NES - You Bastards! My rebuttal to an excessively high electric bill

There's a few things on my mind tonight, one of which is the extremely high electric bill we received in the mail today followed minutes later by a segment on the news about how Nashville Electric Service has issued a 6% decrease in the fuel surcharge on our bills. Oh reaaaaaaaly NES?
Because you sure can't tell it by my bill. And I promise you, it's not from using my heat in excessive amounts since it's been so cold. Why, you may ask? Because Wifester is the Heat Nazi. Just ask our friends Lilley and Cole. Poor Cole shivers, actually shivers when she's visiting here. But don't take me, Lilley and Cole's word for it, here yah go, I'll even provide solid, tangible evidence. For those of you who may be like me, and need that evidential proof, I offer

EXHIBIT A:
See that?? And may god, allah, buddha, jehovah, krishna, kali, and ani difranco help the poor soul who tries to ebb the thermostat up past the 65 degree mark.
Now, I don't expect you to take a single piece of evidence as proof beyond doubt that my electric bill must be wrong, so I offer you

EXIHIBIT B:
This is me, right now, at my computer blogging, under the covers of a blanket because the heat nazi, I mean my lovely wife becomes possessed with the spirit of a heat loathing demon if the heater comes on. It's not pretty, trust me. We build fires and snuggle under blankets and keep warm that way.
So my bill to the firelog people being exceptionally high right now I accept, my light bill? Not so much.
We're in the middle of a recession and the utilities are going to stick it to us like this? Disgusting. More people have lost their jobs than any other period in my lifetime and I read today that the murder/suicide rate in families has increased dramatically recently. They attribute it to the increased number of job losses leaving people distraught, hopeless, and they end up killing their families and themselves. That makes me so sad.

Just since Monday, 100,000 people have lost jobs in this country. 100,000! That's 50,000 people loosing a job per day. What? Outrageous. Now The post office wants to cut delivery of mail back to 5 days a week.

and this just in...the house just passed $819 Billion on the stimulus plan. No one yet has been able to provide a reasonable explanation as to where in the hell this money is coming from I guess we all need to get us one of those printers that the Fed seems to have gotten their hands on.

Two for One WWCs?!

I totally missed out on posting last week's WWC, and that blows chuncks because I made a pinky promise to myself that I was gonna be better at this keeping up with the blog stuff this year. Sigh.
Well, I also made a promise that I would catch up this week and post a double whammey WWC, then I nearly let today pass me by without getting one, much less the two I owed posted. But here I am, at the last minute uploading photos and keying faster than my fingers can keep up, trying to get this done before my preconcieved "too late" hour. I know, I know. But I kind of like my neurosis. It makes life more interesting.
So, without further delay, here's my attempt at cramming in two weeks of Weekly Words Challenges in to one post.
As we all know, when we cram, we don't get the best results, just enough to get us by. I'm still working on figuring out how to better manage my time.
For those of you who may be new around here, the WWC is a photo meme hosted by our delightfully ingenius hostess, Tink, from Pickled Beef. If you think you want to join, stop on by and visit Tink. Oh, and don't forget there's a Flickr Group for the WWC too.

Mellow Yellow Monday

Dragonfly
Oil on Wood

Going Organic

First off, let me say I did indeed participate in this week's WWC, however, I've been a bit under the weather for the past few days, and have fallen behind, I'll post my WWC , along with this week's WWC on next Tuesday. Sorry for the delay.

On to the pressing issue of the day...

So I've been doing a bit of research on the Sunny Dog's itchy skin condition and from what I've found, in most cases, this stems from a food allergy. We've tried almost every commercial brand of doggie food on the market, and none have completely relieved her issues. So we've been reduced to feeding her benadryl every day. As you can imagine, tons of benadryl daily makes for one sleepy puppy.
Since we've decided to go with the organic options, home made meals vs pre packaaged, more veggies, less meats and so on, we've decided that it would benefit the Sunny-dog too, to have the same organic food options. I've been doing a lot of reading and found some cookbooks with organic recipes for dogs and cats. Complete with everyday meals and treats and even biscuits.
From what I've read, most meals and biscuits can be prepared in advance and frozen for longer storage, then thawed and fed to your pet when appropriate. I LOVE this. Home made food, I know whats going into it, no processed crap and no more worries about toxins in the food.
Even Pedigree, which has been our trusty standby, now has a salmonella recall.
My friend, Snappy, lost one of her dearly loved pups during that whole massive dog food recall two years ago when there was some toxin in everyone's dog and cat food. Her's was a case of an already elderly and diminished health pet who was subject to the toxic ingredients and it was just more than the little gal could handle. I most certainly don't want to risk that with my Sunny-dog.
I've found many reasons to go the all natural, organic route, among the top are :

1. Reduction of skin ailments and allergies.

Organic dog food may provide your pet with the best chance combating skin infections and allergies long term. It is free of artificial colors and flavor enhancers, chemical additives and toxic pesticides that could be the source of your dog’s allergies. Organic dog food contains quality protein and grain sources of exceptional nutritional value. This supports your dog’s immune system to help build resistance to skin infections.

2. More energy and a healthy weight.
Plump pups and fat cats may be cute, but when they suffer from diabetes, organ failure, a back ailment or hip dysplasia, it is a serious, heart-breaking matter. Like humans, overweight pets tend to have less energy for the exercise that could improve their health and physical condition. Once again, it is the superior nutritional value of organic foods that can make a difference. Since it is naturally more nutritious, many owners report their pets eat less organic food than other commercial varieties. Organic food doesn’t contain bulk-fillers, so your pet consumes only what it needs to maintain healthy energy levels and life functions. It probably tastes better too! Dogs feel more satiated eating smaller amounts of tasty, nutrient-dense foods. An organic diet can help your dog (or cat) lose weight and exercise more.

3. Fewer digestive disorders.


Superior sources of grains and proteins and a lack of chemicals and artificial substances makes organic dog food more digestible. (If your dog vomits occasionally after meals or commonly experiences gas, bloating or diarrhea, check with your veterinarian for underlying illness. ) Easily digestible oats, barley or other natural whole grains and human-grade turkey, lamb or chicken make a tremendous difference to your dog’s digestive system. Rather than consuming corn or other bulk fillers and chemical additives, dogs will ingest only what it needs for healthy metabolic functioning. Pets eat and consequently eliminate less when they are on an organic diet. They tend to have more predictable bowel movements with firm, less smelly stools.

4. Better overall health and stronger immunity.

Even if you dog doesn’t suffer from skin ailments, obesity or digestive problems, an organic diet can still be of benefit. Although nearly every brand of dog food claims to be “nutritionally complete,” most veterinarians still recommend “premium” brands of dog food over “grocery store” varieties. At the heart of the matter is and always has been the better nutritional value of the premium brands. Organic dog food provides better quality sources of nutritional substances than even the non-organic, premium brands. It is more digestible for dogs. One final, key factor is that because it is more digestible, dogs are likely to absorb rather than eliminate more of the nutrients they require to maintain a healthy immune system. Boosting your dog’s immunity may help prevent costly infections and illnesses that require veterinarian care.

5. Quality of Life and Longevity.

Just as the quality of your diet affects the quality of your life, what you feed your pet will have a direct impact on how he or she looks, feels, and acts. By feeding organic food you can help ensure your four legged friend lives a long, happy and healthy life. A luxurious, shiny coat, energy to run and play, a healthy weight and a strong immune system can maximize your dog’s life expectancy and quality of life into old age.

Photo from http://www.organicfood-benefits.com

That all sounds like good stuff, doesn't it? I think the Sunny-dog will appreciate it, and I'll keep you posted on any progress made in her allergy condition.

Mellow Yellow Monday #2

So I missed the first installment of Mellow Yellow Monday, but here's my photo for this week...

I took this one when Wifester and I visited the aquarium, in Chattanooga, for my birthday. Isn't he just lovely?
If you want to join the Mellow Yellow Monday Group, go see Drowsy Monkey, at People with Cameras.

Progress in process?

He's not done yet, but this is what I've been working on today

Progress in process

He's not done yet, but this is what I've been working on today

Hope of A Nation acrylic, mixed media on 18x24 canvas