Our Dogs First Hike

Today was the first time we took our dogs along with us on a hike up in the mountains, and both of them did really well. Our only issue was being slowed down by Leo because he was constantly wanting to mark every good sized tree along the trails, lol. And Mattie went off the side of one of the trails at the beginning of the hike, and luckily is was only a 3 foot drop off, so she learned quickly to stay away from the edge. Leo was loving all the attention he was receiving from fellow hikers.

 The view from the first outlook

 Everyone taking a break once we reached the top

 The outlook from the summit

I was the one who wore the backpack carrying the dogs water bowls, and Austin and Kennon took turns carrying the dogs huge water jug, so yes we kept our dogs well hydrated too. This was a wonderful way to spend our Memorial Day. I hope everyone else had a great day/weekend as well!

The nerve of some companies!

I just read this article on-line at www.greenamercia.org and it really, putting it nicely, angers me. Check this out, and please repost to your blogs, and other social networks to help spread the word.


Stand Up to Big Plastic
May 16, 2011
What will our grandchildren think of the disposable plastic bag?

Will they see it as a relic of a bygone era?

It depends on the winner in a number of battles now playing out both in state and local governments, and between the bag manufacturers themselves.

If Oregon succeeds in passing the nation's first statewide ban on plastic bags, it will be over the strenuous objections of the plastics industry, led by South Carolina-based bag manufacturer Hilex Poly. Opponents in the plastic industry have waged an all-out campaign to deny that plastic bags pose a threat to the environment, even raising fears about the safety of reusable bags, breathlessly pointing to studies that show that unwashed bags — like any unwashed fabric — can carry bacteria.

Plastic-bag manufacturers using similar tactics helped defeat a previous statewide bag-ban bill in California last year, and have taken on local initiatives all across the country.

In each case — both in Oregon and in California — state legislators have sought not only to protect their local environments, but also to standardize retail practices across two states already dotted with city- and county-level bans. Nationwide, 21 local communities have taken action to ban plastic bags, with Evanston, IL currently debating whether to become the 22nd. Other communities have chosen to tax the bags instead, with Montgomery County, Maryland, passing a five-cent plastic-bag tax on May 3.

Why all the fuss?

In Montgomery County, officials cited pollution to local streams and rivers that lead directly to the Chesapeake Bay, and from there, to the Atlantic Ocean, where scientists have identified a collection of plastic debris comparable to the better-known "Pacific garbage patch" that's widely described as being twice the size of Texas.

There are other good reasons to avoid plastic bags — from the petroleum products used in their manufacture to their effect on wildlife when ingested — which is why many shoppers choose to carry their own reusable bags, whether their local community taxes or bans them or not.

But now, the forces behind the current misinformation campaign in Oregon and others aimed at bag bans at the community level are even attacking companies that offer green-minded shoppers a reusable bag option.

A lawsuit making its way through the U.S. Circuit Court in South Carolina targets California-based reusable-bag manufacturer ChicoBag. Led again by Hilex Poly (along with Superbag Operating Ltd. and Advance Polybag), the suit alleges that ChicoBag "deceptively communicates that ChicoBag's products are superior to plastic bags, such as those sold by Hilex, with regard to environmental impact" and seeks to end all advertising suggesting that reusable bags represent an "alleged environmental superiority."

It's a move that smacks of desperation.

The plastic-bag facts used on ChicoBag's Web site to promote reusable bags over disposable plastics are clear and verifiable. They're collected from the Environmental Protection Agency, The Wall Street Journal, NOAA, the United Nations, and the Ocean Conservancy.

"I welcome the opportunity to engage with these corporate giants in a fair and impartial courtroom," says Andy Keller, president of ChicoBag. "Plastic bag manufacturers…have spent millions of dollars trying to persuade voters and elected officials against single-use bag legislation…[A]nd now they are trying to sue a small entrepreneurial company into silence."

So, if Hilex Poly has its way, our grandchildren will still be pulling plastic bags out of trees and streams long after we're gone, and our oceanic garbage patches will only continue to grow.

Don't let them win. Take your reusable bags every time you shop. Wash them like you wash the rest of your linens to keep them clean. And like Andy Keller and the leaders in Oregon, stand up to Big Plastic if they ever try to tell your town how to run its business.

--Andrew Korfhage

Mother's Day Weekend

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Mother's Day. Jason made mine very special this year, and I usually received flowers and plants, but I didn't think it would be wise to received them this year since in only a few months we're moving back to Missouri, and I wouldn't want the poor plants to die on me during the trip, and I honestly wouldn't have the room for them anyways...with three growing boys, and two dogs...one being a St. Bernard. So, Jason took me to one of my favorite little towns here in Colorado -Manitou Springs. We went to my favorite shops and he told me to just pick out what I'd like to have, so I picked out this cute hand dyed dress from the Piramide Clothing Company.

Then we went to the local candy store, and Jason was in heaven! Jason bought me Jelly Bellies and a HUGE apple that was dipped into caramel and fudge chocolate, then rolled in crushed peanuts -it was so yummy!

Surprisingly, we still have jelly beans and half the apple, but then again I didn't let the boys just pig out on them...I didn't need the boys all sugared up, lol. 

My Mother's Day breakfast was awesome! We had homemade zucchini quiche and fruit salad, both were so good that there weren't any leftovers!

For lunch we had my famous roasted chicken salad served on croissants, as my sister says, "This tastes way better than what the good restaurants serve!" And for dinner Jason grilled up pork tenderloins which were so good! 

And the boys made me special Mother's Day gifts which I will always treasure!

And Kennon also gave me a coupon book...and one of the coupons was to go buy HIM a cell phone, lmao! Ahh, I'd expect that from ornery Ian, but not Kennon, lol.

And here is the post my husband put on my FB page...

Happy Mothers Day my Sweet Baby Angel! I know I picked the right person to be the Mother of my children. You've done an awesome job raising them when I couldn't be around. I see the love and care for them in your eyes and how you want only the best for our boys. I Love ya, Your Husband Jason

Very sweet and unexpected. I had a very wonderful Mother's Day and I hope everyone else did too!

 

Stressed

Yesterday wasn't one of my favorite days... my truck broke down on me, and only two weeks ago I had spent quite a bit of money getting it repaired, so it is now back at the repair shop. Then I came home to find out my husband received orders to report to Korea in 6 months. So, I now have to find a job and a place to live back home in Missouri, and it won't be so easy due to the economy, and trying to find someone who'll be willing to rent to someone who has 3 children and two dogs. And I'm now worried that my truck will break down on me while we're moving back home. So, I would greatly appreciate all the positive thoughts and prayers to come my way...