Economic Recovery Is At Odds With the Environment, Is it Not?

We’ve got a huge moral dilemma in this country and in the world. We want economic recovery but we have got to quit manufacturing all the junk that we don’t really need. We’re in a jam, it’s damned if we do and damned if we don’t. When we go shopping for anything that isn’t biodegradable sooner than later we’re dooming our selves to bad air, bad water and the “new normal” mega storms. The ships that haul all the junk we love makes our precious waterways so gross no one would even think of swimming in our big rivers but we sure used to, we used to drink that water too. Going shopping will help rebuild the economy but that’s short-term financial gain and long term environmental damage that we can’t afford. Sounds like we need to start over … barter anybody?

Suellen Ocean is the author of the vegetarian cookbook, Poor Jonny’s Cookbook. Available here:

http://www.amazon.com/Poor-Jonnys-Cookbook-Suellen-Ocean/dp/0965114031

eBook or computer download through Smashwords:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/260122

eBook through Barnes & Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/poor-jonnys-cookbook-suellen-ocean/1102338251?ean=2940016618609

Life Got You Down? Spend Time with a Wise Old Tree

We get nuts, oils and fruit from trees but spending time with them brings energy and inspiration. They don’t speak to us in the manner that humans do but their longevity speaks volumes. What have we been through that they have not? One of my favorite big ol’ trees spreads a shady canopy over an old schoolyard. You can see where years ago, lovebirds carved their initials into it. The ancient tree has withstood fire danger and storms. Wet winters threatened fungus infestations while insects waited to make a home in its dead carcass. Next time you need inspiration, go find a wise old tree. Lean up against it and receive its embrace. Gain strength in the knowledge that you too can grow and prosper through life’s difficult times. I don’t know who said it but I’ll never forget it, “That great oak was once just a little nut that held its ground.” Suellen Ocean is the author of Acorns and Eat’em, a how-to vegetarian cookbook and field guide for eating acorns. Find it here: http://www.amazon.com/Acorns-Eatem-How–Vegetarian-Cookbook/dp/1491288973

New Normal? Are You Kidding Me?

Talk about the “New Normal,” I turned sixteen out west in 1968 surrounded by colorful fashions, music that stirred the highest emotions, confused young men in camouflage and fights for the rights of minority groups like Indians, African Americans, Farm Workers, Drug Users, Pimps and Prostitutes. No kidding. As a country we’ve come a long way. Although it does not solve past injustices, we have an African American family in the White House bringing pride worldwide. Native Americans have “some” sovereign rights and though Indian gaming is controversial, the money it brings to some tribes helps bring higher standards of living and education. The Unions that brought fairness to farm workers are in jeopardy but we won’t ever go back to the conditions of the past and courts today work with Drug Users with a new understanding of mental health and addiction. As for Pimps and Prostitutes, they continue to fight for the oldest industry in the world but all this makes me wonder, what exactly is the “New Normal?” Suellen Ocean is the author of the satirical novel Gone North. Available here:

Gone North: http://www.amazon.com/Gone-North-Long-After-Summer/dp/1484094360

eBooks and computer downloads available through Smashwords:

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ocean

The Battle Between Our Higher and Lower Selves

The battle between our higher and lower selves rages constantly. It’s a cycle that goes round and round. When our lower self pushes us to make unhealthy choices it’s as natural as soil erosion on a rainy day. It’s nature’s way to break us down physically so that we’ll be fodder for the next cycle of life. There’s nothing we can do to change that. But we can slow it down. We throw mulch on our yards to keep the rain from washing our topsoil away. So if we want to live longer we should listen when our higher self says, “Don’t do that… not good”. Suellen Ocean is the author of the historic novel The Lies of the Lion Available here:

http://www.amazon.com/Lies-Lion-Lions-Trace/dp/0965114074

eBooks and computer downloads available through Smashwords:

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ocean

eBook at Barnes & Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lies-of-the-lion-suellen-ocean/1102338550?ean=2940016618999

    

How We Cope, The Perfection is in the Imperfection

When people go camping, picnicking or to the beach, their plan for relaxing usually includes going through a ritual of removing rocks and debris and smoothing it out so that they will be comfortable when they lay down. Animals do the same thing. When I walk through nature I see the patted or stomped down grasses where nature’s beasts lay their heads to rest. But my horse seems to enjoy having a rock in the middle of his relaxing spot. I believe he may be doing this because he rolls and uses the rock to scratch his back and or sides. God’s creatures do funny things that look odd to us but they have their reasons. It just may be that sometimes obstacles are not “in the way” but opportunities waiting for us to use them.  Suellen Ocean is the author of Gold River. Available here:

Gold River: http://www.amazon.com/Gold-River-Suellen-Ocean/dp/1484094042

eBooks and computer downloads available through Smashwords:

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ocean

What is Twilight?

Twilight is when the sun goes down and light reflects on dust particles and clouds. The only reason we have twilight is because of dust in the atmosphere and the way the sunlight scatters it. Bringing pleasant sensations since the beginning of time, twilight is classified as the light from the sky between nighttime and sunrise or between sunset and the full night.

Suellen Ocean is the author of Gold River. Available here:

Gold River: http://www.amazon.com/Gold-River-Suellen-Ocean/dp/1484094042

eBooks and computer downloads available through Smashwords:

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ocean

What Does “Mother Lode” Mean?

Gold occurs in iron ore and also in veins of quartz. The veins are called lodes. Some of these veins are huge. Think of the vein as a layer in the rock or a layer of quartz in the rock mountain. Gold miners chip, stamp, blast, blow up or spray powerful water guns onto the veins to break up the gold. The gold then makes its way into the gravel beds of rivers and streams. Miners trace the gold upstream looking for the original vein. That source, they called the mother of the gold, hence, Mother Lode.

Suellen Ocean is the author of Gold River. Available here:

Gold River: http://www.amazon.com/Gold-River-Suellen-Ocean/dp/1484094042

eBooks and computer downloads available through Smashwords:

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ocean