ConCave photos for Friday, February 25, 2011

 ConCave is fun this weekend. I took some photos of it and posted them on Facebook too.

Here are just a few:

The reception at the Art Show.

A fun advertisement for a room party.

Looking out at the pool and hot tub.

You can see more photos here on Facebook. It's a fun convention for science fiction fans, and is now a Kentucky tradition.

Later!

-Betsyanne

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Friends of the Linebaugh Library booksale - photos and thoughts about some book dealers

Photos from the Linebaugh Library Sale in Murfreesboro - and their new rules about pricing scanners and glomming books.

Here are some photos I took of the great library sale in Murfreesboro, Tennessee on Saturday.

The entrance to the Friends of the Linebaugh Library Sale in Murfreesboro, TN

 There was a long line waiting for the sale to open. It was hard to navigate for awhile inside... but then people started to leave, and space opened up to look more. People were polite and eventually lookers got to see all the sections if they were patient.

One thing helped a LOT. The Friends of the Linebaugh Library have a new rule: no handheld computers or scanners, or booksellers hogging areas. I say "yay!"

DVD's, CD's, and Hardbacks were $1.00. Paperbacks were 50¢

.

 I have been going to as many booksales as possible lately, and have found some good deals. But I have noticed a lot more professionals taking advantage. They swoop down on an area, and won't let others look.

I do not think that is fair. Some booksellers are so focused that they don't seem to even see anybody else... and they are given special treatment. Some glom on to the best books by taking over whole sections of some booksales, so nobody else can look.  They never move from their chosen section until they are done.

This table was outside. It had some good audiobooks on it.

And it seems to be OK with the book sale people sometimes. Some dealers are even allowed to see ALL the new books first that people bring in too.

I can see how book sale organizations may need to develop special relationships with professional sellers. After all, they need to sell their books; as many as possible. But I think they should show special treatment at other times, like before the sale (if they need to at all). Personally, I think professionals should get the exact same chances as everyone else.

I think people had a lot of fun at this sale.

Then there are the professional scoopers. OMG. These booksellers just scoop everything up that they can on a table, (the good books, of course...) then set up somewhere else to scan at their leisure. They don't let anyone else have a chance to find something they like. All the valuable or good books or those in good condition are kept by the professional person, and they put their dregs back on the table later on. Is this fair? I think not.

Some more happy book buyers.

It's too bad that some of the professional booksellers are starting to give all booksellers a bad name by these practices. And I'm really glad the Freinds of the Linebaugh Library put a stop to it this year.  I hope other library sales do that also.

More polite and happy book buyers. And nary a handheld.

I don't have anything against professional booksellers (I occasionally sell a book or two also...) but I think things should be fair for everyone. I bet I'm not the only person that does not like it when people "hog" an area and don't play fair.

It's fun to look for a good book and it's fun to find a deal, but it's NOT fun to be blocked from looking.

OK - off my soapbox.  I had SO much fun at this booksale.  I found a lot of great books, and some audio books, too. Thanks, Friends of the Linebaugh Library! You rock!


-Betsyanne

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Why I love older technology

 Older technology has some great advantages.

#1. It is cheaper than the newest technology. This goes for things like computers, software, tape players, and tapes.

For example, I can find a nice tapebook (the old-fashioned cassette kind) for maybe $2.00 or $1.00 for the whole book. It both plays great and is fun to listen to. Now, if I would upgrade to always listening to CD audiobooks, I would have to pay more.

#2. It's still technology. And I do like to play with techie gadgets.

#3. I can wait for the newer technology to get older, then buy it. This will work the bugs out of it. And (#1 again...) The price will have gone down by the time I buy it, which is a win-win situation.

#4. Technology is still useful whatever its age, as long as it still works. This advantage is great because I don't care if it is old or new. I just care if it is fun or useful. I think lots of people agree with me on this. Now, if I allowed myself to get used to only new technology, that would be another story. But I don't.

#5. Owning techie gadgets is a good thing, older or newer. Tech gadgets are can make life easier and more creative. And then there is the volume thing. Going for older technology means that instead of just owning 1 or 2 techie gadgets, I (or anyone!) can maybe have 3 or 4.

Just saying! What's next? Maybe an older Wii. Hmmmm.....

Betsyanne

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Snow, snow, snow...

Here are just a few photos from the snow today. I knew SOME snow was on the ground, but I didn't know how much.

So I went outside to see. Wow.

I'm so lucky to be snug inside!

Betsyanne

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An excerpt from Ballad of the Little Square by Federico Garcia Lorca

Ballad of the Little Square - an excerpt

My husband Rickey found a poetry book today - The Selected Poems of Federico Garcia Lorca at the Macy's used Book Sale at the L & N Depot in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

He called attention to part of his poem Ballad of the Little Square. I had never heard of this beautiful poem before.

Here is that excerpt:

"...The Children
Why do you go so far
from the little square?

Myself
I go in search of magicians
and of princesses!

The Children
Who showed you the path
of the poets?

Myself
The fountain and the stream
of the antique song.

The Children
Do you go far, very far
from the sea and the earth?

Myself
My heart of silk
is filled with lights,
with lost bells, with lilies and bees.
I will go very far,
farther than those hills,
father than the seas,
close to the stars,
to beg Christ the Lord
to give back the soul I had
of old, when I was a child,
ripened with legends,
with a feathered cap
and a wooden sword.
..."

Betsyanne

The whole poem is scarier than this. Here you can read it all: http://blather.newdream.net/b/ballad_of_the_little_square.html

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A reminder for gardeners

A reminder for gardeners (and for myself!)

If you are going to plant a garden this year, now is the time to start some seeds. You can start them indoors and have lights for them or put them by a window. You will be able to transplant them to a cold frame later on.

I usually put this off and don't have my own (cheap) seedlings to use, and wind up getting plants later in the season and spending money I don't need to. Then I also regret not having any tiny flowers to plant either.

So this year I'm going to do it!

Hopefully. Are you planning a garden this year? Comment below and tell me your plans. Sometimes just writing about it can help make it happen.

What are you going to plant? I hope to plant tomatoes, peppers, loads of different flowers and herbs, some catnip, and maybe potatoes. We'll see. 

Betsyanne

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Caught by magazine temptation at Barnes and Noble

Barnes and Noble bookstore - The magazines there are hard to resist. That's for sure.

I'm telling you, it is DANGEROUS to go to Barnes and Noble and look at their many magazines. Because I can wind up buying some. But I am glad even though I feel sort of guilty about it. But I do love these magazines. They are so fun.

There are SO many good ones there. It is so tempting today that I bought a couple of my favorite ones: Countryside and Backwoods Home.

These magazines are so fun to read. I already found a great article in Countryside called "Publish Your Own Books." I mean Oh My Gosh. This is exactly what I have been looking for.

I already have been writing some ebooks, and thought I knew a little about publishing them (for ebook readers) but it's great when I can find something to validate my research. Now I feel even better about going ahead with my book projects. I can publish my own book on Amazon Kindle for free. This is so great. The article also gives hints about how to proofread, using MS Word, the Blurb website, and converting your book to html.

It's a great article, and only one of many. I do enjoy learning about gardening, herbs, how to survive in a bad economy, great recipes, meatless meals, books, resources, nature sanctuaries, and more in the great magazines they have there.

The really cool thing about other magazines is that you can keep up to speed on your hobbies and interests by looking at the ads in the magazines and in the back of them.

I buy magazines so much at Barnes and Noble I probably pay more (paying cover price) than a subscription would cost. I must re-think this somehow.

Are you daring enough to scope out Barnes and Noble's magazine aisle? You never know, you could enter the Danger Zone and take some great articles home.

Good luck!

-Betsyanne

PS this neat photo of people in a bookstore is from the Microsoft Images pages.

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Groupon ticket available for Lost River Cave

Hey, hey! I just saw a great deal online. Do you live in or near Bowling Green, Kentucky?

Groupon, the online coupon deal site, has a terrific coupon for Lost River Cave right now. It is only $7.00 for one ticket to Lost River Cave. The regular price is $15.00. What a deal!

I have been on the Cave Tour, but never to the Boat Tour. Here is the Groupon site:
Lost River Cave Groupon Coupon
They also have a map on the site located at the lower right.

Also, you can read about Lost River Cave here at their website:
Lost River Cave website

Happy exploring!

Betsyanne

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BGAMUG - the Bowling Green Area Microcomputer User's Group

BGAMUG meets tonight and every fourth Tuesday.

Tonight at 6:30, the BGAMUG group in Bowling Green, Kentucky will have a meeting at Bowling Green Technical College, building F. It is completely free and open to the public. They have a presentation at each meeting, and door prizes too.

This group helps people learn more about their computers and computer programs.  They also help groups and people in need.

They have a website here too: BGAMUG. Check it out to see what is coming up at the meetings and see what the group is all about. There is a map there too, to make it easy to find the meeting location.

Betsyanne
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Saving my Twitter postings for later, adding Digg, more.

I am saving my Twitter Postings - do you do that too?

In this posting: how to make a home-made Twitter postings backup for personal use, how to add a "Digg" program window on your Firefox browser, and a thumbs up for Hootsuite, a Twitter poster that lets you post ahead of time on your Twitter accounts.

I save my Twitter postings after I use them. I can re-use them that way at HootSuite or put the on my permanent links on my browser, to look at later.

I find some neat websites while searching at Digg and Stumbleupon. The Digg ones I can now check out on my desktop with a new application, the Digg Toolbar on Firefox version 2.0.2. This application really helps me find new stories to list on Twitter.

It is easy to save your Twitter postings by yourself. Just copy at least 10 pages at a time, using the "more" button at the bottom of your Twitter postings page to add each page. Then use your edit-copy-paste skills to transfer these links and postings to any word processor you want. I prefer my easy Text-Edit program. I'm sure you have your favorite too.

I put a date on my folder and voila! I am done and can use these postings as I need them when I post ahead using Hootsuite. Hootsuite can really free up your time. I post on Hootsuite for the next day. Right now I'm experimenting to see if I can see a difference in traffic from less or more postings per day on each account (I have 3 right now). I tried only 2 postings yesterday and it was NOT a good idea. I switched back to my regular every three hour postings today and so far, so good.

The saved Twitter postings I have help me a lot when I go to post for the next day or week. Of course, I also put new and current postings on there, and don't re-post too-dated stuff.

But I believe different people see different postings at different times, so you won't have a lot of "same-same" postings, even if you do re-use some Twitterings. That is my hope!

All for now,
-Betsyanne

Oh - while you are at it:
Join me on Twitter as @betsyanne, @nontrads, and @scholarsgrants.
I look forward to your twitters!

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Nashville travels... and The great Frist Birth of Impressionism exhibit!

The Birth of Impressionism exhibit in Nashville at the Frist...

The Frist Center for the Visual Arts Exhibit called The Birth of Impressionism is almost over in Nashville but you still have around 5 more days to go and see it.

The paintings at the exhibit will astound you. Some are HUGE... and you can see neat details like glitter in the paint, and how masterful the paintings really are up close. These are on loan from the Orsay Museum in France. There are so many new things to see here. Whistler's Mother is here, plus lots of beautiful paintings by people you may not have heard of before, along with other famous artists like Manet, Monet and Renoir.

I learned a lot there too, about the history of France, salons, and some of what it took to be a successful artist back then.

The exhibit runs through the 23rd of January. Today is a free day there, but parking can be difficult to find, unless you get there right when it opens.

It is definitely worth going to. You will NOT be disappointed. I was amazed at some of the huge paintings, and some of the smaller ones were meticulously done. They had a taped explanation of the paintings too, all included.

I hope to go again before it closes.

You can see some of the beautiful paintings here:
http://www.atthefrist.com/impressionism/

And some parking lot pix and more here:
My Flickr photos

-Betsyanne

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My Five Top free and helpful Twitter Sites and Twitter Info Sites

Twitter Sites and Info Sites I like - the Top Five.

#1: I love the Hootsuite site. It is totally free (I use the free option) and of course you can upgrade for more features. It's very easy to use, and you can schedule your tweets there for the week or just for the next day. I usually just do tweets for the next day, and this frees me up a lot!

#2. The Twitter Yellow Pages - Twellow. I go here to add new tweeple (people!) to my Twitter every so often. I have three accounts on Twitter, and can so far only manage to add two accounts here. But I can check out each name, number of followers, and what they have put their name under, so I can tell if I will like their tweets or not. It's easy to add the people, simply click a box near their name.

#3. Mashable - just go to the website and click on the Social Media box, then the Twitter tab. Or just click here. You will find lots of Twitter stories to read here that are very popular. Just check how often they are shared. You will also find a lot of other stuff here too, like news articles about lots of other tech subjects.

#4. Twibes - I started two Twitter Twibes, one is Nontraditional Students and the other is Bowling Green, Kentucky. It's a great way to find out who is interested in what you are interested in, and also who is in your area. Find out more about the Twitter Twibes main page. You can also go to your Twibes page and find good Twitter postings by others in your interest area to re-tweet.

#5. Untweeps - this site is really easy to use. It takes off followers that have not posted in (you say) however many days. It also shows each person's name and picture so you don't accidentally erase a friend who just hasn't been to Twitter in awhile.

But face it, people who aren't on Twitter are NOT going to be reading your postings, so you need to seriously consider deleting them if you need more tweeple reading your posts. Just saying. The free version (which of course I use) only lets you do so many untweep sessions before they make you come back later. But that's OK.

You can add me on Twitter as @betsyanne, @nontrads, or @scholarsgrants.

Later!

-Betsyanne

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This yellow bird is from the free Clker website. 

10 Tips for Making Money with Your Website or Blog

Many writers want to try it - and also want to make money too.

And why not?

Especially if you love to write anyhow. I have been learning about doing just that for the last couple of years. It's definitely a learning process. And success doesn't happen overnight. It takes awhile for real traffic to start coming to a site.

Here are ten pointers for people who want to start up a blog or website and make money from it.

#1. There are a lot of blogs out there. Some  subjects are very crowded and may have huge commercial blogs or sites already out there with plenty of subscribers. The key trick that many experts tell new bloggers is: find your own niche.

     It's kind of like writing an English paper. Your subject can be too unfocused. Trying to get all the infromation for a subject like, for instance, "World History" is pretty impossible. How can you even come close to covering all that "World History" entails? So narrowing down your subject more is the key. For a subject lie World History to succeed as an English paper topic, for instance, you could narrow in and cover "Political Thought for Spring 1910 in the U.S."

#2. Think about what you know and what you like. This will help you write with gusto and excitement about your subject - because you will be enthusiastic without being fake about it.

#3. Do research first. You don't want to have a blog that is already saturated online. Find out what people want to know about, what real people are searching for. Then go ahead and try to give the people what they want. Yes, this sounds like commercialism, but it is being smart, especially if you want to make money with your site. You can always use trial and error, but research is smarter. One free site that may help you is the Google Webmaster Tools site. There is a LOT of information here, all for free.

#4. Consider your platform. Use your own url or web address if at all possible. You can put a Wordpress blog on their site or on your own site (recommended). Wordpress is lauded as a good, free blogging platform. You can also use Blogger, which is easier to learn, I think. But many professional swear by WordPress. You can also have a custom site built by a professional if you can afford it. If you try to switch to Wordpress from Blogger later, you will lose your photos. But since Wordpress is so flexible, that may be OK. I personally have several Blogger blogs, plus one new Wordpress blog.

#5. Make sure you keep up on your blogging. The very minimum time frame you should expect to post on your blog is at least 2 times a week. Some bloggers get by on once a week. But do not leave your blog without a new posting for more than 2 weeks, because people will start taking your blog OFF their link lists, and Google ratings may go down as well. And websites also need refreshing as much as possible.

     You can also use other sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, to make your pages more popular and attract new readership. You will need to keep up on these sites as well.

#6. Do your research. People don't want to read blogs about stuff they already know or is a rehash of somebody else's popular blog. It's a waste of time for your reader. One example of this type of blog is the "pointer" blog. A lazy blogger will say "Hey, I found a great blog. Here it is:" and then just put a link. Would you click that? Well, maybe. And I have done that before too. But if the site I go to is not what I am looking for, I will just click out and go somewhere else.

#7. Study with the experts. Blogging can be easy, especially if you are using your blog as a personal diary. In that case, (the personal diary blog) you probably don't care if lots of people come by to read it. But if you want to increase traffic, which increases sales, you need good, free advice. I have some good links for that at the end of this article.

#8. Be patient. Even using all the tricks in the book, such as SEO (Search Engine Optimization), a blog often takes months or even years to come into its own and have a regular readership. You may be lucky and go up in the ratings sooner than that, but probably not. You can keep track of developments with the free counter at Statcounter and see your traffic and popular keywords, etc. there.

#9. Keep to your subject if you are trying to make money. Don't ramble on about what you are eating today, about whether or not you like the weather today,  or go off on another tangent. Narrow your focus if you have a focused blog. That is what your readers expect and want. You can change the focus of your blog with a personal blog or diary, and that is OK. Just don't expect to have many readers.

#10. Be safe, and check your websites often. Actually go to your server and look inside to find your files. Does everything look OK? Make sure there are no "extra" pages there. Change your passwords regularly too, just in case. Keep an anti-virus and a firewall on your computer. And backup your files using an online service or a hard drive backup system outside of your computer. You will be glad you did.

Find out more at these sites:

Bloggeries - their description "Learn how to set up a blog, start blogging, produce quality content and use these forums as your internet marketing courses." You must have 15 postings here before you can add your signature. Bloggeries members can answer your blog questions and you can also learn about SEO here.

The Warrior Forum - this is both a pay and free site. If you are selling products via your blog, or want to learn about Internet Marketing, you may want to join the Warrior Forum. It is $37.00 to join, and is a one-time fee. The people here are real experts, and there are many people here every day.

Squidoo - This site helps you make lens pages easily, and shares its ad revenue. It was started by Seth Godin, who wrote many famous marketing books. You can see my pages there or try making your own page too.

The ProBlogger site - famous, and has many free articles for you. The book he wrote is great too. I have a copy.



Want more advice on making a beginning blog? You can contact me personally or go to my SEO for Beginners page.

Here is my lens about my Squidoo journey: Free Squidoo Secrets: My Beginner's Path to Giant Squid.

Later!

-Betsyanne

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This fun money-making Mama art design is from the Microsoft Office Clip Art pages. 

The Last Days of Davis-Kidd Bookstore in Nashville, Tennessee

Goodbye, Davis-Kidd!

I was sad to see Davis-Kidd bookstore in Nashville with all kinds of empty shelves today.

It is the last 4 days of Davis-Kidd's "Everything Must Go" final sale. They are going out of business. I could not believe it when I heard. It seems like only yesterday that I visited and they were a bustling concern, filled not only with books, but with announcement of author visits, new books they recommended, and lots of neat merchandise.

I took some photos today, posted them on Flickr and Facebook, and have some to post here today too.

 

 

 See all the Davis-Kidd photos from today at Flickr.

Goodbye, Davis-Kidd! We will miss you.

Betsyanne and all the other book lovers in the Nashville area.

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How to use photos from Morguefile and Flickr - plus some Christmas photos

Happy Holidays!

Here are some great holiday photos from the Morguefile and Flickr sites.

You can find free-to-use photos from both of these sites. I use them all the time for my blogs and sites.

Here are some I really liked today from both photo websites. For instructions on how to use these photos, just scroll down past the photos.

Photos from Morguefile I like

Gingerbread People - this neat photo is by J. Durham on Morguefile.

I loved this one because I have that very same ornament! It is a photo by earl53 on Morguefile.com.

This beautiful photo of a gold star is by MJAN78 at Morguefile.com. Morguefile is using it as its very own cover photo this month.

Photos from Flickr I like

I used to have a kitten that did this. And woe to the ornaments AND the tree!
This photo is by Susan E. Adams on Flickr.

This beautiful picture of a Plaza is by davedehetre on Flickr.

The photographer for this pretty scene is Scott Feldstein on Flickr.

How to use photos from these sites:
I use photos from Morguefile and download them without worry, because these photos are free to use. It is a nice thing to email the photographer to let them know where they are used, though, if they ask about that on their profile page.

To find photos on Flickr that I can use, I go to "Search", (adding my search term(s)) then to "Advanced Search", check
"Photos/Videos", "Screenshots/Screencasts", and "Illustration Art/Animation/CGI", then "Photos and Videos", and "Only search within Creative Commons -licensed content", and click both "Find content to use commercially" and "Find content to modify, adapt, or build upon."

Then I hit Search again. The photos I get I am able to use. I check what license they have and change the photo if I can.

Have a wonderful holiday!

-Betsyanne

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The (In) famous Elf Massacre... did it really happen?

It's the first tine I have seen the actual photo of this incident, called an "Elf Massacre" by the photographer and his family. This telling photo was taken in 2004. The photographer actually sent this out (with words attached) as their Christmas card. (see below).

I was really taken aback by this. I am surprised that the family is still around, especially if a "Massacre" happened, instead of just some "Elf vs. Baby" trouble.

Did elves really die after this picture was taken?

I like to think that perhaps these elves were able to escape from this baby run amok.

If you can't read the printing below, it says "Happy Holidays 2004 from the Fitzgerald Family: Kirsten, Patrick & Lauren." The bottom line reads: "for many years after the incident, Lauren remained on Santa's 'naughty' list."

-Betsyanne

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This photo is by BarelyFitz/Patrick Fitzgerald on Flickr.

Remembering John Lennon

Thanks to Richard, whose link is at the bottom of this page, for putting this link up on Facebook today.

This song is Happy Christmas, War is Over, by John Lennon. I found out today that other people have not heard this song, even people who listen to the radio a lot, I assume. I have heard it in Wisconsin and in Kentucky at Christmastime.

I wish I would hear it more, and expect to hear it on the radio or TV Christmas week.

I do love this song. It means even more seeing the video today. I, like so many others, really miss John Lennon. When he died, a piece of me did too. He stood for so much, peace, fighting against injustice, not caring what others thought of him, and a lot more.

Here is the video of the song.



I am so glad that the whole world is remembering John Lennon today. Here are a few links that I found interesting:

Rolling Stone will release John Lennon's final print interview found in a closet (link is here).

Lennon's Other Legacy: Newsweek talks about John Lennon and calls him the "first meta-celebrity." (link is here)

**And especially: Squid Rich's blog: John Lennon, 30 Years Gone: Happy Xmas (War is Over) (link is here).

If John Lennon were alive today, what do you think he would be fighting for? Stopping the wars everywhere, and living peacefully, bringing prisoners home, and much more, I think. But on the good side, many people have been inspired by him and are working for these same things today. I say Yay!

-Betsyanne

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Ack - Ack - Ack - it's a Cyber Attack!

Ack Ack Ack - It's a Cyber Attack... 

Drop all you're doing... 'cause you've been hacked! 

This posting is just a little bit about my hacking experience. It's awful to find out that your blog or site has extra pages in it you never put there.

Then you have to take them off and look all around, try to find out where somebody could come in, change all your passwords, talk to the web host, etc. etc. etc. etc. and run virus checks on everything, take off scripts, etc. etc. etc. which of course takes forever.

Then you must put it back, label everything you took off and keep a copy, look again and again at pages, re-submit all to Google, reload files, then put in a reconsideration request. And that is just for one site.

 After that, you can check out the suspicious sites that are still out there, download multiple safety programs and check them out, go and look at all your pages and sites that are out there, and then fix the holes in all your copy.

Then you must read all kinds of information about hacking and what it involves. Ack ack ACK!!!! I won't be completely done for a long time.

It takes  LOT of concentration and speed-reading in order to see what is going on and get rid of it in a timely manner. There is still so much for me to learn, too.

Do any of my readers have a hacking story? Now that this has happened, I want to learn more about hacking and the many ways it can be done. Not to do it to anybody else, but just to understand more about it.

I also found some sites that I went to, that now have something completely different on their website than they had when I visited. Go figure! I don't know if these sites are aware that they have weird pages on their sites or not. Hackers can split a site up and show a legitimate page to some people or machines, and have an entirely separate one going on the side. Yuck.

It's a learning experience, all right. There were already a million things to check and put on my to-do list. Now I will be learning more online. I have already spent a lot of time learning and re-doing things.

I guess I already know the answer to the first question I had - Why do hackers want to inflict this kind of pain on people? I guess the main answer is: to make money.

It's lots easier to use somebody else's work instead of doing it yourself. And I also think that hackers sometimes take delight in somebody else's grief... but it might just still be money, business and nothing personal.

While I was researching, I found an old web page that promised instant revenge on hackers. When their program noticed something wrong going on with your site, it retaliated with multiple attacks on the hacker(s). I think this might make the hacker(s) respond in kind. It is enough for me to get things back on track.

But I don't mind sending an email or two to other sites that may need to know who, or what is on their site.

Do you have a hacking story to share? Write a comment below! 

-Betsyanne
Beginning hacker student

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The art here on this blog posting is from the Microsoft site at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/ and from the free art site at Clkr.com. 

Cat Advice from Boss Kitty for 2010

 


#1. Always work on looking cute. That way, no matter what, you have the upper hand. Your human just loves it when you roll over or let him or her scratch your belly. This turns them directly into mush for you to command. (See my photo).

#2. Remember that your humans are yours to command. If they ever don't do what you want them to do right away, keep on meowing until they do. And refer to #1.

#3. Every once in awhile, go hide someplace you can't be easily found. Your humans will appreciate you more after they finally find you.

#4. If in doubt, zone out.

#5. Keep out of the way of your human's bottom paws. Remember that your humans are unbelievably clumsy. Period.

#6. A fun trick to play is to lie down in one of your human's traffic zones. It is hilarious to watch them try not to step on you, and/or fall. But don't actually get stepped on if you can help it. (refer to #5).

#7. Don't let your humans know that you are tricking them, ever. One way to do this is to act cool, and do something like lick your paw. For example, is your human falling over trying not to step on you. Play it cool, and direct your attention elsewhere.

#8. If you can, try to make your humans open and close doors for you as much as possible. This helps them feel useful.

#9. If your human does not put pleasing food in your dish, refuse to eat until he or she does.
and of course,

#10. Remember that you deserve to be petted, adored, and catered to. That is why you allowed your humans to invite you into their home, remember.

Signed,

 

Boss Kitty

via Betsyanne. Later!


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Via NPR - - who is missing from your Thanksgiving table?

Who is missing from my Thanksgiving table?
My mom, for one.

She lives in a care home now in another city. I do get to visit her, but on Thanksgiving, a day when my husband works,  she will not be at my house, nor will I be at hers.

My dad also will not be there for Thanksgiving. Our family has been missing him since 1990, when he passed away from complications of adult-onset diabetes.

One of these days I will again try making a Thanksgiving dinner, complete with turkey, homemade dressing, yummy cranberry sauce from a can, and pumpkin pie. I will be thinking of the missing people I used to be with on Thanksgiving years past, and of other older family members who are no longer with me, or of other loved ones far away from me this Thanksgiving.

I will be most thankful for the Thanksgiving and holiday memories I was lucky enough to have had with all of them through the years. 

And I will be thinking of people I am coming to know on Facebook and elsewhere who have it very hard this year. One just had a young daughter die from complications from a knee replacement. Another family is at the hospital - - waiting to see if their mother can breathe when she is taken off a respirator. Still another person faces heart surgery, but must wait another few weeks until he is stronger to have this done.

I heard on the radio today that NPR was going to talk about a story called "Who is missing from your Thanksgiving table?" and that title gave me the idea for this posting.

(Thanks NPR!). I got to thinking about my Thanksgiving, and that of others too. Some people will be missing their relatives who are simply not able to make it, but are still around. That is what the NPR radio show is about that I found on the site. It is from 1997.

Here is what it says on the NPR site about the "Who is Missing from your Thanksgiving table" story:
 
"Listeners talk about the loved ones who are absent from their gathering this Thanksgiving. Whether they are serving overseas in the military, stuck in highway traffic, or at work producing an upcoming broadcast, who is missing from your table this year?"

I may listen to this broadcast later on, because it sounds good.


Anyway, I hope your Thanksgiving is a good one. I know for myself, I will be counting my blessings and am very grateful that I am able to remember those who are missing. I also hope I will be able to help those others who are only today coming to grips with the fact that this year or maybe next year, there may be an empty spot - - or another one -- at their Thanksgiving table.

Here is the radio show link from NPR.

And have a good, memory-filled Thanksgiving.

-Betsyanne

PS I was reminded yesterday that I am not the only one who believes that it is true that the perception of time passing has indeed changed a lot with age. Now time is going by way too fast. But what to do about it I haven't quite figured out yet. Maybe just go with the flow? :-) If you have an idea, just let me know as a comment.


The pensive photo on this page and the Thanksgiving turkey drawing are both from the great (and free!) site at Clkr.com.

****COMMENT BELOW**** - - and let me know your Thanksgiving plans, thoughts, or just anything you feel like sharing.

-Betsyanne

My Personal Page and blog
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Beautiful glass globes at Cheekwood in Nashville, Tennessee.

101_7241
Originally uploaded by betsyanne

We finally made it to the Chihuly exhibit at Cheekwood!
We'll see how big the posting makes this picture. Not big at all!
I also have more at Flickr.
I will post some more here now:

 

 

 

Here are all the photos via Facebook here too.
-Betsyanne

Squidoo and RocketMoms - I figured part of it out.

Hi to everyone!

This week, RocketMoms are doing a Top 100 Lists Challenge. It is RocketMoms Session 11.
I just wound up Session 10, and made a Lensography here:


My RocketMoms Session #10 Lensography.

Then I started thinking about improving my profile there.

I tried one addition that was WAY too long. Then I shortened it.

Here is my latest one:

It is not having the links show up right now, but maybe that is the way that profiles are supposed to be on Squidoo. They work here though! Just click to go to any of them (above).

I have no idea what went wrong at Photobucket today. Was it a site problem, or just me? The links seemed to keep adding a number or an extra letter to them. Luckily, I also am a member of Flickr, and so I just went there - and voila! The pictures started showing up. Most of my readers will know that both of these sites are photo management sites. They are both pretty different. Flickr has an option to save your photos and share them with different options, including different flavors of Creative Commons.

I know that learning anything takes mistakes and trial and error. It makes actually seeing your results very sweet.

-Betsyanne

My Personal Page and blog
The Nontrads site and blog
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Join me on Twitter as @betsyanne or @nontrads