Happy Belated Birthday to my Mom

My mom's birthday was yesterday--yes--Labor Day! And I totally spaced it!

Merle remembered it!

But not me!

I'm a B-a-d daughter!

While I ran from the Salvation Army store to the Parkwood Thrift store, in my quest to find my daughter the perfect albeit cheap last minuet dress for graduation, I did remember my mom enough to pick-up a shirt that I thought she might be able to wear. The shirt cost probable $1.50.

Okay, I guess this gonna make me sound just--oh so--cheap!

I made a birthday card for my mom on the computer, and then took the dollar fifty shirt and a candy bar over to her today. The candy bar I bought at dollar tree, which it sells four candy bars for a dollar.

Happy Birthday MOM!

H-mm! Maybe that explains the squeaking when I walk?

Lady Jan's shopping adventure part II

In case you were wondering,

I bought ten dresses all together.

But I could only load four at a time through Picasa 2,

so that is why I had two postings I & II. And Only eight dresses pictured.

But!

The most important thing to remember is. . . . .

That. . . .

I only spent $20.70.

And We did finally found the perfect dress!

And this is it!

~

It not really black.

It just photographed that way.

The dress is actually more of a blue gray with a nice pattern of roses.

And it'll look nice with her gold shoes and

blue topaz necklace and earrings that I bought her,

for a graduation present.

Lady Jan's shopping adventure part I

Happy Memorial day everybody!

~

instead of taking my daughter to the cemetery and placing flowers on the graves, and talking with her about the men and women who died so we can have such freedom as we have in our country.

Instead I took her shopping!

Did you know that the Salvation Army and some other Thrift store have a half off sale for Memorial day?
And Did you know that my daughter is the right size to find a lot of dresses that fit?
And then the objective of buying just the right dress,

becomes more of buying everything that fits?
And when you look this cute in all the dresses and the dresses are all half off, and you don't ruin mamma's carefully prepared budget, then the answer to the question,

"Can can have them all?"

is,

"Sure!"

Lady Jan has a dress disaster on her hands!

See this pretty dress?
I finally got my daughter to try it on again, and guess what?
I doesn't fit!
It's too tight!
My daughter can barely breath!

~
So what is a mom to do, with only two days before graduation?
Go shopping!
Again!
Ugh!

~

I bought the originally at Salvation army and it was half off, and it must have been worn only once because there was no sign of wear.

I had it professionally dry cleaned, and the total cost of the purchase price with the dry cleaning bill was something like $20.

So I'm not complaining about the cost of this dress.

It's just trying to find another dress this late with only two days left.

.

Yikes!

An up-date on Lady Jan's Garden

I took this picture a while ago, and it shows that my drip admitters on in my squash plants.
And you should see them now! The leaves are the size of dinner plates and they have their first squash blooms.
My strawberries are not only planted, but I have their drip admitters in as well.
You can also see that I planted them in a circle.
This is a photo of a Multiple planting; of two bell peppers(in front), and two Japanese egg plants(in back). And neither of these plants get very big, so I thought they would be good planted together.

I do have one plant that is a little wilted in the back, but don't worry it has perked up since this picture was taken.
And now at long last we have gotten to my garden gate, with it's Mom's garden sign clearly seen. And all the weeds and Bermuda grass firmly up rooted, and ground cover laid down.

But unfortunately this isn't even the half way point in my garden.

Lady Jan's Daughter is HOME!

My Daughter is back from her 8th grade school trip!
My daughter Sarah wearing her Goofy Hat and gloves.
~
When she was at Disneyland she was wearing this hat and gloves, and someone else's Goofy face hat, and little kids where running up to her and saying,
"It's Goofy! Can I have your autograph?"
She told me, "Now how could I say no to that?"
So she signed Goofy's name.
And some people even took her picture with their little kids too.
Though I think when they get home and really look at the pictures then they'll realize,
"Um, that girl didn't work there did she?"
Our YGF(Young Goth Friend) wearing the princess Minnie hat that my daughter bought her, as she sits on my exercise ball.
Sarah and YGF Goofing around for the camera.
If your wondering the girls are 5 month apart in age.
This is a pre-view of what is in store for us next week!
~
It's been a difficult year, and a lot of worry for me over the new stricter policies in place for graduating from the 8th grade. Only one third of the kids from Dinumba graduated last year, and this year it's another school I heard about that wont be graduating but half their 8th graders. Mostly it's problems with the kids learning algerbra, which is the subject my daughter had problems with last year.
~
"But it's okay," my daughter kept me reassured me,"everything will be fine!"

"See!"
She told me she showed me her cap and gown,
and tears welled up in my eyes,

"I'm gonna graduate from the 8th grade!"

Lady Jan's daughter's eighth grade trip

Well. . . .she's off!

I got my daughter Sarah up at 5:30 this morning, so she could get dressed, eat some breakfast, and check over her bags one more time, before I dropped her off at the school a little after 6:30. The bus to take her for the eighth grade trip (I mentioned earlier) is a charter bus, and would be leaving at 7:00 sharp! So she had to absolutley, possitivley, had to be there well before 7:00.

And she was too!

My daughter will be going to Disneyland! And also she'll be seeing the La Brea tar pits and eating at Medieval times restaurant and show, and she'll also be staying one night in a hotel. And she'll be home in the wee early hours of Thursday morning.

I wasn't intirely childless today as my YGF came over and helped me in my garden again. At this rate we should be finished in about a month, as it is real slow work.

E-mail on Global warming

Hi Janice,

Global warming is real and it is happening now. Given California's
contribution to this problem -- we are the 12th largest source of global
warming pollution in the world -- immediate action at the state level
will have a significant impact on this global problem.

Send a message today to both your state senator and assemblymember,
asking them to co-author the California Global Warming Solutions Act of
2006, AB 32 (Pavley & Nunez). Then ask your friends and family to help by
forwarding this e-mail to them.

To take action, click on this link or paste it into your web browser:

https://www.environmentcalifornia.org/action/global-warming/coauthorab32?id4=ES

BACKGROUND

Global warming is one of California's greatest and most urgent
environmental problems. From diminished snowpack in the Sierra Nevada to rising
sea levels, the ominous threats of global warming are cause for
immediate action.

The pathway to stopping global warming is straight forward: cut the
amount of global warming pollution emitted by automobiles, power plants,
and the other major sources in half. In fact, according to CalEPA,
California can reasonably cut its global warming pollution by 25 percent by
2020 and 75-80 percent by 2050. These are the reduction levels
scientists believe are needed to stop global warming.

Given California's size and political clout, the state can provide
leadership on an issue that has very few champions at the federal level.
We've done it before. Most recently, we did it with the Million Solar
Roofs Initiative, taking a solid step toward making California the world
leader in solar power. (Read more about our Million Solar Roofs campaign
at http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/energy/million-solar-roofs).
We've also done it before on global warming, passing the nation's first
ever law cleaning up cars and trucks.

The bottom-line is: using our size and economic power, California can
be a leading innovator, investor and champion of far-reaching solutions
to some of the world's most pressing problems. Doing so will directly
benefit the state. That's because the solutions to global warming,
such as energy efficiency, solar and wind power, and cleaner cars, will
help bring a more stable economy, more local jobs and greater energy
independence. The sooner we shift away from depending on fossil fuels, the
less vulnerable we are to not only the impacts of global warming but to
limited oil and gas supplies and market manipulation.

A number of California's top decision makers have begun speaking out in
favor of addressing global warming. The most notable of these is Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger. Yet, while the governor's promise to stop global
warming is impressive, his commitment to following through with new and
effective policies, in the face of well-heeled opposition, has yet to
be tested.

Meanwhile, leaders in California's state Legislature have stepped
forward to put the governor's global warming goals into lawby introducing
the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32). Co-authored
by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez and Assembly member Fran Pavley, the
bill would:

1.Place in statute, and therefore put "teeth" behind the governor's
goal of reducing global warming pollution 25 percent by 2020. In other
words, it would become the law of the state to dramatically reduce global
warming pollution over the next decade.

2.Direct and authorize CalEPA to develop regulations tough enough to
actually achieve these pollution reduction goals by going after the
state's biggest polluters. Today, global warming pollution is totally
unregulated at refineries, power plants and other major industries. This bill
would change that, requiring industry and other big polluters to clean
up and be part of the solution to global warming.

3.The bill would require that all major sources of global warming
pollution begin mandatory reporting of their emissions by 2008 and begin
making reductions by 2012.

Between now and when the legislative session ends in September, the
bill must be heard in several committees, starting with the Senate
Environmental Quality committee, as well as by the full Senate and Assembly
before making it to the governor's desk for his signature.

Please take a moment now to ask your state senator and assembly member
to co-author AB 32 today. Then ask your family and friends to do the
same by forwarding this email to them.

To take action, click on this link or paste it into your web browser:

https://www.environmentcalifornia.org/action/global-warming/coauthorab32?id4=ES

Sincerely,

Dan Jacobson
Environment California Legislative Director
DanJ@environmentcalifornia.org
http://www.EnvironmentCalifornia.org

P.S. Thanks again for your support. Please feel free to share this
e-mail with your family and friends.

Life Must Be Tough for Dominic Purcell

I ran across this today and had to share.
Dominic Purcell is the actor that play Lincoln Burrows on Prinson Break.
May 19, 2006

Prison Break star Dominic Purcell says his wife hates him talking in an American accent.

The actor - who was born in London but grew up in Australia - has revealed it would even cause them to having blazing rows at home.

He confessed: "She is Australian too and me speaking with an American accent at first was hard for her. She looked at me like, "You f**king idiot."

"She didn't mind it because she understood why I had to do it. But when we got into fights and arguments it just gave her so much ammunition.
"Speak to me in Australian!"

"But now she's OK with it. It's no problem."

And It gets better:

When people recognize you in the street, what do they say to you?

In general, people are sweet and cool about it. This guy said, “Thanks for entertaining me.” I thought that was cool. Some people go nuts and ballistic and they freak out. Airports are a trip. If I am walking in the airport and stop to have coffee, people freeze, look at you and freak out!

When I went to Wal-Mart to do the weekly grocery shopping, and this lady behind the counter just started screaming her head off like someone was robbing her.

And before I knew it, two security guards came from nowhere and pinned me and dragged with me saying, “What’s going on?”

Then She said, “No, no, no. He’s the guy from Prison Break.”

And the guards were like, “Oh yeah, can we take a photo?”

It can get weird.

Lady Jan's next week and a half

Our next week and a half will be busy ones. My daughter's has her eighth grade trip comming up--that's on May 23 & 24--or the early morning hours of the 25th might be more correct!

My daughter will be going to Disneyland! And also she'll be seeing the La Brea tar pits and eating at Medieval times restaurant and show, and she'll also be staying one night in a hotel.

Then on May 31st she will be graduating from the eighth grade, from Howard Elm. School(grades k-8). And June 1 is the actual last day of school, but I wonder if my daughter has already got her diploma in her hot little hands--why does she need to go to school for that last day?

H-mm?

Lady Jan was the fifth Juror!

It's over now! Thank God! And now I can talk about it! Yay!

It was a domestic battery case, and the woman who had been beaten didn't even show up! And that threw the prosecutions case, as there was no eyewitnesses to the abuse.

Thank God the Officer that had been called had the forethought to take pictures, or there may have been no case at all. The pictures were a little hard to look at, she (the victim)had huge black eyes; that were presumably caused by being headbutted by the defendant, and that was the earlier injury, and some other bruising on her chest as well. The bruising on both of her forearms were the freshest injury at that time, and presumably cased by a wrestling match with the defendant over the remote control.

There was two charges against the defendant and we couldn't get the worst one--the felony charge on him, because there was some doubt, because it was older injuries. And there was some testimony by the defendant's parents, and a last minuet detective hired by the defense attorney that the bruising was caused by her(the victim's) jealousy over his(the defendant) affair with some woman presumably named Annette. And a fight with this other woman ensued. The lawyer for the defense, a real sleazy looking fellow(and drama Queen), wanted us to believe that this fight was what caused all the bruising. But that other woman Annette was never called as a witness, so I am inclined to believe that she's the figment of someone's imagination.

And with the photos it was clear to all of us, that the bruising had to be a week apart.

I think she(the victim) didn't appear because of buyers remorse--She just didn't buy into this much trouble. I just wish she had the guts to appear in court.

So even with the photos we were only able to agree on the lesser charge of assault which was a misdemeanor for the wrestling match.

Then our Foreman (woman) gave the judge our verdict, and just before we were dismissed we were given permission from the judge to talk about the case now that it was all over.

It was such a relief for us to talk about it that we were discussing it openly out by the shuttle pick-up area. Then the defendant's parents walked by and we shut-up real quick! And they (the parents)then stuck their noses in the air as they paraded by. One of our now former juror said, "Well! They should be glad we didn't get him for everything, and be happy we just got him for the lesser charge!" I had to agree.

Before that we were just relieved we could get him on one charge--the lesser charge. But the real bummer was that our Juror Foreman's (woman's) mother was a batter woman. Our Juror Foreman was a real good Foreman(woman) and didn't let her emotions get in the way, and was real good about reading the instructions to us, and making us use our logic too. But after it was over with that she admitted that she felt terrible, that the one misdementor guilty charge was all he was going to get. But as one of our fellow jurors pointed out to her and all of us, that since he is on probation--it's an automatic trip back to the big house for him.

Lady Jan says "Today is my Birthday!"

This is just a short post, and I'll explain why at the bottom.

I want to thank everyone who left birthday messages on my blog, as it meant a lot to me to know so many people care! It brought tears to my eyes! Sniff, sniff!

Here's something I want to share with you, it's my happy birthday e-cards!

This is a card to me from web shots, and I like the song too!

And this one is very special! Ann(Rock Rebel Granny) sent it to me!

But I didn't get to do anything special today, because (deep sigh) today of all days I had a jury duty summons. As I already posted earlier. And yeah(and more sighing) I got stuck on a jury trial. That's why I'm keeping this post short, so I can go to bed early and be bright eyed and bushy tailed for the trial tomorrow. And my apologies to all those who's blogs that I post comments often on.

But never fear good friends it' suppose to be a short jury trial, just a couple of days and Lady Jan will be posting again!

The Best Kool-aide Mom contest of Lady Jan's Home are---

The Best Kool-aide Mom Blogger
Contest

~

My number one #1

.

My Mommy blogger is actually a great-grandmother, who is raising her three beautiful great-grand daughters. She does so much and I don’t think I can do her any justice, so I cheated and copied some stuff off her own blog. If you already know Ann you’ll know her

blog Rock Rebel Granny.

Ann in her own words about her life, and family:

Ann's Great-grand daughters--Elcie has lived with me since she was 13 months old and Rochelle and Rebecca have never known anything else. They love both their parents (kids usually do) and this is working, at least for now. I love their parents too but babies come first.

My daughter Carol (oldest child lives with me). She's undergoing treatment for intestinal cancer. So far, so good. Ray is my husband, a semi-invalid. He worked when we first moved here; he can't now. Full time disability. (Currently Ray has been in and out of the hospital suffering from some stomach problems, that may or may not be his gullblatter, but the doctors don’t know yet. Hopefully the MRI he just had will tell them something soon.)

Elcie has cerebral palsy and some learning disability associated with it. Rochelle is learning disabled (probably dyslexic but catching up fast in special ed). Rebecca is another story. Very bright but has difficulty focusing. Schoolwork is an ongoing struggle. Not quite ADHD but leaning that way. If something interests her, it has her undivided attention and she can be quite the perfectionist (almost too much so). If it doesn't interest her or if she doesn't "get it" right away, she shuts down.

I spend hours with her plodding through math trying to bring her "D" up to at least a "C". She is enrolled in a 6 week after school program to work on the math as well which is good but it's a long day and by the time we get to homework, she's exhausted which makes focusing that much more difficult.

Elcie and Rochelle have both become self starters for the most part this year (Rochelle always was) so I have more time to spend with Rebecca. They're both Honor Roll kids (at their actual learning level, not grade level). It's still a juggling act though.

I think that brings everything up to date somewhat. Everyone knows how political I am, flaming liberal and very involved here. I save most of that type of rant for isamericaburning which I share with"worried american"who began it. Occasionally, a little creeps in here; especially where education is concerned.

I think that brings everything up to date somewhat. Everyone knows how political I am, flaming liberal and very involved here. I save most of that type of rant for isamericaburning which I share with "worried american" who began it. Occasionally, a little creeps in here; especially where education is concerned.

Ann is a very busy lady, and yet she finds time to blog too. She has one and half blogs.

Rock Rebel Granny and is America Burning?

~~

My second #2 place winner is

Ipodmomma, she grew-up right here in California in a small hot dusty agricultural town of Chico, not unlike my own home town. She and her family (her and her husband and three children)moved to a small England village of Yorkshire just out-side of York UK. Being a Californian she Bar-B-Q’s a lot, and I would be interested in what her English neighbors think of that.

She is a stay at home mom, and a home schooling mom as well. I have the greatest respect for home schoolers, as it is a difficult job. Not only are you mom, and chief cook and bottle washer, but you’re a teacher mentor and councilor too. She wears all these hats lives in what is basically a foreign country and gardens and finds time to blogs too--Three blogs as a matter of fact!

Ipodmomma, Learning to sing, and There is nothing here!

.
Ipodmomma in her own words:

Every spring we have this little anniversary, of moving to England. And this year, ten years, is the kind of one where you really have to think, wow, that’s a lot of years, a lot of time and days and moments that have made up a fairly large hunk of one’s life. The bulk of my children’s lives have been spent here in the UK. Even with Ted living in Wisconsin for 10 months, she’s still spent more than half her life here. And for J, it’s almost her entire life outside the country of her birth. The days go by, adding up to weeks and months and suddenly you are facing a decade, a DECADE! Ten years that seem to have come and gone without notice, without warning as to the speed and directness of their passing. They were here, and now they are not. And the signs left behind are of taller children, photographs, memories... Memories of what was, what has been, what is still here and inevitably, what has gone. Things come and things gone, and all of it makes up a quarter of my life, up to now...

.
I had no idea the day we arrived, I’d be here this long. You don’t think in those kinds of time allotments. You think months, a few years maybe. Then you see the days going by, and it’s all upon you, before you can reel it back in. Unlike the kite, time cannot be retrieved. It keeps going, to its place beyond the trees and clouds, somewhere past our ability to haul it back down. You can look back at time, in pictures and videos, in your own memories or the recalled stories of others, and there is time, but you cannot hold it anymore than you can hold ones gone. You can only look, and then close the book, end the reminiscing, and look forward to the day ahead...
Ten years in the UK. And another day comes to a close, and here comes the next one...

~~~

My number three #3 place winner is

Madcapmom another home schooling mom, and a vigorous gardener, as well as a top notch cook and a dandy mulch maker. She also has two blogs.

Madcapmom, and Whistling kettle.

I nominated her for third place because of her home schooling, and the gardening. I have the highest respect for women who stay home to raise and home school their children. It’s a hard decision and a difficult job, but Madcap is managing it, and managing to put in her yard numerous raised beds to grown their own veggie in their town lot in their back yard in Horsebite Canada. And doing it with a sense of humor too! In fact all my moms have a really good sense of humor.

Madcap in her own words:

Madcap, Chive, Poppy and Runner-Bean. We're a homeschooling family trying to live a sane life in a crazy world! Walk with us as we "farm" our 50X110' town lot, practicing for the Big Time when we finally move to an acreage. I’m spirituality of locality, finding delight in our own backyard (well, until she finds a house with more acreage anyway).


Ipodmomma’s thoughts on gardening--A couple weeks ago, someone said to me in great exasperation, "Well, we can't ALL be gardeners, you know!"

Wasn't that long ago that we all were. In Alberta in the 1920's and 30's, a house without a vegetable garden was an oddity. That's how people ate. Shipping food in was a very expensive business. It wasn't until the 50's, when the oil began to flow and the money poured in, that gardens gave way to useless lawns.

The lady I was speaking to thinks gardening is my "hobby". I suppose it is, in the same way that grocery shopping is my hobby. Or washing my dishes.

Quilting is a hobby. I do it almost exclusively for the pleasure I get out of colors and fabrics. If I stopped quilting and never took it up again, there would still be enough warm blankets in the world to cover the globe about three feet deep. It would be a long while before anyone had to make another quilt.

I don't see the same holding true for the food supply. I'm very concerned about how unbelievably dependent our meals are on a continuing supply of petroleum, and I really believe the oil supply is dwindling more rapidly than politicians and big business would like us to know. As Eleutheros pointed out a little while ago, according to David Suzuki, the average foodstuff on Canadian plates has traveled 5000 miles to get here from where it's grown. That's horrifying, and how can it be anything but unsustainable? I wish it weren't true, but deep down I know it is.

Please plant some rhubarb this year. Or saskatoon. Or a few canes of raspberries. Please plant something to eat.


Happy Mothers day to each and everyone of my Blog Mothers.

And all you Mothers out there!

Have a good one!

The Best Kool-aide Blogger Mom Contest!

This is a contest from Her bad Mother, with linkage to her sight in the title above:

So I am announcing my own contest, which is not so much a contest as it is a call-to-celebration. This is a summons for love letter posts to your bloggy friends - the bloggers you love or think that you’re gonna love or that you maybe just wanna fool around with a bit - to be tossed around the Internet in a big, kissy, KoolAid slurping, mommyblog-loving frenzy in which we all get celebrated as Mothers of the Week. So: sometime between now and Mother’s Day (Sunday), write a post about the women in the blogosphere that have made some difference in your world. It doesn’t have to focus on just one blogger (I don’t know that I’ll be able to restrict my celebratory post to just one blogger), but you absolutely must single out the objects of your celebration and give them lots of linky love. And if you want to write about how Dooce or Amalah or some other supa-stah or near-stah blogger has enriched your life, that’s great, but if you do that, you are required, by the terms of this assignment, to also celebrate a lesser known blogger (extra points if you seek out someone who is not on your blogroll and write about what a great discovery they are.) By this weekend, I want to see all of our names in virtual linky lights.

When you’ve posted your Ode to Amazing MommyBloggers, let the object(s) of your affection know. And send the link to your post to me, and I’ll put all the links together in a Big Honkin’ Momma Love post in honor of Mothers Day and us and the totally awesome mothers that we are. (Oh, and spread word of this around. As I recently pointed out here, I am not an supah-stah or even a comet or even a random piece of space junk, so word won’t spread if we rely solely on HBM traffic. Talk it up!)

The point of this is to make this week the week that we are all Mother of the Week. This is the week to really celebrate our friendships, new and old and as-yet-undiscovered. This week is our week. Make it so.

******
**To be clear - you can write about as many mama-bloggers as you like. You want to name 5 Mothers of the Week? Great; the more, the merrier. Just remember to shine on each mama with a bright, red carpet-worthy spotlight (and, of course, give good linkage.)

And: you don't need to be a mommyblogger to post an ode to your favorites. Anyone with a blog (dads? y'all can feel free to step up here) is more than welcome to share up the love.

And, and: don't forget to link back to me so that I can include your post in the Great Love-In Round-Up Mother's Day CardPost (which, note, may go up Monday in the event that Sunday sees me buried in a mountain of bon-bons.)

And and and and: Many thanks to those of you who have already posted! Rock-on KoolAid sistahs!

**Serious Note**

Today, the tears, they have been flowing. Kristen told the devastatingly beautiful story of her amazing mother and the loss that they shared. Jezer wrote about such tragedy befalling someeone she knows. And Amalah, in her latest Daily Dose, posted about a few moms who have suffered the most terrible loss or are facing such loss. T. reminds us regularly of the strength and hugeness that are required for facing such loss. In the spirit of Mothers Day, sisterhood and the Great MommyBlogger Love-In of 2006, go shower those moms, or any others that you might know of, with the warmest virtual hugs.

Those moms (and here I'm also giving special nods to my sister, mother of the remarkable Tanner, and my late much-beloved Grandma, who lost her Jeanie before I was born) are the strongest and most awe-inspiring women imaginable. Words fail, so warmest, most appreciative virtual hugs and THREE BIG CHEERS will have to do. Love to you all.

~

I'll post my winners of the contest here on Lady Jan tomorrow, so stay tuned--same mommy time, same mommy chanell.

Mother's Prayer--by anonymous

I got this from a free paper that use to find it's way to my door twice a year, and it had jokes, adds, some other things, and this poem--which was originally titled parents prayer,

but I re-named it for

Mother's day:

~

A Mother's Prayer

anonymous

.

Now I lay me down to sleep,

I pray my sanity to keep.

For if some peace I do not find

I'm pretty sure I'll lose my mind.

I pray I find a little quiet

far from the daily family riot

May I lie back and not have to think

about what they're stuffing down the sink.

Or who you're with, or where they're at

and what they're doing to the cat.

I pray for time all to myself

(did something just fall off a shelf?)

To cuddle in my nice soft bed

(Oh no, another goldfish--dead!)

Some silent moment for goodness sake

(Did I just hear a window break?)

And that I need not cook or clean

(Heck , I've got the right to dream)

Yes, now I lay me down to sleep,

I pray my wits about me keep,

But as I look around I know,

I must have lost them long ago!

E-mail on an increase in gas mileage standards

Hi Janice,

Last week, over 5,000 of you helped to kick-off our Stopping Global
Warming Starts Here campaign by asking the governor to support the Global
Warming Solutions Act.

Now we need your help to push for an increase in gas mileage standards.
There is more momentum for this solution than ever but the Bush
administration and Congress have proposed sham solutions such as $100 rebates
to gas buyers and increased drilling in pristine wilderness areas.

We know that the real solution is simple: cars that get better gas
mileage. If we increased gas mileage standards, we could cut global
warming pollution by 1.8 billion tons over the next 10 years.

Please take a moment to ask your representative to raise gas mileage
standards to 40 mpg by 2015. Then ask your friends and family to help by
forwarding this e-mail to them.

To take action, click here or paste this link in your Web browser:

http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/action/energy/gasmileagestandards2?id4=ES

BACKGROUND:

Our over dependence on oil is causing a host of profound problems for
society. The impacts include beautiful wilderness destroyed by oil
drilling, beaches marred by oil spills, national parks choked with smog, and
global warming.

But it doesn't have to be this way. New technology exists today that
would make our cars and trucks go much farther on a gallon of gas, a
simple solution that would reduce our dependence on oil. The average car on
the road today gets less than 21 miles per gallon (mpg)--that's less
than the Model T. Yet, according to the National Academy of Sciences,
modern technology would allow our cars and light trucks to get double the
gas mileage. In only 10 years, we could increase the gas mileage
standards to 40 mpg.

By increasing standards to 40mpg in the next 10 years we would see a
host of benefits:

* We would save more oil than America imports from the Persian Gulf and
from drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, combined.

* A 20 percent decrease in the global warming pollution from passenger
vehicles by 2016.

To accomplish this goal we need your help. Please take a moment to ask
your representative to raise gas mileage standards to 40 mpg by 2015.
Then forward this message to your friends and family and ask them to do
the same.

To take action, click here or paste this link in your Web browser:

http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/action/energy/gasmileagestandards2?id4=ES

Sincerely,

Dan Jacobson
Environment California Legislative Director
DanJ@environmentcalifornia.org
http://www.EnvironmentCalifornia.org

P.S. Thanks again for your support. Please feel free to share this
e-mail with your family and friends.

----------

Lady Jan's Other Gardens

My volunteer garden taken from the right side.

My volunteer garden reseeded itself from last years flowers--mostly Chinese poppies.

You can also see my large pots including my Inca Lilies, which are doing rather well this year.
This is the same garden, but taken on the left side, where you can see my old trusty rust and oh so splintery bench. This is where I sit when it's too hot or my back hurts from working in the garden, and where I have my deep thoughts like--

Boy, my back hurts.

I'm tired.

I'm thirsty.

I think I have a splinter in my butt.

I wish I was done already so I can go inside and take a nap.

Is that another weed?

I think a spider just ran down my arm and I'm too tired to swat it.

Is that cat pee I smell?

I don't have any on me do I?

My new butterfly and humming bird garden is finally spouting.
The same garden from a few feet back, and you can see

I have a thing for garden signs.
The one with the chickens says, "plant your plants."

Um, yeah.

My daughter Sarah and our YGF put together this cute little container garden, and
they had pick-out the plants themselves too. There is rosemary, and basil, and the flat ground cover looking thing is actually a type of mint.
My Gnome couple are courting in my small

flower garden that is in front of our porch.
I have baby breath planted, and it's doing better

on one side of the garden than the other.
And giving my garden a lop sided look,

but I'm probably the only one that it bothers.
~
I put in my drip admitter in my squash beds, but just as I was finishing the sunset--

so I didn't take any pictures. But I didn't want anyone to go to any gardening

with-draw so I posted these fine pictures for you to enjoy.
I hope you liked them.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger e-mails Lady Jan (a form letter)

Dear Lady Jan,

Thank you for your comments regarding greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Global warming and the burning of fossil fuels are threats to
California and the world. We know the science, we see the threat and the time
for action is now.

On June 2, 2005, I signed Executive Order S-3-05 directing the
California Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to implement groundbreaking
GHG emissions goals. My directive calls for a reduction of GHG emissions
to 2000 levels by 2010, 1990 levels by 2020 and 80 percent below 1990
levels by 2050. This bold action establishes California as the national
leader in the fight against global warming, setting an ambitious
precedent for the federal government and other states to follow. These
target goals will protect California's water supply, air and coastline from
the threat of a changing climate and reward businesses that invest in
efficiency-enhancing technologies. The California EPA will evaluate
many proposals in order to create a cost-effective strategy to meet these
goals. I encourage you to learn more about these initiatives by
visiting my website at http://www.governor.ca.gov.

Since I became governor of California, I have been committed to leading
by example to protect California's natural resources. I established an
Environmental Action Plan to lead the way in meeting our new
environmental challenges. We created the 25 million acre Sierra Nevada
Conservancy, opened the path to a hydrogen highway and sponsored the first ocean
protection act in the nation. We created the "Breath Easier Campaign,"
aimed at getting the worst polluting vehicles off California roads and
strengthened the "Flex Your Power at the Pump" program, helping
citizens use gasoline more efficiently. In December 2004, I signed the Green
Building executive order directing the State government, the largest
electricity consumer in California and one of the highest greenhouse gas
producers, to increase its own energy efficiency by 20 percent by 2015.
With these actions, I see California as an environmental partner not
only to our nation, but to nations around the world.

Again, thank you for your interest regarding global warming and for
sending me your comments. By working together, we can meet the needs of
our economy and our environment, as well as make this Earth a place of
beauty and opportunity for all generations.

Sincerely,


Arnold Schwarzenegger

More Work on Lady Jan's Garden

My daughter helped me weed inbetween my pavers,
and they had gotten really weedy too!
The weedy pavers run in front of my garden, and it was the
only thing I got done yesterday besides the laundry.
Unfortunately it really hurt my back moving
the paver out of the way, so today I went to
Wal-mart and bought some Tylenol. It helped,

so did the massage that my husband gave me.

My squash are all tucked into bed now (crook neck and zuccinii), but I had to put them to bed without any water.
I will be hooking up their drip admitters tomorrow.

I just got too tired today.

An E-mail on stopping Global Warming!

Hi Janice,

Global warming is real, it's happening now, and most importantly it can
be solved. As the world's 12th largest source of global warming
pollution, California can make a world of a difference by cutting pollution
today. Last year, Gov. Schwarzenegger promised to take action on this
issue. Now we need him to follow through.

Please take a moment to ask the governor to back his promise with
action by setting a statewide cap that will reduce global warming pollution.
Then ask all your friends and family to do the same by forwarding this
e-mail to them.

To take action, follow this link or paste it into your web browser:

https://www.environmentcalifornia.org/action/global-warming2?id4=ES

Background

Global warming is one of California's greatest and most urgent
environmental problems. From diminished snowpack in the Sierra Nevada to rising
sea levels, the threats of global warming are cause for immediate
action. Given California's contribution to this problem -- we are the 12th
largest source of global warming pollution in the world -- immediate
action at the state level will have a significant impact on this global
problem.

The pathway to stopping global warming is straight forward: cut the
amount of global warming pollution emitted by automobiles, power plants,
and the other major sources in half. In fact, according to the
California Environmental Protection Agency, California can reasonably cut
pollution by 25 percent by 2020 and 75 percent by 2050. These are the
reduction levels scientists believe are needed to stop global warming.

Given California's size and political clout, the state can provide
leadership on an issue that has very few champions at the federal level.
We've done it before. In fact, most recently, we passed the Million Solar
Roofs Initiative, taking a solid step toward making California the
world leader in solar power. California also passed the nation's first ever
law cleaning up cars and trucks in an effort to reduce global warming
pollution. Ten other states have now followed suit.

A number of California's top decision makers have begun speaking out in
favor of addressing global warming. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has
promised to stop global warming and leaders in California's state
legislature have stepped forward to put the governor's laudable global
warming goals into law, essentially giving the governor's plan teeth. This
bill, the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32),
co-authored by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez and Asm. Fran Pavley, would cut
global warming pollution by 25 percent by 2020 from the state's biggest
polluters like power plants, refineries and large manufacturers.

Please take a moment to ask the governor to set a statewide cap that
will reduce global warming pollution. Then ask all your friends and
family to do the same by forwarding this e-mail to them.

To take action follow this link or paste it into your web browser:

https://www.environmentcalifornia.org/action/global-warming2?id4=ES

Sincerely,

Dan Jacobson
Environment California Legislative Director
DanJ@environmentcalifornia.org

http://www.EnvironmentCalifornia.org


P.S. Thanks again for your support. Please feel free to share this
e-mail with your family and friends.

Lady Jan's Drip Admitters are in!

My drip admitters are dripping away in each of my baby tomatoes,

and my small potato patch too.

A close up! You can actually see a--drip--in this shot.
It took something like an hour and a half, maybe longer to set these drip admitters up.
I know there is only three, and four counting the one in the small potato patch, but
I had some drip admitters a long while back--but the drip admitters were made different, so I'm learning a new system.

So My first response when looking at all the new tubing, dripping line,
hook ups, and drip admitter themselves was:
????
Huh?
????
I don't remember it looking like that?
What the heck is this one, and what does it do?
So it took me a w-h-i-l-e, as I scratched my head.
H-mm?
S-o-o, I only got a small five foot section done, but that was all I was aiming for anyway.
My daughter and YGF was working at the far end of the garden as I was wrestling with all the tubing and drip admitters. My husband dumped two over sized wheel barrows full of weeds out for them. So they are really making some progress there, but they haven't touch the middle section and that part the girls are calling

"the attack of the killer weed spot!"
~
Next up?
The getting the squash in there beds.

Lady Jan's Tomatoes--the saga continues!

Finally, finally! They are finally planted! In a semi straight row.

All three of them

My tomatoes were bad--
so I punished them and they are now in cages, and tied to the stake!
Bad tomatoes, bad tomatoes! You better put on fruit or else.
No, I kid--I actually baby talk my tomatoes which made my YGF
(Young Goth Friend) raise her eye brows.

What's up next? Drip admitters!

~

Oh I almost forgot to mention it but my car is FIXED!

Yay! I got my car back!

It was nice driving the new Toyota that we rented, but I missed my car.

It was the heater core, it was leaking bad and had to be replaced.

Now it's done, and I can drive my car again! Yay!

Lady Jan's Veggie Garden

My vegetables that I bought at Home Depot

waiting ever so patiently to be planted in my garden.

My newly wedded potato patch.

The plants are flopped over tired from being handled and weeded.

Don't worry they be fine in a day or two, as they just need to catch their breath.

I grow red skin and blue Peruvians potatoes.
This spot is weeded and soil amendments added, and a ground cover has recently been added. All in readiness for my tomato plants to be planted tomorrow--if all goes well.

But currently I have my car in the shop, as my heater core is in need of replacement. So I'm driving a rental until my car is repaired maybe tomorrow. So I'm hoping between driving everyone to work or school in the rental car, and waiting to hear from the repair shop about my car, I may just get a chance to plant a few plants in my garden.

Lady Jan's Garden Helpers

I took these pictures on Saturday.

My Garden helpers--in the black is my YGF (Young Goth Friend),

and in the orange top my daughter Sarah.

They actually had pooped out by the time I took these pictures,

and they were looking for pill bugs.

You can see more of my garden in this shot, and there is more of my vegetable garden--about 25 to 30 feet worth. And it's getting a little bit much for my poor bad back anymore. Hence the help.
Most of my smaller gardens which are flower gardens are mostly all ready done. I just have one in need of some weeding beside my big veggie garden.

Wish me luck getting it all done.

My YGF is coming over tomorrow, and we're gonna try to finish with at least a part of the big garden, so we can plant some of the plants I bought at Home Depot.