Getting ready for college, next step in life,

I have been quite busy, trying to run around, buying things, (mostly buying things, which I can ill afford to do), getting myself a decent pair of walking sandals (gosh, they cost $49, on sale), preparing to go to college. It is hard to believe, at 50 something, I am going to "live" at college and get a Masters in English. Why do this? Like Dana Torres, 41, Olympic swimmer said, it's never too late to achieve your dreams.
Yes, you can go to college, even if it will be the same one as your son! But he is an undergrad in IT, and I hope to be a professor or editor/research writer. And to keep writing my satire "Lessons" on the side.
Even drove up there for an assistantship job to help with student activities, but, well, they gave it to someone else, someone no doubt younger. But son says "he" could get me a job!
Maybe I could be like Lee Smith: professor/author. It is one goal, anyway, along with improving the environment for plants AND people, and help support public school teachers. I just need to be better at picking myself up in the job-setback department. There will always be fierce competition (so how do you get "picked" for things)?

proposed coal plant, regulate gasoline!

I was left here while the spouse went to a public hearing on building a supposed "hybrid" coal plant in southwest Virginia. Do we need MORE coal plants at a time when we are experiencing weather extremes related to global warming? It certainly won't reduce the price of gasoline.

Gasoline, uh, it's ridiculous at $4.00 a gallon! When I was a kid it was about 25 CENTS (!) a gallon. And so many people out there are driving big SUVs and vans and not doing anything to conserve energy. If our state and federal governments worked with us on these issues, maybe we wouldn't have to pay all that money, and have cleaner air too!

We NEED TO REGULATE GASOLINE and it needs to be done worldwide. It is not a commodity to be gambled on like gold, silver or pork bellies. The oil companies are making all this money. They should take some responsibility for the recession they are causing. They should be made to do some drilling and work with the government on conservation and alternative energy programs. Why couldn't they help finance hybrid cars and railroad service in rural areas? They have enough profits that they could afford this!

Tubing can be fun, needing to get away,

Sometimes you just need to get away for, you know, a day or two. Just to forget about all your bills for a while and to be less stressed (a somewhat healthy idea) and have a little good, clean fun. Well, we found that visiting friends in North Carolina who used to live by us. And their idea of a fun, cheap diversion was just right.

The second day with them we went down to a place on Green River that has these huge, colorful tubes (the donut hole is not cut out for younger children, who can be "towed" by a stronger adult). A bus took us to a place along Green River to start out, and before we were in the water a minute we hit rapids. They were not the boat churning, tip you over in an instant kind, but the kind that toss you a bit as you sit in the tube on your back. You can also lean forward on your stomach. This didn't seem comfortable to me, so I stayed on my back --- but I got sunburned later (and should have shifted position more often).

This 3 mile water trek took us by some slow "riffles" and some real good dips. In a few places, I had to use my shoe -- an old one I allowed to get all wet-- to push off of the big, jutting out rocks. It seemed a little hairy a few times, because it was my first time going tubing. We went as a group and tried to stay near each other; sometimes, if someone got too far ahead, he or she would grasp a passing branch and hang on and wait.

We weren't given any special instructions, but our friends said to watch out for jutting out branches because they could smack you in the face. And if you wore glasses you could lose them! So I was careful to keep away from branches and hand paddled away from them, and put a string around my glasses (got it at Walmart) to help keep from losing my glasses. It was quite a ride and you got some exercise too!

The spouse also did some fishing and we did a little hiking and ate a "cookie" cake for our friends' grandaugther's birthday. I guess that hit the spot.

Organic Insecticide, try to hypermile

We have gotten a garden underway in the last week or two and it is about time. We have several tomato plants ( 3 are in pots now), green (bell) peppers, onions getting big, and a recent crop of bean plants near the zucchini hills. But only the tomatoes and the onions with their acidic/spicy parts are not full of holes.

So I went to Mike McGrath's (Mr. Organic) website and then did a search through http://forum.gardenweb.com and learned that you can try a soapy mixture you can make yourself! Yes, you can make a basically organic insecticide you spray on the leaves. For each quart of water add a teaspoon of Ivory Liquid (the liquid dish soap) and about a half cup of oil and shake up and spray it on the leaves. It is supposed to be done in the early morning or late afternoon. I did it in the evening, but I thought rain was threatening. But it didn't rain. So, will the soap be too toxic? My pepper and bean plants look like Swiss cheese, I don't think they could do worse. My cabbage plants are only "partly" holey.

So, I try to be hopeful about the garden. Better than I feel about the price of gasoline. At almost $4 a gallon it's ridiculous! What is it, gold or something? And why should commodity traders gamble on such a neccesity item? It should be regulated, just like utility companies! Even Saudi Arabia thinks the price of oil is too high!

There was an article in Reader's Digest about a fellow who "hypermiles" and I may try that. It's not complicated. Things like no fast starts or stops. You 'gradually' slow down to the stop sign or light. You have to be a conscious driver. If you live in a windy, hilly area, that's good. Use those hills to coast down and use less gas! You should also fill up in the morning when the gas is denser and then less will evaporate! Oh, and I need a new gas cap as well to keep in gas!

survive colonoscopy, son left home, gardening

Once you've had cancer you worry that every little ache and pain is now cancer. That isn't necessarily so. But it doesn't hurt (too much) to check.
I'm talking about the thrills and spills of having your own personal colonoscopy. After being on the anti-cancer/anti-estrogen drug for a few years, Femara, I seemed to have developed intestinal problems. Having too little estrogen can be as bad as too much (which can stimulate tumor growth in some women, like myself). Several months back I had the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome -- you know, going between consitpation and almost diarrhea, and I couldn't figure out why. So I did some research and began adjusting my diet and things are fairly close to normal. But I see where I have problems with pains/intestinal distress -- eating wheat or flour, too many nuts and more than a little oatmeal.

But the aches and pains of the abdomen made me worry about cancer. So I had a colonoscopy -- it came out clean! I was told by an acqaintance that her husband had colon cancer -- the symptoms were months of diarrhea and anal bleeding, which I didn't have, thank goodness. But the doctor said I needed a diagnostic colonoscopy anyway. The procedure itself I couldn't remember as they give you a sedative that essentially knocks you out, but I remember the three nurses trying hard to find a place to stick in the IV to give me the sedative, which wasn't comfortable.

And the night before, taking this electrocyte drink that rans trhough your system and made me run to the bathroom every 10 minutes was no fun --- I couldn't even wash my hair before the procedure I did so much running to the bathroom, soiling my pants one of those times. There should be a more gradual way to clean out your intestines before the procedure. I was amazed I had the will power to not eat for over a day (just drink) till after the procedure.

Now that son number two has left home [ :( ] I am concentrating on gardening, writing, (of course) and trying to get into college myself. I have registered for 3 graduate classes and have planted tomato plants, cabbage plants, zucchini, green peppers (a few of each) and broccoli and lettuce seeds in the last week. I hope it is not too late for the lettuce and broccoli. I should have gotten some potting soil and added it to whatever is in that old tire in back. I know it has a fair amount of sand, so wonder how healthy it is for vegetables. Last year we got several onions from the tire, but that was it.

I've also planted some campanula (bluebell family) and wonder if it can survive our mostly clay soil. Be nice if it did.

On Writing, Naturalist Class, etc

Journal--- It is not easy being a freelance writer. On the one hand, you feel good when you have written something that is published. You revel in seeing your name in print, and are proud of what you have accomplished. But the pay -- it's awful. I guess, if you have a 'regular' job with a paper or magazine that's different. Unless you live near a city of some size it is difficult for that to happen. I spent way too much time on this travel article on Richmond (too bad it wasn't a dollar a word or by the hour, cuz then I would have made something). I even provided the pictures, but will probably only make $50 because I'm freelance. How wonderful.

Am glad that our 'Master Naturalist' class will continue to meet in some capacity, but I think I miss the classes. And the Mt. Roger Naturalists' Rally was really informative! I spent in a tent for the first time in many years (had a first class air mattress) and learned about several different kinds of salamanders, herbal teas and something about bird songs. There is much to learn about nature. I think they should teach more about this in public schools myself!

Naturalist's class ending, Thoreau, etc

Well, I am a little bummed our "Master Naturalists" class is coming to an end. It was a way to really learn a lot (lots of which I am certain I will forget) about nature. Met a few interesting people, people I actually have something in common with. We went through most of the "Peterson's Guide to Eastern Forests," which covers living things coming out during the 4 seasons, as well as identifying various trees, plants, birds, wildflowers and most bugs (there are a million out there, so we didn't cover all that many, just some in the water and woods).
OUR environment is a wonderful amalgam of all these things, which make up our Eastern forest ecology. We need to protect the environment, for the mussels in the water and ourselves, as well. Oh, we also went into amphibians and had a professor show us various (dead, of course) snakes native to Virginia. It's hard to run into snakes. They are secretive. They don't try to get into your garbage, like maybe a possum or raccoon might.
For my final project I did a presentation on Henry D. Thoreau. Not many realize that not only was he one of the Transcendentalists, but the leader of the movement, Ralph Waldo Emerson, was his mentor. He even let Henry live with him and his family while Thoreau did odd jobs for him and wrote. Thoreau's notes on when plants appeared were actually looked at recently by a few scientist researchers. As noted in the Oct. 2007 issue of "Smithsonian" mag, most of the flowers in Thoreau's time are flowering a full week EARLIER now. And there are corresponding rising winter and summer temperatures now too. If you would like to be part of a global effort to denote plant comings and goings, go to www.smithsonian.com and learn more.
Then--- on Sat. the family and I did some running around. In front of K Mart several ladies were selling things to help "Relay for Life" and the Cancer Society. They should have sold something healthier than chocolate fudge, cupcakes and colorful sprinkled cake. Don't they realize being fat or overweight increases your chances of breast cancer as you get older?