Day 2 Day radishes

November 8/ Fox Sports News

Fox News on Sunday had their football announcers Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Michael Strahan, and Jimmy Johnson  go to Afghanistan to visit the troops.  They spent something like five days visiting the troops. I was moved.  I have not heard of many going to visit the troops in Afghanistan.  But in my youth and young adult life, there were many shows of entertainers like Bob Hope going to visit the troops. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard were represented there.  And I think nearly everyone there was given an opportunity to speak or be filmed. 

I loved seeing the troops.  We do not see enough of them.  But I have to say that it touched my heart seeing the above announcers make so much over them. Local projects were shown, and an effort was made to tell how much the military is doing to help the Afgans with stabilization by showing them, as an example, such skills as agriculture techniques. I was thrilled to see Terry, Howie,Michael and Jimmy speaking from their hearts in public telling the troops how great the men and women were, and reminding us of the troops sacrifices.  I thank Fox Sports for this. 

I hope the Commander-in-Chief saw the program. 

November 6/ Movie watch

I am not up on the Uighurs, which I think are pronounced Wegurs.  Chinese do not like the Uighurs as they consider them terrorists, and want them back.   Some Uighurs have been in  Guantanamo, and four have been released to live in Bermuda.  A fee of $2,000,000.00 per man was paid to whom, we are not sure, by our President for these men to live in Bermuda rather than to live at Gitmo. I guess these were the same men swimming in the Caribbean which we saw months ago.  A gentleman called into the Rush Limbaugh show and discussed his vacation to Bermuda where he met these four Uighur men who he said were delightful, nice men.  They were living in a very large house on the beach. This is 13 cents for every American man, woman and child in the United States.  Does not seem like much, but . . .

 

Last night we watched a Netflix movie Mr. Radish and I, called The Lives of Others.  It is about life in East Germany about six years before the Berlin Wall fell Nov. 09, 1989 three days early of it's 20^th anniversary.  It is a love story, but it is about political control in this case by the East Germany’s police.  And a theme is freedom to write what you like. On Netflix I rated it four stars, but it is maybe a little better.

November 6/ Saved Jobs

Reading in the Wall Street Opinion Section today was an article on  the jobs that are being saved by the Stimulus Package.  Of the 14,506 that are currently stated as saved are 905 at the Southwest Georgia Community Action Council.  But only 508 people work there.  Among the 14,506 created jobs 9,300 were civil servants working hor Health and Human services who received raises.  This is defended by government officials “If I give you a raise, it is going to save a portion of your job.”

This photo came from the Digital  Photography school and there site is here

November 3/ This is a Conservative Blog

This 20^th of December is my Day 2 Day Radish’s fourth birthday.  I have been very unproductive here on the blog for a lot of reasons such as learning some graphics and having been out of town. But the major reason I have not written is that times have changed in the last four years.  In the beginning I could fill this easily fill this blog with sort of fun posts. Lately I have been thinking that I have nothing to say.  Actually, I have a lot to say,  but  I think no one will want to read about politics.  Yet frankly what else is there to talk about?  Our Country is center stage. I am rarely traveling. All the fun stuff is distraction at this point.  And there is no way you can talk about photo editing which I have spent three weeks trying to do.

 

Until December 20^th,  this is going to be a stated Conservative Blog. I am unable to put Conservative in my title or I would.   I am not sure what I will say,  and of course I will say it rather dopey.  A lot of what I get is from the radio and the Internet. My husband has great ideas.  Some things I create all by myself. 

 

 

I am doing this for my father.  He would yell at me, “ I did not raise you  to just follow the crowd.  I raised you to speak up.” Naturally now that I have made this big todo,  I will only find recipes to write about, and have nothing political to say. 

 

 

Peggy Noonan says we are a dishearten Nation. We are at a cusp.  Those of us my age may not see how everything plays out.  But I assure you that my daughter’s generation will be effected and more their children.  Freedom is the issue. 

 

View the link below.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=G44NCvNDLfc

October 30/ end of day light savings

We turned out to have some sun.  Mr.  Radish and I have been whining to each other about a lot of things, but at all times we are disgusted with politics and the weather.  I have tried the ploy of continuing to think of it as summer, wearing lighter clothes and no socks and not looking at the trees.  We have been huddled around our computers, which I announce is running pretty well and the margin problem has gone away. 

 

This morning Mr. Radish woke up and said, “Let’s go to the gym”. What an idea! On we got with our gym clothes, had a quick breakfast and went.  For me it was lovely as the water was warm because the heat could not be turned off in the pool. Then it occurred to both of us that we really did not want to go home.  I am burned out at trying to make my card designing work, my house at the moment is tidy, and I have writers block plus the weather is so dark that no amount of lights on can make it pleasant.  So we went to movies, he the SURROGATES, and I went the COUPLES RETREAT.  Both of them are C movies, mine maybe D+.  But they were okay. A stupid chick flick felt good.    It is for what we were in the mood. We had lunch at Applebies, came home, and the above is what there was. It was joy for 15 minutes, but it was enough. 

October 29/ a Click

 

 

Wednesday is food candy day on the Internet for me.  Thursday is photography day.  I subscribe to http://digital-photography-school.com which has short how-to articles on Photography.  Last week, after my trip there was an article on moving objects.  Their idea was arrived at by a totally different means, and I am sure theirs is the correct way.    One of today’s short articles was photographing in the rain, a useful topic for my today.  The article had fabulous photos taken in the rain and then I went to the photographer’s web site and he does ebooks http://www.pixelatedimage.com/blog and has tutorials on PeachPit.  If you are a photographer, see David duChemin  tutorial as it is like taking a  short art class.

 

My husband is always asking me what I am going to do with my photographs.  Well I am not going to put them in a liquor box.  For two years I have made photo books of my photos on BookSmart.  I have a couple of images this year that I am going to give for Christmas.  But one thing I would like to do is to make a card with a photograph at will. There are a thousand opportunities for sending a card.   I would like it to be professional.  In the last weeks I have hoped to make a Christmas card. 

 

Photoshop Elements is my editing program.  I  can not do it.  In the last 10 days I have watched endless video tutorials and read hundreds of pages and I am still in a fog. If I had someone I knew show me a few times, where I was going wrong I think I could do it quickly.

 

 

I found a design site  https://www.bamagazine.com that made me realize that perhaps I don’t want to make the goopy cards I thought I wanted to make. I find that You Tube was very helpful.  And after all my laughing at You Tube, what a good learning tool it is.  I am just amazed what a good friend my computer is to me. 

 

 

Of the 13 great photos in the rain, at least three were through glass.  Keep your camera dry.  Try your cell phone through a window. 

This photo taken in mist is of my sister-in-laws home which we visited on our last trip.

October 28/ It is all about the Bride

We are having a fun time in our family because the neice who has been closest to me over the years has said that she is getting married.  Years ago when I was engaged, it was the custom to maybe have an engagement party, which was for the parents friends and close relatives.  My mother and possibly others gave me tea cups as a gift.  Two cups she said were from my grandfather.  Hum.    But then Women's Liberation came along and teas were a gala of the past.  I  had those sweet cups for many years. But a Bride to Be always had her picture in the newspaper and I would like to do an up to date version.  

Lynn Finley to Marry Steve Burt

Lynn Finley and Steve Burt have announced their engagement.  Both are living in the Portland Oregon  area and have know each other since Steve took her Italian class at the local Junior  College.  Accomplished at Italian, Lynn has traveled the world over starting when her father was in the Navy, after a University of Oregon bachelors degree, she went into the Peace Corp and has then visited her cousin Ms. NoName where ever she went including Shanghai.  Steve goes to Ireland. 

Lynn is the daughter of Jeff and Susan Finley, originally of Los Altos,now of Houston, although Susan had a slightly more prominent Haines family.   Lynn has a brother and sister.  

Lynn is currently studying at the University of Washington, at Vancouver, working , and teaching Italian.  She enjoys cooking, needlepointing and garden touch up. 

A  June wedding is in the offing. 

Steve has a big dog. 

October 27/ Alive but frazzled

I have not written because I have felt I had little to say.  But then yesterday I had a lot to say.  And I said it on Microsoft Word with out the benefit of margins.  I copied and pasted the post to my web blog and it was the same.  You could not read it.  I should have left it so you would know that I have tried. 

Eventually I got on the Internet  to Microsoft and they signed me up for $80.00.  They still have not fixed the problem.   But for the eight dollars they were to optimize my computer.   Then my router went out.   Nothing has changed this morning.   I am using some neighbors Internet which is iffy. But we do get to go and pick up the car that ran into a rock. 

For a daughter who is shaking her head over this mess.  The Internet does not work for her father either. 

October 22/ Thoughts

I am putting on Facebook that I want some JoMalone  grapefruit splash for Christmas.  Then the whole world can know. My husband would have gladly bought me this for my birthday, but I have trouble telling him that I want it.  I thought it would filter back from daughters.  Where were you daughters?  Both Mr. Radish and I, due to medical interaction, can not drink grapefruit juice which we both love,   but I love the smell and Jo makes it smell even better. 

Today I was listening to the radio and there was a clip of Michelle O which claimed that we were putting too much emphasis on certain parts of health care like taxing pacemakers, and electric wheelchairs, we should know that included in the bill is public education as to how to increase your fruits and vegetables. 

I am going to start a mini club for anyone who wants to boycott the NFL televised games as a protest to having called Rush Limbaugh a racist and therefore not allowing him to be an owner of the Saint Louis Cardinals. I have listened to a lot of Rush Limbaugh over the last twenty years and I have found him not to be a racist.  My favorite,Thomas Sowell, has written a column on this and it would behoove all to read this article, because this is more than about racism. 

Obviously this is of the Seattle Skyline. 

October 21/ Camera at hand

Driving slowly on highway 101 with a camera in hand is  a learning experience  One lesson is that you can not take close photos  at a fast speed.  I know 55 does not seem fast, but mostly that is as fast as you can go in places, and as fast as my husband chooses to drive.  Buy you see a lot. A lot is tucked in the trees as you speed by.  The coast of Oregon looks like it could use a paint job.  Oregon has always looked a little weathered,  but this trip the buildings looked depressed.  The buildings were looking like they wanted employment.  By absolute chance we found two great restaurants.  But one fine restaurant had five out of twenty tables filled.  Apparently before this current financial setback the whole restaurant would be turned three times on a Friday a night.  Saw mills were replaced by  Casinos. I guess I should be cheered by the fact that strip malls had paint.

Above is my old McKinleyville house.  We had the house designed and I love it still.  But I can not bear to look at it now because the outside yard and settings and trim are not kept up at all.  This is a case of you can not go back.