Oil Spill Disperants and How They Work

For fascinating information on oil-spill dispersants being used in the disastrous fiasco in the Gulf of Mexico, visit Nalco website, the leading water treatment company in the world.
http://www.nalco.com/

Photos: Courtesy of James Walker, Ontario, Canada

Your Smile for Today ~

"A book is not only a friend, it makes friends for you. When you have possessed a book with mind and spirit, you are enriched. But when you pass it on, you are enriched threefold."

~ Henry Miller, American novelist. (December 26, 1891 - June 7, 1980) Tropic of Capricorn, Tropic of Cancer

Air Boats Monitor the Marshlands of the Gulf

Air boats on Boggy Creek, Kissimmee, Florida

Recreational activities, fishing, oystering and many related businesses are becoming a remote reality along coastal Louisiana as crude oil fouls the marshlands ~ with little relief in sight.

U.S. President announced today additional crews will be dispatched to areas of the oil-damaged Gulf. Meanwhile, the President's visit to the disaster area did not include oil-drenched wetlands. He walked along a sunny sandy beach surrounded by BP-clad "extras", bused-in for the photo-op, according to Anderson Cooper of CNN.
Update: On Sat.CNN journalists interview BP executives. The clean-up crews are dispatched each day to different locations. It was a coincident that the crew was on the same beach as the President.

Tragic news 6 PM Sat., May 29: The current attempts to stop the flow of oil has failed. Experts predict that it will be end of the August before the relief wells can solve the well disaster. Meanwhile, the heart-breaking, overwhelming question of reducing the impact on the ocean and coastline remains.

Female alligator guarding her chosen hideaway ~ preparing to build a nest. For sea creatures, it is spawning season.
Photos: Wetlands Kissimmee, Central Florida. Compliments of James Walker, Ontario.

For larger image, click on photo.

Delicious "Clean" Food

Balsamic-Glazed Ontario Asparagus
Serves 4
1 lb Ontario Asparagus, trimmed
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp grated Ontario Parmesan Cheese

Toss asparagus w/oil, salt & pepper; place in single layer on baking sheet.
Bake for 8 to 10 min. in 400 degrees F (200 C)
Meanwhile, in small saucepan, bring vinegar to boil; reduce heat & simmer until reduced by half & syrup-like, about 5 min.
Place roasted asparagus in serving dish; drizzle w/vinegar reduction. Sprinkle w/cheese.
Nutritional information 1 serving: Protein: 4 grams; Fat: 4 grams; Carbohydrates: 5 grams; Calories: 67

Foodland Ontario, Calendar 2010 http://www.foodlandontario.ca/
~
~
Fresh Fruit Salad
Serves 12
2 cups cubed honeydew melon
2 cups cubed cantaloupe
2 bananas, sliced
3 kiwi fruit, sliced
2 cups strawberries, sliced
1 cup blueberries
2 fresh peaches, sliced

Combine ingredients in large bowl.
Nutritional information per serving (1 cup): 78 calories, 3 percent fat (0.3 grams), 91 percent carbohydrate, 6 percent protein.

Kim Galeaz, R.D., nutritionist. SHAPE magazine.

WHAT TO DO TODAY*

The month of May has been Health and Fitness Month at The Neat Little Bookshop
Some helpful reminders from Defining Edge, Inc.:

1. Ramp up your nutritional habits to eat "cleaner" than you ever imagined possible.
2. Focus on nutrient quality and density in your food choices. Do not skimp on calories or nutrients.
3. Consider your overall activity ~ exercise frequency, volume and intensity ~ and adjust your intake accordingly.
4. Fuel/feed your workouts. If you enjoy and are pursuing improved performance in endurance sports, you will need more than 1/2 or 1 serving of post-workout, low-GI carbs if you want your body to play along.

"What to Do Today" from Defining Edge, Inc., http://www.definingedge.ca/

Beach Closed signs are going up along the West Coast of the Gulf of Mexico as a result of the oil-well disaster.

Photo: Dusk at Daytona, Florida on the East Coast, Photo compliments of James Walker, Ontario. Thanks, James.

It doesn't feel right today to talk about anything other than the fate of the Gulf of Mexico and all the folks who live and work there ~ all the beautiful creatures who depend on man to clean up their environment.

BP's so-called "Top Kill" is underway to stop the deluge of oil spewing into the Gulf. According to BP, It will be 24 hours before success or failure is known. Meanwhile, entire areas of Louisiana's protected wildlife marshlands are dead according to CNN.

Update thirty-some hours later ~ the outcome of the procedure is still uncertain.

For whatever reason, the process at one point was stopped ~ later restarted.

Photo: Looking into the jaws of an alligator, Gaterland, Orlando, Florida.

Arizona, Louisiana and Mississippi

7:00 p.m. BP has just announced that the "live video feed" will continue throughout the so-called "Top Kill" on Wednesday, May 26.
For what may in fact potentially be the most tragic environmental disaster of all time, let us engage the world's best minds.

These beautiful scenes are from Boggy Creek area in Kissimmee, Central Florida Everglades. We are reminded that three coastal states are now declared Fisheries Disasters by the U.S. Department of Commerce in order to make available Federal Aid.

Photos: by Lorna (You may have to click on photo to see the bald eagle in lower photo.)

"What we can do is create renewable, cleaner energy sources for the twenty-first century. Instead of subsidizing the oil industry, (the previous U.S. administration's energy policy has been focused on subsidies to big oil companies and expanded drilling -- coupled with token investments in the development of alternative fuels.), we should end every single tax break the industry currently receives and demand that 1 percent of the revenues from oil companies with over $1 billion in quarterly profits go toward financing alternative energy research and the necessary infrastructure....it could be the vehicle by which we train an entire new generation of American scientists and engineers and a source of new export industries and high-wage jobs."

The AUDACITY of HOPE, Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream, Barack Obama, Three Rivers Press, a division of Random House, Inc., 2006.

Florida's Strange and Beautiful Creatures

Florida's Wild and Wonderful Creatures.

Observing the devastating effects of the Gulf oil disaster, we are appalled at BP's apparent inability to deal with it.

In his 2006 bestseller, The AUDACITY of HOPE, Barack Obama writes, "It's hard to overstate the degree to which our addiction to oil undermines our future. According to the National Commission on Energy Policy, without any changes to our energy policy U.S. demand for oil will jump 40 percent over the next twenty years. Over the same period, worldwide demand is expected to jump at least 30 percent, as rapidly developing countries like China and India expand industrial capacity and add 140 million cars to their roads."

Tomorrow: What we can do to create renewable, cleaner energy sources for the twenty-first century.* p.169,The AUDACITY of HOPE, Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream, Barack Obama, Three Rivers Press, a division of Random House, 2006.

Photo: by Lorna, Orlando, Florida. For larger image, please click on photo.

E. Pauline Johnson (1862 - 1913)

E. Pauline Johnson, Canadian poet, writer and performer, was born on the Mohawk Indian Reserve near Brantford, Ontario. Daughter of a Mohawk chief and an English gentlewoman, Pauline took to the stage telling in prose and poetry the story of her people.

When women seldom travelled, Pauline travelled coast to coast nineteen times and crossed the Atlantic three times performing in her buckskin "Indian" outfit and bear claw necklace or one of her elegant silk evening gowns.*

In response to The Neat Little Bookshop post, MARSHLANDS, May 19, Laurie Miller wrote, "The old girl's a far better poet than she's usually assumed to be.
Get over our wise snootiness about the 19th-century diction: our conventions will sound quaint to our great-grandchildren and hers may be regarded as "classic". Thanks for posting the poem."

Thank you Laurie, we agree. We welcome and appreciate your comments. Please email lwalker@mountaincable.net

*Flint & Feather, The Life and Times of E. Pauline Johnson, Tekahionwake, Charlotte Gray, HarperCollins, 2002

Boggy Creek ~ Kissimmee Florida

Travelling on an air boat. Sightings of alligator, bald eagle, ducks, herons, egrets, grazing farm cattle and the strange teacup snails.

Boggy Creek, Kissimmee, Florida ~ We simply have NOTHING like this along the Grand River. On the Grand, we see willows, maples (no moss), fiddleheads, herons, turtles, carp, catfish and Canada geese.

Our customers are clearly aware that we are preoccupied with holiday events. We will share a few of the highlights over the coming weeks!

Krista Schaus ~ Coach and Champion Light-Weight Powerlifter, Owner of Defining Edge Fitness Inc.

• Congratulations to team Carol Brady, Ashley Werner and Sonja Bedic. All took home medals from the Canadian Powerlifting Union's National Championships held in Quebec, April 7 to 11. (Powerlifting includes the squat, bench press and deadlift.)

"It was their first national competition and they faced very strict judging," said coach, Krista Schaus.

http://www.definingedge.ca/ Check out Krista's WebMag.
Photo of Krista, photographer Scott Walker

Cayuga's Conway Park Restaurant on Friday Nights

Hidden away on the banks of the Grand ~ perhaps "Cayuga's Best Kept Secret."

SAVOUR A 5 PC PERCH DINNER for $12*

at Conway Park Restaurant, Cayuga, on Victoria Day Weekend. Opening May 21 at 4 p.m.

• "Tucked" away on the riverbank, the tiny restaurant may well be Cayuga's "best kept secret" as the flyer implies. All-day breakfast Sat., Sun. and holidays.
  
  Cayuga's Conway Park feels like tourist country. It is tourist country for folks just passin' through and for those who return weekends and holidays! For those of us who live and work on the beautiful Grand, we can simply walk to Conway ~ sit indoors if you prefer ( but It sure is nice down by the riverside...). The restaurant is steps from the bridge ~ enjoy a few hours of leisure time in a vacation setting. A fun atmosphere and good food. Beside the 2nd boat ramp. A block from the tennis courts.
  
  Every Friday through the summer, a 2 pc Fish & Chips or Roast Beef Dinner $10* (includes dessert!)

*Tax included. For additional information please call Sandy or Bernie 905-772-5573.

For larger image, click on photo.

Neat Little Bookshop Hours:

Wed. & Thur. 11:00 - 5:00
Fri. 11:00 - 7:00
Sat. 11:00 - 3:00

or by appointment (without hesitation, please call: 905-577-5635) If we are around, we'll be there!

Many thanks to our dear friend, Faye, and wee Gizmo dog for opening the bookshop yesterday while we flew back from Orlando. We miss you, our friends.

The Beautiful Palms of Orlando

International Drive, Orlando

The Beautiful Palms of Orlando, Florida

MARSHLANDS ~ Pauline Johnson

MARSHLANDS

~Pauline Johnson

A THIN wet sky, that yellows at the rim,

And meets with sun-lost lip the marsh's brim.

The pools low lying, dank with moss and mould,

Glint through their mildews like large cups of gold.

Among the wild rice in the still lagoon,

In monotone the lizard shrills his tune.

The wild goose, homing, seeks a sheltering,

Where rushes grow, and oozing lichens cling.

Late cranes with heavy wing, and lazy flight,

Sail up the silence with the nearing night.

And like a spirit, swathed in some soft veil,

Steals twilight and its shadows o'er the swale.

Hushed lie the sedges, and the vapours creep,

Thick, grey and humid, while the marshes sleep.

~

~ E.Pauline Johnson (1861 - 1913) Canadian poet, writer and performer, Flint and Feather, Hodder and Stoughton Limited, London, 1912

Photo: by Lorna. Boggy Creek, Kissimmee, Florida. Click on photo for larger image.

Gone to the Park

Reminder: The Neat Little Bookshop is closed this week for holidays ~ walking, jogging and running. Come to the Neat Little Bookshop again on Wednesday, May 19,

11:00 - 5:00.

Photo: Wind in the Willows on The Grand (For larger image, click on photo.)

Dr. Michael F. Roizen and Dr. Mehmet C. Oz* point out in their book, You on a Diet, that when it comes to working out, most of us have two excuse cards: "No time," and "it's not convenient." He goes on to say, "We know you're busy. We know you're juggling more balls than a twelve-armed clown...but time and convenience aren't excuses."

Wind in the Willows ~ The Grand River Cayuga, Ontario

"Thirty minutes a day to walk and thirty minutes a week to do some resistance training. If you don't have the time to do this, then you have to be willing to admit that the problem is not the fact that you're out of time but the fact that your life is so out of control that you can't budget enough time for your health and well-being."

* Yes. Dr. Oz from the Dr. Oz Show!

(Click on photos to view larger image.)

IMPORTANT NOTE:

The Neat Little Bookshop is closed this week. Please come again to The Neat Little Bookshop on Wednesday, May 19, 11:00 - 5:00.

We apologize for any inconvenience and wish everyone a safe and happy week.

We welcome messages at lwalker@mountaincable.net or Comments on http://www.theneatlittlebookshop.blogspot.com/

Your Smile for Today:

Before we reach for that deep-fried Mars Bar, we might consider these personality traits:

1. I don't exercise because everyone else at the gym looks like a supermodel or Schwarzenegger compared to me.
2. I eat salads when I'm out with friends, then raid the pantry when I'm home.
3. I enjoy being physically active as much as I do making paper-clip chains.
4. My plate's so high, it breaks at least three city codes.
5. Ahhh! I find food as comforting as a down pillow.
6. I like exercise, but if I have to miss it, I'm like a crashed NASCAR !
it's hard for me to get back on track.
7. My life is moving fast, my to-do list is the length of a novel, and I can't find the brakes.
8. I need a dietary restraining order. If there's any food within fifty feet of me, I'll eat it.


These are only a few of the excuses listed by Mehmet C. Oz, MD. and Michael F. Roizen, M.D.
YOU ON A DIET, Free Press, Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., 2006.

Happy Mother's Day ~ Bless Our Moms

Photo by Lorna: The Haldimand County Museum, Munsee St., (Hwy. 54) Cayuga-on-the-Grand ~ "Welcome."

The log cabin doorway.

Your Smile for Today:

"My best advice is this: Focus on how you want to FEEL not how you currently feel. Anytime a negative thought or feeling comes in, acknowledge it and replace it with a good thought and feeling."

~ Krista Schaus, performance specialist, certified personal trainer

Visit Krista's website at http://www.definingedge.ca/

Krista Schaus, professional powerlifter, owner of Defining Edge Fitness Inc. will be in the bookshop on Friday, May 7, around 11:00 a.m. Come by, chat and enjoy a cup of tea with Krista. (We might serve almonds instead of butterscotch crunchy cookies.)

Visit Krista's website at http://www.definingedge.ca/ The message here is, "Aspire. Act. Achieve."

Click on Krista's WebMag for some really good information on health and fitness.

Canadian Geographic TRAVEL

Author, Journalist, James Raffan, has an article, THE OLD MAN AND THE RIVER, in the summer issue of Canadian Geographic Travel. While navigating the beautiful Grand River, memories of days on the water as a boy with his father return. "A sense of peace fills my soul," writes Raffan.

With tent, sleeping bag, knapsack filled with beef jerky, Triscuits and a flask of single malt, Raffan makes the week-long journey from Guelph Lake, the Speed River north of Guelph to Port Maitland on Lake Erie.

He visits The Neat Little Bookshop in Cayuga. Thank you, James.

James Raffan is the author of the best-selling books, Wild Waters: Canoeing North America's Wilderness Rivers, Emperor of the North and Fire in the Bones. He is executive director of the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough, Ont.
http://www.canoemuseum.ca/
(Next time you are paddling the Grand, James, pull up onto the grassy bank; we will meet you with a Johnnie Walker Blue.)
Photo: Wind in The Willows by Lorna. Click on photo for larger image.

Your Smile for Today:

"Books are not made for furniture, but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a house."

~ Henry Ward Beecher, American Clergyman, Social Reformer (1813 - 1887) Brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe who wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin.

The Neat Little Bookshop Cayuga

We are pleased to host A Special Photographic Exhibit SHADES OF BEAUTY.
An eclectic display of photos and art pencil drawings inspires the most reluctant among us to set up a home gym and examine closely our lifestyle!

We are privileged to feature Krista Schaus, professional power lifter, body builder and performance specialist. "Krista excels at inspiring others to become their best," Artist and photographer, Scott Walker

Despite her busy schedule, Krista is planning to visit the Neat Little Bookshop on Friday, May 7th. around 11:00 a.m. Come by; enjoy a cup of tea or coffee with Krista. NOTE: Friday, May 7, 11:00 a.m.

Visit Krista's website at http://www.definingedge.ca