It has been months since I last posted. In those months my life has been absolutely consumed with fighting a permit my neighbor applied for to spread toxic sewage sludge (biosolids)  as a free fertilizer on his hay fields right across the street from my 5 children. Biosolids is a PR name for the residual sludges from the waste water treatment process. It is a blend of Human, Hospital, Pharmaceautical, Chemical, Morgue and Industrial waste. It is minimally treated to reduce indicator pathogens (ecoli salmonella) and then shipped to our farmland to grow silage and crops on. Some of the pathogens not killed by this treatment are hepatitis, norwalk virus and Methylicillin Resistant Staph Aureus (several people living near sites have died from this). That is only a small list and doesnt even include the tens of thousands of chemical compounds that can be in the sludge.

The citizens of our community gathered to form Citizens Against Toxic Sludge. We became a non profit group, hired a public interest attorney to draft an ordinance to stop the spreading of sludge in our community and petitioned our Board of Supervisors to represent us and pass the ordinance. I became the relucant leader of this group of thousands and spent much of my time becoming a real world expert on sludge. Hundreds or hours of research and countless media interviews later I am dying al ittle each day.

The industry and the structure of law that allows a corporation to come in and poison us is dark. Darker than you could ever imagine. The fight has stolen my joy in a way I never thought possible. Becoming a public figure made me a target. There were threats and horrible things said about me. It is amazing how much money these corporations will spend on PR hacks to attack the people who oppose them.  I am now referred to as an activist (YUCK) Whenever I can I simply reply that I am not an activist just a mother trying to protect her children.

I dont feel like the same person that I was when I started. I am harder now. Not as trusting, not as happy and feeling a bit dead inside. The worst part is that our board rejected us. Hundreds of people attended the public hearing. We presented 90 exhibits into the record to support our position and to assist in the defense of the ordinance if it were challenged. We provided 2 free attorneys to defend the ordinance if need be and offered fundraising to cover any other costs. Faced with a clear majority (90 % plus) of the community they voted not to institute our ordinance. Now we are faced with the huge task of replacing the board through a constitutional referrendum. It iwll be at least 6 months and probably more like 2 years before we will be finished. In the mean time there is nothing to stop the 5 landowners in our county who want sludge to start poisoning their neighbors and YOUR food supply. The cattle graze on those fields, produce is grown on them, it ends up in our food chain.

There is not much more I can say, I would like to ask for prayer though.

While I am normally quite lighthearted in my blog, I don't have that luxury tonight. I am hoping to find someone involved in an environmental group that can help to finance baseline testing for my soil water and air. You see my neighbor has requested a permit to spread class b "biosolids" on the hay feild across the street from my home. This "fertilizer" is actually human, industrial, chemical, hospital, and morgue waste. They say they treat it and that it is safe. NOT TRUE!! It has a very high heavy metals content and also still contains many pathogens at the time of spreading some of which regrow.  There have been countless illnesses in all ages but the effects are most dangerous on children.  People have died from living near or even driving by a spread site.  I am trying to convince my neighbor not to do this but he is not returning my calls. I am prepared to file a nuisance lawsuit if he does spread but then the damage is done by then and the danger is real.  If anyone else has had experience with this please email me. Also if anyone knows of any environmental group I can contact for help in testing also email me. My situation is somewhat unique in that usually the neighbors dont know about the spreading until the trucks roll in and so when they try to report health problems the sludge company simply says...how do we know you didnt have tainted water before, there is no baseline. I have a limited amount of time to act and I am begging for help and prayers.  My 5 children are my whole world, how can I let this happen to them.  One of the children who died after exposure didnt even live near a site. He rode his dirtbike through an unmarked field and was dead in 4 days.!!! HELP ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There is not much to say today. We schooled, we survived LOL. We picked turnip greens at our neighbors house which was quite nice. We have wonderful neighbors, all  8 on our 4 mile road ROFL. Boy am I a long way from NJ (where I grew up) It wasn't what you might call a special day but it was nice.  As usual I am struck by how much I love my family and our life here in the country. Have a blessed night y'all.

O.K. I am quite disheartened by a certain turn of events. Somewhere along the line, with no advice from me my children have had the nerve to grow up!!! How dare they. I was not consulted, I signed no permission slip...how did this happen!! My oldest child (11.5 year old girl) wanted my advice on what to do about her underarm hair......UNDERARM HAIR!!!!!! She's still a baby isn't she, can't I keep her that way? Please someone tell me how. It was more than I could take and I remained in my younger daughters room and cried after she left. I stared into the crib and remembered....she used to wake up singing from every nap and every  morning, I would peek a boo into the room and her face would explode into a smile and reach for me squeeling happily. I could still see it, I could still smell the baby magic lotion, the dreft on her blanket. I was surprised by my uncontrolable emotion. It hadn't happened overnight. She's been growing up slowly but I don't think I let myself notice really. I buy the larger clothes and shoes, step up to different levels of math and other subjects but in my mind she was still my baby girl. She will always be my baby girl......now I know what my mother means when she says that. To me she will forever be mine to protect, they all will. Praise God for my children.

I have been a bit....let me see...fried the last few days.  I mean in serious need of a break.  Low and behold a friend of mine called and asked if the kids and I would like to come over and spend some time together. Her hubby was on a business trip and we could have a long afternoon/evening visit. I consulted with my darling dearest and he not only said that was great for me but that our youngest (18 month old boy) could stay home with him so I wouldn't have to run and chase him...........I think I actually heard angels singing LOL That sounded heavenly. So I went (even though I LOVE to spend time with the love of my life) and I had a blast. We talked and laughed and ate and laughed, the kids played without fighting...it was divine. I was so in need of a visit with a good friend. We enjoyed each others company until 11PM!!! When I called to tell my hubby that we would be home in a few minutes he wasn't at all upset about the late hour or the long visit. He said that he and Seamus had a great time watching the World Series and that he was so happy that I got time to have some fun.  I LOVE MY HUBBY!!! I almost never do things like that...in fact I can't remember the last time I did, but boy did I enjoy it.  She also homeschools and knows exactly the type of days that make your eye twitch :) Well I must go and snuggle with my wonderful, loving, caring, handsome husband. Praise God for him and for my friend. Ahhhh I needed that.

Every morning I wake up with pastel dreams straight out of a pampers commercial of how wonderful my day with my baby will be......OK this is proof I need mental help LOL. My oldest "baby" is almost 12 and my youngest (18 month old boy) fits that profile about as well as Hilary Clinton fits in at the Republican National Convention.  My house bustles with activity from the moment eyes open until they lay head to pillow. Taryn (my 7 year old) has two speeds...full throttle and coma. She does not settle down at night she simply is running one minute and completely out the next.  I am NOT complaining, I absolutely LOVE my life. I just have to laugh sometimes at how my brain doesn't match my reality.  Why do I wake with the same daydream every day. Logically I know that it won't be like that. I will trip over toys and break up arguments over Breyer horses. There will be endless meals and snacks and laundry. But in between there will be gold. Smiles and hugs, I love you Mom's, and "Look mommy Jesus is sitting in the chair next to me say Hi". I learn from my children about Love and Forgiveness and Joy and cleaning LOL.  I do feel some days like I am spinning my wheels going from one room to another cleaning only to be followed by the tornado that is my family messing things right back up. That's Ok, I have everything I ever dreamed of...A loving husband, healthy children, a lovely home...so what if i'm buried in laundry ROFL!!!

Hi all!!

Ok I have never blogged before and I hope I did this right. The picture above is my family. We have started our family tree from scratch rooted in the rock Of Christ because...well because our extended family puts the dis in disfunction.  The cycle of divorce, godlessness, sinful living stops with us. I was introduced to my Lord when my oldest was two months old. She was locked in our car in the dead of summer and the police were taking forever (even though they were literally across the street). As I watched my 2 month old baby turn bright red I shouted various obscenities at the top of my lungs and attracted the attention of my new neighbor who was a believer. She said the Lord told her to go talk to this lost soul screaming cuss words in the parking lot. She did, we broke the window rather than wait for the police, and the rest is history. A friendship born, a soul saved, a window smashed LOL  It took a few months but I couldn't not want to be like her.....happy....I mean happy like I had never seen. Not that she was never disgruntalled but there was valways an underlying Joy I couldn't put my finger on.  I came to Christ and then realized...my husband was not a believer, I could spend the rest of my life with someone who didn't believe and then eternity without him. After trying to beg with no result I started leaving Christian literature in the "library" ( the bathroom LOL come on everyone reads in there) Soon after I noticed dogeared pages...highlters in the book basket. I could tell he was reading. Eventually my husband (who was amazing by worldly standards already) surrendered his life to Jesus and was so on fire he made me look like a matchlight next to a bonfire. PRAISE GOD!! We have since been blessed by the births of 5 healthy children and heartbroken by the loss of 2 angels now with God in Heaven.  Our life has been wonderful, difficult, marvelous, tragic and beautiful.  Becoming a Christian doesn't mean you never cry, never feel loss, never get angry.  It does mean that at the end of the day...for all eternity, Jesus is waiting, enough said.