I've read several eBooks pertaining to the uses of vinegar and wish to share two of the very best tips I have found to work:

Sink Unstopper: For your kitchen sinks, bathtub, and bathroom lavatories simply boil about 1 1/2 pints to 1 quart of cheap vinegar, pour it down the drain, and wait about 15 minutes before you run more water down the drain.  I was amazed how effective this is.  It surely is much healthier for any septic systems than sulfuric acid based products.  I buy the store brand of vinegar by the gallon at WalMart for little more than the cost of a gallon of water.

Athletics foot: Years ago I was plagued with this and nothing in the drug store truly worked at all.  I took a cotton swab and wet the infected areas with vinegar and the next morning,....it was gone!  Now, if it even looks like its coming back, I do the same.

        About 4 years ago I adopted a dog which is half beagle and half terrier. The pound said he had only 1 more day to go before they put him down. Afterwards, on two seperate occasions, he wandered away from the house and was gone for up to 3 days.  In much anguish I drove along the roads expecting to find him dead on the side of the road.  Finally, I revisited the dog pound and surely enough he had been picked up again as a stray.  Finally he quit doing that. However, the dog pound used a white pickup truck with a canopy on the back.   Apparently it resembles the truck used by our pest control company.  When my dog sees it through the window, he starts trembling all over.  If he is outside, it takes up to 3 hours of coaxing to get him to calm down enough to dare venture into the house again...and even then he acts frightened. 
       It seems that he projects the identity of the dog catchers to the pesticide serviceman.  I consider that he was 3 years old when we got him, and we have no way of knowing what memories may be coming to mind with him.  This is the risk that one takes in adopting a grown pet. Even so, I would do it again. I never take him with me away from the house without him being on a leash. The leash is to protect him from himself were he to have a panic attack again.
      Some people are so generous and loving that they adopt a human child. If the child is 10 years old, for instance, that child has a memory of what a father is like, what a teacher is like, what policemen are like, etc.  In all likelihood the child will project a set of feelings upon innocent persons who mean them no harm.
     Adoption of a living being has potential risks which only the more loving can understand and correct.

      We've received news that another grandchild is expected towards the end of the year...so there is no retiring from grand-parenting.  We are hopeful with this news.  Otherwise there is little news in my little life. My health is good and stable and I am grateful for that.  I try to put at least 2 items on this blog every day, and that keeps me busy recalling all sorts of things.  Not allowing comments gives me much freedom.  In the past, I was active in several forums and even an administrator of one.  After typing something, I would need to restate it several different ways to smooth ruffled feelings.  No one would agree with my every comment, but at least I don't have to enterface with friction.   This leaves me free to compose more freely.

A young executive was leaving the office late one evening when he encountered the CEO standing in front of a shredder with a piece of paper in his hand.

"Listen," said the CEO, "this is a very sensitive and important document here, and my secretary has gone for the night. Can you make this thing work?"

"Certainly," said the young executive. He turned the machine on, inserted the paper, and pressed the start button.

"Excellent, excellent!" said the CEO as his paper disappeared inside the machine. "I just need one copy."

         Applauding mediocrity has become a way of life in America.  It started in the 1950's.  Something was introduced in our school which applauded a students effort while ignoring the end result.  Students could draw something which was obvious trash but were applauded nevertheless.  Students were passed from grade to grade like hot potatoes lest the pride of one of the little darlings be abused.  Soon, some of those later graduated and tinkered with musical instruments and produced a sound.  It was hardly music, but after all, they sincerely worked at it.  Today over 10,000 people will pay good money to watch some tacky little band prance around a stage shouting unintelligible lyrics and working up a sweat.  Since they sincerely worked at it people will stand up and cheer even if it sounded like crap.

         I've hired a few of these hot potatoes in my day and found that I was expected to be pleased with their best effort even though it was far below the job requirements.  I found that there are two types of employees.  Those who hope you will be pleased with what they did, and those who do those things which they know please you.   If I gave an employee a drawing of exactly the way tables and chairs were to be arranged in a room, there was no room for negotiation.  It was absurd the amount of time I had to spend explaining this to some. 

        Actually, hiring a veteran of the armed services can be a very good value.  In the Army, I learned that I was to do exactly what I was commanded to do.  I might regard an order as dumb or self defeating, but nevertheless, I was to obey it perfectly.  Alas...too many in the work place don't have a clue about such standards. 

       So many people applaud mediocrity in music, art, and other areas that they wouldn't know good music if they heard it.

         If someone says, "I am an American." they have said too little.  The seven continents of the world are 1) Asia,   2)Africa, 3) North America, 4) South America, 5) Antaractica 6) Europe, and 7) Australia. If someone says they are a North American, once again I still do not know what country they live in.  North America consists of the countries of Canada, the USA, and Mexico.  South American consists of a number of countries. One could be from North America and also be from Mexico just as easily as from the USA. I know that this is probably splitting hairs for some of you, but language is important.
       Generally, sociologist has used race terms to describe 1) skin color 2) cranial or facial features, and 3) hair texture. The US Census bureau uses 6 major categories of listing people: 1) White, 2) Black, 3)American Indian or Alaska Native, 4) Asian, 5) Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders, and 6) some other race.
My father came from French stock, and my mother claimed Irish beginnings. Would that make me a French-Irish American? It might, but such terms are too lacking in detail to be of value.
       Although I have seen the term "African American" driven into the ground, I have yet to meet a negro or black person who was not born in the USA from parents who also were born here. When they say "African American" I suppose they are saying, "I am a person living the Continent of North American in the country of the United States of American and am of the category of Black in regards to skin color, facial features, and hair texture." I am to assume that they reference the USA because because I have never hear of a hoopla raised by "African Mexicanians," or "African Canadians" .
      By definition, a person born in the United States through parents who were legal citizens are likewise citizens from birth.  There are no laws respecting race as such. 

I am told that chickens almost weren't included in
Noah's Ark..........They used fowl language.

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Confucius say,...he who crosses river twice without bathing shall be known as a dirty double crosser.

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If it's true that we are here to help others, then what exactly are the others here for?

       Crockpots vary in size and temperatures so modify this to suit your equipment.  When it calls for water, I usually use the juice left over from cooking lima beans in onion soup mix.  Actually you could thin out almost any soup in the water for enhanced taste.

Ingredients: (to make a lot)
3 cups dry rice
5 cups water ( or diluted soup mix of your choice)
1 tablespoon salt (optional)
3 tablespoons cooking oil (I use Canola oil)

Ingredients: (to make less)
2 cups dry rice
3 1/2 cups water (or diluted soup mix of your choice)
2 1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
1 1/2 tablespoons cooking oil

        Line the insides of the cooker pan with Crisco. Pour in all ingredients.  Cook using the 'High" setting for 1 hour. Then stir throughly and quickly return the lid. Then cook for 45 minutes on the low setting.  When finished, allow it to somewhat cool in the pot.  I often freeze any excess in 1 qt. freezer bags for the easy preparation of other dishes in the future.

        Today people resent absolute values. Few read their Bibles because they have predetermined that they distain absolute values and know that the book upholds absolute standards.  They take a cafeteria approach to the Bible, their church's teachings, the US Constitution and its laws and on just about everything.  Recently Nancy Peloski returned from a meeting with the Pope and afterwards he stated that she was told that "Elected leaders of nations are responsible for protecting the life of every individual from conception to the grave." The news media correctly called this an ending to the cafeteria approach of selecting which teachings of the church to accept.

       Protestants are no better.  It might interest you to take a tour of a church parking lot some Sunday and count the number of radar detectors that can be seen in cars.  A radar detector in effect says, "I elect to disregard the law pertaining to speed limits at my whim.  My only concern is being caught and having to pay a fine." This also is a cafeteria approach of civil obedience. 

Although our Constitution is most clear and succinct regarding human rights, gun laws, and many things, nevertheless our Congressmen elect to take the cafeteria approach to its interpretation.

     When a people lose their adherance to absolute values, their demise, although gradual, is most certain.

       At election time most problems come from people who either can't read, or simply people who go through life never reading the instructions to anything.  On the voting booths are easy to understand instructions in large print. Yet, some pinheads get into a voting booth and in a clumsy fashion just sort of do things correctly.  I recall the big debacle in Florida where persons were to punch out chads and make certain that they were clearly removed to indicate their vote.  Alas, a surprising number just halfway did it.  Consequently panels of people held ballots up to the light to determine that "we believe that he intended to vote this way or that"  To me this was stupid beyond words.
        Imagine this scenario: I spend considerable time writing a letter to a friend.  I neatly put it in an envelope, seal the envelope, put a return address label on it, and label the address to the friend most carefully.  Then I mail it, but I failed to put a stamp on it. It arrives at the post office.  Do you suppose the postal worker says, "You can tell that much effort was spent in preparing this letter and no doubt Harry intends for us to mail it. Let's just be sweet and mail it for him because we know that was his intention." Nonsense!! They could not be blamed for throwing it in the trash although the local carrier might put it back in my box and write "needs stamp" on it, but he is not required by law to do so. This same principle applies to voting.  One either votes according to the rules...or one doesn't.  Such absurdities as sometimes occur at election times truly drives me up the wall.