Saturday, July 27, 2019

July 27th


A simple act of kindness.
What does that really mean?
Do kind acts need to be elaborate or just plain simple?
Mother Theresa made it her life calling to help others.
But some people are saints in disguise.
There was an old episode of "Friends", where Joey tells
Phoebe that an act of kindness is essentially selfish because
it makes the giver feel as good as the receiver.
I've been thinking about that.....
A lot.
I've come to the conclusion that Joey was right.
Whether its volunteering, tipping a bit more to a harried waitress, 
buying a meal for a homeless person, helping a stray animal, 
or simply giving up your right of way to an ungrateful driver,
it makes us feel better to do it.
When you become the receiving end of those kind acts,
it becomes a humbling warm feeling.
Kinda like Sally Field's acceptance speech at the Oscars.
"You like me! You really like me!"
When people like this come into your life 
and have a positive impact, you are just so thankful
that your paths crossed and they brought joy into your life.
Gives me warm fuzzies…
You realize that people are truly altruistic, 
and do feel great about helping others.
Just remember to pay it forward and help the next guy out.


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 The Garden

The cucuzza plant is doing well.
It hasn't started to fruit yet,
but we're crossing our fingers.


Today's haul of bell peppers.
They are doing well even in the heat.


Eggs from Ethel, Lucy, Hazel and Pepper.


Somebody's been sleeping
 in my bed 
(of my English Ivy)!!
It's probably Hazel,
that's her M.O.
She finds a potted plant and
"plants" herself.


I thought I got all the mushrooms outta
my plants, when here comes more
wet weather.
Heavy sigh!


This was a squirrel argument on the tree 
in the pouring rain.
A Mexican Standoff.
They were like this, chattering at each other
for about 10 minutes, till the one on top
climbed up into the tree and the other one
ran down and away.


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Chicken Sick Bay

Don't know if you can tell by this picture,
but Nugget's comb is looking better.
It's not totally adhered back in place,
but it looks healthier than before.

After I took these pictures,
 I added more Neosporin.
Maybe I should have taken a cue from
'My Big Fat Greek Wedding',
and sprayed her with Windex!

She hasn't missed a beat in the eating
and stalking insect prey departments either.
Soooo glad I didn't have to perform
a comb-ectomy!
That would've taken all my resolve to
clip that vascular area off.
That's one of the ways chickens
disperse body heat -
through their combs.
So now it's a wait and see situation.

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Remember....
If you stumble,
suck it up and make it
part of your dance!

Hugs!







Wednesday, July 17, 2019

July 17th



On the 20th we'll celebrate 50 years since the Apollo Moon Landing.
I gotta tell you.
I was beyond excited about seeing this momentous event on TV.
50 years!
It's amazing to think of this.
I can tell you exactly what I was doing.
I was laying on the floor of our living room with my eyes glued to the grainy,
black and white images on our small TV, waiting for those men to do the unthinkable
and actually walk on the surface of the moon!
In the few years from 1952 to 1969 so much happened!
The Korean War, rise of the Boomer generation, TV dinners,
fast food establishments, the death of my father, death of a beloved uncle,
the death of a beloved president, Civil Rights movement,
Vietnam Conflict, and the Space Race.
Russia launched Sputnik in 1957, but we had to get our stuff together
and be the best of the best. So, it was on!
In the year 1969 there was so much going on in my 17 year old world....
The Beatles last performance on the roof of Apple Records,
Charles Manson's cult murdered 5 people,
Ted Kennedy was embroiled in the Chappaquiddick affair,
Vietnam atrocities on TV every night on the Nightly News,
Acquaintances on the lists of  war casualties,
Woodstock, the mother of all music festivals,
Apollo missions to get us to the ultimate goal of making it to the moon,
and then....
Apollo 11 landed in the Sea of Tranquility on the face of the moon!!
UN-FREAKING-BELIEVABLE!
(Although my Grandmother was a vocal disbeliever that they went there)
Those words, "The Eagle has landed!" made me get goosebumps.
Then I was holding my breath as Mr Armstrong said, "One small step for man,
one giant leap for mankind!".
Thanks to a great American hero,
Neil Armstrong 8/5/1030 - 8/25/2012

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The Gardenias are still blooming.


Asparagus 


Cucuzza flower.
Hopefully it will bear fruit!



Sunflowers
I love them!


Blood oranges
That's 5 of them in a cluster.


It's been so wet that mushrooms 
have sprouted in the mint.
I got rid of them but,
I searched for more just in case.


This is a big weird shaped white mushroom 
in the big aloe vera plant

This is a side view of it.
Very weird.

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This is Nugget
Her comb is split on the back side.
You can see how it isn't attached there.
No bleeding, although it looked like dried 
blood near the top of her head.
Well, ain't this is a new wrinkle in raising chickens!

I didn't know what to do for her.
So, I looked it up.
Apparently, it is common for a chicken, 
especially one with a prominent
comb, to have it caught on something
or to have another chicken or predator bite it off.
Treatment is to clean the area with 1/2 strength 
perodixide, apply something like neosporin,
unless the comb is hanging almost off,
then you need to cut it off and apply
super glue as a wound sealer
after it stops bleeding. 
O.K.
Well....
Wasn't prepared for that!
They even show pictures of how to remove the 
comb with sanitized scissors and to stitch
it up if necessary.
Whew!
Don't know if I'll have to go that far.
Yesterday, we cleaned the area,
and applied NuSkin,
hoping it would adhere the two pieces.
Well, that didn't happen.
This morning, the area is turning black.
Crap!
I may have to preform chicken surgery.
And,
the CEO said "that's your job!"
So,
I'm waiting till he comes home.
I need a surgical assistant
and
a glass of wine!

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I had to remind myself of this definition.
I hate this word!

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 Tonight is a "Full Buck Moon"
It's called that because a buck's antlers
are in full growth mode at this time.
So,
Look up tonight!