All A-Twitter!

I know, I know... I caved! I'm Twittering and I like it :-)

I can see you have to be very careful about whom you allow to follow you or you can get bombarded with crappy "tweets," but overall, I find it fun.

How about you? Are you a twitterer, too?

Five Friday Favorites - Transportation

It's that time again! First of all, it's Friday! That's the best thing. Now, what are your favorite way to be transported?? Or how do you wish you could be?

Here's mine:

1. By my adorable VW Bug. Yes, it looks just like the one above

2. I would love to have an old Jaguar.

3. Sailing in a tall ship... (I just want to be a passenger, not a worker bee)

4. I would also love to take a ride in one of those Budweiser, Clydesdale-guided wagons

5. And finally, I think the Jetsons have it going on... whooooosh!

Let's go!

Oh this is just for fun... Did you ever do this to carton of Land O'Lakes Butter??

Tires

Miss Priss had a blow-out yesterday. One new tire.

While having that tire replaced, a "bubble" on the rear tire was discovered. Two new tires.

She wears us out.

We're tired.

;-)

Fire Ant Zombies

You can't make this up... here is a portion of the story posted on a local website:

Pesky Ants Becoming Zombies That Die

Ants Turn Into Zombies Whose Heads Fall Off

POSTED: Tuesday, May 12, 2009
UPDATED: 11:45 am CDT May 12, 2009

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Some researchers in Texas are trying an unusual approach to combat fire ants -- parasitic flies that turn the pesky insects into zombies whose heads fall off.
"It's a tool. They're not going to completely wipe out the fire ant, but it's a way to control their population," said Scott Ludwig, an integrated pest management specialist with Texas A&M's AgriLife Extension Service in Overton, in East Texas.

The tool is the tiny phorid fly, native to a region of South America where the fire ants in Texas originated. Researchers have learned that as many as 23 phorid species along with pathogens attack fire ants to keep their population and movements under control.

So far, four phorid species have been introduced in Texas, where fire ants cost the economy about $1 billion annually by damaging circuit breakers and other electrical equipment, according to a Texas A&M study. They can also threaten young calves.

The flies "dive-bomb" the fire ants and lay eggs, and then the maggot that hatches inside the ant eats away at the brain. Later, the ant gets up and starts wandering for about two weeks, said Rob Plowes, a research associate at the University of Texas at Austin.

Although the ant exhibits zombie-like behavior, Plowes said he "wouldn't use the word 'control' to describe what is happening. There is no brain left in the ant, and the ant just starts wandering aimlessly."

About a month after the egg is laid, the ant's head falls off and it dies -- and the fly emerges ready to attack any foraging ants away from the mound and lay eggs.

Plowes said fire ants are "very aware" of these tiny flies, and it only takes a few to cause the ants to modify their behavior.

"It's kind of like a medieval activity where you're putting a castle under siege," Plowes told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram for a story in Tuesday editions.


What next??

Seeing It

This past Sunday at church, one comment during the lesson stuck with me:

"We can call forth the God-Spirit in anyone by seeing it in them."

Of course, this requires we believe the spark of the divine is within us all. I believe it is.

One of the things he went on to discuss is that those that irritate us, grate our nerves, push our buttons, or do things we find reprehensible are also "carriers" of the same divine spark within ourselves. Once we see it in that person, they are no longer viewed in the same light as before.

Now, I know not all will agree with my thoughts and beliefs, but that's okay... we're on our own paths and since this happens to be my blog, I will share mine. As you know, I attend a Unity church. Unity is very open and welcoming... they do espouse a core set of five principles. Here they are:

1. God is the source and creator of all. There is no other enduring power. God is good and present everywhere.


2. 
   We are spiritual beings, created in God’s image. The spirit of God lives within each person; therefore, all people are inherently good.


3. 
   We create our life experiences through our way of thinking.


4. 
   There is power in affirmative prayer, which we believe increases our connection to God.


5. 
   Knowledge of these spiritual principles is not enough. We must live them.

So, my friends, go SEE what's really in one another... Namaste ;-)

Additions

I have a new worker bee, Kathy. She's a doll and will be a great addition to the office.

This, however, is keeping me from blogging today... can you believe I have to WORK here??

lol - see you tomorrow with a longer post!

Mom

That's a word I have only been hearing for almost 4 years... Mom. My girl is 17, but we've only had her a short while as we adopted her on her 14th birthday.

So, I don't look back and think of the day I gave birth to her, because I didn't. I don't look back and remember her first words or her first step. I will never know what and when they were.

The sad thing is, she won't either.

However, the happy thing is... is that we started before adoption day, when she was 13 1/2 building new memories. Not all are good, but the not-so-good are way less. We are, however, making efforts to establish a timeline for Nicole... reference points that she will be able to recall as she gets older... when she fell off the bike, made the volleyball team, broke up with her first boyfriend here, went to her first dance at high school, being on the swim team, her best friends, her first cell phone, her first puppy that belonged to her, changing schools, getting a real family including grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, going to driver's ed, getting her license and first ticket, and so many more.

We try and play, "remember when" with her - remember when you said..... or did..... and how proud we were, or how funny she was, etc...

So, as an adoptive mom, you start where you started and enjoy today.

So, today will be enjoyable and I will give thanks for this opportunity and all the lessons this opportunity is bringing to me.

Oops! Better call my own mother!