My new mantra: Read All the Rules Before You Start to Play the Game
How many times does it take to get knee deep into something and then find out that you do not know the "rules"?
Or were new "rules" conveniently invented while you thought you were playing fair?
To be continued-
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Two Times Sonny Boy in One Week
If you know me, you know that I am a retired English teacher who gave up reading books when I retired from teaching almost five years ago.
Believe me, I have tried to get through novels, but once I have passed the halfway point I lose interest. Even long airplane flights do not provide the impetus to finish a book.
Now magazine articles are another matter. They are usually short and sweet. Some can even be read from back to front, and I like that! Plus magazines can be tossed aside when you get tired and fall asleep, but books need BOOKMARKS :(.
The bookmark for my latest book endeavor has the same name as the book title. Who would have thought that in the same week I would have two Sonny Boys on our coffee table?
The book is written in Dutch, but it is non-fiction. Just as my former students loved "true stories," so do I. And I like that being written in Dutch keeps my language skills a bit sharpened. The setting of the book in Scheveningen, The Netherlands in the years before WWII is also appealing. And then the circumstances of Sonny Boy in the predominantly white Dutch society keeps my interest. So maybe Annejet van den Zijl wrote a winner, at least for me.
My mother gave me the white corn meal wrapper that I used as a bookmark in the photo below. When I was born, my father worked for Interstate Grocery Company (later Helena Wholesale, Inc.) in Helena, Arkansas. This wrapper came from the company before they went out of business. It would have been used to pack degerminated white corn meal. For years I heard about Sonny Boy meal and King Biscuit Flour, and now I have a wrapper to frame.
I found the following ad on the Internet:
"Seller's description: "Down in Helena, Ark. in 1941, Sonny Boy Williamson and Robert Junior Lockwood had a 15-minute show on KFFA radio daily at noon. They were so popular, their sponsor, King Biscuit Flour, created a Sonny Boy brand corn meal mix which the band promoted on their radio show and on rural tours of Arkansas. This is a never-used empty bag of the cornmeal. The cornmeal continued to be produced and sold at least into the '90s, when this bag was likely printed. We managed to procure a couple of these, purchased at Cat Head Delta Blues in Clarksdale some years ago and we're told there aren't any more."
These folks were asking $25.00 for their bag in 2009!
Now listen to Sonny Boy : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IG3Z_R9wJ-w&feature=youtube_gdata_player
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IG3Z_R9wJ-w&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Believe me, I have tried to get through novels, but once I have passed the halfway point I lose interest. Even long airplane flights do not provide the impetus to finish a book.
Now magazine articles are another matter. They are usually short and sweet. Some can even be read from back to front, and I like that! Plus magazines can be tossed aside when you get tired and fall asleep, but books need BOOKMARKS :(.
The bookmark for my latest book endeavor has the same name as the book title. Who would have thought that in the same week I would have two Sonny Boys on our coffee table?
The book is written in Dutch, but it is non-fiction. Just as my former students loved "true stories," so do I. And I like that being written in Dutch keeps my language skills a bit sharpened. The setting of the book in Scheveningen, The Netherlands in the years before WWII is also appealing. And then the circumstances of Sonny Boy in the predominantly white Dutch society keeps my interest. So maybe Annejet van den Zijl wrote a winner, at least for me.
My mother gave me the white corn meal wrapper that I used as a bookmark in the photo below. When I was born, my father worked for Interstate Grocery Company (later Helena Wholesale, Inc.) in Helena, Arkansas. This wrapper came from the company before they went out of business. It would have been used to pack degerminated white corn meal. For years I heard about Sonny Boy meal and King Biscuit Flour, and now I have a wrapper to frame.
I found the following ad on the Internet:
"Seller's description: "Down in Helena, Ark. in 1941, Sonny Boy Williamson and Robert Junior Lockwood had a 15-minute show on KFFA radio daily at noon. They were so popular, their sponsor, King Biscuit Flour, created a Sonny Boy brand corn meal mix which the band promoted on their radio show and on rural tours of Arkansas. This is a never-used empty bag of the cornmeal. The cornmeal continued to be produced and sold at least into the '90s, when this bag was likely printed. We managed to procure a couple of these, purchased at Cat Head Delta Blues in Clarksdale some years ago and we're told there aren't any more."
These folks were asking $25.00 for their bag in 2009!
Now listen to Sonny Boy : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IG3Z_R9wJ-w&feature=youtube_gdata_player
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IG3Z_R9wJ-w&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Monday, February 25, 2013
We Are Sequestered!
Actually, we are both retired and have chosen to live relatively secluded. Our nearest neighbors have to get into their vehicles to come to our house to give us a message when the landline phones are not working. So that means we must be sequestered!
On Wednesday we will drive over one hour to visit our dentist for my hub's root canal treatment. Our dentist will sequester the tooth to be repaired from the rest of Hub's teeth, so that he can do what he needs to do.
Most mornings before my hub arises, I sequester myself in my favorite chair in our living room to write this blog. Unfortunately tonight this particular post is being written in the study, next to my hub, while we are watching Rachel Maddow. Just watching her show sequesters us from lots of the folks around here. ;)
On Wednesday we will drive over one hour to visit our dentist for my hub's root canal treatment. Our dentist will sequester the tooth to be repaired from the rest of Hub's teeth, so that he can do what he needs to do.
Most mornings before my hub arises, I sequester myself in my favorite chair in our living room to write this blog. Unfortunately tonight this particular post is being written in the study, next to my hub, while we are watching Rachel Maddow. Just watching her show sequesters us from lots of the folks around here. ;)
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Very Pinteresting
Very Pinteresting
Try this: http://pinterest.com/wetcreek/beauregard-master-gardeners/ http://pinterest.com/wetcreek/beauregard-master-gardeners/
Does anyone remember planning a party, a kitchen renovation, a vacation, Thanksgiving Dinner, or the landscaping of your yard by sorting through magazines and cutting and pasting in a scrapbook or thumb tacking cutouts on a corkboard?
If the truth be known, I never did that. That was waaay too organized and artsy for me. But I LOVE Pinterest. And it is just the computer way of planning without messing with scissors, glue, and lots of scraps of paper and sticky fingers.
According to Wikipedia," Pinterest is a pinboard-style photo sharing website that allows users to create and manage theme-based image collections such as events, interests, hobbies, and more. Users can browse other pinboards for inspiration, 're-pin' images to their own pinboards, or 'like' photos."
"Pinterest users can upload, save, sort and manage images, known as pins, and other media content (i.e. videos) through collections known as pinboards. Pinboards are generally themed so that pins can easily be organized, categorized and discovered by other users. Pinterest acts as a personalized media platform, whereby your own content as well as anyone else's uploaded pins can be browsed on the main page. Users can then save their favorite pins to one of their own boards using the "Pin It" button. Content can also be found outside of Pinterest and similarly uploaded to a board via the "Pin It" button which can be downloaded to the bookmark bar on a web browser, or be implemented by a webmaster directly on the website."
Before I lose you with all of this computer language, let's get down to the root of this post.
Try this:
http://pinterest.com/wetcreek http://pinterest.com/wetcreek
Q: Why does anyone need to know about Pinterest?
A: Because I started a pinboard especially for Beauregard Master Gardeners back in August 2012.
Q: Nice photographs (My Master Gardeners teacher's exact words)! Now what does anyone do with them?
A: To start, read the accompanying text to see if that topic interests you. Browse a little deeper by clicking on the website from which this image came (maybe you will see the word From). If you do not get information or more great photos, just keep clicking that mouse or your finger.
Q: Can someone save this great information he/ she finds?
A: Yes, as long as you are on the website where it originated, you should be able to bookmark it to your Favorites. If you are a Pinterest member, you can "Pin it" to one of your boards. Then your ideas will be organized and easy to locate later.
Q: How can gardeners use Pinterest?
A: Pinterest is a huge resource for finding project ideas. If you need an idea for a vegetable garden use the search and a whole bunch of beautiful vegetables gardens magically appear before your eyes to give you inspiration. Follow other gardeners on Pinterest to see what they find interesting and discover great ideas just by clicking on that gardener.
Q: What else can someone use Pinterest for?
A: Pinterest is not just project ideas. You can create a Pinterest wish list board for all the plants you would like to have. You can share your garden photographs to keep a catalog.
Q: Should you join Pinterest?
A: Not yet. Just sit back, browse, and get hooked. Use the search possibilities for things that interest you or to search for your friends and family. Enjoy my 41 boards and over 14,000 pins. Do not feel like you are stalking me or anyone else of the 11 million Pinterest users.
Q: Is this a social network?
A: You can set up your Profile to be as social and as open as you desire. Of my 600+ followers, I know only about 20 personally, and they are family and friends. Since not everyone uses a current profile photo (he he, mine is 40 years old!!!), you sometimes have no idea what your favorite follower even looks like. And if you have kept your email address private in your profile, no one will bother you.
Q: How does someone join Pinterest?
A: As I joined almost two years ago, I won't bore you with the complications back then. Now it is easy. When you browse my boards, you should see an invitation bar. Go to http://pinterest.com. Give that a try.
Here are my Pinterest boards and a great video:
http://pinterest.com/wetcreek/
http://pinterest.com/wetcreek/beauregard-master-gardeners/
http://vimeo.com/29045733
Happy Pinning
Try this: http://pinterest.com/wetcreek/beauregard-master-gardeners/ http://pinterest.com/wetcreek/beauregard-master-gardeners/
Does anyone remember planning a party, a kitchen renovation, a vacation, Thanksgiving Dinner, or the landscaping of your yard by sorting through magazines and cutting and pasting in a scrapbook or thumb tacking cutouts on a corkboard?
If the truth be known, I never did that. That was waaay too organized and artsy for me. But I LOVE Pinterest. And it is just the computer way of planning without messing with scissors, glue, and lots of scraps of paper and sticky fingers.
According to Wikipedia," Pinterest is a pinboard-style photo sharing website that allows users to create and manage theme-based image collections such as events, interests, hobbies, and more. Users can browse other pinboards for inspiration, 're-pin' images to their own pinboards, or 'like' photos."
"Pinterest users can upload, save, sort and manage images, known as pins, and other media content (i.e. videos) through collections known as pinboards. Pinboards are generally themed so that pins can easily be organized, categorized and discovered by other users. Pinterest acts as a personalized media platform, whereby your own content as well as anyone else's uploaded pins can be browsed on the main page. Users can then save their favorite pins to one of their own boards using the "Pin It" button. Content can also be found outside of Pinterest and similarly uploaded to a board via the "Pin It" button which can be downloaded to the bookmark bar on a web browser, or be implemented by a webmaster directly on the website."
Before I lose you with all of this computer language, let's get down to the root of this post.
Try this:
http://pinterest.com/wetcreek http://pinterest.com/wetcreek
Q: Why does anyone need to know about Pinterest?
A: Because I started a pinboard especially for Beauregard Master Gardeners back in August 2012.
Q: Nice photographs (My Master Gardeners teacher's exact words)! Now what does anyone do with them?
A: To start, read the accompanying text to see if that topic interests you. Browse a little deeper by clicking on the website from which this image came (maybe you will see the word From). If you do not get information or more great photos, just keep clicking that mouse or your finger.
Q: Can someone save this great information he/ she finds?
A: Yes, as long as you are on the website where it originated, you should be able to bookmark it to your Favorites. If you are a Pinterest member, you can "Pin it" to one of your boards. Then your ideas will be organized and easy to locate later.
Q: How can gardeners use Pinterest?
A: Pinterest is a huge resource for finding project ideas. If you need an idea for a vegetable garden use the search and a whole bunch of beautiful vegetables gardens magically appear before your eyes to give you inspiration. Follow other gardeners on Pinterest to see what they find interesting and discover great ideas just by clicking on that gardener.
Q: What else can someone use Pinterest for?
A: Pinterest is not just project ideas. You can create a Pinterest wish list board for all the plants you would like to have. You can share your garden photographs to keep a catalog.
Q: Should you join Pinterest?
A: Not yet. Just sit back, browse, and get hooked. Use the search possibilities for things that interest you or to search for your friends and family. Enjoy my 41 boards and over 14,000 pins. Do not feel like you are stalking me or anyone else of the 11 million Pinterest users.
Q: Is this a social network?
A: You can set up your Profile to be as social and as open as you desire. Of my 600+ followers, I know only about 20 personally, and they are family and friends. Since not everyone uses a current profile photo (he he, mine is 40 years old!!!), you sometimes have no idea what your favorite follower even looks like. And if you have kept your email address private in your profile, no one will bother you.
Q: How does someone join Pinterest?
A: As I joined almost two years ago, I won't bore you with the complications back then. Now it is easy. When you browse my boards, you should see an invitation bar. Go to http://pinterest.com. Give that a try.
Here are my Pinterest boards and a great video:
http://pinterest.com/wetcreek/
http://pinterest.com/wetcreek/beauregard-master-gardeners/
http://vimeo.com/29045733
Happy Pinning
Saturday, February 23, 2013
February Daffodils
Louisiana February can be any of the four seasons. In fact, a single day in February can be all four seasons.
But today is a cool Spring day. At 9:30 am we have 50 degree F (10 C) with the sun peeking through the clouds. But the ground is mushy with too much rain, and the weeds are taking control.
For my Dutch followers, it is time for the "gras strimmer" or weed trimmer. Remember, that is my job. The Hub does the grass mowing, and he got our small John Deere riding mower working yesterday. So now to wait until the ground dries up sometime next week. Then the race to keep ahead of the grass is on.
We have had blooming flowers all month. The azaleas by the mudroom door and the heirloom double narcissus by the barn corner were the first blooms. Now my little daffodils in the pots on the barbecue porch are beginning to bloom. We overwintered all of our plants outside this year, as you can see from the geraniums and small agaves. These are on the barbecue porch, but the rest are under the eaves in the front of the house. We only had to cover our large agaves planted along the driveway a couple of times. They look fantastic! And the knockout roses are leafing out from the hard trim I did a few weeks ago.
Spring has not sprung, but I am ready to plant my veggies ;)))))
But today is a cool Spring day. At 9:30 am we have 50 degree F (10 C) with the sun peeking through the clouds. But the ground is mushy with too much rain, and the weeds are taking control.
For my Dutch followers, it is time for the "gras strimmer" or weed trimmer. Remember, that is my job. The Hub does the grass mowing, and he got our small John Deere riding mower working yesterday. So now to wait until the ground dries up sometime next week. Then the race to keep ahead of the grass is on.
We have had blooming flowers all month. The azaleas by the mudroom door and the heirloom double narcissus by the barn corner were the first blooms. Now my little daffodils in the pots on the barbecue porch are beginning to bloom. We overwintered all of our plants outside this year, as you can see from the geraniums and small agaves. These are on the barbecue porch, but the rest are under the eaves in the front of the house. We only had to cover our large agaves planted along the driveway a couple of times. They look fantastic! And the knockout roses are leafing out from the hard trim I did a few weeks ago.
Spring has not sprung, but I am ready to plant my veggies ;)))))
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Hub's Blue Pickup Truck
It finally happened. My hub has his own pickup. He hasn't been shouting for joy, but I think he is happy to have his own truck. We have done the best we could with filling up the back of our Jeep Liberty, but now he has a real truck to haul whatever he wants.
Actually my hub has our son's truck that we bought for him back when he was still at the university. Our son said then that as soon as he could replace the truck, we could have it back. Well, he has purchased a couple of vehicles in the last few years, and now the truck is Pop's (Papa's).
The pretty, blue Toyota truck cleans up real nice, but it needs some work. Yesterday we found a few rust spots caused by big city highway traffic that had showered the hood and cab roof with pebbles. Tires need balancing, and just general maintenance.
Guess we had better call the local Toyota dealer and plan to dig deep into our wallets.
But Papa has his own pickup!
Actually my hub has our son's truck that we bought for him back when he was still at the university. Our son said then that as soon as he could replace the truck, we could have it back. Well, he has purchased a couple of vehicles in the last few years, and now the truck is Pop's (Papa's).
The pretty, blue Toyota truck cleans up real nice, but it needs some work. Yesterday we found a few rust spots caused by big city highway traffic that had showered the hood and cab roof with pebbles. Tires need balancing, and just general maintenance.
Guess we had better call the local Toyota dealer and plan to dig deep into our wallets.
But Papa has his own pickup!
Monday, February 18, 2013
Attesta de Vita, Anyone There?
For those who do not know, Attesta de Vita is a life certificate. Not a certificate to have a life, but a document to prove that you are still living.
As my hub has already passed "Go" and can now collect his $money$ as in Monopoly, he is required by the Dutch social security and retirement/pension funds to prove he is still alive. He diligently takes the Attesta de Vita forms to our Notary for signing and stamping.
Recently he was surprised when one pension fund did not pay up. When he finally made connection with the pension fund administration, he was told that his Attesta de Vita had not been received. So that was that.
But that was not that.
Here is what happened:
Around Christmas 2012 my hub received a reminder that his Attesta de Vita for that particular pension fund was to be returned by January 2013. The letter to him had been mailed six weeks before by freight snail mail.
He finally caught up with our Notary at the end of the year and then deposited the signed, stamped, and sealed Attesta de Vita in the mailbox at our post office on January 1, 2013.
Five weeks later my hub checked our bank account and noticed the omission. Then he started his endeavor to find out why.
What bothers me the most is that without checking (if my hub was still living) by mail, email, phone, or smoke signals, they just cut off the funds.
How could we resolve this? Well, my hub filled out another Attesta de Vita, visited our Notary for the proper certification, and this time emailed the document according to the directions of the pension funds representative that my hub "chatted with" on the phone.
We are still waiting for rectification.
And why can't this pension funds request the Attesta de Vita in August like all the rest?
As my hub has already passed "Go" and can now collect his $money$ as in Monopoly, he is required by the Dutch social security and retirement/pension funds to prove he is still alive. He diligently takes the Attesta de Vita forms to our Notary for signing and stamping.
Recently he was surprised when one pension fund did not pay up. When he finally made connection with the pension fund administration, he was told that his Attesta de Vita had not been received. So that was that.
But that was not that.
Here is what happened:
Around Christmas 2012 my hub received a reminder that his Attesta de Vita for that particular pension fund was to be returned by January 2013. The letter to him had been mailed six weeks before by freight snail mail.
He finally caught up with our Notary at the end of the year and then deposited the signed, stamped, and sealed Attesta de Vita in the mailbox at our post office on January 1, 2013.
Five weeks later my hub checked our bank account and noticed the omission. Then he started his endeavor to find out why.
What bothers me the most is that without checking (if my hub was still living) by mail, email, phone, or smoke signals, they just cut off the funds.
How could we resolve this? Well, my hub filled out another Attesta de Vita, visited our Notary for the proper certification, and this time emailed the document according to the directions of the pension funds representative that my hub "chatted with" on the phone.
We are still waiting for rectification.
And why can't this pension funds request the Attesta de Vita in August like all the rest?
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