Is the Internet Eating Up My Time, Energy, and Soul?

Here's a link to an article that I half read this morning:

https://www.evernote.com/shard/s42/sh/b9ccb799-9bc0-4486-b84b-3968c88bc9f9/06709efc60595c6a3a066413b238c6fb

Some very thought provoking statements are made in this article.  In short, I encourage you to read and highlight those that make an impact on you. 

Is it the nature of social networking to distract us from reality?  Is social networking bad in and of itself?  How should we use social networking to complement our lives?  What other Internet activities might be more worthwhile?

I often have to limit my time on the Internet as I do "have a life".  So, what time I do spend on social networking should be limited, also, right? Making a plan for my day and assessing my priorties should come first and I can consciously make a decision of how much time to spend "sharing", reading posts on Facebook, tweeting, etc. 

Family History is one of the things I enjoy doing on the Internet, but is it a replacement for me actually getting things done in my life that are just as important? 

Visiting with a neighbor, calling an old friend, cleaning my house, taking time for prayer---these are worthwhile and consume time and effort.  I think sometimes that the more I watch television, the more I read a book on Kindle, the more time I spend on the Internet, the less time I'm actually moving around, the less time I'm becoming who I want to be and the less time I'm serving the Lord.

Re-Seasoning Old Iron Skillet

 This one has an "engraved" name on it.  All I can read is Gidney.



Pans of the "cast-iron persuasion" can be hand-me-downs, right?  Here are some pics I took of the ones that have been in my family for generations.  Not sure if they are are from my paternal line (Grandma Hall made cornbread in a similar pan), or from my maternal line, (I'm not sure if I can remember mother cooking in these or not).

I have looked up articles having to do with cleaning and re-seasoning an old cast iron skillet that has been in my family for generations.  If you have a similar challenge, you might want to explore the links below.

• CHOWHOUND: Use cheap oven cleaner!

This is a small pan.  Perfect for an egg or two!

•  What's Cooking America:  This article is very comprehensive! Thorough, etc.; No oven cleaner used.

•  I Believe I Can Fry: This article recommends using oven-cleaner?!

I just looked these links up on Google and there are many more.  Some recommend high heat for seasoning, others say low-heat.  I'm not sure which is best.  Guess I will have to try or experiment with one or the other of these options.  I'll let you know how it turns out, but it would seem that there's a science associated with not only cleaning, re-seasoning, and cooking in cast iron, as well as storing it.  The one common piece of advice that I encountered was: NEVER BOIL WATER IN YOUR CAST IRON PAN.

RNA's Secret Life Outside the Cell - Wired Science

RNA's Secret Life Outside the Cell - Wired Science

I love living in an age of scientific discovery.  I'm not sure I understand it all, but I do try to read and understand as best I can, what lies beneath or outside or inside of me!

Buns In My Oven » Sweet Potato Cookies with Browned Butter Glaze

Buns In My Oven » Sweet Potato Cookies with Browned Butter Glaze

I'm featuring this web site and the recipe because I enjoy the commentary that goes along with the blog, as well as the yumminess of the recipes.

Sweet potatoes remind me of fall, harvest, pumpkins, squash, orange and yellow veggies and warm, mellow times.   As for scary movies, I try not to watch them! 

Today, I went to a genealogical seminar in Pensacola, Florida.  It was held at the auditorium of Washington High School and the speaker was Megan Smolenyak.  For the better part of the day, I got my head stuffled with super wise information, inspiration, and my stomach wasn't neglected, either.  The West Florida Genealogical Society welcomed us with an array of refreshments that stayed out on the table during the breaks as well as for a "continental" breakfast.  I seriously love Megan (a derivative of my own moniker, "Margaret"); she is my heroine.

For lunch, us girls who traveled together forty-something miles to attend the seminar, visited Panera's at Cordova Mall.  I had the Autumn Squash soup and it is to die for!  I loved it!  Just put me in the mood for Thanksgiving and all healthful delicious stuff!  

A plan for 2014 - Tea Party Nation

A plan for 2014 - Tea Party Nation

I don't think a lot of Republicans are aware that there is a fierce battle about to take place in the 2014 Vote between moderate and "tea-party" Republicans.  I am very fond of some of my friends who belong to the Tea Party.  It truly is a grass roots organization.  Are there rogue elements?  Perhaps, but for the most part, I think it has been (the tea party) has been a balancing influence in the Republican party.  What is a moderate wing correlation?  Where do the grass roots go, if not to the Tea-Party?

If only Glenn Beck could galvanize his following!  Some of us have not given up on the Republican Party, but some of us are tired of the friction and fracturing.  Why can't the Republican Party represent both conservatives and moderates.  Some issues could be compromised on; some cannot.  Republicans, even moderate or liberal Republicans, should embrace grass roots as a valid part of the party.  Those of us who are sick of the non-accountability of Democratic politicians in economic matters, need a voice.  Those of us who fear accomodation in the cultural fabric of society as governed by the feds, need a voice.

Who voted for Health Care Reform, yea or nay?

Who voted for Health Care Reform (Obamacare) is laid out plainly, here.  Is that going to be a watermark for who we vote for in 2014?  It could be one of them.

About the Midterm Congressional Elections

About the Midterm Congressional Elections

It's not too soon to start the education process for the 2014 elections that will change (or not) the face of our representation in Congress.

2014 Senate Elections: Here is the Republican Roadmap to Victory - PolicyMic

2014 Senate Elections: Here is the Republican Roadmap to Victory - PolicyMic

Senate’s pivotal 2014 races take shape - Elections - The Sacramento Bee

Senate’s pivotal 2014 races take shape - Elections - The Sacramento Bee

We, the people, need to be watching the 2014 line-ups in every state, but especially the one we live in and where we can make a difference.

United States Senate elections, 2014 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

United States Senate elections, 2014 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Educate yourselves. 

November 4, 2014 is the Day you can Speak Your Conscience.

Is Kerry Setting Up Israel as the Fall Guy in the Syria WMD Deal | FrontPage Magazine

Is Kerry Setting Up Israel as the Fall Guy in the Syria WMD Deal | FrontPage Magazine

I've read now, a couple of thoughtful reviews of last week's events and the way they played out.  

Legal Dictionary | Law.com

Legal Dictionary | Law.com

I looked up "chancery" and also got a definition for "equity".  This web site or one like it will help you when you are doing research and come across a legal term you don't understand.  Examples of stuff that my dad found when he did research on the Givens family at the courthouse. 

Now, I just have to read those records (or search in my dad's stuff), to get the details!  A trip to the courthouse may be the faster of the two options.

Hatch, Colleagues Call on White House for Details on Obamacare Implementation at 21 Federal Agencies - Press Releases - United States Senator Orrin Hatch

Hatch, Colleagues Call on White House for Details on Obamacare Implementation at 21 Federal Agencies - Press Releases - United States Senator Orrin Hatch

How can I find out exactly which federal agencies are included in that 21 that were redirected from their regular mission to help implement Obamacare?  And by what authority were they redirected or rather whose authority and how much is all this costing over and above what was originally earmarked for Obamacare?

Sultan Knish posts "The End of Control"

Here's the link for the article: The End of Control.

Here are some of my comments:

Article says, "Increasing control is the only solution of the system to failure."

• Margaret  says, "This is patently obvious, now that think about it.  Look at the history of the government's attempts to fix and/or cover every expediency.  Look at the regulations, the addendums, the twists and the turns of federal law.  Where is the humility?  Where is the honesty, the common sense?  We send people to Congress to make laws, but perhaps we should send them to do away with some laws, especially as pertains to the laws that have no semblance or appearance of constitutionality."

GOP Widens Probe of Sebelius Fundraising for Enroll America

GOP Widens Probe of Sebelius Fundraising for Enroll America

It seems that someone else has questions about the Enroll America crew. 

Board of Directors - Enroll America

Board of Directors - Enroll America

This is the group that will be "educating" Americans in their enrollment process for Obamacare.  I intend on checking out the Board of Directors--do they have something to gain for their trouble?  If so, what?

A Scary Superbug, Caffeinated Bees and More - NYTimes.com

A Scary Superbug, Caffeinated Bees and More - NYTimes.com

A rare sunstone?  Tags: science, archaelogy, religion?

Gov. Christie’s $32.9B Budget Expands Medicaid, Increases School Aid « CBS New York

Gov. Christie’s $32.9B Budget Expands Medicaid, Increases School Aid « CBS New York

It's called a compromise and in some situations, it's what you got to do!

Teaching Students to Feel Guilty about Financial Success

Teaching Students to Feel Guilty about Financial Success

Brainwashing is all about mindset.  Trends.  Trending.  Indoctrination.  It takes bright, clever, liberal brains to craft a society that is based on destroying American dreams, American ingenuity, American values.