Raising A Child - Does It Take A Village or A Family?

 For many years our government has been stepping into families' lives and making decisions regarding what are called issues in the children's best interests.  After these many years of the "It Takes A Village" attitude of  government and community officials, what does the results of their involvement with the youth of this nation show us?   Raising a child, - does it take a village or a family?   Has the village approach helped our society raise a responsible, law-abiding, socially-conscious, educated generation?  Or has it brought forth a generation of self-absorbed, rebellious, unemployable, social outcasts who become involved in gang activities, school shootings and/or drugs and whom all have the attitude that the world owes them?!

Some have dared to fight the government and the legal system to try to maintain family relationships, to provide good homes for family members, to foster an appreciation and sense of belonging in a child, to boost the self-esteem not shred it into bits and pieces, only to have a judge say "No, you are not allowed to be involved, the child must endure what we say is best and not what the parent or grandparent believes is in their best interest."  The village takes over.

First there are the court hearings, the court orders, the changes in life style that a judge deems necessary, the constant investigating/reporting/visiting of Child Protection Services,  social worker visits,  parenting classes teaching one how the government believes they should parent and then comes the counseling for the child.  The schools pitch in with special education teachers, counselors and therapists for the emotionally handicapped child who has problems adjusting to all the new people in their life interfering with the normal parent/child relationship or family relationships they were used to and which are necessary for developing a sense of belonging, family-pride and self-esteem.

Granted, there are some people who have no business trying to raise a child!  It is those people who have made it increasingly difficult for other families to raise their children without government interference and/or constant monitoring.  Somewhere there needs to be a middle ground where the judicial system acts upon what is actually in a child's best interest rather than taking the attitude that it is always in the child's best interests for them to be under a court's authority - raised by courts, case workers, counselors, therapists and other village professionals.

A friend of mine is going through a situation right now which is a great demonstration of what I am trying to say.  My friend's daughter had a great government job with good insurance, a nice house, was living in Mississippi close to her parents who helped her with her two small children and was doing good being a responsible, loving parent.  Her ex, who lived in NY, went to court there even though it was not the state where his children lived, and managed to get it declared the state of residency for the little girl but not for his little boy (that didn't make sense to start with).  He then got a court order for his ex to have to bring the little girl to NY for him to visit.  Once there, an order was issued that the little girl had to stay in NY and could not return to her home in Mississippi.  The State of New York took over this little girl's life totally.  She now suddenly no longer has her home, her family, her friends or her sense of belonging and self-worth.  She is being placed into verbally psychologically and emotionally abusive situations and needs help out of this situation of having a village (the State of New York) raise her rather than her family in Mississippi!  The little girl's mother has had to quit her job, lose her insurance, give up her house and move to NY.  She now has 2 part-time minimum wage jobs with no insurance and an over-priced little apartment to live in and no family to help them as her family members live in Mississippi!

There is a petition on Causes.com which I urge all readers to sign!  It is time that we started telling government officials and judicial officials that we need to be able to raise our families and care for them and take care of them without their interference!  If a child is being hurt, abused, etc., then by all means the legal system should remedy that situation.  Not place them in a situation like that just because they have the power to do so!!!  Please sign this petition, hopefully it will help this particular case.  Each and every case is different and has to be handled one case at a time. 

Bring Trish and Baby Home Petition

Have a great day, hope that these issues never touch your homes and families because if they do, the tremendous heartache and worry that comes with them are excruciating, just as the emotional and mental damages that are done to the children who have to endure these things.  Help us protect our children from all dangers, including our own government and laws when need be!


Just Me Granny D

Mountain Lions at the Pond

Since moving out here on the side of a cliff, in the woods of Greene County, I have written a few posts concerning the wild life that surrounds me and visits my back yard and pond.  Coyotes are often around, deer are here daily, rabbits, racoons, opossums, squirrels, blue heron, wild mallards, turkey, hawks, snakes, and various other birds and animals make their appearances.  However, I was unprepared for what came for a visit a week or so ago.

While washing dishes I happened to look out the window which is over my kitchen sink.  This particular window looks into my back yard and has a great view of the pond and the path around the bank of it.  The cattails have been beautiful this year and plentiful on one side of the pond, next to the woods.  It is here that the deer came to drink and eat the pond lilies and the roots and stalks of the cattails all summer. When I first looked out, I thought a young fawn must be in the cattails.  But as I watched I soon saw it was not a deer.  At about the same time I was realizing I was not watching a deer, my hound dog started throwing a fit in the living room at that window.

I hurried and got my dog and locked him up in the bedroom and ran back to the living room window where I could see better.  As I stood there watching, a full grown and healthy looking mountain lion came on up out of the cattails and brought the path on up into my back yard.  She was beautiful.  She made the lions I saw at the zoo look malnourished.  She has definitely been eating well this summer!  Her coloring was magnificent and shining golden brown, while her face had black markings in it.  I will never forget her face as she stood and looked back at me as I was watching her.

I called Department of Natural Resources who referred me to the Forestry Service who then wanted to refer me to a biologist in the vicinity.  As I was speaking to the Forestry Service and watching the lion walk around my back yard smelling around and checking things out, I was further surprised to see another one emerge from the cattails at the pond.  I told Forestry there was a second one in my yard.  But still more shocking was the fact that the second one looked like it was probably about 4-6 months old and still had white spots on its face.  When it emerged from the cattails, the mother then turned and went back to the pond and to her cub.  They continued to hang out there in the back yard at the pond with the cub playing in the cattails for about another half hour or so. 

I told Forestry I was hanging up and going to slip outside to try to take some photos.  They said be careful, to remember that they are protected in the State of Indiana and that if I got any good photos to be sure and send copies to them.  I also was directed to a DNR Department of Natural Resources web page with information on the Indiana Mountain Lions.  I then did slip out my back door, spoke softly to the Mama that was watching me, walked about 1/2 way down my back yard to the pond and took a couple of long distance photos with my cell phone.  I have to get the photos off my phone now so that I can send them and post them for everyone to see.

Regardless of how magnificently beautiful these creatures are, I am not sure I want to share my back yard and pond with mountain lions.  Especially at night in the dark or on dreary foggy dark rainy mornings and my dogs want to go for a walk.  I already was weary enough of the coyotes that are all around.  Mountain Lions in the fog and mist watching me from the edge of the pond and the woods, looking to train their young to hunt, and me out walking my dogs -

Just Me Granny D

Couponing for Free Groceries

Couponing for free groceries is simple, easy and doesn't take much time for anyone to do that wants to save money and perhaps eat good for free.  It has been demonstrated on TV by many on how to use coupons, how to use multiple coupons on products called stacking and various tips for couponers have been discussed and taught by many recently.  Shows such as "The Extreme Couponer" and "Couponing 101" have found success through teaching the basics to the world.

We all know that coupons regularly are included in our Sunday newspapers as well as whichever day the grocery store ads come out each week.  These inserts and store ads with coupons in them are great and convenient for everyone to clip and use.  The problem with this is that the stores know in advance which coupons are being printed and released to the general public in the newspapers.  It is to their advantage to keep those items at regular price or even to raise the price by a few cents when the ads and coupons first are released.  That is when most people try using their coupons, as soon as they get them.  WRONG!!

I can't say it enough.  Do not use your coupons the first week they come out in the paper, the stores are expecting you to and are doing their part to make sure that they still come out ahead instead of you.  Save those coupons for a few weeks.  Most coupons are good for at least a month if not 6 months or a year.  If you hold onto those coupons and use them when the store is actually having the product on sale, you will maximize your savings.  If your store has a double or triple coupon day, use them then to really maximize the benefits.

Besides newspaper sales inserts, grocery ads and Sunday inserts, there are several other great places to get some high savings coupons which will really help cut the grocery bill or get your groceries for free.  The internet has become a great source for this.  Many sites online provide coupons to print out at home, while others offer ones which can be loaded directly onto your shopper's rewards cards for various stores.  I personally shop at Kroger most of the time and load these savings onto my card weekly.  That way, even if my husband is who goes to the store, the coupons are available for his use on our store card.  (Most men don't want to take coupons with them, but like the savings - loading reward cards is a great way for them to have the coupons with them and not have to be carrying them along!) 

Besides the sites like Cellfire.com, Coupons.com, etc., there are also sites which offer opportunities to try products for free in exchange for writing a review of the product or for sharing coupons for the product with others.  There are many great sites which do this.  But mostly, the actual brand manufacturer's often offer coupons on their web sites for their brands.  Many will mail booklets of their brand's products coupons to you or will allow you to print them at home for use.  Proctor and Gamble is a great site for this.  I sign up every couple of months with their website and they mail me a booklet of current coupons for their various products.

Trying products out in exchange for writing a review is a great way to score big in the grocery store.  I recently agreed to host a party of my peers for product sampling and to distribute coupons to everyone at the party for a company wanting people to try their new organic, all natural meat line.

As you can see from the receipt above, I went to the store and purchased over $38 in meat and a bottle of ranch dressing for dip for chicken nuggets and it cost me $0.00 - that is ZERO my friends.  This is just an example of what one can do if they want to.

Kroger sends me coupons in the mail each month.  They are ones that are picked for me according to the merchandise I normally purchase in their stores.  At first I wasn't sure if I liked that my shopper's reward card allowed them to monitor my purchases in this manner.  However, after over a year of their mailing me coupon packets monthly, I find I have saved enough money that I know I don't care if they monitor what I buy as long as it helps to save me money in their store, at their pharmacy, at the gas pump or any other way!

I often will log on and go to manufacturer's websites before going to the store to see if they have a coupon available for something I intend to purchase.  Coffee, dog food, laundry detergent, dish soap, toilet paper, cat food, cleaning supplies, etc., are all products that most manufacturers do keep coupons online for their consumers to benefit from.  Food items vary all the time according to what new flavors, products, line of product, or whatever is new and being promoted at the time.  Some food items have coupons available for them ALL the Time!  For instance, Yoplait yogurt most always has coupons available, Hot Pockets and Lean Pockets are two more products that are usually always available.  You just have to take the few minutes to check, clip-print-or load, and save money.

 

Eat for free this week!  Check those ads against your grocery list and search out those coupon savings that are available for use.  You could be very pleasantly surprised!  After a year of paying attention, clipping and printing and uploading, see how much money you have saved.  A friend of mine recently took a vacation for a week on what she had saved from couponing in the past year.  Maybe you can finance that trip, that new laptop or phone, or a trip to the movies by just watching what you spend where and how much of what you spend is from using coupons or using actual money.

Good luck and enjoy!

Just Me Granny D

Couponing

 I grew up couponing and saving stamps.  My Mom saved the yellow Top Value stamps from Kroger.  I saved the S&H green stamps from other places.  Every year at Christmas, my two brothers and I were given the Top Value stamp catalog to pick out the things we would like to get for presents.  We each usually could spend one book of stamps each. That was back in the late 50's and the 60's.

Today, the economy has taken a backwards turn and once more people are saving stamps, joining store reward programs, looking for rebates and sales, and clipping coupons.  I had never stopped!  As far as I am concerned, I was raised to know the value of those coupons and stamps.  They meant the difference in what we could afford to eat, where and what we could do, and whether there were presents for Birthdays and Christmas.  Our entire lifestyle was dependent upon my Mother's wages and stretching those meager wages with stamps, sales, rebates and coupons!!!

I raised my family the exact same way.  I clipped coupons, saved UPC codes, collected boxtops, mailed in rebates, shopped night owl special sales and did anything possible to stretch my actual wage dollars.  By doing so, we ate better, enjoyed more activities, dressed better and were able to have a better life than if I had just depended upon my income from working.

It is not difficult or time consuming nowadays to take advantage of couponing.  With the advent of the internet, there are now coupon sites online where one can print the coupons they want each month, or other sites where you can download your coupon to your reward card for a specific store in order to use it with your card at the store automatically.  No more forgetting to take your coupons with you, they are automatically on your keychain reward card!!!

For further savings, many stores offer double and/or triple coupon days.  Find out if your store does this and what their schedule is for doing so.  Some stores have a double/triple coupon weekend once a month.  This is the perfect time to take advantage of using some of those smaller value coupons, such as the ones for 25 cents off or 40 cents off.  Most stores double or triple coupons whose original value is 50 cents or less.  That makes those smaller cent coupons become large savings on products and on some will make the item actually free.  A point to remember is that stores usually only double or triple manufacturer's coupons not their own store coupons.

Store reward cards are a great way to save.  Yes, the store is collecting information concerning your personal buying habits with these cards, however, through the use of that information they are able to offer you special savings and coupons tailored to meet your buying preferences and habits.  I receive a coupon pack in the mail monthly from Kroger with coupons specific to items I normally buy there.  This is their way of showing customer appreciation and a great way for me to save more money.  Other store reward cards I have offer cash back on purchases, coupons which can be downloaded to the card, gas discounts and a wide variety of ways for me to make my money stretch so that I can now spoil my many grandchildren!!!

A friend of mine has for the past couple of years tried using couponing to fund her vacations.  It has worked great for her and she has enjoyed a couple of great vacations!!  She started taking the amount she saves on her grocery bill with coupons and depositing that amount in a savings account each week.  She can afford to do that - some of us can't, but it's a good idea for those that can.  She then uses the amount she has saved each year for her vacation fund.  She went on a Disney Cruise Vacation this year!!!!

Couponing is a practice that I highly recommend to all.  It can stretch dollars, allow one to afford a better healthier diet, and enhance one's lifestyle.  For the few minutes each week that it takes to look through the coupons offered by your stores and online couponing sites, the difference it can make is amazing.  Try it - I guarantee you will find that regularly using coupons, rebates, mail-in offers, reward cards, etc., will make a difference for you in today's economically challenged world.

Just Me Granny D

Grandparents' Rights and Court

As a Grandmother who loves her grandchildren very much and enjoys spending time with them, I find that I have no rights to do that without a Judge in a courtroom telling me if I can or not, when I can, where I can and for how long at a time.  Just being a paternal or maternal grandparent by blood does not mean anyone in the United States has an inherent right to be a part of their grandchild's life!

Grandparents' Rights and court seem to go hand in hand in our present day society.  Whereas in the past, grandparents were not only allowed but expected to step in and help with grandchildren, nowadays, thousands and thousands of grandparents in the US are finding that their rights and help comes after the village.

"It takes a village to raise a child" became a popular slogan back in the 1990's.  Hillary Clinton coined the phrase after she helped to get guidelines in place for parental rights, grandparents rights, foster care and adoption guidelines, etc.  By the time all the new guidelines and laws were in place, she was right - It takes a village to raise a child these days, because family is discounted and often prevented from helping to care for and raise the children within their family.

More often than not, family members are restricted in their involvement with grandchildren or nieces and nephews due to the actions of one or both of the child's parents.  As a mode of recompense, there are a few laws available to address this matter.  Depending upon the state a child resides in and their specific laws, various defining factors must exist in order to file a petition for a judge to hear the evidence and possibly issue an order for the family to visit or a grandparent to have contact with many children.  Sometimes this is because of a criminal act and sometimes it is because one parent or the other simply objects to sharing the child with the other parent's family.

Trying to establish grandparents rights in court can be extremely emotional and difficult to accomplish.  To begin with one has to find out if they even qualify to file.  Just because you are the grandparent does not give you the right to file for grandparents' rights in many states.  Some states require that specific criteria has to be met to file and then the grandparent must show just cause as to why they should be given any rights to visit or have a relationship with the child.  You must prove that you have a better case for why you should be allowed to be included in the child's life than the parents or state have to keep you out of their life and away from the child.

Court can be surprisingly daunting and expensive.  While an extremely stressful situation, the results can be rewarding enough to more than compensate for the stress and expense.  Having grandparents' rights upheld and put into place by the court can place that precious child back in your life and you back in theirs.  With the rights comes the responsibility of making sure decisions you make in the future have no negative consequences upon the child and that you act with his/her best interest in mind at all times.  Otherwise, you could find your self back in court facing a judge deciding if you get to keep whatever rights you won the first time around.

I believe that if we went back to families helping family members, grandparents caring for grandchildren, aunts and uncles being role models and helpers, parents realizing there are two parents for each child not just one, and courts looking for family members to care for children when needed rather than the current rush to foster care, more children would grow up with a true sense of identity and self worth.

Grandparents rights and court go hand in hand across this country currently.  The disconnect of families has grown into a problem that fills our courts daily.  Grandparents should prepare when the first grandchild is born.  Getting an agreement signed between grandparents and parents to legally ensure visitation and inclusion in children's lives is a document as necessary in this day and age as prenuptial agreements, living wills and last wills are.  To protect your rights and be certain that things will work out as close to your expectations as possible, don't procrastinate having an agreement drawn up, signed and filed.  If you put it off, the day may come when you find it is too late to get one signed and you are in for the fight of your life to be able to continue to be a part of your grandchildren's lives.


Just Me Granny D

In the Beginning There Was God . . . An Alien

My Bible tells me that in the beginning there was God!  I don't question that - I accept that and totally believe that.  But what else was there in our beginning besides God?  Where is God actually from - a different galaxy or universe, a different plane of reality or perhaps from absolute nothingness?  Where ever God was in the beginning, whom he was with and what existed then are questions that leads to great speculation by many.  One thing that doesn't need speculated or guessed about is the fact that in the beginning there was God . . . an alien.

Alien is life that did not originate from earth.  Therefore, by definition God has to be an alien.  It is said God is life and he originated from somewhere before earth's existence.  Then in our beginning he created earth with her many creatures and wondrous bounty.  The living creations originating on earth are non-aliens and as time advanced, these creations eventually gave God the distinction of being an alien.

Was God all alone in nothingness before his creations?  If so, why?  How did he come to exist and from where?  If he wasn't alone, who was there?  If he wasn't from nothing, then where was he from?  Remember, the Bible says he created the Heavens as he created earth.  When he commands that no one takes another God before him, was that command about other Gods or Goddesses that existed and were around? 

Many theories exist as to the making of the Pyramids, Stonehenge and other ancient marvels.  Myths and stories exist in areas of other Gods and Goddesses in various cultures, teaching the people, cohabitating with the people, and leaving their marks and their beliefs on communities.  Statues and temples were made to honor the different Gods and Goddesses of the ancient past of earth.  Were these Gods and Goddesses with Our God when he created earth and mankind?  Were there many aliens wandering the wonderland we call earth?

Are you thinking?  Do you know the answers?  The only answer I know is that in the beginning there was God . . . an alien.

Just Me Granny D

God, Gods, Goddesses, Angels, Demons, Spirits and Life- What Do You Believe?

God, Goddesses, Angels, Demons, Spirits and Life -
What Do You Believe?

So many different beliefs, stories, myths, history and questions.  We all believe in something.  Our world and it's constant fascination with the occult and witchcraft, vampires and werewolves, demons and angels at war, myths of Zeus and Poseidon, stonehenge and pyramids, Aztec's and Nostradamus, we show the ideas and beliefs of their actual possibility are flickering somewhere within.

Everyone believes in something.  Perhaps there is something in everyone's religion and beliefs that in actuality might show they are all bits and pieces of ONE - Is it possible each is just it's own chapter in a much bigger book of life!?!

If we believe in a hereafter and an afterlife of any kind - then we must also believe there is only one hereafter that we all believe in!  There isn't a different one for each religion - there is only one - I don't care if you believe in your spirit coming back or that St Pete will meet you at the gate or if you believe you will burn in fiery hell - it is one and the same - it is from the point of death to your body that your soul advances to a hereafter point -

My Bible is comprised of ancient writings from the libraries of the Pope of the Catholic Church and were commissioned to be put together as a Bible by King James, which is why it is called The King James Version.  They went through innumerable ancient writings and chose which writings they wanted to include in the Bible and which they would leave out!  An example would be the writings concerning Jesus as a child.

Other writings which were not included are "The Dead Sea Scrolls", writings contained in the Catholic Bible, the Hebrew Bible, and other religious books.  Some of the writings in these books are actually different translations of the same actual writing.

Leaders of Religions teach these books and just as society in a whole has evolved and changed over the years, so have religions - evolution in teachings for daily living, but basics always remain the same. Do you have faith that you are learning your life's lessons and living your life here to secure a better afterlife for your soul?  Or are you not feeding your soul and your faith?  Are you letting your spirit wither and harden in preparation for an afterlife of hell?

Perhaps you say you don't believe - that when you die you just die - there is no physical evidence of an afterlife - To that I say that the rebirth of the earth and all her bounty each Spring is proof of rebirth.

What do you believe?  Is it logical or is it faith?  Faith is not born of logic - faith is born of life's experiences and God's miracles and answered prayers.  Faith is nurtured and grows as one lives their beliefs, learns their life's lessons, and lives accordingly.

Perhaps all the various religious writings and books, the myths and stories of ancient Gods and Goddesses, angels and demons should all be put together.  If all the different translations were actually put into one translation of the exact writings, and all Indian and Aztec and Greek and Egyptian, etc., and were all combined into one story -maybe there would be one book of life with many different chapters. 

God, Gods, Goddesses, Angels, Demons, Spirits and Life - my Bible tells me there are other Gods besides Him who is named Jehovah.  He tells me not to take another God before him.  My Bible tells me of Angels and Demons, of Spirits, of witchcraft and monsters.  What do you believe?







Just Me Granny D

Living to Die, Dying to Live

Are we all really equal?  Two definitive facts say we are.  Each of us were born into this world.  And second, each of us were born to die.  To the essence of are we all really equal, well each of us are living to die, dying to live and in those aspects we are all definitely equal.

It is what we do with the life we are given that makes everyone unique and each life a gift and creates so called inequality.  The lessons of life for each of us are the same yet different in the methods used to teach each individual.  For some the true meanings of grace, humility, respect, generosity, compassion and the many other lessons are easily learned.  Others have a difficult time with various aspects and are doomed to repeat mistakes until the specific lesson is mastered.

Living to die is what all of us do daily yet not many of us actually live as if each day might be the day that we reach the goal for which we were born - dying.  If everyone were to live each day as if it might be there last, I wonder how much more love and compassion might be showering upon each of us.  How many arguments might be averted and how many family dinners would be shared?

Everyone is dying to live their life as they want to live it.  Exactly how is that going to be?  How has that been?  If the Dr walked in and told you that you had one week to live, would you be dying to live?  Would you be making major changes to your lifestyle or would you be confident that you have been living to die and are ready to meet your maker on the other side?

After all, if we are dying to live, then we should definitely be living to die!



Just Me Granny D

Just Me Granny D's Launching Etsy Site!

It has long been a hobby of mine to take photographs of everything - I have drawers and boxes full of photographs of scenery, horses, dogs, deer, inanimate objects, clouds, storms, and just about anything one can imagine.  For several years I made and sold various types of greeting cards which featured my photography.  Since that time I have taken thousands more photos that I believe would be great for a couple of new lines of greeting cards.

Besides my photography and greeting cards - I find I have a house full of vintage items that really might be appreciated more somewhere else.  Over the years I think I have kept most everything anyone has ever given me - some very interesting items and a few strange items mixed in with vintage collectibles and odds and ends.  Each time I open a drawer or a box on a shelf in my house I see things I think 'someone somewhere could probably really use that' -

I am working on developing an inventory, taking the photos for display, preparing a price list, checking on shipping and handling details, and determining my advertising possibilities at the moment.  But with determination, Just Me Granny D will be launching the Etsy store site next Friday - that would of course be Black Friday! 

As a stay at home and work online granny,  it only makes sense to venture into this next avenue of online income opportunity and offer items for sale from Granny D's personal photography and private collections - just wait till you see what is to come!!!! 


Just Me Granny D

Signs of the Times

"I got a new job today," a son said to his father.

"Oh really, where at and what will you be doing?"

"I am going into business for myself!  I will be a rich entrepreneur!"

"Okay, but where at and doing what?" asked the father.

"At the street corner by the mall!   I'll be the one on the corner holding up a sign!  I know some people who make about $1000.00 per day just standing there holding up a sign and so I have decided to go into that business."

"That's called panhandling, and it's against the law!"

"Well, I call it working for myself, and being an entrepreneur.  I'll sing for them if they want!  You know, I'll be like that 'Naked Cowboy from New York' with his guitar and hat!"

"That's not a real job, Son!  You'll get arrested!"

"It's a real job in this day and age Dad - you're just getting old and behind the times!  And they don't arrest you for panhandling, only give you a ticket and suggest better locations to you!"

Street Kids and Streetscapes: Panhandling, Politics, and Prophecies


PANHANDLING LAW; ; ACLU: CITY CAN'T PUT LIMITS ON ASKING FOR ALMS.(Main): An article from: The Santa Fe New Mexican (Santa Fe, NM)


 The beggar's handbook: A guide to successful panhandling

Just Me Granny D

Out to Pasture

Out to Pasture

Turning an older horse out to pasture to retire sounds like the humane and decent thing to do for a beloved horse which has worked hard and served well throughout his life. But is it really the right thing to do for that loyal, loving soul? Or could it be that it's the worse thing you could possibly do? Maybe it depends on the horse.

Just as with people, retirement sounds great – but is it really?

How many people retire only to become depressed and go through feeling as if they are no longer needed or productive in life? While some actually enjoy being `out to pasture' and flourish in their golden years, many others find their health deteriorates, depression sets in and they really need something to do. Many find their selves retired or out to pasture because of health problems or factors (besides age) in which they had no control. For these people the self doubts, feelings of rejection and betrayal – whether by others or by one's own body – are major obstacles to being able to enjoy those final years of one's life. The very years in which we believe we have earned some peace, rest and relaxation.

A question to mull over.

If you had a horse which was elderly and having major problems with hooves and hips, would it be best to put him out to pasture - stop riding or working him? Now let's say this same horse had spent his years involved in riding programs with children and really walked proud with a child mounted, evident to all how much he enjoyed and loved the kids – would become depressed and stop eating when the kids were gone on vacations; after-all, he didn't understand why they suddenly weren't there – do you still retire the horse?

If you have a person who is elderly/or not, and having health problems, is it best to put them out to pasture? Would you want to be `out to pasture'?

Just Me Granny D

Tips for Country Life

I love living in the country! However, country living does have it's own unique problems from city or urban life. Finding inexpensive yet effective solutions to those problems can be difficult if not almost impossible – So here are a few of the tips and solutions for various occasions which can and do occur. Hopefully these will help others whether you live in the country, visit the woods, fish in ponds, camp in the wilderness or are just curious.

Snakes

I really don't like snakes. So when we were told before we ever moved here that there were copperheads and water moccasins on the one side of the pond by our house, I immediately started researching how to get them to move somewhere else. I really don't want to share my yard with poisonous snakes! The woods around us is extensive and there are a lot of ponds and creeks all through here, so the snakes do have somewhere to relocate to without people trying to catch and relocate them. Question was, what could I do to persuade them they wanted to move on?! Answers found:

1. Use mothballs – make a perimeter around the property that you want the critters to stay away from. - I immediately took mothballs and used them all around the perimeter of the yard and the side of the big pond that is in the yard.
2. Cats and dogs – having outdoors pets who mark the perimeter of their yards will help to dissuade snakes from coming into the yard. Notice I said “help”. I am not sure really that this works as I have had cats and dogs get snake bit before. They will try to kill snakes when they find one usually, but that is dangerous for your pet. I do have two dogs and a cat though that do daily mark the perimeters of the yard, and the cat hunts daily! My dogs warn me when they sense danger in an area, and my Willie is really great about smelling snakes – he doesn't want anything to do with them! Neither do I!
3. Keep a gun loaded with snake loads and a snake bite kit on hand at all times!! This is very important! Know what to do in case of a snake bite. If you are very far out in the country, it could take a long time (possibly too long) for help to arrive!

Additional Tip: If it rains a lot after you have used mothballs, don't forget to replace them. After a month and a half of rain, I hadn't replaced the mothballs and suddenly found a 4 and ½ foot black snake in my living room the other day!!!

Moles

Moles are a common problem both in the country, suburbs and even in yards in cities. They can tear up a yard or garden in a blink of an eye, or at least it seems that way! Instead of hurting or killing these cute little pests, once more I prefer to use an inexpensive way to persuade them to move on to somewhere else – my answer is Juicy Fruit gum! I have used this method for years everywhere I have lived and had problems with moles.

Locate the mole holes and place a stick of Juicy Fruit gum in each hole. The moles will move away from that location. Locate their new holes and repeat. This could take a few days to actually get them moved all the way out of your yard, depends on how big your yard is, but they will keep moving away from the sticks of gum and will finally be gone out of your yard.

Mosquitoes

Being outside can put you at risk of becoming dinner for thousands of pesky little insects. Flys, gnats and mosquitoes may be tiny little creatures, but they can cause big enough problems to ruin cookouts, walks outdoors, sitting on your porch or patio or any outdoor activity.

The answers I have found and depend upon for these nasty little disease carriers are:

1. Marigolds – I plant marigolds all around my house, yard, garden, patio – everywhere I know I want to be and don't want the bugs to be! Marigolds repel these little pests and really does a great job of it – and they aren't just orange any more! Available in many different colors and varieties now, they can be easily be worked into any gardening theme or color scheme – and will definitely help to make your gardening and outdoors experiences be good ones.
2. Bounce - believe it or not, bounce dryer sheets are not just for the dryer anymore. The original, (not scented), Bounce dryer sheets work very well for keeping flys and mosquitoes away! I stick dryer sheets all around the perimeters of the patio or area of the yard I intend to be in. To go for a walk in the woods or to fish or horseback ride or whatever, I stick a couple of dryer sheets in my belt, waistband, pockets or somewhere on me. Note: the first time I tried this, I was camping on the side of a lake and the bugs were horrible. We made a perimeter of our campsite and hung the sheets in the trees around the campsite – within just a few minutes our campsite was free of flying, biting insects and you could stand and see all the bugs on the outside of the perimeters we had created with the sheets! I have used them ever since and am very grateful to the person who clued me in to this! (Works better than citronella candles ever worked for me!)

1. Marigolds – I plant marigolds all around my house, yard, garden, patio – everywhere I know I want to be and don't want the bugs to be! Marigolds repel these little pests and really does a great job of it – and they aren't just orange any more! Available in many different colors and varieties now, they can be easily be worked into any gardening theme or color scheme – and will definitely help to make your gardening and outdoors experiences be good ones.
2. Bounce - believe it or not, bounce dryer sheets are not just for the dryer anymore. The original, (not scented), Bounce dryer sheets work very well for keeping flys and mosquitoes away! I stick dryer sheets all around the perimeters of the patio or area of the yard I intend to be in. To go for a walk in the woods or to fish or horseback ride or whatever, I stick a couple of dryer sheets in my belt, waistband, pockets or somewhere on me. Note: the first time I tried this, I was camping on the side of a lake and the bugs were horrible. We made a perimeter of our campsite and hung the sheets in the trees around the campsite – within just a few minutes our campsite was free of flying, biting insects and you could stand and see all the bugs on the outside of the perimeters we had created with the sheets! I have used them ever since and am very grateful to the person who clued me in to this! (Works better than citronella candles ever worked for me!)

Coyotes, Bears, Cougars, Bobcats, Wild Boar, etc. -

Thankfully I live where I do not have to worry about bears. We do have coyotes, cougars, bobcats, wild pigs, foxes, wolves and other large wild animals running around in the woods, coming to drink from the pond and hunting for food at night all around us. Answers? - be aware of where you are and what is around you at all times! Tips to persuade them to hunt somewhere else -

1. Do not leave trash or garbage outside in containers that large animals can get into. If they find that you put your trash and garbage outside every day in a place that they can get to, then they will come and eat there nightly! This is the same as with raccoons, skunks, ground hogs, and all kinds of wild animals who would prefer that you feed them nightly with your garbage instead of them having to get out and hunt for their food!
2. Do not leave small animals outside to attract larger predatory animals. If you have chickens, dogs, cats, ducks or whatever, make sure at night that they are safe from the wild creatures of the night. A dog chained to a dog house in the yard can easily become dinner for a pack of coyotes or a bear! Chickens not in their coop or in a pen that doesn't have the top covered or that is easily dug under becomes another animals chicken dinner instead of yours, or the eggs become breakfast for weasels, bobcats or other animals.

These tips are just a few things that can help make life easier and more enjoyable living in the wilds of the country. Hopefully they can help others to find peace, happiness and a oneness with nature. Inexpensive, effective and humanitarian methods of dealing with wildlife, pesky insects and common problems in the country are considered “common sense” to a lot of country folk, but city folk need to have access to this info also for when they visit or move outside the city limits. I will pass on more tips later, in the mean time, hope these have helped you and have fun exploring and enjoying the countryside, the woods, the lakes and forests this summer!

Just Me Granny D

Back In The Country -

Back to the Country

After living the past eight years in an area that is neither suburbia or rural but rather an area that had been rural but is becoming the suburb craze of the area, we have moved back to the real country. I am in such a remote location that my address is not available to GPS, Google Search can't locate us, I can't subscribe for internet or cable service, coyotes are running around in my yard and the woods and ponds are my nearest neighbors!

I love living in the country. Plenty of room for a good garden this year, persimmon trees and berry bushes are abundant, squirrels and rabbits play all day outside my windows, mallard ducks fly in twice a day to swim and eat their fill of fish, tree toads and crickets sing me to sleep at night – all are some of my favorite things in life! The big red-headed woods cocks (looks like giant woody the woodpeckers) are everywhere. A beautiful golden falcon flies across my front deck about 4:30 every afternoon trying to catch him a squirrel. So much nature to see and experience here.

Horses and dogs have been the center of my life for the last eight years, and even though I could see birds, raccoons, ground hogs, muskrats, skunks, deer, etc., - it was nothing compared to the daily surprises I see here in the woods. Camera, where are you? I promise you are going to be kept busy while living here!!!

Peace to everyone, love to all and I promise I will get to town and on the internet to post updated blogs about the country life and to post lots of photos at least once a week! In the meantime I am still trying to get some company to tell me they can push the internet signal out here to me! (Whatever happened to Obama's call for the internet to be made available to all US citizens?!?)

Update: The telephone company has ran a qualification test on the phone lines out here – they tell me they can only get 768kbs internet connection to me until they replace the existing lines out here with new lines which will be capable of running higher speed dsl and/or fiber optics. They are currently in the process of running new lines to all their customers and it is scheduled for completion by 2020 – our area will be one of the last areas that is scheduled to be done as we are on what they call an ACU cliff -(don't have any idea what that means except I know that I do live on the side of a hill) – anyway, the lines are old enough they can't support any faster speeds of internet! The only other options for internet service out here is through direct satellite link from Hughes Network or Big Blue – waiting to hear from them about if their satellites can locate me here or not! Remember, google can't! Anyway, for now I am on the internet with my cell phone and once a week I will take my laptop to town and upload what I have written that week. So – have a good week everyone!

Just Me Granny D

When Bones Become Precious

This week the news has been focused on discoveries of bones and DNA testing being done on bone fragments.  In Aruba, a jawbone has been discovered and is now being tested to determine if it belongs to Natalie Holloway who has been missing since May 2005, several years now.  In North Carolina, bones have been found and are being tested to see if they belong to Zahra Clare Baker, a 10 year old little girl who has been missing for just over a month.   Just a couple of weeks ago in my own hometown, the remains of an acquaintance of mine were discovered in a corn field after she had been missing for close to a month. 

To most people, I'm sure that discovering human bones would seem to be a grizzly nightmarish occurence.  However, when a person or child has been missing for quite some time, the discovery of those bones becomes a blessed event.  The person can finally be brought home for burial, the family can start to heal instead of wonder and worry about where their loved one is, and answers are found to the many questions surrounding the disappearance, the death, etc.,  

I read a book a few years ago that really tugged at my heart and soul.  I'm not sure if it was because I had already faced this issue about 20 years ago when a close friend of mine disappeared and her remains were not found for about six weeks.  It was torturous and absolutely no one should have to be subjected to such an ordeal for a family member or friend. 

I personally believe that all young people should be required in middle school to read "The Lovely Bones", I truly believe it might help to keep our young people a little bit safer in this day and age.  No one could read and study this book and not keep in mind the dangers we live with in our towns and neighborhoods.  Perhaps it would help keep our young ones a little more aware of their surroundings and the people around them. 

My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of Natalie Holloway and to Zahre Baker.  May God keep their souls wrapped in his arms and show them love forever!!

Just Me Granny D

CLIP0239 - Catfishing

Ole Tom

Soft shades of pinks and purples,

Dance upon the lake -

The sun slipped low beneath the horizon,

His nap to take.

The faint whisperings of a soft breeze

Beckoned me to linger still -

And bask in the bossom of Mother Nature,

Tranquility to feel.

Then the bell jingled - -

And my lazy muses were interrupted -

I found suddenly

A life or death struggle had erupted.

Startled, I jumped up -

Just as he pulled me.

He ran hard from side to side -

And adrenaline ran free.

Oblivious to my surroundings,

I focused only on the battle;

We fought - back and forth

As dusk did settle.

Towards dawn he grew tired -

Wearily I claimed victory.

There was Ole Tom -

On my line in all his glory.

Tired, limp and I thought, dying;

This mythical catfish, legendary at least -

Gave a sudden jerk - Splash!

And back home went the beast.

Yes, a night well spent -

Though no fish to take home;

But memories will abound

Of a night with nature and Ole Tom.

by:   Deborah J Coster (that's  Just Me Granny D)

Just Me Granny D

It's Election Day, 2010!!!

It's election day, 2010!!!  Have you voted yet?  I'm on my way to the polls as soon as I post this!  I have no idea who might win, what changes might be in the forecast;  I can only hope that people get out and vote and this nation finds it's way out of the turmoil it has been lost within!

I don't care who you vote for!  Just get to the polls and vote your conscience and beliefs!  Together we can find a way through to the sunny side again and maybe can once more obtain the nickname of Camelot!!

Just Me Granny D

Election Day 2010 Coming In With A Roarrrrr!!!!

Election Day 2010 is approaching quickly and coming in with a roarrr from Mama Grizzlies across the nation. As we all know, a mother grizzly bear can be quite ferocious if she perceives a threat to her babies, her family, her territory! And ladies and gentlemen, mothers throughout this great nation of ours don't just perceive a threat to their babies, families and homes, but we see it surrounding us daily!

Whether the threat is that of unemployment, home foreclosure, loss of insurance, schools closing and teachers laid off, child care stopped, gas prices rising, elderly parents medicare cuts, rising housing costs, no rise in cost of living for social security recipients when all their expenses continue to rise through the cloudy skys, facing deportation from the land of the free because of no legal paperwork, or which of the many clear and present threats and dangers we face in our lives daily; mothers from each and every state, province, territory and community are rising up to say, "WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH!" -

I personally cannot say that I am for the Democrats, Republicans, Tea Party, Liberalist, Green Party, or whatever any party chooses to call itself. I am very independent on what I believe and how I choose to vote. I vote my conscience, my heart, and my beliefs! I don't care what party a candidate belongs to or doesn't belong to. If I believe in what they say and how they have performed in the past, then I will vote for them!

What do I believe in? Well I don't believe in putting a whole country at war with another country for one's own personal grudge and agenda! I don't believe in paying our elected representatives their salary for life! I don't believe in building huge expensive and outlandish sports facilities, water parks, and all sorts of recreational facilities while we close schools, lay off teachers and are negligent in educating our children! I do believe we have a responsiblity and duty to care for the elderly - they have worked their entire lives for extremely low wages, usually no benefits, paid into a social security account faithfully, and deserve to retire with dignity and the knowledge that their social security and medicare will take care of them as they were promised all those years they paid into the fund.

I believe in the right to keep and bear arms! I believe in the right to hunt and fish for food, to protect my family, my home and my self!! I try to have two deer in the freezer each year, along with fish, squirrel, rabbit and of course my garden fruit and veggies. We know that if we have two deer in the freezer, then our family - children and grandchildren will have food to eat for the winter! I don't believe in hunting just for the sport of it unless the meat from the hunt is donated to a food bank or community kitchen!!!!!

I believe in God! I believe each and every one of us has the right to choose and decide what we believe in and how we choose to exhibit or practice those beliefs. I don't believe that I should push my religious beliefs upon someone else and I don't think anyone else should try to push their religious beliefs down my throat either!! But there is a difference in pushing religion and being respectful of everyone's right to practice a religion of their own choosing!!!

I think that education and health care are two areas where this country would be better served with a socialistic system with national standards, national curriculums, and the Department of Education would be revamped with a focus on new and better teaching and learning techniques nationwide! Too many schools are being closed, too many teachers laid off, school room sizes growing, student and teacher ratios not at maximum achievement level, too many kids on streets rather than in schools, and a school system nationwide which presently does not work!!!!

Healthcare is ridiculous in our wonderful U S of A! Doctors and hospitals everywhere cater to the insurance companies which have business majors making healthcare decisions and over-ruling the opinions of our Specialists! Just imagine, a kid goes to college and studies business management, accounting, advertising, business law, etc., gets his degree in business management and finds a job with an insurance company. Next thing you know this same kid who has never had a single medical class of any kind and no medical training, - this kid is suddenly thrust into a position of approving or denying medical treatments, medications, surgeries, etc. for people nationwide with numerous, varying health conditions - some of which the kid has never heard of before - but it is now up to him to decide if each will receive the proper care and meds the doctors prescribe, or is he going to deny what may be a life saving procedure or med to someone because he judges it to be too costly for the company's bottom line!! I don't believe that this above scenario is the right way for our country to allow insurance companies to practice, yet they do it daily!

And then there are those who have no insurance - no money = no healthcare!
Children living in streets, under bridges, in sewers, in the woods and trees, in boxes, sick, hungry, helpless and homeless!!!! So by all means, we should as a community help to clean up our community and take care of others - my own communities answer to this was to enact a law making it illegal to sleep outside anywhere within the city limits, - that's in a park, on a bench, in a yard, in a car, on a corner, anywhere - and that's for children and adults alike!!! We bus our homeless now to a convenient out of town shelter house every evening so that visitors to our city won't have to view the ugliness that goes with this economy and the city!!! I personally don't believe that is the way to go - but I am but one voice of many.

This one voice of many has decided to roar along with the rest of the roaring mama's throughout this nation!!! I really don't care who you choose to vote for on election day as long as you get out and vote your conscience, your heart, and your soul!!!! It is time we let God back into our schools, our government, our lives - they have definitely all gotten out of control since we decided to try to take God out of everywhere - afterall we are "One Nation Under God. . ."

So now election day 2010 is just around the corner - only 5 days away! Do you know who you are going to vote for? Do you really know where those candidates stand and what they believe in and who has beliefs and priorities which are the closest to yours? Hope you do - if not, then take the next few days and discover who you really want to have making decisions which directly impact you, your family, your home, your future, your very life and livelihood!

Have a good election day and great life!

Just Me Granny D

Funeral Planning / Memorial Help: Free Tributes, Community, Funeral Home Ratings on Otrib.com

No one wants to think about funeral planning, memorials, tributes, etc. However, it is a subject that each and every one of us has to deal with at some point in our lives and someone will have to deal with when we come to the end of our lives unless we have taken care of the arrangements ahead of time.

In this day and age there are alot of details to be considered when one passes on. What about all those online accounts they had. Is there money online somewhere that should be taken care of, are there bills online that need paid, are there monthly paid accounts that need closed? What about the Facebook account and the twitter account or My space account. Do those friends need to be advised and those accounts need closed. How do you go about doing that? Where are all the accounts and the account info to be able to access them and close them out?

Otrib is a site that offers help and answers to these questions and more. They also offer the option to set up a tribute page to a loved one that has passed on. For great advice and information on much needed planning by all of us, check this site out.


Funeral Planning / Memorial Help: Free Tributes, Community, Funeral Home Ratings on Otrib.com

Sharron Angle Biography | Sharron Angle for U.S. Senate

Meet another mama bear running for Senate. Sharron Angle, who squared off with Reid in a debate last night, grew up in rural Nevada. She has two children and several grandchildren. Experienced with government, rural issues, juvenile issues, education and the list goes on, Sharron is one more "Mama Grizzlie" fighting for her family, her home, her country and her beliefs. Gotta yell YeeHaww for another Redneck Woman !!!

Sharron Angle Biography Sharron Angle for U.S. Senate

Just Me Granny D

Comfort Dogs for Children and Victims in Courtrooms

I just watched a video of a Tulsa Oklahoma courtroom that the prosecutor's office has a comfort dog which comes to court with victims and children. There are 14 other states which offer comfort dogs for victims and children while testifying in courtrooms. A great use of animals to help people. THere is a video that tells about the program - I believe all states, all prosecutor offices, all courtrooms should become educated about this program and try it.

http://www.newson6.com/Global/category.asp?C=121535&autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=5187029&flvUri=&partnerclipid=




Just Me Granny D