Solar Challenges Georgia Power

Georgia Power and its subsidiary the Southern Co. have a monopoly protected by law on the sale of electricity to almost all the customers in its territory. This is similar to monopolies in five other states, Florida, North Carolina, Kentucky, Iowa, and Oklahoma. You can buy solar panels but laws that protect the power companies’ monopolies prevent solar companies from selling electricity to Georgia Power customers or even leasing solar panels to customers if the payments reflect a charge for using energy. So, how is solar challenging the existing energy model? In Georgia developers are working around the current laws by using local government authority to build a $3.8 million solar project to power a rural high school southeast of Atlanta. How does this challenge traditional power companies? Georgia Power needs the money they collect from their customers to support their infrastructure, the power plants and transmission lines, etc. and make big profits and although the solar project for one high school wouldn't seem to have much impact on such a large business, it could in the future if it’s a sign of things to come. Since I have a reputation around my house as the electricity police I found this challenge interesting and as a retired teacher from Camden County I have an inkling about the lengths the schools will go to conserve energy, it seems only right that the power monopolies are being “schooled” by a school system. I, along with many others, am tired of high utility bills and hope they (the power companies) are learning something.   

Free Wireless For All (This Time I Mean Everybody) Update

On February 6, 2013, I blogged about a plan being proposed by the Federal Communications Commission, (FCC), and endorsed by the President that would provide free wireless access for internet and cell phones for everyone across our nation and what an equalizer it would be for people that couldn't afford the high tech stuff I often take for granted. Google and Microsoft and other tech giants claimed that this move would open the door for more creativity and innovation too.

On March 23, 2013 I blogged about a victim of Japan’s tsunami who said, “Rather than wait for government aid, we have to do it ourselves.” He was referring to getting his life and livelihood back on track and he used the internet to do it. I wrote that he had a lesson others living with disastrous situations with the similar result of devastation to life and livelihood (like poverty) and here is where I first began to understand the powerful concept of crowd sourcing.

In today’s update of sorts on free wireless for all and I mean everyone this time because I am talking about a global project, I should not have been surprised, but I was. The project I've been reading and thinking about is Google’s ambitious effort called Project Loon that uses balloons and solar energy to transport the technology into the stratosphere to create a network that provides free wireless for all, not just nationwide but truly for all, for our entire planet. I could say my best info came from reading about this project and indeed I have been “reading” about it but if you Google Project Loon you can watch it being explained via video. After watching some of the videos, I could go into the possibility of reading (and writing) becoming obsolete too but that is a subject for another blog. The videos gave me a quick overview of how the project works but what the world will do with free wireless and one less barrier is yet to be seen. I have also written about how our government is about a decade at minimum behind in lots of areas, like the Supreme Court deciding that you can’t patent genes ten years after drug companies did it, and I wonder how some countries’ governments, like China’s, will react as they attempt to regulate the internet when access is free.

All this leaves me to wonder with more questions than answers as usual. Perhaps we are on the verge or in the midst of a global renaissance. I hope so.

Parkour

Keep in mind that today instead of standing at my computer as I usually do, I am seated and sedentary while I write about parkour. In the past I have written about skitching and slacklining and parkour fits right in the same category. Parkour is not competitive but it does look like fun. My favorite part of the definition of parkour involves the creative reinterpretation or subversion of urban spaces, which is where this sport is often practiced. Something subversive, yet fun, just appeals for some reason, maybe because of all the NSA stuff in the news. Parkour is a holistic training discipline using movement that developed out of military obstacle course training. Practitioners aim to move quickly and efficiently through their environment using only their bodies and their surroundings to propel themselves, negotiating obstacles in between. When I watched a video on You Tube I marveled at the participants literally rolling along (flipping) and they actually reminded me of the magnetic Bakugan toys. The toys transform from a ball to a figure (for lack of a better word) and the parkour-ers seem to do the same. Parkour can include running, climbing, swinging, vaulting, jumping, rolling, and more, if they are the most suitable movements for the situation and are often done in tandem with free running. Parkour began in France in the 1990s and is obviously for the younger athletic set but older folks that want to get in on it can do so at a gym (there are a couple of them) aptly named Urban Evolution.

*Bloggers note: After I wrote this I checked out some epic parkour fails on You Tube. It’s some of the more painful looking stuff that America’s Funniest Home Videos are made of. I’m definitely reconsidering whether or not parkour is for me!

Hammin’ It Up on Field Day

Field day has taken on a couple of meanings in our home over the years. For me, as a teacher, Field Day was a lot of fun for school aged kids near the end of each school year and along with traditional relay races and tug ‘o war included jumping in bouncy houses and dunking teachers in a dunk tank. For my husband Field Day signaled the ship wide household cleaning day, a holdover from his days in the Navy, complete with orders to the kids to get their clothes up off the deck and fingerprints off the bulkheads!

For “ham” radio operators a Field Day is a national event when they can practice for emergency situations, real ones, like Hurricane Sandy or Katrina, not the zombie apocalypse, and have fun too. On field days they set up their antennas and radios for a 24 hour period during which they try to raise contact with as many people as possible and score points as they do. What are these “ham” operators practicing for? Amateur Radio Emergency Services and other “ham” radio enthusiasts are often the first people to respond when disasters occur and hello, cell phone towers don’t work. For others, like my husband a former radioman, it’s an opportunity to refresh his skills with Morse code and participate in the original social network with other ham radio enthusiasts, so move over Face Book, it’s Field Day! 

Dignity Down Under

When I say dignity down under, by down under, I’m referring to underwear rather than under where. I read about the Dignity U Wear 2013 Undie Campaign in the news briefs in the Jacksonville newspaper. Yes, I’m referring to underwear and news briefs in the same sentence butt seriously, this Jacksonville based group collected a record 170,000 undergarments this year, 50,000 more than last year. These articles of clothing, including socks, bras, underwear, and undershirts will ultimately benefit school children, homeless and wounded veterans, and women in crisis through Dignity U Wear’s network of 300 social service agencies throughout the country. I found this and more at their website: Dignity was founded in 2000 by an extraordinary person; philanthropist and Holocaust survivor, Henri Landwirth.  “I know what it means to stripped of personal dignity,” he says, “to not have clothes of one’s own and to give up all hope.  When I see people suffering indignities, I know we have to help: and through Dignity U Wear, we do.” The nonprofit also generated $25,000 in monetary donations and I think their mission to provide new underwear, a foundation for basic human dignity that is easily taken for granted by someone like me, is a worthy one. See more at: www.dignityuwear.org. 

Anachronistic Acronyms, Hence Backronyms!

I picked this title because in my mind the words anachronisms and acronyms have been mixed up for a long time! Finally I have found the connection that I hope can unscramble them and their meanings for me. If an anachronism is a thing that is chronologically out of place, especially one from a former age that is incongruous in the present, then bacronyms are the perfect replacements for anachronistic acronyms. Backronyms are like acronyms, except the words are chosen to fit the letters rather than the other way around. The term, backronym, was coined in 1983, part of a monthly contest held by the Washington Post involving inventing new words. A common example is AMBER alerts, the child abduction bulletins that go out across cities when kids have been snatched? Officially, AMBER stands for "America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response," but that's actually a backronym invented to fit the name "Amber," after Amber Hagerman, a Texas girl whose 1996 abduction and murder led to the program's formation.

So I have decided to come up with a few backronyms of my own.

For Nic, who believes in the KISS method of enhancing every meal because ketchup is simply sublime.

For Ethan and Bobby, like a BOSS, because they are always being outrageously seriously smart. (I figure you two will want to change one of the last two words to sexy which means you’ll be making your own backronym, like a boss.)

And finally for friends and family in the Bahamas, on living at AUTEC, learn to accept unusual things-especially chickcharnies!

The Dish Washing Debate

When I was a kid growing up the biggest dish washing debate was between my twin and me, over whose turn it was to wash the dishes. My twin won the debate back then with a simple strategy, he broke a plate every time it was his turn so I became the dishwasher. Whenever my mom discussed kitchen appliances she readily explained that she had a perfectly good dishwasher, me. But the real dish washing debate these days is whether or not it’s better to hand wash your dishes over sanitizing them in a dish washing machine. I am still a dishwasher by hand to this day. It seems like a lot less work than scraping, loading, starting the dishwasher, and unloading, and putting away. I just clear (or get the table cleared), rinse and stack while the water heats up from the tap, scrub with hot and soapy, rinse, and put the dishes in the drainer to air dry. I am fast too and use less electricity hand washing (although I know the hot water heater uses some), but nobody has to plug me in to get the dishes done. I have read that the energy efficient dishwashers use less water because rinsing hand washed dishes supposedly uses more. There is that to consider. A newspaper article I read says it takes 27 gallons of water to hand wash versus 4 to 6 gallons used by an energy star dishwasher. Yet, I don’t believe I use 27 gallons on a sink full of dishes either, even though I have never actually measured.

One thing I do know is that I never have to put anything back in the dishwasher that didn’t come out clean because I have eyes on when I’m hand washing the dishes. When the dish or glass goes to the drainer, it’s clean. I am obviously prejudiced in favor of hand washing but I am also the kind of cook that cleans as I go, not only because my kitchen is tiny (too tiny for a dishwasher too) but also because I like a neat kitchen and it doesn't take much to leave mine looking like a bomb went off in it. So despite the conclusions in the news article on the dish washing debate being pro mechanical dishwasher, as my mom always said, we still have a perfectly good dishwasher, me.

Bitcoin

Bitcoin is digital cash. There’s even a Bitcoin ticker on CNBC’s website. Bitcoin began in 2009 and it’s not managed by anyone and has no central bank. Banks are completely out of the picture because individuals pay each other directly and although transactions are private as with all things “online” they are most likely not anonymous. 25 Bitcoins are introduced every 10 minutes by people all over the world and the limit of 21 million Bitcoins will be reached by 2140. But bear in mind I don’t know why there is a limit or how it can be enforced. This month one Bitcoin was trading for $112. A new Bitcoin ATM is expected to go into production this fall to make it easier to turn dollars into Bitcoins and more retailers are accepting them for payment. But mostly Bitcoins now are used for online gambling. Bitcoins are based on open-source encryption technology and can be created by anyone…..with the computer power required to solve the specified algorithms that secure the network. Bitcoins are for geeks…but I want some!

Lionfish

Photo by Johnny Holland

Lionfish are an invasive species that are threatening biodiversity in the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico. They are venomous, reproduce year round, and have no predators here and this means there are more of them here than there are in their native habitats. Lionfish are causing dramatic declines in native populations of fish and invertebrates. How they were introduced is pretty much a moot point now. I have seen all kinds of tropical fish snorkeling among the reefs near Andros that you see in Pet Smart, including lionfish. In April of 2012 there was a lionfish catching tournament in Andros, held as part of the Coastal Awareness month, complete with prizes for the largest catch and the single heaviest lionfish caught. There was also a demonstration of how to handle, prepare and cook lionfish. This kind of local control of lionfish through diver removals has been shown to be effective at reducing both populations and impacts, and I recently read that Florida Fish and Wildlife is waiving recreational license requirements and excluding limits allowing people to take as many lionfish as they can. From the looks of this one photographed off Andros over Father’s Day weekend 2013 it’s time for another diver removal event there too!

Derecho and Atmospheric Rivers-More Extreme Weather

Derecho was a new (to me) weather term that I heard used during the weather segment of our local news (on T.V.), might be a result of the changing in severity (to more severe) of weather systems due to global warming and atmospheric rivers are something I read about in one of my favorite magazines, New Scientist. Both qualify as extreme weather phenomena like intense hurricanes. Size and destructive capabilities are also an aspect of their definitions. Derecho is a widespread and long-lived windstorm that is associated with a fast-moving band of severe thunderstorms. These extreme weather systems stretch over 240 miles and have winds of 58 mph or often more. They sometimes produce downbursts, straight line winds that do as much damage as tornadoes, just without the rotation. An atmospheric river is a ribbon of moisture, sometimes as much as is found in the Amazon River, that gushes through the atmosphere and can be thousands of miles long. One of these atmospheric rivers even has its own name, the Pineapple Express, and it’s associated with heavy precipitation between the western coast of North America and Hawaii. When these atmospheric rivers dump their loads of water over land the flooding can be catastrophic. Climate change has an effect on these also because warmer air holds more water vapor.

As if hurricanes and tornadoes aren't extreme enough! 

Mondegreens and Cronuts

My husband, kids, and even grandkids like to make up their own mondegreens, and then force me to listen to them as they sing them and giggle, making them true mondegreens by definition, misheard lyrics! I know that was quite a run on so let me give you a couple of examples.

The grandsons change Lady Antebellum’s – Need You Now to need to pee and sing it loud. Even though they are all middle school aged they revert to fourth grade humor every time this song comes on the car radio.

My husband changes You’re 16 - Ringo Starr to this: You’re my baby, you’re my pet, we fell in lust on the night we met. You touched my hand...and of course he has a rhyming substitution etc.

But my all-time favorite mondegreen was created by my son Chris and his cousin Betsy, about 30 years ago. Queen’s – We Will Rock You became: You got mud on your face, you big disgrace. Somebody put bacon all over your face.

Now to connect this to Cronuts, New York’s latest craze, a hybrid croissant roll-donut which is in such great demand that there are actually cronut scalpers that stand in line for them and then resell and even deliver them for outrageously inflated prices. I saw a photo of the line of people waiting for cronuts (limit two per customer) and I immediately thought of Seinfeld’s Soup Nazi episode. So here’s my idea: Slice that cronut like a bagel and slip a couple of slices of warm crispy bacon in there, take a big bite, and this breakfast will rock you!

Ok, maybe I need to eat breakfast before I blog in the morning… 

Nicaraguan Canal

A rival for the Panama Canal is being proposed by the HK Nicaragua Canal Development Investment Co. The H. K. stands for Hong Kong and the Chinese company’s previous experience is in telecommunications. They now have exclusive rights to studying the plan to build the canal if feasible in exchange for Nicaragua receiving a minority share of any eventual profits. Nicaragua’s President, Daniel Ortega hopes the Chinese will transform one of the regions poorest countries by bringing tens of thousands of jobs to the country and fueling an economic boom like the building of the Panama Canal did for neighboring Panama. Data points to a couple of things as far as feasibility. Maritime Transport is constantly growing, so global trade demands make a compelling commercial case for building the canal. There are concerns though about the actual route of the canal, something not yet decided. Most plans appear to have the canal crossing Lake Nicaragua, the country’s primary source of fresh water, which has activists and environmentalists on high alert. The canal would also be three times longer than the Panama Canal and through different types of terrain. Some think an advantage would be the Nicaraguan Canal’s projected ability to handle ships with far larger capacities than can currently go through the Panama Canal. Time will tell about this project but the Chinese track record on environmental issues and human rights for workers bear watching.

Yottabytes

Here’s a word I found while reading about the NSA (National Security Agency) and its Utah Data Center located in a National Guard base, south of Bluffdale, Utah. A yottabyte equals 500 quintillion pages of text so I figure there will be quite a few yottabytes housed in the 1.5 million square feet of building dedicated to the NSA’s supercomputers. You know the ones that are keeping tabs on all of our cellphone records and digital conversations, allowing U.S. authorities to monitor everything for potential cyber threats. There’s yottabytes of outrage and varying opinions since the NSA leak by the now infamous whistleblower, Edward Snowden, on the NSA and its doings. They’ve been secretly doing a lot, quite a few yottabytes worth, of snooping and according to some infringing on our fourth amendment rights. This has been all over the news, but back to yottabytes…I am wondering what comes after and the answer is… There is no larger official prefix than yottabyte or yobibytes.  Several unofficial larger numbers have been suggested, such as the brontobyte but the most likely pattern follows the Greek alphabet backwards, beginning with xonabytes and xobibytes. A popular alternative gaining support has been hellabytes. Given the current growth of computer data, the terms beyond yottabyte may become necessary as early as the year 2020, this according to wiki.answers.com (what else!). I for one am voting for hellabytes and I’ll use it in a sentence here. “That’s a hellabytes more than the yottabytes we have in the NSA Data Center!” 

The Coolest Place in Hilliard, FL-Wendy's!

On a slow Sunday (Father’s Day-yesterday) afternoon, Bob and I found ourselves seeking four hours of air conditioning while two of my other grandsons, Ethan and Jonas spent the same four hours with their Dad in Hilliard, Florida. So Bob and I took a little tour of Hilliard and found out that the pool at the Parks and Recreation complex (used to be the YMCA) is closed on Sundays, the ball fields and playground were vacant in the heat too, and there were more cars in the two corner convenience store parking lots (Flash Foods and Kangaroo) than at any of the numerous churches sprinkled throughout the town. Finally we ended up at the Wendy’s by the Winn Dixie on the main drag through town toward Callahan. The parking lot was shady and the A/C kicking! We were the only customers eating (or not, since we weren't eating, that is) in the dining room, unless you count the employees taking their breaks. We joined in some conversation with some breakers and we saw how they store napkins and paper goods inside the booth seats. We did see a couple of people come in to order at the counter and others go through the drive thru but that was it. Bob read Ender’s Game (in anticipation of the movie) and I worked on my blog (specifically this post) and hoped my laptop battery would handle the amount of unplugged time I was putting into it. After about two hours of the two of us usurping the free A/C and not buying anything we were approached by a worker, not on a break. Uh oh, I thought scrambling to figure out an excuse that would preclude me from having to pack up and find coolness elsewhere. I decided that honesty was the best policy but before I could explain how I was saving gas money by spending four hours in Hilliard rather than spend the gas money making the trip back to Georgia only to turn around and return (and making better use of the drive time by writing), the girl offered Bob and I each a free Frosty. I am happy to say hospitality and simple kindness toward strangers is alive and well at the Wendy’s in Hilliard, Florida. As the time drew closer to the dinner hour the place got busier too and all the customers were treated kindly consistently across the board. The time for us passed oh so sweetly for us too, and since Bob always says, there’s always room for ice cream, and I agree. We really enjoyed our Frostys, and now I have a new favorite place to stop in Hilliard the next time I go there to pick up Ethan and Jonas.

Fathers, Who Needs ‘Em?

Yep, you guessed it, today I am blogging about father-less reproduction, immaculate conception, parthenogenesis (my term of choice today), or whatever you call it, and no, I didn’t read about this in New Scientist magazine but I am sure the topic has been covered there. This type of reproduction (without fertilization by a male) occurs in some insects and flowers, bees, a subject of several of my blog writings, come to mind. In 2007, a hammerhead shark that gave birth in a Nebraska aquarium reproduced without mating, and through genetic analysis it was determined that there was no male contribution. Though fairly rare in invertebrates, parthenogenesis does occur in snakes and lizards too and is probably more common than we think. Parthenogenesis is a last resort tactic when an animal can’t find a mate. Many of the articles I read, in a tongue in cheek manner that indicates the authors of the articles were probably males, claimed parthenogenesis a result of an inability of the females involved to find a “date,” but in truth loss of genetic diversity is one of the biggest down sides to parthenogenesis, among other things. Draw your own conclusions here.

So what’s the answer to that question about who needs Dads?

Just everybody else not mentioned above, human children especially.

To all you Dads and your families out there….Happy Father’s Day!

Free Shotguns-Armed Citizen Project

There have been a steady stream of gun violence incidences and shooting rampages in the news lately and the number of related deaths keeps growing. The gun control issue as far as national gun control efforts go has been pushed to a back burner it seems. There is one group, however, a nonprofit based in Houston called the Armed Citizen Project that is offering free shotguns and firearm training to residents in high crime areas around Houston. The Oak Forest neighborhood was the site of their first gun giveaway. The Armed Citizen Project is trying to show that putting more guns into the hands of responsible owners can help combat crime. Oak Forest residents, whose neighborhoods have been plagued with burglaries and robberies, say they are grateful for the self-defense help. Others point to research that has shown more guns result in more gun related deaths rather than less crime. The first part of the last sentence seems pretty obvious to me, and the end of the sentence gives me pause. Recently, with the brewing controversy over current Stand Your Ground laws back in the news with the George Zimmerman trial gearing up, and all I've read about kids killing kids and even a four year old killing his father, I've been thinking about guns, and then I found this news brief about the shotgun giveaway. Picture me just shaking my head, you can decide for yourself which way.

Email Interactive Groups

The Jacksonville Times Union has had one of these Email Interactive Groups for ten years and I have only just discovered this (I've stayed out of chat rooms too…wait, is that what this is?). It is an on line discussion place where you can express your opinions and leave your comments on current events. I have already noticed and enjoyed reading comments (sometimes as much or more than the articles themselves) that follow things on MSN and other on line news sources I've perused, especially when I think the story is outrageous to begin with. Some of the best comments revolved around celebrity news or sports figures in the news for something other than sports. For example, Chad (Ochocinco) Johnson’s situation garnered a bunch of comments in response to a judge throwing out his plea deal for community service and counseling because he playfully swatted his attorney on his bottom (something football players do) and the courtroom erupted in laughter. Some commenters sided with the judge while others decided it’s time for her to step down. Many comments centered on Chad and the string of bad decisions that led up to the courtroom drama.

Strange and unusual news will sometimes garnish quite a few strange and unusual comments too and those are always interesting.

Then there are sometimes comments on this blog or that or in response to the blog link I put on Face Book. These are not always anonymous like the ones that follow news stories are to me, but they rank among my most favorite comments of all. 

Cracked Smartphone Screens

This is one for the grandkids, cracked smartphones screens as art are trending and becoming one of the latest in things. I just figured cracked screens were more of an indicator that the users were not ready for the responsibility of caring for a smartphone or in some cases a mini IPad yet. I guessed it was either that or the reason you get insurance and a protective cover for your kid’s device. If I hadn’t read about this new trend, cracked screens as art, I would have figured one of my grands had come up with the idea, one with a cracked screen of course, to prove that he was cooler than his other cousins or friends. The quote I read by Mark Bauerlein, author of a book titled, The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future, says, “The problem is all smartphones are pretty much the same. The crack on the screen makes it unique.” I hope this isn't an indication that kids are cracking their phone screens on purpose. If it is then his book title is spot on! I do have some experience in this area because 6 out of 10 of my grandkids have cracked their device’s screens. The cracks don’t show in the pictures they take with the phone cameras because the camera lens isn't usually on the screen side, I’m figuring. I, personally, have dropped my phone (which isn't as smart as any of theirs) lots of times and my screen has remained intact. However, somehow when my phone flew to pieces on one of the several dropping occasions, I managed to dislodge and forever lose the teeny tiny photo chip that was in there prior to the drop but then not upon reassembly, thus rendering my camera useless since no photos can be stored without said chip. I guess this might be an indicator that phone dropping runs in my family. But regardless of whether or not this is true, any broken glass is sharp and hazardous, not to mention less than protective of the inner workings of one’s electronic device, so I conclude that considering cracked screens as art is a pretty silly idea!

Storm and Scandal Chasers

Storm chasing and scandal chasing are not just limited to the media these days, even though it is through the media that info about storms and scandals alike tends to get out. Chasing either can be dangerous territory too.

Storm chasing is actually a tourism draw and there are groups that safely (?) guide interested amateurs on expeditions to chase and view tornadoes during tornado season. Several such groups post videos too. I am imagining arguments in favor of this nonsense and all I can say is I've survived taking my own life into my hands crossing the street each day to get to the other side, and I've even survived jumping out of an airplane for fun, but I am not planning to take on the force of Mother Nature by chasing tornadoes anytime soon. Even veteran storm chasing can come to a sad end as was evidenced in the deaths of three experienced chasers who were killed by the destructive power of the F-5 tornadoes that tore up Oklahoma this season.

Scandal chasing, another timely subject, think the IRS scandal, Benghazi, or the NSA leaks, although sensationalized by the media is actually a function of the very same government that creates the scandals. That’s right, the government investigates itself. The scandal chasers in the government go by varying names, Special Counsel, Independent Counsel, and Congressional Hearing Committees come to mind. Often times scandal chasing can be a killer too, a political or military career killer.

Hole Foods

Saw this catchy title in Sunday’s Parade Magazine (comes with the newspaper along with a bunch of advertisements and coupons) and I realized that my secret is out! A while back (January of this year) I blogged a couple of times about eating and making Zeppoli, sweet little Italian dipping doughnuts, and well now all that read the printed word on actual paper also have the scoop. The bonus for me (since I already have the hole donut making thing down to a science) was in the glaze recipes, but I’m getting ahead of myself here. Here is the 411 on making donuts at home the easy way. All you need is a couple of cans of biscuits, the kind you pop out like Pillsbury Grands, and something to make a hole in each. I use the top of the vanilla extract as a tiny donut hole cutter. In a deep skillet heat cooking oil (enough to float a donut-about 2 inches worth), and fry the donuts and holes, flipping them over once to get both sides nicely browned. Drain them on paper towels when you remove them from the oil. Here is where my recipe differs from the article I read. I usually just roll the donuts and their fried holes in granulated or powdered sugar and serve still warm. But I am going to expand my (already considerable girth?) expertise and try out some of these glazes. All of them start with three basic ingredients, a cup of confectioner’s sugar, a teaspoon of flavor, and two tablespoons of liquid, for example, combine sugar, vanilla, and milk for the easiest glaze or try the glaze that intrigues me most, which is a combo of sugar, unsweetened cocoa, and coffee, yum. Time to get those leftover Christmas cookie sprinkles out to top your glazed treats too, or sprinkle with coconut, cereal, or mini morsels or candy pieces. And after that I’m going to try some lemon and orange glazes, combining sugar, fruit zest, and juice.    

So belated Happy National Donut Day! Now you’ll be ready when it comes around again next year!

Macramé

Macramé, I taught myself how to do it years ago and have recently found myself revisiting it. So far it has been a little bit like riding a bicycle (a skill once mastered that muscle memory never lets you really forget), I was a little rusty but I can still do it! You Tube helped. I love a visual refresher and there are lots of videos that vary in complexity so if you are just starting out or if you have more advanced skills you can find how to videos there. The ones with the repetitive bird sounds and insects buzzing bugged me a bit but that’s what the mute button is for and macramé itself can be pretty repetitive. I found some very inexpensive cordage for my plant hangers and such at Heavenly Treasures, a resale place in St. Marys that Roger there was going to use for tying down stuff. Last Saturday I was working on a plant hanger at the Community Market in downtown St. Marys, and several people stopped by and mentioned that they also used to macramé too. I borrowed an idea from Andros Island, Bahamas’ basket makers and added some Androsia (beautiful batik fabric) instead of beads. You often see scraps of this colorful cloth woven into their baskets and I think it looks pretty good incorporated into a plant hanger. I expect to graduate to wall and window hangings from driftwood pieces with sea glass accents next. 

Paraprosdokians 

The word paraprosdokians is unusual but you will recognize one when you see it. They are simply put old adages with a twist or unexpected ending. Some of my favorites come from the mouths of babes, as they did when Art Linkletter capitalized on Kids Say the Darnedest Things and more recently from some kindergartners I've known. A penny saved is a penny earned not much, comes to mind. Even the little ones know a penny doesn't go very far today. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush becomes A bird in the hand is better than a bird on your head because it’s easier to wash the poop off your hand. That one was directly related to holding baby chicks, something kids like a lot. Kid logic makes me smile.

My husband was talking with me (on SKYPE, as we frequently do) about swimming for exercise in the Bahamas. When he wondered whether or not he could keep up with the others there that swim regularly for exercise, I said, you never know until you try and he came back with for him it would be more like, you never know until you're in over your head! I replied, where there’s a will there’s a way, and he said, where there’s will there’s usually a dead guy! I am happy to say that he did swim with the group and survive after all but he wished he’d had his fins on because they would have made it easier to keep up.

I think there’s nothing like a little paraprosdokian humor to help keep things in perspective sometimes. 

My Boys of Summer

I am late posting this blog today but this is the topic that’s been on my mind. Even though I didn’t spend this year at school I still have the School’s Out! feeling and it’s a good one. I turned on my A/C too so there is no doubt about it, for me summer begins. The boys of summer I am referring to include my grandsons and the friends they've had over the years and the ones they make instantly at the pool or playground. My boys of summer are loving and sweet and sweaty and silly all at the same time and they are all thirteen and younger. They are completely unselfconscious pool ninjas when copying the moves of the youngest (just turned 5), yet are easily embarrassed in public by silly grandparents. They’re the ones that promise sincerely to stop the horseplay in the hotel pool and about every ten to fifteen minutes they promise sincerely again. They’re the ones that love to jump from bed to bed in the hotel room, since they know better than to do that at home. They’re the ones that offered up their allowance to pay for dinner at the diner. “I got this, Grandma,” said one and another with $2 offered it up to pay for 2 things from the dollar menu. They’re the ones that come racing home from the park on their bikes at dusk to be home before dark, yet as close to dark as they figure they can get away with. They’re the ones that are taking turns reading Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card, chapter by chapter so we can all go see the movie together (sort of-they will sit down front and I in the back) when it comes out. This is what my boys of summer are like and I am so glad I can still convince them that the book is better than the movie and that there is more to summer than video games.

Bicycling on Jekyll

Jekyll Island, GA is the place to get out of your motorized vehicle and on to your bicycle to enjoy nature up close and personal. Of course Jekyll also boasts beautiful beaches, the Turtle Rescue Center, and golf among other things to do, but the island’s 25 miles of bike trails, off road pathways with wooden bridges spanning creeks and marshes is one of my favorite escapes each summer. This spring’s mild temperatures have been ideal for walking or biking the trails and the Jekyll Island Authority has spent $700,000 in its efforts to improve the experience and provide a safer place for bike riders to enjoy the barrier island’s natural vistas, flora, and fauna.

Having explored the bike paths with my own children and grandchildren over the years I’d suggest bringing along water especially now that the weather is heating up and bicycling can be thirsty leisure. We have bottles and holders attached to our bike frames and on these rides they definitely come in handy as long as you remember to wash them out and refill them before you begin your adventure. Jekyll Island is a great place for family fun.

Stellie Bellies’ in St. Pete’s Grand Reopening!

After the fire last month in the store next door caused extensive smoke damage, enough to force Stellie Bellies’ 4^th Street store close its doors, I am happy to share the news that they have reopened, fresher, brighter, and better than ever. I took a quick tour of the store yesterday and although the restoration took longer than the hopeful original estimate of two weeks I never doubted the message on the banner that appeared above the doors -Fire Can’t Keep Us Down- and it hasn't  Now it’s time to come out (if you can travel safely in all this tropical weather) and show your support for this (in its 13th year) pillar of the community by shopping and purchasing items for sale there. Stellie Bellies is St. Petersburg, FL’s premier Maternity and Kiddie Resale Boutique and your patronage can help them recover financially from their unexpected month long hiatus. No baby? No excuse, you can always find things for baby showers, grand and great grand babies or great items to donate to groups that support foster babies and help new mothers that may not have extended family or traditional support. So make a plan to get your pocket book or wallet together and get over to Stellie Bellies and check out their great selection of items for infants, kids, and their expecting parents soon.  

Progress in War on Fatheads - Tea Party Challenges GA Power

When I saw these two headlines side by side in the paper this morning, I thought, Duh!...then Huh? On reread I saw the reason for my puzzlement. The headlines were about two different stories and I’d misread the first headline by a letter L. The first article was about Progress in the War on Flatheads and the second totally unrelated to either flatheads or fatheads regardless of your current political leanings was the Tea Party article.

The flat heads are an invasive species of catfish that are voracious eaters and can grow into the 100 pound range, a range sport fishermen liked. They have flourished and now pose a threat to native species and DNR crews are using electrofishing to stun them and when they float up to the water’s surface they are scooped up and disposed of. Lots of animal stunning in the news lately including kangaroos and llamas and now fish!

The Tea Party article was focused on how conservatives have targeted power companies in the past considering wireless meters an invasion of privacy for instance, and how now the Tea Party groups are stepping up their game in challenging more specifically, Georgia Power (AKA the Southern Co.), a billion-dollar, some say monopoly, that makes decisions that affect millions of power using people in Georgia.  

Looks like the only fathead in today’s blog is the blogger, me!

Kids Bowl Free!

This one is for my grandkids and all you parents and grandparents looking for some summer fun for the kiddos. Kids Bowl Free has been happening all over the country and it’s been recognized on TV too. This program is designed by bowling centers to give back to the community and provide a safe, secure, and fun way for kids to spend time this summer. I found out about it by reading a friend’s blog, Jenn Likes It, and though it may not be new news to all readers, it was good news to me! Jenn included taking the kids to bowl free in her list of things to do this summer. She has a lot of other great ideas in her blog too (so go check them out), but the bowling thing just caught my eye because I have at least one grandson, Brody, who loves to bowl and what slightly sun burned G’ma doesn't love a change of pace that includes A/C and is free! To get your kids registered for this and find bowling centers closest to you just go online and type Kids Bowl Free in your search engine. When you get to the website, click on your state to find participating bowling alleys and just click and go from there. And…if you click on your state and don’t find a bowling alley near you participating in this you can get the creators of Kids Bowl Free to invite a bowling center in your area to be a part of this great summer fun program.   

So, you never know where you might find me or a happy crew of related bowlers but here are some possibilities. In Brunswick you might see me at the Golden Isles Strike Zone, or in Melbourne at Shore Lanes, or in St. Pete at Ten Pin Lanes, or at the Nassau Bowling Center in Yulee. And now you won’t have to wonder why I always have a spare pair of socks in my purse.

Naga King Chili Pepper- World’s Hottest?

Once again I turned to SKYPE with my husband and best blog idea generator to come up with a blog topic. I immediately thought of my brother, a sampler of all kinds of hot peppers, goat, ghost, and habanero to name a few, who is known for putting them in his salsa recipes and after encouraging you to try it saying, “It might be a little hot.”  (Especially if you’re reading this, bro), I dedicate this blog to him.

My husband found some material on the Bhut Jolokia as the Naga King Chili is formally known and how its hotness rating has ranged from 500,000 to 1.5 million on the Scoville Heat Unit scale. A jalapeno usually scores around 4,000 SHU. Our Skype conversation went like this:

[8:48 PM] A. Mount: How about the Naga King Chili that is often ranked the world's hottest pepper. In the Chang village of Hakchang, an anthropologist is quoted as saying 1922 "...women whose blood relations on the male side have taken a head may cook the head with the chilies to get the flesh off. That's a pretty hot pepper!!

[8:48 PM] Jo Mount: Yikes!

[8:50 PM] A. Mount: This is in northeast India - 17 tribes of Nagaland who used to headhunt but still celebrate the Naga King Chili-Eating contest. They actually take people to the hospital because these peppers are so hot even though they consume powdered milk to try and reduce the pain.

[8:51 PM] Jo Mount: Is this also in New Scientist? (a place where I find a lot of interesting tidbits to blog about…)

[8:51 PM] A. Mount: No, this is in the latest Smithsonian - Food edition.

[8:51 PM] Jo Mount: Wild. I had no idea Smithsonian had a food edition. There are plenty of cooking shows on TV and even a network dedicated to food, so why not a Smithsonian Food Edition?

[8:52 PM] A. Mount: The pepper is about 250 times hotter than a jalapeno. The Indian military has even used it as a weapon. And it seems that the people introduce their kids to the pepper early in life and then by the time they're adults, the pain receptors in their tongues have been scorched to death so they can eat the stuff.

Needless to say I wonder why anyone would want to put something that could be used to take the meat off your bones in their mouths but go figure. The rest of our conversation went quickly downhill with things like misspelling the name of the pepper from Bhut Jolokia to Butt Joke and speculation on whether or not and why the toilets in India should be made of porcelain etc. and of course, how some who've sampled my brother’s salsa (without the Naga King Chilies) might even have had similar moments of reflection!  

Act of Kindness Foiled

This update’s focus is on the difficulty sometimes involved in doing random acts of kindness. It is a sad commentary on about how mistrusting and wary some of us have become, so wary that we won’t trust a stranger to do something kind for nothing in return. Then there is a spirit of just plain old mean-heartedness and I guess that is also one of the negative trends in today’s world that random acts of kindness are up against.

At a local convenience store, I was in line behind a woman that I saw park her older van at one of the gas pumps out front. She got to the counter and proceeded to very quietly plead with the cashier to set the pump for $3.00 (not a typo-just three dollars’ worth) of gas which she promised emphatically she would pay for when she came back from Kingsland. For readers not in the St. Marys area, Kingsland is 9 miles down the road. I say the woman tried to ask quietly because even though she didn’t intend it, I overheard. Three dollars, I thought, here is an inexpensive random act of kindness I can afford. When I reached the counter I put my purchases up for scanning and said that I would also like to pay for the woman’s gas. The clerk would not take my money. She flat out refused with no explanation. I’d like to think she planned on putting her own the three dollars in the register as her own random act of kindness but the vibe she gave off was more like she felt the woman who was getting the gas needed to be held accountable for the money. I had no choice except to count this attempt as foiled.

The next situation where my attempt at completing a random act of kindness was almost foiled involved crocheted baby hats. I crochet them and sometimes matching diaper covers too. I have sold lots of hats and given away a bunch too. The hat in question was a Minnie Mouse hat. I had sold one new mom a Minnie hat and diaper cover set but when I looked in on the baby in her car seat I realized the hat was much too big. The new mom assured me that her baby would grow into it (wise beyond her young years), paid me for the set including a tip (a first for me), and departed. I went home and made a mini Minnie hat that I knew would fit the baby now and wanted to give it to her so I renewed contact on Face Book. FB is where we originally met after I’d posted a picture of the Minnie hat. She politely declined my offer stating she had no recollection of ordering anything else. I assured her that she was correct about not ordering another hat and included that I just wanted to give her a hat. This was followed by several days of silence that allowed my imagination to decide that she must have figured I was some kind of FB stalker-grandma. I figured if I sent her another message she might be justified in thinking that but I decided to come clean and explain about the random acts of kindness I was working on and include one more offer of the hat. Honesty and transparency was the best policy for this wary mom and I was finally able to deliver the hat. This turned out to be an act that was not foiled.

I still plan to continue toward my goal of completing two random acts of kindness each week, and, yes, I am running a bit behind as usual, but I’m gaining insight. The world needs more random acts of kindness!

Molybdenum

Strange blog title, I know but words just have a way of popping out at me and even though I deleted this one once here it is bugging me again. Guess I should get the lead out and get on with this blog then. Molybdenum is an element (from the periodic table, right!) that gets its name from the Greek word for lead because although it isn't lead its ores were often confused with lead ores. It resembles chromium and tungsten in many properties, is used especially in strengthening and hardening steel, especially high temperature steels since molybdenum has a high melting point. Suffice it to say it has a lot of uses in industry, as I quickly found out from my research.

Molybdenum is also an essential trace element for virtually all life forms and works with enzymes as a catalyst for carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur chemical transformations. It’s complicated, and there are molybdenum supplements available although healthy people need not use them. There is some evidence that suggests the supplements can be useful to people with Crohn’s disease and/or a molybdenum cofactor deficiency that can be identified through genetic testing.

These nuggets of trivial knowledge inspired by spotting an odd word while reading about gold mining and how a boy in 1799 skipped Sunday school to go fishing and found a 17 pound gold nugget long ago….but that’s a topic for another blog!