OGal's WunderBlog

Thursday....Extremely Foggy

Posted by: OGal, 28 06, 2010 11:39 GMT

Thanks Gams, I stole this map from you :)

My blog needed some colored leaves so I remember that it is fall.

Bed Bugs, Boo Hiss!!

They are everywhere waiting to jump on you and raise their
families in your house. What are you doing??

One thing to remember it is not just your beds they are interested in. They love furniture, really anything that presents a nice dark place for them to breed and boy do they breed.

Movie theaters are a great place for them. Damp and cool the movie theater is like a five star bed bug hotel.

Suitcases and the airport..WoooHoo. A chance for a bed bug to experience world travel.

These crawling creatures are taking their places right beside La Cucaracha (the cockroach).

What can I do if my residence is infested with bed bugs?
Complete elimination of a bed bug infestation may be difficult without the services of a knowledgeable Pest Control Service. It may even take as many as five or more treatments to gain control of an infestation. Do-it yourself measures used by homeowners and renters sometimes cause more problems than benefits.

How to Protect Luggage from Bed Bugs

Step 1 Keep large plastic bags in the trunk of your car for the return trip home. Nip bedbug infestations in the bud by immediately placing luggage inside the bags after your trip and before storing them in the vehicle.
Step 2 Never place luggage on bedding, under bed frames, carpeting or on furniture in the hotel room whenever possible. Pull the luggage rack away from the wall and carefully inspect the rack straps, metal and underneath the rack before placing your suitcases down to inspect the rest of the room. Inspect the closet before placing items on shelves.
Step 3 Use a flashlight and put on rubber gloves to examine the bedding. Check for bedbugs at the headboard, underneath the mattress and nightstand drawers and examine the sheets for bloodstains. Check the piping on the mattress and box spring. Bedbugs resemble flat, reddish ticks, 1/8 to 1/4 inch long, and leave behind shells and dots of blood that look like pen marks.
Step 4 Seal up all items that cannot be laundered on your trip home such as electronics and toiletries in plastic zip-top baggies. Protect your laptop computer with a heavy duty bag you can seal during the night. Avoid unpacking your clothing inside drawers or hanging them in the closet when possible.
Step 5 Perform a thorough inspection of both the bed and your luggage before leaving. Bed bugs excrete blood after feasting, and you might see signs on the sheets and pillowcases.
Step 6 Inspect each item of clothing before returning it to the suitcase. Place used clothing inside sealed plastic bags if you encounter signs of infestation. Laundering items in hot water and detergent and drying on low heat for a minimum of 20 minutes can kill bedbugs. Seal clean clothing in zipped plastic to keep it protected from subsequent infestations on your trip.
Step 7 Place luggage inside the garbage bags stored in your trunk before placing them back in your car for the trip home.
Step 8 Unpack suitcases outside the home on light-colored hard flooring, not carpeting. Put clothing directly into plastic bags and head straight for the washing machine. Vacuum suitcases thoroughly and freeze them, if possible, to kill any remaining critters.

Thanks for the reminder Emmy!!

This is a picture of the oldest Russian Orthodox church still standing in the United States. Parts of this church date back to 1825. It is the Church of the Holy Ascension of Christ. It is found in Unalaska. This picture was taken by our good Dutch Harbor friend Joe (joealaska)

Joe just gave me permission to use this information from his blog. He took his parents to see the inside of this church.

"Yesterday we went to the Russian Orthodox Church (Holy Ascension Orthodox Cathedral). All I had to do was call the priest, Father Kashevarof. He was very flexible, giving me a few options to see the church. We were there Thursday at 10 AM. Private tour. He told us about himself, his church, and his religion. He answered all questions.

Sorry, no photos.

He showed us a 300 year old book with the old teachings, with an ornate cover. He handled the book very carefully. He showed us icons that were damaged when the church was given very short notice by the US Army that they would have to move. There was LITTLE time to save the icons. So they were taken down and coated with shellac to protect them.

Having been in the thrilling PAINT business for 15 years....Bad idea. Shellac discolors and darkens with age. All the icons we saw were very DARK. A couple of them were restored, but at great expense. Everything was between 200 and 300 years old."

Alaska Joe's parents in front of the Russian Orthodox Church in Unalaska.

This church is found in Ninilchik, Alaska This church is The Holy Transformation of Our Lord.

Kenai, Alaska is the home of this lovely church. It is being totally remodled so we were unable to see the inside.
This church is the Holy Assumption.

This is the other little Russian Orthodox church we saw. It is sitting high on a hill looking out over Kamechak Bay in Seldovia, Ak.

St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church serves not only as an active religious facility in the community, but is noted as a major landmark throughout the Kenai Peninsula and is one of the major tourist attractions for Seldovia.

Hand painted Russian Orthodox Icon "The Guardian Angel"

More Russian Icons Ninilchik, Alaska

Russian Orthodox Icons, Ninilchik, Alaska

Russian Orthodox Cross

The Russian Orthodox cross differs from the Western cross. The top bar represents the plaque that was hung over Christ's head. The middle bar, as in Western Christianity, is the cross beam on which Christ's wrists or palms were nailed. The slanted bottom bar is the footrest - and Christ's feet are represented as being nailed individually rather than together. At the bottom of this particular cross, you can see "Adam's skull." Other emblems appear on more elaborate Russian Orthodox crosses.

***The young Orthodox Priest we talked to in Ninilchik also said the slanted bar on the bottom of the cross represented man with one foot towards Heaven and the other foot towards Hell. The constant battle of good vs. evil***

Before Alaska came under the sovereignty of the United States on Oct. 18, 1867 this land of rich resources and diverse people was part of the Russian Empire.

Missionaries introduced the teachings of the Russian Orthodox Church. These missionaries worked with the indigenous people and helped them set up schools, hospitals, working with their livestock and also introduced them to firearms.

During this time the Russian fur traders came to Alaska to get the valuable furs from bears and seals.

It is interesting to find in many small towns the remains of these beautiful old Russian churches. The two I have pictured are in Ninilchik and Kenai. We also saw a lovely old church in Juneau.

The little church in Ninilchik had lovely old icons. The icons I have pictured are from that small church. The priest in the church allowed us to take pictures as long as we gave a donation to the church.

15 NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS FOR 2010

In 2010 I resolve....

-- To appreciate my family, friends, and colleagues for who they are, what
they mean to me and others, and to gracefully overlook some things they do
(or don't do!). None of us is perfect and accepting that reality is a good
thing for relationships to flourish.

-- To act upon wrongs that need righting, crass statements that require
correction, and offenses that demand just responses. We set a positive
example by not accepting negativity in others.

-- To be a valuable teammate and to trust others to do their best. Each of
us should know what position we play, and regularly practice our skills to
be our personal best.

-- To actively listen to the voices of children and elders. The wisdom of
innocence and experience is both free and priceless.

-- To speak truth to power, but to be both polite and persistent. There's a
fine line between persistence and pestilence. Resist aggressiveness, but
advocate with assertion, confidence and commitment to the cause.

-- To accept that I don't know everything. By finding others who know much
more, together we can create a great brain trust and blend expertise.

-- To pleasantly surprise someone every day with a genuine smile and
unexpected kindness in word and deed. Life's subtle gifts of concern are
cherished.

-- To respect and celebrate the diversity of faiths, feelings, and fashions.
Differences are natural and honoring each other's beliefs creates mutual
admiration.

-- To exercise artistic expression for its intrinsic value. The vitality of
the instrumental, literary, dance, visual or vocal arts fuels the soul and
expands the mind to new possibilities.

-- To invest a thoughtful minute before I speak or act. Regret is often
preventable. Reversing harm is one of life's most vexing challenges.

-- To honor those who courageously sacrifice for us at home and abroad, care
for our health, educate, protect us and perform the healing and helping arts
so that our quality of life is improved.

-- To share even if I think I don't have enough. Setting an example by
gifting to others in need is one of the best lessons for children to
observe.

-- To protect, defend and advocate for people who rely on me. Give special
attention to the needs of others who may not know how to find their own
voice.

-- To preserve natural environments for their beauty and bounty. Natural
settings are home to plantlife and species which are too often victims of
our wants, not our needs.

-- To never give up on a person or a cause, despite the challenges we face.
Perseverance is an attitude that exemplifies leadership, attracts allies,
and creates meaningful change.

This blog is about changing your lifestyle. That applies
to weight and any other type change you might like to work on in your life. This is a place to post and incourage. As I have said many times to lose weight you have to eat less and exercise more. Good foods of course help with the weight losing porcess but you still have to allow the goodies once in awhile. It is a great way to reward yourself for a week of eating the good foods.

There are many weight loss programs out there but the desire to lose the weight must take place in your brain first. Ya really got to want it!!!!

The folks that have given up smoking need to be mentioned here too. Once again the true desire to suceed has to be part of the process. Ya got to want to stop! You are giving you and your family a wonderful gift.

As many of us are getting older weight bearing excercises should be part of our daily exercise routine. We will talk about the best way to accomplish this.

ABC'S OF FITNESS
By Rose Huscher

A) Warm-up with low intensity activity and active full
range of motion stretches.
B) Cardiovascular work can be brisk walking, jogging, land
or water aerobics, swimming or cycling for at least
thirty continuous minutes
C) Cool down to safely lower your heart rate by gradually
slow your pace.
D) Toning and weight training will increase muscle
strength and bone density.
E) Stretching and flexibility moves are essential to
reduce risk of injury, improve range of motion and
relax contracted muscles. Don't skip this important
step.

Waiting for all those new resolutions to be put on my blog

charlesimages 8:03 PM GMT on January 02, 2010
ALRIGHT OFFICIALLY HERE ARE MY THOUGHTS. Very simple....and the main theme is...

SUCCESS & HAPPINESS

Nothing is going to hold me back this year. Each day a new adventure that I will take on with a full, clear head of steam. I took 2009 to organize all of my thoughts and ideas (planting the seeds if you will) and now here in 2010 it is time for those seeds to take root, sprout, and grow into huge beautiful trees. Everyday will be valued. Nothing will be left to waste. I'm going to do my best, to be the best, in every sense. I am excited! Beginning all of this here in January, I am starting up with a very successful business that not only can I prosper in myself, but also be my own boss, work from home (or anywhere) and one of the best things is, the more people who follow me with this the better. I will be distributing an amazing product and making a living by helping others find their financial freedom and feel good taking this! There are bonuses as well!! The coolest thing is this will be "gravy" for me. I find once you set your mind to something and really concentrate, you can do anything. I also have plans to do some storm chasing officially in the plains this year! There is a lot I could list, so much I will be doing, but this is going to be good. It's a big year!! This is going to be MY year!! I'm not settling with failure for my results. set the bar high! I wish everyone else all the best this year, LET'S DO THIS TOGETHER!! WE CAN MAKE 2010 AMAZING!!

Happy New Year! =D

Emmy's plans for 2010:
This is what I'm going to work on in 2010
1) Keep the weight off
2) Be more patient for people who
just don't get what I'm trying to say
3) Get the theater going to the next
level -and getting the Board on board
4)Listen harder
5)Work on inner peace
6) Appreciate the best of what a person
can offer to the best of their ability
7) bring out the best of others to the best
of their abilities
8) Gratitude on all levels.

Gams goals for 2010:
1. Be more patient with others and situations.
2. Find more "me" time to enjoy life outside of immediate family.
3. Run all 6 miles in April for March of Dimes 10K.
4. Finally lose those 15 pounds; get & stay in shape.
5. Start working on my next career, my artwork.

Surf's thoughts for 2010:
1. to continue to plant trees til I reach 80 - (negating the impact my life has on the planet)
started last year, I'm at 29 trees planted thus far. Plan to reach 80 b/4 I croak : )
2. re-read my YOLO list
3. continue to seek out ways of being of service to others
4. PLAY MORE - the clock is ticking
5. Work on quieting the senseless chatter that too often firestorms my brain.
"As for "waiting without thought"... I love it.
Getting rid of the interior chatter's a way toward peace, too." Shoreacres
Action

NRAamy lose post back surgery weight, we know you can do it Amy.

Sandiquiz intends to be very good to herself in 2010 :)

SBKaren: Oh dear...resolutions...as Gamma said, I think I'd like to refer to them as goals. So, let's think.....

1) get back on the health bandwagon - I've been eating so badly during this season - partly because when I'm off work I'm off my schedule. So, back to work will mean back to regular schedule.

2)

continue with my drop everything and play attitude. My daughter called me this morning and wanted to walk down to Main St. for coffee and a bagel. Did I really need either? No .... but never turn down quality time with family - never. I skipped the bagel and had a banana nut muffin...and it was good! Got into an extremely long conversation about dogs with the guy sitting at the outdoor table next to us. We continued up Main St. to the pier, and then back home - spending over an hour together. We're also heading back to Disneyland this Sunday before we all head back to work (both daughters and I have had extended time off). It's easy to forget about everything/troubles when you are there.

3) try not to be so bossy. This is hard for me because I'm such a control freak, but I need to realize that other people have good ideas too...and mine aren't necessarily the best or only way.

oneshotww 6:40 AM GMT on January 01, 2010
So in addition to the usual... losing weight, paying down some debt, blah, blah, blah - what changes are you hoping to make???

Mine are:
take the pup to the beach again (he really liked it)
watch more sunsets and sunrises
photo more sets and rises
take more photos period
train Rio some more

Updated: 03 02, 2011 12:06 GMT

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