Peanut brittle is sorta like the economy, I guess. Out of site: out of mind. Although I like peanut brittle well enough normally, I haven’t really craved it until the emergence of the great peanut recalls of 2009.  I subscribe to Google notifications on various topics, and get every single food recall article by email daily, simply because my notification term is “pet food recalls.”  This time, Chinese importers are off the hook; the culprits are right here in the U. S. of A.  It’s no laughing matter; the lasted toll counts over 500 ill people and at least eight deaths.  The director of FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition is calling it “one of the largest recalls we’ve had,” according to MSNBC.

There’s also a questionable nexus here, with Stewart Parnell, President of US Peanut Corp also being a member of the  USDA Peanut Standard board since 2005. Parnell’s company, in case you haven’t kept abreast, is the processor of all those peanuts responsible for the salmonella outbreaks.

Last week, I regretfully threw away the last two packets of Keebler Peanut Butter Crackers, having scarfed them regularly each night with my pre-dinner cocktail. I didn’t discard the jars of Jif and Skippy  peanut butter, though, as they have thus far been deemed “safe” by the FDA.  Along with peanut brittle, I’ve suddenly been craving tender-crisp peanut butter cookies.  I wonder if  whole peanuts have been recalled?  Time to head over to the FDA list.  Holy Moley!  The list is endless.

Our troubled economy has left me feeling adrift, in a lifeboat full of leaks. Just as I’ve managed to plug one closed, another one springs up in a different place.  I know I’m not alone, though. The vanishing real estate market has left millions adrift,  homeless after foreclosure, or bailing water as fast as they can, just to stay afloat. To carry the metaphor further, we’re all like the passengers on the Titanic,  crowded into lifeboats and praying for rescue.

I read today that the median home price in the (California) county I live in has dropped by 65%. I’ve been following the estimated value of my own home on Zillow.com, which reflects a drop of 38% in the past year, compared to the national average of 10.2% and our county of 26.4%.  Fortunately, my equity still is above the “high water line,” and I am presently still in a position to pay both mortgage payments (an interest-only equity line of credit), so am in no immediate danger of foreclosure.

On the other hand, my health is fragile, and I am well past the age when mandatory retirement was required for salaried employees.  I work as an independent contractor, and if I reach the point where I can no longer be productive, I’ll have to move on. That’s life, and no more nor no less than I expect or deserve.

In yesterday’s local paper, I read an article by Michelle Singletary, the financial guru, about a new law affecting reverse mortgages.  That alternate seems worth looking into, should this old lifeboat spring too many leaks.

I only need to know
The sweet scent of a puppy’s breath,
My kitty’s kisses on my face
To reach a state approaching Grace

Copyright 2009 Franny Syufy

I’ve made it through the Christmas and New Years holidays with a LOT of help from my friends, and my dear son, Lance. I’ve kept busy with my About.com site, and schmoozing with my friends and coworkers on Facebook.

Even with the lousy economic outlook, I expect 2009 to be a good year.

I think I’ll survive!

Lake Tahoe 2005

ough economic times are hitting even the smallest creatures, as animal shelters struggle with rising populations and shrinking contributions. Looking for a creative way to help pets in need, Dogpile.com has launched the Search & Rescue program to raise money for the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®).Dogpile.com, a search engine that pools results from all major search engines, is donating a portion of revenues from searches conducted on the Dogpile Web site to the ASPCA®. And, the giving doesn’t stop there: consumers can continue to give without spending a penny of their own money by using a downloadable Search & Rescue toolbar. Dogpile.com’s Search and Rescue program has a goal of raising $1 million through the end of 2009 by inviting consumers to do what they already do – search the Web.

Here’s a novel way to boost user traffic while helping shelter animals. Dogpile.com has partnered with the SPCA to give a portion of its income to a fund, hoping to raise $1 mil.

Leonard Pitts, syndicated columnist, wrote an excellent piece on this titled “Are we stuck in the 60s?” He goes on to ask, “I mean, it’s fitting, isn’t it, that the campaign end with yet another appeal to fear, yet another portrayal of the Illinois senator as Not One of Us?”

Asa – Rio Villa on the Russian River

It’s been six months today, since my husband of 50 years left my side.  During all those years, we seldom were apart, and when we were, he was always on my mind (Cue in Willy Nelson.) The only thing that has changed is the empty hole in my heart that I try to fill with work and more work, because every minute that I’m idle, the memories come rushing back to haunt me. Not that they aren’t wonderful memories; even in the darkest times during the past almost four years, we found time to get away together; to forget for a few days that he was dying.

The cruelest blow, though, was to be given hope, only to have it snatched away. For two glorious months in January and February of 2007, he was “in remission,” with no cancer to be seen – below his neck. What we didn’t know then, was that it was lurking, growing, and multiplying in his brain. Of all the cruelties of fate that could have happened, that was the worst possible: that this vibrant, extremely intelligent, articulate man would lose not only large chunks of his memory, but his ability to speak – to say all those things that he needed to say.

I’ll try to think no more about that today. I’ll try to remember all the wonderful memories we shared. There were many of them, so many.

A clever idea, but an even nicer way to publicize the local humane society.

My cat articles for About.com are fairly popular, according to Google.  I also spend a fair amount of time creating them, and pride myself at being considered an “expert” about cats.  I don’t claim to know it all, but I research everything I write thoroughly.

That’s why it’s so frustrating to see my hard work stolen – yes, stolen by sweet young things who want to “share” my work with their own readers.  I love links to my content, but not when those “links” contain the articles in full, word-for-word, as this person did.  Or this one.  (You can read the original content on my site here and here.)

Blogging is a world-wide hobby nowadays, and I’d venture that at least 70% of bloggers are completely unaware of such concepts as copyright infringement, plagiarism, or theft of intellectual property. That’s exactly what it is, folks.  “Intellectual property” is what puts bread on the table for many of us who make our living writing.  To “borrow” the material we write dilutes its value. Think about it. If a hundred bloggers duplicate one of my articles, Google’s algorthyms  would be hard-put to decide who “owns” that content.  I might even be penalized for it, myself.

Please, if you read this, don’t put yourself at risk for embarrassment, lawsuit, and/or financial losses by “borrowing” other people’s content without express permission.  Most writers I know, including myself, aggressively protect our copyrights. It really isn’t worth it.

Here are some helpful links to learn more about copyright laws:

10 Big Myths about copyright explained

Copyright Law Explained