Saturday, August 29, 2009

It Is A Millionty Again...

Every weekend rolls around and it sky-rockets into the 100's!!! How about during the week and the weekends nice and normal?

Friday, August 28, 2009

Panda's Are Nearly 100% Herbivores!!!







I really don't know what to make of all this. I went to Panda Express today and this was the drink cup I was handed. After shaking, crying and then pulling myself together, I put a big frosty cold drink in it and ate my share of a bamboo forest!

Chicken Chase Part Deux

OK.. I downloaded it. Played it for 10 minutes. It is very, very basic and would actually be very fun for a kid - like me.

It is simple and straight forward and actually quite wholesome and in this day and age of insanity, murder, killing, carnage etc... Chicken Chase is clean and fun.

So the premise is straight-up... Grandma needs help cause the bank is on her tail (perfect for today's economy) Grandma reaches out to the grandkids for help. The object - feed, hatch, sell, upgrade the farm, feed, hatch, sell, protect the farm from predators, upgrade the farm. Graphics are nice...

I think for $6.99 it is a fun little game for everyone, but especially our kids and grandkids.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Chicken Chase...


For $6.99 you too can own Chicken Chase.

What is Chicken Chase you say?
It's a computer game.

Here is the description -

Feeling clucky? Your grandparents are asking for your help to save their chicken farm. If you can solve a series of missions, you will earn enough money to upgrade the farm little by little. Raise your brood, hatch the eggs, and keep the ravens from stealing your chickens. Choose your power-ups and spend your hard-earned money wisely. It's finger-clickin' good!

5 kinds of chickens to raise.
50 increasingly hard levels.
Upgrades to earn for the farm.


I don't know about this. This seems like a stretch. Like really lonely people trying to make it big in the software business and all they could come up with raising chickens on a cyber-farm. And the description - ravens? Is this a problem? How about skunks, possums, bobcats, cats, dogs - barnyard or country predators, not ravens? How about Raptors/Badgers?

Then riddle me this... how does it get harder by 50x? Do the chickens increase in population, size or mental acuteness? Do they stage a coup? Not coop...How complex does this get?

Now I am stuck and will get it. It is driving me crazy. I will report back

Grit Blog Posted Today...

I love this stuff. People are actually posting my stuff to a blog on a magazine!

www.grit.com


Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Found it.... Oprah? Really?

I am not a Oprah follower and if any of you are, I am sorry, but her actions are becoming more and more odd than real. I am a firm believer that people of her wealth and fame, become bemused by their own pontifications and think the sun rises for them and we, smaller folk, are just getting to share the luck. "Its your world, I am just living in it!"

That being said, I am not interested in complete character assasination, cause I don't know her. I frankly believe what my Grammy said "If your talk'in trash about someone, someone is talk'in trash about you!". My Grammy was a rapping Grammy and had the street-lingo down pretty good. They needed it in the depression.

So, Opfra does a whole show on animal cruelty and highlights chickens, puppy's (really?), and other forsaken animals. Talks about how inhumane these poor birds are treated - 180M a year. Man, I thought I had a lot of birds! 180M? She spouts off about her attempt at a vegan diet and proceeds to hand out 40,000 KFC coupons. PERFECT. Hypocrisy Hole In One!

Come on! These are well-oiled machines of media marvelousness...How can someone say "Hey, ok so on August 19th we'll do a show on aninal cruelty - we'll focus on chickens!. Then on the 20th we'll do one on people who drive pink cars, the 21st ummmm... we'll see if we can get Whoopi... then we have the weekend and on Monday the 24th we'll do our Kentucky Fried Chicken Blow-Out!!!! - yeah for me!!!!"

Ohpra had to see the run sheet. This could not have been that poorly planned. Ahhhhh well yes it could. Honestly this is a tough one to recover from, but in time she will. We have short memories. Although, a string of these and Harpo Productions will see the same fate chickens do at KFC. Don't wish it, cause I also believe... "You reap what you sow!"


Researching Oprah's Actions

I forgot, but a buddy sent me some weird missive on Oprah saving a chickens...

I am researching this...

Beat...

Sorry, I am running low on fuel and am a little under the weather. I will try to get myself back on track tomorrow.

Plus my dog is barking and making me crazy...

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Here Are Mine...


Eggplant

I used to loathe this veggie. It was akin to brussel sprouts for me. Now, after I fry it,smother it in mozarella, red sauce and bake it, I am in love with it. Literally, I am not sure what else I could enjoy more. Some wine from Napa (or Alexander Valley) and some eggplant parmesean and I am a box of fluffy ducks.

BTW, I live near Napa and and did not know this tip...so here it is...if you are going to pick a wine and want a sure fire winner, pick one from the Napa or Alexander Valley. Now don't get all wine snobby on me. YES, there are wines from the Central Coast of California, Australia, France and the like that are good, but honestly, the grapes grown in Napa are incredible. I think this is about as sure fire as you can get as tips go. They are pricier, but they are so much better. Here are some tips;

Roth
Silver Oak
Patz and Hall
BV
Clos Pegase

among 100's of others.

Anyway, how did I get here? Oh yeah... eggplant parmesean and wine. Mmmmm good. A little bread some salad out of your garden and your set. I think you could hide a shoe under this and I would ask for seconds.

I planted some eggplant this season and it has gone ape. I planted Dusky and Rosa Bianca. The Dusky is the standard eggplant used worldwide, the Rosa Bianca a lesser known type, but way better. It is the Ferrari of eggplants, whereas the Dusky is the F150....

My suggestion to you is to grab a bottle of the aforementioned, everything in moderation please... too much vino will make you Micky The Dunce quickly. Plant some of these - description to follow:

Rosa Bianca Eggplant
A gorgeous Italian variety with a delicate, mild flavor, creamy consistency, and no bitterness. Considered one of the best by gourmets and gardeners alike. 4-6 in. long, 4-5 in. diameter.


Make some eggplant parmesean and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Better than dropp'in a Ben at Whole Paycheck and watching hard earned jing go from your Dockers to their cash registers.

What A Fighter....


An epic struggle took place this morning, but in the end the struggle was lost.


At 0-60 this Bee did a marvelous job, at 65 it simply was too much.

Now, let's think about this. I have to assume the math involved in this is actually pretty remarkable. Since I am not an aeronautical engineer, I have to assume the force on this bee far exceeds any strength that we humans possess. I would love to know what amount of pounds per square inch this little guy/gal was taking.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Eating Local, Honey and Eggs


I am sure most of you have known or heard this...if not you've been living in a cave.

At our local farmer's market, there is dude selling honey from local bees. Actually he lives about a mile away. His honey is amazing. He makes all sorts of consumables from it and sells one of my kids favorite things... honey sticks. The kids suck these things down like little addicts. We see this and I think emotionally "OK, enough sweets! Go grab a radish and eat it you need more fruits and vegetables and quit playing Wii." Yet intellectually, we are thinking, "Bees? Honey? Natural? Good?, maybe I should be encouraging this" Plus, for years there have been the pundits extolling the virtues of the eating local honey in order to stave off seasonal allergies. This got my 10cc brain really chirping.

Here are some hypothesis:

If honey is raised local, then eating it would allow your body to absorb and become familiar with local pollen thereby building an immunity to those things that cause said allergies.

If a person eats local food then the minerals and matter in the local soil/air will be consumed and yield a healthier existence. ( all things being equal - so if you live next to a refinery, all bets are off)

The latter hypothesis is one I read somewhere and it got me thinking. I have heard and read about people moving to other parts of the USA and becoming perpetually sick, seriously fatigued, increased allergies, digestive issues among numerous other ailments and link them back to the move. Why? Could be as simple as the air and the food consumed? The water from local sources? I think it is the relationship between man and nature - more specific your local Terra Firma, and how we've become accustomed and adapted to our local areas. Therefore eating local is what your body desires and needs versus eating a tomato grown in Ecuador. Why do people who live in India drink the water and not get sick? We go there and drink it and we've have to take a long-term lease on a toilet and get used to pink chalky taste in our mouths. Because our body cannot handle the microorganisms there. While this is an extreme example, I think this exist right here in the USA. And more to the point, I think eating local foods, honey and eggs is better for you than buying foods and water produced half-way across the planet. I say this as a general statement. I know I have traveled throughout Europe and Asia and survived, but let me tell you, it did not come without a price. I got to the point where I was packing Powerbars and Honey to survive, especially in Asia. I used to hit the tarmac at SFO and kiss the ground I lived on.

So, my point is simple. I think eating local is good for your health and for the local economy. If that is not enough... check out what is in honey.

Honey is composed of sugars like glucose and fructose and minerals like magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium chlorine, sulphur, iron and phosphate.

It contains vitamins B1, B2, C, B6, B5 and B3 all of which change according to the qualities of the nectar and pollen. Besides the above, copper, iodine, and zinc exist in it in small quantities. Several kinds of hormones are also present in it. Approximately one half of the human diet is derived directly or indirectly from crops pollinated by bees. Today honeybees are an essential part of a healthy agriculture economy.

If you have allergies, honey can be beneficial. If you eat honey that is local to your area, it may help prevent your seasonal allergies. Bees use the pollen from local plants and eventually it ends up in your honey.

Honey may also be good for your skin. It has the ability to attract water. It is also safe for sensitive skin. You can use it as a moisturizing mask for your skin as well as your hair. To use it as a conditioner, mix the honey with olive oil. Be sure to wash your hair thoroughly before you go outside.

If you have a sore throat, take some honey.[ Honey has powerful antimicrobial properties, which can soothe your raw tissues. Pour a teaspoon of honey into a large serving spoon and then top off the spoon with lemon juice. Swallow the concoction (without water) every few hours until symptoms clear up. Some people add a pinch of black or red pepper to increase blood circulation to the throat.] Due to its natural anti-inflammatory effect, it will help to heal the wounds more quickly.It also has different phytochemicals--chemicals found in plants and different foods--that kill viruses, bacteria, and fungus making it a good substitute for wound dressings. The taste may also take your mind off the pain. There is evidence that honey diluted in water will help with your stomach aches and dehydration.

Do you have a cut? Honey is a natural antiseptic. Medical journals cite more than 600 cases in which honey was employed to treat wounds.By applying honey to your wounds, you prevent infections. Honey contains antimicrobial agents, which prevents infections by killing the bacteria in and around your wounds. When using honey it may help to heat it up before putting it on your wound (caution test the heat before you place it on the wound).Many types of bacteria can’t survive in honey, so wounds heal, swelling eases, and tissue can grow back.

Honey may also be effective in the treatment of your ulcers.In Europe, honey has been used internally to help cure ulcers, particularly stomach ulcers. Burns, too, heal better with honey, studies show. The advantage of honey is that it not only prevents infections from occurring, it actually accelerates skin healing.. Since the sugar in honey absorbs water it helps to trap some of the moisture so that the bacteria and other microbes can’t grow as easily as in other food.

I am walking out to the kitchen, plopping a tablespoon into the honey, adding some Sumatra Cinnamon and pigging out. Who's with me!!!!?



Sunday, August 23, 2009

COOP Design

One of our readers asked if I knew of a kit for a chicken coop. Yes, I do, but they are so expensive I would be hesitant to recommend them. One, I saw was 4x6 and in it's kitted form it was $2145.00.

I have approximately, $120.00 in my coop - materials only. I have another 4-6 hours in building. It is not like doing differentials... it is quite easy and comes with a ton of satisfaction. If you all would like I can post some plans and cut lists.

Tools needed -

Mitre Saw (hand saw if your nuts)
Tape Measure
Skill Saw for the roof, but you could have the lumber yard rip it
Drill/Hammer
Screws/Nails

I would screw everything, as screws are removable and nails are - well nailed and can be troublesome to get out.

I would add some extras knowing what I know now, but all in all, I think this is doable for under $200.00, if your thrifty and a scavenger... maybe under $150.00.

If I get some people asking, I will go to the trouble.

Let me know.