Have You Ever Struggled?

A post on facebook of a mutual friend a few days back made me stop and really think about how much of life is a struggle in some form or another. Everyone has different things that they struggle with, many on a daily basis.

Sundays ~ Day of Rest

Today is Sunday, a day of rest. This is what I have heard all my life and what I have been told. I am not sure who gets to rest though. Maybe those who are watching football or catching up on their favorite books or tv shows.

A Survivor’s Story, there is Hope – Domestic Violence Awareness Month October 2013

I am a survivor of Domestic Violence. It took me a long time to finally be able to say that or even type it for that matter. Why even say or type it you ask? Because it is important for those who may be in that situation now or may become victims know that people do survive. It is important that we share our stories so that others may open their own eyes and see if there is abuse in their relationships. Or even see that it is happening to a loved one. I hid it from my loved ones for years. It took me years to come to terms with what happened. Some of it was shame, some anger and some was just plainly not admitting it to myself. Sweeping it under the rug like it did not happen does not solve anything.

Rainwater Harvesting: What is a Dry System?

There are a few types of Rainwater Harvesting Systems. I expect that there will be more variations as we learn more in the future. In a nutshell, a Dry Harvesting System takes water from one downspout on a partial roof area of the catchment surface. A catchment surface is most often a roof. It can be any type of roof: on a home, on a barn, an area over a bench to shield from water. Any surface that can be guttered can effectively harvest rainwater.

Due to the Government Shutdown …

Many things are being affected by the Government Shutdown. The end or the far reaches of this cannot be fathomed yet. It probably will not even be all bad.

So far I have heard both doom and gloom and rejoicing alike. Might be good to see what programs we can do without. However we are forgetting that all our government officials in office are still getting paid are they not? I have a feeling if this had all been tied to whether they got a paycheck, there would have been no shutdown.

Rainwater in Toilets: Why Use Drinking Water if you Don’t Have to?

With the seemingly never ending drought here in Texas, water conservation is an important means to preserve our potable water supply. This means getting super creative with how we use water. So why are we settling for using good, clean drinking water in toilets? Since it is the norm we go about our day not even thinking that there might be an alternative.

Copacabana Memories

I remember the first time I heard Barry Manilow sing this song. I was a teenager. AM Radio was all we had and the little transistor radio that I painstakingly refilled with batteries got a lot of use. I would stay up late when I really was not supposed to. I’d sit under my covers with the radio where I could hear it and then with the earplugs when those came out.