Tag: life

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No Bones for My Dogs

As a kid, we had a bunch on dogs to play with on my grandfather’s farm. I loved running and playing with them across the yard and the corn fields. But they were mostly hunting dogs – not house dogs. They ate all kinds of thing. My grandmother would scrape the plates after meals and just toss it all outside for the dogs to get.

But now I have dogs that I love dearly and my vet has told me to not ever give the dogs tables scrap and to make sure they never get bones. The bones, especially from chicken and turkey, can splinter and the sharp points can slice up the dogs insides and kill them.

I sure had not eve thought of that and I guess it is a miracle that my grandfather’s dogs never suffered from internal bleeding and died from eating bones. But I don’t want to take a chance with my dogs, so no bones for the dogs. Not even steak bones. The vet says to stick with dog food and as long as I have money for real dog food, my dogs will get the best I can buy.

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Dog Food

My dogs are pretty picky about their dog food. I only buy name brands and I only buy the chicken flavor. When I buy the beef flavor, they get upset stomachs.

So, I have tried to stick with chicken dog food for my beloved pets. They especially like the Purina brand dog food that is in the red bag and has big chunks of chicken in it. They gobble down the Purina dog food and I have noticed that they pick out the big chunks of chicken first and then eat the rest.

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New Lotions

One of the cool things about spending the night with family or friends is having the chance to try new things. Like a different brand of toothpaste. Or a new hand lotion. I tried a new cologne last night – it was called Butterfly Wings. I have no idea who makes it, but it smelled lovely!

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Sing-a-longs

My grandfather used to play the piano at family gatherings and we would all sing along to a lot of fun songs. I loved the music class in school, too. Its a good thing most schools have some kind of music enrichment for kids.

I especially loved the times when we could sing songs in the round. Do you remember any of the songs like, “Row, row, row your boat?”

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Ten Interesting Facts About Homeland Security

The Department of Homeland Security is the newest cabinet of the US government and the third largest. Though many Americans certainly remember a time before the department even existed, there are many interesting things they may not know about how the department got its start.

Here are ten facts about the history and development of the Department of Homeland Security.

  1. It was created in 2002 as part of the Patriot Act, in direct response to the September 11, 2001 terror attacks on the United States.
  2. The creation of the department represents the most significant reorganization of the government since 1947, when the National Security Act was passed. This act was in response to the Cold War and created the CIA, among other things.
  3. Though the agency is charged with protecting the “homeland” and is therefore distinct from the military, which protects abroad, the Department of Homeland Security later absorbed the US Coast Guard, which previously fell under the Department of Defense, along with the other branches of the military.
  4. In 2003, the Department of Homeland Security absorbed the Immigration and Naturalization Service. The INS was then divided into two agencies: Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Citizenship and Immigration Services.
  5. Once the Department of Homeland Security was complete, it represented the most diverse merger of federal functions, incorporating 22 agencies under one organization.
  6. Former Pennsylvanian governor Tom Ridge was the first Secretary of Homeland Security. He had been appointed by President George W. Bush as the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security in October of 2001, before the Department of Homeland Security was created.
  7. The Department of Homeland Security has been located at its “temporary headquarters” on Nebraska Avenue, across from American University in Washington DC, since its inception. Permanent office space has been secured for the department at the St. Elizabeth’s Hospital Complex. However, the soonest personnel could begin moving into this complex is 2012, a full ten years after the creation of the department.
  8. The Department of Homeland Security developed the “terror threat” advisory system scale that we use today. It reports the current threat level of terrorism on a scale from “low” to “severe”.
  9. The seal of the department carries several important symbols. The shield in the center is divided into three sections, for land, sea and air.
    The air has 22 stars in the night sky, representing the 22 agencies that came together to form the department. The 13 arrows in the eagle’s left claw and the 13 olive branches in his right claw represent the 13 original colonies.
  10. The development of the Department of Homeland Security created new   jobs and job titles within the government, including the creation of federal air marshals, who ride on commercial airline flights to protect passengers and crew.

Though the department has seen its share of criticism for how agencies were absorbed and how measures have been carried out, there’s no question that the creation of this department has had a major impact on how the government does business and provides safety to Americans on our own shores.

Phyllis T. Zerkle particularly likes to write about issues surrounding homeland security and the various courses studied when earning a homeland security degree online.

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Turn the Page

Everyone has been so paranoid about the 10th Anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center Twin Towers. Thankfully we did not have an incident to ruin the day. But that does not mean we should let our guard down. When you take that big sigh of relief and go back to being lazy – that’s the perfect time for the bad guys to strike.

So, remain vigilant, friends. But also, let’s move on. Let’s find a way to get our lives back before the war and all these terrible things that were launched on Nine Eleven. We need to get back to normal.

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Red Beans and Rice

There are some really good mixes at the grocery store that let you make a big batch of red beans and rice in about 20 minutes. If you can boil water and open a cellophane package, you can make a passable version of red beans and rice.

But for my taste, the red beans and rice that they make at Popeye’s Fried chicken cannot be matched by a packaged mix. I don’t know how they make their version of it, but it rocks! Seriously, I love the stuff.

It would be worth getting a part time job at Popeye’s Fried Chicken just to learn how to make all the stuff they have on the menu. I love their dirty rice and their po’boys. This is the closest I have ever been to real New Orleans cooking and I love this stuff! Teach me!

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Early Start for the Weekend

Everyone I know has a three day weekend because of the Labor Day Holiday giving them Monday off from work. But I’m extra lucky because I have off today. That means I have a four day weekend, and I intend to make the most of every minute. See you on the Lake!

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Fabric Softener

With all the modern chemicals at my disposal in the the laundry room, it is amazing we have not had a lot of scientific studies talking about the long term effects of exposure to all the things we spray, pour and toss. Surely all of these chemicals cannot be good for us?

My latest experiment involves fabric softener. I’ve been using dryer sheets for over 10 years and they have done a good job of making the clothes less wrinkled and smelling fresh when they come out of the dryer. But lately I’ve noticed that there seems to be a lot of suds residue in the washer and on the clothes. So I am trying a liquid fabric softener that pours into the washer on the last rinse cycle. I only use about one fourth of the recommended amount. So far, this does a great job, it pulls more soap out of the clothes, and they smell just as nice when they are finished drying.

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Multi Family Yard Sale

My neighbors have all lived here in the same houses for years. There is just one house on the block that is rented, and we never see those people much. So all the rest of us have been here for at least 6 years. So why is it that we never have a multi family yard sale? All the other established neighborhoods seem to be more friendly about things like that. My girlfriend, KeeKee, just had a big yard sale and everyone on her street put things out to sell. It was like a big block party but they all made a little money and got rid of stuff they don’t want anymore.

What’s wrong with my neighbors?