$10 a week

On Sunday Joshua and I slept in a bit (8:30) and went to the local Farmer's Market. I have enjoyed doing this since forever and it's something my kids both love and have been doing since birth.

In recent years I've been noticing something... People around the country having a higher value for seasonal, locally grown foods. It makes good sense. They're much fresher and therefore healthier, less packaged and usually less expensive too.

At one point I looked into a community farm share (organic), but it proved too costly, so I stuck with my pattern of enjoying farm markets when I could.

I love the freshness. So many of the mass-produced, grocery store marketed, trucked in from California or who-knows-where fruits and vegetables have lost their flavor. My friends shared some home-grown tomatoes two weeks ago. I ate one right off the vine and it struck me once again just how bland, mealy and pink grocery store tomatoes had become. Yuck.

Having two busy adults and a very social high school senior at home, it's difficult to find evenings when we're home to cook meals. I realized I don't want to pile too much fresh food in the fridge at one time. So for lots of reasons the weekly farm market appears to be a better and better option.

Then I saw this: “Consumers who buy locally not only get a great product, but if every state household spent just $10 per week on Michigan-produced food, they would generate $37 million each week for our economy.” ~ MDA Director Don Koivisto

Full article here.

Granted it's $10 at a time, but $37 million to our local economy, and I get the sweetest corn, the freshest apples, the reddest tomatoes... It's a win-win deal.

This time Joshua and I walked away from the farmers market with: yellow beans, red potatoes, prune plums, macintosh apples, sourdough bread, raspberries, corn and fresh canned hot pickles.

We had no shopping list. Just got what appealed to us. But I found myself craving recipes to utilize this bountiful harvest to its fullest potential. I didn't find any locally crafted cheeses, and there was only one free range meat vendor who froze and shipped their products direct to you. (That was expensive) So now I'm looking for more complete alternatives to our small and not-year-round city market.

I'm open to suggestions! Please share if you have any.

Doodle on over there

I'm up early on a Saturday to take J to a Police Explorers event for which he is oversleeping. It's his problem, but now of course... I'm up!

Fresh java in hand, I blog surf a bit and page to page, I end up here. Organized doodles is a wonderful little blog written/drawn by Rick. He's an incredible "doodle" artist, and I encourage you to take alook for yourself.

Meanwhile... I scrolled down...

Not much makes me spit coffee out my nose.

THIS DID!

OMGosh! LoL Thanks Rick!

Now I gotta clean the computer screen...

We Deserve It!

This idea sounds just crazy enough to possibly work, so naturally it won't be given serious consideration. How great is our bureaucracy!!

Hi Pals,

I'm against the $85,000,000,000.00 bailout of AIG.

Instead, I'm in favor of giving $85,000,000,000 to America in a "We Deserve It" dividend.

To make the math simple, let's assume there are 200,000,000 bonafide U.S. Citizens 18+.

Our population is about 301,000,000 +/- counting every man, woman and child. So 200,000,000 might be a fair stab at adults 18 and up..

So divide 200 million adults 18+ into $85 billion that equals $425,000.00.

My plan is to give $425,000 to every person 18+ as a We Deserve It Dividend.

Of course, it would NOT be tax free.

So let's assume a tax rate of 30%.

Every individual 18+ has to pay $127,500.00 in taxes.

That sends $25,500,000,000 right back to Uncle Sam.

But it means that every adult 18+ has $297,500.00 in their pocket.

A husband and wife has $595,000.00.

What would you do with $297,500.00 to $595,000.00 in your family?

Pay off your mortgage - housing crisis solved.

Repay college loans - what a great boost to new grads

Put away money for college - it'll be there

Save in a bank - create money to loan to entrepreneurs.

Buy a new car - create jobs

Invest in the market - capital drives growth

Pay for your parent's medical insurance - health care improves

Enable Deadbeat Dads to come clean - or else!


Remember this is for every adult U S Citizen 18+ including the folks who lost their jobs at Lehman Brothers and every other company that is cutting back. And of course, for those serving in our Armed Forces.

If we're going to re-distribute wealth let's really do it... instead of trickling out a puny $1000.00 ( 'vote buy' ) economic incentive that is being proposed by one of our candidates for President.

If we're going to do an $85 billion bailout, let's bail out every adult U. S. Citizen 18+!

As for AIG - liquidate it.

Sell off its parts.

Let American General go back to being American General.

Sell off the real estate.

Let the private sector bargain hunters cut it up and clean it up.

Here's my rationale. We deserve it and AIG doesn't.

Sure it's a crazy idea that can 'never work', but can you imagine the Coast-To-Coast Block Party!

How do you spell Economic Boom?

I trust my fellow adult Americans to know how to use the $85 Billion "We Deserve It" dividend more than I do, the geniuses at AIG, or in Washington DC.

And remember, The Birk plan only really costs $59.5 Billion because $25.5 Billion is returned instantly in taxes to Uncle Sam.

Ahhh...I feel so much better getting that off my chest.

Kindest personal regards,

Birk

T. J. Birkenmeier, A Creative Guy & Citizen of the Republic

PS: Feel free to pass this along to your pals, as it's either good for a laugh or a tear or a very sobering thought on how to best use $85 Billion!!

Soldier

Driving home this evening I was listening to CBC radio 2. I heard some of the concert celebrating the 100th birthday of British Columbia with Canadian artists Sarah McLaughlin and Shawn Hlookoff.

Yes, Sarah gave a marvelous performance, ending with one of my favorite songs: Ice Cream, but it was Shawn Hlookoff that intrigued me. Though he didn't play it at the concert, they made significant mention of his song "Soldier". I had to come home and find it.

It was worth the effort. This young man has a message worth hearing and a beautiful clear voice with which to express it. (For those of us who are military parents: this one gets a *tissue alert*.)



Same song, different video.

Nifty Kitchen Trick!

You know the drill... turn off the playlist and then watch the video.

This is Brilliant!

And here's how he did it:

Instructions:
Cover the eggs with water and boil on low for about 12 minutes.
Cool the eggs by placing them in cold water with 1 teaspoon of baking soda and ice. The baking soda raises the pH level and reduces adherence. If you choose not to use baking soda, be sure to move the eggs into cold water with plenty of ice immediately after boiling.
Crack the top of the egg and remove a small piece.
Crack the bottom (wide end) of the egg and remove a small piece.
Hold the egg in your hand and blow vigorously into the narrow end of the egg, which will expel it out the wide end.

Doesn’t get much easier than that.

Just be ready to catch it when it comes out!

V Bits, J Bits, Me Bits

Yesterday as I drove home from work I noticed yet another reason that my job, which I love, must have come to me through Divine Intervention (and boy oh boy, did I need an "intervention"!).

Halfway down the highway on which I work and the expressway I take home, I called V. I'd looked at the shops around here before, just checking the place out, when there on my left was a store I hadn't seen before. The store we joke is V's all time favorite: The Jerky Outlet! Can I get a big yee-haw?!

She giggled but was delighted. I made a mental note to stop in and get a bunch to send to her. But there you have it. If that wasn't a 'sign' that I was meant to be here, I'm not sure what is.

And another V thought... Upon seeing this military.com video I decided that SHE must have been the person firing. Watch. You'll get a laugh out of it. The note at the bottom cracked me up. Something about 'needing to weigh more than the weapon you're firing'. And yes, it's my wee-bitty girl who maintains the MMIII, LOL!

V is doing amazingly well overall. She's tired from not spending her evenings and weekends relaxing and catching up on sleep, but that's something she'll learn in time. She's STILL fighting with Verizon, believe it or not. And, as we spoke she was waiting for her MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) class to begin, so she's spending her time in healthy ways and I am so happy for her. I told her yet again how proud I am of her choice and how she's carried it through to make it one incredible reality.

J's turn! Joshua's been sick with a bad cold all week. He came home early from school one day and slept the whole day away, waking only to cough, sneeze and blow his nose half off his face. Poor baby. He's quite a bit better now in comparison, but he's still not healthy.

Tonight I will forego my monthly singing group in order to attend the Police Explorer's annual family bbq and training tower rappelling! J's been looking forward to this since he joined Police Explorers last year. I often hear about the three story training tower and how much he can't wait for them to push him out that window! Today I get to stand safely on the ground and watch. :)

And last, me bits! I've been working more than usual recently as things have gotten very busy for me. I spent most of Tuesday at a meeting in Lansing, then drove back to the east side for a double meeting (one for new volunteers and ~back to back~ the Board Meeting). I ended up meeting three new volunteers and, as planned, did a presentation for the Board. Aftre that I went to dinner with a co-worker. It was one long and successful day. Whew!

Yesterday, after having a late breakfast with a friend, I worked from noon to 8pm. Even though that was only an 8 hour day, leaving at a late hour made it feel like 12. I'm looking forward to a more regular day today, and then a relaxing evening. You'd relax if they were tossing your kid out a third story window ~ right?!

KITTY!

While surfing the web in the wee hours of the morning (why does "wee hours" always make me think of "time to go potty"?!) I found this video ~ that I immediately sent on to V.

I needed to show the world too. The kitty looks a lot like Mooch when he first came to us, and to this day "the pounce & chomp factor" are identical.

Here ya go!