SNOW DAY Pictures !!!

Here in southern Ohio we did get a bit of the white stuff. Just took a few pics out in the yard today. A pretty lazy day which has afforded me time to make more rounds of the blogs participating in One World One Heart blog event. There are about 1000 bloggers signed up now. So go to the post below enter my giveaway so I know you've been here then click the link or the poster and check them out. So many great blogs, I get lost in some....next thing I know I've been there for at least 15 minutes to an hour.

I love St. Frances of Assisi
Total SCORE from Big Lots for 3 bucks.
The trail to our back woods. I love how this looks with the archway.
Old rusted springs from box springs. Going to brace up and plant morning glories on this year.
My clothes dryer...works good. Well, depends on the day. Not today so good.
Across the road from us. Anyone want to buy it and build a house there? Any Artsy, earth lovin', bonfire drummin', from scratch cookin', growin' yer own damn food person wanna? Move HERE... PLEEESE.
Turn out of our place, turn right.
Head out of our place and turn left.
One big mess o' dogs. Poor Larry was trying to hold them while I snapped pictures.
This is looking up our driveway, that is a workroom/exercise room in front of the truck. Over behind the fence you can see part of the house.

An Accomplished Woman with Autism

I don't know much about Autism (but I am learning). My family has not been personally touched by Autism.
However, since beginning my blog I have met quite a few bloggers who have children with Autism.

My misunderstanding and ignorance led me to believe that just about everyone with this disorder was totally cut off from the world that the rest of us live in. Like in their own little world that we could only sit by and observe, never really being a part of it. And they the same, here...but not here.
I saw the frustration and sadness in a mothers eyes, on a T.V show I watched for about 3 minutes years ago, when her son would pull away whenever she tried to hug him.

I thought only ones who could have any sense of living in both worlds were like "Rainman" or that piano player who is blind and plays so beautifully by ear, but cannot tie his own shoes.

I understand now that there are so many levels of Autism. That functionality depends on the person. It is not an 'across the board' dealing.

This morning I watched Martha for a moment (commercial break on the news show I usually have on) and there she was, getting ready to make a pillow with some actress (I since found out it was Claire Danes).
And they were talking about Dr. Temple Grandin. I had no idea who this woman is. But now I am fascinated by her. I am blown away by her.
Dr. Grandin did not talk until she was three and a half. After being diagnosed Autistic, her parents were urged to institutionalize her.

Claire Danes will be playing Dr. Temple Grandin in an HBO movie this coming weekend( Saturday Feb.6th).
A movie about her life and how she became an accomplished author, and a pioneer in the way animals are treated before slaughter.
Dr. Temple holds a PH.D and is an assistant professor at Colorado State University.

Her current bestselling book on autism is The Way I See It: A Personal Look at Autism and Asperger's. She also authored Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships, Animals Make us Human, Animals in Translation, Thinking in Pictures, Emergence: Labeled Autistic and has produced several DVDs.


On The Way I See It:

"Every library, large or small, needs this book on its shelves. Every school, large or small, with the responsibility of educating children with autism or Asperger’s needs the guidance this book offers. . . . Last, and certainly not least, every parent will find within these pages golden nuggets of advice, encouragement, and hope to fuel their day-to-day journey through their child’s autism. . . . The wisdom she offers through this book and its personal reflections on autism will, I’m sure, ring true for many more decades to come."

-Ruth Christ Sullivan, first elected president of the Autism Society of America

On Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships:

"I wish I had this book when Sean was a child. It would have helped me understand Sean so much more."

-Judy Barron, mother of author Sean Barron and co-author of There’s A Boy In Here



"If you’ve ever wondered, ‘What is going through my child’s mind? Why can’t he get social interactions?’ then this book is for you! ‘A-ha!’ moments abound."

-Veronica Zysk, managing editor of award-winning Autism Asperger’s Digest

I hope everyone who can, will watch and tell your friends. Maybe stick a little something on your blog in support of the children with Autism and the families who may need a little hope.
I know there are breakthroughs all the time and I will continue to pray for more.

One World One Heart Blog Event and a Giveaway- Deadline EXTENDED

True Random Number Generator Min: 1 Max:260 Result: 204 Powered by RANDOM.ORG
Winner is Electra
I will be emailing Electra and telling her the grand news.
If I do not hear back by Friday at midnight I will redo a winner.
Closed- winner to be announced as soon as I can.
DEADLINE EXTENDED TILL Monday Feb. 15th 8:30 PM, EST. I am still visiting blogs and I feel like as long as I am, you should be able to visit mine and enter.

There is a big blog happening you may not be aware of. The 4th Annual One World One Heart. Created in 2007 One World One Heart brings bloggers together from around the world who may never ordinarily meet. It's kind of a blog hop. There is a list of blogs entered, you go, visit, learn about each other, make connections, friends and in the process maybe win a treasure. Last I checked there were almost 900 wonderful and talented bloggers signed up. I have been to a few and I am blown away by the beauty and talent these bloggers possess.

So in honor of this wonderful community event I want to welcome all bloggers to my site....you have no blog you say ? Well sign up. It's fun and it's a fantastic way to meet new friends, share and learn all kinds of new stuff. Comments, are the new hugs you know.(if you need help figuring out how to sign up and get started blogging, email me through the addy in my profile) There is a wealth of knowledge and friendship in the blogosphere.

This years theme is "Ride the Magic Carpet" so to enter my giveaway I'd like you to do the following:

Leave me a couple lines in a comment. Make sure you leave a link to your blog. And your email addy in your comment or make sure I can find it on your blog profile. Then go to the Magic Carpet list and visit as many blogs as you can. Remember, it's a world wide event. (you may have to scroll to the right side of the page as its so big it would not fit on my monitor)

Okay here is the item you can win on my blog ;



Watermelon Evening - Earrings
A pair of wire wrapped pink faceted glass crystals with a chunk of watermelon abalone over top. On surgical steel ear wires.

New cutoff at 8:30 PM Feb. 15th.
Contest ends at 12:01 a.m. February 15th and the winner will be announced later that day.
Make sure I have your email in your comment or on your blog profile.

No Garden Can Still Equal Fresh Just Picked Veggies.

Some readers of my blog know that we have a garden and a greenhouse. Fresh veggies are not a challenge for us. I mean FRESH veggies. But to those of you who have no time or no yard there is a way you too can have fresh veggies for most of the year.

Community Supported Agriculture or "CSA"
It's a concept that originated in Europe and Japan and has been in the US for about two decades. It has really taken off though in the last 5-6 years.
Basically city slickers join in with a local farmer and buy a "share" in the farms bounty.

Usually a payment is made up front early in the year and in exchange you receive a delivery, usually at a central point like a church parking lot, weekly of bags of what the farm produces.

Some CSA's include fruits along with produce and some provide meat and eggs. I know one that has mushrooms, goats milk and cheese and apple cider along with the vegetables.

Now how cool is this?

It is also a way to introduce food you may have never tried before, like broccoli rabe, eggplant, fennel, endive and salsify (look it up).
Some farms produce right up to Thanksgiving and a few even longer depending on what they are into and the climate.

What a way to eat healthier, introduce new foods, go pick up a bounty you helped to produce, meet new friends, one CSA here in Ohio has a potluck dinner every month and they include recipes along with your delivery.
Everyone wins.
Some may even have a way to work off the join up fee.

To find a CSA in your area go to www.localharvest.org and enter your zip code.
Vegg Out.....

Brightest Full Moon Tonight

This evening we will experience what is known as a "Wolf Moon". The first full moon of the year.
A name given by Native Americans acknowledging the wolves that howl at the moon.

The moon will also be appearing bigger and brighter to us and here's why,
The moon is, on average, 238,855 miles from Earth. The moon's orbit around Earth – which causes it to go through all its phases once every 29.5 days – is not a perfect circle, but rather an ellipse. One side of the orbit is 31,070 miles closer than the other.

So in each orbit, the moon reaches this closest point to us, called perigee. Once or twice a year, perigee coincides with a full moon, making the moon bigger and brighter than any other full moons during the year. This is what will happen tonight.

Tonight it will be about 14 percent wider and 30 percent brighter than lesser full Moons of the year. You can read all about this at Spaceweather.com.

Also, if you look to the left of the moon tonight, that star like, reddish brown object is Mars.

Something cool to do with the kids.