain fun playing games with a dog! We got Spot when I was two. She lived 14 years until old age took her away.

Now I lay me down to sleep..

I'm Roy Rogers, you be Trigger..

Piranha girl attacks dog

Aloe everybody!

2010-03-14T23:30:00.001-07:00

Gophers got to my aloe vera plants! They chew at where the roots connect, and then the plants just kinda fall off, disconnected. Luckily, these plants can grow new roots if I soak them in water for awhile. We have had these all over the yard (and other yards, and pots). All came from one little potted plant that someone from church gave to my mom maybe 20-25 years ago.
That's pretty amazing. I rarely do anything with the gel unless somebody gets a burn, but it's probably time to start learning some of its other uses.
Anybody want one, come get it.

Hello Peeps!

2010-03-14T11:28:00.000-07:00

A marshmallow peep is born... or rather, hatched.

(Created with ArtRage program)

Anniversary

2010-03-08T11:09:00.000-08:00

Today is the one year anniversary of my mom's death.

I still remember it well, although I try to see her as she was when she was healthier, and not as she was when we said goodbye.

Watching her die, I learned more about physical death than I ever wanted to know. At the same time, I learned more about life.

I realize the importance of "now" as opposed to "someday" or "soon". "Someday" is the closest step from "never". "Soon" is meaningless.

"Someday" and "soon" suddenly become "never"...
and then it's too late.

Live now, love now, give now, and don't wait for someday.

Mom, I miss you.

--

Grandson singing with me

2010-02-26T10:38:00.000-08:00

These are actually when he was mellowing out and beginning to get distracted by other stuff after playing awhile.
Earlier, he was singing like crazy and every time I'd take my hands off the piano he'd turn to me and put them back on and say "PLAY!"... so i did.
Sorry for the bad lighting, it wasn't very bright in the room.
And I have no idea what song that was.

Snake died

2010-02-26T09:36:00.000-08:00

A couple days ago, my corn snake passed away. I had her for about 10 years, and raised her since she was about the size of a worm.

About two years ago she escaped. All the neighborhood kids were looking for her, and I gave out flyers to all the nearby neighbors. The snake was found in one of their yards, kind of beat up and dehydrated but quite alive. She came around to appearing very healthy after that. We had an ice cream party to celebrate her return. The ice cream was for us, the snake had a mouse.

I haven't told those kids yet.

Gross maybe, but the snake is in my freezer until I decide on either burial or taxidermy. I'd like to keep her skin, it's beautiful! But that might be creepy.

Valentine Flowers

2010-02-18T17:20:00.001-08:00

Amaryllis

2010-02-18T17:05:00.001-08:00

At Christmas I received a flower bulb. Watching it grow has been amazing!

Life lesson

2010-02-17T20:02:00.000-08:00

Do not dangle feet over piranha tank

Things are clearing up

2010-01-04T15:42:00.001-08:00

One day after Lasik...

2009-12-27T23:36:00.000-08:00

That was the day after surgery. Still healing up but a lot better now.
All that love and cuddly stuff is nice.

This is Rascal

2009-12-27T23:32:00.000-08:00

(Yo quiero Taco Bell)

--

I had lasik!

2009-12-14T19:40:00.000-08:00

A few days ago I had Lasik with IntraLase done on both eyes. This is the kind where they don't use a blade. A laser creates a little flap which the doctor moves aside and then another laser corrects the cornea. A lot of technical stuff I won't go into.

The surgeon was Dr. Schanzlin at TLC Laser Eye Center in La Jolla, California. I researched and read about his background, and decided he's the best. Everyone at TLC was wonderful. They explained everything, and then put me at ease with humor and valium.

So here's how the actual procedure went from my point of view (no pun intended):

After I was medicated, I was taken back to a room where a nice young man put some drops in my eyes and gave me a pretty paper hair net and socks to go on the outside of my shoes. Then the surgeon came out and took me into a room to lie down on a table surrounded by machines from Star Wars. He talked to me through the whole thing, telling me what was happening step by step. I was given a teddy bear to hold onto.

My husband was in the next room watching on a monitor, my giant eyeball getting zapped. I watched from the other side of my cornea.

First, a cone-like thing was put on my eye and it kinda pushed hard, which was uncomfortable with my deep-set eyes since it was against the browbone. My upper and lower lids were covered with tape (I think).

Then they put me under a machine where the laser created the flap with bubbles, but to me it just looked like some foggy little spots showing up at one side then moving all the way across. I could smell something like burning hair. No pain except the thing pushing on my eye. It was a relief when they removed that. I was unaware of the metal things holding my eyelids open.

Then I could see a tool moving across my eye and then when he pulled back the flap, everything turned white and hazy, like looking through a fogged up window that you could just barely see through.

Then they put me under the other machine that makes the correction. One of my eyes was worse than the other, taking something over one hundred seconds. The better eye was only thirty-something seconds. At that point, I was told to stare at an orange flashing light. (If I look away, will my eyeball explode? don't wanna find out) The laser locks onto the pupil somehow, I believe, and then other colors of flashing lights show up. No pain, but again it smelled like burning hair. Yuk! The flashing orange light got huge and blurry, and I was afraid I couldn't keep staring at it.. but I did just fine.

Then the doctor put some goop over it and put the flap back in place. I could start to see better at that point. He put more wet goo over that, and it was kind of soothing even though my eyeball was numb.

After both eyes were done, they taped on these big grey shields that made me look like a fly ("help meeee"). I sat up, and I could SEE! I'm like "whoa! I can SEE you!" I started crying a little, it was a very emotional moment for me. They took a quick photo of me with Dr. Schanzlin, and then I went into another room and was given all sorts of instructions and eye drops.

Oh yeah, and I got to keep the teddy bear.

The next morning, I had 20/20 distance vision in both eyes.

My eyes are still sore and get tired quickly, so I'm resting them quite a bit. Typing this all with my eyes shut... not! Bright lights bother me somewhat, and I can see foggy circles (halos?) around the Christmas lights and street lights. This hopefully will improve with some time.

I will need reading glasses, but no prescription. So I can get some of those cool ones that click together in the middle with magnets, like that CSI guy has. I'm cool like that.

Note - January 4:
Happy New Year! Things are really clearing up in the last few days. Still having a little bit of ghost images and red lights at night are freaky, but in the daylight I can see very well into the distance. Drugstore 2.00 power reading glasses make close-up clear. My eyes are kind of sore and strained at times (especially after computer use) but that seems to be improving. I understand it can take a few months to heal up. Using stuff for dry eyes until that clears up. Was it worth it?
YOU BETCHA!

Jem

2009-12-13T15:34:00.001-08:00

All through the house

2009-12-13T14:26:00.000-08:00

not a creature was stirring...
(too much eggnog?)

---

Red Eye

2009-12-07T15:57:00.000-08:00

Christmas Card to Mom

2009-12-05T18:45:00.000-08:00

My mother's favorite time of year was Christmas...

Colonoscopy from Hell

2009-11-21T17:45:00.001-08:00

Warning: this is graphic.

A couple of months ago I had an upper GI endoscopy done. I was sedated with a drug called Versed, which isn't a general anesthesia but rather it is an “amnesia drug” as some call it. I was nervous, but I woke up afterwards not remembering anything, and the procedure was complete. No big deal to me!

So the other day I went in for the other end – the colonoscopy. I was expecting a similar experience, to not be aware and wake up and it's done. But in addition to Versed they gave me another drug “for discomfort”. I didn't know I'd have discomfort, and everyone says it's so easy. The prep is the worst part for most people, although I got through that ok.

So here's what happened, from my perspective.

I was nervous, but expecting it to go just fine. In the past I had two sigmoidoscopies that were stopped due to pain, but they don't give any drugs for that. I was told that this would be much different. They put the drugs in the IV and I remember feeling them kick in and drifting off to a nice little high before I “slept”. The next thing I know, I'm awake and crying, looking at my husband and a nurse and trying to form words but was almost paralyzed. Like in a nightmare when you try to scream but there's no voice coming out. I had to tell them that while I was “out” I had the worst nightmare I've ever had. I “dreamed” that I had been tortured and in unbearable pain, and that I had been screaming and pleading to stop, and then I climbed outside of my own body to "escape" the pain.

I was frightened, but glad that it was just a dream.

Then the doctor came by and said they were unable to complete the procedure because I was in so much pain, and screaming! OMG! I had thought it was a nightmare that I woke up from, only to find out it was REAL. Apparently when I “dreamed” I left my body, my blood pressure and oxygen levels had dropped dangerously low and that's when they stopped the whole thing.

It's been two days now, and it keeps popping into my mind all the time. Like I MUST make some sense of it, involuntarily playing it over and over again in my mind. That horrible dream was REAL? How much of it was real? Did I actually experience what was in the dream??

I keep recalling more little bits of it, and when I remember the pain my whole body just wants to roll up and die. Yet it kills me that i CAN'T recall everything and make sense of it. If I can't reassure myself it was only a dream, maybe just that it's all over now and will never ever happen again?

I now understand that Versed doesn't kill pain, it just makes you (supposedly) forget you had it. And demerol is a painkiller, that it turns out I am allergic to as it made me itch and eyes swelled up afterwards. I believe that's the same drug that caused Michael Jackson to stop breathing. But it didn't kill the pain. Most people don't have more than a little discomfort with a colonoscopy, and some even have it without drugs at all.

I would not discourage anyone from getting this important sceening for colon cancer. I have IBS and fibromyalgia, both of which intensify pain. So anyone with either or both of those, be sure to discuss that ahead of time with the doctor.

In the future I will demand a general anesthesia before anybody sticks a camera up my butt.

It's been 4 days now, and thankful that I didn't go into a coma, or worse. I still cry when I think of what happened (and what could have happened).

Why we shouldn't keep cardboard boxes

2009-11-06T13:43:00.000-08:00

Click on these for the giant picture.
It was big. And yes I did get that close.
Don't try this at home, kiddies.
Is it politically correct to say "Black Widow" these days?

Sleepy Dog

2009-11-06T09:20:00.000-08:00

Dark Fairy and Creepy Ghost Guy

2009-10-28T20:04:00.001-07:00

Coral Snake Pie

2009-10-28T20:00:00.001-07:00

Welcome Oliver!

2009-10-26T15:48:00.000-07:00

(Lily, Oliver and Sophie - who is not really a red-eyed demon)

No Walmart Expansion booth at Poway Street Fair

2009-09-13T17:02:00.000-07:00

Simon!

2009-09-12T23:08:00.001-07:00

NO Walmart Expansion for Poway

2009-08-14T23:32:00.000-07:00

Let's keep the "Country" in "The City in the Country"

Ant eater

2009-08-09T18:09:00.000-07:00

We need more spiders like this. It's so tiny you almost miss it. That's an ant it's got wrapped up in webby stuff. Not a big ant, but those tiny little sugar ants (my mom used to call them p*ss ants). Thanks to macro photography, one can enter the tiny tiny worlds of wonder that surround us.

The Thing

2009-08-09T18:01:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it is.
It's scary. Look at all the spikes!

Click on the picture to get the big detailed one...if you dare.
Tell me what it is.
(So the nightmares can end)

Poway Walmart Expansion?

2009-08-09T15:44:00.000-07:00

The Gridlock in the Country.... always

For a lot of information on this issue, please read the blog located at:

http://powayblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/walmart-and-poway-road-specific-plan.html

Goodbye Maggie

2009-08-05T15:07:00.000-07:00

Maggie was a sweet, special friend who was loved very much.
She will be missed.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY!

2009-07-30T17:34:00.001-07:00

Here's Sophie!

2009-07-28T20:33:00.001-07:00

Look at those baby blue eyes!

Doggie and the Dot

2009-07-25T15:15:00.000-07:00

Jem chasing a red dot on the kitchen floor.
I'm glad to have a dog that will protect us from those evil red dots that float around in the house.

Even with our water restrictions...

2009-07-22T23:39:00.000-07:00

...we can still have flowers. This was on a cactus in our back yard, where it gets very little water. It's gorgeous!

Strawberries?

2009-07-12T20:32:00.000-07:00

"Strawberries? WHAT strawberries?"

Pez Boy

2009-07-12T20:28:00.001-07:00

"I don't quite understand the point of this. You take the candy out of the wrapper, then you put it in the little toy thing, then you take it out to eat it? You grownups are kinda strange."

Poway Walmart Expansion

2009-07-12T19:51:00.000-07:00

I am opposed to the expansion of Poway's existing Walmart into a Supercenter
for the following reasons:

--This is a residential neighborhood. Walmart is bordered on three sides by
residences which house families including children and seniors.
24-hour noise, lights and traffic would greatly impact the quality of life
for nearby residents. Children would be endangered playing in front of
their own homes by a constant stream of strangers from out of the area
passing through to go to Walmart.

Poway has taken pride in its addition of Solara homes directly across the
street from Walmart. Solar-powered, making a contribution towards making
the eartha better place. Right across the street from an energy-gobbling
24-hour Walmart Supercenter?

--This is a historical part of Poway. Old Poway is just down the road, and
the Community Church, "Oldest structure in continuous use as a church in San
Diego County, erected circa 1887" is directly across the street from Walmart.
Plowboys, which Walmart plans to dismantle, is also a historical building
that many feel should be preserved.

Would San Diego put a 24-hour walmart supercenter in the middle of Old Town?
Or in Balboa Park? How about Hillcrest? I doubt it.

--Money. There is no additional tax revenue for Poway gained by adding
groceries to Walmart. We already have plenty of groceries just walking
distance away.
Nearby businesses would be jeopardized. Right now Creekside Plaza has eight
empty shops, while Poway City Centre has ten empty shops. These are only about a block
from Walmart.

Poway could become a ghost town with a Walmart in the middle.

What about the Poway Town Center that is planned for the future on Poway Rd?
It's literally just around the corner from Walmart.
What sort of retailers would even bother to set up shop next to a 24-hour
Walmart Supercenter? Maybe an adult bookstore or two.
Tattoo and massage parlors, perhaps? Walmart isn't competition for those
types of businesses.

--Traffic is already a big problem in the Poway/Community/Midland Rd areas.
Even in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday, itbacks up for blocks.
Bringing in even more traffic would be disasterous.

Moving Walmart to the business park would make more sense
than expanding it in its current location in the middle of people's homes
and churches.

In conclusion, I believe that most Powegians love "The City in the Country".
We take pride in our city, with it's friendly country atmosphere flavored
with a dash of "Old West".

Please don't let it become "The Walmart in the Country".

For more information, please read here:

http://powayblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/walmart-and-poway-road-specific-plan.html

Silence of the Cams

2009-07-12T16:57:00.000-07:00

There's another bug on the bathroom mirror, quick run 'n git yer camera!

If a spider can do pushups on a mirror...

2009-07-12T16:52:00.000-07:00

...so can a moth

Poway - A sign of the times?

2009-07-08T09:48:00.000-07:00

If you were just driving by, could you read the little white words on a yellow background?
These useless eyesores are spread throughout Poway.

In my opinion, a whole lot of money was wasted.

The color scheme looks like a nice attempt at a "nature" look,
but not at all functional for a directional sign to be viewed while driving.

Two Important Words

2009-07-06T15:22:00.000-07:00

Two of the most non-constructive, hurtful, hostile yet innocent-appearing words that can be used in an argument:

-always
-never

"You always ....."
"You never ....."
"I always ....."
"I never ....."

Outside an argument, they can be accurately descriptive at times.
But within an argument... ouch.

And they accomplish nothing, and lock in absolutes that indicate that you want or expect it to stay that way. If so, why are you arguing about it if you aren't seeking change or resolution? Just to hurt? Now there's a marriage/friendship - breaker.

Never - do you REALLY mean that something absolutely has not occurred at any time at all, at any instance, and that there's no chance of it occurring in the future?

Always - do you REALLY mean absolutely every single time? Every single time? Past and future? That's basically demanding it to continue instead of requesting change!

Better words to use in an argument would be:

-rarely
-seldom
-often
-occasionally
-frequently
-most of the time
-not that I can recall
-not as often as I'd like

etc.

Those get the same point across more accurately and realistically - with less hostility fueling the argument. They also invite improvement and change, instead of locking in and failing to change something undesirable.

When I've heard "You always do/say ...." i feel defensive rather than think about improving or changing a behavior.
Just as "You never ....." makes me think "fine! and i never WILL!"

I did it

2009-07-06T13:08:00.000-07:00

Today, I did my first complete start-to-finish chin up. (or pull up or whatever)
Without jumping up at all. All the way up to the top.

I tried every day and made it just a little higher each time.
I may be stupid and do just about everything else wrong, but by God I did a chin up.

No Walmart Supercenter for Poway!

2009-06-24T14:09:00.000-07:00

Poway is becoming a retail disaster. A 24-hour Walmart supercenter in Poway is one of the most idiotic ideas I've ever heard. After all that time and money spent on planning a new Town Center for Poway (currently on hold), putting a supercenter literally just around the corner from the proposed town center site will ruin any chance of the town center actually thriving.

If Poway must yield to the almighty Walmart, at least move it away from the residential neighborhood and into the business park. We don't need a 24-hour nuisance bordered on three sides by apartments, that's just asking for disaster.

And we're putting in a brand new Walgreens just across the street and down from Walmart. The traffic on Poway Rd in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday backs up from Community all the way to Midland as it is now. Imagine a weekend, and with the addition of a big old Walmart Supercenter bringing people in from surrounding areas to buy groceries which don't generate revenue for Poway anyway.

I can see it now.. "The Walmart in the Country"

I made pizza!

2009-06-03T18:35:00.001-07:00

3 cheeses, spinach, mushroom, etc.

My snake laid 17 Eggs!!!!

2009-05-24T19:30:00.000-07:00

foxtail

2009-05-24T19:27:00.000-07:00

Poor Jem got a foxtail in her eye. We took her to Emergency and they got it out, but poor thing!

Another bug

2009-05-24T19:24:00.000-07:00

Here's a cool bug I found in the bathroom:

Long time, no post!

2009-05-24T19:03:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted here in a long time. Still confused by all the weird feelings surrounding my mom's death. And the lack of feelings, which are almost worse than the feelings at times. Maybe that's the antidepressants.

Also dealing with GERD. Probably yet another lovely gift from fibromyalgia. I went to the doctor for a persistent feeling of swelling in my throat, and tests (a scope through my nose down my throat, yikes!) showed gastro-esophageal reflux disease. ALL my favorites - chocolate, coffee, tea, mints, colas, tomatoes (including pizza and pasta sauces), most fruits except apples and bananas, all fruit or vegetable juices, carbonated drinks, alcohol (even wine), anything with fat or spices, garlic, onion... those are now no-no's in my diet. I read that most people diagnosed with GERD and avoiding these foods lose an average of 40 pounds. At 118 pounds (5'8") there would be nothing left but a skeleton. Cool for Halloween though.

But it's serious stuff. Not controlled, it can cause esophageal cancer which can also spread to the lungs. People can die from it.

They say to tilt the bed to sleep on a slant, but we have a waterbed so that's not really do-able. I try to use pillows.

So once I decaffeinated myself and got past the withdrawal headache for 2 weeks, that's ok. We found a low-acid decaf coffee so i can still enjoy it. I'm learning to enjoy goat milk cheese, almonds, raw spinach and apples. And more meat than before, even though i'm not a big meat-eater. I'm searching for low-acid tomato sauce. I found a low-fat white sauce for pasta that's not too bad. I miss garlic though.

A trainer at the gym gave me a lot of nutritional advice, including adding protein powder in my diet. We're trying to figure out how i can put on some muscles. I've invented a yummy drink where i throw into the blender:

banana
apple
blueberries
yogurt
water
milk powder
protein powder

It's actually pretty good once you get used to the grainy, powdery texture.

Going out to restaurants is tricky, but i'm in the process of learning how to manage that so i can still enjoy one of my favorite pastimes. I love going out to eat!

Between the fibromyalgia, spine and shoulder problems, I thought that was enough. Most of the time i'm high on medications. Might seem cool if I were a partying teenager, but I don't want to be high. I get too confused.

Carob. It looks like chocolate, feels like chocolate, but it sure doesn't taste like chocolate!

Help meeee!

2009-04-14T08:04:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite limericks when i was a little kid:

A flea and a fly in a flue

Were caught, so what could they do?

Said the fly, "Let us flee."

"Let us fly," said the flea.

So they flew through a flaw in the flue.

Sea World

2009-04-10T09:51:00.000-07:00

Billy and Me at Sea World, probably 1984 - aren't we adorable?

Chocolate!

2009-04-05T12:18:00.000-07:00

Rest in Peace, Mom

2009-03-13T09:50:00.001-07:00

mmm... corn...

2009-03-13T09:42:00.000-07:00

I'll Miss Her

2009-03-12T10:15:00.000-07:00

On Sunday evening, March 8 2009, my mother passed away at the age of 84. I got to spend a lot of time with her in her final days, and had the honor of sitting by her side when she took her final breath.
She was the kindest, sweetest most wonderful person in the world. She accepted everyone, just as we are. She touched many lives in a positive way, and is an inspiration.

Even more creepy stuff...

2009-02-12T23:07:00.000-08:00

...from the little museum in San Francisco

Maybe it's Maybelline...

2009-02-12T20:57:00.000-08:00

Jack

2009-02-12T20:49:00.000-08:00

I think Jack wants you to do MORE than just LAUGH with him....

Illegals...

2009-02-12T20:46:00.001-08:00

Too many babies!

2009-02-05T17:04:00.000-08:00

Oh dear.
I lack "a feeling of self and identity"....
I've got it!
I'll have 14 babies!

That's got to be the most selfish thing I've ever heard. Having babies to make oneself feel important or complete or needed or special... You're supposed to have your identity and your "self" intact BEFORE starting to have kids. That's as dumb as having a baby to "save" a marriage. Don't use children to fulfill adult needs or correct adult mistakes!

If six didn't do the trick, why on earth would eight more? What next, another dozen?

So, "she's just really looking forward to being the best mom that she can possibly be for all her children."

It's a little late for that. Poor kids.
They're not something to "collect" to inflate the ego. They're little human beings.

Maybe not having children as a single mother living with her parents would help with her self-esteem a little, ya think??

This is a child abuse disaster just waiting to happen.

And since when can a person go on disability from an on-the-job "back injury", while going through five or six pregnancies and births? Can we say "fraud"? Sure we can.

DISABILITY FRAUD! We all pay for it in one way or another.

STOP IT!!!!

2009-02-03T13:58:00.000-08:00

There is no such word as "alot" in the English language. I see it over and over and over, people... please.. just STOP!!!! No more "alot" please!! It's "a lot" if you use this alternative to "many"... A Lot... with a space between "A" and "lot".

And stop saying "nuclear" as "nuc-U-ler"... There's no such word. It's "nu-CLE-ar" dang it!!!
And "realty" is not "rel-ity".. It's "real-ty"...
And there's no such place as "Ant-arr-tica"... It's "Ant-ARC-tica"...

Ya shoulda learned this stuff in kinnygarten, or at least at the liberry...

Product Rave!

2009-02-02T17:58:00.000-08:00

Swiss Miss Instant Mocha Cappuccino!

Eat your heart out, Starbucks. A box of eight for a buck at Stater Bros, in the aisle with the various flavors of hot cocoa.

That's two for a quarter. How much would two Mocha Cappuccinos be at Starbucks?
Just add hot water, these rock!