Hundreds of birds die in western Ky.

[_-_Nope_-_]

Well, I had a comment to post. But for some reason it won't take. If I've been banned, I can't for the life of me imagine why. I never even utter a curse word on here. I don't get it. If this one shows up, it'll be a miracle.

[_-_Nope_-_]

And that one posted?? What's going on?? I'll try it again.... Be right back.

[_-_Nope_-_]

Hmmm... Well I'll be darned. Now it posts??

Such are the mysteries of Topix-land I guess.

Later folks.

[betty]

this put the biggest smile on my face!

http://www.advocate.com/politics/religion/201...

Nonprofit Unveils Rainbow House Beside Westboro Baptist Church
The view outside the notoriously antigay Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., just got a whole lot gayer.
BY Sunnivie Brydum
March 19 2013 5:53 PM ET

Members of the antigay Westboro Baptist Church woke up to a technicolor surprise this morning, when a progressive nonprofit began painting a house directly across the street from Westboro's compound in the bright, bold colors of the rainbow flag.

Six months ago, Planting Peace, a nonprofit historically dedicated to environmental conservation, bought the house at 1200 S.W. Orleans St. in Topeka, Kan., directly across the street from the series of homes owned by Westboro members and the church itself, known as the Westboro "compound."

"I feel the Westboro Baptist Church is the poster child… that's pushing inequality," Planting Peace founder Aaron Jackson told The Advocate. "So I thought the best place to start was to counter the Westboro Baptist Church's message."

Jackson has been living in the house for the past month and a half, with the intent to turn it into The Equality House, a drop-in center that will support a variety of LGBT and antibullying efforts. Before that can happen, though, Jackson says he and his colleagues at Planting Peace want to raise $1 million to support existing equality and antibullying programs. Planting Peace has launched a CrowdRise page to support that goal, where the team has already raised more than $10,000. Find more photos of the house and information about the cause right here.

still laughing.....just awesome :)

[betty]

_-_Nope_-_ wrote:

Hmmm... Well I'll be darned. Now it posts??
Such are the mysteries of Topix-land I guess.
Later folks.

it hasent let me post in two days..... it look like it does on my pc... but when ever i leave the page completly and come back my post is not there...... one was about diy laundry soap... guess the thought of only spending a penny per load offends topix lmao.

[betty]

Oglala wrote:

<quoted text>
@Nope: I'm so sorry for your loss. It's like a member of the family died.
@Ancient Wolf: That's too bad about your rental property.But I can tell you this. Cats are neither destructive nor dirty. I have several in my house and there is NO cat odor at all. What you had was irresponsible tenants and irresponsible pet owners. Cats do not want to go into a filthy litter box, much the same as you would not want to go into a dirty bathroom. Well, you have the option of going into another stall, and if that did not please you, you could drive to the next rest stop to find a cleaner spot. Cats do not have those options. It is the owners' responsibility to keep the boxes CLEAM. With the new clumping litter, there is no excuse. Sorry for getting on my soapbox, I just feel sorry for the bad raps the cats get when lazy owners don't do what is necessary.

i know this is from Monday but was back reading and would just like to say i soooo agree! would also like to add that dirty ill maintained litter boxes breed intestinal parasites that can be passed on to humans and other cats and both can develop severe respiratory problems from the ammonia levels in the air if the box is not maintained. in my line of work i see and hear a lot of excuses (and i guess i sort of sympathize with some... you never really know about others situations) but honestly it really bugs me. last summer even though i was down almost a month when i hurt my knee i hopped to the computer chair every day so i could roll on back and scoop the litter...... my cats are vocal and used to being pampered and not above staging a mutiny. they wont stand for a dirty box a all.....they circle my feet every morning till all the bowls are full and the box is clean.

[betty]

Arthur Dent wrote:

This thread is so surreal. Like the man who rules the world in Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy talking randomly. It's like there is some hidden message in all this. Kinda freaks me out.

once you accept the four elephants and the turtle......every thing else makes sense, nothing hidden about it

[_-_Nope_-_]

betty wrote:

<quoted text>
it hasent let me post in two days..... it look like it does on my pc... but when ever i leave the page completly and come back my post is not there...... one was about diy laundry soap... guess the thought of only spending a penny per load offends topix lmao.

I don't get it, Betty. Sometimes this site seems to take on a life of it's own and some of the very things that should be zapped get to stay, while honestly benign comments get the ax for some reason. I'd have liked to have seen your comment on the DIY laundry soap. Could you maybe try to repost it? I really enjoy reading those DIY articles and such.
:(

Great reading about that Westboro Church, by the way. About time someone hit them where it would hurt, LOL. There it will be, right in their homophobic eyeballs every time they exit that place. Excellent move, hehe!! Check, MATE! I LOVE IT!! Keep us updated on the happenings at the new place that's fighting back if you would.

(I'm a bit concerned that we may soon read of The Equality House being burned to the ground eventually though. Or even something worse happening to them because of those people at Westboro. I pray I'm wrong, but I can already see it happening in my minds eye).

I'm headed to bed now, so you have a great night! Rest well.

_-_Nope_-_
Peace, out.

[_-_Nope_-_]

By the way, I just cross posted with your litter box comment. My cat gets extremely vocal if there is a leftover 'cat cookie' in his litter box, even if it landed overnight and I'm just getting up. It is what it is.

I'd rather him let me know though because the litter box is in the back bedroom and I don't want my dogs eating cat turds.
(Okay, come on now. I hear cyber chuckles in the background... But we all know that they do it, hehe)..

You're right about the disease, the parasites, etc. I'd MUCH rather him be the way he is. I appreciate his neediness in that aspect, LOL!!!

Good night, lol.

[betty]

_-_Nope_-_ wrote:

<quoted text>
I don't get it, Betty. Sometimes this site seems to take on a life of it's own and some of the very things that should be zapped get to stay, while honestly benign comments get the ax for some reason. I'd have liked to have seen your comment on the DIY laundry soap. Could you maybe try to repost it? I really enjoy reading those DIY articles and such.
:(
Great reading about that Westboro Church, by the way. About time someone hit them where it would hurt, LOL. There it will be, right in their homophobic eyeballs every time they exit that place. Excellent move, hehe!! Check, MATE! I LOVE IT!! Keep us updated on the happenings at the new place that's fighting back if you would.
(I'm a bit concerned that we may soon read of The Equality House being burned to the ground eventually though. Or even something worse happening to them because of those people at Westboro. I pray I'm wrong, but I can already see it happening in my minds eye).
I'm headed to bed now, so you have a great night! Rest well.
_-_Nope_-_
Peace, out.

lol...... the diy laundry soap post was mainly a cautionary about how you should not let it come to a boil while cooking the soap (is you have ever been heating milk and its come to a boil too fast ...you get the picture i am sure...wish i could say this this was the first or even second time i have done this) well the kitchen floor is sparkly clean now :) and the reason im up at this insane hour. thank god i dont work on Thursdays and the munchkins all have prior engagements so no baby sitting either..... with any luck when i do hit the pillow i wont surface till noon. i will post the recipe for the soap and softner then im off to bed as well.

p.s. sorry to hear about your critters passing :( i am notorious for banning he use of a deceased pets name in my house for about six months so i just dont have to think about it and then getting one that looks just like them as a new addition. we all deal in different ways i guess. i get the whole "he who must not be named" complex from my step dad i think. his poor little wiener dog, named Dumas walker (lol rednecks), was hit by a car leaving their driveway about a month ago. every time someone comes over and mentions the dog he goes out and chops wood till they leave. my mom tried talking him into getting another one and he will have none of it tho... says he is never getting another dog till he knows that he is so old that he will out live it. but i think getting another pet is a great way to honor the memory of one thats passed on. i know its an old saying but this is true " you can't change the world for every animal, but for your animal, the world changes forever. " im sure your new pet won the lottery the day they met you.

have a good sleep and god bless

[betty]

_-_Nope_-_ wrote:

By the way, I just cross posted with your litter box comment. My cat gets extremely vocal if there is a leftover 'cat cookie' in his litter box, even if it landed overnight and I'm just getting up. It is what it is.
I'd rather him let me know though because the litter box is in the back bedroom and I don't want my dogs eating cat turds.
(Okay, come on now. I hear cyber chuckles in the background... But we all know that they do it, hehe)..
You're right about the disease, the parasites, etc. I'd MUCH rather him be the way he is. I appreciate his neediness in that aspect, LOL!!!
Good night, lol.

we gave the cats a walkin closet and put up a baby gate to keep poodle and munchkins out..... they would probably prefer not to have to jump in and out but they like the privacy... joe poodle is pretty admit that poop eating habits will not be broken so this was really the only option.

[betty]

laundry soap

makes ten gallons.

1 bar fels naptha soap (94 cents)
1 cup of borax (3.28 per box)
1 cup of arm and hammer super washing soda(must be washing soda, baking soda wont work right)

first grate bar of soap so it will melt faster and add shavings to six cups of simmering water, cook on highest heat possible without actually boiling (on my stove this is medium low) the soap smells like bunny farts and rainbows when melting and will make your kitchen smell super clean for days.

you also need to have a five gallon bucket filled about a third of the way with the hottest water you can make (i usually just brew a few coffee pots full of water while the soap is cooking)

once all the soap is melted add the washing soda and borax and continue to cook stirring often till all the ingredients are combined really well.... should look similar to cook serve pudding..... the main thing is letting it cook enough to get the grit out (like when cooking with sugar) add this mixture to your really hot water in the bucket and stir till your right arm hurts then add more really hot water (the hotter you keep it the better it sets up) and stir till you left arm hurts.
then you cover and let set over night.

in the morning the mixture will have turned into a thick gelatinous blob sitting on top of some water..... stir it back up..... if you have an old mixer....its better at getting the lumps out then doing it by hand. hubby has a super cool man toy that attaches to his drill to mix paint that i use. the first time i did everything by hand and the results were ok but the mixer will give you a smoother finished product.

once everything is mixed back up you can start adding to old laundry containers, gallon jugs, jars...whatever you have to store it in.... you mix equal amounts of the soap with more hot water.

i keep the concentrate in my five gallon bucket and i have an old tide container (the big one with the spout pump thing) hen it gets empty i just fill half full with the soap then brew hot water in the coffee pot and add till its almost full. i then add about fifteen drops of my fragrance oil and shake..... after it sets over night its ready to use.

sometimes it separates some and i have to shake it a few times before i use it but for the most part it pours and washes just as good as store bought brands.

**** a quick note about fragrance*****

the laundry soap itself has a pretty good smell but does not really leave a smell on your clothes if you prefer to have that spring fresh snuggle aroma coming from all your linens you can add a small amount of fragrance oils to the mix at any time... i prefer to do it when i put in into the containers because i bought a few different scents and i like to alternate. just make sure you buy fragrances that can be used for skin contact, not all candle fragrance oils can. i order mine online from indigo fragrances on etsy.com . they are all natural organic fragrances and they are pretty cheap (i think 2.39) a piece and they have gain type oil that smells wonderful.

since i stopped using store bought soaps i have noticed a big difference in my skin.... i dont itch all the time any more and joe poodle stopped trying to chew a hole in his arm. this whole time (after many vet visits) we have thought he had some nervous arm chewing thing going on...... turns out he just happens to be a hypo allergenic - allergic poodle:)

[betty]

now for the fabric softener

it really depends on what container used that decides how much you need of the ingredients.
my fabric softener container is a 164 ounce container that produces about 170 loads worth of softener.

so this is my recipe:

3 containers of cheap hair conditioner ( i get 3 11.5 ounce cheap vo5 bottles for a buck a piece)
but you can use what ever kind you like i just like the vo5 because when you combine the blackberry conditioner with the Shea cashmere conditioner it smells really close to the orchid allure downy i had used for years...

3 cups of white distilled vinegar ( this is your anti static)

really really hot water

mix together in your container and let sit at least two days.... it will be thin and reek of vinegar the first you make it but after a couple days the vinegar smell disappears and it thickens to a softener consistency.

you can also get blander smelling conditioner and just add some fragrance oil like with the soap so the scents match.

the main thing i have noticed with this is again, my skin don't itch as much.... a lot of store softeners i have known they break me out but there are all kinds of conditioners that give me no problems at all.

and i think this stuff results in softer linens than with the store brands.

[betty]

well on that note... good night all :)

[Ancient Wolf]

@Nope, Betty, and Oglala... after reading about maintaining cats, I am more convinced than ever that the best place for a cat is outdoors. LOL

[betty]

Ancient Wolf wrote:

@Nope, Betty, and Oglala... after reading about maintaining cats, I am more convinced than ever that the best place for a cat is outdoors. LOL

lol.... i would suggest a big monster barn cat but i think your chickens would not like that very much. they are a pain and sometimes i wonder why in the world i allowed myself to take on as many as i did.... but i never have mice :) thats prolly really the only plus to having them.... other than that little rainbow, they are quite cantankerous.

i have one that pees in hubby's shoes when she is mad at him and another who likes to come up and chew on the paper im reading, and another who will knock your drink right off the table in a very purposeful manner. im allergic to all of them and live on claritan and zertec most of the time. one Tries to control he litter box and keep the others out and another does the same with the food. they habitually gang up on the poodle so we cant leave them alone for more than a few hours. when we go out of town i pay my niece to come stay and keep the peace because im afraid if we just left for the weekend e would come back to a pile of twigs and junk metal. they are beggers and moochers...... i haven't gone number two without being stared at for almost a decade... and every piece of furniture i have ever owned gets scratched to pieces..... i run around with a spray bottle constantly chasing them down off counters and kitchen table..... and i have often contemplated tossing a couple out the front door..... but they do make good foot warmers.

so warm feet and the absense of rodents from my general area vs. total destruction of all my personal possesions.....

yeh.... i would stick with dogs after talking to me too..lol

[Clara]

betty wrote:

laundry soap
makes ten gallons.
1 bar fels naptha soap (94 cents)
1 cup of borax (3.28 per box)
1 cup of arm and hammer super washing soda(must be washing soda, baking soda wont work right)
first grate bar of soap so it will melt faster and add shavings to six cups of simmering water, cook on highest heat possible without actually boiling (on my stove this is medium low) the soap smells like bunny farts and rainbows when melting and will make your kitchen smell super clean for days.
you also need to have a five gallon bucket filled about a third of the way with the hottest water you can make (i usually just brew a few coffee pots full of water while the soap is cooking)
once all the soap is melted add the washing soda and borax and continue to cook stirring often till all the ingredients are combined really well.... should look similar to cook serve pudding..... the main thing is letting it cook enough to get the grit out (like when cooking with sugar) add this mixture to your really hot water in the bucket and stir till your right arm hurts then add more really hot water (the hotter you keep it the better it sets up) and stir till you left arm hurts.
then you cover and let set over night.
in the morning the mixture will have turned into a thick gelatinous blob sitting on top of some water..... stir it back up..... if you have an old mixer....its better at getting the lumps out then doing it by hand. hubby has a super cool man toy that attaches to his drill to mix paint that i use. the first time i did everything by hand and the results were ok but the mixer will give you a smoother finished product.
once everything is mixed back up you can start adding to old laundry containers, gallon jugs, jars...whatever you have to store it in.... you mix equal amounts of the soap with more hot water.
i keep the concentrate in my five gallon bucket and i have an old tide container (the big one with the spout pump thing) hen it gets empty i just fill half full with the soap then brew hot water in the coffee pot and add till its almost full. i then add about fifteen drops of my fragrance oil and shake..... after it sets over night its ready to use.
sometimes it separates some and i have to shake it a few times before i use it but for the most part it pours and washes just as good as store bought brands.
**** a quick note about fragrance*****
the laundry soap itself has a pretty good smell but does not really leave a smell on your clothes if you prefer to have that spring fresh snuggle aroma coming from all your linens you can add a small amount of fragrance oils to the mix at any time... i prefer to do it when i put in into the containers because i bought a few different scents and i like to alternate. just make sure you buy fragrances that can be used for skin contact, not all candle fragrance oils can. i order mine online from indigo fragrances on etsy.com . they are all natural organic fragrances and they are pretty cheap (i think 2.39) a piece and they have gain type oil that smells wonderful.
since i stopped using store bought soaps i have noticed a big difference in my skin.... i dont itch all the time any more and joe poodle stopped trying to chew a hole in his arm. this whole time (after many vet visits) we have thought he had some nervous arm chewing thing going on...... turns out he just happens to be a hypo allergenic - allergic poodle:)

Will this soap work in a high efficiency washer?

[RoamingInsomniac]

Wow, it's cold!

[big hoss]

betty wrote:

laundry soap
makes ten gallons.
1 bar fels naptha soap (94 cents)
1 cup of borax (3.28 per box)
1 cup of arm and hammer super washing soda(must be washing soda, baking soda wont work right)
first grate bar of soap so it will melt faster and add shavings to six cups of simmering water, cook on highest heat possible without actually boiling (on my stove this is medium low) the soap smells like bunny farts and rainbows when melting and will make your kitchen smell super clean for days.
you also need to have a five gallon bucket filled about a third of the way with the hottest water you can make (i usually just brew a few coffee pots full of water while the soap is cooking)
once all the soap is melted add the washing soda and borax and continue to cook stirring often till all the ingredients are combined really well.... should look similar to cook serve pudding..... the main thing is letting it cook enough to get the grit out (like when cooking with sugar) add this mixture to your really hot water in the bucket and stir till your right arm hurts then add more really hot water (the hotter you keep it the better it sets up) and stir till you left arm hurts.
then you cover and let set over night.
in the morning the mixture will have turned into a thick gelatinous blob sitting on top of some water..... stir it back up..... if you have an old mixer....its better at getting the lumps out then doing it by hand. hubby has a super cool man toy that attaches to his drill to mix paint that i use. the first time i did everything by hand and the results were ok but the mixer will give you a smoother finished product.
once everything is mixed back up you can start adding to old laundry containers, gallon jugs, jars...whatever you have to store it in.... you mix equal amounts of the soap with more hot water.
i keep the concentrate in my five gallon bucket and i have an old tide container (the big one with the spout pump thing) hen it gets empty i just fill half full with the soap then brew hot water in the coffee pot and add till its almost full. i then add about fifteen drops of my fragrance oil and shake..... after it sets over night its ready to use.
sometimes it separates some and i have to shake it a few times before i use it but for the most part it pours and washes just as good as store bought brands.
**** a quick note about fragrance*****
the laundry soap itself has a pretty good smell but does not really leave a smell on your clothes if you prefer to have that spring fresh snuggle aroma coming from all your linens you can add a small amount of fragrance oils to the mix at any time... i prefer to do it when i put in into the containers because i bought a few different scents and i like to alternate. just make sure you buy fragrances that can be used for skin contact, not all candle fragrance oils can. i order mine online from indigo fragrances on etsy.com . they are all natural organic fragrances and they are pretty cheap (i think 2.39) a piece and they have gain type oil that smells wonderful.
since i stopped using store bought soaps i have noticed a big difference in my skin.... i dont itch all the time any more and joe poodle stopped trying to chew a hole in his arm. this whole time (after many vet visits) we have thought he had some nervous arm chewing thing going on...... turns out he just happens to be a hypo allergenic - allergic poodle:)

thats a ton of work ,...just to save $3.24 -i think i will stick to the "store " bought soap,..

[Good Morning]

Just dropping in to ask you birders about attracting pileated woodpeckers. First off, do I even want to go there? Are they even desirable? Second, exactly what type of feeder and food do I use for them? Thanks for any input !
Btw, the laundry soap and fabric softener is interesting . Im going to give that some thought. Maybe that's what our Amish neighbors use? Their laundry soap does leave a different scent on their clothes, but as you said, essential oils would help that! Hmmmm, maybe.