A Spider Plant Haiku

Spiders duplicate
While winter outdoors rages
Will one be yours soon

Sometimes you just need a little poetry. I wrote the one above for our very healthy spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum.)

The Haiku is a fun little word puzzle. So simple, yet so complex.

five sylables

seven sylables

five sylables

Here's one I just wrote about the election

Barack Obama

maybe Hillary Clinton

but not John McCain

Green Thursday: Prozac in the water!

Have you cleaned out the medicine cabinet lately? The old advice was to flush expired or un-needed medications down the toilet. Not anymore. Small amounts of antibiotics, anti-depressants, veterinary drugs, birth control hormones and ibuprofen have been detected in waterways across the United States. Research suggests that the hormones found in pharmaceuticals may cause abnormalities in the reproductive cycles of fish. Antibiotics that are present may also lead to the development of drug-resistant germs, which are linked to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. More research still needs to be done to determine the effects of long-term human exposure, but the available research suggests that we need to keep medicines out of our waterways.

Putting unused or expired medications in the garbage is not ideal either. Keep in mind, when you throw medicine in the garbage, kids, pets and animals can still get into them or they could be stolen. Also, landfills can leak into the groundwater.

Many communities have collection days for old medicine, just like they do for hazardous wastes. You could also check with your pharmacist to see if they'll take care of it for you.

Every Green Thursday we post information for the good of the planet.

Under Cover of Darkness

We've seen the tracks during the day, but never the critter leaving them. Last night, we caught him in the act!

Mr. Bunny (Sylvilagus Transitionalis,) eating up bird seed around the base of the feeders.

He's also been doing some damage to the shrubs in the LipsYard, because the deep snow gets him up to the younger, tender tips of branches. Here he is, caught with our night vision camera, heading towards the Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana.)

Under cover of their own darknes: National Security, the Bush administration has slowly and methodically hacked away at our civil rights and liberties.

They have used every available statute to root out "the terrorists among us." Wrapping themselves in the flag, they have shredded the Constitution. They have ignored or defied the courts and legislatures that are designed to provide checks and balances on unbridled executive power.

They have eroded the Bill of Rights protections of free speech, assembly, and association and its assurances of privacy, due process, equal protection, legal counsel, and a fair trial, practically everything but the right to bear arms. No wait, they did that after Katrina.

In the name of combating terrorism, the government can now freeze the release of public records, monitor political and religious gatherings, and jail Americans indefinitely without trial and with legal representation. Bush and Cheney Inc. have established a climate that stifles dissent, and put laws in place enabling them to clamp down on those who ask too many questions. Waterboarding? No problem!

My fear is that as the spys among us get used to their unspurpassed freedom to snoop into our lives and private affairs, will a new administration be able, or willing, to pull back on the reins, and give this country back to the people?

Wisconsin Primary Day - The Beginning of the End

It was with true excitement that I drove up to Mukwonago Village Hall, our polling place for the Presidential Primary. The Bush Administration's end is at hand (see countdown clock to the right.) It has been a long slog, but the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter.

Do we need to continue this junta's policies? Sorry, John McCain, NO!

Do we need to rewrite the Constitution to fit a religion? Sorry, Mike Huckabee, NO!

We are ready for Change, Change, CHANGE!

I could have gone either way with Hillary and Barack, but in the end, chose the Obama bandwagon. It was conservative talk radio that swayed my vote. They seem to think that Mrs. Clinton would be easier to beat, so they were encouraging crossover voters to select her. I chose the candidate they are all afraid of.

Presidents Day

A picture says a thousand words. What does it say of our leader that he has to go all the way to Africa to find people that like him?

The main reason for his popularity is that the fund to combat AIDS he created in 2003 has spent more than $15 billion on the continent over the past five years. The fund is the largest international health initiative ever to fight a single disease, and Bush wants to double that amount to $30 billion over the next five years. Where is his compassion for those in his own country?

Tulips for my Valentine

Look what my sweetie gave her Valentine: Tulips for her Lips!

Although tulips (Tulipa gesneriana) are associated with Holland, both the flower and its name originated in the Persian Empire. The tulip is actually not a Dutch flower as many people tend to believe. The tulip, or "Laleh" as it's called in Persian, is a flower indigenous to Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey and other parts of Central Asia. The name tulip is from the Latin word “dulband,” or turban. (I'm sure that will make it a favorite in the Bush Administration!)

Using his two lips to speak out of both sides of his mouth, Presidential candidate Senator John McCain wants to have it both ways; that he's a good ol' boy conservative Republican, but yet attractive to crossover liberal Democrats. I'm not sure how he thinks that staying in Iraq for as long as it takes has that liberal appeal, nor does his displeasure with the no-gay-marriage ammendment reach out to the Limbaugh coalition. Two lips indeed!

Newspaper carrier update: 1 month on

Every morning for the last month I've hesitantly padded up to the front door, said a little prayer, opened it, and as if heaven had heard; there it is, the paper, in the box by the porch.

This may not seem like a big deal, but up until a month ago, I used to retrieve the morning rag from the base of the driveway. All I had to do was appeal to the business sense of the delivery person, promising her $5 a month for putting the prize in the ugly green box by the front door. My neighbor, Jim, saw me in my jammies the other morning reaching for the paper, "Is it still working?" he shouted. "Yes!" I yelled back. "Incredible" came the volly as he picked up his paper from the street. I can't believe he's not on the 'ugly green box by your house' bandwagon.

On these mornings where we've had a dusting of snow, the moment of delivery is captured with her footsteps. Miracles do happen...

... at least that's what Mike Huckabee keeps telling everyone. On the issue of the newspaper being in the box every morning, I can agree with the candidate. On everything else he's espousing, I must respectfully pass.

From the Land of Lincoln

Happy Birthday, Honest Abe. Here's some facts about our 16th President.
Birthday: February 12, 1809
Birthplace: Hardin County, Kentucky

Height: 6'4"
College or University: none
Religion: Presbyterian (never joined any church)
Occupations: Clerk, Store Owner, Military, Lawyer
Military Rank: Captain
Married: (November 4, 1842) Mary Todd
Children: Robert Todd Lincoln, Edward Baker Lincoln, William Wallace Lincoln, Thomas Lincoln. Three sons predeceased Abraham in death.
Political Party: Republican
Runner Up: Stephen A. Douglas - George B. McClellan
Vice President: Hannibal Hamlin - Andrew Johnson
Age at Inauguration: 52
Served: 1861-1865
Number of terms : 2
Other Offices or Commissions: House of Representatives (Illinois - 1847-1849), State Legislature (Illinois 1834-1842), Postmaster of New Salem, Illinois
Died: April 15, 1865
Age at Death: 56
Place of Burial: Springfield, Illinois

Another product of the Illinois political scene, Barack Obama, is in our area, and I'm proud to say that my Mom and Dad will be yelling "Yes We Can!" at his rally in Racine tomorrow evening. I'm jealous because I've never met, or even seen a presidential candidate in person.

Here's some trivia about Barack Obama:

Birthday: August 4, 1961
Height: 6' 1½"
College or University: He studied law at Harvard University for three years. He also attended Columbia University, and attended Occidental College in California for two years.
Married: 1992 Michelle
Children: 2 daughters Malia and Sasha
Political Party: Democratic
Other Offices or Commissions: first elected to the Illinois State Senate in 1996, then re-elected in 2002, and to the U.S. Senate in 2004. Served on the Environment and Public Works Committee, the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and the Foreign Relations Committee.

Up and At 'em on The Morning Blend

An early sing-out for my quartet, "Ha!" on The Morning Blend on Channel 4. (l-r Mike, Jim, Lips, Grant) Click our picture to watch the video.

We were promoting Singing Valentines from our men's a cappella chorus, Midwest Vocal Express. Time for the shameless plug: you can get on for your sweetie, just check out the details at http://www.mve.org/

I'm still checking on Hillary's schedule for Valentine's Day. Maybe we could sing one for her.

Roof-rakin' Again

Our snow-drifted LipsYard house was so adorable after the big storm...

...it kinda looked like the houses the Smurfs lived in.

But when Mr. Icicle appeared in the front window, it was time for action.

I'm roof-raking again, and this stuff is deep and heavy.

Hey, who piled all that snow on the ground? Time to wheel out the snowblower.

No more Smurf house for us, and...

...no more roof raking until I get to the hardware store to replace the broken bolts. That was some heavy snow.

Blinded by the heavy snows of an election year, Congress can't spend our money fast enough. Both the House and Senate have approved a $150 billion economic stimulus package that pays us $600 a piece. The idea is to spend it, and stimulate economic growth. A new survey shows that we're not exactly going to follow the plan. $600 dollars per person, another $300 per kid. A new survey asked Americans what they would do with their tax rebate money:

• 43 percent said they would pay off debt
• 26 percent said they would put it into savings
• 24 percent said they would spend it

Not the stumulation they expected. No worries, just pile it on the skyrocketing National Debt, on top of the Iraq pile.

Green Thursday: Hope for the Future

What a snowstorm it was!

I can't remember the last time we had drifts over the edge of the house like this. It kind of looks like a Smurf house.

This is what we see out the front door!

Our storm was part of an intense weather system that spawned tornados down south that killed at least 55. Senator John Kerry blames the intense storms on climate change. The former Presidential candidate said, "...the weather service has told us we are going to have more and more intense storms. And insurance companies are beginning to look at this issue and understand this is related to the intensity of storms that is related to the warming of the earth. And so it goes to global warming and larger issues that we’re not paying attention to.”

With Mitt Romney dropping out of the race to the White House today, and given frontrunner John McCain's actual belief in Global Warming and the need to do something about it, no matter who gets elected in November, there's hope for the planet.

Every Green Thursday we post information vital to the survival of planet earth.

A loyal bird

Year round we have the pleasant company of the humble Junco (Junco hyemalis.)

They are a common North American bird, nesting in a well-hidden location on the ground or low in a shrub or tree. Can you find two Juncos in our Crabapple?

Juncos forage on the ground, mainly eating insects and seeds. I

I'm guessing in winter, it's pretty much seeds, exclusively, especially ones put out by Charmaine. Sometimes they can't wait for seeds to fall to the ground and go up to the feeder, especially on Storm of the Century days like today.

This Old Jade

Commonly known as jade plant, friendship tree or Money Plant, Crassula ovata is an evergreen succulent native to South Africa where the environmental conditions are dry with little rainfall.

Charmaine has had this huge plant (or a relative of it) for as long as I've known her. It takes a knockin' and keeps on rockin'.

The plant itself can be identified by it's thick grey branches and smooth, rounded and fleshy jade-colored leaves that grow in opposing pairs along the branches.

In the summer time it lives out on the back patio, mostly in the shade. In the winter it comes indoors to the four season room.

Here's a growing tip: Jades require a normal watering when the soil is dry in the summer, and very little water in the winter. Overwatering will cause them to lose their leaves and eventually the stem will rot away. It is best to keep them on a 10 - 20 day cycle in the summer, and even less (up to a month dry) in the winter. Letting the soil dry between waterings is essential for a healthy and happy jade. They are also very easy to propagate into small plants to give as gifts.

Our old Jade reminds me a little bit of John McCain, taking a beating, almost having his campaign collapse, then coming back stronger than ever. I can hear you loyal readers saying, "John McCain? Why are you talking about him?" Because the right wing talkers (led by Rush,) hate him. They think he's too liberal for the conservative movement.

A win for McCain is a win for the Democrats. Go get em' Johnny!

Signs of Spring

Saturday was Groundhog Day, and Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, meaning 6 more weeks of Winter, but that's out East. Around here it was overcast, so no shadow, and an early appearance for the green season.

Another sure sign of Spring is the sprouting of the Paperwhite Narcissus (Narcissus Tazetta) bulbs in the kitchen.

Along with being a visual beauty, the scent, not unlike an Easter Lily, is wonderful, too.

Another harbinger of Spring is a deficit-laden Federal budget, presented by the White House. This year we're running another $410 billion in the Red. Nice job Republican Party. Aren't you supposed to be the fiscal conservatives and promoters of smaller government? It's about time to let someone else manage our feed trough for a while.

Shovel Smart

One of the more common causes of back injuries during the winter months is snow removal. Using the wrong body mechanics when shoveling snow can put undue stress on the spine and lead to muscle strains, falls, or more serious back injuries.
The following snow removal tips can help you to avoid low back injuries and pain during what's left of our snowy winter season.


Pick the right snow shovel. An ergonomic design can help take some of the effort out of your snow removal chores. A shovel with a curved handle or an adjustable handle length will minimize painful bending, requiring you to bend your knees only slightly and arch your back very slightly while keeping the shovel blade on the ground.

• Warm up thoroughly. (does anybody really do this? Cold, tight muscles are more prone to injury than warmed up, flexible muscles.
• Pace yourself, removing small amounts of snow frequently is less strenuous than removing a large pile at once.
• Whenever possible, push the snow to one side rather than lifting it. When lifting the snow shovel is necessary, make sure to use ergonomic lifting techniques:
  Always face the object you intend to lift
  Bend at the hips, not the low back, and push the chest out
• Bend your knees and lift with your leg muscles, keeping your back straight
  Grip the shovel with one hand as close to the blade as comfortably possible and the other hand on the handle
• Avoid twisting the back to move your object to its new location – always pivot your whole body to face the new direction
• Walk to the new location to deposit the item rather than reaching or tossing
• When gripping the shovel, keep your hands about 12 inches apart to provide greater stability and minimize the chances of injuring your low back
  If possible, stop shoveling – use a snow blower instead

Now we're talking! When used correctly, a snow blower can put less stress on your low back than shoveling. Make sure to use the power of your legs to push the snow blower while keeping your back straight and knees bent.
For more you can go to spine-health.com

All of these shoveling techniques can also be used to dig through all the rhetoric in the Presidential candidate debates.