Unhappy couch potato

 I love Dish Network. But I'm pretty mad at them right now--not a happy couch potato.

For days there has been no surfing, no CNN or MSNBC, no local news, no NASCAR race, and a tropical storm--Hermine--snuck up on us without my even knowing. All I can say is thank goodness for the internet.

Finding online news is easy. I learned out about Hermine from postings on Facebook from my favorite weather gurus. My NASCAR fix was satisfied by Justin.tv, where I was able to watch the races Saturday and Sunday nights. (See my NASCAR blog).


And I did enjoy catching up on some reading.

Taken by surprise
 
I never thought we would lose service, since we had just gotten a brand new HD system installed about two weeks ago. I couldn't have been happier at the time. We don't have an HD TV, but getting one has moved up on the priority list as something we "need."

Friday night, while watching TV, the screen went blank. We had lost the satellite connection. That was weird, since the upgrade we just got included a new dish, a right out-of-the box receiver, and new connectors at the dish. My husband John, did the techie thing -- he turned the receiver off and then on again. It worked. 

Saturday morning, however, it didn't. He called Dish Network. Customer Service folks are all very nice, and helpful. I was excited because they said they would send out a technician that morning.


Great, I thought. In the past, and we have had this service for years, we had a much longer wait for needed service. 

The tech, a nice young fellow, came out as promised, replaced some things that I don't even care to know about, let alone identify. He said it the receiver was bad and would need to be replaced. He would order it. 

"You should get it tomorrow," he said, giving us his phone number. He instructed us to call him the minute it arrives. He will drop what he is doing and come over to hook it up.

I reminded him that tomorrow was Sunday and Monday was a holiday. I know UPS didn't deliver. He said FedEx might deliver on Sunday. I had my doubts. He said he would call when he found out something. That was the last we heard from him until he stopped by to pick up a tool he left here. He said he would come back Monday and replace all the cables from the dish to the back of the unit. We stayed around the house all weekend, waiting during what was arguably the most beautiful weekend this summer.

John called Dish Network Monday afternoon after not hearing a word from our tech. We now had no satellite service from Friday to Monday. They promised to send a technician out Tuesday between 8 a.m. and noon. It is 10 a.m. and I am waiting, and am not really happy.

If anyone has had a similar experience, leave a comment. Let me know how it turned out.

Nature at the window

I love my life. Almost six years ago my husband and I packed up everything we owned, said goodbye to family and friends, and moved to parts unknown. That is a slight exaggeration because we had vacationed in Arkansas. But that was different. All those years ago, actually living here was the farthest thing from my mind.


But today, I realize there is no better place to be.


One afternoon I was walking past the window when I happened to glance outside. When I saw this three deer foraging on clover in the backyard, I couldn't resist just sitting for a while to take in the adorable scene. 

As I watched, little Bambi seemed to mimic everything her mother did.

I watched the three of them for half an hour or more. While mother and child were munching on vegetation, the other doe was eyeing the protector of our property, our cat Timi.

Timi was sitting in a chair and was slightly interested, though not enough to move from her comfortable perch not far from the activity. She did care enough, however, to give a quick wag of her tail. She seemed less interested than the doe who watched Timi intently. Much to the doe's disappointment, Timi finally tired of the whole routine. She stretched out onto her back where she appeared to be asleep, ignoring the would-be intruders. 

Timi was no stranger to the deer. One day I watched her parading another  small herd of them from the woods into the yard, as if to proudly proclaim, so this is where we live.  

But this was a different doe. She tried a characteristic snort, a little hoof-beating with her front foot, and even a swish or two of her own white tail. Nothing. Finally, when she couldn't get a rise out of Timi, she joined the other two, who by this time had scampered off into the woods. 


I will never tire of this kind of scene, and in my own backyard. It is a joy to watch the wildlife that let us share the woods with them. From the three baby raccoons who trailed behind their mother toward the bird feeder, to the road runner that eyed its own reflection in the glass of the front door, to the tarantulas that traverse the front yard, Mother Nature always provides something to see. And I don't want to miss a thing.

Email Mystery--How's This for Nostalgia?

I got a big surprise recently when I opened an email from a friend.

While I appreciate the gesture, as a general rule I ignore forwarded emails meant to inspire, enlighten, or entertain me. First, I don’t want to contract a computer virus. Second, I have far too many unread emails already. I usually delete them, but there are always exceptions. At times, a good joke is just what I need. The email I reference here, came to me twice from two different people. The first time I took notice, but the second time, I really took notice.

As a baby-boomer with a penchant for the good ole days, I decided to take a look at this one, entitled, "How's this for nostalgia?"

Perhaps you have seen it too. It began with a picture of 'those ugly gym uniforms' we all used to wear. I smiled as I scrolled down looking at the pictures that resonated with me from the past.

When I got to the part that statement, "They (teachers) threatened to keep kids back a grade if they failed…and they did it!" there was a picture attached that really caught my eye. 

Immediately upon seeing the picture, I recognized some of the kids.

This is my class, I thought. As I looked at them, I began to remember a few of their names—Gilbert, David, Elmer, Sue, Sally, Jimmy, Rosanne, Theresa, Sharon, and Cynthia. That was all I could muster. I have no idea any of their last names were, except for Sharon. I attended her birthday party. She lived across the street from our school. I wasn't in this picture, but I still believe this to be my class. If this was my class, this picture had to be taken around the late 1950's.

I struggled to read any identifying information on the plaque placed on the floor, front and center with the name of the school and date the picture was taken, but to no avail. It was all too blurred to read. I could tell that it said, Chicago, Ill., however.

I immediately went to an old photo album where I located my kindergarten and first grade pictures—1957 and 1958. The pictures contained those same kids I mentioned. I believe this picture was taken the following year after my family had moved out of that school district.

The picture above is from my first grade class. That's me—front row, fourth from the left.

In '57 and '58, I attended James Hedges Elementary School on Chicago's south side. The school is still there today, but the website yielded no information about those good ole days. I plan to write to the Chicago Public School District to see if there is any way to verify this information.

This picture so haunted me that I googled "How's This for Nostalgia." I learned that several sites by that name contained similar, but not identical information. Only a few sites contained this picture. That leads me to believe that someone, perhaps one of my long-lost classmates, added their own school picture to the nostalgia email.

I would love to solve this mystery, so if you know anyone in this picture, or anything about the origination of this email, please comment or send me an email.

Jury still out in Illinois' Ex-Gov. Blagojevich case

Illinois Ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich

Illinois Ex-Governor Rod Blagojevich looks just as dapper today as he did when this picture was taken in 2003 while he was still Illinois' governor. He made an appearance at Union Station in Joliet, IL to speak to an enthusiastic crowd of supporters.

Today, Blagojevich awaits a verdict by a jury of his peers after weeks of testimony was delivered in a federal court room in Chicago. Blagojevich stands accused of 24 charges, including racketeering for allegedly trying to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama when he won the Presidential election.

It is amazing that a man who is accused of acting in his own best interests over and above the very people he was supposed to represent, can still appear as cool as Blagojevich does during television appearances and in interviews.

At the time I took these photos, I was one of the people Blagojevich was supposed to represent, though I didn't feel very adequately represented. 

I was among a small group at Union Station that afternoon, in an effort to lobby, and I use that term very loosely, against the state's plan to build a new airport, the South Suburban Airport, near the small town of Peotone, some 40 miles south of Chicago.

C.J. Ogalla lobbies Gov. Rod Blagojevich

We did get noticed, thanks to the adorable C.J. Ogalla, shown at right, who was just 7 at the time. She wrote a letter to Blagojevich. It was heartfelt and touching as it echoed the feelings her mother has expressed for years.

C.J. lives with her family on a working farm near where they want to build the airport. Her mother Judy has been an avid fighter for a long time, vowing she and her husband will never give up their family farm for a project that isn't needed. Blagojevich continued to support the airport while in office.


Blagojevich's latest criticism stems from the fact that he brought his daughters into the courtroom. Why not, he has consistency claimed he is innocent? It is not odd that he would want his family by his side to show their support for him. Besides, it would look good to members of the jury. And looking good is what Ex-Gov. Rod is all about.

Healthy eating

Healthy eating—it seems that is a common thread in every magazine you pick up and with people you chat with in line at the grocery store.

I have been trying to do my part as well. Today, I discovered the trifecta, of healthy eating—brown rice. I made some earlier in the week, for lunch. I started by sautéing onions, diced carrots and cut-up broccoli. I love mushrooms, so I added those too. Then I added the rice and cooked it in beef stock. It was so much better than plain, bland rice. It was a satisfying lunch.

The following day I cut up lots more veges—red pepper, red onion, more mushrooms, and celery—for a stir fry. I added the rice and a little stir fry seasoning. It was delicious.

Today, with some leftover, I stuffed it all into a green pepper, topped it with a little parmesan cheese and cooked it until the pepper was soft, about 30 minutes. It was very filling and very tasty.

My lunch is always accompanied by a huge glass of iced tea. Whey I drinking it with a meal, I don't use sugar in it. When I brew my tea, I use two tea bags filled with black tea and two with green tea. Sometimes, I use flavored green tea. When I drink iced tea as a stand-alone beverage, I sometimes miss the taste of the loads of sugar I used to use in it. Sometimes, I add honey. I'm not really crazy about that, however, so most often, I just add a squeeze of fresh lemon instead, forgetting about the sweetness.

I admit that I have become a Dr. Oz junkie. I record all of his shows and don't miss one. I wish he would clone himself and place a Dr. Oz copy into every medical community across the country. I am less than impressed with the doctors I've found in my neighborhood. They seem to be interested only in pushing pills rather than encouraging healthy living. That is no answer as far as I'm concerned. Preventative medicine is probably more important than trying to repair the damage once it is done.

Changing a lifetime of unhealthy eating has been difficult, but I think the rewards far outweigh (no pun intended) the effort. With just a few changes, it is easy to see the difference. I feel much better and have more energy. And there is no pill that can do that.

Growing food in my own backyard

One of my greatest joys is weeding my herb garden. Not only does a weed-free garden look spectacular, but it smells so nice while I'm doing it. Pulling quack grass from around a mound of lemon thyme or clover that has found its way next to a sage bush brings sweet fragrant rewards. The same is true with the unwanted invaders near the lavender, dill, and rosemary.

Growing my own herbs and other edibles is a longtime passion of mine. But it isn't just because bringing food from the backyard to the kitchen table or opening a jar of canned tomatoes in the dead of winter is so satisfying. It is also because I am becoming increasingly concerned about the cost of the food we buy at the grocery store.

The cost is not just the price, but the potential health risks. What we think is natural food may have been altered via technology.

I am becoming increasingly concerned about the impact that large corporations, unregulated imports, and loose standards in our own country are having on the food we eat. No one should die or become ill from eating food they thought was nutritious.

From what my non-scientifically-trained mind can glean from what is occurring today, there could be an inherent danger, if not immediately, but in the long term, from eating genetically modified food. I am not convinced that large bio tech companies responsible for changing the basic structure of the food we think we are eating is the right thing to do—at least not without adequate controls and testing. I doubt these huge corporate entities give a rip about my health.

Learn more about genetically modified (GM) foods from Jeffrey Smith, the author of Seeds of Deception and Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods. Smith is the Executive Director of  Institute for Responsible Technology

The answer may be in a growing trend—locally-grown food. Not only is it nice to know where our food comes from, but it may be essential to our health and well being.

The advantages of locally-grown food, especially when it comes from our own backyards are numerous, not only to ourselves and to our families, but to the well being of mankind.

It all comes back to my garden. The more I learn about how things are done beyond the reaches of my own backyard, the more I am drawn to that little patch of food growing there.

Gulf Coast disaster worsens every day

The Gulf disaster is more frightening every day as the situation seems to become more complex than first thought.

While fear is one of the predominant emotions invoked by the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico, there is plenty of room for anger as well.

I have always and will continue to be angry that greed trumps common sense. The question of the hour has to be, is it safe to drill into the earth's 
crust at depths far below the ocean's surface in our quest for black gold?

I can scarcely believe that there are still calls for off-shore deep-water drilling for oil, especially by the same people that are being harmed the most and crying the loudest by what might prove to be the largest environmental disaster to face modern man.

Important decisions should be made by intelligent people rather than wealthy people with something to gain.  Worshipping the almighty dollar has violated the rights of individuals, countries, and perhaps all of humanity. I hope it is not too late to learn from our mistakes.

Even if the oil leak were plugged today, irreparable damage has been done to ecosystems beneath the sea. These are ecosystems that we have not even fully explored. Some species will likely be eradicated before man can fully understand them. All species are important to the overall survival of all of us. I am not a scientist, and yet it is clear that the situation in the Gulf is dire.

Food for thought—check out the following: http://www.viewzone2.com/oilnuke.html

Image thanks to: Kenneth Cratty / FreeDigitalPhotos.net