Fuel Prices Online

Fuel prices are rising and we all are tightening our belts, preparing for the dog days of Summer so I'm posting this link to MSN Auto's Gas Prices in your area. Just type in your zipcode, and they will give you your local listing of current prices! They say they update it every night.

http://autos.msn.com/everyday/gasstations.aspx?zip=&src=Netx

Also remember not to pump before you look at the posted price. I mention this as in the Orlando Area, some stations have only been posting the price on the pump and charging outragious amounts. (Not personal experience but it's been all over the news here.)

A Well Written Article on the Subway Issue

The links are flying about this latest Subway Oops but did you know this wasn't the fast food restaurants first? I didn't until just this morning when I read this interesting article: American Thinker

Gee.. If I would have been aware of this, I'd have started boycotting Subway sooner! What were they thinking?

A proud American of German Descent who loves her Lady Liberty.

Subway....Hmmmm

Well, I'm sure EVERYONE has heard by now the affront Subway has made towards homeschoolers everywhere Subway has stores. A thoughtless mis-step one would hope, and the fact that Scholastic is also involved is also disheartening.

As for the "reason" homeschoolers were excluded (so they say~playground equipment), well, even when my kids were in Public and Private schools, they weren't given a Recess to enjoy the playground equipment.

No, the playground was used as a place to line the kids up as they arrived at the school, to stand quietly, for however long it was, till class began. In all the years, counting K-5th grade only, we have accumulated 15 years experience as only my youngest is homeschooled, to judge this phenomena. Now, if you count in my youngest sister's years, she's now 35yo, she also had this experience and so do her children now.

OK.

So now you say, well that was in your area. Hmmm. Nope. We moved during those years and found it the same everywhere except Palm Springs Christian Academy. The only school in a list of about eight+ schools that could be listed in three counties that did let the kids play. I'll also note that if more schools ran with the attitude of the above mentioned school (at least during the year we were there) I wouldn't have ever had to resort to homeschooling. Maybe a model other schools could use to improve their ways? Maybe we just got an Excellent teacher that year...anyway... That was then and we don't live near there now...

Ultimately, this writing contest doesn't concern me personally. We're unschoolers. But due to the affront caused to homeschoolers in general, we will be boycotting Subway Restaurants which is a shame as we have supported their many franchises all over this country and Canada. It's a shame such thoughtless wording was used.

We will also be boycotting Scholastic and considering what I spend a year in books.... Well, lets just say, they will miss me. We will no longer buy from Scholastic. Hey, if we can give up products from China, Scholastic will be easy!!

Sincerely,

A Sub-loving Bookworm

Florida Alligator

The American Alligator (Alligator mississipiensis) is a common site around my home. We have ponds on our property


that small gators like to move into then eat all the fish in them. My kids have been taught since a very young age to stay away from the canals and ponds and/or as they have grown, how to spot a pit-viper, gator or other dangerous wildlife.

I no longer concern myself with my kids running and playing free. They know and understand nature including plants like nettles, spiders like black widows, and the likes of gopher turtles to name a few of our common 'visitors'.

The kids also know how to approach a horse, a cow, a chicken, a parrot, a cat, a dog, and the list could go on forever it seems. You may wonder about the list, but how you approach an animal has a lot to do with how the animal responds to you. The proper approach gets positive results. An aggressive or startling approach may get you kicked or bit.

Living in Florida is like living in paradise.


People just seem to picture 'paradise' without it's natural inhabitants. Being educated about those inhabitants makes it a wonderful place to call home.

Gator Bites

My first summer in south Florida, was spent getting to known some of the local kids. I was fourteen that summer. These kids had grown up with the Florida swamps as their backyard playground, riding in air boats and swamp buggies, hunting wild boars and gators, and camping all summer long. The beach was their front yard where days were spent surfing, snorkeling, diving, gigging lobsters, and getting a tan.

That first summer, I was so shocked to watch my friends swimming in the canals and swamps or turning over canoes in lakes which we KNEW had gators. So many times we canoed at Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Hobe Sound, FL, and never once, did I want to go in the water, no matter how hot it got. No swimming with gators for me.

I remember one story of a young man ( I think he's the one listed here that happened in 1978.) I remember the horrific story of how his *father fought with the gator for his son. The son was decapitated. It still makes me ill. * I couldn't find the story online so I may be wrong on the who tried to save him. (Another list is here.) Anyway, this story colored my personal opinions about gators.

So... The reason for this post.... Many fans of the Croc Hunter (May he rest in Peace) watched as he educated us about crocs and gators. Never once, did he ever state "try this at home" yet a local *hero, attempted just this thing last night.

I'm still amazed that a man, whom we trust to carry a gun, and make wise choices, made the decision to single handedly, attempt to *apprehend the gator by himself! Lol, (sorry for giggling but...) most officers wouldn't attempt to arrest a human suspect by themselves yet this *hero tried tackling an eight foot gator alone?

Now I get that he was trying to protect the public at large. But there ARE procedures in place on how to deal with an alligator. The officers could have just kept the gator in site and kept the area cleared until a trapper could respond. (This is done in many places locally when a gator gets too comfortable around people. Very recently, near a school.) But come on!! What was this officer thinking? The gator was eight feet long? Didn't he know gators roll? Didn't he know they are extremely strong? And the longer the stronger? How many people would the Croc Hunter have used to jump on a gator's back to pin it down and tie it's mouth shut?

Now, I'm either impressed by the officer's bravo or appalled at his stupidity. I wish him well as his wounds heal. Thankfully, the wounds WILL heal. If you would like to read the story of this brave soul (yes, brave even though some what stupid), you can read it here if it hasn't made it to your local news: Deputy Bitten By Alligator In Apartment Complex Parking Lot
POSTED: 6:40 am EDT May 16, 2008
UPDATED: 8:37 am EDT May 16, 2008

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. -- A Volusia County deputy got a painful lesson in what it takes to trap alligators. He was bitten while trying to wrestle an eight-foot gator at an apartment complex in Deltona.

Now the interesting thing here, is news reports are subjective. The story from the morning news, which interviewed the woman who made the call, had far more detail. Most of the online reports soften the stupidity the original news cast reported.

Another blog about this is here.

Lil' Bill

Memoir Tag

I was tagged by Jugglingpaynes. This one sounded interesting. Here are the rules:

1. Write your own six-word memoir.
2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you want.
3. Link it to the person who tagged you and to the place of origin.
4. Tag five more bloggers, with links.
5. Leave them a comment and invite them to play.

My first response was : Live, Laugh, love. Just do it.

(Yeah, I know it's been said before but it's easier said then done.) A dear friend of mine has been a wonderful inspiration of keeping me calm through all the storms lately and a gentle reminder to look for the good in all things. I'm late on this post, so going to forgo tagging. If you would like to play, please pop back over and let me know so I can come and read yours! =)

New Homeschooling News Video!

ABC local (California local) just did a nice piece on homeschooling. You can view it here.