Why do we even have Daylight savings time and what does it really save?

Honestly, this weekend will be rough.  It’s the weekend where we turn the clocks forward an hour.  Supposedly it is supposed to save daylight, but seriously there is plenty of research to prove that it saves nothing.  In reality, it causes many, many issues from more heart attacks to car accidents. 

People are walking around in a stupor for at least a few weeks afterward.  In a perfect world, the clocks will just stay where they are spring and fall. Why do we feel the need to readjust them twice a year?

You may think that I am just saying this because I am getting set to lose an hour of my time. You would be, however, wrong. I don’t do well even in the fall when we move the clocks the other direction. I am losing more than time.  My internal clock cannot just be rewound.  It will be on its own setting for quite some time before it bends to the government’s will.  Blame the circadian rhythm if you will.

So this weekend, while my body is thinking it’s 11 O’clock, my usual bedtime it won’t really be 11.  No, it will be midnight.  And then, the next morning, when my body will try and rise at 7:00 a.m., I will discover that it is an hour later.  And I will rush and consume obscene amounts of coffee in an effort to remove the fog that descends upon me.  And no, it won’t help. 

And since the first clock change in 1918 the powers that be are not happy with one time or date.  It seems that they’ve moved the dates later in the fall and earlier in the spring several times.  Pretty soon, if we are lucky the two will meet and then, voila! We will have the clocks stay the same for all 12 months!  One can only hope.

Have you ever been caught in a lone star dilemma?

Ok so maybe the heading is a little confusing, but I'll get to the dilemma in a minute.  First a little background information.  Years ago when I visited Texas I noticed how proud everyone was of the state flag.  The lone star flag was proudly on display just about everywhere. When I asked about it I was brusquely told to get with the program, It's the lone star state.

Today I had my dilemma (Told you I'd get to it) brought on by a tiny little bug called a lone star tick.  I am wondering if those proud Texans are aware of the lone star tick, a creepy, crawly, and vampire-like insect.  To be fair the name does not refer to Texas and this bug does not originate in Texas.  It only bears that name due to the prominent white spot on it’s back that resembles a star.

Now I'd like to mention that I am basically an indoor type girl.  I hate camping.  I don’t like the summer heat and while I enjoy walking and hiking at times, I stick to the well-defined paths. So after four days of steady pouring rain and me barely walking off the porch it caught me completely by surprise that somehow a lone star tick decided I would be a tasty treat. I mean seriously my husband constantly works in the yard, mowing, trimming bushes and trees and has never, ever had a tick. 

Growing up in rural Virginia and owning many pets, I’ve seen ticks before. This, however, is my first encounter with a lone star tick.

So yesterday, I felt an itch on my lower back.  It felt like a tiny lump.  I twisted and turned and tried to get a better view.  It is virtually impossible to twist in that way at my age.  Heck it's hard to do that at any age unless you do a heck of a lot of yoga.  I was, however, starting to think that it might be a tick.  Ewwwww!  I know you are saying that and believe me I was too!

I dug in the magic Hermione Granger like sack I call a purse and came up with a magnifying glass. Still no luck.  I searched my purse for a mirror and I tried to get a better look with the reflection, and I bombed on that as well. I was coming to the conclusion that in order to identify what was causing the itch I had to work in a circus as the amazing rubber woman.  It was situated in just a spot that was really hard to get a handle on. And I was at work.  I was ready to close the store and head to the doctors when luckily a familiar female customer came in the store and I explained the situation.  She offered to take a look.

She looked and, yes, it was a tick.  I got a pair of tweezers from my purse (Told you it was a magic bag) and she promptly removed the offending insect.  That is when we noticed the white dot.  Thanks to Google, we quickly identified the Lone star tick.  Fortunately it doesn’t carry Lyme disease.  It does, however, carry a disease that is a bit unsettling.  And I had to check it twice to see if I read it right.

The lone star tick can cause an allergy to red meat!  Are you kidding me?  That had to be a misprint.  So let me get this straight.  I will never be able to eat a burger, have a steak or a pork chop ever?  Of all the off the wall things in this world a tiny insect that can cause a person to be allergic to meat!

After a little more research I found that evidently it is true.  Seriously, though,  I don’t eat a lot of red meat, but making it a big giant taboo makes it all the more desirable.  Still, not every tick is a carrier and It couldn’t have been in me for very long. So I guess it's just wait and see. 

I visited the doctor that very afternoon and got a prescription for antibiotic salve.  So unless I develop this life-threatening allergy to meat, I will go on a little older and wiser, imagine something crawling on me every second,  and continue to be indoor girl. 

It's Iris time!

It's Iris time here in Virginia and as you can see from last week's photo they are all blooming their little hearts out.  Too bad they only last for a little while because they are so beautiful.  Do you have Irises where you are?

By the way the hubby is back at work from his long recovery from his post Christmas fall off a ladder.  No more ladders for him.

Hopefully will be more normal around here without all the bandages, ice packs, therapy and Doctors!

Winter has turned to spring

This year has been the longest winter.  No, not the duration, but the issues I have experienced.  Vince fell off the roof in January taking down Christmas decorations and is still laid up with Occupational therapy and trying to alleviate some of his pain.  All I can say is he is a walking, talking cautionary tale.  Don't get on ladders, and if you do get on ladders make sure someone is right there spotting you.  He is lucky that his injuries were only a broken wrist, arm and opposite thumb and required surgery for repair. He will get better and  and has made much improvement.  He should be able to return to work in May.  A lot of people think that he had had an extended vacation, but this was no vacation.  And you know what?  I am so ready for a real vacation.  Hope you all had a very Happy Easter.  

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY

In like a lion

Well, it's the beginning of March and true to it's word In came in like a lion. Unbelievable as it seems yesterday was in the 60's and today its barely 20 degrees and snowing.  To think I went out yesterday with just a thin cotton shirt on!

And I don't need to mention that the supermarkets looked liked they had been looted again.  Now I'm just wondering when it's all over, how I will get down the hill by my house that they never, ever plow!

Not complaining though...I still love snow.  Enjoy these photos and take a snow day...

Thank goodness Crystal thinks about feeding us in all this snowy weather!

But when?  Little geranium asks, Is it going to be my turn?

ABCDEF… G is for geranium

Every year I have four geranium hanging baskets decorating my front porch. So let me talk about my plant children.  Why do I call them children?  Well, even though my thumb is far from green these plants are approaching school age.  Even though Virginia weather is mild, it’s not exactly mild enough to keep them out all year.  So every year in the fall I take them down and put them in my basement by the sliding glass doors. 

The geraniums that are hanging as I write are 5 years old.  Yes, they last from year to year!  How many of you just toss them out at the end of the summer?

I also take in my hibiscus and mandavilla and they are going on 2. 

G is for geranium.

A, B, C, and now D…

And so we come upon the letter D…hmmm

Dandelion you say?  Why in the world would I include a weed in my ABC book? 

Well, it’s like this, ask any kid what is one of the most fun things to do during summer and they may tell you that blowing on a dandelion puff is right up there with catching fireflies (or as we called them when we were kids, Lightening bugs) 

Besides the fun factor, there is also a nutritional plus with dandelions. Yes, you can eat the leaves and the flowers too!  Although I have never tried them, I have heard that they are tasty. It is good to know that if I had to-- there is something right in my front yard (that I can easily identify) and eat.

So I I’m sure you can guess that I will never use weed killer of any kind on my lawn.  It may never be golf course perfect but it is green and green is good. 

Recipe for cooking dandelion greens

In like a lion, lamb, lion, lamb, lion, lamb...

In like a lion

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words and honestly that is the only way to describe this entire month. We had a pretty warm winter in Virginia this year and then the lion called March showed up for a day and was gone the next.  But that lion wasn't done yet and the entire month pretty much went like this...

Lamb

Lion

Lamb

Lion

Lamb

Lion

And finally...