Uncategorized – Page 40 – This Old House 2

It’s not Black & White

Let me start this post with a clear and honest statement. I believe strongly that I am not a racist. Racism in this day and age disgusts me. By now we should know better. We’ve got a long, ugly history behind us that tells us just how WRONG it is. It is my opinion, and perhaps with arrogance I believe it should be everyones opinion, that we are all human beings who deserve our life on this earth to begin and play out without prejudice and judgement that many still base on our ethnicity. If you are a religious person and you don’t agree, then you are at the very least, a hypocrite. God created all equally, right? He loves all his children? You believe everything on this planet is his creation, correct? Explain your view, please, if you are a racist but you believe in God. I’m not being sarcastic here.. I want to try to understand you, because I have trouble getting past that particularly irony.

All that being said, I’m bullsh*tting you if I don’t come clean and say that if you’re a big person wearing baggy gangsta style clothes that might or might not be concealing a weapon, with your pants half way down your ass, you’re staring me down with a dead look and a swagger that says –get out of my way, b*tch – as we walk toward each other on a deserted street, I’m getting out of your way, quickly. If that’s how you are presenting yourself, it’s reasonable to assume fear is what you’re trying to provoke, aggression and bullying is your MO, so you’ll get the reaction you were asking for. Notice I didn’t say, though, whether you are black or white. A big white dude presenting himself in the same way is going to get the same reaction from me. Maybe even a small white dude. Am I prejudice against big or small dudes dressed gangsta-like with attitude? No.. I’m cautious around someone exuding negative aggression, because I’d be stupid not to be.

We all read about the Trayv*n Martin case, and now the Micha*L Brown story. Both losses are tragic. Neither young men were armed. I don’t believe we will ever know the exact sequence of events, emotions, knee-jerk reaction? responses – appropriate or inappropriate that occurred in either of those stories. We have to rely on eye-witness accounts that are tainted with emotions, with prejudices of their own. If it was all clear in a video surveillance camera, we wouldn’t have to trust an eye witness. But most often we don’t have that clarity and so those other factors come in to play… emotion… prejudice, fear.

Regarding this newest case – This is what we know for sure. MB was a young black man. He was unarmed. He had just acted like a bully and shoved a convenience store clerk around with threatening behavior as he robbed him of a $50 box of cigars. Then he ambled down a public street, blocking traffic, which is what prompted the officer to approach him. Another bully behavior. Clearly his mindset at that time was that of defiance and aggression. Did he deserve to die because of it? Absolutely not.

Lets talk about the police officer, who now has the terrible burden of knowing he shot and killed a young unarmed man. The guy had a solid six year record, no disciplinary issues. What we know for sure – the young man in question was acting defiantly. He was behaving in the way that dangerous and armed people typically behave… with arrogance, breaking the law. Given this scenario, the officer is now on high alert for any other signs of something about to go wrong. He is trained to do so. Experience has taught him that things can go horribly wrong in an instant. The officer says the young man, when questioned and asked to stop walking down the center of the road, blocking traffic, tried to grab his gun. If this is true, really really stupid move on the young mans part. I call that extreme aggression and the officer had a right to assume the young man was going to try to shoot him with his own gun. The officers life is just as valuable as the young mans and he has a right to protect it. If it’s not true, and the officer was attempting to pull the kid into his car – (friend of victim, eyewitness claim)… and then the young man just backed up and was shot at repeatedly as his hands were up…. then the officers response was grossly -wrong-.

Why do we assume the outcome of this tussle would have been different if the young man was white? Or the officer was black? Well, statics show that this type of shooting death by an officer occurs much more often when the perp is black. Is it because there are more blacks doing these type of crimes or does racism play a roll? I keep wanting to take the color out of the question. Seems that simple to me.. just take the color out of the question. But I am a white woman who has not had to warn her children that the color of their skin might make them targets of unwarranted bigotry and hate. That reality exists.

What makes sense to you? In this case – Why would the officer pull the young man INTO his car window and start shooting…and then keep shooting as the victim backs away. Keep in mind.. at this time the officer had no idea he was looking at the guy who had just robbed the store. His reaction was based on however that young man presented himself at that very moment. Just backing away with hands up??? The eyewitness to all this was the victims friend… and accomplice in the robbery at the convenience store earlier. He’s not going to defend the cop’s judgement and betray his dead friend and implicate himself for that matter in threatening behavior. But… there stands his statement that the kid was just walking along innocently, the officer in question stopped to question him and then just opened fire as he put his hands up, killing him with repeated shots. I find that last scenario very had to believe. And it’s not because the young man was black. When analyzing this picture… it should have nothing to do with his color. It has everything to do with his known behavior and state of mind before this tragedy occurred. The officers reputation has to count for something too.

Regardless of what anyone believes, it’s a horrible tragedy all around. The pain and loss MBs family is suffering should never have come to be. A young man is dead who may have needed some discipline but did not deserve to die, and a police officer has killed someone and will have to live with that outcome for the rest of his natural life. I can’t tell you whether racism played a roll. You can’t either. But as long as we all keep fueling that fire, it’s going to burn long and strong. The people of Fergus*n who are looting among the protesters are only adding more fuel to that fire.

-Just sayin

Sometimes Sucking Up is Wise

… like when it’s Hay Day here at the farm. Nothing more pleasant than unloading scratchy 70 lb. hay bales – 200 of them- into a hot hayloft on a beautiful summer day. My guys look forward to it every year! The excitement builds as the day comes closer and spirits just soar at the prospect!

NOT.

Allergies soar at the prospect, and I do a happy dance because my loft will be full with good quality second cut hay that will last me an entire year. That’s about the extent of the excitement.

So, because I know my guy is going to cough up the money for this deal and the labor as well, I figure I better make it worth his while. There are two ways to do this… let’s talk about the secret to entering a mans heart is through his stomach. Yeah.. THAT ONE.

One word – Lasagna.

Death of a Salesman

Of all the people in all the world, I would not have guessed that Robin Williams could ever take his own life. I think it’s safe to assume most of us considered him a brilliant comedian with many faces, none of which betrayed the apparent pain of the man beneath the masks. Exuberent, a real zest for life, hilarious!, spontaneous, genius, brutally honest, a family man as well as one of the most talented and creative actors of our time. These are words I would use to describe him. He sold us on what appeared to be one very funny man hooked on life.

So we’re left with the obvious question…. How could a man in possession of so much that is good.. choose to end it all in such a tragic way? He leaves behind a family who loved him… he had to know this choice would scar his family and leave them with painful unanswered questions forever.

I thank my stars frequently that I do not suffer from depression in the ways that torment so many. It must be a tremendous cross to bear. We all experience bouts of depression at some point in our lives for various reasons, but that type of depression is a different animal all together. From what I can gather, there isn’t a rhyme or reason for clinical depression, only the crushing sadness and despair. Ironic that some of the funniest men have fallen victim to the disease …Chris Farley, John Belushi, Freddie Prinz, Richard Prior… often turning to substance abuse and sometimes suicide to deal with or end the emotional pain. Did their comic genius have something to do with their depression? Perhaps a way to survive was to nurture the extreme opposite. Sad irony – that he was so good at getting us all to laugh and forget our own troubles for a while…but it wasn’t enough to save himself.

Well written piece HERE if you’re interested.

A Place Called Hope

Yesterday we visitied a bird sanctuary – A Place Called Hope. – A Place Called Hope is a Rehabilitation and Education Center for Birds of Prey. Our goal is to heal injured, orphaned, or ill birds and return them to the wild where they belong. Federal permits allow us to house and work with the birds that can not be returned to their natural world provided we share them through educational presentations. These particular birds have become ambassadors and have helped us to educate the public. They also teach all of us how to co-exist more peacefully with the wildlife in our very own backyards.

I was so impressed by the enclosures these birds are kept in, the knowledge and great care these folks provide, and always.. the inspiration, hope and good will people like this give our planet in their generous gift of caring and doing.

I do love owls… this little guy below could fit in the palm of your hand.

Up the river with two paddles

Because this ain’t sh*t’s creek 🙂

It’s a glorious summer day here in New England and we took full advantage by throwing Ruby and Torch in the back of the truck and setting out just over the bridge in the Salmon River.

My experience is that being surrounded by the beauty of nature, especially these bodies of water I’m lucky to live near, washes away the anxieties that are life. When I push out into the river and take a deep breath in, I feel the stresses leave me as the salty air refreshes, invigorates, heals.

Have you gotten your dose of natural beauty today? Step away from the chaos of the TV, the news, the papers, the computer, your phone!…. Drop your cares at the door.. go find it, drink it up, soak it in. Life is short, friends. Go live it –

Easy like Sunday Morning

I’ve got that song on my mind now, don’t ya know. Are you singing it too? HERE if you want the lyrics and song – one of my favorites from more youthful days-

ANYWAY.. that wasn’t what I was getting at. I’ve got two super easy cake recipes for you, because we could all use a little cake from our friends. I get by with a little cake from my friends... Now how many of you are humming THAT tune… another of my favorites. 🙂 Now I’m just being silly.

SO.. the easy cake recipes!

First up is a pineapple dump cake that my blog friend Sally posted. SERIOUSLY YUMMY and so freak’n easy. It was devoured in just a few hours at my house. Nothing left for the next day.

Preheat oven to 350.

Grease or spray a medium glass baking pan.

Combine one box of Angelfood Cake mix (just the mix)

and 1 large can of crushed pineapple in a bowl.

Pour into prepared glass pan and bake for approx. 25 minutes

and top is golden brown.

Let cool and top with your choice of whipped cream.

Delicious, light and easy! Perfect for summer dessert.

This next one I have not tried yet, but it looks like a winner.

One Bowl Apple Cake

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups sugar…
2 heaping teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup oil
6 medium Gala or Fuji or Honey Crisp apples
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, cinnamon and oil. Peel and slice the apples and add to mixture in bowl (coating as you go to keep apples from turning brown.) Mix together the baking soda and flour and add to the ingredients in the bowl. Mix well (best with a fork) until all of the flour is absorbed by the wet ingredients. Pour mixture into a greased one 9×13 or two 9″ round pans. Bake for approximately 55 minutes.

Enjoy!

Salem Feed & Grain

So.. I brought home the two baby bunnies, Harley & Cloud… and placed them in the prepared “Nursery Chicken Coop”. We’ve got a menagerie here, as you have probably figured out.. and I try to keep my animal care expenses down to respectable levels (*ahem) and thought I could make due with bunnies in a sort-of hutch-like coop. The supposed non-animal-loving husband took one look at it and said “it’s not safe enough, go get a real rabbit hutch.”

Who am I to argue! But there-in lied the rub. I called around looking for a decent rabbit hutch. Thought in a semi- rural area like ours it would be pretty simple. Petco nearby had nothing for outdoor use, but could order one. I looked at their stuff online, and the reviews. ” Nice looking but cheaply made, wood was flimsy”. “Plastic”. “Way too small for two rabbits although it is advertised as appropriate for two.”. Ok then! On to Agway. WAY TOO EXPSENIVE and not adequate space in my opinion. SO … then I googled local.. and found a fellow who makes hutches! And they were really nice styles! But they were at minimum $799!!!!… What???…. *sigh*

Yes I know I’m married to a builder. You know the shoemaker who’s family goes without shoes….

Not that we go without housing, just not a home made hutch. Priorities and available time and all that stuff.

Then I remembered a stop we made a few months back at a feed store about 40 minutes from here. Oh, how I love that place…If you live within an hour radius, or are traveling down I-95 in CT, it is soooo worth stopping in. Salem Feed & Grain

Pictures say a thousands words here…

There was indeed one double bunny hutch available for sale out on their front porch.

Sturdy construction, up off the ground (preditor protection)

and the price was right.

Now, to pimp out this bunny hutch!

Oops I did it again….

I had this mini chicken coop, you see. It served its purpose by helping me to raise my newest brood of chicks until they were old enough to join the regular coop group. That time arrived several weeks ago and so.. an empty mini coop sat idle.

With nothing in it.

As it should be.

Unless you are me.

When I was a young girl living on Staten Island where there is not much open land to speak of, if I saw a really big yard that had no animals living in it, I thought “what a waste of space. Oooh the possibilities!”. When we took the occasional vacation and drove out into the countryside, should there be an open field that had no horses living in it… I again thought “what a waste of space. Oooh the possibilities!”.

So, you know… the empty coop.

Empty no more.

Say hello to Harley & Cloud, because I simply could not imagine leaving such potential untapped.

I’ll fill you in on the bunny hutch saga in the next post….

Because a coop just ain’t a hutch. –

The Price of Speaking Up

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while or are a part of my life in some way, it’s no secret that I can be outspoken when it comes to things I’m passionate about… animal welfare, human rights, justice, injustice and fair play in our political system and in how we treat each other… especially in how we treat each other.

Because this is part of my personality, it means I will never be liked by everyone. That used to bother me. When youth should have been an asset, it hindered me because I cared. I wanted to please people, I wanted to be liked by everyone, I wanted to do no wrong in the eyes of anyone at all. To be clear and honest here, it didn’t stop me from doing stupid things on occasion or speaking up and maybe even being a royal pain in the ass sometimes, but it wounded me tremendously when there was the inevitable backlash from whomever might be the disapproving party.

Have I always been right in my assessments? Nope. Through 50 year old eyes I can see that sometimes I have jumped to a conclusion without doing enough research and reacted in a way that I would choose to rescind now if the opportunity were available. Do I know for certain that it is in every fiber of my being to want all good things for the men, women, children and living creatures of this earth? Without a doubt. So instead of just shutting up and avoiding the waves, I hope I’m learning to swim with a better rhythm and some compassion and understanding for those who see things differently. I don’t care anymore that I’m not going to have everyones approval, that’s an impossible dream. I’ve let it go. I try to remember to ask myself – am I doing this for the right reasons? How important is it to voice my opinion, to take a stand? Is there a better way to make a difference or approach this situation that doesn’t involve my ego or my opinion that quite possibly may be off? If I manage to get through all that in a positive way, then the result should be worth the effort.

My message today is this – and of course it’s just my opinion. Whoever you are, whatever you believe in… don’t be afraid to stand up for what you know is right. Don’t stand by and watch as things happen around you – or to you – just because it might not be popular with someone or align with anothers point of view. The only way to effectively change negative behaviors, practices, abuses, injustices in our world is to take action, to speak up, to DO something. What that entails will depend on the situation and your willingness to be a part of the change. The approach is important too. It’s easy to let anger control how we handle a situation, but that’s never the best way. I’ve learned this the hard way. Keep a level head and an open mind. Small steps can lead to big changes for the better. Don’t be afraid to make a wave or two when you are working for the common good. You sure hope you do!

And that’s all I have to say about that.

Vineyard 2014 – 3

Our favorite town on island is Edgartown and it’s harbor, home to the previously featured Edgartown light. So much charm in the old sea captains homes, their maritime history, the brick sidewalks, the old churches, the gardens, and even the visitors from all over the world who’s languages and accents float along the sidewalk as they stroll along. Restaurant choices are abundant and the food is fantastic. For those of you who like to shop.. you could shop till you drop.