Climate change again

Investors are warning of an economic crash if we don't tackle climate change.  We could do it and we could probably fix the planet, but we are too lazy and selfish to do so.  We did not even go after Hitler until he was invading England.  And when we did, we did a bang up job of stopping him.  But it took a lot for the world to jump on that bandwagon and do the job.  If we just stopped destroying the rain forests, that would be a big plus.  And all the land that is being used to develop those mcmansions, yeah that is useless.  Those people don't want to live in a home anyway.  They pay yard men to manicure the yard.  They pay maids to keep that mcmansion clean.  They pay security companies to keep them safe.  At least in this country.  Those people need to be in apartments, not houses.  And if we stopped urban sprawl and planted trees instead, we could do a lot toward curbing climate change.  Pay the land owners to hold the land and turn it wild.  Plant trees on it and leave it alone.  It would be worth it to pay what a developer would pay them in order to keep it open and cover it with trees.  But we are too stupid to do that.  For some reason, the average person does not seem to think climate change will affect them.  Well they will wake up and smell the stink and then it will be too late for mankind.  The planet has billions of years to repair itself.  Man does not.  And once we are extinct, we will not be again.  We are a fluke of nature as it is.  That fluke won't come along again. 

Still climate change.

Here where I am at in Texas, I have two Christmas cactus in hanging baskets.  I will normally take them in just before Thanksgiving in full bloom.  The last couple of years, that first cold snap has been coming in the end of October and the buds have not even set in the Christmas cactus.  So in they came because we have already had a freeze.  I have lived in this area for 40 years and only in the last 5 years have I seen a lot of snow, ice, early freezes.  And I am seeing many plants that used to thrive here in decline.  We are fast forwarding on climate change and nobody gives a freakin damn.  Humans are so stupid.  We will wait till after the point of no return, then jump on it and try to stop it.  People, it is quickly reaching that point of no return.  If you don't get on your government and force the issue, we as a species may very well be doomed.  Think of it this way.  Mother nature or the planet has billions of years to repair the damage.  Humans do not.  We will become an extinct species and it will be brutal.  Forget the rich. That money won't do them any good.  We are all in this together and we had better wake up and smell the stink.  But we won't. I won't be here to see the worst of it, but I feel so, so sorry for my children and grandchildren. 

Been thinking about climate change

I am an avid gardner.  I would be in the country if I could and I would have horses, cows, a donkey or two, chickens, ducks.  But I am stuck in town so I make the best of it.  Instead I have frogs, geckos, corn snakes, birds and squirrels.  And watching what is happening with climate change, we are going to be in a world of hurt.  My personal opinion, we have all better learn to grow our own food.  We have a recall alert on romine lettuce.  It contains E coli again, different strain this time.  Well, I gather my greens from my back yard.  I have dandelions growing.  I have swiss chard. I have purslane.  I also have Turks caps.  All but swiss chard are considered weeds.  However, they are very good in salads.  I have planted Swiss chard, lettuce, mustard greens, sugar snap peas.  If all goes well, I will have lots of greens that I know are safe.  And I am building raised beds to have a garden year around. 
Another thing, with global warming and if you garden,  stick with native plants.  I mentioned the Turks Caps.  Those are native to Texas.  They attract humming birds, butterflies and bees.  So what is not in vegetables in my yard, is planted in natives.  I am tired of trying to get non natives to grow.  Well, with the exception of roses.  Roses will grow anywhere.

My rescues

Ok, I have this thing.  I visit thrift stores looking for pyrex, corning ware, fire king, whatever strikes my fancy.  And I have begun to rescue single china plates.  I can't help it.  It strikes me as so sad that this generation does not value things.  When my kids were small, you would not have found a china plate in a thrift store.  Someone would have snapped it up to complete their set. Same with silver.  Now this generation doe not entertain and if they do,it is with solo cups and they hold parties to get wasted.  There is no more sitting around discussing the state of the country or the world.  There is no dignity.  No one has basic manners.  When I get the door held for me, it is by an older gentleman.  I have never had a young man hold the door for me.  I have had them go in front of me when I open the door for myself.  I really hate the loss of manners, the lose of decorum and most of all the loss of education.  I watched a couple of you tube videos last night.  Many of those citizens could not tell the interviewer how many stars are on our flag.  Could not tell what those stars represented.  One was ask what WW1 stood for and she did not have a clue.  That is a very sad reflection on not only our education system but on our parenting.  When you turn out stupid kids, it is on you.  Education starts at home and in order to have an educated child, the parent must have a level of education.  So it is willful stupidity.  Really disgusting.

Trash trees

Anyone in the states planning on planting trees or are having a builder put in trees in your new yard, do not let them nor do you plant Bradford Pear trees.  They are trash trees with a life of about 25 years if that lone.  They have surface roots and the fruit stinks.  The roots send out shoots all over under the tree.  And if it live 20 years it gets huge and puts out limbs that are brittle and prone to breaking.  If they blow over in a storm, it looks like a big pancake.  I have one in my back yard and have been putting off getting it taken out.  Sorry I did not have it taken out years ago.  One of the biggest headaches I have along with the box elder that came up on my neighbor's side of the fence.  It is also a trash tree and sends out surface roots.  Both are fast growing and that is why builders like them. And when small, they look cute.  So if you want 15-20 ft trees, opt for Crepe Myrtles.  And I am sure there are small trees in the north that you can use.  Here in Texas Crepe Myrtles, Mountain Laurel, Yaupon.  These are all small trees, relatively pest free and the mountain laurel and yaupon are native. 

I also have a big burr Oak in the back.  It is slow growing because it has a long root system that sinks down not out.  Hackberry grows really fast, but most consider it a trash tree.  I have seen them live to 35 years and still going strong when cut down.  So I am on the fence with that one.  I also have water oaks in the front.  I was told by a specialist that those would reach 120 feet.  Mine are around 45 feet.  They are doing well and this specialist told me that they are one of the best trees to have.  I have a 60 foot post oak beside the house and will have to drop around $1000 in the near future to get it taken out.  So my choice is water oak, hackberry, and crepe myrtles.  Those of you that live east of East Texas and south of the Ozarks can also grow Magnolias.  There is nothing more beautiful than a magnolia and nothing more infuriating than the dropped leaves of the magnolia.  But if I could grow one, I would.  That scent of the flowers is so wonderful.  It is worth the mess and if you let the branches stay near the ground, the mess is hidden and you can leave it and clean it out once a year. 

Sears

Finally found out what happened to Sears.  A hedge fund got hold of it.  And that, of course, meant that it was doomed.  If I owned a company, there is no way that I would take it public.  I would take no chance in a hedge fund getting into my company.  As soon as a hedge fund gets hold of a company, that spells the death knell for the acquired company.  It seems to me that it should be illegal the way they work, but with the present atmosphere in the country now, nothing is apparently illegal anymore unless it  is the poor and working class getting ahead. 

New stuff

I haven't been on here much because I don't tend to buy new stuff very often.  That being said, I bought a 2010 Mercury Milan 5 years ago.  It has 7 major recalls against it.  First, the throttle on the transmission was bad.  It quit in traffic.  Got that fixed.  Now I have a recall on the fuel pump, I think, the air bags, the seats, the wheels.  and there are some others.  Also the wiring has a short in it. 

Now for the rest.  The driver's side door latch broke.  Just broke within the door.  And the door won't lock.  However, if you get out of the car and do not hit lock, then when you open the door, the alarm is triggered.  So gotta get that fixed.  My next vehicle is going to be a 1999 Dodge Ram Van full size.  Of course, I will have to go inland to get it because I don't trust any used cars in Texas.  We are seeing cars that were flooded being sold now.  So yeah, I will get well away from Texas to get that van.  Saw one listed in Tennessee I love.  I may go for it. 

Food sources

For those of you who have been watching the horror that is Florence, did you know that those big hog farms where the animals were left to drown belong to the Chinese.  Yes, very little of our food source is owned by citizens.  Most of the fresh stuff comes from Mexico and South America. And I doubt that anyone knows where the beef comes from because the companies no longer have to tell you.  Those chickens that drowned, know how they are processed?  Chicken should only keep about at most 2 days in the fridge.  Not this chicken.  It will keep for up to a week.   Know the secret?  The meat is dipped in bleach before being packaged. This is approved by your government, the FDA. And that fish you buy?  Talapia from China grown in sewer water.  Farmed shrimp.  Nasty. 
I buy my chicken and turkey from local small farmers.  I can go to their farm at any time and see how they grow their animals.  Beef, all grass fed.  Local farmer.  My vegetables, either from my own garden or from the farmer's market.  Eggs, I have a standing order from a seller at the farmer's market.  I have a rapport with a lot of these farmers.  I give them plants from my yard, we talk farming.  I also buy my soap, handmade, from a seller at the farmers market.  I get honey from the farmers market.  I make my hand lotions from ingredients I get at the farmers market and from my own yard.  I get very little from the grocery store.  Am now looking for a dairy farmer that will sell me raw milk so I can make my own cheese and butter.  If you are too lazy to take care of your food source, or too cheap, you deserve those food born illnesses. 

The loss of those animals in North Carolina will not affect me at all.  I do feel sorry for the animals and think the owners should be charged with animal cruelty for not letting them out before the flood waters reached them, but then those people went and left their dogs locked up.  No sympathy for them.  They got what they deserved.  We take our animals.  We do not leave them behind.  When Central Texas burned, one neighborhood had only a few minutes notice to get out.  A deputy was driving down the street with a bullhorn telling people to get out now.  Everyone grabbed their kids and animals and ran.  No trying to save material possessions.  Just the necessities.  Kids and animals.  And when Harvey was headed toward us, even the law enforcement was out driving cattle to higher ground.  They used their patrol cars to heard the cattle.  Our game wardens were out saving people and animals.  All animals.  They loaded deer, possums, whatever needed rescuing onto their boats and took them to high ground.  Texas A&M Vet college has an emergency response team.  Every rescue and every vet and every shelter stepped up to take in animals.  We don't leave any behind.  But apparently the East Coast does not think animals are worth saving.  Shame on them. 

Just complaining

I just bought a pair of knit pants, elastic waist.  I have worn them 3 times and will have to replace the elastic.  And these were not cheap pants either.  I paid $69 for them.  The only thing cheap about them was the fabric and notions used to make them.  And everything I look at is made of polyester.  Do you know what polyester is?  It is spun plastic.  Put that in a landfill and it is there forever.  It is the same stuff that is forming an island in the Pacific. 

I am old enough to remember when we made everything.  When we have good jobs.  As a seamstress, I remember those great fabrics we made here in this county.  Dan River ginghams, seersucker, fantastic wools and compton corduroy.  Hell, even our flour came in cotton sacks that were reused in kids clothing.  Now we produce nothing, nothing.  And we have done it to ourselves.  We like the cheap stuff.  We can go shopping and but tons of cheap stuff, wear it a couple of times and throw it away.  Quality no longer counts.  We as consumers have sold our livelihood for cheap garbage.  The consumer controls the market.  And by demanding cheap stuff, we have made it so easy for those companies to accomidate us and make huge profits off using slave labor to produce those cheap goods.  Now a pair of plastic shoes sells for $70 and we just shell out for that crap.  Athletic shoes.  Better be ready to shell out over $100 if you want a pair that will last more than 3 months.  And those with memory foam, yeah, as soon as that memory foam gets damp, you have no more cushioning.  And the sizes.  My foot measures 6/2 M.  In a shoe, I have to buy 71/2 to 8 and in an athletic shoe it is 81/2 or a 9.  I can excuse this generation because they have never known any better, but those from my generation and my children's generation know better.  You get what you will settle for.  Just like being sold on the right to work laws.  Those laws only benefit the companies.  It does nothing for the employee.  It is a union busting law.  Nothing more and the fools who work an hourly wage have fallen for it like a ton of bricks.  "They can't force me to pay union dues." No, they can't, and you cannot force those companies making money hand over fist to pay you a living wage.  Nor can you for decent health care nor safe working places.  Do you know the real reason employers want to hire the illegal foreign nationals?  They don't have to meet labor regulations nor OSHA safety regulations.  But you the consumer do not care because you get cheap goods.  Never mind that you don't make crap, just the cheap goods and by God no union dues.  You showed those damned unions.  And you the taxpayer subsidize health care, You pay those higher prices in benefits paid out to compensate for the low wages and no job benefits.  Better think about this. 

Eastman loafers

I bought two pair of Eastman loafers.  One pair hurt like hell.  I could wear one pair.  So I have been wearing them for about 6 weeks.  They were ok the first, oh, maybe 3 weeks.  Then that padding was compressed and you can actually feel the bricks when you walk on the.  Not a good investment.  Will not be buying them again.