Puppy Mill Raid In Tennessee Hundreds Rescued!!

Video below of Pine Bluffs Puppy Mill Raid Tennessee on June 25, 2008:



The Humane Society of the United States rescued hundreds of dogs in a raid of Pine Bluff Kennels. Be a part of the cause to "Stop Puppy Mills." These poor little things are living their lives in cages only for breeding purposes. We need to stop the horrible conditions these animals are suffering, by not supporting the breeders who profit from their deplorable mills. Laws definitely need to be enacted to protect innocent animals from being abused in the mills, and bred over and over again to be sold. The hundreds of dogs taken in the raid will be placed into shelters, and put up for adoption.

Adopt a pet from your local shelter today! With the present declining economy, the pet adoption rate has gone way down. Consider adopting from your local shelter, never purchase a pet from a pet store, you'll be supporting puppy mills if you do! Shelter pets are the most loving pets in the world! More information on the Humane Society of the United States site on how you can help take action to "Stop Puppy Mills," today!

Take the pledge and place the "Stop Puppy Mills," banner to the right on your site or blog today. Just click on the banner for more information.

You can read my previous Puppy Mill posts here:
PA Puppy Mill Laws Finally!!!
Join Me To Help Stop Puppy Mills!!

CFL's ~ Compact Fluorescent Lamps Whats Your Take!

Representative Ted Poe of Texas speaks about CFL’s and their impact on our lives! He cracks me up, and watch the Representative behind him in the video below! Just love this guy, seems we do have Representatives with some common sense after all! How he kept a straight face while stating the facts through his whole speech is beyond me!! Video below!!




CFL’s or Compact Fluorescent Lamps will be replacing Incandescent Bulbs, and all Americans will be required to use them by 2014. CFL’s use less energy, and can reduce your electric bill by around 12%. CFL’s have a lifespan of 6,000 -15,000 hours or 5-7 years, as Incandescent bulbs have only 750 - 1000 hours. CFL’s however cannot be used for short periods of time, such as motion lighting. CFL’s need to be used for 15 minutes at a time, and usage will be reduced to Incandescent bulb lifespan if used for only short time periods. I’ve priced CFL’s at $3.00-$4.00 a piece to $8.00 - $10.00 per 3-4 Pack!

CFL’s contain mercury! The Environmental Protection Agency says the bulbs should be double bagged in plastic bags unbroken, to be recycled. The process of cleaning up CFL broken bulbs falls under the Hazardous Waste Clean Up, and reminds me of cleaning up Nuclear waste except in my own house! Everyone must leave the room for 15 minutes, and who knows if that’s enough time for the mercury to fully evaporate from the area. You can’t touch or breath in the toxins, or vacuum or use a broom! How scary is that? Here is the clean up instructions and disposal instructions on the EPA site: http://www.epa.gov/mercury/spills/index.htm

I've yet to use or purchase CFL bulbs, as I'm not so totally convinced of their safety, let alone paying more for lightbulbs. Also I noticed there are no three way lamp bulbs, and I’m not even sure if they have touch lamp bulbs. I’m not easily persuaded by change, contemplating pros and cons of everything!

E85 Another Viable Fuel Alternative! Have You Signed The Drill Here Gas Petition!!

As the price of gas continues to rise, the search for other fuel alternatives is on the forefront. E85 is 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. Corn is a major component used to make E85, which is a much cleaner blend for the environment. Brazil and Sweden have already adapted E85 as a fuel for everyday use, and E85 is spreading quickly to the U.S. Finding a fuel station that carries E85 is rare. More and more automakers are building flex fuel vehicles, the demand will soon go higher for E85 pumps! Chevrolet has a page on their site about the new flex fuel vehicles they are implementing into the market.

Our Impala is not on the list of E85 Compatible vehicles, we missed it by a year. the nearest E85 station would be 30 miles or more away from my home, one way. From what I’ve read and heard about E85, is that it burns faster than regular grade petroleum. But with my average price of gas here running $3.99, the price of E85 in my general area is $3.49, there is a 50 cent difference. Once they implement more E85 pumps into more gas stations, it'll become more feasible to use E85.

Here is a list of E85 Compatible Vehicles ~yours may be on the list if it's newer!
National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition also has a list, but you need Excel to pull it up.
The U.S. Department of Energy has a page to help you by using Vehicle ID number.
You can check E85 prices by your state and find a station in your general area at E85Prices.com. Pretty cool site!
Some more information on Wikipedia about E85.

Lastly have you signed the Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less, Gas Petition? We need all the help we can get ~ Help make a change over 1 Million Signatures!!

Impressive Art ~ Portraits of the Eastern Frontier!

Last stop on our way down Laurel Highland Hiking Trail was to the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art. The museum itself is a rustic log cabin, located at the heart of Ligoiner Valley. The museum had a special art exhibition "Portrails of the Eastern Frontier." Featured painters Robert Griffing, John Buxton, and Chas Fagan.

Robert Griffing is a native of Pennsylvania, and a graduate of the Art Institute of Pittsburgh PA. His dipictions of the Woodland Indian tribes were unbelievable! Oil on canvas has always been a favorite of mine, because of the vibrant colors! A few of his brilliant pieces appear below!

The Warriors Cache, 2004. Robert Griffing 40" x 42"

Daunting facial expressions!

Thundering Water, 2006. Robert Griffing 53"x 70"

Huge amazing piece backround setting Niagra Falls!

He Speaks of the Old Ways, 2006. Robert Griffing 33" x 29"

Wonderful face details right down to the veins in his head!

John Buxton a native of North Carolina, graduate of Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA. He resides in Western Pennsylvania, which has influenced his historical art of the 18th century! A few pieces of his outstanding work appear below:

God's Gift, 1998. John Buxton 47" x 32"

One of my favorite pieces of John's paintings. Photo doesn't do justice to the detail of his painting!

The Fording Place, 2007. John Buxton 29 1/2" x 39 1/2"

Reflections and ripples in the water outstanding!

Kinsman to the Shawnee, 2004. John Buxton 34 1/2" x 24 1/2"

I love the rushing water, rock backround, and beauty in her face.

Only a small sampling of all we viewed in the Oil on canvas ~ Portraits of the Eastern Frontier exhibition. I highly recommend you visit the museum or sites to witness the magnitude of these paintings. There were also stunning bronze pieces. None of the above paintings were for sale. The exhibition will be on display at the museum until August 30, 2008. Definitely some impressive art!! All photos ©copyright by their respective artists! Photos taken by Jo.

Drill Here, Drill Now, Petition Reaches Over 1 Million Signatures. Sign The Petition Today!!!

The Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less, Campaign has reached over 1 Million signatures. Amazing what 10 days will yield! My previous post of a half a million signatures was on June 11, 2008, over 500,000 signatures since then! Phenomenal what we can do together!! "We are the People" so the constitution says, and we can have a voice in what effects our everyday lives! If you haven't signed please join me in an effort to change the future. We are the voice of our children's future! For those of you who have signed a thank you from Newt Gingrich in the video below. Don't hold back be proud to be an American!

Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail Excursion 2008

Father’s day we took a scenic 1 1/2 hour bike ride up through the Laurel Highlands. I love the uninhibited and exhilarating feeling riding on a motorcycle, and low on gas too! We walk the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail at least 2 times a year. The changing of the seasons is remarkably beautiful along the trail. The stone trail is rough in spots as rocks of all sizes are scattered everywhere.



Humbled by the gigantic trees towering over head, with the sun beaming through. Reminds you of an enchanted forest in a storybook. Looks as if you are viewing a piece of Heaven on earth!


Midway through the muddy trail, a spot was littered with flower petals, and I found a couple of the most gorgeous flowers. Almost resembling a wild water lily. I placed the flower in a pond, and took this photo.



Lush green ferns grow in abundance all along the trail. Even more stunning with the sunlight beaming down upon them!


The mountain laurel which is Pennsylvania's state flower is also abundant in the woods of the Laurel mountain hiking trail. The woods are remote and serene, you hear the birds and nothing else. I’ve always felt a bit intimidated because this is bear country. Many hunters hunt here in the fall for bear, deer, ect..., but we’ve never seen any animals when we were there. You can walk the whole 70 mile trail, it took my brother -in-law two days to complete the trail. There are huts along the way to sleep and rest in. A wonderful place to go if you like hiking, and enjoy remote nature sites.

On the way down the mountain we stopped at a friendly biker bar called Walets. They are known for their ham sandwiches which are a good pound or more of thick sliced baked ham on a huge bun. I never saw so much meat on a sandwich for five bucks. All their sandwiches are humongous, and the place packs in big crowds of bikers and customers on a regular basis.

Ruthies Diner is also another good restaurant in the Ligonier area for good eats. Great homemade soups, sandwiches, dinners, and desserts.

We made one more stop on our way down Laurel Mountain, which I am going to include in part two of our Laurel Highland Excursions!

Chevy Camaro Makes A Comeback! My Chevy Cars!

For all you Chevy Camaro lovers, the Chevrolet Camaro Coupe will make it’s debut in the first part of 2009. They are referring to the new sleek car as the fifth generation Camaro. In 2010 the new Camaro convertible will be unveiled. the new molded shorter version reminds me a lot of the Ford mustang body style. GM is still refining final design details, track testing, and on the road testing in the U.S. and Australia. As a loyal present and past Chevy owner, I look forward to drooling over the newest line of Camaros. I've always loved the Camaro's sporty style!

My very first car was a 1973 dodge challenger. The top was white, and the body was a puke brown. I had a friend do some custom body work.

I had the car painted black, and silver flames stretched out from front quarter panels. Back then there weren’t many cars with flames, so my baby got noticed. My Dodge Challenger was already pretty old when I bought it, and maintenance was starting to run a bit high.

So I bought my first Camaro, color mint green. Seen here my mint green Camaro, and my Dodge Challenger.

I ended up painting my mint green Camaro back to it's original white color pictured here.

Also around that time, my boyfriend now husband purchased a Chevy Good Times Van. Curtains on the back windows gave us unlimited privacy. We had a blast in his Chevy Van , partying, camping out among other things!

A couple years later, I ending up selling my white Camaro and buying another used Camaro. This time a dark blue with a black bra. This baby was very sharp!

The Spring of 1988, I traded my blue Camaro for a brand new burgandy-cherry red Camaro! Talk about beautiful, with low to ground silver moldings. Six years later, my Camaro was totaled in a horrible accident.

With the insurance money, we put a down payment on a 1994 Cavalier RS. Color black with red pinstripes. We drove my Cavalier to the ground, only replacing the air condioner, and the heater core! 13 years of driving PA salted Winter Roads, and the body looked pretty good. The only pic I could find taken right before we traded in!

A classy 2005 gold Impala LS, replaced my very used Cavalier. Our Impala hugs the road with smooth suspension almost like a Cadilac. The roomy trunk hauls all our softball gear, as my husband coaches our daughters softball team. In fact when I first met my husband, he was driving an army green Chevy Impala! We love our Impala!

I’ve owned Chevy cars most of my life and highly recommend them to anyone. You always get your money’s worth with a Chevrolet. If are looking for a car with low maintenance, dependability, style, and value for your buck, you’ll definitely find all these qualities in a GM Chevrolet car.

Drill Now Gas Petition Reaches Half A Million!!! Have You Signed It YET!

American Solutions for Winning the Future has reached over a half a million signatures, and still counting! We need to start drilling here in the U.S. to become less dependant on foreign oil. High gas prices has had an effect on every facet of our American lives. We are the voice of change, please sign the petition today! Pass the word around to all bloggers, writers, poets, photographers, or anyone you know. Display the banner on your website, blog, ect...

When I signed the "Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less," campaign on May 30, 2008, there were around 150.000 signatures on the petition, now the total is over a half a million! June 6, 2008 ~ 350,000 signatures were presented to McCain, Obama, and Reid. I'm proud to say my signature was part of this important petition. Make the difference, be the difference! Sign the petition today! We can't ignore the domino effect that the high price of gas has caused. Be the solution, be the voice of change! One voice can become millons!

American Solutions wants 3 million signatures to present to both parties at national conventions!
Tons of information on the American Solutions Site

Read my newest update ~ for June 21, 2008 Here: Drill Here, Drill Now, Campaign Reaches Over 1 Million Signatures. Sign The Petition Today!!!

U.S Gas Price Comparison Checker!

Cool Gas Price Checker I found online. MSN Auto’s site receives information from 90.000 gas stations all across the U.S.A. You can type in your zip code and compare prices in your area. PA folks can check theirs here: http://autos.msn.com/everyday/GasStations.aspx?m=1&l=1&zip=15904
You can also use the same link above, for all out of state prices too. Just type in your zip code. Displays lowest, average, and highest prices of gas in your area.

Depends on how far you are willing to drive to obtain your lowest price. You may end up spending the extra amount you save in the extra miles driving to get to the lowest price gas stations! Seems there is a slight delay in posting current gas prices. As prices continue to fluctuate, and prices are not always received daily by every gas station.

But I think it’s interesting how you can check out prices in other states. Gas in my PA area ~ Lowest price $3.87, Average price $3.94, and Highest price is $4.09. I typed in my best friend’s zip in Tampa, Florida and her area Lowest price $3.81, Average price $3.92, and Highest price $4.04! I thought the gas prices last year were high!

If you scroll down to the bottom of the MSN site page you can also see the national average: Haviland, KS is at the lowest U.S. Price at $3.49, the National Average is at $3.99, and the highest U.S. gas price is in Groveland, CA at $5.29 (Yikes!).

Since gas is the big news of the century, impacting everything in our daily lives. I plan on displaying my area (LAH) low, average, and high gas prices here on my blog highlights to the right. I’ll update it as the prices change, or as I see it change, or as I actually fill my tank. What is the LAH gas price in your area!

Make sure you sign the Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less, Petition. There are over 1 Million Signatures!!

To The Man I Love!

He's no modern day Casanova.
He's a man
in every sense of the word,
an intelligent man possessing,
a young boy's ornery humor.

Iron hands to handle any daily task,
yet so gentle when making love.

A hard working man
who never requires more,
than a long strenuous day
he constantly puts forth.

A big, strong man
who's embrace makes me feel,
like a woman,
in every sense of the word.

A proud stubborn man
who walks this earth,
with a generous heart
spanning just as vast.

And the rare tears
I have seen him cry,
brings me ever closer...

To the man
I love..
in every sense of the word.

©Jo A. True-Burkholder 2004-2008.

June 2, 2008 marked my husband and I's 18th anniversay. I wrote this poem for him for Valentines day in 2004. 18 years is a milestone in our present day and age. I'm one out of three sisters still married. I see it as the norm ,1 out of 3 marriages lasts these days. The luster has not gone out of my marriage after18 years. In fact we have only been drawn closer to each other especially over the past two years. We've lost our parents, my mother, and his father. Two really great parents, who loved to party and enjoy life to the fullest. It is our deep love that keeps them alive in our hearts. We've had our ups and downs, no one is perfect or should have to be. Life is a hard enough journey, let alone not being able to be ourselves.

I married my best friend and the man I still lust for to this day. I hope we never become a statistic. I can see us as that old couple only separated by death, and not even then. He still buys me flowers, opens doors, and carries heavy things. But most of all, he is always at my side when I need him. In this modern day when marrige is no longer an institution, ours continues to thrive. We awake to beat the odds with every passing day, and every daily hurdle we have to cross. Like they say the grass is not always greener on the other side, and a good partner is even harder to find. Trust is the key to a great marriage. Trust, patience, and a whole lot of love! Long live us hopeless romantics!!

Cool Lion Video!

A woman found an abandoned lion cub in the jungle. She took care of him until he was too big to keep anymore. She found an animal sanctuary in Columbia to take him in. The video is her first visit to see him in the sanctuary! Pretty amazing the bond they share, and the tameness of the full grown giant lion almost brings you to tears!!!