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About me - C. K. Patrick

For decades I've worked in horticulture and landscape design. I wasn't very good at running a business profitably, and I got too old and creaky to work hard, but I still love gardening. I'm also a jewelry maker, but I know better than to expect to make a living

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Jobs & Careers > Occupations (Other) Telemarketers are people too
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I don't currently have a job, but since I'm still decompressing from my last one, I'd like to discuss it. I worked as a telefundraiser for the last five years in a call center, soliciting donations for a slew of political and social non-profits.It's a given in call center work that everyone is on Plan F, G or H of their lives... More..

Creative Writing > Reflections Reflections: Food
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I thought about launching a new crusade one recent morning, a crusade against the chicken industry.It seems a December 2006 study by Consumer Reports discovered only 17% out of 525 supermarket chickens tested were free of contamination by salmonella or campylobacter. That struck me as over the top dirty and dangerous. This li... More..

Religion & Spirituality > Astrology & Prophecy Jupiter in your astrology chart
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"As above, so below" is an often heard motto in astrology. Can an individual's inborn traits be influenced by the constantly shifting energy fields of the orbiting planets? If natal charts are valid, Jupiter's position deserves study, for the giant planet is said to influence some of the best life has to offer.Zeus was king o... More..

Health & Fitness > Alternative Therapies Arthritis: The alternative to painkillers
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A new "medical food" recently hit the market as a treatment for osteoarthritis. It's Limbrel, manufactured by Primus Pharmaceuticals, and it allegedly offers pain relief in a different and safer way than standard arthritis drugs."Medical foods" like Limbrel are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and are available o... More..

Home & Garden > Perennials Growing hydrangea
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Can your garden use a high quality flowering vine, but you think shade limits your choices? Good news! You can have it all: the climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala subspecies petiolaris) is widely considered by garden experts to be the finest woody climbing vine and it brings to your garden just about every feature you desi... More..

Home & Garden > Home Interior Keeping house plants happy and healthy
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In the hands of some people, house plants race down the road to death as soon as they're brought home. Then there are other caretakers who can keep them alive for a few months only to watch a slow but steady decline. I suspect many of their house plants die of soluble salt damage. Brown leaf tips, not much new growth, new lea... More..

Creative Writing > Humor Humor: Attitude adjustments
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Every day I am faced with examples of friends, acquaintances, and family members who marry or divorce, begin or leave jobs, choose wardrobe items, hairstyles or even concert tickets based not upon my advice, but upon their own willful desires. Naturally, chaos results and mistakes are made. You gotta wonder why these individu... More..

Food & Drink > Soup & Stew Recipes Recipes: Your best soup recipe
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Italian Greens and Beans: Could It Be the Perfect Recipe?Considering what to cook tonight? Italian Greens and Beans is a dish that can say a big YES to every item on this checklist:DeliciousEasy to makeExtremely nutritiousLow in fatThriftyFull of fiberQuick cookingProvides a traditional ethnic experienceAdaptable to vegetaria... More..

Pets & Animals > Cat Psychology How to deal with your cat when it's angry with you
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Sorry, Mr. Friendly First, I guess I have to confess the transgression. I left Mr. Friendly outside all night. It was an innocent mistake, and I'm very sorry. This morning, when I opened my kitchen door to let the dog out into the fenced yard, Mr. Friendly startled me, jumping down from the porch railing and charging inside. ... More..

Creative Writing > Reflections Reflections on real life heroes
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Frank McCourt is an obvious role model for any writer, given the phenomenal four million copy sales record of his debut book, Angela's Ashes. For late-bloomers and aging writers filled with self doubt, however, he rates as nothing less than a real-life hero.McCourt detailed the exhaustive hardships of his early life in Angela... More..

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