Wednesday, February 25, 2015

The Betsyanne Moon and Willow Tree News for Feb. 25, 2015




Part of All the News that's Fit to Print on a Betsyanne MW Blog. 

#1. I am NO LONGER snowed out. But that may change in a few days (again) - we'll see.

Repets - - Long story short: Snow was way heavy, roof collapsed.
The RePets store's ceiling fell in, but nobody was around for that. Luckily.
You can catch up with that story here. The landlord (not their building this time, I was sort of glad to hear this...) is already there and fixing at least one side of this up for now.

Repets' Thrift Store Facebook page - photos, one video+, more. 










ConCave was fun - - and I'm ready for next year - almost!
ConCave (the annual Relaxacon Science Fiction Convention in Bowling Green, KY) went great. I hope to enter the Art Show and also have a Huckster Table there next year. Watch for photos and announcements about that later. The band Five Year Mission played again, which was no doubt fun.
Find out more about this fun convention here: The Official Concave Page.

They should have next year's information here soon. The dates for next year are Feb. 26th-28th, 2016. Mark your calendar. Seriously.

Their Facebook page is here: http://www.facebook.com/ConcaveKy.

An Outdoor Journey Project update











I'm still working on the Outdoor Journey Project - - the most activity is on our Facebook page, but there are people still on the Yahoo group (not as many, but they are appreciated!) and also people are visiting the website. We are working to get more official Outdoor Program back in Girl Scouting. AND helping troops get outdoors on the way there. We have helped bring one Outdoor Badge back to Girl Scouting which should be available in all ways this Fall. Scouts and Scouters, and friends of Girl Scouting, you are welcome to join us. Come help us! #morethan5 - #getoutside #camping.

Also, we are on Twitter as @OutdoorJourneyB.

Much going on - - art projects, writing, etc. etc. Leave a comment and let me know how you are doing too, one of these days.
 
So there you have it.

Here are some more recent postings:

My News for the Snowpocalpyse: Kentucky Style (plus photos)

The Jordanian Pilot (could not watch), Weather, Games and Songs, Art Musings

and

Jan 24: Articles, Saudi Arabia, Frat Party, Greek Tomb, trip to Nashville, more.

Onward and Upward!

FYI: Some of my other websites and blogs are: The Nontraditional Student Blog and website, GS Betsy's E-blast (for Kentuckiana Area 17 and Beyond), From the Garden Spot (another Betsyanne blog), The Find Scholarships and Grants blog, and The Teacher Tree (I will be working more on this one later this year). 

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

My News for the Snowpocalypse... Kentucky style. And more. Feb 17 2015

Well, we got snowed upon.

I posted some photos on Facebook. Here are a couple of them.
This car is no longer here. Rickey has it at his job. He barely made it out.




















Snowy trees... the farm across the way.























It snowed, and snowed, and then snowed some more. I hear the major roads are passable, but this road is not. Rickey barely missed some other cars yesterday. Luckily, with his job, he can stay there, which is a good thing. A heavy duty truck may stop by to stock him up with supplies and lunches today. We'll see.

I saw a cloud of smoke as the wheels spun when he was caught in a little dip by the mailbox. Ack.

More news
I got some other postings done, AND rediscovered an old notebook, which I used to tape articles in and save websites 10-15 years or MORE ago. I decided to blog about it at my From the Garden Spot Blog. I call this first posting "Discoveries from the Secret (and forgotten) Notebook - Part One." There are some fun sites and thoughts in here. AND some websites have just disappeared or morphed into something else.

ZZ Top is on the way to BG for the Lost River Music Fest on March 28th at the BG Ballpark. Just saying. This should be pretty popular.

Selecting Books from my overhuge collection
I'm selecting books to sell from my humongous stash. It should not be a problem to come up with another box of these and price them today.

More beheadings....
This time of Egyptian Coptic Christians. I can't wrap my mind around it, it is just so hideous and awful. And now (of course) this group has the Egyptians very angry. 

Record Lows tonight?
It may get really cold tonight and tomorrow. Already the cupboards are open, and the water dripping as a precaution. Someone on Facebook said that their chimney was on fire yesterday! But they ( am assuming the Fire Department) caught it before it fired the whole house up. Scary stuff. And someone else's car was snowed into a snowbank and someone helped her shovel out and get on the road. There are also photos of wrecks in Nashville. It MIGHT start to thaw out on Friday.

And here is something I just saw online: It's an article about travel.... if you can, travel EARLY with your loved one. Don't just say "We'll do that later..." Someone I care about told me to do this too. I'm working on it...

Here is that article: Here's How to Avoid One of the Most Common Life Regrets.

FYI: Some of my other websites and blogs are: The Nontraditional Student Blog and website, GS Betsy's E-blast (for Kentuckiana Area 17 and Beyond), From the Garden Spot (another Betsyanne blog), The Find Scholarships and Grants blog, and The Teacher Tree (I will be working more on this one later this year).
 
Onward and Upward!

Betsyanne 

Wednesday, February 04, 2015

Jordanian pilot (could not watch), Weather, Games and Songs, Art musings...

This week has been intense. 

I was online and saw a posting by Queen Rania of Jordan today about the killing of the Jordanian pilot by ISIS. I can only imagine what she said on this posting today, but I did notice that there was a plane and also a flag. The plane looks like a bird too. If anyone knows Arabic, I would greatly appreciate a translation.

I would post it here, but I am not sure what it says. The comments are translatable, but not the posting, since it is a photo.

Here is her FB page: http://www.facebook.com/QueenRania. I could not watch the video of the Jordanian pilot... it was too awful.

I was SO hoping they would let this man go or trade for him.  I am devastated by this.

Weather
We here in South Central Kentucky have escaped much of the huge snowfall and power outages on the news last week. So far. Fingers are crossed.

Games and Songs
On the plus side, yesterday I had a great time teaching Songs and Games to a local Girl Scout troop of Daisies and Brownies. How cute and funny they are at that age. They loved doing the action song(s) of the Princess Pat (old, respectful version - - no tree involved) and Pass the Shoe game (a traditional Girl Scout favorite). I did an evaluation at the end. It turns out that the Pass the Shoe game (my personal favorite) was the most popular. It makes for many laughs, which is a fun change of pace for this week.

Art musings
I simply MUST do some art. An artist I know locally is posting her art this week and probably next. I can do that too, but then it will run out because I have not made any NEW art lately. So I will need to do that. Just saying. I an getting up my motivation for that.

So... Back to work - work and never shirk, etc.

-Betsyanne

And here are other recent postings:

Jan. 24: Articles, Saudi Arabia, Frat Party, Greek Tomb, trip to Nashville, more...

Jan. 15: MWT #2, Catalogs, TV Shows, movies, National Hat Day, the Nontrad website, more...

Onward and Upward!

and here are some of my other blogs:
The Nontraditional Student blog - helping nontraditional students (going back to school after a break) find help and advice.


From the Garden Spot - About gardening, writing, online selling tips, and more. 
  
Girl Scout Betsy (A GS of Kentuckiana Volunteer blog for Area 17 and Beyond)- Events, trainings, etc., and

Find Scholarships and Grants - Of all kinds.



Saturday, January 24, 2015

Moon and Willow News for Saturday, January 24th - articles, Saudi Arabia, Frat Party, Greek Tomb, trip to Nashville, more...









NEWS - NEWS - NEWS - NEWS - NEWS
All the news that's fit to print, and some not so much. :-)










Well, it snowed.  
Which this winter is pretty rare here this winter in South Central Kentucky. I have to admit that the snow really looked pretty last night, (it was good packing so easy to walk on...) but made the roads a bit less safe this morning, which nixed the Nashville trip. I got used to going to Nashville a lot when I was visiting my Mom, and also got used to being able to buy foods at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, which of course feature natural and organic food, which is SO much better than other kinds, I find. ::::heavy sigh::::

We'll have to reschedule. Darn.

Continuing neat Catalog cataloging.
I have my #3 posting done today. It features the neat catalogs of the Victorian Trading Company, the Caretaker Gazette, the National Geographic gift catalog, and the Vermont Country Store catalog. These are all perfect catalogs to curl up with on a day like today.

The Outdoor Journey Project
This site is still attracting new members.  I am very happy about that. There is LOTS of interest this week, because GSUSA made an announcement about the new outdoor badge they are doing. About the group: we are working towards getting more official Outdoor Program back in Girl scouting. IF you would like to help, and are a Girl Scout, a Scouter, a Boy Scout leader, or a Supporter, come join us here at the Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/groups/outdoor.journey/. Our website is here: http://outdoor-journey.com/ if you would like to come and visit to learn more.

Sad News of Two Kinds
I have a relative who is very ill in the hospital, and has stopped eating. This is, of course, her choice, but it is sad because I love her very much. And a friend is coping both with the death of her mother and her daughter. I wish I could reach out to her via phone or mail. I have tried. Anyway, I am sad this week for sure. I would tell their names, but won't because they may not want the publicity.

House Hunting
I look at online houses for sale in the area a lot. They are usually priced over my budget (very small) and there are some projects I'd like to get done on where I live too (first, before moving), but it can be fun to look around and just see what kinds of houses are available. My favorite dream house would be someplace with LOTS of storage. I love older houses, but most times they are expensive. But beautiful. I love it that there are houses listed online, along with photos most times. Trulia is my favorite site to search. I think it's cool that you can check values for houses even NOT for sale there.

News I posted about today.
President Obama is going to the Republic Day Parade in New Delhi. I KNOW he is going to love this parade. It is absolutely stupendous. It is good news that he will be talking to India and that our countries can become closer. When I saw this parade, there were awesome uniforms, elephants, and tanks.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/23/obama-delhi-modi-india-us-new-era

I hope that the Saudi Arabian women can become more free in that country in the future. I read a series of books about life in Saudi Arabia for a Saudi Princess. These books were very eye-opening. I found out that the late King, Abdullah, was actually in favor of women's rights. But most men in the country want to hold on to their power, and are not as much in favor of more rights for women. Over there, if you wind up in a loveless marriage, there is not a lot women can do about it. It's a lot more basic than just wanting to drive. Here is a link about those books: http://www.princesssultanascircle.com/trilogy.htm.

I shared online about some Saudi women I recently read about who are under House Arrest right now. I hope the new King there can help. Here is that article too: "Don't forget the late Saudi King's jailed princesses..."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2015/01/23/dont-forget-the-late-saudi-kings-jailed-princesses/
 
More News
Inside the Frat Party that caused  $75,000 damage.
https://gma.yahoo.com/inside-frat-party-caused-75-000-damage-ski-130900800--abc-news-topstories.html

More Remains Discovered in Greek Tomb That Dates Back to Reign of Alexander the Great
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/21/mystery-greek-tomb-alexander-the-great_n_6509310.html

Until later,

Onward and Upward!

-Betsyanne

Thursday, January 15, 2015

NEWS - MWT #2, Catalogs, TV shows, movies, National Hat Day, the Nontrad website, more.

Moon and Willow Tree News #2. Jan 15, 2015.













CATALOG FUN.
I am posting all about different catalogs I like on my Garden Spot blog. It's actually fun to write about this, because I do love to read catalogs. One is a magazine (MaryJane's Farm) but MaryJane also sells organic towels and things online, so it sort of counts.

AND I have more catalogs to go.

Adding: Here is that blog link The Garden Spot Blog.

MORE ORGANIZING
The thing I like most about organizing is that I ALWAYS find things I have forgotten about when I do it. Some of those things I keep. But mostly I am taking extra things out and donating them to Goodwill. Much left, but that's OK.

THE HOBBIT and a couple of other movies
No, I haven't seen this movie yet, but I'm REALLY looking forward to it. I can recommend a couple other movies, if you get a chance to see them. I have seen both of these. One is Birdman, and the other is The Grand Budapest Hotel. If I had to choose between them, I'd choose the Grand Budapest Hotel, although the other one is great, too. There seem to be a lot of good movies out this year. My favorite part of going to see a movie is most times because of the fun previews. Well, the popcorn is nice too.

THE LOVE BOAT TV show... and other favorites
I used to like this a lot. Now I still do, but it's pretty hokey sometimes, but also sometimes funny and surprising still. It's fun to see all the stars I used to like on there too. There are quite a few! Other guilty pleasures lately are The Bachelor (with "Prince Farming") and also Downton Abbey. Other shows I like (but don't see a lot...) are Call the Midwife and The Good Wife (haven't seen that for awhile). Schitt's Creek (starting Wed. Feb. 11th) might be funny. I might see it and find out.

Older shows I wish I could see again (and will be looking for) are Mannix, 77 Sunset Strip, The Rockford Files, The X-Files, and Magnum, P.I. I would not mind watching Buffy (have seen some of these...) and I would not mind watching the series "Firefly" either, but I know it didn't last long, so of course I will be sad about that. But I hear it was great. They probably play on SOME channels, but since I have "Basic" I don't see them anywhere. This must change eventually.

HAPPY NATIONAL HAT DAY
It was today. I hope some of you wore your favorite hat today. I still like them. I think they are back in fashion, along with gloves, which were recently worn (long white ones) by Amal Clooney. Although Kathy Griffin of the Fashion Police show didn't like them, I did!

THE NONTRAD WEBSITE
Well, I did redo a lot of the pages, but they will need even more work this year. But I'm glad most of the pages at least MATCH each other now. Whew. Next: my Betsyanne pages. It will take awhile... but that's OK with me.

All for today.

Betsyanne

Onward and Upward!

Wednesday, January 07, 2015

Redoing websites, redoing blogs. Mini-Newsletter #1, Jan. 7 2015.

THE MOON AND THE WILLOW TREE NEWS #1.

Autoquote of the Day:
more Nature Quotes














The Nontraditional Student Website
Work has begun on this website. It is a website for students going back to school after a break. Every page must be checked and redone. It should take another two weeks or so. My question is, why don't webmasters put a "directions" page on pages they decide to get rid of? If you have linked to an interesting page it is a hassle to redo your link. Just saying. It does not have to be an actual redirect page. A page "this page has moved to here..." is just fine. Or redo the page. Just KEEP the LINK. OK? Hope everyone is listening. (har har)

Sink Fun
The front sink was not plumbed correctly when it was first put in, I just heard over the phone. The plumber checked it out and got both cold and wet doing that. Getting this sink fixed/unclogged once a year has been the norm. Plus, it smells funny. Now a new plumber suggests a more direct course (not a sideways direction to a bathroom first before emptying out) and a new direction (down instead of sideways) and a bigger pipe (for less chance of clogs)  for a bit more cost than just a snake fix, which is not working anyhow anymore now so is not really a choice at all. I must now get ready for a dishpan dishwashing process until Friday. It might be an earlier fix, but he doesn't want to promise.

Snow!
There is a dusting today. This is a nice sight. And it was snowing earlier on my way here. But it's not too slippery. It is very cold though, and will get colder. I will be glad to get back home, seriously. It's our first real winter weather here. I wore my double-length purple and grey ruffled scarf, which almost looks like an infinity scarf when I knot it in front. Plus put emergency mittens in my pocket.

Big News Stories of the Day
This has to be the murder of cartoonists in France. They killed them because they didn't like what they said or drew. Crazytown stuff. I hope they catch these murderers. It's really so tragic.
On a sort of related subject, NPR had a story about Guantanemo today. I do hope it closes soon. Now there is the question of millions of dollars being spent on it. I wish these prisoners had had real trials and had not been tortured. Anyway, that was the news this morning, such as it is. Bad stuff.

Changing the subject - good Outdoor Journey Project news
The Outdoor Journey Project Facebook page had a GSUSA Staff member join yesterday. It is Jennifer Alleback, the Chief Girl Experience Officer at GSUSA. I hope to get some great ideas from her about how to get an Outdoor Journey added to the current Journey program in Girl Scouting, plus many more badges. Or some good conversation anyhow. The girls need to get back outdoors, go camping, use the camps, and learn valuable life skills, leadership, and teamwork too. Jennifer is not the only staff member in the group. Also, we have Boy Scout leaders, Girl Scout leaders, and other Scouters helping us with this project.

More Postings
I am keeping up better with my blogs and sites. But they each need to be almost totally redone and checked. It is long past due for this. Next to fix: the Betsyanne website. I have many links to check on it too. All the Teaching pages need to be redone, as well as my Free clipart book.

Quote of the day: Via the Brainyquote site: (which has been redesigned too):


Onward and Upward!

Betsyanne

Join me on Twitter.

Saturday, December 27, 2014

Changing passwords, moving blogs around, experimenting.

Today I experiment with my blogs.














I will see if I can point some other ones right here. It's my most popular blog, so that makes sense to do that. Maybe posting more would be good. Right now, my attention is on too many areas at once.

If it does not work I will try to move them back.

It will be easier to post more often on just a few blogs, instead of too many.

And change passwords.

Another hacker group has hacked in to all kinds of sites and published their "findings" today.

Ack.

Here are a couple of links about that in case you want to check it out too:

Anonymous (?) publishes links and credit card numbers too

Hacker News reports a data breach

Onward and Upward!

-Betsyanne

Friday, November 28, 2014

Nov. Update: Discoveries, the Wampanoag Native American Tribe, its history, good deeds, and language project

Update - Update for November 28th, the day after Thanksgiving.

I hope everyone who celebrates it had a nice Thanksgiving yesterday.

Today I will touch on a couple of discoveries I have made this week.

My Discoveries:
I "discovered" that many of my blogs needed updating. So I updated some of them. CHECK. This is one. DOUBLE CHECK.

Here are some more I updated lately: The Nontraditional Student blog, my Girl Scout Betsy blog for the GS of Kentuckiana's Area 17 and Beyond, PLUS the unofficial Calendar page, The Find Scholarships and Grants blog, and My Online Writing Journey page (Squidoo to Hubpages).

My new trick is to write a blog posting, and not make it TOO long (except when I have to, or it is interesting to me...) And this one IS interesting, and I think you will like what I found out too.

Another Discovery: The Wampanoag Tribe Official Website and Language Classes Info.
I had some time to go online and read about Thanksgiving and also about the original Native American tribe that shared expertise and food with the Pilgrims when they arrived in the new world, The Wampanoag people.

Yes, we all know what happened a couple of generations after this... wars, and lots more, injustice, massacres, lies, and injustice. Just think how great it would have been without the wars, disease, and death that came along with all of this that happened later on.

It is important to remember that the Wampanoag Native Americans in the area could have just massacred the first newcomers, but they didn't. And they saved the remaining Plymouth residents from dying of starvation the second winter.

I found out that some people think that the Wampanoag Native Americans are gone. But they are not, they are very much alive today. Did you know that there is a Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe official page? AND that they are working right now to reclaim their language, which is called Wôpanâôt8âôk? I thought that was great.

Did you know that Wampanoag means People of the First Light/People of the Dawn? I certainly didn't know this.

Find out more:
http://www.mashpeewampanoagtribe.com/human_services

What the Tribe is saying about language classes (from their official website): "While students of all ages are welcome in community language classes, WLRP’s Language Committee and Board of Directors have prioritized founding a K-3 Wôpanâôt8ây Pâhshaneekamuq (Wampanoag Language Immersion Charter School), based on widespread community demand for children’s language classes. 

Weekly classes and language immersion camps will continue as well; however, in order to train a new generation of proficient speakers fully bilingual in both Wôpanâôt8ây and English, a publicly-funded regional charter school will teach all K-3 subjects in Wôpanâôt8ây beginning in August 2015, and aim to add additional grade levels annually. 

It is our deep belief that it is through our children and their language acquisition that the long term sustainability of our language can be ensured.

So there is some good news happening today, and I'm glad to hear of it.

This page is also about this Language Reclamation Project. People can donate there.
http://www.wlrp.org/

Onward and Upward!

Betsyanne

Wednesday, November 05, 2014

Talking Politics.... what I expected... and what happened. The view from an Independent turned Democrat.

Well, things went pretty much as I expected in the election of Nov. 4, 2014.

Republicans won many races, and I expect more gridlock in Congress and nationally in the next few years. I don't like it. I feel (as many do) that not much is being done nationally, and we are getting way to mired in the "us vs. them" to get much done now either.

Republicans say it's the Democrats who are holding up progress. And Democrats are saying the same thing. And the Supreme Court is handing down some very puzzling decisions - - that don't reflect what I think is fair.

Why is this happening? I don't think the will of the people is being done. People are not voting. Others are being told things that simply aren't true. The balance of power has gone to people with money and to corporations. People are believing what they are hearing on TV, supposed "news" which is often slanted.

But you never know. Things could still turn around later on.

It is good to get semi-back to normal now after these elections and not have to hear more of the popular rhetoric, tall tales, and awful commercials. I fear we will go back to gridlock after this. Some say that is the plan of many Republicans.

It doesn't have to be this way. The way I see it, there is WAY too much money in the elections, being used to spread much disinformation and fear in the electorate. We also don't have as many people voting as we need. And we need MORE, not less, choices. But who can run who is not a millionaire to start out with?

Solutions? I don't see them coming soon, but there are a few rays of hope.

For instance, if you are on Facebook, you may have noticed some groups there  trying to change the status quo.

Here are a couple of those in case you want to join the movement to get money OUT of our elections, whatever party you are in:

People for the American Way

The Other 98%

The Daily Kos (many causes...)

Move On

Occupy Democrats

Being Liberal

Join the Coffee Party Movement

I will list more here later on or in another posting.

What do YOU think needs to be done in the US today to get rid of this inaction and stalemate currently going on? Leave a comment.

Betsyanne

Onward and Upward!

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

My Other Blogs... updating is a MUST for all of them. Waylaid by some crystals in my ear... and getting back to work!

I was waylaid last week.
In a big way. I woke up in a tent at a Girl Scouting training weekend and could NOT get up. It was so scary. The best way to describe it is a slow-motion dizzy spell, with a down, down, on the ground component. I could not get up. I thought it might be the end. I imagined people finding me there later on... so bad, so sad.

Long story short... It could have been many things going wrong, but wound up just being a collection of crystals in my ear that were in the wrong place.

It's amazing how we stay upright with little crystals in the RIGHT place!

So now, like a miracle, I can move around without having to worry about it. I am grateful! One day, things are normal, and the next... well, things sure can change fast.

It's weird how having "time off" can mean not being able to do anything at all. Ack!

SO glad I can drive, not be dizzy, and not (this time anyway) be dealing with a stroke or a brain tumor.

I am updating THIS blog along with others now. And crossing my fingers I can do that regularly for awhile!

I'm truly counting my blessings this week.

Betsyanne

Onward and Upward!

Sunday, September 14, 2014

President Obama, Michael Moore, and the Roosevelts...

Thoughts for the day: President Obama vs. The Roosevelts. Sunday, Sept. 14th.

Michael Moore calls President Obama a big disappointment.  Via the New York Post.

He has a video about that here:
http://nypost.com/2014/09/11/michael-moore-calls-obama-a-huge-disappointment/

I think some of the reasons the President can't get things done must be chalked up to the Congress, and maybe to his inner circle and advisors. There is only so much that a President CAN do. But I do think he could somehow talk to the public more about what is going on, so we can get on board with things.

I think we need to keep in mind that any President can't do things alone, he needs the support of the American people and of people in both Houses of Congress, people from all walks of life, and all political parties, working together and getting things done.

And we all know that not much is getting done right now. 

Mr. Moore doesn't think that the President is a total failure though. He says in the article, "'I think Obama … he’s done many, many good things,' Moore soft-pedaled to Hollywood Reporter, before going off. 'But he’s also been a huge disappointment.'"

Taking about Presidents, the lives of the famous Roosevelts, including Eleanor (and of course, including Theodore and Franklin) will be featured on PBS tonight at 8 Central.

The show is "The Roosevelts" by famous documentarian Ken Burns. I plan to watch this.  It plays all week. Bob Schieffer said today on Face the Nation (CBS News) that he thought that we could learn from these Presidents how to get things done. He's watched this show already.

Onward and Upward!
-Betsyanne

Here is a stsory about The Roosevelt series:
http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/films/the-roosevelts

Wednesday, September 03, 2014

More ways to tell if it's going to be a LONG or hard winter this year...









Here are some Kentucky homespun weather wisdom.

Two Kentucky ladies shared their homespun wisdom with me recently.

Of course, everyone has heard SOME ways to tell if a winter will be a hard winter or not. Think: animals having very thick winter coats, and reading what the Almanac says.

But here are some more I didn't know about:

#1. There are 3 Blood Moons - - this means a hard winter.

#2. If you cut a persimmon in half at the first Fall frost, and see either a fork, knife, or spoon pattern inside, it will be a hard winter.

#3. Each fog in August means one snowstorm in the winter.

#4. If it's hard to pull a corn shuck off, it will be a hard winter.

#5. If a nut tree has a lot more nuts than usual, ditto.

#6. If you see a wooly worm, and instead of it having black, brown and black on it, it has solid black, that means trouble. If you see white on it, it means lots of snow.

#7. If hornets build their cones low, it will be a mild winter. If they build them high, that's a bad winter sign.

Can you think of any more? :-)

Onward and Upward!

Betsyanne

Fog Photo by Natureworks on Morguefile.

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Trees, logos, and more. Updating and checking my blog today. 2 great art link sites!

Photo by cheriedurbin on Morguefile.
















Hello, Moon and Willow Tree readers. I am very glad you stopped by today. I was checking in, making sure I was updated here today.

This photo reminds me of Girl Scout Camps. It brings back memories of outdoor cooking, Girl Scout trainings, and the Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana's special camps.

Trees were my focus today. Again. Yes, since the Willow Tree has gone, I have not yet planted a substitute. I have thought about planting one for months now. I thought first of an Oak tree, (so majestic - and also strong), then another Willow, (beautiful, magical, but brittle in old age) or a big bush tree that would not get very tall. But I have not yet decided for sure.

Where the tree was, there is an indentation. And the moles are having a field day tunneling in the area. I miss the tree, the shade it provided, and the way beautiful violets grew all around it. Sigh.

To find this picture of other trees, I went straight to the Morguefile site. This site features copyright-free photos, most of which need no attribution. But I like to say who took the photos I use (it's just polite) so there it is.

I had not been to the Morguefile site in awhile, and always like it.

I saw they were on Twitter too, so just now followed them there as @betsyanne. 
If you are there, please follow me.

As for why I don't use Morguefile a lot, I usually try for cartoon, logo-like artwork, which can be found on the Clker site. It's faster there too.

Have a great week.

Onward and Upward!

Betsyanne

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Our Squirrel, Neat Facebook pages, plus some other neat sites. Sharing.

A short rant first.

Just a short rant about the Delayed Maintenance at my Homestead.

Ack! There is a lot!

OK, rant over. There is a lot to do before official Fall. I just thought I'd remind myself about that.













Good news. Our squirrel that lived in our huge Willow Tree, showed up today. I have been missing him!

He hides his nuts under our porch. Sometimes he knocks on our door, along with a couple of birds. He now lives in a big tree right across the road. He's better be pretty canny and watch it when running back and forth, because there is a busy road in between. ::::crossing my fingers...::::

Sharing: Some Neat Sites
Facebook
Ok, here are some neat Facebook pages you may like.

#1. The Writer's Door - talk about content writing for profit. Especially (right now) the end of Squidoo. http://www.facebook.com/groups/thewritersdoor/722600964454746/

#2. Writer Beware - http://www.facebook.com/groups/thewritersdoor/722600964454746/ - From the page: "Writer Beware® shines a bright light into the shadow-world of literary schemes, scams, & pitfalls. We also provide publishing news, writing advice, and occasional opinion pieces."

#3. Girl Scout Gab - a neat place to check out for Girl Scout leader and troop advice, links and more. http://www.facebook.com/groups/457826160937443/

#4. (mine) The Outdoor Journey on Facebook - this is an unofficial Girl Scout group of Leader-Volunteers and supporters who want more official Outdoor Program back in Girl Scouting. http://www.facebook.com/groups/outdoor.journey/




Online Sites
These are sites I wish I spent more time on...

#1. The NaNoWriMo site - - get ready, November. I'm hopefully joining here again. From the site: "Write a Novel in a Month - Track your Progress - Get pep talks and support - Meet fellow writers online and in person.

#2. The Site Wizard - - lots of great advice is here. I want my sites to work a lot more like his too. http://www.thesitewizard.com/.

#3.  Mashable - I haven't been here in FOREVER. But when I was, I found awesome sites to share. http://mashable.com/.

#4. Pinterest - - I used to spend WAY too much time here. Now I only spend a little bit of time. And I miss it. http://www.pinterest.com/.

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Hooray for a mailbox that doesn't fall down...

Ever since the willow tree fell down (actually, split in two), the mailbox has been very wobbly.

Part of the tree fell on it, I'm pretty sure about that. It was very nice of the tree guys to nail it back together, and it did last for awhile. Then it started to come apart.

We used duct tape to try to hold it on better, and I should have taken a picture of that, because it was very funny-looking, hanging over with the tape coming off. It got so bad that we thought that we wouldn't be able to get our mail anymore.

So here is a photo.  It's now fixed. The mailbox doesn't really look straight, because it isn't, but it's on there. I was lucky... I put it back together backwards. But it turned out OK. But next time I'm gonna break down and measure.



















Onward and Upward!

-Betsyanne

Nontraditional Students - The Betsyanne site - Selling and Writing - Scholarships and Grants
Betsyanne

Monday, July 07, 2014

Facebook - so much fun, so much of a time-waster too!


Are you on Facebook? If you are, comment below.

I find Facebook a GREAT and fun time-waster. Yes, time-waster, but really worth it. AND a way of connecting with family and friends, making new friends, AND of keeping up with politics and news.

I have a Facebook Business Page and also a Personal Page (for people that know me, as a friend or acquaintance.)

Are you on Facebook? If you are, and want to have Fans or Followers, list it as a comment.

Nowadays, I do limit my Facebook time. It's easy to get carried away and spend altogether TOO much time there, but I still love it.

Here are some great postings I have run across lately.

George Takei's blistering response to #HobbyLobby

Race to the Top Funds went to Administration Offices: study

UPDATE: 3 Inmates Escape from Paducah Facility

And here is something really neat. It's a trailer from Conquer Australia. I can't wait until they have these here where I can look at them close up. You can only see this on Facebook though.

And it's pretty cool. It's worth being on Facebook for, really. This is one awesome trailer.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=860653320617924&set=vb.100000197926461&type=2&theater

Onward and Upward!

-Betsyanne

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

UPDATE: Willow Tree plans, Facebook, online selling, and more.

Well... now that the infamous/semi-famous Willow Tree is gone, I am thinking of planting another.

Then this blog title will still fit this blog! But seriously, I do still have some Willow trees to the side of my house. So the title DOES still fit.

So we will see.

In the meantime, I am selling online, and have a posting about that at the Garden Spot Blog today too.

AND I have a deadline of September to get all three books I have redone, and ready for final proofreading and covers.

So I am busy, busy. BUT still have some neat sites to share. Are you on Facebook? If you are, leave a comment. I find Facebook so fascinating. There are sites to share, articles, videos too, and many new friends to make there.

Here are just a few of the neat articles I have discovered lately there. I will share them here today.

#1. Train Passengers look to Supreme Court for relief... http://www.narprail.org/news/press-releases/2592-train-passengers-look-to-supreme-court-for-relief-1

 #2. Park Ranger Fired for Dancing on the Job (Chattanoogan, TN)  http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2014/jun/19/park-ranger-says-he-was-fired-dancing-job/ (has a video too)

#3. Mom-Designed Action Figures for Boys Highlight Brains Over Brawn https://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/mom-designed-action-figures-for-boys-highlight-brains-over-brawn-170845540.html. (This one also has a video, but I only read the article on it.)

+++++++++++++++++++++++

And yes, Facebook is addicting. But it's so fun!!

Join me on my Business page here on FB. It is called (for now) Betsy's CGC Collectibles, Graphics, Cards and more.

Betsyanne

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

News: about the Moon and about the Willow Tree (and the full moon on Friday the 13th)

Yup, on Friday the 13th, there will be a full moon.













It's been all over the internet.

What does this mean? Probably a bunch of yelling and screaming, and packs of werewolves hunting all over the place.

So, heads up. And lock your doors for sure. But you might want to peek at the moon too.

About the willow tree, mine fell down. Big Time. Come to find out these trees do not last forever. It may have been felled by a lightning strike, or just had it and decided to fall. It fell sideways instead of into the house, so that's good.

BUT I have been wondering whether or not to plant another on in its place. Find out more here:

What to plant where the Willow Tree was.

And if you are superstitious, you can read more about this phenomenon here:
Full Moon and Friday the 13th collide this week - via Michael Muskal at the LA Times.

Betsyanne

Onward and Upward!

Wednesday, June 04, 2014

Kentucky Senior Farmer's Market Nutrition Program 2014 - via the ALIVE Center

New from the ALIVE Center this morning:

"KY Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program
Use your coupons to purchase fruits, vegetables, honey, etc. 


Coupon books will be distributed at:
Community Action of Southern Kentucky
Warren County Senior Center
Education and Human Services
Building
200 E. 4th Ave.
Bowling Green, KY

June 11th and 12th
1:30 - 2:30 p.m.

**Must be 60 yrs old, based on income, must bring proof of age and income

For more information, call 270-783-4484"

Catch up! Here are two more recent postings:



 Check out more Bowling Green events here at these listed websites: Betsyanne's Event Websites Page. 

Later! -Betsyanne 

My Personal Page and blog
The Nontrads site and blog
My Squidoo pages
Join me on my Fan Page on Facebook
Join me on Twitter as @betsyanne or @nontrads

New: Get more OFFICIAL Outdoor Program back in Girl Scouting. Our website and Facebook page.

Monday, May 26, 2014

Artist Inspiration - - from the Flying Pig Gallery and Greenspace in Wisconsin

 I just posted some great photos of the Flying Pig Gallery and Greenspace near Algoma, Wisconsin.

They have LOTS of great ideas there for artists. Of course, inspiration is different from copying... as all artists know. But these great ideas will get your creativity flowing, I am sure.

Here are some highlights from the photos: (my favorites!)





And here are all the photos:
The Flying Pig Gallery and Greenspace - my Album on Facebook (Public)

Thanks for stopping by today! :-)

Betsyanne

My Personal Page and blog
The Nontrads site and blog
My Squidoo pages
Join me on my Fan Page on Facebook
Join me on Twitter as @betsyanne or @nontrads