You will need:

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cup flour
1 pinch baking soda

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease and flour 8x4-inch loaf pan.

Cream together butter and sugar. Stir in sour cream and eggs.

Mix together in separate bowl the flour and baking soda. Stir into wet mixture and mix well.

Pour into prepared pan. Bake 1 hour, or until toothpick comes out clean.

This is an excerpt from a message delivered October 19, 2007 by Pastor Ricky Kurth.

Think about the implications of this in your daily life. How many things do you do just because, without knowing why. Begin to question your motives, because ultimately YOU are the one who is to be responsible for your own actions.

"The danger of tradition is well illustrated in the story that is told about five monkeys who were placed in a cage, with a banana hanging from the ceiling, and stairs placed underneath it. When one monkey climbed up for the banana, however, all five were immediately sprayed with water, treatment apparently not welcome among primates! This chastening was repeated so frequently and so immediately that soon if any monkey tried to climb the stairs, the others would begin to beat him. Eventually the group would take action against a perpetrator even without being sprayed with water.

"At this point one of the monkeys was replaced, and the new arrival of course headed straight for the banana. He too was beaten and soon learned that reaching for the banana was unacceptable behavior. Then another ape was exchanged, and when he too reached for the banana, the others pummeled him, even the first replacement. Eventually all the apes were replaced, and all would batter any monkey that dared offend, even though none of them had ever been sprayed with water! They acted simply in obedience to a deeply entrenched tradition, passed on to them by those that came before them, without knowing why they were enforcing it."

Yeah, that's what I thought too. Yikes!

Bruce and I listened to this book on an audio tape while traveling. There are some key points that I wrote down and wanted to share with you. These are good guideposts for life.

1. The buck stops here. I am responsible for my past and future.

2. I will seek wisdom. I will be a servant to others.

3. I am a person of action. I seize this moment. I choose now.

4. I have a decided heart. My destiny is assured.

5. Today I will choose to be happy. I am the possessor of a grateful spirit.

6. I will greet this day with a forgiving spirit. I will forgive myself.

I will persist without exception. I am a person of great faith.

Good ole ham bone...with lots of meat
Water to cover bone...guess...how large a batch
Jewish 4-bean soup mix or vegetable barley... I use 1 of each making a large pot (Maniechevitz) (I put seasoning packets in right away on 4-bean, veg toward the end)
1/2 large onion, diced
Extra barley, about 1/2 to 3/4 cup
1 or 2 pieces of end of celery with leaves (chopped fine)
4 or 5 whole allspice
salt and pepper to taste
Bag of frozen collard greens (or spinach)
2-4 tablespoons vinegar (I just pour, toward the end)
Carrot (optional, you can even dice a potato or two)

Cover ham bone with water. Add onions, celery, salt, pepper, and allspice. Simmer a good hour.

I remove the ham bone, cool and chop ham. Put back in pot, then add the soup mixtures.

Read directions. It takes a couple of hours for the bean soup.

Add the barley and vinegar, collard greens toward the end.

Enjoy!

I love the internet! How else could I stumble upon this article on a Colorado NBC News website?

Medical marijuana users may go undetected at work
by Kelly Asmuth

This article seems to have been aimed at instilling fear into people. "Oh my gosh, heavy equipment operators may be using marijuana!" Gasp! So Shocking!

Really? I will bet you that whoever is using medical marijuana with a card now, was using it without a card before. Now that a card is available, medical marijuana should be treated as any other prescription drug when it comes to testing.

If you have a prescription for painkillers, and your results show positive for that painkiller, those positive results are not reported on the drug screen report. Why should it be any different with medical marijuana? The simple answer is that it shouldn't be treated any differently.

Anyone who has a presciption for painkillers is presumed to be adult enough to control the dosage to cause minimal impairment in the workplace. The same should apply with medical marijuana.

But, as I've said before, the entire drug-testing industry was funded with dollars from pharmaceutical and chemical companies. Have you ever looked up who owns all these labs?

There should be no drug testing of any kind unless there is cause. Cause would include any kind of accident on the job, where the person's mental and/or physical abilities had a direct impact on the accident occurring. Otherwise, no drug testing of any kind. Your employer has absolutely no business telling you what you can or cannot do in your off-time. Period. End of Story.

Thanks to Hemptress December for sharing this on FaceBook.

Gotta' love our good friend Maxine!

Always keep several get well cards on the mantle..
So if unexpected guests arrive, they will think you've been sick and unable to clean.

Friday, June 11th, I found an AP story that was picked up by the Ocala Star Banner. I wrote a letter to the editor, and I'm waiting for a response. Once I looked at the article on the Washington Post, I realized that The Star Banner didn't published the entire story. So this is a new and revised edition of the original letter.

I am a message in a bottle
floating on a stormy sea
Will anyone notice this bottle
will anyone care about me

Watch this in full screen

"The Call" from keith wyatt on Vimeo.

Propaganda for today:
"Keeping drugs illegal reduces their availability and lessens willingness to use them."
If you still believe this bull, lift your glasses and toast the liars! Grandma Kay

Barack Obama's Stance on Marijuana Legalization
by Grandma Kay Lee

So in case you were wondering what Barack Obama’s stance on marijuana legalization is, here you go. Paul Armentano, the deputy director of NORML, has an excellent write up about this issue over at the Huffington post.  I make the argument for legalization everyday on this site and honestly I don’t have the energy to argue it again right now so instead you guys should check out this debate (if you haven’t already). Just thought you guys should know where your President stands on this issue. Despite the fact that he has stated otherwise in the past.