2008 Perseid Meteor Showers are coming!

Posted on Thursday, July 24, 2008 at 10:58 by HandsNHearts - 1 Comments - Post Comment - Link

Mark your calendar: The 2008 Perseid meteor shower peaks on August 12th and it should be a good show.

"The time to look is during the dark hours before dawn on Tuesday, August 12th," says Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center. "There should be plenty of meteors--perhaps one or two every minute."

The source of the shower is Comet Swift-Tuttle. Although the comet is far away, currently located beyond the orbit of Uranus, a trail of debris from the comet stretches all the way back to Earth. Crossing the trail in August, Earth will be pelted by specks of comet dust hitting the atmosphere at 132,000 mph. At that speed, even a flimsy speck of dust makes a vivid streak of light when it disintegrates--a meteor! Because, Swift-Tuttle's meteors streak out of the constellation Perseus, they are called "Perseids."

(Note: In the narrative that follows, all times are local. For instance, 9:00 pm means 9:00 pm in your time zone, where you live. )

Serious meteor hunters will begin their watch early, on Monday evening, August 11th, around 9 pm when Perseus first rises in the northeast. This is the time to look for Perseid Earthgrazers--meteors that approach from the horizon and skim the atmosphere overhead like a stone skipping across the surface of a pond.

"Earthgrazers are long, slow and colorful; they are among the most beautiful of meteors," says Cooke. He cautions that an hour of watching may net only a few of these at most, but seeing even one can make the whole night worthwhile.

A warm summer night. Bright meteors skipping overhead. And the peak is yet to come. What could be better?

The answer lies halfway up the southern sky: Jupiter and the gibbous Moon converge on August 11th and 12th for a close encounter in the constellation Sagittarius: sky map. It's a grand sight visible even from light-polluted cities.

For a while the beautiful Moon will interfere with the Perseids, lunar glare wiping out all but the brightest meteors. Yin-yang. The situation reverses itself at 2 am on Tuesday morning, August 12th, when the Moon sets and leaves behind a dark sky for the Perseids. The shower will surge into the darkness, peppering the sky with dozens and perhaps hundreds of meteors until dawn.

Above: The eastern sky viewed during the hours before sunrise on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008.

For maximum effect, "get away from city lights," Cooke advises. The brightest Perseids can be seen from cities, he allows, but the greater flurry of faint, delicate meteors is visible only from the countryside. (Scouts, this is a good time to go camping.)

The Perseids are coming. Enjoy the show!

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Stupid pigs ate my chickens

Posted on Thursday, July 24, 2008 at 10:07 by HandsNHearts - 6 Comments - Post Comment - Link

Ok...what do you do with pigs that eat chicken?

I know the obvious...put them in the freezer. But, in this instance, that isn't the best answer, although I am seriously pondering learning the butchering trade right now!  UGH!

Our new pigs, those pregnant sows we picked Saturday, they ate 2 of my laying hens.  Didn't have a chance-- just attacked them and then proceeded to pull them apart like some warped game of tug-o-war or something.

Our chickens have their home in the barn, and a nice, fenced yard.  I have 3, however, who are definitely roamers.  If we clip their wings any further, they won't have but a bare bone frame over on that side, yet they still manage to climb that fence and roam the yard.  They have a route...they ceck out the goats and puppies for a day or so, even roost in the puppy pen with them.  No one has ever cared (athough those blasted puppies have enjoyed playing with the younger pullets....and have killed a handful of them as well).

But, the pigs...they are in the other side of the barn, along the outside pens.  The chickens go through the horse lot there into the timber to wander.  A couple ended up in the pigs confinement and well....tug-o-war time.

I can break those puppies of playing tag with my chickens, but what do you do with a pig who has a taste for chicken now?  It rather worries me that the children don't typically think much of getting into the barn, and they help with the feeding and such.  As far as I'm concerned, these are dangerous pigs.  You know, around here, the standard was that when the Revenue men cam poking around and causing trouble, you just tossed them into the pig pen and let the hogs have them.  Nothing left to dispose of.

Now I have pigs that have shown a very dangerous side to themselves.  I'm not really interested in the additions to the freezer menu anymore, no matter how wonderful the other tastes.

Disappearing posts & caution

Posted on 2008-Jul-24 at 9:18 AM by Amy W - 2 Comments - Post Comment - Link

You may have noticed that I've locked a couple of posts.
My brother stopped by this little bloggy home and advised me that I should be more careful with what I say.
And I agree.
I like to think I maintain a bit of anonimity here with code names and not naming specific nearby places and such but one never knows.
You just never know.
I keep this blog for myself, the joy of writing, sharing that writing and hearing back from others. It's a grand thing.
I've never gone out of my way to share this blog with my family and friends- its not a way to stay in touch with far-flung kin--- its just me being a bit more me than I can be at times and at the same time a bit more anonymous than I can be at times.
I remember my surprise when I found that a friend had found my little blog here and had been reading it anonymously for quite some time. It was a bit unnerving and for awhile I found myself changing my writing style because of it.
Just my long winded way of saying I must "proceed with caution".
Oh and go here to check out my brother's business blog.
Hi Roo!

An accident...

Posted on Thursday, July 24, 2008 at 08:15 by Chas - 18 Comments - Post Comment - Link

Good Morning Friends... 
I hope you are having a good day so far.
Things look promising around here today.
Yesterday things got turned upside down and crazy...
I was called yesterday at the church and told that Shannon had been in an accident at work.  A crew was moving something at work a chain broke loose and when it did it whipped backwards and hit Shannon in the head and knocked him unconscious...
When you get a phone call like that you don't know what is going on... whether he is going to be ok... whether he is going to have to be in the hospital for a while, is he going to be okay mentally???
I mean a flood of emotions and thoughts ran through my head.
I prayed and prayed and prayed on that drive that took me to the hospital...
Praise the Lord! He came to and was fine mentally.  He had a gash under his eye where it hit his face, and part of his nose is broken, if he had not had his safety glasses on it would have took out his eyes or possibly done much more damage than it did...  I know it could have been SO much worse.  I thank God that he is alright.
My scarface is home with us today to recover... a bit of a headache and probably a black eye to come and some soreness around his face... he will be fine soon...
Have a great day everyone...
My Cup Runneth Over...Chas

TODAY'S VERSE from HEARTLIGHT

Posted on Thu 24 Jul 2008 at 4:30 AM by GrandmaRosie - 0 Comments - Post Comment - Link

Free Potholder Patterns...TipNut

Posted on Thu 24 Jul 2008 at 1:45 AM by GrandmaRosie - 1 Comments - Post Comment - Link

Here’s a fun freebie download, it’s a set of six different panhol potholders.

Free Potholder Patterns...TipNut

Canning Rhubarb in Syrup

Posted on Thursday, July 24, 2008 at 1:23 AM by Michelle - 6 Comments - Post Comment - Link

I decided it was time to harvest my rhubarb - I picked most of it!  It was starting to look more like a jungle than a garden - I probably should have harvested awhile ago.  I was able to get to the raspberry bushes and get them tied up before they start getting ripe - the bushes are pretty loaded!

I clipped off the rhubarb leaves and put them in the compost and brought the stalks in.

It took me awhile to wash and chop the stalks, sorting out the bad ones as I went.  I put them in a big bowl.

I measured 20 cups into one big pot with 5 cups of sugar and 16 cups into another big pot with 4 cups of sugar, stirring to combine well.  The directions said to set aside for 3 to 4 hours and let the juices come out.  It was already late, so I put them in the fridge overnight.  Tonight, this is what it looked like - lots of juice!

Next, I brought the mixture to a boil and got my canner ready for boiling water bath.  Got the jars, lids and rings ready too.  These kind of projects make me wish for a bigger stove, or bigger kitchen.

Then fill up the jars, wipe rims, fit with hot lid and ring.

Then lower into the hot water in the canner, making sure there is a couple inches of water above the jars.  Bring to boil (this took forever!) and boil for 15 minutes.  I put the lid on the canner to keep in the heat.

Let sit in the canner for 5 minutes after turning off the heat before you take out the jars.  Then I just put them on a towel on the counter.  I had extra to taste - it is very good, just the right amount of sweet for the tart I think.  I look forward to using it for rhubarb crisp, as a pie filling, over ice cream...  I ended up with 13 pints and 1 half-pint - hope they all seal!  I'm pleased that they kept their color, I worried about them looking like yucky mush  :o)

Yesterday...Remember When (from GypsyFarmGirl)

Posted on 2008-Jul-23 at 09:45 by Kim Wolf<>< - 1 Comments - Post Comment - Link

OK gang...just remember...I'm an oldie goldie compared to some of you!    I was a kid in the 60's and a teen in the 70's (class of '77!)...Sooo, this may even be a history lesson to some of you!  HAHAHAHA!!  Have fun!...

What were your 3 favorite things to watch on TV when you were a kid? 

1) Beany & Cecil the Seasick Sea Serpent, 2) Beverly Hillbillies, 3) Andy Griffith Show.

What 3 commercials do you remember most from when you were a kid?

1) Don't squeeze the Charmin/Mr. Whipple, 2) Frigidaire [sp?] commericals w/ladies dressed up, dancing around their appliances,  3) Marlboro Man cigarette commercials.

What 3 toys were popluar when you were a kid?

1) Barbies, 2) G. I. Joe, 3) Baby First Step.

What 3 things did not exist when you were a kid?

1) Telephones w/o a cord, 2) VCR/DVD players, 3) CDs. (I still miss the huge posters that we used to get w/our 33 rpm albums!)

What 3 fads did you fall for when you were a kid?

1) Earth Shoes (did you know they're back!!!  Love 'em!), 2) white lipstick, 3) huge bell-bottom jeans.

What 3 songs do you remember most from when you were a kid?

1) ANYTHING by the Beatles!, 2) "Easy Come, Easy Go" by Bobby Sherman (oh, be still my heart!), 3) "Puppy Love" by Donny Osmond.

What were your 3 favorite movies when you were a kid?

1) "Mary Poppins" (the FIRST TIME it was out!), 2) "101 Dalmations" (the FIRST TIME it was out!), 3) "The Ghost & Mr. Chicken" (the FIRST TIME it was out!).   

What are your 3 most embarrassing moments from when you were a kid?

1) Throwing up on the school bus, 2) when a hoody-type girl who - for some unknown reason - made it her life's goal to make my life miserable tried to get me to fight her.  Of course, since I wouldn't, everyone thought I was a chicken...yep...public school is great! What was your question about socialization?  3) falling off the top of the monkey bars...back then we HAD to wear dresses in grade school.

What 3 things do you wish you could get back from when you were a kid?

1) My friend Debbie who moved, they were an Air Force family, 2) my cat, Boots, 3) my grandparents.

~~ If you do this, let me know!!

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

This Will Make You Cry - but it's not sad

Posted on Wednesday, July 23, 2008 at 05:25 by Rachel - 3 Comments - Post Comment - Link

If you are an animal lover, and full of pregnancy hormones like me... then this short clip will make you cry.

It's an incredible, apparently true, tale of two men in London in 1969 who bought a lion cub from Harrods and raised it until it got too big to keep, so they relocated 'Christian the lion' to an African wild-life park.

After a year they travelled to Africa to be reunited with Christian, though they were warned that the lion may not recognize them.

Here's the clip:

Reunion with Christian

Apparently they are bringing out a book about it, and you can read more of the story from

here

Todays Quote...Our Nation needs to heed this quote

Posted on Wed 23 Jul 2008 at 3:16 PM by GrandmaRosie - 0 Comments - Post Comment - Link