Where are they!?

I want to know something.

WHERE IS MY LOBBYIST!?

Alright, not just my personal lobbyist but a lobbyist for us, the little people.
Don't laugh but I'd be willing to bet my pocket change that there are lobbyist for midgets. But I digress!

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/ExecutiveOrder-EthicsCommitments/

I want to know why we, as regular, tax paying citizens don't have our own lobbyist. Can't we pool our money and bribe a congressman or two.. Oh, wait! I mean hire a lobbyist to bring our wants and needs to the attention of the demigods on Capitol Hill?
I know damn well that they don't read our petitions. I can just see them all. Being recycled into toilet paper for the bathrooms. Yes, it's a little rough but I'm sure they all fine it very satisfying to wipe their asses with our hopes and dreams.

I voted for the current president. I wish him every success. I'd like to see both parties put aside their childish attitudes and work together to fix an epic mess.
I dream of Rush Limburger choking on his vile words. Whoever decides to perform the Heimlich maneuver. I hope they fail.

Can you tell I'm angry? I'm not restraining the evil twin today. We're writing in tandem. Well, mostly. She's a little busy chewing at the seems of her GOP voodoo doll. She's already pulled off the button eyes and tied the trunk in several knots.

The whole world seems to be unraveling. I'm kind of excited, in a gun toting, crap your pants way.
The leaders of the world have screwed the pooch and I think it's well past time that the peasants rise up, again. We have been lied to for too long. Our sweat and toil has been taken for granted. Our hard earned money has been squandered.

This might make it a little easier to understand. Or not.

http://www.sustainer.org/dhm_archive/index.php?display_article=vn481modelsed

There has to be a simpler way, but then, what do I know?

She called out a warning!

My dreams have been rather dark and forboding of late. It's in the near future and things don't look so bright.
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/dreamtime_discussions/

I'm over 40 and have had many, heartbreaking things happen to me. Yet, I still have hope.

I have to or else... I'm dead.

Alrighty! That aside, I want to share some things that shore up my hope.

http://www.kvalegames.com/?p=home

Games that encourage fair play and a global consciousness. Don't we need more of that?

How about taking an offered couch in a foreign land? What a great way to immerse yourself in another culture and make new friends!

http://www.couchsurfing.com/

I know I'm not running on a single theme right now, but I feel that the world is plunging into Chaos and I'm trying to steer it towards the brighter side. We all have to steer this crazy ship before we fall off the edge of the world.

http://www.democracynow.org/

Alternative viewpoints are always good. FOX news makes me sick to my stomach.
http://www.jimhightower.com/

And it's always a good idea to know your rights!

http://www.flexyourrights.org/

I know, it's a lot to chew on, but I know you can handle it.
We have to.

Sustaining hopes and dreams.

“The only thing that will stop you from fulfilling your dreams is you.”

“Never give up. Keep your thoughts and your mind always on the goal.”

Great quotes by Tom Bradley

I have kept many promises to myself this year.

1. Less care giving and more massage.

I sent out a blast of resumes to massage studios after having a snarky conversation with one of the women at the care giver office. It seems I was being "punished" for inconveniencing the office staff. I needed some time off for my sanity's sake.
The Universe smiled on me and 5 days later I'm working a job I LOVE!

2. More art!

Yes! I'm creating more. Paintings, sculptures, poems and as always, my own, crazy, fun, interpretive dances to old, punk music.

3. Garden.

I love fresh peas off the vine in the morning. Tasty and sweet. I planted strawberries by my pond. My heirloom seeds came and I'm planting tomorrow.

4. Dream more.

Now that my schedule has changed. I have time to linger in that lovely place between sleep and awake. It's great for sorting out the night's dreams.

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”

I'm getting there and it's also nice to know that the people around me can also bask in the warmth of my happiness. Who wouldn't enjoy a little, blissful fallout once in a while?

Bamboozled

Did you know Bamboo is a grass, stronger than steel and the fastest growing plant on earth?
(Kelp is the fastest growing plant in the ocean, so shut up.)

I watched Nova the other night and learned a lot about bamboo.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/rats/program.html

This stuff is amazing! Pair it with hemp and we can leave the trees alone!
They're even making cloth out of it now. I'm sure the process is resource intensive so I don't buy bamboo cloth.. That and the stuff is really expensive!

But as a building material? Man, this stuff is awesome!
http://www-users.rwth-aachen.de/Christoph.Toenges/pagesEN/intro.html

It's beautiful, easy to grow, sturdy and best of all.. SUSTAINABLE!
We need to get with the program and use what works best for us and harms the earth the least.
http://www.completebamboo.com/

I'm thinking of planting a small clump by my pond. In a container, of course. I think it would go well with the lotus I plan on having.
http://waynesword.palomar.edu/ecoph39.htm

You need to find the right kind and learn how to care for it. It's also interesting to see what some people do with bamboo. Humans are such a creative species.
http://momer.home.att.net/

Smells like spring!

I have gardening fever!
Bees buzzing, birds singing, cats fighting. Sounds like spring.
My pond is in and I'm eying my winter vegetables and willing them to bulb. My peas are delicious.
What am I going to plant!?
I do know that I will be using heirloom seeds. No GMO's for me!
Heirloom plants are hardier and less prone to disease.
http://www.heirloomseeds.com/

http://www.seedsavers.org/

http://www.victoryseeds.com/

http://rareseeds.com/

It's good to know that there are so many people who are saving these seeds and passing them along to others. I don't trust science when it comes to creating new and "improved" things that Nature has already spent millions of years perfecting.
One of my first jobs was hybridizing fruit trees. That's about as freaky as I want to get with plants.
Now, the problem I have is what to choose. I have limited space and a need to get creative.
I am up for the challenge!
Sunflowers, yarrow and beebalm for a patch of wildflowers. Great cover for an ugly, cinder block wall.
Melons, cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, basil, parsley.. Edible flowers..
Whoo hoo!
I love going out in MY yard and picking something I grew and nibbling.
Simple pleasures are the best.

Evil Twin's rant.

I wanted to write a post that was informative and hopeful. Instead, the evil twin has taken hostages and demands her say. I can't refuse.. She has my sweet tooth and sense of humor dangling over a shark tank!

Look around people. There is panic. It hasn't run out into the streets.. yet. Money is loosing its value. That's if you believe it had any value in the first place. Jobs disappearing, counties, states and even countries are going broke! Then, there is this insane woman who has given birth to 14 children!! WTF!? Having too many cats isn't good enough? She has to horde babies?
Suicide bombers, cholera outbreaks, starvation, floods.. Does anyone else see the four horsemen coming over the hill?

Now, I know people and I know you know people who seem to live their lives in constant crisis.
It is not because they are unlucky. No one can be that jinxed. I have observed a friend of mine and I have been guilty of this as well. When things get a little crazy in life as they do sometimes. It can be tempting to get caught up in the drama. Instead of handling things in a calm and collected manner. "Oh, look at me! My life is always in chaos and I can't do anything but freak about MY problems. No time to make good on promise because.. Oh, dear.. another crisis came up and I totally forgot.

Enough of that. It's time to stay calm and get focused. The shit has only just begun to hit the fan.
I have no cleaver links to share. All I can advise is that you stay informed. Our civil rights are being eroded away! People are scared and willing to sacrifice personal freedoms for the illusion of safety. We can't let this happen. The more news I watch, the more I want to be blissfully ignorant. TOO LATE! The genie is out of the bag and now, I have to keep up with things. I'd like to know when it's time to grab my shit and head for the hills.
How sad is it that I think it's more important for my son to know survival skills and how to handle guns than it is to be an "A" student? I'd rather be a useful member of the tribe. Someone who can make fire, hunt, cook and make shelter.
Yes, I am a bit grim but hey, the world order is unraveling. Governments and the legal tender they create are becoming meaningless. Wake up!
Learn how to garden and preserve. Take a primitive skills class. Learn how to sew and knit. I have a feeling that we'll need each other to share skills and goods.

Urban Wildlife

There is a Red tail Hawk in my neighborhood!
I know there is plenty of food. Pigeons galore and lots of mice. They adored my compost pile when I had one. I was beginning to wonder why all the neighborhood cats kept hanging out in my backyard.
One mouse was cute but I witnessed at least 5 one day picking through my compost pile. That was the end of that. Now, I just save my coffee grounds and use them to add to the soil. My garden seems to like coffee as much as I do.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_wildlife

When I went to run an errand for a client. I found a very healthy looking Roadrunner in the parking lot. According to a recent report. Roadrunners are not as abundant as they used to be. Well, I have been seeing a lot and they're skirting the edges of the urban jungle and then the one in the parking lot. Nature seems to find a way. Adapt or die!
Here in Arizona, there is always an abundance of coyotes. I love how they seem so comfortable and at home in almost any environment. They are wiley creatures.

Even though I live in an urban environment. I want to create a small oasis that might encourage smaller wildlife to hang out. Maybe my pond will attract dragonflies and frogs. We'll see.

http://yuwr.org/

I don't see wildlife as a nuisance, unless it's pigeons crapping all over my car. I have covered parking so there goes that.
I love listening to the birds sing their spring time "hey baby!" songs.

I grew up in the country and was used to wildlife all over the place. I really enjoy the feeling of being a part of something more than the human condition. I like my furred, feathered and scaled neighbors.

I have discovered a plethora of sited dedicated to urban wildlife. The United Kingdom seems very progressive in the way they live in harmony, or try to with their wildlife. Maybe because they've had more practice. Maybe, because hedgehogs are so darned cute!
Peregrine falcons nest and feed in cities. Taking advantage of the tall buildings since they're the closets things to cliffs. Pigeons are everywhere.

With wild environments shrinking. I think it's only polite to invite the wildlife into our world.
Adapt or die.