Note: New Year's Eve

Scout and I are hoping that you have a safe and sane New Year's celebration. Remember to pick a designated driver, or catch a ride if you have any doubts about getting behind the wheel. I have lots of good posts coming up in the new year, and I wouldn't want you to miss a single one of them. Happy New Year.

[ Read More ]

Choose Rosemary for Remembrance

I like rosemary. It smells clean and refreshing to me. When I lived in California I saw it used frequently as a hedge, or as an indestructible shrub around business parks. I often used it as a base for wreaths because it dried beautifully and was easy to find.Since moving to Kentucky, I keep my rosemary bushes indoors during the winter months and move them onto the deck in May (on Derby day).

[ Read More ]

The Charmed House - Solarium and Kitchen

After I made my comments about the wonderful house and garden used in the movie "Practical Magic", friends started talking about other great houses and gardens. The series "Charmed", now off the air, had one of the most beautiful conservatories I've seen outside of Monticello, and I remember that I visited a website once that had a virtual tour of it.This link isn't the site I remember, but it

[ Read More ]

Safe Indoor Pest Control for Your Plants

If you brought any unwelcome freeloaders in with your plants this fall, I have a great safe way to deal with them. I'm not sure where I saw this, but for years I've been afraid to spray pesticide indoors because of my pets. So, to treat any insects that may have come inside on my plants' leaves, I place a flea collar around the base of the pot. After a few days, I move the collar to any plant

[ Read More ]

Lavender for Luck

Why is lavender lucky?I have been trying to find a link to lavender and luck since reading the novel "Practical Magic". I can locate many references to luck associated with planting lavender with roses. The earlier sources for lavender as it relates to attracting good luck, or possibly repelling misfortune, are linked to its association St. John Day where it was burned in bonfires when evil

[ Read More ]

Great White Shark Hoax

Nasty pics and story make for a Great White Shark hoax(Large Shortfin Mako Taken Just Off Yarmouth Harbour, Southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada Comparing the size of the sharks head & mouth to the guy standing beside it, one can quickly appreciate what would happen if one of these phanthoms of the deep grabbed you whilst in the water Carla Allen, Transcontinental Media.)

There is a good story that has been circulated on the Internet about a large Great White Shark that towed a vessel backwards after being tail looped. The story, a hoax, is posted below. In fact the photographs (above and below) are of a large short-fin Mako shark that was captured off of Nova Scotia.

The close up of the sharks head and mouth clearly show lower dentition that is narrow and pointed, which are characteristics of the Mako shark, unlike the broad, somewhat triangularly serrated teeth of a white shark.Ralph S. Collier, of the Shark Research Committee has kindly provided the link to the Urban Legends page outlining this particular hoax entitled Yarmouth, Nova Scotia: Urban Legend based on This Years Shark Scramble Catch.

More images of the real event are to be found at the Florida Museaum of Natural History Ichthyology Department and this provided by a Surfersvillage visitor after noticing the hoax story..... Thank you Anonymous.

So the foregoing are the facts, and the following is the HOAX;

Ocean Shores' Great White Shark

Ocean Shores Wa. USA - While the ocean vessel 'Dawn Raider' was commercial fishing for dogfish, this Great White was hooked in the mouth but only resisted slightly for 15 minutes before it came up alongside the boat to have a look; long enough for one of the crew members to slip a rope around it's tail !!! 'And that's when the s**t hit the fan!!.


The Shark took off towing the 42 foot fishing boat backwards through the water at about 7 Knots. Just like in JAWS, the boat was taking on water over the stern and the crew watched in horror as the shark would actually jump completely out of the water at times. This went on for an hour before the shark finally drowned.Ocean Shores Great White on displayShe weighed in at 1035 LBS. It is suspected she followed a weak El Nino current into local waters in search of food. Although mid 60 deg. water is considered ideal for these sharks, the larger ones can tolerate water in the low 50s.

(second photo by Carla Allen)

[ Read More ]

Commercial Herb Blends

Once you've made a few of your own herb blends, it's easy to get spoiled. The strong flavors of freshly dried herbs are great in cooking, and would be reason enough to take up the hobby of herb growing, even without the other advantages. Herb Blends are a Kitchen StapleI wanted to take a moment to mention some of the blends that I do like and use. Over the years, my husband and I have purchased

[ Read More ]