tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25121949397903378262011-08-08T07:25:02.427-04:00A quiet place to enjoy a cup of coffee, listen to the crickets and watch the butterflies!Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.comBlogger391100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-26752217576602500382009-03-26T07:41:00.007-04:002009-03-26T08:29:34.046-04:00

One of the places that we visited while in Tennessee was an area called Cade's Cove. This area is part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Cade's Cove can best be seen be the Cade's Cove Loop Road, about 11 miles of protected one-way roadway that will lead the sightseer on a historical tour of early pioneer farms, fields, roads and trails. The panorama below shows Cade's Cove in all it's

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-3152756780105051292009-03-21T08:18:00.010-04:002009-03-25T16:06:49.136-04:00

Getting off the highway and heading down Route 40 into Sevierville and then Pigeon Forge. This route is the main drag through this area. It's packed with restaurants of all types, stores - you name it, you can buy it here - arcades and amusement park type activities. The road takes a break going from Pigeon Forge into Gatlinburg. It winds a bit through the lower foothills of the Smoky Mountains.

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-818389848354341092009-03-19T13:31:00.006-04:002009-03-19T19:43:19.093-04:00

Well, we made it to Tennessee and back. It was a combination vacation / country music competition trip. As I posted earlier Hubby Dearest entered into competition with NACMAI. He did his specified competition slots and came through with flying colors. He took 2nd place "Most Promising Male Entertainer 2009 - Traditional Country"and he and his singing partner, Country Kimberly, took first place "

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-25039026604609530142009-03-02T07:33:00.003-05:002009-03-02T08:06:28.825-05:00

It's that time of year for Hubby Dearest and I. We are heading to Tennessee for NACMAI (North American Country Music Association International) competition. Hubby Dearest is a vocalist/rhythm guitarist and has been entertaining people with music for over 30 years. He will be competing with other vocalists and entertainers from across the country.Financially, it's not the best time now to do this,

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-84138080663145763602009-02-18T18:43:00.008-05:002009-02-18T21:30:07.961-05:00

Reading the Boston Globe a day ago, there was a headline that just fairly leaped off the page. It read: "Homeless families face strict new rules" It seems that our dear governor is going back on a vow he made, two years ago, to end homelessness here in the Bay State. Now there is a set of new regulations coming out that could very well force hundreds of families that are currently living in

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-70828048132710828392009-02-13T12:01:00.005-05:002009-02-13T12:25:43.432-05:00

Ya'll need to check this out. It says it all:John Rich Shuttin' Detroit Down Written By: John Rich My daddy taught me that in this country everyone’s the sameYou work hard for your dollar and you never pass the blameWhen it don’t go your wayNow I see all these big shots cryin’ on my evening newsAbout how they’re losin’ billions and how it’s up to me and youTo come

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-42572235535222765012009-02-05T11:56:00.004-05:002009-02-05T12:42:07.127-05:00

I am on a rant right now about Health care. Hubby Dearest and I are now finding out the hard way that this economic fiasco we are going through is affecting the insurance companies. Hubby Dearest has medical insurance through his company and so long as he still has a job to go back to when he is released, he has medical coverage that we will need to pay back to the company.Now, he is going

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-60338215192824744322009-02-02T13:23:00.006-05:002009-02-02T15:12:11.862-05:00

I read someone's blog the other day that said, quote:"I don't really believe that we should go back to making all of our food from scratch. Some, not all. Life today is very different than the days of Laura Ingalls. Men and women work out of the house. Our communities are not set up for complete self-sufficiency. And why would we want to live like that?"I am sorry that this individual feels this

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-83002234615901014652009-01-31T08:01:00.003-05:002009-01-31T08:17:47.885-05:00

I just read the greatest article. It's one that I imagine a lot of people haven't thought of. So, for your reading pleasure, I thought it would be kind of nice to reproduce the article that can be found here:Mother Earth News - Home BrewingBrew ToolsTo get started brewing your own beer, you’ll need a few essential pieces of equipment. You can find all kinds of brewing supplies at local homebrew

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-53222322610265690272009-01-30T06:10:00.003-05:002009-01-30T06:40:05.234-05:00

Things That Disappear in a PanicI found this on another site listed as 100 items. I have proof-read it so that some things are not duplicated. Anyways I thought it would be of interest to a lot of people. Use this as a reference only as everyone's situation and circumstances are different. Generators (Good ones cost dearly. Gas storage, risky. Noisy..target of thieves; maintenance, etc.)Water

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-22541888815748257192009-01-26T06:30:00.018-05:002009-01-26T13:55:56.079-05:00

What I am failing to understand here is how our government thinks that building our GDP on growing our credit base can make anything better. This reasoning is totally incomprehensible to me. It stands to reason that when our own personal lives become over burdened with debt, we have to do all in our power to sacrifice, consolidate, sell and otherwise get out of debt without anyone's help. It is

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-20187962518697645862009-01-13T13:12:00.014-05:002009-01-14T20:31:56.370-05:00

On the news this morning:How to Save Money on Your Car Insurance (as heard on the news one morning) - By increasing your deductible from $500 to $1000, you will save $125.00. (Say What????? How does that save you money????)"With the worsening of the economy's growth prospects, continued credit losses and asset markdowns may maintain for a time the pressure on the capital and balance sheet

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-27901476589177549162009-01-10T18:08:00.008-05:002009-01-10T19:50:18.268-05:00

As I have stated previously, I am becoming more self-sufficient. I would like to share here some simple pointers on things you can do now to help yourselves along the path to your own self-sufficiency.Homemade Bread made by hand3 cups lukewarm water (750ml) 2 pkgs dried yeast4 eggs, well beaten10 cups plain white flour (1.42kg)1/2 cup white sugar (120gm)1½ tsp salt (8ml)1/2 cup vegetable or

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-72428308127243834252009-01-10T17:53:00.004-05:002009-01-10T18:00:34.185-05:00

Oh now come on now!! Really?!?!? This really does push the boundaries of the imagination.Porn industry seeks federal bailoutThat's it, every one is so broke they can't think of S-E-X! Oh NOOOO!!! What is the world coming to???

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-79376977038077445132009-01-07T07:20:00.016-05:002009-01-08T13:01:20.294-05:00

The remaining half of the bailout frozen. Congress had no accountability for the first half.$485,000 spent on Bush china for the White House - now that's a deal!Gas dispute in Russia and Ukraine - BBC News - Wednesday, 7 January 2009 BBC News - Wednesday, 7 January 2009 - Exports of Russian gas to Europe via Ukraine appear to have completely stopped amid a dispute over gas supplies between the

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-12940593848213178472008-12-30T20:42:00.006-05:002008-12-30T22:30:50.412-05:00

Looks like GMAC has been given the Gold Seal of Approval to become a bank. They have received a bit of the bailout money and now they are going to loosen the regulations on lending. Alright, now we're talking...let's go out and buy a big honking huge SUV and sink ourselves in debt for the next few years!!! Ya Right!!!! When are the car manufacturers going to realize that they need to make small,

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-58202822389318057652008-12-28T08:41:00.007-05:002008-12-28T16:19:50.642-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!The New Year is almost upon us and I wonder what it will, in truth, bring us.I have been watching TV and see all the stooopid commercials that are being fed to us. I find it utterly amazing that people will buy "things" just because they are told by the media that it is good for us. Sorry, I stand by that adage that "if it ain't broken, don't fix it." I

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-63237081089423303492008-12-24T06:21:00.009-05:002008-12-24T13:42:28.751-05:00

It's Christmas Eve and the snow that we have will be disappearing somewhat over the next day or two. The temperatures are coming up and the snow we are having now will be changing to rain.We were one of many lucky families to get our power back as soon as we did. There are people in Fitchburg that are still without power. The Governor is asking for an investigation of Unitil. Unitil was slow to

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-49238419878027714442008-12-17T06:32:00.003-05:002008-12-18T06:52:41.506-05:00

It's snowing. Yay! On top of what just happened over the last few days. There are many still without power here and in New Hampshire. I found I could live without having power. It was difficult trying to figure ways around of staying warm and keeping food cold, but I could do it if I HAD to. I must admit, though, that this has shown me that I, along with everyone else is a creature of comfort.A

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-19112134403253020362008-12-16T15:38:00.015-05:002008-12-16T16:10:29.571-05:00

This tree has totally blocked the road. Power is out pretty much all over town.Storm Puts New England Under A Deep FreezeHollis, New HampshireThe ice makes everything look so beautiful.

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-72632818885389850852008-12-16T00:49:00.005-05:002008-12-16T14:44:35.728-05:00

We found out the hard way the thing we should have learned from the family down the way. Ventilation! Hubby and I left a couple of lamps burning while we slept. This morning I woke up with a headache and feeling slightly nauseous. I almost decided to go back to sleep but realized that something just wasn't right. When it finally dawned on me what was wrong I blew out the oil lamps and opened up

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-82007439839768472522008-12-15T23:46:00.007-05:002008-12-16T14:41:14.955-05:00

Had a camping night in the living room last night. I dragged out the air mattress, unplugged the furnace, blew up the mattress, plugged the furnace back in. Slept a bit better but not as well as I would have liked to.Made egg mcmuffins on the stove, but cheated on the coffee. I plugged it in and let it go through it's process. Aaaahhhhhh --- coffee!!!!After breakfast I went "downtown" to get gas

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-1260120488721988482008-12-15T22:53:00.006-05:002008-12-16T14:18:11.406-05:00

Didn't sleep that well last night. Again! The recliner is not the most comfortable place to sleep, at least not 2 nights in a row, but I did not care to sleep alone. I felt safer being with hubby out in the living room. It's really dark outside now and we have had vehicle break-ins over the last couple of months. It just makes my imagination work a tad bit overtime.More old-fashioned coffee this

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-57534066276048090492008-12-15T21:44:00.008-05:002008-12-16T14:12:21.886-05:00

We woke up to a very cold, icy morning. Everything was covered in a thick layer of ice. Trees and branches were still snapping and breaking left and right. Power was still out. No idea what is going on in the rest of the world at this point.Well, it's coffee time.OK, so we have an automatic coffee maker. GGRRRR....no power, can't make coffee. HA! I refuse to let that stop me. Need my caffeine!!

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-91568752281790628812008-12-15T21:21:00.007-05:002008-12-15T22:47:57.563-05:00

Been a long day. Worked for a bit in the morning, came home and started my Christmas baking, then had the kids to babysit that afternoon. I had also started a crock pot of stew that I was planning on canning up and adding to my Christmas gift baskets.I went to bed around 10:45 pm. It had been raining all day and had turned into ice earlier in the day. The trees at this point were starting to get

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-31988923867555393922008-12-15T21:10:00.003-05:002008-12-15T22:45:22.766-05:00

Have had quite a hectic time. Hubby has been out of work for a month now with a bum shoulder. He has had surgery on it to re-attach a detached lathrum and to repair the tear in the lathrum and also to free up "Frozen Shoulder." He has been in a lot of pain and has had needed a lot of tending. Unfortunately he has no disability insurance and can't figure out how this damage had occurred so he

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-25874691013720509532008-11-26T10:51:00.002-05:002008-11-26T11:01:32.639-05:00

It's Thanksgiving here in New England and across the country. Families across our nation will be gathering for huge Turkey feasts. I hope, that as we all sit down to tables filled with all the yummy food this time of year brings out, that we all take time to reflect upon what this year has brought all of us.It has been a very rough year for many. A lot of people have lost jobs and lost their

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-31727436241187608872008-10-31T06:42:00.011-04:002008-10-31T13:38:32.751-04:00

BOO!!!!!!BOO!!!!!!It's Witching Time in New England!The one day a year I get to come out of costume!EEEEHEEHEEEEHEEEHEEEHEEEEHappy Halloween All You Ghouls and Goblins!Yes, it's my favorite time of year. This will be my last hectic day for, oh, at least a day or two. LOL!!! Yesterday was spent helping "My Kids" make cupcakes to take to school. Their mom works nights so they begged me. They had a

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-47873732426114802762008-10-15T18:03:00.004-04:002008-10-15T21:22:42.055-04:00

It's been a heck of a ride that we have all been on the last couple of weeks. The economy has been on everyone's mind and is usually included in everyday chit-chat. With the short hours that I work I get the chance to get tuned into watching this roller coaster ride. I also take time to read a lot of blogs that I have links to here.I was reading one of these blogs today and started seeing that

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-24190767780281303982008-10-04T06:29:00.006-04:002008-10-15T18:41:55.968-04:00

On the subject of money and politicians, here's a quote from Ayn Rand:"Watch money. Money is the barometer of a society's virtue. When you see that trading is done, not by consent, but by compulsion---when you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing---when you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors---when you see

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-40595937636695114112008-10-02T19:38:00.003-04:002008-10-15T18:41:07.502-04:00

I have been watching this train wreck that has finally come to light and it makes me so angry. Our government has no common sense what so ever!!! If I had them all at hand, I swear I would shake them just to see if their heads rattled! This %$&#%$ Bill is now padded with "FAT" and there is a part in it that will also allow international investors to collect a large part of this $800 billion - AND

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-75083573591954198972008-09-30T05:45:00.007-04:002008-10-15T18:40:17.213-04:00

Bailout or Failout - we would still have been in the same boat. A Bailout would have only slowed the fall by a few months. That "Bailout" would have made money - OUR money - available to the banks to create more credit to buy more houses that will raise housing prices so that more people can wind up in foreclosure status sending us right back into the same spiral. For those companies that can

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-20265169948311548002008-09-28T21:01:00.004-04:002008-10-15T18:38:42.627-04:00

I know that there has been a lot of gloom and doom, more than most of us can stomach all at one sitting. Sometimes it's as bad as missing that all-important episode of some soap opera that might give you that one clue as to "Who Did It!"So, breaking it up here, I figured it might be nice to throw in some helpful hints on how to help ya'll financially. Let's see - my big thing - growing food for

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-70030597532305887832008-09-28T08:12:00.003-04:002008-10-15T18:37:27.388-04:00

Our government officials just did it. They just hung the American People. They didn't listen to us, they only listened to the lobbyists and these big fat cat money spenders. This will not fix the root cause of this problem. These banks and institutions need to be held accountable for what they have done. They need to liquidate a lot of their own assets to cover the losses that they have

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-46422445253851057172008-09-25T07:23:00.003-04:002008-09-25T07:27:21.645-04:00

THEY WANT MAMA TO MAKE IT ALL BETTER! Rep Kaptur - D-OhioWay To Go!!!!

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-66261623343834219442008-09-23T16:36:00.004-04:002008-10-15T18:35:07.277-04:00

What I have a really hard time understanding about this HUGE bailout is....how on God's Little Green Acres does the government think that by saddling the American taxpayer with such a huge bill that it will jumpstart the economy and save Wall Street's collective wallet??? Wouldn't it be easy to just forgive all debts being held by the homeowners who are in foreclosure or are heading into

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-27852551755021634992008-09-22T06:52:00.004-04:002008-10-15T18:33:09.483-04:00

$700 billion and it won't be the end?!?!?!?!? At least $15,000 per household?!?!?!?!?! What, so these big corporate fat cats can keep the millions they have made?!?!?!?!? AWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!! Does that mean we are supposed to feel sorry for them?!?!?!?!?!?!? So, let's just throw more empty money on top of valueless paper! Yep, that's the way to balance a budget! The audacity of our government to

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-22670622121413695662008-09-19T18:34:00.005-04:002008-09-20T06:51:16.452-04:00

Well, it's 5 am Saturday. Hubby has just gone off to work and I am not tired enough to go back to bed yet. Probably will want to by the time he gets home in a few hours. HAHAHA!! He's going to want to ride and I will want to go back to bed!!Sitting here reading "Empire of Debt" and just having watched that TV program that showcases the most fancy places in the world to visit. Umm....yah....like

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512194939790337826.post-80268987634197681722008-09-17T11:45:00.007-04:002008-09-20T07:53:53.633-04:00

I have never done a Blog before, but after reading some of the blogs that my girl friend has pointed me towards (FAR Manor and the Archdruid) has made me want to try my hand at this.I was "Laid Off" from work back in June 08. Definitely no regrets there. Been there for 20 years and it was getting old. I was ready to move on so when the work started slowing down, I volunteered to have my name put

Ms. Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11113592541207807936noreply@blogger.com2