we need more of this and less campaigning

This was over a bill that would have provided health care for the responders at 9/11, many of whom are suffering from the long term effects of the toxins at the site.

Creative Every Day - Life

I just rejoined Creative Ever Day but I was glad to have something to post for the theme for July - Life.
I am doing a little bit of gardening this year for the first time in several years and enjoying it so much. I happen to have some Nasturtiums in several stages of their life right now and decided to share them.
One thing I like about Nasturtiums is how incredibly fast they grow. One day there is a little piece of stem pushing up through the soil, seed and newly forming leaf still buried. It pauses there for a day and then overnight there is a little plant with a giant leaf or two.

The first picture is a 3 day old plant. The two in the pot below; one is a week old and the other is just one day.
Another thing I love about Nasturtiums is that they will not be tamed. They are very happy in a pot, but you cannot shape them or tie them or coax them into growing in the shape that pleases you, they grow as they wish. This one spent a month spilling over one side of the pot and then suddenly took off in the other direction.














And of course the best thing about Nasturtiums is the incredibly brilliant flowers nestled half hidden in the enormous leaves. Delicate, jewel like while they are blooming and beautiful shapes when they fade.

But you shouldn't let them fade because they are edible and yummy in a salad.

I am going to do it

And I am putting this on my blogs, FB, everywhere just so I don't stick it in a drawer and forget about it.
The Artist's Way is a 12 week project to free your creativity.  The first chapter includes a written commitment to follow through for the full 12 weeks.  I am starting it tonight.
There is a website that has good information for anyone who is interested at The Artist's Way

Creative Every Day

I just rejoined the Creative Every Day online group. I did a the challenge last year for just a few months and dropped out. I am ready to jump in and participate again and I was thrilled to find that it is still going on. If you haven't heard of CED, here is what is going on, in the words of the creator:

Welcome! Pull up a cozy chair. My name is Leah Piken Kolidas and my intention for this blog is to share my artwork, thoughts on living a creative life, and what is inspiring me (so much!). I host two challenges here: The Creative Every Day Challenge and the Art Every Day Month Challenge (every November.) Click here to read more about me. Visit my art website and online store, Blue Tree Art Gallery, here. Thank you for visiting!

The participants in this project log into the challenge page and share their creative projects as often as they wish, there is a weekly sign in and at least half of the fun and inspiration is looking at everyone's work. Sincere thanks to Leah for hosting this great site and for all the work she does to make it friendly and inspirational for all of us.

The theme for July is LIFE and since I feel that I am just starting to return to life, I'm sure I can find something fun to share. I have a link in the sidebar to sort my CED posts from all the other stuff I talk about here.

1st Roma Tomato

My first Roma tomato, grown in a pot.
I don't usually grow tomatoes. I have found that if you grow one, it will either die or not produce any fruit. If you grow two you will have more tomatoes than you can eat, give away, force your friends to take and/or compost. And they attract pests by the bushel basket full.
A few nice fresh tomatoes from a farm stand are plenty for me.
But I got curious about this little dwarf tomato plant. I put it in a large pot, outdoors, and it grew into a bushy little plant, about 12" high and started producing tomatoes. Neat.

cross country schooling today

The weathermen have promised a day in the 70s to 80s and not the upper 90s, I hope they are right. Unbelievably Nina is still resistant enough that I will not be on a horse. I am supposed to be teaching and don't want to spend all my attention dealing with her tantrums, so I will be afoot.
I swore I wasn't going to do this again without a horse. Oh well, my choice. It will be fun anyway.

spoiled brats

It strikes me that the far far right wingnuts are getting crazier and crazier. And like friends who don't know how to tell their friends that their spoiled rotten two year old throwing temper tantrums is going to end the friendship, we all stare mesmerized, afraid to say what we think.

These things usually turn out badly.

just the facts, please

I have been listening to all the hooplah over Shirley Sherrod today.
The political posturing over every single thing and the media clowns who call themselves journalists but aren't has reached such critical mass that it is taking on a Keystone Cops feel.
I hope everyone involved has personally apologized to Ms. Sherrod.

ack!!

Cutest Blog on the Block has changed their hosting. I have several blogs (including this one and Nina's) that use their backgrounds and now I need to change the html or perhaps find a new background. No problem except that the notice just came out and apparently all of us fans are overloading their new site, I can't get on. *deep breath* I have two days to get this done.
On the plus side, I am now following their blog so I can keep up to date. If you don't have a clue what I am talking about, there is a link in the upper left hand corner of this blog, it will take you to Cutest Blog on the Block, where lots of stuff is free and they also do custom designs.

short thoughts on BP

There are an awful lot of people screaming (figuratively) all over the internet for BP to stop the oil leak in the Gulf. As if they haven't thought of that.
There are others patting BP on the back for its efforts and saying over and over and over again that this was an 'accident.'

I think most of us get it. BP is doing all it can to stop the leak and appease the American public and do what it can to fix the mess.
As a quick aside, you morons who keep saying that BP needs to pay to restore the wildlife REALLY don't get what happens when you ruin an ecology.
Anyway....
And most of us also get that this was an accident, BP did not do this on purpose thinking it might be a good idea.
What both polarized groups seem to be missing is that when you spend a very long time taking short cuts and stretching, if not breaking, the rules, sooner or later an accident is going to bite you in the ass. Call it karma, call it statistics, call it anything you like, it is going to happen.
I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, we live in a society where people do stupid things on a daily basis and then are shocked when something goes wrong. Unfortunately, so does BP.

tired of angry people

That all, that's it. I am tired of angry, hostile, rude, pushy, arrogant, did I mention rude (?), people.