Philly Bloggers to Pay "Privilege" license?

Maybe you read today about bloggers in Philadephia having to pay new fees for a "business privilege license" if their blog is monetized, regardless of whether they make any money or not.

If bloggers in the city limits of Philly have chosen to opt in for receiving advertising revenues, they will have to pay a $50.00 licensing fee yearly, or choose to pay a one-time $300.00 fee. The city states that it has a right to collect revenue from anyone "engaged in a business for profit" and, apparently, blogging is considered a business for profit if ad revenues are a possibility. (CityPaper) If the blogger has opted out of all ad revenues, then it is just a "hobby."

I think it is ridiculous to call it a business when most bloggers who choose to monetize might make only 20 cents to a few dollars over the course of a year. Suddenly, bloggers will have to purchase a business license and complete self employment tax returns to show that they made $1.27 in advertising revenues, but spent $50.00 (or $300.00) for a license to have the privilege to make that $1.27?

In the middle of a Depression..er...double-dip recession??

I understand that municipalities are hurting for money also, but to put a further burden on already struggling individuals because they might be making 20 cents or 10 dollars a year from allowing ads on their blog is ridiculous, in my opinion. Blogging, for most of us, is a hobby.

What the outcome will probably be is to stifle the economy even more, because bloggers who make 50 cents are going to stop accepting ads at all. So, the city will not be getting any money from them for a license, and the advertising on blogs framework will dry up as well. Way to go, government!

What do you think?

Blackberry Picking Time

Yesterday was blackberry picking day. We ended up with about 5 pounds of berries, but it was much more difficult this year than last. One in ten berries was ripe, and the rest were still green to pink.

The plants seemed much more stickery than usual, and it was like playing a game of Operation to reach in and extricate the berries without touching the "edges" that would give you a poke instead of just a little buzz.
The weather was cold this weekend, making it even less inviting to go berry picking, but my freezer is calling for winter stores. It reached about 68 yesterday, but started and ended at about 44. Fall is coming on fast, and I have barely felt summer this year.

I ended the day as I ended the day before: bundled up in a sweater over a shirt, sweat pants, socks and fuzzy house slippers. Makes me want to stay in bed in the morning and sip hot beverages instead of heading to the office!

*Fun things Amilia said this weekend:

1. "Are you saying that metaphorically?" (response to something I told her)
2. "I see a gaggle of wild geese flying south! Shouldn't they fly in an M pattern - for Migration? Or is it just a V for Vacation?"

BlogTalkRadio

Listen to internet radio with Outside The Garden on Blog Talk RadioRemember in February when I said I was going to begin hosting (sometime) on Blog Talk Radio?

Well, now I have done it...but I warn you, I have only done one broadcast, and I am not trained in broadcast journalism. I am working on soundproofing my "studio" (aka my desk) with some tips I have learned from WAH voiceover artists. When I am able, I will invest in better microphone equipment, but for now, the Skype headset will have to suffice.

I originally thought I might broadcast under NatureWithMe about gardening and homesteading topics, but as I have mentioned, I really feel that the Industrial Food Chain is a problem that is getting worse, and that we need voices to speak out and object to more legislation. We don't need more legislation that doesn't work.

We need educated consumers, and we need to have discourse about how to move in the right direction instead of being taken by bigger and bigger government in the wrong direction.

So, I have been torn about how to lend my voice, and where best to speak. My answer was to begin my blog called Outside The Garden that is dedicated solely to food topics, and now to begin broadcasting as Outside The Garden on BlogTalkRadio.

NatureWithMe will remain my personal blog and I will continue to discuss some food, some crafts, some of this and a little of that. I do hope you will join me on my other blog, and that you might even catch one of my broadcasts and call in or log on to chat live.

See you there!

I flunked Phone

Some phones are so snooty! Today we had to get acquainted with Aastra 6757i (maybe it was snooty because I called it Astro?). This phone is like the kid on the playground that always wins at dodgeball and gets to be a perpetual player. It has an ego to match the long run of success at pegging others - hard - and making them be "out."

So, Astro did not really play nice, but I think it is just a feeling of insecurity that causes it to show off so much at first. I have a feeling that underneath that braggart veneer, there is a nice phone just waiting for some friendship and understanding. Maybe soon I can take my flunking grade up to at least a B+.

I plan to persevere, and tomorrow, I might offer a treat. Do Dodgeball King telephones named Astro like cookies?



*note: I realize that Aastra ends with an a, and would therefore be female according to the rules of many languages. However, Astro was my favorite tv dog when I was a child, so it resonates with me in a way that Astra cannot. Also, the phone will be equipped with Park Place tomorrow (something about parking spots for lines in use), and Astro can thank ME personally for the suggestion that is taking it uptown. Maybe that makes up for the gender mangling of its name.

Brrrrriiiiiinnnnnggggg! 1982 is calling...

Today, there was a power surge in the building where I go every day to trade my time for money. It took out the power center for our fancy multi-line phone system. It will not be fixed until tomorrow when a new system will be installed. In the meantime, to get us through, the phone servicing people brought us a single line "vintage" phone. They brought the Premier HAC 2500, just like the one above. Isn't it funny that when the newest technology fails, we always fall back on more reliable workhorses of the past?

I LOVED it because it made me laugh every time it rang. The ring was the loud, obnoxious, jarring hammer on bells ring of my childhood, and it was fun to have only one phone that worked for a time, meaning that anybody who received a call had to take it at the reception desk. Mostly, there was a lot of telling the person on the other end of the line that so-and-so would call them right back, and then so-and-so would go and call the person back from a cell phone.

But that ring took me back to summer days with my feet dangling from a tree branch while condensation dripped from my glass of ice cold (terrible for you soft drink that I no longer ingest) and left wet rings on the legs of my blue jeans. Every time I heard that ring today, I was no longer trapped in an adult body that has to trade the better part of every day for wages. I was wiping the juice of the fresh plum plucked from a nearby branch off my chin and wondering if I would be able to stay awake to midnight. I was munching fresh almonds from another nearby tree while I heard the rooster crow in the backyard coop.

I was far, far away from this 105 degree August 2010 work day. And that was just fine with me.


(above photo from Recycledgoods.com)

Thistle feeder

I have not been able to spend as much time outdoors this year as I like, and hadn't really spent any of my usual time watching the birds in the early mornings or evenings. Our old thistle sock would no longer hold anything, and I got tired of buying new ones all the time. I recently was asked to review a product for CSN Stores, and I am happy to report that my chosen item was a thistle feeder for Deer Palace. The above photo was taken last weekend as I watched the morning birds from West Deck.
I had been eyeing a more permanent feeder, but I wasn't certain I wanted to spend the money. Thistle seed is expensive as compared to other wild bird seed. Thistle socks are $6 to $8 each (usually filled with seed). The sock lasts about a month or two before it is pecked into disintegration. But that little $6 or $8 is much less than the $25 - $45 for a more permanent feeder.

I have since decided that having a more permanent feeder is so well worth the cost that I should have done it years ago. I have spent enough money in multiple thistle socks to have paid for the other feeder by now, and this feeder supports so many more birds than any sock ever did. I have had this new feeder up for about three weeks now, and I have at least 40 finches in my yard at any given time now. They are so fun to watch, and they are so beautifully vibrant!
The only problem is that Sriper Striper the Wonder Cat has noticed the extra activity as well, and has been skulking around in his wild tiger mode, stalking. The birds will actually dive at him and try to scare him away.

I love that I was able to find a feeder that is made of actual metal, with no plastic parts. If you want one, just look for the Small Nyjer Mesh Finch Feeder at CSN stores. It is currently on sale!



*though I did receive the item in order
to evaluate it for review, the opinions
expressed are my own and were not
influenced by CSN stores.

Mantis

We have a new addition to our garden. Today, when we went to our neighboring farm to get some zucchini, tomatoes and peppers, we came home with a little something extra. Meet Manty. Or something like that.

We have a zucchini plant, a pepper plant, and some tomato plants. But our fruits of the vine are very slow in arriving this year. We have had two small zucchini and two small tomatoes thus far, and there is one pumpkin struggling to survive as well. I hold out hope.

I think every garden should have a mantis or two. Properly, I have learned that they are actually Praying Mantids, as only some are of the genus Mantis. (National Geographic) Whatever you call them, I call them good for my garden! They are carnivorous, and they eat all those destructive insects that I do not want in my garden. I hope Manty enjoys himself enough to stay.

Grasshoppers, BEWARE!

Time has wings & the Egg Recall of 2010

I have been concentrating on my knitting projects this week, and I cannot believe that it is already Thursday! This week has been a blur. Looking forward to the weekend and (hopefully!) a little free time to catch up here.

Meanwhile, please be aware of the beef recall of August 6,
the pre-pack salad recall of August 12,
and the egg recall of August 16 (this recall has now been expanded, so check again).

Now is a perfect time to own your own chickens. Even many cities are allowing up to four hens in "backyard coop" settings. Check the city ordinance where you live and be in command of your own egg supply.

Night Raids

If you live in the city, you have heard of the destruction that takes place in other places at the prehensile hands of raccoons. If you live in a rural area, you have probably been the victim of that destruction at one time or another.

We have not seen much of the raccoons around here at Deer Palace since we stopped them from raiding the cat food in the garage via the cat door in the window. Until the last two weeks or so.

Now, they have been waking us up almost every night, knocking something over, bumping something, or just making scratching noises out on the deck with their long nails. When we go investigate with our flashlights, we mostly just see a flash of yellow eyes and a bushy tail in fast retreat.
This morning, I also found this:Food is scarce this year for the animals, with our apple trees lacking any fruit, and the cold spring and strange summer weather having delayed most other wild vegetation as well. It has been so scarce that the raccoons have been tearing at every place they can find that might hold a wasp nest. Our aging spa out there on the deck, unfortunately, is home to a few such nests. Now, it is home to one less. And to one less wooden slat as well.

I had no idea they would tear structures apart to hunt for larvae!

Yarny fairy godmother has made a visit!

This is what the yarn fairy brought today!

There is a woman in my charity knitting group that is just astoundingly generous. She has been a member of the group for the entire year (we are about to have our one year anniversary!), and today I received a SECOND yarn care package from her -- just because. THANK YOU, and thank you!

It is always exciting to receive mail. Ever since I can remember, I have loved receiving personal mail, and certainly packages with gifts inside are even better than letters. Sometimes the world bogs me down, but today I am again reminded to count my blessings, and to give thanks for all that I have.

Word Wednesday: olfactory

Main Entry: ol·fac·to·ry
Pronunciation: \äl-ˈfak-t(ə-)rē, ōl-\
Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin olfactorius, from olfacere to smell, from olēre to smell + facere to do — more at odor, do
Date: circa 1658

: of or relating to the sense of smell

I use every opportunity to teach Amilia vocabulary words. We go over many new ones each day, it seems. I do not talk down to her as if she is ONLY a child who cannot understand "big" words. I use my everyday speech, and when she does not know a word, she points it out and asks for clarification. It is a good system.

So, Mr. Nature got some Grandpa's Pine Tar Soap over the weekend. It is supposed to be "wonder" soap, so we thought we'd give it a scrub. I don't know yet if it is really "wonder" soap, but it is certainly smelly soap! It turned our bathroom into a campfire, I think. I distinctly smelled the out of doors and hot sticks on a rock bed of cinders. After Mr. Nature used it, HE smelled like a campfire also.

Amilia wrinkled up her nose when we went into the campfire bathroom to brush her teeth. But, after we had been there brushing teeth, combing hair, clipping fingernails, and washing hands, she said, "Hey, I think my nose got used to that smell. I can't smell it anymore."

So, I told here that our olfactory system works in just that way. Our nose gets tired of sending that signal to our brain after a while, and so we "get used to" strong or objectionable smells over time. Thus, the question about what the heck olfactory means, and my explanation that it is our sense of smell.

When she then stubbed her toe on the part where the wood floor meets the linoleum upon exiting the bathroom, we had a discussion of the word "transition." The doorway is where one type of floor transitions to the next...

What are some of your words?

Hornets No More!

Have you ever seen a hornet nest, up close and personal-like? I had not, until now. Mr. Nature found this one in our juniper bushes near where the chickens like to nest. Hornets are S C A R Y because they will mobilize the entire nest of workers to go after one who bothers the nest (or whom the hornets believe has been bothersome) and each one of them can sting multiple times. Their attacks can be fatal for we lumbering humans, so I am glad to be rid of this nest, queen and all.Mr. Nature got up at 5:00am to take the nest by surprise while the morning was still so cold that the hornets were not active. He took the entire thing and placed it in a plastic bag and put it where the sunlight would shine directly on it as the morning progressed.By the time he opened the bag to inspect the contents, the condensation on the inside had dampened the nest to near total collapse, and the direct heat had killed all the unfortunate hornets. Better that way than that they were left to attack us. Sorry, hornets!We are pretty sure that this was the queen because it was in its own chamber by itself. There were many workers, and multiple larvae pods. I was surprised to find that the inside nest where they kept the larvae looked much like the regular honey-comb type nest of the paper wasp.

Have you a hornet problem? Read more about hornets at New World Encyclopedia.

Take The Lemonade Stand

I think we all need to take a lemonade stand. That is, take a stand in favor of children being encouraged and allowed to stretch their entrepreneurial spirits and flex their ingenuity muscles. The other day, I mentioned that there is something wrong with the concept of "freedom" in our country when Big Ag is allowed to douse thousands of acres with harmful, dangerous, toxic pesticides and herbicides, but a child is criminalized for selling fresh goods at a roadside stand.

Today, a story about a young girl and her Portland, Oregon lemonade stand illustrates my point exactly. There is a monthly neighborhood event called Last Thursday, and a mom took her 7-year-old daughter to set up a lemonade stand at the event. The little girl had been inspired by Olivia (the cartoon pig) to have a lemonade stand. Her mother, doing what a good mom would do (in my opinion), supported the desire and helped the lemonade stand idea become a reality. They hadn't been there long when health inspectors came along and told them they would have to pack up because they did not have a "temporary restaurant license."

The cost of a temporary restaurant license? $120.00. The story does not say, but I happen to know that, in addition, the girl would need a food handler's permit in the state of Oregon to work around food and beverages. They are much less expensive, at about $15.00, but the point is that this is A LITTLE GIRL SELLING LEMONADE!!!

So, now the food-borne illness patrol and the temporary business license revenue patrol are on the loose and not even children are safe from their bean counting bureaucracy. Isn't Oregon supposed to be the fiercely independent, Pioneering, Free To Be Me state? Sure, I understand that houses and kitchens can be unclean, and that poorly washed utensils and pitchers could carry a potential safety risk, but this girl used KOOL-AID packets and water, and made them on-site at the stand. She used an ice scoop and hand sanitizer, and kept all items covered when not in use.

How much more of our freedom are we willing to give away to our government? City, County, State, and Federal governments have us so regulated that we cannot even have our children run a lemonade stand??? Children used to be able to take initiative and make their own spending money. They mowed lawns, raked leaves, washed windows, toted trash, sold lemonade, and even hosted (gasp!) bake sales. On their lawns, on the sidewalk, and door to door. They sold items NOT MADE IN COMMERCIAL KITCHENS to people who were smart enough to make their own decisions about the safety of what they put into their bodies.

Now there are child labor laws and liability issues and social security numbers and paper work and all manner of roadblocks for children. There are no more children with paper routes. No more children out doing hard work in the summer to earn their fun. Now they have been reduced to cell phone carrying, self-entitled zombies because the bureaucrats won't let them work. Perhaps the tax man will be knocking on this little girl's door next year, asking for the 1099 filing for the lemonade money she made this year. I don't remember voting for these regulations. Do you?

In this flagging economy, children (and adults!) should be allowed and encouraged to follow the American dream, to further the laissez-faire economy on which we are supposed to be based. Our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness mandates that we sell handicrafts, lemonade, baked goods, fresh farm goods, or whatever else we can muster, and that we be allowed to follow our own paths to self-employment without the burden of state intervention and over-taxation, excessive fees, or stifling regulations.

Children have been selling lemonade for at least 100 years, and I have never heard of a food-borne illness outbreak from one single child's lemonade stand. I have however, heard of several that originated directly from the highly regulated, ultra "safe" industrial food chain. So, is it about safety, or is it about revenue? If it were about safety, those health inspectors would have applauded a 7-year-old girl for covering the ice, using an ice scoop, and remembering to sanitize her hands between customers. When will cooler heads prevail? When will the will of the people again prevail?

Are you a Food Revolutionary yet?
Then take a lemonade stand, and set up
your neighborhood children with their own
business TODAY.

LEMON PHOTO FROM WIKIPEDIA