Tiger Ranch Update Trial Date Set! Update 8-17-08

View Latest Tiger Ranch Update:
Tiger Ranch Linda Bruno Jailed Today! Sentencing Delayed! Update Oct 5, 2009!

See My Newest Updated 7-13-09 Tiger Ranch Post Here:
Tiger Ranch Owner Linda Bruno Pleads Guilty!

For those of you who have been keeping up with the Tiger Ranch saga, the trial date has been set for Tuesday, January 20, 2009. This should give both sides ample time to prepare their cases, for a long and hard battle in court. The trial will take place in the Allegheny County Courthouse.

More information can be found on the Defend Tiger Ranch Site , along with fundraising information they are conducting. I really enjoyed looking at the cat photos on the site, beautiful felines on wide open Pennsylvania property. I've never had the chance to visit Tiger Ranch, but when they do open back up, I want to take a ride to see it!

You can view all my previous Tiger Ranch postings here: http://literallyinthemoment.blogspot.com/search/label/Tiger%20Ranch

I along with all animal lovers await the outcome of this controversial animal advocacy trial!

Please view my new updated Tiger Ranch Article Posted 1-20-09!!!

Succulent Home Garden Vegetables!

The fruition of our garden has yielded us many delectable vegetables. The two larger tomatoes were the first ones to turn this week. With the recent national tomatoe outbreak scares, I'm so glad we grow our own. At least we know where they come from!

We've had tons of cucumbers most of the Summer. I like to pick them alittle bigger than a pickle, but not quite as large as the ones from the store. You've not eaten a real cucumber, until you've tasted one fresh from the garden. My daughter and I eat a daily cucumber salad, and within the past couple weeks I've been able to add in my cherry tomaotes, and some thin slices of green bell pepper. I just have to keep us in stock of our different salad dressings!

I'm still picking zucchini, which I 've fried, baked into bread, made zucchini parmasan, and frozen fresh for soups, and any of the above I choose to make in the Winter months. Along with being so versatile in cooking, zucchini is very rich in Vitamin A, potassium, folate, and manganese. Being one of my favorite vegetables, zucchini is a low calorie food. I read that the flowers of zucchini plants, can be fried as a fritters or tempura. Never knew that, I'll have to try making the flowers sometime, just to see how they taste. I'll let you know. You may have to wait until next Summer, because the plants are about done for the season!

Also not pictured are garlic, and onions which are hanging to dry out! We still have tons of green tomatoes, cabbage, and pumpkins yet to ripen. The only thing we don't grow is corn, which doesn't seem to get very big in our garden. I love to watch both my vegetable and flower gardens grow. There is something about planting seeds, and small flower plants with your bare hands, to create a mature beautiful plant. I never grow tired of living this natural country life!

A Sunflower Smile!

I declare the magnificent sunflower Summer's official flower. These huge flower cluster beauties are growing abundantly in our vegetable garden. The bees were happily pollinating among the large heads, not disturbed by my presence at all. The stunning, vibrant yellow pedals make them a favorite for arrangements and flowerbeds alike.

Sunflower seeds make an excellent snack for humans, and also used as bird food. Sunflowers are made into peanut butter, or sunbutter. Sunflower oil is used for cooking, made into magarine, and used to make biodiesel. Some sunflowers are even higher in monounsaturated (healthy) fats than the ever popular olive oil.



I counted 18 flowers growing from one sunflower plant in our garden above.

I can't help but smile when I look upon the cheery petals of a sunflower. Artist Vicent van Gogh made the sunflower popular in his many sunflower paintings. I see sunflowers sold in several stores, and we have them growing here free every year. The seeds fall off naturally and are tilled for the next summer season. Amusing to watch the birds eat from the seed clusters, pecking in all kinds of positions. This year I plan to dry the seeds to make for snacks, and save a batch for bird food in the winter.

I Can Feel It In The Air, Back In The Saddle Again!

So glad my blogger is back up and running again, I was getting a complex thinking only a select few were down! I do thank support for their hard work to restore our front blogger pages.

My blog back up on Friday night, but I ended up mesmerized by the 2008 Olympic Opening Ceremonies in Beijing. The 2008 drummers were my favorite. Their attention to detail and perfection very much like my own Japanese mother was. A stunning culture of a beautiful and proud people, who put on a great ceremony.

I hope to someday visit my mother's homeland in Japan, and finally meet up with my Japanese cousins. To come full circle to aquaint a family and heritage, I've never known!

Yesterday an all day clothes shopping spree preparing my daughter for her school wardrobe. Came home late exhasted, and finally had some quiet time on the computer, then we had a thunderstorm and power outage. I think this was an omen to stay off the computer, or the powers be against me!

Life has me turning in many directions, none it seems is my own. I did however get a poem contest entry in last week. I've been reluctant to enter much these days, as I feel the contests are usually for the writers who are well established. Nevertheless, I still try to get my work out there, even though it seems futile.

On another note the weather here feels like Fall already! The night air in the 50's is turning my pool water cold, and the days are not quite hot enough in the low 70's to swim. I can say the low humidity has been a nice change. But I know Fall is just around the corner, and the days are now growing shorter.

Summer life sojourns in sweet encounters, how I'll miss the many reflections. Like a lustful summer affair, love vanishes as fast as it began. Leaving an imprint on my heart, to remain forever.

The Cast of Beatlemania ~ Packs In Largest PA Crowd!

Over the weekend we took a ride into the city to watch a rock concert in the park! The park was packed with the largest attendance, concert officials had ever seen. Tells you there's a lot of Rockers in my area! Hundreds of people were seated everywhere on blankets, and chairs. Live music filled the small city of my old stomping grounds, on a beautiful warm summer evening.

Listening to wonderful sound renditions, The Cast of Beatlemania performed all the Beatle songs to utmost perfection. You can listen to their live performances on their myspace page!

Although my generation was born when The Beatles came out, we grew up listening to Beatle music. Practically everyone knows the lyrics to these timeless songs, which still to this day resonate in our hearts.

Hard to pick a favorite Beatle song, because they're all classics! If they ever come to your area, or if you are looking to book a band, these guys will definitely impress you with their musical talent. I highly recommend you see them! I leave you with a video of my favorite Beatle song ~

Heaven Aligns The Earth

Heaven Aligns The Earth

Here
where Heaven
aligns the earth,
where God and I
silently consort.
Lone hawk soaring
perched upon treetops.

Here
where life exists
unjudged,
untouched,
exuding
simplistic beauty.

Here
where locusts,
and melodic cicadas
lull a summer day’s end,

Here
where Heaven
aligns the earth,
fiery Twilight
glorifies
sullen rain clouds,
billowing
a breathless sky.

©Jo A. True-Burkholder 2008

Last evening a summer storm left this beautiful piece of sky. You see through my eyes, how Heaven touches the earth. I often wonder if there’s a better paradise than this. The here and now of our living lives. Perhaps only a prelude of what’s yet to come!

Cellphone Health Risk Update!!

Attention Blogger Friends and Readers Update 7-31-08:

Please read an interesting comment left on this post by Anonymous-Kathy, who has had her own experience with cellphone storage on the body. Could there be a link to where you actually carry your cellphone and cancer? Another very interesting topic brought to light! Thank you Kathy for sharing your personal insights and bringing your warning to our attention! Much luck in your recovery!

Just this evening another news story on risks of excessive use of cellphones. With more and more folks using cellphones, the debate continues in the long term effects of cellphone usage. Dr. Ronald Herberman director of University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute is proposing a study of cellphone useage and the health risks involved, one of which is cancer.

His advice is to limit your cellphone useage, and he is asking cellphone companies to release cellphone records to aid in his research and studies. He advices to look at low SAR, (Specific Absortion Rate) on manufacturer product features, when choosing a cellphone. One good thing cellphone companies are forging ahead to make safer cellphones!

Related stories here:
Cancer Expert Plans In-Depth Study On Cell Phone Risks
Pitt's Cancer Institute Warns Of Cell Phone Risks
Action News Extra: Cell Phones And Your Health -10 Recommedations

Read a recent article I wrote on cellphones here:
This Is Your Brain On Cellphones!!