Take me out to the ball game!

My first foray in to the the 42 list was....... #9. Attend a Brevard County Manatees Baseball Game. I loaded up the kids, one of their friends, "Super Hubby", and my good pal, Jessica and off we went.

We had tickets to sit on the berm, which is behind left field. We brought chairs to sit on and the $12 ticket, also included all you can eat burgers, hot dogs, chips and ice cream. This made "Ender" very happy! During the 7th inning stretch, Manny the Manatee, takes all the kids under 12 for a run across the field. "Ender" was also very happy with that!

The weather was great, warm and breezy. The Manatees were trailing 2 to 0, in the bottom of the 7th, when Manatee 2nd baseman, Greg Hopkins #14, hit a home run! It landed on the berm and "Ender" grabbed it! He was so excited and yes very very happy! His big brother, Rabbit, took him over to the dug out and Hopkins said he would sign it for "Ender" as soon as the game was over! An error by the other team allowed the Manatees to score two more runs, in the bottom of the 9th! Manatees win!

"Ender" got the ball signed, and we went home. We had a blast and we will be doing it again sometime soon.

42 Things to do before 42!

Here is the list for the next year! As always, you are welcome to join me in any of these activities! I start tonight with the baseball game with Family and my good pal, Jessica! When I finish something on the list, this time, I will try to do a small blog post about it! But no pressure, some will get them, some won't!:-)

1. Visit Spook Hill
2. Go to the rodeo
3. Get a tattoo
4. Go to Dinosaur World
5. Have a garage sale and empty the garage
6. Go to Sanibel Island
7. Go on the Orange Blossom Express
8. Run a 5K
9. Attend a Brevard County Manatees Baseball Game
10. Take a belly dancing class
11. Go rafting or tubing in North Florida
12. Attend Miami Pagan Pride Day
13. Take the test for promotion to Detective
14. Go to Key West again
15. Go on a Haunted Ghost Tour
16. Build a spiral herb garden
17. Volunteer with the Sea Turtle Preservation Society
18. Go see The Molly Roger Roller Girl
19. Visit Mt Dora
20. Go see Classic Albums Live
21. Visit the Dali Museum  in St. Pete
22. Teach Reiki level 1
23. Make a fire pit in backyard
24. Volunteer at The Women's Center
25. Dragon Con
26. Visit Blowing Rocks Preserve
27. Start a Spiral Scout Group
28. Present Workshop about Pagans to Police Academy
29. Take Matt to St Augustine for a pirate adventure
30. Make Officers of Avalon a 501c3
31. Get on the bone marrow donation list
32. Give blood 6 times
33. Watch the Mama Sea turtles lay eggs
34. Leave a large tip to a server and leave a thank you note
35. Watch the baby sea turtles hatch
36. Start a garden project with the kids from PAL and BCC Environmental club
37. Buy a pair of cowboy boots
38. Get a drum and learn to drum
39. Trip to Atlanta
40. Write two articles for magazines
41. Make homemade dill pickles
42. Take the F.B.I. Statement Analysis Class

Birthday Demands!

The other day in shift meeting, the subject of my birthday came up, because I am the only female and I am older than a lot of my squad.

Cops are strange, the more we like you, the more we tease you. I know some will say that is a form of bullying but it is not. I love my squad and they love me, we have to develop close relationships, it's a survival thing. We have to be willing to put ourselves in life threatening situations and trust that our squad mates have our back. It's easier when you care deeply for each other. You also can't help forming a bond with people who have been with you through apartment explosions, car accidents, almost shootings and the occasional loose pig or alligator in the neighborhood.

So, our Lieutenant told me Happy Birthday since we are off on my actual birthday. And the jokes began. They ranged from old lady jokes, and threats of practical jokes all shift, then someone asked what did I want "Super Hubby" to buy me. S.H. is an officer in the next town over so my whole squad knows him, very well, at work and off work too.

I had no answer. This prompted lots of discussion about the squad wives and things they have asked for....when one guy said "More like demanded!" We all laughed but it got me thinking....... I am not a demanding sort of person. I like to do for my friends and family, it's how I show love. I go with the flow. But shouldn't my birthday be different? Maybe I should ask for just a bit more on this special day.

I wrote out a list of Birthday Demands and gave it to S.H. and the boys. They looked confused but I told them, this way there is no pressure for a gift or trying to even figure out what to buy, in the first place. I am hard to buy for, my interests change like the wind and I am always trying something different.

My list is very simple.

1. I get to sleep in as late as I want. (I made it until 8 AM, I couldn't lay there any longer! LOL)

2. I am not responsible for my regular morning routine of chores...putting out the dog, lowering the a/c, making the coffee, getting the paper, and making breakfast. (Simple, I know but nice to not have to do them!)

3. We will go out for breakfast. I am the only one who LOVES going to breakfast, so today we will go!

4. I will be on the computer writing, playing games, looking at Facebook or watching cat videos as long as I want with little to no interruptions except in an emergency! :-) This means missing digits and/or blood. This also includes if I am reading a book, out in the garden, at my Altar, or meditating!

5. I will be doing no chores, so the dishes, laundry, cleaning the litter box, cooking and anything else that resembles work will be done by others or will wait until tomorrow!

6. My phone will be off all day so no work call ins or fires to put out with any of my groups, volunteer places etc. If it's a true emergency, people know to call S.H. to get to me.

7. I will be taking the time to bring my laptop to get fixed, which I have been putting off, to do stuff for others. I love my laptop, I want it fixed. Today is that day! :-)

8. S.H. and the boys will be ready to do whatever crazy thing I decide we should do today with little to no complaining! Yes, that may mean going to that lecture on Backyard Chickens at the library tonight! :-)

9. If I choose to watch TV or see a movie, it's my pick. I know it's hard for the guys to give up control of the remote but they will be okay, this one time.

10. Any and all of these demands are subject to modification at any time, at my whim, so buckle up guys, it's my 41st Birthday!

After I wrote out the list, I saw one of my favorite places, Florida Wildlife Hospital is having a fundraiser all week, so I will be going to get a pizza and have 20% of my bill go to them....I "demand" you do the same if you live in my area! LOL. The Birthday Girl (girl...41...not quite) has spoken!

And if your Birthday is coming up, make your "Demands List", you deserve it!!!!

41 Things Birthday Update!

I only completed 22 things this year. The completed ones are in bold and underlined. Last year I managed 25 of of 40!

Some things like the learning archery and fencing...I took a few lessons in both, I would  not say I learned them but I did try them and it was super fun!

Thanks to my friends who help get me motivated and come along for the ride! As always whatever, I did not do, this year, will get added to the 42 list. Also, I have decided if something doesn't get crossed off the list in 3 years, I will take it off, it must not be that important.

1. Learn Archery
2. See Buddha the turtle get released back into the wild
3. Go to the rodeo
4. Get a tattoo
5. Build an aquaponics system  in the house
6. Have a garage sale and empty the garage
7. Lose 10 lbs
8. Go to Sanibel Island
9. Pagan Food Drive for "The Women’s Center”
10. Run a 5K
11. Grow more heirloom seeds or unusual foods
12. Take a belly dancing class
13. Go rafting or tubing in North Florida
14. Go to FPG
15.  Learn to use a sewing machine
16. Go to Cassadaga
17. Go on a Haunted Ghost Tour
18. Build a spiral herb garden
19. Get Reiki attunement level 3 
20. Go see The Molly Roger Roller Girl
21. Visit Mt Dora
22. Go see Classic Albums Live
23. Visit the Dali Museum  in St. Pete
24. Teach Reiki level 1
25. Make a fire pit in backyard
26. Re-do garden Altar
27. Fight HOA about chickens!
28. Visit land in S.C.
29. See an ADF Ritual
30. Present Workshop about Pagans to Police Academy
31. Visit Morikami Gardens
32. Get DNA done
33. Go to Jacksonville Pagan Pride Day
34. Go Vegan for a month
35. Learn Fencing
36. Learn to make hpyertufa pots
37. Put in application for C.O.G.
38. Start a garden project with the kids from PAL and BCC Environmental club
39. Buy a pair of cowboy boots
40. Get a drum and learn to drum
41. Volunteer

41 Things Update!

With 2 months and 9 days to go, I have completed 17 out of 41 things...I had better get moving! :-) The competed ones are the ones underlined and in bold! Thanks to my friends who help get me motivated and come along for the ride!

1. Learn Archery
2. See Buddha the turtle get released back into the wild
3. Go to the rodeo
4. Get a tattoo
5. Build an aquaponics system  in the house
6. Have a garage sale and empty the garage
7. Lose 10 lbs
8. Go to Sanibel Island
9. Pagan Food Drive for "The Women’s Center”
10. Run a 5K
11. Grow more heirloom seeds or unusual foods
12. Take a belly dancing class
13. Go rafting or tubing in North Florida
14. Go to FPG
15.  Learn to use a sewing machine
16. Go to Cassadaga
17. Go on a Haunted Ghost Tour
18. Build a spiral herb garden
19. Get Reiki attunement level 3 
20. Go see The Molly Roger Roller Girl
21. Visit Mt Dora
22. Go see Classic Albums Live
23. Visit the Dali Museum  in St. Pete
24. Teach Reiki level 1
25. Make a fire pit in backyard
26. Re-do garden Altar
27. Fight HOA about chickens!
28. Visit land in S.C.
29. See an ADF Ritual
30. Present Workshop about Pagans to Police Academy
31. Visit Morikami Gardens
32. Get DNA done
33. Go to Jacksonville Pagan Pride Day
34. Go Vegan for a month
35. Learn Fencing
36. Learn to make hpyertufa pots
37. Put in application for C.O.G.
38. Start a garden project with the kids from PAL and BCC Environmental club
39. Buy a pair of cowboy boots
40. Get a drum and learn to drum
41. Volunteer

41 Things Update!

With 6 months and 8 days to go, I have completed 11 out of 41 things...I had better get moving! :-) The competed ones are the ones underlined and in bold! Thanks to my friends who help get me motivated and come along for the ride!

1. Learn Archery
2. See Buddha the turtle get released back into the wild
3. Go to the rodeo
4. Get a tattoo
5. Build an aquaponics system  in the house
6. Have a garage sale and empty the garage
7. Lose 10 lbs
8. Go to Sanibel Island
9. Pagan Food Drive for "The Women’s Center”
10. Run a 5K
11. Grow more heirloom seeds or unusual foods
12. Take a belly dancing class
13. Go rafting or tubing in North Florida
14. Go to FPG
15.  Learn to use a sewing machine
16. Go to Cassadaga
17. Go on a Haunted Ghost Tour
18. Build a spiral herb garden
19. Get Reiki attunement level 3 
20. Go see The Molly Roger Roller Girl
21. Visit Mt Dora
22. Go see Classic Albums Live
23. Visit the Dali Museum  in St. Pete
24. Teach Reiki level 1
25. Make a fire pit in backyard
26. Re-do garden Altar
27. Fight HOA about chickens!
28. Visit land in S.C.
29. See an ADF Ritual
30. Present Workshop about Pagans to Police Academy
31. Visit Morikami Gardens
32. Get DNA done
33. Go to Jacksonville Pagan Pride Day
34. Go Vegan for a month
35. Learn Fencing
36. Learn to make hpyertufa pots
37. Put in application for C.O.G.
38. Start a garden project with the kids from PAL and BCC Environmental club
39. Buy a pair of cowboy boots
40. Get a drum and learn to drum
41. Volunteer

Day one!

I started my juice and raw food only 10 day challenge today. It is harder than it looks, as I am sure you can imagine.

I started my day with a large glass of water. Part of this plan is to drink water until you are able to breathe under it, I think! Then, I made my first juice. Here is what I put in the juicer....4 carrots, 1 green apple, 1 cucumber, 1 stalk of celery and 1/2 of a peeled lemon. It was easy to do but I underestimated the amount of time for clean up so I didn't get a picture of it. I had to get to work.

Yea, about that....fasting and work do not go together, at all. "The Cucumber Cooler", that I call the above recipe was not good but it was not bad. It is hard to describe it. But I drank it and went to work.

Work....sigh. I go all over for work and I never realized how many places serve food!!!! OMG! So, by 11:00 AM and two more bottles of water, I wanted to kill the world!

At lunchtime, I was lucky enough to go home and make a juice. I made the "Mean Green", that is the juice, Joe Cross, made a lot in the movie. It's 6 kale leaves,1 cucumber, 4 stalks of celery, 2 green apples, a 1/2 of a peeled lemon and a piece of ginger. OOOOKKKKK!

If anyone tries this, use a very, very, very, small piece of ginger, it is over powering!  Again, it was not horrible but it was not anything, I would crave....ever.

By 2:00 PM, I was feeling better, not so hungry but I started to get tired. I had no coffee, which is a miracle in it's self, I live on coffee. But I pushed through it, being busy at work helped.

For dinner we had salad, with kale, spinach, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers,onion, carrots and radish. It's only a little past 7:00 PM and I am ready for bed...I feel strange, not bad but.......just strange!

Anniversary Adventure

A few months ago, I bought "Super Hubby" concert tickets for our anniversary. It was not without a few moments of hesitation on my part. S.H. is almost 10 years younger than I, so to say we have different tastes in music, would be an understatement!

Plus, it was for the band "Creed". They were very popular around 1996, when I was raising two toddlers and the not yet "Super Hubby" was in high school. (I try not to dwell on that, it's creepy) LOL. This band's music was popular at an important time in his life. I actually don't remember much of 1996, except for diapers and potty training.

We won't even get into the fact that this Pagan Chicky was going to a Christian concert. They are not blatantly in your face Christian musicians but still, a slight moment of discomfort. :-)

So, we go to the show and I had gotten great seats for us. First row, middle balcony, and if you have ever been to The King Center, in Melbourne, you know it's a great view.

We settle in and watch the opening band, "Like A Storm". They are LOUD, but really good, a cross between old punk and the newer rock music. I enjoyed them. Two songs in particular were really good, "Slave To you" and "Just Save Me". I bought the CD, in the lobby, during the set break. They were out there, signing the CD's and they seemed like great guys.

The second group, "Eve To Adam", a very Christian band, but by some strange twist of fate, has almost the same name as a San Francisco cross-dressing service, was not my kind of music. They did do a great cover of "Rebel Yell" by Billy Idol. Which by the way S.H. did not know....WTH? :-)

All this time, there is no one sitting to my right. "Creed" gets on the stage and WOW! Scott Stapp sounds exactly like he does on the radio, an amazing voice! I don't know the first song but it's great. I am really enjoying myself, but then... here comes trouble.

When the young man first sat next to me, I didn't mind, in fact I thought to myself, he only missed half of the first song, not bad timing. He starts to try and get something out of his pants pocket and ends up elbowing me in the chest. It hurt. He says nothing, just continues to get whatever he was getting. I say nothing but I roll my eyes at S.H., because he knows what I am thinking....

Since becoming a police officer, I do not enjoy crowds anymore. It's mostly because I get aggravated by rude people much quicker then I used to. "Creed" finishes the song and the guy takes off his shirt, and I notice a huge tattoo on his arm that says "RUDE" ( no kidding)  and he starts twirling his shirt in the air and guess what? It hits me in the face...twice. On the third pass, I cannot help myself, I grab it! He looks at me like I am crazy, and I look right back at him. He pulls the shirt out of my hands and puts it in his lap. S.H. smiles at me and we go back to watching the show.

Two songs later, "Mr Rude" is slumped over in his seat. I lean over and try to see if he is breathing. He did not smell like he had been smoking pot or drinking, so now I am concerned about a possible drug over dose. I see his chest rise and I give S.H. a thumbs up, so he knows the guy is breathing. S.H. is also a police officer and we both know, if this guy dies, the headline of Florida Today, would be..."Man dies at concert, while sitting next to two Police Officers".

We spend the next two hours, rocking out and checking on the guy. At one point, I even reached over and took his pulse, just in case. The show ends and the guy's friends kick him awake and he stumbles out after them. Not once, did one of these so called friends check on him during the show.

We watch him get into the backseat of a car (Thank all The God's, he wasn't driving) and we head to our car. Only to find a drunk guy pissing on a tree, in front of our car.....by this time, I am over it, I pass by him and say "You should be embarrassed.... to take that pathetic thing out in public" and we leave.

It may be a while before we go to any more concerts but it certainly was not a dull evening.

Crazy New Project - Indoor Aquaponics

Sometimes, I feel bad for "Super Hubby"...he has to put up with me and all my crazy ideas. This time, it is indoor aquaponics!

As you know, from a previous blog,  S.H. made me a seed starting rack about two years ago. It has four shelves and one shelf has grow lights. Now I start most of my seeds this way.

I was looking at the three unused shelves...What could I do with the space? I am a big fan of Youtube gardening videos and I saw one about Aquaponics.

Aquaponics is  is a sustainable food production system that combines a traditional aquaculture (raising aquatic animals such as snails, fish, crayfish or shrimp in tanks) with hydroponics (cultivating plants in water) in a symbiotic environment. The plants filter the water which contains nitrogen, the plants use it as fertilizer, the clean water goes back to the animals, the animals "poop" in the water and the cycle starts again.

Our youngest son had a fish tank with two gold fish and a huge mystery snail, we call "Goliath". The fish were the kind you win at the fair, but they lived for two years. After they died, we moved "Goliath" to a smaller tank, that was easier for the kid to clean. The fish tank sat in the closet unused. Until now.... :-)

S.H. went out and bought tubing, expandable clay balls, a submersible water pump, pvc pipe and a shallow plastic tote. It cost about $35 dollars at Lowe's. He put it all together on Saturday while I was at work.

Today, I am off and will be going to buy a few fish to put in there with "Goliath". I plan on growing lettuce. I will try and make a video of the entire system when it is up and running!

Princess Reiki Update - Sassy Cat!

Reiki has been part of our family  for a little over 2 months now. She looked sassy today, so I decided to take her picture to show how great she is doing! Her eye has fully opened but she can't see out of it.
Her new thing, besides chasing poor Bailey dog, is to sit on the back of my computer chair when I write. Here she is on the chair, love the look on her beautiful face!

The 40 Things List - Update

Today I turned 40! Thank The Goddess, I made it! Below is my list that I made last year of all I wanted to do before this milestone birthday. I did ok. I didn't get it all done, I missed 13 things, but now I have a new list to accomplish for a new year! Coming soon "41 Things to do before 41!" 

I have crossed out the things I did get to do and hopefully soon, I will post some stories about the fun I had!

Do a girls only trip
    Buy a pair of cowboy boots
    Go to the rodeo
    Get a tattoo
    Go see Alex's graduation in Montana
    Have a garage sale and empty the garage
    Loss 10 lbs
    Go to Sanibel Island
    Run a 5K
    Grow a coffee plant
    Take a belly dancing class
    Go rafting or tubing
    Find 50 geo-caches
    Go back to College
    Read all of Shakespeare's plays - even the sad ones.
    Make my garden pretty, not just useful
    Loss 20 lbs
    Get a Reiki attunement level 1
    Watch the AFI's top 100 movies of all time
    Make a message in a bottle
    Go to a Sci Fi or Fantasy Convention
    Go see The Molly Roger Roller Girls
    Pay off the car
    Make mosaic stepping stones for my garden
    Visit Mt Dora
    Go see Classic Albums Live
    Play Texas Hold 'Em at a real casino
    Have a family photo taken
    Visit the Dali Museum  in St. Pete
    Go to another Renaissance Faire or Highland Games
    Finally watch "A Christmas Story" (LOL)
    Go to The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter
    Teach Jack to Drive
    Learn to play racquetball
    Save seeds from my garden to re-plant
    Practice at the range more
    Place a Geo-Cache
    Have foot reflexology done
    Write anything, a story, a blog, a novel...just write.
    Throw myself a Welcome to 40 Birthday party in June 2012

Princess Reiki Update!

I am a dog person, always have been, but this little beast has totally stolen my heart!  In the last 20 days she has started eating real food, both eyes are open, but it is unknown if she can see out of the left one) and is beginning to explore.

 

She is is doing so well. I have no doubt the Universe put "Reiki" in my path that day at work for a reason. She would not have survived another two days the vet said, now she is running our house, and that includes the 75 lbs dog!

All in a days work - Hot Dog Guy

I was sitting in my favorite place to run radar this afternoon when I saw a strange thing whiz by me!

I called out over the radio, "Dispatch,  I will be out with a hot dog on a motorized scooter with no helmet".

Dead silence.... after a few seconds the dispatcher stutters out "Ten-Four, location?" I give the location and I know every officer in the general area is headed my way to see what I am doing.

This young man was kind enough to give me permission to take his photo for the blog. He works down the street at the local hot dog stand and he dresses up once in a while for Kid's Night.

Fumbling Towards Forty!

Today, I turned 39 years old. I have been raising children for almost 18 years and still have 12 years to go. Because of my "Mommy" status, I don't always have time to drop whatever I am doing and do what I want to do. Sometimes, it takes making plans months in advance and juggling four other lives to find time to celebrate the things I like...

So, having said that I have decided to make my last year in my 30's something to remember. I have a list of 40 things, I will either do or see in the next 365 days! Here they are in no particular order, except for the last, which is my 40th birthday party.

If there is something on this list that you want to do, let me know, the more travelers on a journey, the more fun the adventure.There is nothing on this list earth shattering or life changing really, but it will force me to set aside time for me to focus on me. The things on this list should be easy enough to complete, if I allow myself to make ME a priority.

Thanks for all the birthday wishes...love you all!

    Do a girls only trip
    Buy a pair of cowboy boots
    Go to the rodeo
    Get a tattoo
    Go see Alex's graduation in Montana
    Have a garage sale and empty the garage
    Loss 10 lbs
    Go to Sanibel Island
    Run a 5K
    Grow a coffee plant
    Take a belly dancing class
    Go rafting or tubing
    Find 50 geo-caches
    Go back to College
    Read all of Shakespeare's plays - even the sad ones.
    Make my garden pretty, not just useful
    Loss 20 lbs
    Get a Reiki attunement level 1
    Watch the AFI's top 100 movies of all time
    Make a message in a bottle
    Go to a Sci Fi or Fantasy Convention
    Go see The Molly Roger Roller Girls
    Pay off the car
    Make mosaic stepping stones for my garden
    Visit Mt Dora
    Go see Classic Albums Live
    Play Texas Hold 'Em at a real casino
    Have a family photo taken
    Visit the Dali Museum  in St. Pete
    Go to another Renaissance Faire or Highland Games
    Finally watch "A Christmas Story" (LOL)
    Go to The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter
    Teach Jack to Drive
    Learn to play racquetball
    Save seeds from my garden to re-plant
    Practice at the range more
    Place a Geo-Cache
    Have foot reflexology done
    Write anything, a story, a blog, a novel...just write.
    Throw myself a Welcome to 40 Birthday party in June 2012

All in a days work - Blue Moon, Black Friday (NSFW!!!!!)

This is a not safe for work or kids blog post!

Today is "Black Friday, that crazy, turkey fueled, shopping extravaganza! I live across the street from a mall and several big box stores. We saw people lining up for a few days before the holiday, for the good deals.

I went in service, this morning, at around 5:45 A.M. As soon as I turn on my radio, I heard a call come out at the mall, involving two males running through the line, hitting the waiting shoppers.

I was on scene in seconds, and I saw people pointing to a large white truck pulling away. I did a traffic stop on the truck and this is what I saw after the driver and passenger exited the truck.

I call this photo "Blue Moon, Black Friday". 

Two young guys thought it would be funny to wear only thong underwear and run through the crowd. The joke was on them though, this morning was very cold for Florida. It was 39 degrees, which when you are used to temps of 95+, IT IS COLD! They had to wait while we spoke to everyone who got hit, if the wanted to press charges for unwanted touching (battery). No one did but we still had to ask. They were freezing.

All in a days work - Tourists!

How can you tell if some one lives in Florida or is just a tourist? A tourist will call the police about a massive gator in the ditch by their vacation rental.

I go out and see this little guy. He is maybe 3 feet long. I wish I had a picture of the guy from New York's face when I told him, we won't call a trapper or move a gator this small. Priceless!

The gator is where he is supposed to be, he is not in a yard or shopping center so he gets to stay! I think he is super cute!

The Worm Bin

After reading more about gardening and how it went hand in hand with recycling, I decided to try vermicompost. That's composting using kitchen waste, newspapers, paper towels, cardboard etc with the help of red wiggler worms also known as the Eisenia fetida.

I saw this great video about how to build a warm bin. You can buy already made bins but the cheapest I have seen is around $99.00 and "Super Hubby"built one like in the video for under $25.00. It took me about an hour to construct the bin. Then I set out looking for a place with-in driving distance for the red wigglers. You need this type because they can eat about one half of their weight in food per day. Earthworms and cold bait worms won't do that.

I found a place called Best Buy Worms, which strangely enough was located less then a mile from my Grandparent's place, in Masaryktown, Florida. It's a working farm, you can visit with an appointment but they also do mail order worms too. I bought a pound of worms for $12.50

So, last April, I put the worms in the bin and have been feeding them coffee grounds, egg shells, left over veggies, just about anything except no meat, oils or dairy. It reduced the garbage that I have to put out for landfill to take and my four year old loves to help feed the worms.

It's been almost a year and soon, I will separate the worms from the compost and start over, using the compost in my garden beds. I will be sure to post pictures because I have no doubt it will be messy!

As a Pagan, projects like this one make me happy.

All in a days work - Hog Wild!

I get to see and do, all sorts of strange and interesting things while at work. So, I thought I would do a re-occurring post about some of those things.

Today at work was like every other day, it's all the same, until it's not the same. I work for a city of about 100,000 people, we have urban areas but we also have a lot of undeveloped land. This can cause some fun moments for us at work, because of animals.

We received a call that a feral hog was loose in a backyard. This is disturbing. We have a pig problem! There are an estimated 500,000 wild pigs loose in the Florida woods, they can grow up to 200 lbs, they eat anything and everything and the males can become very aggressive.

Several officers and myself went to the residence, quietly approached the backyard and spend an hour trying to wrangle this fearsome beast!

I don't know if this little piggy was super fast or we were laughing to hard to catch him but we finally did. Several people in the neighborhood came out to watch us look very silly. I saw lots of phones so I am sure there is a Youtube video somewhere! :-)

I put Mr. Piggy in my patrol car and brought him deeper into the woods away from the houses. I thanked him for the fun and that I was happy to have met him.  Hope he stays safe and away from people.