Some tidbits

It's not going to be a long post today, just some tidbits that I keep telling myself to write about.  Then I forget. 

The can opener.  Way back in the olden days I had a professional can opener that was attached to my wooden cutting block kitchen island. I got it from Thriftimart when they were taken over by Safeway.  It was the kind that the meat and deli departments used when they opened their number 10 cans of food.  When I sold that house I sold the island and the can opener because the new house didn't have a place for it.  I'm still kicking myself because that was the best can opener in the world!  Now I have three Swing-Away can openers.  They are the next best, and much more portable.  They come in fancy colors.  Mine are red, white, and blue.  Were you expecting anything different?  Actually the white one is somewhat new, at least to me.  When we cleaned out Army daughter's stuff from the barn she had a box of kitchen items from about 10 years ago that had been packed away.  When I went through the boxes I came across a white Swing-Away.  Army daughter, do you want this?  No.  She doesn't need it.  Great.  It's now mine. 

This was good because the blue can opener is in the trailer and the red one, in the kitchen, was not working very well.  It would only cut about half the can and skip over the rest of it.  I'd have to go over the can several times and finally call Boy in to have him open it with his little thumb can opener.  Frustrating to say the least because Swing-Aways are supposed to last forever.  I thought about putting it into the giveaway pile.  I'm glad that was only a thought and I didn't do it.  Instead I got out the can of WD-40 and sprayed it.  I then sprayed it again.  I let the can opener sit on the counter for a day with the oil soaking in.  The next day I rinsed it off and the can opener was as good as new.  Sometimes I forget that WD-40 can fix just about anything!

Interesting that Hantavirus is making the news because it sickened campers in Yosemite.  I wrote about the virus in May.  http://whatifitistoday.blogspot.com/2012/05/hantavirus.html  You may not know exactly where the mice may be making their nests but it sure makes sense that they'd use the insulation in the walls. 

A seven year old girl is recovering from bubonic plague.  She's the third case in the US this year.  This is a "normal" statistic.  The US has half dozen cases each year.  Individuals get the plague.  When it becomes wide spread, then we need to pay a lot more attention.  After all, 600 years ago it killed 1/3 of the European population. 

I wanted to remind people that my link to the Apartment Preppers Blog does work, and they do update their site daily.  Somehow my blog will not pick up the fact that they update their site.  This doesn't occur to any of the other sites on the list.  Also, I look at a lot more blogs than what's listed.  Those listed were the first ones I started reading.  I just haven't updated it and I probably won't.  But know that I do look at the other blogs. 

Do other people's dogs and cats act nonchalant around chickens and ducks or are my animals odd?  I came home today and Yip-yip and "Meanie" (the rooster my daughter named) were playing on the grass.  The dog chases the chicken, the chicken chases the dog.  The chicken pecks at the dog's ear, the dog sniffs the chicken's rear.  They are best friends.  The cat was laying on the lawn just watching the show.  The four ducks that are usually in the garden (two mallards and two pekins) decided to come hang out on the lawn with the cat.  It was an odd scene.

Do you know why Dec. 21 has fallen off the map?  There is nothing being discussed about it at all.  All focus is on the two parties and the election.  That's great, but really.  All the hype then nothing.  I'm not expecting the world to end in December, or before then if the person I'm not voting for wins the election.  But I am expecting some sort of chaos to break out this winter.  I'll be prepared.